poor 109 For the voice of my groning: my bones will fcarce cleave to my, fefh. Iam become like a Pelican in the wilderness: and like an Owl that is in the defert. I have watched, and am even as it were a Sparrow: that fitteth alone upon the house top. Mine enemies revile mè all the day long and they that are mad upon me, are fworn together against me. For I have eaten afhes as it were bread: and mingled my drink with weeping, and that because of thine indignation and wrath for Thou haft taken me up, and caft me down. My daies are gone like a fhadow: and I am withered like grals. But Thou, O LORD, fhalt indure for ever and thy remembrance throughout all generations. Thou shalt arife and have mercy upon Sion for it is time that Thou have mercy upon her, yea, the time is come. And why? thy fervants think upon her ftones: and it pitieth them to fee her in the duft. The heathen fhall fear thy Name, O LORD and all the kings of the earth thy Majefty. When the LORD fhall build up Sion: and when his glory fhall appear; When He turneth Him unto the prayer of the deftitute and defpifeth not their defire. This fhall be written for thofe that come after and the people which shall be born fhall praife the LORD. For He hath looked down from his fanctuary: out of the heaven did the LORD behold the earth; That He might hear the mournings of fuch as are in captivity and deliver the children appointed unto death. That they may declare the Name of the LORD in Sion and his worship at Jerufalem; When the people are gathered together and the kingdoms alfo to ferve the LORD. He brought down my ftrength in my journey: and fhortned my days. But I faid, O my God, take me not away in the midft of mine age: as for thy years, they. indure throughout all generations. Thou LORD, in the beginning haft laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They fhall perish, but Thou shalt indure: they all fhall wax old as doth a garment, And as a Vefture fh It Thou change them, and they fhall be changed but Thou art the fame, and thy years fhall not fail. The children of thy fervants fhall continue: and their feed fhill ftand faft in thy fight. Glory be to the Father, &.c.- -As it was &c. : : S. 9. IV Divine Colloquy. Soul. WHY, Lord, was thy Face Disfigured with Blows and Bloud? Chrift. That thy F f ce face might Shine, glorious as th' Angels in heaven. So. Lord, wherefore wouldft Thou be fo cruelly Scourged? Chr. That thou mighett be Freed from the Sting of confcience, and Wipe off everlasting Torments. S. Lord, why wou'dit Thou be arraign'd at Pilate's Bar? Ch. That thou mightft at laft be Acquitted before my Judgment feat. S. Lord, wherefore wou dit Thou be Falfly accufed? C. That thou should not be Juftly condemn'd. S. Wherefore, Lord, waft Thou turn'd over to be condemn'd by a Strange Judge? C. That thou, being Redeem'd from the Captivity of a hellifh Tyrant, might't be Reftored to God, whofe own thou art by right. S. Wherefore, O Chrift; didit Thou Acknowledge that Pilate had Power over Thee from above? C. That Antichrift, under pretence of being my Vicar, fhould not exalt himself above all Principalities and Powers, S. Lord, why wou'dft Thou fuffer under Pontius Pilate, being a Roman Prefident to Cafar of Rome? C. To fhew that the Cafarian and Pontificial Policy of Rome fhou'd chiefly Perfecute my Church, and Crucify Me in my Members. S. But wherefore, Lord, wou'dst Thou be Condemn'u? C. That the Law being Condemn'd in Me, thou might❜st not be Condemn'd by it. 10. A Prayer for Holy and Fervent Defires. O Moft bieffed, most glorious Lord and Savior Jesus; Thou that Watereft the furrows of th' Earth, and refresheft her weariness, and makeft it very plenteous: behold, O God, my defart and unfruitful Soul; I have already a Parched ground, give me a land of Rivers of waters, my foul is dry, but not thirfty, it has no water, nor defires any; I have been like a Dead man to all Defires of Heaven, I'm carneft and concern'd in the things of the World, but very indifferent to, or rather not well induring the ferverites and excellencies of Religion. I've not been greedy of thy word, or longed for thy Sacraments. The worst of thy followers came Running after Thee for Loares, tho' they cared not for the Miracle; but Thou offereft me Loaves and Miracles together, and I have cared for neither. Thou offereft me thy Self and all thy infinite Sweetneffes. Be pleas'd therefore, a my dearett Lord, to create in thy fervant a great hunger and thirst after the things of thy Kingdom, and the righteousness of it; all thy holy graces, and and all the holy ministries of grace; that I may long for the Bread of heayen, thirst after the fountain of Salvation, and as the Hart panteth after the brooks of water, fomy Soul may defire Thee, O Lord. Let is be my meat and drink to do thy Will. Grant, O bleffed Jefus, that I may omit no oportunity of ferving Thee, of converfing with Thee, of receiving Thee; and beftow upon me fuch a conftant relifh of heavenly Injoyment, that I may not either thro' floth and idleness, or thro' covetousness and love of this world, neglect any opportunity which is prefented to me of attending on Thee at thy holy Table, and I may feel my foui so in love with it, and with all the Vertues unto which I'm ingaged by it, that I may have no doubt of thy gracious acceptance; that with fincerity and zeal I may follow after righteoufnefs, and the things that belong unto my Peace, untill I fhall arrive in the Land of eternal Peace and Praifes, where Thou liveft and reignest for ever, world without end.* Amen. After this I fay the Preparatory Prayer.ch.§.15. S.11. An Ejaculation after abed. any Night. THANKS be to God for keeping me this Day, Lord, keep me this Night and for eyermore. Pardon all my Sins, and clothe me with the white robes of Chrift's Righteoufnefs; and when Thou shalt pleafe to call me hence, receive me moft graciously to thy felf, for his fake who is the Son of thy Love, and my only Savior, Reedeemer, and Ad vocate. Amen. CHAP. VIII. FRYDAY, or 2 days before my approaching the holy Table. .1.4 Morning Ejaculation before Irife.any Day. LORD, as Thou haft awaked my Body from fleep, fo by thy grace awaken my Soul from fin; and make me foto walk before Thee this Day, aud all the reft of my life, that when the laft Trumpet fhall awake me out of my grave I may rife to the life immortal, thro' Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. §. 3. VI Argument for Frequent Receiving: FROM th Acceptableneis of it to God, and benefit to Man. This God F 2 declared declared in th' Examples of the Primitive Believers, whose Frequent Receiving did fo incline his favor towards them, that the Evangelift takes notice, Act. 2.47. The Lord added to the Church daily fuch as fhould be faved. This was not only a reward of their Frequent Communion, but God made that Frequency a Motive to others to imbrace the true Religion. Nothing works upon Strangers more to joyn themfelves to the Myftical Body of Christ, than to fee the Profeffors live up to their Principles, and maintain the Rules their Matter has given 'em to that what th' Apofle 1 Cor. 14, 32. faies of the Gift of Tongues, may be said of Frequent Communicating, that it is a Sign to them that believe not. Hereby they are perfuaded to Believe, feeing the Profeffors Act like Perfons that believe what their Mafter has faid. This alfo fhows their Zeal and Unity, and there is no Man vers'd in Ecclefiaftical History but knows how much these two prevailed with Infidels to come into the Sheepfold of Chrift Jefus. And this Acceptableness to. God,and Benefit to Man appears further, by his hearing our Prayers then efpecially, for Temporals as well as Spirituals, not only for our felves, but alfo for others, in answer to this fo lively and advantagious an Argument, as th' ancient Christians thought, accounting their Prayers were not like to be fo Powerful at any time, as when this Commemoration of Chrift, Death, th' only Plea for being heard's accompanied them; and by Chrift's gracious Procuring, and bountifully Conveying to the Worthy Receivers, at the Prefence and in the Participation thereof, all the Grace' and virtue which the true Body receiv'd, imputing their Sins to Him, who has fatisfied God for 'em, and his Righteoufnefs to them, fanctifying 'em both in Body and Soul, increafing and confirming all their Graces, and freely giving them Remiffion of fins, Peace of confcience, Joy in th' Holy Ghoft, Affurance of his Love and Favor, the Juftification of their Perfons, th' Aids and Influences of his Holy Spirit, the Hopes of Eternal Life, and th’ other Bleffings of the New Covenant: Which we there fore, in reafon, fhou'd be defirous Conftantly to Receive, becuufe we Conftantly want 'em, §. 3. Signs & Indications of the Sincerity and Heartinefs of my Defires. ARE my Affections warm and fervent, inquifitive and longing, longing, interested and concern'd in the things of God? and do I fet a high Value upon thefe Mysteries, and love to Partake of 'em, and defire the Bleffi g, and expect the Fruits of Chrift's Death and Interceffion? Am I defirous to ufe all fit Opportunities, and to take all advantages, and do I long for all the Benefits of this Sacrament? Am I in trouble till I converfe with my Lord in all the ways of Spiritual intercourfe? Do I rejoyce when a Communion. day comes, and is my Joy fixed upon confideration af that holy Neceffity of doing Good works, at that time especially, and to receive the Aids of Grace and the Helps of the Sacrament liberally? When it is thus it is well, that I can be fure of or if I come often, and pray that I may have a lively relish and appetite to the Myfteries, it may be wel in time and if I come becaufe God commands me, in a direct and certain Obedience to the Words of Christ, and in a deep forrow for my Sins, and a great apprehension of my Infirmity, for Support and Strength,in hopes of Remedy; tho I feel no fenfual punctures, and natural harp neffes of Defire, yet I come well, and upon a right Principle. But if I want the pleasure of thefe paffionate Indications, I must be careful that I be fure in th' intellectual and Religious choice; for that is the thing that is intended to be fignified by all th' exterior Pafhons; and When I have no Sign, I must be the more careful to have the Thing fignified, and then all is right again. Do I defire and wifh, to the praife of my blefled Lord's Name, to have all Defire, and all Love that ever was kindled in any Heart towards Him, and fo go to Him? Then He will inflame, He will accept my Love, not as it is, but as I defire it fhould be in me. e fatiifieth the longing foul, and fith the hungry foul with goodness Pfal. 107. 9. Happy is mat Soul which comes to thefe Springs of Salvation, as the Hart to the water-brooks, panting and thirty, longing and paffionate, weary of Sin,and hating Vanity, and reaching out the heart and hands to Christ. §. 4. Self-Refignation is. TO Refign my Will to God's Will, taking his Pleasure and Will for my Rule, whereby to Govern my own Defires and Affections, in being ready to Do what God will have me do, and contented to Suffer what ever He fhall think |