A Book for Beginners, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Directions for a godly Life, ſutable to this holy Communion.
I. TAKE ſome time every day to call to mind how much you ſtand engaged to our Saviour Chriſt: firſt, by your Baptiſmal Vow; ſecondly, by your ſolemn Ratification of it at your Confirmation; and thirdly, by your renewing it lately at the Holy Communion, when you profeſſed how much you were indebted to Him, both upon the account of his offering Himſelf upon the Croſs for you, and of his giving Himſelf there again to you.
II. If theſe three come into your mind as ſoon as you awake in the morning, it will be a great ſecurity to you. And to make your ſelf more ſenſible of your obligation, you may begin the day with this Reflection. I am not my own, but the Lord's. He hath bought me with a price, and I have devoted my ſelf again and again unto Him. Therefore I will glorify Him with body and Soul, which are his.
Or to affect your heart the more, you may put it thus. O how happy am I in being ingaged to ſerve ſuch a gracious Lord and Maſter as Chriſt Jeſus! I will never loſe this Happineſs by being unfaithfull to Him, and unmindfull of his Love.
III. To keep your ſelf ſtedfaſt in this Reſolution, reade ſeriouſly every day your Duty to God and your Duty to your Neighbour, as they are plainly ſet down in the Church-CATECHISM. [See p 29. of this Book.] And ſay at the end of it, This I have promiſed, this I have vowed when I became a Chriſtian, this I have again confirmed; and this by God's grace I will faithfully perform.
IV. And reſolve at the ſame time to be watchfull all that day: eſpecially in thoſe things wherein you obſerved (at your laſt examination of your ſelf) you have been moſt defective, and moſt apt to be ſurpriſed. Excite your ſelf therein to uſe greater diligence, and ſet a ſtricter guard upon your heart; carefully avoiding ſuch places, company, and occaſions, as have been wont to indanger you. And call your ſelf to an account at night; according to the Advice p. 33. of this Book.
V. There is no body, ſure, ſo imployed, but may find time for ſuch ſhort Exerciſes as theſe. In which if they would be ſerious, and not ſlubber them over too faſt; they would find the happy fruit of them in their hearts and lives. And to make them the more effectual, adde this ſhort Prayer, as oft as you can, every day.
Almighty God, who haſt given thine onelyonly Son to be unto us both a Sacrifice for Sin, and alſo an Enſample of godly Life; give me grace that I may always moſt thankfully receive that his ineſtimable Benefit, and alſo daily endeavour my ſelf to follow the bleſſed ſteps of his moſt holy Life, through the ſame Jeſus Chriſt our Lord. Amen.
VI. If your buiſineſs be ſuch, that you cannot every day reade over your Duty to God and your Duty to your Neighbour; do not fail to doe it once or twice a week. And pauſe a while at the end of every particular, ſaying, This is my Duty; this I will doe by God's grace. And at the end of all (to make your reading the more effectual) ſay, I heartily thank our Heavenly Father, that He hath called me (upon theſe terms) into the ſtate of Salvation: and I beſeech Him to give me his grace, that I may continue in the ſame unto my life's end.
VII. Reſolve alſo by this means to fit your ſelf to receive the Holy Communion as often as you can: remembring that, as by Baptiſm you are made a Member of Chriſt, and enter into the ſtate of Salvation; ſo by this Communion with Him, you continue in that bleſſed ſtate. Which they cannot juſtly pretend unto, who conſtantly neglect to doe this in remembrance of Chriſt. They give no ſufficient teſtimony that they are of the Chriſtian Society; nor have any reaſon to look upon themſelves as living Members of Chriſt, and in a ſtate of Salvation.
VIII. And if you do not come up to your Reſolution in every thing, but find rather you have ſeverall ways failed in the performance of your Duty to God and your Neighbour; let not that hinder you from going to the Communion, when you have opportunity. But onelyonly humble your ſelf the more before God by unfeigned Repentance: and go to ſtrengthen your Chriſtian Reſolution, by receiving the ſpiritual Food which Chriſt hath prepared for you; and beſeech Him to impart more ſpiritual ſtrength unto you.
IX. And if you ſtill ſtart back again, let not that diſcourage you, nor make you think you ſhall never grow better. But hope in God rather, that by the conſtant and frequent uſe of this and all other holy means, you ſhall at laſt be ſtedfaſt and unmovable in well-doing. You will never be ſo, if you leave off to communicate; but you will grow more and more careleſs in other things: and therefore continue to doe this, as Chriſt bids you; and doe it for this end, that you may tie your ſelf faſter to Him, and increaſe in power and ſtrength to have victory, and to triumph over the Devil, the World, and the Fleſh.
X. And laſtly, be not hindred by Doubts and Scruples (wherewith many are wont to perplex and diſhearten themſelves) from receiving the benefit of frequent Communion. I have not room to conſider them all in this little Book: but if any perſon cannot in this way which I have directed ſatisfy his Conſcience, let him not fail to follow the Counſel which is given him in the Communion-Service, which is, to goe to his Guide, or ſome other diſcreet and learned Miniſter of God's Word, and open his grief to him; that by the Miniſtry of God's Holy Word he may receive the benefit of Abſolution, together with ghoſtly counſel and advice, to the quieting of his Conſcience, and avoiding of all Scruple and Doubtfulneſs.