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Bleffed are they that dwell in thy house, they will be always praising thee.

My foul longeth, yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

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For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand years; I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

A prayer to be faid before or after the prayers of the Church, as time shall admit.

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Tis but too apparent, bleffed Lord, how apt we are to forget thy dear love to us, and thy bitter fufferings for us; our continual tranfgreffions publish it, and our former ftupidity and indevotion do plainly declare it. Praised therefore be thy goodness for the lively emblems thou haft given us of thy most meritorious crofs and paffion.

O that the characters of thy love may be fo deeply imprinted upon my heart, that no time nor temptation may wear them out! may I now most affectionately call to mind the humility of thine incarnation, the merits of thy death, the power of thy relurrection, and the glories of thine afcenfion

O how much do we owe thee, moft blessed redeemer!

redeemer! how great is the price, which thou haft paid for the ransom of us miferable finners! what fhall I render unto thee for the incomprehenfible benefits thou haft bestowed upon me? Alas! I have no return to make but a broken and contrite heart, which thou wilt not defpife; and this is yet a further instance of thy goodnefs, that thou expecteft no other teftimony of gratitude, but my fincere affections in ferving thee, the only true God, thro Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A prayer to be used as foon as fermon is ended.

O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnefs, and declare the wonders that he doth for the children of men. Pfalm cvii. 20, 21.

Eternal and almighty God, by whose bounty and goodness, I have now an opportunity offered me of approaching thy table, and of pleading before thee the prevailing merits of the death and paffion of thy fon Jefus Chrift; I am fenfible, O Lord, of my great unworthiness; but the pofitive command of my bleffed Saviour, when he was about to lay down his life for my fake, has made it abfolutely neceffary; and the many fpiritual wants I labour under, oblige me to apply to this fovereign remedy, for the repair of thofe breaches my finful follies have made in my foul. There

Therefore, affift me, O Lord, with thy holy fpirit, in the great duty and fervice I am about to perform; grant that nothing, during all the time of this holy action, may make me unmindful of that reverence and refpect which I owe unto thy divine majefty; or of that attention, which becomes the celebration of these holy myfteries, Fill my heart with fuch an awe of thy prefence, as may fix my wandering thoughts, compofe my diforderly affections, and ftir up my faint and cold defires, that I may feel the power, and taste of the sweetness of this divine banquet.

O Lord, grant that I may have fuch a sense of my Saviour's fufferings, as may fill my foul with love and gratitude towards him for thofe ineftimable benefits he has purchafed for me; that I may have fuch a fight of my fins, which occafion'd all his forrows, as heartily to bewail and deteft them; fuch a faith in that full perfect oblation and fatiffaction made upon the crofs for the fins of the world, that I may fo importunately plead the merit of it in this commemoration of that facrifice, as to render thee gracious and propitious to me a miferable finner; fuch a conviction of my own weaknefs and infufficiency, as may procure thy gracious aid and affiftance; fuch longing defires of being made conformable to thy holy will and pleasure, t as may transform me into thy divine image, and fix me to continue thy faithful fervant all the remaining days of my life; through the merits and mediation of thy fon, Jefus Chrift our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

The

The COMPANION for the ALTAR.

Directions.

would advise thee, my devout communicant, by all means to read over the following Companion for the Altar, with the directions and prayers, fome time before you go to the facrament, that you may with more readiness and devotion go along with, and bear your part in the communion fervice; which with very little pains, you'll be able to do; efpecially after your first communicating: When, if you should be at a lofs, and under fome diforder and confufion, do not be difturbed, nor troubled, but refolve to endeavour to amend what you bave obferved to be done amifs, as foon as you have another opportu nity of receiving again. And the' after your best endeavours, you fhould always find occafion to lament your defects and frailties, in the performance of this, as well as other duties of religion: yet never fear that any involuntary failings, or infirmities, will ever rife up in judgment against you. Do your duty as well as you can, and tho' it may not be done fo exactly as you could wish, my foul for your's, you are certainly fafe; beginning your devotions on this occafion with these following ejaculations.

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Oft gracious God I come to thy altar to renew my baptifinal covenant, of which this facrament is a feal.-O heavenly father I come to testify my fenfe of thy love, info loving the world, as to give up thy only fon to die for me.-O bleffed Saviour, I come to testify my faith in thee, and my love towards thee, and thankfully to commemorate thy wonderful love in dying for me.-O Lord I come to teftify my stedfastness in the communion of thy church, and my charity to all the world.-Ŏ Lord

Lord, I come to this thy table, out of the sense I have of the want of that fpiritual food, to which thou inviteft me in this holy facrament. -I know there is no food can ftrengthen my foul but thy body, no cordial can revive my drooping obedience, but thy blood;-O gracious Lord,grant that I and all that communicate with me, may be fed, refreshed and nourifhed in our fouls to life everlafting. Amen.

Directions.

OW, laying afide all fears and defpondencies, proceed to the communion fervice, and then to the facrament, with as much joy and fatisfaction, as a guilty criminal would go to plead his pardon at an earthly tribunal.

At your approach to the chancel, drop all thoughts of things on earth, and give up yourself wholly to the remembrance of the fufferings of our Saviour, lifting up your foul to him in these words:

I Wil

may

Will wash my hands in innocence, O Lord, and fo will I compass thy altar, that I fhew the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.

Rubrick.

¶ Then shall the priest return to the Lord's table and begin the OFFERTORY, faying one or more of these fentences following, as he thinketh moft convenient in his diferetion.

The Minister.

The OFFERTORY.

Directions.

When the Minifter begins to Let your light fo fhine be-read the Offertory [which chiefy

relates to the duty of beneficenceta fore men, that they may fee all men by our alms and charitable your good works, and glorify contributions which are to be difyour father which is in hea-posed of to pious and charitable un. St. Matt. v. 16. fes, at the difcretion of the Minif

Lay!

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