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tage of you; who have all your life long professed and inculcated atheism and impiety; while I have continually laboured to honour the Deity, and to promote virtue and religion?"

And thus the professor of Christianity may reply to the Deist or Infidel. "If peradventure the doctrines which I believe shall be found to be true; if indeed the religion of Christ is what it assumes to itself, a revelation from the Most High God; in how sad a case will you be found, who reject and despise it, who knowingly refuse to embrace it, and resist all the evidences which it offers? In how sad a case will you, particularly, be found, who, born and bred in a country professing Christianity, nay, who being baptized into that faith, utterly cast off and disclaim its obligations:

"Oh think, in such a case, if the doctrines of redemption be found true, what a miserable situation yours will be?-But, on the other hand, supposing, when we appear together in the future world, that these doctrines shall prove false, and the facts of Christianity appear fictitious; yet there can be no doubt, but that the Christian will obtain favour from the Deity. If he be the God of the Deist, he cannot but approve me, who have made it the business of my life to purify my heart and actions from all defilement: for he is a God delighting in virtue; and a Being so good and gracious, that he will never punish for the unavoid

able errors of the head, where the heart was right. If he be the God-all-mercy—of the infidel; I have no need to be afraid; my whole endeavour has been to supplicate and to obtain his mercy; and if I requested it through a mediator, it shews that I had the higher opinion of his adorable perfections. Should the system of Mahomet be found true, I shall certainly obtain the reward offered to good Musselmans. For Mahomet himself allows the divine mission of Jesus Christ and, inculcating the belief of a just and good God, supposeth him only not so pure and holy as the Christian supposeth him: and of consequence the Christian, upon this plan, will find nothing to his loss. It will appear indeed to him that he has been more virtuous than there was need; and more exact in the performance of duty, than was requisite for a reception of the blessings of the Mahometan paradise. Suppose lastly, that the Jewish religion should, in the end, be proved the religion of truth; yet even, agreeably to its tenets, the Christian is safe; the Jew waited for, and believed in, a coming Messiah: the Christian believed that he was come, and as such did honour to God the Father by him. As to the rest, no man can deny that the mortality of the Christian is equal to, and must necessarily be as acceptable with God as the Jewish mortality. -Thus, in the end, let whatever faith be found right, it is undeniable, that the Christian who lives up to the holy precepts of his religion cannot be wrong."

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PRAYERS

FOR

Every Day in the Week,

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PREPARATION TOWARDS A WORTHY RECEIVING OF THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S SUPPER.

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I commend into thy Hands, this day, my soul and my body, with all the faculties, powers and actions of them both, beseeching thee to be ever with me, to direct, sanctify, and govern me in the ways of thy laws, and in the works of thy commandments; that through thy most mighty protection, both here and ever, I may be preserved in body and soul, to serve thee, the only true God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

ALMIGHTY
LMIGHTY God, who hath promised

to hear the petitions of them that ask in thy Son's name, I beseech thee mercifully to incline thine ears to me, and support my weakness by thy mercy, in my preparation towards a worthy receiving the Holy Sacrament: And grant, O Lord, that I may effectually obtain thy grace to the relief of my spiritual necessities, and to the setting forth of thy glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Father which art in Heaven, &c.

Monday's Meditations in the Morn- this sacrament, which I am going to receive,

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ing.

Upon the most Holy Sacrament.

THE depths of the riches both of the wisdom and goodness of God? He hath made man capable of knowing, loving, admiring, and enjoying his maker. Amidst all satisfactions, this is the only comfortable rest of man's soul, to enjoy communion with God through Christ. O my God, I trust in thee: My prayer, O Lord, is founded upon faith in thee; my faith upon thy promises, so that because thou art my God, therefore I trust in thee. What an excellent gift, O Lord, was the son of thy love? It is thy duty, O my soul, to render most humble and hearty thanks to Almighty God, our heavenly Father, for that he hath given his son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, not only to die for us, but also to be our spiritual food and sustenance in this holy sacrament. In this sacrament, O blessed Jesus, thou art set forth crucified, and with an eye of faith I behold thy wounds; from whence I take hold of these comfortable words of life, my Lord and my God: My God; mine, for thou hast partaken of our human nature, and thou hast made us to partake of thy divine nature; thou hast taken upon thee our flesh, and thou hast communicated unto us of thy spirit: In this holy sacrament, O adorable Saviour, we spiritually eat thy flesh, and drink thy blood, we dwell in Christ, and Christ in us; we are one with Christ, and Christ with us. Therefore I trust in thee to make my interest in the covenant of grace sure, and to bring me at last to thy heavenly kingdom.

Lord! I do not trust in mine own faith, but in thy faithfulness; not in my own repentance, but in thy pardon; not in mine own preparation, but in thy acceptance: In thee, in thy merits, and in thy mercies do I trust, let me not then be ashamed; let me not be disappointed of my hope, nor deprived of thy blessing; I trust in thee by No. 25.

to be filled with good things: Olet me not be sent empty away; I trust in thee as the rock of my salvation: Thou, My God, hast promised that whosoever trusteth in thee, shall not be confounded, be it then unto me according to thy word. And seeing O God, art the same goodness, without thou, any variableness or shadow of turning, make my trust as firm as thy promise is sure, so shall I not be confounded, because I have put my trust in thee. O Lord, in thee have I trusted, let me never be confounded: But, O my Jesus, behold I am coming to thee, another poor Bartimeus, like him mentioned in the gospel, so blind, that to find out thy ways thou must not only point them out, but also open my eyes that I may see them. I am to present myself at thy table, as another impotent cripple in the temple; so that to lead meinto thy truth, thou must not only go before me, but give me feet also to run after thee: And that thou, my Jesus, (who art the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever) wilt now, by the mighty power of thy grace and truth, even cure my spiritual lameness and blindness; this is the ground. of my hopes, thy promises; this my encouragement, thy sacrament: In which sacrament and promises thou art exhibited unto my soul as the God of my salvation: In thy word thou hast given the promise, and in thy sacrament that promise is sealed, that thou wilt save them that love thee from the paths of death, and lead them in the way of everlasting life: and so faithful art thou who hast promised, that safer it is for my soul to be cast down even to the grave with a promise, than to be exalted as high as heaven without it; for then, though I were brought low even to the dust, yet hope in thee would bear me up; whereas presumption would throw me down, even though I had set my nest among the stars.

Now, for our comfortable access to this most holy sacrament, let us call to mind the institution of the same. Our blessed Savi

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our, in the same night that he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of me." Likewise after supper he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, "Drink ye all of this, for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you, and for many, for the remission of sins: Do this, as oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of me." St. Matt. xxvi. 26. St. Luke xxii. 19.

In consecrating the elements of bread and wine, our Saviour's prayers went up to heaven; the benefits whereof remain with his church here on earth. The visible elements of bread and wine, which he took and blessed, and distributed among his disciples, declare two things; the one, That he would make himself a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world:

The other, That he would become unto the faithful by this means a spiritual repast; in both, God hath the glory and man the benefit. The faithful communicant doth obtain, (as our church piously prays) preservation unto life everlasting, both for his body and soul: For the humble soul, believing the incarnation, death and passion of Jesus, and receiving this bread and wine, in token that God hath given Christ for our sins, and relying on him as its only redeemer : Such a lively faith, if accompanied with true repentance and devotion, will convey to a penitent believer, all the benefits of the birth and death of Jesus Christ: And as the bread and wine being received, do communicate to us all the natural strength and comfort that they contain; so the devout communicant, by exercising a lively faith in his crucified Saviour, draws persuasions of his pardon, and feels new life and vigour added to his graces; and so spiritu y cats the flesh of Christ, and drinks Lis blood. Hence we may rejoice in his salvation, and represent with glad some

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Is it the desire of thy soul to become poor in spirit, meek, merciful, pure in heart, a peace maker, and if God should call thee to it, a patient sufferer for righteousness' sake? And art thou desirous to grow in grace, and improve thy talents, by going to this holy table? Be not discouraged then, but know that the Lord will accept of such pious dispositions. The Lord will hear the prayer of the humble: Go then, and offer the sacrifice of righteousness, and put thy trust in the Lord.

A Prayer that may be used on Monday in the morning, for grace to spend the ensuing week, and all our time well.

Almighty God! who from all eter

nity, whose glories and perfections are infinite, and who hast created me and endued me with reason and understanding, that I might serve thee in my generation, according to my power and capacity: Give me thy grace, that I may be a curious and prudent spender of my time this week, so as I may best prevent, or resist all temptations that may assault or hurt my soul. Let thy grace so powerfully assist and excite my weak endeavours, incline my will, and fortify my resolutions, that I may persevere in that holy state which thou hast put me

in, by the grace of thy covenant, and the mercies of the Holy Jesus: O never let me fall into those sins, and return to that vain conversation, from which the most merciful Saviour of the world hath redeemed me ; but let me grow in grace, adding virtue to virtue, reducing my purposes to acts, and increasing my acts until they grow into habits, and my habits until they be confirmed: Let thy preventing grace dash all temptations in their approach; may my hopes be never cut off, nor my faith weakened, nor my resolution shaken, nor my title and portion in the covenant be lessened: Take from me all slothfulness, and give me a diligent and an active spirit, and wisdom to chuse my employment, that I may do all such good works as thou hast prepared for me to walk in, and may fill up all leisure spaces, of this week in meditations upon the most holy sacrament, performing acts of religion and charity, that when the devil assaults me, he may not find me idle; and my dearest Lord at his coming, may find me busy, in lawful, necessary, and pious actions, improving my talent intrusted to me, that so I may enter into the joy of my Lord, to partake of his eternal felicities, even for thy mercies' sake, and my dearest Saviour's sake. Amen.

Conclude with the Lord's Prayer, Our Father, &c.

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to think of the wonderful kindness of the Lord? Can you look on him who was pierced for our sins, and not lament and mourn? Can you think upon his bleeding wounds, and not be troubled? No pious heart can be so unconcerned at what befel the Lord of Glory: And yet when we consider, that by those stripes we are healed, that he hath washed us from our sins in his blood, that faithful souls may take sanctuary in his wounds, and be secure and safe; we cannot chuse but rejoice in the Lord, and be glad in his salvation.

For this sacrament is a sacrament of love, and innumerable benefits belong to it. Therefore it is meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should receive it with love chiefly, seeing we cannot so gratefully acknowledge the exceeding great kindness of our dearest master, in instituting this sacrament so full of love, as by love; and to the end that we should always remember the exceeding great love of our Master, and only Saviour Jesus Christ, thus dying for us, and the innumerable benefits, which by his precious blood shedding he hath obtained to us, he hath instituted and ordained holy mysteries as pledges of his love, and for a continual remembrance of his death, to our great and endless comfort.

Consider how great love our Saviour hath shewed towards us in instituting this sacra ment, and preparing this heavenly banquet for poor sinners; this was pure love indced, seeing nothing could be given more excellent, and more dear. And shall the love of the world, O Lord, be greater in my soul than the love of thee: Shall the temporary delights of sin drown the remembrance of thy mercy towards me in this holy sacrament? My life is but a span, and yet, I beseech thee, shorten that, rather than it should be spent in a neglect of thee: Beiter this earthly tabernacle should be dissolved, than that I should grieve thy holy spirit by resisting his good motions, and follow my

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