pierce into the centre of your Spirits, and who understands all your Thoughts and Devices, even long before they are; but fearch diligently into the bottom of your Sores; make as exact, as impartial, as accurate a discovery of your Condition, as you can; Call to remembrance (as far as you are able) all the particular Sins, which you have committed through the whole course of your Life; and then beg the God of all Grace to enable you to fay with the Contrition and Humility of the awakned Prodigal, Father, I have finned against Heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son.

But I do not intend this for All; tho' 'twould not be amifs, if All, who have leifure would practice it. 'Tis defign'd for them, who are either making their first opproach to the Holy Table, or who have never yet entred into an exact and particular Examination of their Lives. They, who have already thus ftated their Accounts, have as particularly as poffibly they could,recollected and confefs'd their paft Follies and Impieties; have refolved against them both in General and Particular,

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and daily put their Refolutions into practice. Who always Exercife themfelves to keep a Confcience void of Offence towards God and towards Man, and therefore come to the Holy Communion as often as they have an opportunity, for fresh fupplies of Grace and Spiritual Strength. They (I fay) who frame and fafhion their Lives after this manner, have no fuch neceffity of a general and thorough Examination. When they defign to approach the Lord's Table, they are chiefly concern'd to confider, what mifcarriages they have been guilty of, fince their laft Receiving: And having fincerely acknowledged and bewailed their great Un worthiness for them in particular, and for all their other Sins in general, with Joy and Reverence, and Godly Fear, to come and partake of the Supper of their Lord.

2.

When you have difcover'd, con fefs'd, and bewail'd your Sins, beware that you do not harbour any hard Thoughts of God, but that you come to his Holy Table with a full Truft in his Mercy: For he breaks not the bruised Reed, nor quencheth the Jmoaking Flax. 0 4

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He blows upon the first sparks of Sincerity, until they are flam'd into perfect Zeal and Devotion. The Water that he gives, is a Well of Water fpringing up into everlasting Life; and he will not fail in his infinite Mercy to perfect that which he hath fo graciously begun. Do not then (I fay) entertain narrow Thoughts of the Almighty, as though he delighted in the death of Sinners; but remember on the contrary, that God is Love, and that the Death and Sacrifice of his Son which you are going to commemorate, will not fuffer him to deal feverely with those humble and contrite Spirits, who call upon him for Mercy.

3. Come to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper with Faith, or with a full affurance, that (if you fhall not be wanting to your felves) your Refolutions will be effectual, your Sins fubdu'd, your Corruptions vanquish'd, and your Spirits reftor'd to the liberty of the Sons of God. For what if your Sins have reign'd and domineer'd, and for many Years taken you Captive at their Will? There is Strength enough in this Myftery to repel their Force for the future,

What if

and to render you victorious. your evil Habits are ftrong, your Appetites violent and unruly, and fuch, as through the whole courfe of your Life, would never be refifted? Innumerable others, as well as you, have been encompass'd with the fame Difficulties, and yet, through the Grace of God, have prov'd more than Conquerors. Believe then, I fay, that after your humble and grateful Commemoration of the death of your Lord, you will foon Experiment the Power of his Refurrection: That he will likewise break your Captivity, and let you know to the Joy of your Hearts, that he, who is in you, is greater than he who is in the World. That his Wisdom, and Strength will interpofe to help your Weakness and Folly, and that he will arife, and gird his victorious Sword upon his Thigh, and make all your Enemies to flee before him.

4. Come to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper with Reverence, with Humility, with the lowest Proftration both of Body and Mind. Strabo tells us of fome Pagans, that they never offer'd any of the Flesh, but only the Blood of their

Sacrifices to their Gods; taking it for granted, that their imaginary Deities had no manner of regard to the Externals of their Worship. And much of the fame perfuafion are fome People among us at this Day. They banish the Worship of the Body entirely out of our Churches, and think that to bow the Knee in our folemn Addreffes to the Throne of Grace, is Unskilfulness or Superftition: As tho' the Purity of Religion confifted altogether in its Rufti cities and Indecencies; and a Man could never get far enough from Rome, unless he renounced likewife all the commendable Rules of Decency and Order. But fuch Perfons would do well to confider, that in this they contradict the common Sense of Mankind, the Dictates of natural Reafon, and the Customs of all civiliz'd Nations in the World. That they run counter to the Churches of God in the feveral Ages of Chriftianity: All which have unanimoufly and conftantly inform'd us by their Doctrine and Practice, that the Divine Majefty ought to be worshipp'd with our Bodies as well as with our Minds, fince he Made both, Redeem'd both, and will at length Glorify both with himself in

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