Lord, I know thou wilt one Day call me to give an Account of my Stewardship; but when thou wilt come I know not, whether at Even, or at Midnight, or at Cock-crowing, or in Morning, Mark xiii. 35. O do thou give me Grace to watch, and to pray always, that at thy Coming thou may'ft fay to me, Well done, good and faithful Servant, enter into the foy of thy Mafter. Amen, bleffed Lord, Amen. But have a Care, Philotheus, you fix not your Mind too much, neither ftrive to repeat too many devout Expreffions, for fear of hindring your Sleep,and of indifpofing your felf for the Duties for the Day following. Directions for the Lord's Day. Good Chriftian, Philotheus, that takes Care to spend every Day well, will take more than ordinary Care A to fanctify the Lord's Day, it being the proper Employment of that Day, to to attend God's Worship, and to provide for our Souls; and therefore,'tis fit you fhould add fome Petitions to your Morning and Evening Prayer, relating to the folemn Duties of the Day, fuch as these are which follow: Before Church-time. My God, I humbly befeech thee to prepare my Soul to worship Thee this Day acceptably, with Reverence and Godly Fear; fill me with that Fear which works by Love; purify my Heart from all vain,and worldly,or finful Thoughts; fix my Affections on Things above all the Day long; and, O Lord, give me Grace to receive thy Word,which I shall hear this Day, into an honeft and good Heart, and to bring forth Fruit with Patience. Luke viii. 15. Hear me, O God, for the fake of Jefus my Saviour. Amen, Amen. When you come into the Church, or Chapel, not only on the Lord's Day, but on any other Day, ufe this fhort Preparatory Prayer at your firft kneeling down. In In the Church. Lord, I humbly beg thy Holy Spirit to help my Infirmities at this Time, and to difpofe my Heart to Devotion, that my Prayers and Praifes may be acceptable in thy Sight, thro' Jefus Chrift my Saviour. After Church-time. Lory be to thee, O Lord God who haft permitted me to appear before Thee this Day, and to tread thy Courts. Lord, pardon all my Failings in thy Service this Day paft, the Wandrings,and Coldnefs,and Indevotion of my Prayers; for the fake of my Bleffed Saviour, have Mercy upon me. Lord, make me a Doer of thy Word, and not a Hearer only, left I deceive my own Soul, Jam. i. 22, When you are called to Repetition at Night, remember, Philotheus, to make fome Amends for your negligent hearing at the Church, and trea fure fure up in your Memory fome little Portion of thofe Inftructions you have heard, to direct your Practice. XXXX:XXXXXXXXXX:XXXX Directions for Receiving the Holy Eucharift. HE Receiving of the Blef fed Sacrament, good Philotheus,is the moft divine and folemn Act of all our Religion, and it ought to be the zealous Endeavour of every true Chriftian, by God's Affiftance, to prepare his Soul with the moft ferious, and most devout Difpofitions he poffibly can, to approach the Holy Altar: You are therefore to confider what you are to do before Receiving, what in the time of Receiving, and what after Receiving. TH Before Receiving HE Duties you are to perform before Receiving, are all comprehended in that one Rule which St. St. Paul gives us, I Cor. xi. 28. Let a Man examine himself, and jo let him eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup; which are in a manner Commented on by the Church, in the Exhortation before the Sacrament, which I advise you to read over in your Common-Prayer Book. To put this Rule in practice, 'tis your beft way, Philotheus, at fome convenient Time, to withdraw your felf into your Chamber, or into the Chapel, and there to begin to commune with your own Heart, and to call your Sins to remembrance: But first pray heartily to God for his Grace to aflift you. A Prayer before Examination. HPetition, EAR the Voice of my humble Petition, O Lord, now I cry unto Thee, and lift up my Hands toward thy Mercy-Seat. Behold, Lord, now I am about to fearch into my own Heart; but, alas, alas! my Heart is deceitful, and defperately wicked; how can I know it? Jer. xvii. 9. Thou therefore that fearcheft |