to renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the finful lufts of the flesh. Be pleased, O Lord, to ftrengthen and confirm thefe good resolutions in me. And I heartily thank thee, O heavenly father, for calling me to the ftate of falvation through Jefus Chrift, my faviour, who died for my fins, and rofe again for my juftification; and I humbly befeech thee, for his fake, to give me grace to continue in the fame unto my life's end.

Oh! that I could say I had made returns to thee my God, in any measure fuitable to the benefits which I have received from thee: but, alas! I muft with fhame acknowledge, that I have been guilty of great ingratitude toward thee, the fountain of all good; I have been an unprofitable and unworthy fervant, and have neither loved thee, ferved thee, or obeyed thee, as I ought to have done; therefore, it is owing to thy infinite goodness, that I have now an opportunity of humbling myfelf before thee.

O let thy goodness and forbearance lead me, O Lord, to a true and unfeigned repentance of all my fins; and for the fake of thy beloved fon, (in whom alone thou art well pleafed) fpare me, O good Lord, spare me, and be not angry with

me

me for ever; wash away all my fins in that fountain which thou haft opened for fin and uncleanness, that nothing may interpofe between thy mercy and my poor foul. Lay not to my charge, O moft merciful God! the fins which I have this day committed; and not only pardon them, but give me grace from henceforward entirely to leave and forfake them, and to amend my life according to thy boly word.

Make me always mindful that thou art every-where prefent and privy to my most fecret thoughts; that I may never dare to do any thing but what is pleafing in thy fight.

Poffefs me, O Lord, with a lively sense of the frailty of my life, the certainty of a judgment to come, the unfpeakable glories of heaven, and the most dreadful torments of hell, that I may in good earnest fet about the great work of my falvation, and never be fo foolish as to prefer the pleasures of fin which are but for a feafon, before that everlafting fulness of joy, which is in thy prefence for evermore; but that duly confidering the vaft difproportion there is between this life and my eternal ftate, I may live as becomes the gofpel of Christ, working out my falvation with the greatest care and cir

cum

cumfpection; that when the great and terrible day of the Lord thall come, I may be admitted to the inheritance of the faints in light, through the merits of my faviour, Jefus Chrift. In whose bleffed name I entreat thee to accept, O gracious Lord, my evening facrifice of unfeigned praises, which I now offer up to thy divine majefty, for thy great and manifold mercies vouchfafed unto me; and more particularly for the mercies of the day paft; for preserving me in health and safety; for providing fo plentifully for me, and continuing to me the enjoyment of fo many comforts And, I most humbly beseech thee to continue thy mercy and goodnefs toward me, and all that belong to me. Defend us this night from all dangers, both of foul and body; grant us quiet and refreshing fleep; and, if thou art pleased to add another day to our lives, give us grace to employ it in fuch a manner as may be well pleafing in thy fight; through the merits and for the fake of the fame thy beloved fon, Jefus Christ our Lord, who has taught us, when we pray, to fay,

Our Father, &c.

The

The Meditation for Thursday Morning.

Being the fecond part of the meditation upon a firm purpose of amendment, and a new life.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Homble yourselves in the fight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Jam. iv. 8. 10.

I.

Nce more the goodness of God, O my

foul! has brought us to the beginning of this day. Let us then shew our thankfulness by continuing those holy resolutions we made before we laid down to reft. I say those refolutions I have often made before, and have as often broke through; but should I be fo wicked as to break through them hereafter, what must I do then? muft we go no more to that holy table? yes we must still repent and be converted, and we shall be again accepted. For this facrament of the Lord's fupper doth not require perfect obedience in all our addresses to the holy altar; or, that none must come but fuch as are in a finless state of perfection; because there is no man which liveth and finneth not for, who can fay I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my fin; and therefore whatever perfuadeth us to neglect or abfent from this our duty is of the devil. For the fa

3

crament

crament of the Lord's fupper is not a converting, but a confirming ordinance, intended to preserve and increase that spiritual life and grace, which we received at our baptifm: fo that when we come to the holy communion, we come thither for fresh fupplies of grace and goodness, for the strengthening and refreshing of our fouls in all holiness and virtue: And,

2. They that are taught of God, know that our fouls, by this facrament, are fortified and ftrengthened with grace, wifdom, courage, and all other fpiritual gifts, to keep us through faith unto falvation.

3. Both the comfort and benefit of it are great the comfort of it, because it does not only represent to us the exceeding love of our faviour, in giving his body to be broken, and his bloodto be fhed for us; but it likewife feals to us all those bleflings and benefits which are purchased and procured for us by his death and paffion, viz. the pardon of fin, and gainst it. The benefit of frequent communion isalfoof as great advantage; because hereby we are confirmed in all grace and goodness, and our refolutions to live in obedience and conformity

power a