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to entertain very ferious and awful thoughts of God's Omnifcience, that we are in his presence, and, under his eye, that he observes our whole deportment, that he fearcheth our Hearts and Reins, and understandeth our Thoughts afar off. Accordingly we must prefent our felves before him, not as a thing of course, or only to comply with a Cuitom, but as in the fight of God, with reverent apprehenfions of his Divine and Infinite Majefty, with all Lowliness and Humility of Mind, with Souls bowing and caft down to the duft, under the fenfe of our own unworthiness, with Consciences void of all Offence, with Spirits enflamed with the Love of God and Man, and with that true fincerity and fimplicity which is the infeparable Ornament of every honeft heart, and which in the fight of God is of great price.

3. THE happy hour being now come, that we are to be entertained at God's Table, and must take the Seals of his Covenant into our Mouths, we should remember the promises we made to God in private, we thould repeat our Vows and Refolutions, and put our Souls upon fresh exercises of Faith and Holiness.

SEEING Holiness ever becometh the
Houfe

House of God, and especially when we Celebrate this Holy Mystery, we are to void and empty our Minds, as much as 'tis poffible, ofevery thing that is earthly or unclean; to lift up our hearts, and fix them upon things above; to employ our thoughts only upon that Divine Service we are now concern'd in; to be full of Heavenly Contemplations, and fo to warm our affections by them, that with Angels, or Archangels, and with all the Company of Heaven we may most devoutly Praise and Magnifie the Name of him, whom thofe Bleffed Spirits above continually worship, and reft not day and Night, faying Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is

to come.

BE fure to act your Repentance over again, because this is the thing which through the blood of Chrift doth fanctifie the unclean, and render us capable of the Benefits of the Sacrament. Mortifie therefore your Members which are upon the Earth, and all the finful deeds of the Body, Adultery, Fornication, Uncleannefs, Inordinate Affection, Evil Concupifcence, Covetoufnefs (which is Idolatry) Hatred, Variance, Emulations, Wrath, Strife, Seditions, Herefies, Envyings,

Murthers,

Murthers, Drunkenness, Revellings, and fuch like, of which the Holy Scripture plainly tells us, that they which do fuch things fhall not inherit the Kingdom of God, Gal. 5. 21. These Vices therefore, and whatever elfe any of us may be more efpecially addicted or enclined to, we must feriously endeavour by the help of God's Grace, and to the utmost of our power to fubdue and caft away from us; and then is a most necessary time to do this, at least to do it in purpose and refolution of heart, when we are now going to the Holy Table; then it is time indeed to refolve upon amendment and newnefs of Life, and to vow entire obedience to the Laws of Chrift's Religion, as far as 'tis confiftent with this State of mortality and weakness, and as far as 'tis poffible

for poor Creatures that are compaffed about with fo many infirmities; then it is time to cleanse our selves from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit, to enter at least upon a Life of Holiness; to wash our hands and hearts in Innocence, and fo to compass the Altar of God.

BEING thus rightly difpofed, we are then to behold the Fountain which is opened to us for Sin, and for Uncleanness, I mean the blood of Chrift, which purgeth our Confciences from all dead works, to ferve

the

the living God, Heb. 9. 14. Now 'tis a seasonable time for us to call to mind the coronary Thorns, the Scourge, the Nails, and the Spear which opened this Fountain. To remember our bleffed Lord's Agony in the Garden, his bloody Sweat, his Buffetings and Stripes, his dolours and most bitter Death upon the Crofs. To confider that all this was for us finful Men, and for our Salvation, to reconcile us to his Father, to Redeem us from all Iniquity, and to beget us again to a lively Hope, to an Inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, referved in Hea ven for us; because he fo loved us all,. that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have Everlasting Life. These Holy Meditations are not only proper and feasonable, when we are now at the Supper of the Lamb, but they are moreover naturally apt to enflame your Affections with the love of Jefus, to diffolve and melt you into Penitential fhowers, to ravish your Hearts with a fense of his infinite Goodness, to fill you with Divine Extafies and Raptures, and to fix your Refolutions of obeying for ever the Author of your Salvation; of following his bleffed fteps with all Meekness and Humility, and of bearing, not only his Yoak, but even his Crofs too, and in all

things

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things of being made conformable to his Image.

NEXT to the love of God, and of Christ, let the love of all Mankind replenish and possess your Hearts. God forbid that Malice, or Uncharitableness, or Bitterness, and Rancour of Spirit, God forbid that any of thefe, or fuch unclean things should ever be brought before the Altar of Peace, and Reconciliation. If he fo loved us, we ought to love one another; because, he tafted Death for every Man; he is not willing that any should perish, but that all fhould come to Repen tance, he is the Saviour of all Men, efpeci ally of them that believe; and feeing every Soul is precious in his fight; every Soul fhould be dear to us; and our Love to all Mankind fhould be extenfive and unlimit ed, as his was: And to exprefs this Love we fhould be ready to do good to all, defire and endeavour the Salvation of all, and devoutly pray (as the Primitive Chriftians did, whofe Hearts were fo warm with the Blood of Chrift) for the whole Race of Mankind, not only for the Church of God,and for every part and Member thereof,but for all too that are as yet without the borders of the Sanctuary,and for all Estates and Gonditions of Men, that no corner of the Universe may be too remote for our

Charity,

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