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Part II He fees in us of Himfelf. Do we not fee what great things come from a mean Beginning? how a poor Babe, that lay in a Manger, came to be the King of Glory? We must hope in God then that we fhall grow to a greater ftature; and more exactly resemble our dearest Savior. He has given us affurance that He will not overlook us, now that He fits on the Throne of his Glory, 'Tis a Throne of Grace too, unto which we may addrefs our felves, and find grace to help in time of need. Let Him but fee how much we honor Him; how precious his Memory is unto us; how we are in love with his Purity; and Hethat was manifested in our flesh, will manifest Himself in us; Ile will adorn us with all his Graces; and make us fhine as Lights in the world, in humble. Charity, meekness of Wisdom, in chearful Patience, and devout Obedience, Bleffed be God for this Hope we have no caufe to envy the greatest perfons; no not her that carried Him in her womb, and then in her arms, if there had been nothing more for tho we are apt to fay as the Woman among the multitude did, Blessed is the womb that bare Thee, and the paps which Thou haft fucked. yet fefus faid, yea, rather bleffed are they that hear the word of God and keep it. S. Luke II. 27. 28. They that hear and believe his word, conceive Hin in their heart and they that do it, bring Him forth in their life. Bleffed be Jefus for the leaft. fhare we have in this Bleffedness: We will fpend this holy-day in praifing Him for the Hope we have to partake of more of it. What can there be more delightful to those who know what it is to Believe in Him and Obey Him? And in what fhall we spend the rest of this time wherein we Commemorate his coming into the world? Shall we be fo uncivil to our Lord, as to go more willingly to fealt with our Neighbors, than to feaft again with Him? fhall we go to their houses with more chear than unto his? We will nev er fo difhonor Him. God forbid that we should feast our Bodies more than our Souls. We will rather imitate th' ancient Chriftians, who could find in their heart to meet every day before the morning light to fing Hymns to our Sıvior. We will, at least, be able to fay with David, (0 that all others may bear us company) We have gone with the mulititude, we went with them to the house of God; with the voice of Foy and praife, with a multitude that kept holyZay. Pfal. 42. PART II

PART III.

Sacramental Devotions for feven Days After the most comfortable Participation of the Body and Bloud of Chrift.

CHAPTER. I.

MONDAY, or the first day After that heavenly Feast. De are made partakers of Chrift, if we hold the beginning. of our confidence ftedfalt unto the end. Heb. 3. 14.

Section 1, A Direction how to deport my felf when my Calling requires me to fall to my ufual Affairs.

I must do it; but yet ftill remembring that I have greater Business than that upon my hands. What I do by Devotion and folemn Religion on a Sacrament day, I ́must do every day by the material Practife of Virtues. I must keep my Heart curiously; and reftrain my Paffions power. fully every day proceed in the mortification of my Anger, and irregular Defires; not let Drunkenness, or Gluttony enter, or Evil words go forth of that Mouth thro' which our Lord Himfelf has pafled. If I have communicated worthily, I have given my felf to Chrift, all my Liberty and my Life, my Body and my foul, my Actions and my Paffions, my Affections and my Faculties, what I am and what I have; and in Exchange have received Him; and I may fay with St. Pant, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. Gal. 2. 20. So that I must live no more to the world, but unto God. I muft maintain that acquaintance with my Bleffed Lord which I then begun, and look upon it, not as a Tranfient Act, but as an Entrance on a Lafting State, which ever atter I am to continue in. I muft every day make fome folemn Reflections upon my behavior when I was before the Lord,and rejoyce in his Goodness; blefs Him for the Refreshinents He has afforded me; and render Him hearty thanks that He has fatisfied me fo abundantly with the fatnefs of his Houfe,and made me to drink of the River of his Pleasures. Ps. 36. 8. After fuch folemn Ingagements nothing is more proper, nothing more equitable than a Reasonable service; which confifts, I, In a happy agreement of my Profeffion and

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Part. II. Actions, my Belief and Practice, my Principles and Condyverfation. 2. In fubjecting my Flefh and Body to my Reafon, yielding my Members as inftruments of righteousness unto God. Rom. 6. 13, 3ly, In worshipping God with th Understanding and inward man; for God being a fpirit and the highest Reafon, I mußt warship Him in spirit and in truth. S. Joh. 4. 24. and without that I can take no Com. fort in it, but fhall run into Hypocrifie, and deceive my felf. I must hold my Vaderstanding to it as much as in melies, and if at any time, by wandring thoughts, it declines from that point, reduce it and bring it back again to the Center from which it has fwerved, and tho the ervice be thereby fomewhat impair'd, yet, as long as that interruption is not wilful, Gol will fill accept of it as a Reafonable fervice. See more ch. 3. §. 3. about the beginning.

§. 2. Pfalm 8. [Mr. Tindall's and Mr. Coverdale's Tranflation; as are all the Pfalms and Sentences of fcripture in our Common Prayer Book; which are fill retain'd in that Jervice, poffibly by God's so ordering it for th' honor of his artyr, Mr. Tindall, tho' we have now a more correct Tranflation of the Bible (the fecond fince his, as Part II. Ch. 1. §. 5.) made and established by th' Authority of K. JAMES. I.]

O LORD our Governor, how excellent is thy Name in all the world: Thou haft fet thy glory above the heayens Out of the manth of very babes and fucklings haft Thou ordained ftrength, because of thine enemies: that Thou mighteft fill the edemy and the avenger. For I will confider thy heavens, even the works of thy fingers: the moon and the stars which Thou haft ordained. What is man, that Thou art mindfl of him: and the fon of man, that Thou vifiteft him? Thou madeft him lower than the angels: to crown him with glory and worfhip. Thou makeft him to have dominion of the works of thy hands and Thou haft put all things iu fubjection under his feet. All fheep and oxen: yea, and tbe beafts of the field; The fowls of the air, and the fifhes of the fea: and whatsoever walketh through the paths of the feas. O LORD our Governor? how excellent is thy Name in all the world: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: &c. As it was c.

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S. 3. Pretence for Abftaining from the Lord's Table, answered. Is it fuch a great matter whether I receive this

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-Sacrament, or not, if I do but in deavor to serve God with a good Confcience: Answer. CAN you ferve God with a good Confcience, whilst you defpife his Command and Or. =dinance; or is that no greit matter?

§. 4. Another Pretence. LOVE and Charity is the Bond a of Perfectness. Cel. 3. 14. And if I love God with all my heart,' and with all my foul, and with all my mind, and my Neigh bor as my felf, on these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets, S. Mat. 22. 37, 39, 40. and is more than all whole burnt-offerings and facrifices. S. Mark. 12. 33. Answ. YOU may as well fay, you need not go to Church, nor perform any other outward Acts of Devotion. Our Savior fays, If ye love Me, keep my Commandments. S. Joh. 14. 15. and by Confequence that of Receiving this Sacrament. S. Luke 1 22. 19. This do in Remembrance of Me.

§. 5. III Pretence. I Look on it to be an indifferent thing which one may do, or let alone; for the Scripture faies, Bal. 6.15. In Christ Jefus neither Circumcission availeth any thing, nor uncircumcifion, but a new creature Answer. TH' Apostle, means not that th' use of this Sacrament was an indifferent thing, bat Circumcifion, for which they fo muchcontended, and whereof they boated; being done away by the Death and Resurrection of Christ, tho' permitted a while to the weak Jews who could not fo foon forget the Law of Ceremonics. Acts 16. 3. Circumfifed him because of the Jews. Bat you will not say that the Sacrament of Baptifm is an indifferent thing; and if you confider th' Author, they were both inftituted by Christ the Son of God, whom we must all obey under penalty of the curfe, Beut. 18. 18, 19. I will raife them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put words in his mouth, and He shall fpeak unto them all that I shall command Him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which He shall fpeak in my Name, I will require it of him. If you confider the Promises of this, they are not less than those of Baptifm. If you confider the Command, it is as exprefs in S. Luke 22. 19. asthat of Baptifm in S. Mat. 28. 19.

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formerly they that were Circumfifed were Debtors to do the whole law: Gal 5.3. So now all that are Baptized we bound to obferve all things whatsoever Chrift has commanded. S. Mat.28.20. and therefore, (when they come to years of D1s. cretion, and can Examine themselves, to receive this S.c

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Part. III. crament, which Heinftituted in Remembrance of Him, and as his Teftament. 1 Cor. 11.25, 28. This cup is the new tefta. ment in my bloud:this do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of Me. Let a man examine himself, and fo let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

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§ 6. IIII Pretence, MOST of my Relations and efpecially my Father and Mother, are of another Opinion, and wou'd be very angry at it. Answ. YOU ought to obey God rather than Man. Afts 5.29. and our Savior fays, S. Mat. 10. 37. He that loveth Father or Mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth fon ordaughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me.

§. 7. V Pretence. I'm yet too young. Answ. IF you are Sixteen years of age; and know your Duty to God, your Neighbor, and your Self:land Repent and Believe aright; and understand the Doctrine of the two Sacraments; you are capable: And are commanded by our Lord Jefus Chrift in this way to Renew and Confirm your Baptismal Vow and Covenant,if the Providence of God affords you means and op portunity to do fo:therefore you are not left at liberty whether you will set Receive this Sacrament or not. But I advife you (and all that have not yet Communicated, first to read this Book throughout, confider it well, and refolve to act accordingly; and then t' appply your felf zealously to that grand Duty. See more Part I. Ch. IV. §. 5.

§ 8: VIReafon. THO'I'm young, yet, by God's grace, I'm arriv'd to a good meafure of general understanding and discretion; which makes me look fconfully and disdainfully on thofe of my years, and especially that are elder, who have not fuch natural or acquired Parts, or comely Behavior as I have; and I take great delight in infulting over'em, putting little Tricks upon, and deriding and vexing 'em; and cou'd not love fuch a one were he my own natural Brother, but fhou'd be afhamed to be feen abroad in his company, or be known to be kin to him. Which I fear is no good difpofirion for this teaft of Love. Answ. YOUR Conclusion is right, and by Confideration, and Watching, and Praying muftalter that wicked humour before you can comforta bly Communicate: for in this you are guilty of the Sins of Pride, unthankfulness, cruelty, injustice. want of Love to God and Man &c, zob. 13.10. Only by pride cometh con tention, ch. 18. 12. Before destruction the heart of man is

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