whole world, to thy glory, and the falvation of all mankind. For which end, grant that all who profefs this thy true Religion may live in perfect obedience to its laws; and that men, as the infirmities of their nature will permit, may obey thee with proportionable fincerity and conftancy, as do the fpirits of the Saints in Heaven. Beftow on us, O gracious Lord, every day through the remaining part of our lives, as many of the things of this prefent world, as are fufficient for our neceffary fubfiftence, for the ufeful and innocent conveniencies of life, forgiving us our fins, and withholding the punishments we have thereby deferved; in like manner as we freely and heartily for thy fake forgive all thofe injuries and offences which we have received from others. Let all the causes and occafions of temptations ceafe from us, or elfe deliver us from the power of them; that we may not be moved either with the enticement of riches, honours or pleasures, or with the fear of want, difgrace, or pain, to do any thing knowingly contrary to thy will; and deliver us from all the evils and calamities, which either the malice of the devil, or the wickedness or miffortunes of the world might bring upon us, and fet us at variance with thee, my God, or thy fervants, our fellow creatures and I moft earneftly offer up thefe my petitions, becaufe, O God, I know that thou canst and wilt 311 wilt do more for us than we can defire or deferve, who art infinite in power, glory, majefty, and mercy, from everlasting to everlafting. Amen. The Meditation for Saturday Morning. Upon Fafting before receiving the Holy Sacrament, Let every man be fully perfuaded in his own mind. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. Rom. xiv. 5, 6. MY foul! thou knoweft that flesh is weak and easily furprized; too often carried about with every wind of doctrine :' thou haft had many conflicts with me, but fince thou has brought me into fubjection to the spirit, I am always ready to follow its dictates. But my foul! thou demandest one thing of me which is not fpiritual; it is altogether corporeal. II. Thou requireft me to come fafting to the holy table or the fupper of our Lord. If it be neceffary to falvation, I will; but if you confider the inftitution, nothing of that kind is neceffary; for it was inftituted after fupper: nor has the church made any rule about it. Where therefore neither the laws of God nor those of our fuperiors have obliged us, we must ufe our prudence, and do that we find beft. III. There * Eph. iv. 14. III. There are these things, O my foul! I fhall propofe in this cafe; if you find that my fafting makes you more devout and serious, and that you are in a better frame of mind, you fhould certainly choose to go to the Sacrament fafting; or if it be indifferent, and you are much the fame whether I fast or not, and find it makes no change at all in you, I would for decency, and with regard to ancient practice, accompany you to the Sacrament fafting. IV. But, as I have by custom contracted fuch a habit of eating or drinking fome light matter every morning, that you know I fhall be uneafy or difordered without it, fo I hope you will permit me to do as I used to do, and that alfo for your own fake, and to strengthen devotion; becaufe the purposes of fafting (which are to raise the mind to God, and put it into a better frame) are better answered by moderate refreshment, than by wholly abstaining. Yet I fay that as neither God, nor the Church, has appointed the contrary, I would advife the morning abftinence on Sacrament days, where the inconveniency of doing it is none; but I must disapprove of it if there be any inconvenience in abstaining. V. And let us always remember that whether we abstain, or not, we do it without fcruple in ourselves, and without cenfuring what another does, though contrary to what we we do. But let us do in this, and in all other indifferent cafes, what we believe will tend most to our own fpiritual edification, without regard to what other people do ; for every one is to give an account of his. own deeds. IN The Hymn on Saturday Morning. NDULGE, O God, my humble claim, The glories that exalt thy name Stand all engag'd to make me bleft. Thou great and good, thou just and wife, Thy Son, thy Servant bought with blood. Pant for the cooling water-brook. Not fruits nor wines that tempt our taste, My life itself without thy love No tafte of pleasure could afford; "Twould but a tirefome burden prove, If I were banish'd from the Lord. Amidft Amidst the wakeful hours of night, BR Another. ROAD is the road that leads to death, And makes his own deftruction fure; The *Matth. x. 38. Luke xiv. 27. Luke xvi. 24. Mark viii. 34. Mark x. 21. |