Obftinate Fafting would not more certainly quench all my Vital Heat, and deftroy my Body; than too long Abftinence from this Spiritual Food will waste and quite extinguish the Soul, and all its Powers of Living well,

I find and heartily bewail, a fatal Tendency to Evil; and my Experience, from my very Cradle, fhews me, how ftrongly I incline to Sin, and fall from bad to worfe, except a Remedy from above check this Indif pofition, and fuccour and fupport me from plunging into Hell. This Holy Communion is that Remedy. It calls back my wandring Steps, prevents my falling by Relapfe or Neglect, and ftrengthens me in Grace and Goodness. And if, even in my ftudied and moft laboured Devotions, I am fo often cold, fo lukewarm at the beft; how frozen fhould I be, how infenfible and dead, were thefe Helps laid afide, and no fuch Application ufed to warm and quicken me? Though therefore my Life be not fo perfect, that I am always in a fit Difpofition to communicate; yet it fhall be my Care, at folemn and proper Seafons, not to lofe the Benefit of these holy Myfteries, or ever to refufe my own Happiness. For this is the Sovereign Balm of wounded Confciences; the great Prefervative of decaying Souls, the chearing Comfort of the Faithful, mourning their prefent State of Banishment, and groaning earnestly for a Release from the Afflictions and Infirmities of thofe Mortal Bodies, to which thy Providence hath for a Time confined them. And the oftner they thus remember their God, the greater is that Affection, and humble Devotion, with which they court and embrace their beloved Spoufe and Lord.

But oh! how amazing is thy Love? And what is Man whom thou thus vouchsafeft to vifit, when the great God, the Creator of the World, and Father of the Spirits of all Flesh, does not difdain to defcend

into

into a poor Soul, and fill the hungry Wretch with all his Fatnefs? Happy that Breaft, which is thus ho noured, and unfpeakable the Joy, with which it overflows! How glorious a Mafter, how agreeable a Gueft, how pleasant a Companion, how faithful a Friend, how beautiful, how honourable, how charming a Hufband, does it entertain and embrace? Let Heaven and Earth, and all their boafted Excellencies, keep filence before him; for if I have my Jefus, I have all. For I have him, from whom all other Things derive their Excellence; and their borrowed precarious Perfections can minifter no Joy, can make no Happiness, without this great Original. They in themselves are nothing, they are but what He made them; and He alone is more, incomparably more and better, than all that ever was, or could be made.

СНАР.
С НА Р. IV.

The Pleafures of Devout Communion.

Difciple.]

Revent me, I most humbly befeech thee, my Lord and my God, with the Bles fings and Grace of thy Holy Spirit; that thy Servant may taste thy Sweetnefs, and approach this precious Feaft, with fuch Reverence, and Zeal, and fervent Devotion, as thou wilt be pleased to accept. O vifit me with thy Salvation, and awaken me from Spiritual Sloth and Slumber; that I now may vigorously apply my felf, to draw and drink the living Water, contain'd in this Fountain open for Sin and for Uncleannefs. Enlighten the Eyes of my Mind, that I may fee the wondrous Things of this thy Inftitution; and strengthen my Faith, that I may firmly and without fcruple believe and expect thofe Operations, which my Rea

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fon is not able to account for. And why indeed should I make any Difficulty to believe, what I cannot comprehend and trace the dark Footfteps of; when I remember, that it is not the Act of finite feeble Man, but the Work of an Almighty God; not an Invention or Project of Human Reafon, but the Inftitution and Promife of Him, who worketh all Things according to the wife and wonderful Counfel of his own unbounded Will? To fathom thefe Depths to the bottom were an Attempt impracticable, even to the refined Understanding of an Angel. Well then may poor fhort-fighted Man turn giddy at the fight of this Abyss, and confefs the Well too deep, and the Cordage too fhort. Such and no better is the Condition of the moft exalted Saints; and what can I, the feebleft even of Men, vile finful Duft and Afhes, hope to discover, by my moft induftrious Search into thefe heavenly Myfteries?

Inftead therefore of nice Reafoning and unprofitable Difputes, I will approach with Singlenefs of Heart, with firm and holy Hope, with an undoubting Faith, and profound Reverence. Whatever the Vanity of Worldly Wisdom may fuggeft to the contrary, I will not queftion, but thou art prefent in the Sacrament, though I cannot fatisfy the captious Enquirers after the particular manner of that Prefence. Thy Human and Divine Nature are infeparable; thus much I know, and no more but this; that thou art fo prefent as God, as not to contradict thy being Man. "Tis upon this Account, that thou art pleafed to command my receiving thee, and haft engaged to make me One with thy felf, by the ftrictest Union of a holy Love. Shed therefore, I pray thee, thy fpecial Grace into my Heart, that I may diffolve in this holy Fire, and become entirely thine. Purge off my Drofs, and let me no more endure the Allay of any bafer Mixtures. For this Sacrament is the pureft, the nobleft

Refiner of Souls, the Health of the whole Man, the Restorative of Spiritual Decays, the Cure of Vice, the Curb of Paffions, the Antidote against Troubles and Temptations; the Conveyancer of greater Grace; the Increase of imperfect Virtue; the Stay of Hope; the Support of our Faith, and the mighty Incentive of our Charity.

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Who can exprefs the manifold, the astonishing Benefits, which thou frequently impartest to thy Beloved and Religious Servants, by communicating in this bleffed Supper? Even thou, my God, the Cherisher of my Soul, the Repairer of my Breaches by Infirmity and Sin, and Reftorer of my inward Comfort and Peace. By this thou fuftaineft them in Sadness and Affliction, and enableft them to walk upon the Waves of a troublesome World. By this thou cheereft their Melancholy and Diftruft, and raiseft up their finking Spirits with Affurance of thy Gracious Protection and Affiftance. By This thou reneweft their Nature, and purifieft their Affections; that They, who came at firft to this Table, with great Lothness and Dulness, feel a new Warmth within, and by degrees are brought to frequent it with unfpeakable Relish and Delight. Thefe happy and glorious Effects thou produceft, by fuch uncommon, unlikely Means, that Men may find experimentally their own Infirmities; how little they are able to do of themselves, and how much, when strengthned by thee. That they are cold, infenfible, ftupid and dead to all Religious Duties, is from their own Difpofition; that they are zealous in good Works, chearful in thy Service, devout in thy Worfhip, is purely thy Gift. And fure none can come hither with tolerable Attention, but he must return with fome Improvement. For who can lie at the Fountain-head, and not receive fome Tincture from the Sweetness of the Spring? Who can ftand clofe to the Fire, and feel no Hurt? But thou art a Fountain

ever full, ever overflowing. Thou art the Fire, whose Flames are conftantly expanding themselves, to kindle holy Affections in all thofe, who are careful to approach, and put themselves in the way of their Activity,

It may be I am not worthy to drink at the Head of this Spring, or to take my fill of its refreshing Streams; but yet at least I will apply my Mouth to fome of its diftant Pipes, and fpreading Rills, to catch a few of the Drops, as they slide by, that I be not utterly barren, nor die with Drought and Thirst. I may not be able to approach this Flame fo near, that it fhould refine and brighten me to a degree equal with the Purity of the Cherubim and Seraphim; but yet I will not defpair of being fo far cherished and warmed by it, that my Zeal may be exalted according to the Brightnefs of Human Virtues: And my enlivened Heart fhall feel fome Glowings, if it do not flame out heavenly clear. Defects and Infirmities, I know, I cannot be exempted from: But what is wanting, I beg my merciful Jefus would fupply. His Kindnefs will not fail to make all equitable Allowances, and his Wisdom knows where they are proper to be made. Forgiven and made up they may be; and I, unworthy as I am, may be accepted. But that Unworthiness muft not be made a Pretence for detaining me from this Sacrament. For fure the most unwor thy are comprehended, and they who fee, and lament, that they are fuch, can leaft of all be excluded; when he pronounces that general Invitation, Come unto Me, all ye that labour, and are beavy laden, and I will refresh you.

The oftner I defcend into my felf, the more I am convinced, that this Defcription exactly fuits my State. I fulfil the Primitive Sentence upon fallen Man, and labour in the Sweat of my Face. The Sorrows of my Heart perplex and

Gen. iii.