The Christian Sacrifice, Part 4 · April
April.
The Meditation before the Sacrament.
AMong the innumerable ſwarms of people that are upon the face of the earth, how few are there that know the great love of God in Chriſt Jeſus our Lord, And among thoſe few that know it, alas, how ſmall a number are there, that remember it, and celebrate it conſtantly with thoſe praiſes and thankful acknowledgments, which it eternally deſerves. O what a grace is this, which I am pertaker of,Eph. 2.19. that I ſhould be made a fellow-Citizen with the Saints and of the houſhold of God! Coloſſ. 1.27.That I ſhould know what is the riches of the glory of this Myſtery; which is Chriſt among us the hope of glory. I am infinitely indebted to the divine goodneſs which inclines my heart alſo to go and commemorate this love in the aſſembly of his Saints; who all like a ſpiritual building fitly framed together,Eph. 2.21. grow into an holy Temple in the Lord. There the Lords name is continually praiſed. There he delights to dwell, and hath choſen them for his habitation. There is the voice of joy and gladneſs: and there he ſhowrs down the bleſſings of his goodneſs.Pſal. 95.6. O come, my ſoul, let us worſhip and bow down: Let us go and kneel before the Lord our Maker. 66.8.Let us exalt the Lord our God, 96.8.and make the voice of his praiſe to be heard. Let us give him the honour due unto his name, 100.5.and worſhip the Lord with holy worſhip. For the Lord is gracious and his mercy is everlaſting, and his truth indureth from generation to generation. Thy reverence, thy faith, thy love, thy holy reſolutions, thy hunger and thirſt, are all, I hope, ſtill alive: wherewith we ought to approach into his preſence. Thou haſt not forgot ſure the meaning of this holy Feaſt: the ſweetneſs of which may well preſerve a memory of the ends for which our Lord invites thee to it. Let us go then with an humble confidence, to admire and proclaim once more, the infinite love of God our Saviour. Let us openly declare that we are his friends and followers: and bid defiance to all his enemies. Yea, let us bind our heart to his Altar with the cords of his love; and make an oblation of all we have unto him. It is but juſt and reaſonable; ſince we have received ſo much from him. It is but right, meet and our bounden duty to praiſe him continually; to glorifie and ſerve him with body and ſoul which he hath redeemed. Let us go and thank him therefore that he would come down from heaven to us: that he will accept us for his ſervants; and ſet any eſteem upon our poor obedience: and that he will ſtill from heaven viſit us; and not leave us comfortleſs without his holy preſence with us. So may we rejoyce in his ſalvation, and repreſent with gladſome hearts his ſacrifice to God for our exp…ation; and fix our eyes upon that glory where he is inthroned: hoping we ſhall one day ſit down with him in the kingdom of the Father, and keep a perpetual feaſt with him in heaven.
What ſhould hinder us, O my ſoul, from going to begin to be ſo happy? Search and try, examine and prove thy ſelf. Haſt thou not a mind to know and do the whole will of God; with all thy heart, and with all thy ſoul, and with all thy ſtrength? Doſt thou not chuſe to be poor in ſpirit, meek, merciful, pure in heart, a peace-maker, a patient ſufferer for righteouſneſs ſake? and art thou not deſirous to make an increaſe of all theſe by going to his holy Table? Be not diſcouraged then,Pſal. 4.3, 5, 6. but know that the Lord hath choſen him that is godly, for himſelf. The Lord will hear when I call upon him. Go and offer the Sacrifices of righteouſneſs; and put thy truſt in the Lord. There be many that ſay, who will ſhew us any good? But let thy voice be, Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me. Open thou mine eyes, Pſal. 119.18.that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Goſpel. Make me able to comprehend with all Saints, Eph. 3.18, 19.what is the breadth, and length, and depth and height; and to know the love of Chriſt, which paſſeth knowledg. This ſhall put gladneſs in my heart, more than in the time when their corn and wine encreaſed. For thine are riches, and power, and honour and pleaſure: and they whom thou loveſt, can want nothing that is good.Pſal. 5.12. Thou Lord wilt bleſs the righteous; with favour wilt thou compaſs him as with a ſhield. 22.26.The meek ſhall eat and be ſatisfied: they ſhall praiſe the Lord that ſeek him; your heart ſhall live for ever.
The Prayer.
O Lord; who filleſt all things, and delighteſt to pour out thy bleſſings upon all thy works; eſpecially into humble ſpirits; who empty themſelves of all their own deſires, that they may be filled with thy holy truth. Behold a poor ſoul, that opens it ſelf to thy bounteous goodneſs; though with much ſhame and confuſion of face, when I remember how much of thy grace I have refuſed, or in vain received. Thou haſt ſent me, I acknowledg, unasked innumerable benefits; and I have found thee in my very heart, when I ſought not after thee. Often have I felt holy thoughts ſpringing up in my mind; and pious affections carrying my heart away from all theſe earthly vanities. Many godly purpoſes haſt thou wrought in me; and made me to taſte how happy a thing it is to love thee, and be beloved of thee: O God, thou haſt taught me from my youth, Pſa. 71.17.and early inſtructed me in the knowledg of thy truth. Thou haſt prevented all my deſires; and ſecretly diſpoſed my will, to chuſe the ways of vertue and piety. Hitherto I have declared thy wondrous works; and every day brings along with it, new teſtimonies of thy moſt fatherly care and providence. But all this only reproaches me, for my ſhameful negligence, ingratitude, and unfruitfulneſs in the knowledg of the Lord Jeſus: and makes me deſpair of receiving any more of thy grace; unleſs thou wilt magnifie the riches of it, in thy patient and long-ſuffering charity towards me. Thou haſt required us to put on bowels of mercy, kindneſs, condeſcention;Coloſſ. 3. forbearing and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel againſt any. And haſt taught us ſuch charity as is kind and ſuffereth long,… Cor. 13. and beareth all things. And therefore I am incouraged to fly unto thee and to hope in thee, who haſt made thy ſelf, the pattern of tenderneſs and compaſſion to us in Chriſt Jeſus. There is ſomething of thy ſelf likewiſe ſtill remaining in me. I feel my heart inclining towards thee; deſiring to have a more lively knowledg of thee, and to be made thoroughly good and perfectly like thee. Which emboldens me the more to wait upon thee, and to open my heart for new communications of thy holy ſpirit to me. O thou who giveſt food to all fleſh, who ſatisfyeſt the cravings of every living thing: deny not the deſires of an immortal ſoul which hungers and thirſts to be filled with the fruit of the Spirit,Epheſ. 5.9. in all goodneſs, and righteouſneſs, and truth. It is not thy pardon only which I crave, and humbly hope for, through thy mercy in Chriſt Jeſus: But a power from above continually to aſſiſt the holy reſolutions, thou haſt wrought in me; to deny all ungodlineſs and worldly luſts, and to live ſoberly, righteouſly and godly in this preſent world. Tit. 2.12.I have choſen O Lord, the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me. Pſal. 119.30.10.….38.Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not ſin againſt thee. I have gone aſtray: but now I will meditate in thy precepts, and have reſpect unto thy ways. I will delight my ſelf in thy ſtatutes: Pſal. 17.5.I will not forget thy word. With my whole heart do I ſeek thee: O let me not wander from thy Commandments. But ſtabliſh thy word unto thy ſervant, who is devoted to thy fear. Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my fooſteps ſlip not.
And give me leave, good Lord, to approach to thy Table, and there to dedicate my ſelf again unto thee; and receive freſh tokens of thy grace and favour towards me. I am not worthy, I confeſs, to be ſeen in thy ſacred preſence. But ſince thou haſt wrought in me a will to pleaſe thee in all things; I deſire that I may humbly appear and profeſs it before thee: and wait upon thee for a power to do, according to the purpoſes of my heart. O thou who ſearcheſt the hearts, and knoweſt what is in man; deal with me according to the ſincerity of my ſoul. And open mine eyes that I may ſee it, if there be any evil way in me: any pride, any covetouſneſs, any impurity; any hatred or uncharitableneſs. For I renounce them all; and unſeignedly reſolve to do juſtly, and to love mercy, Mic. 6.8.and to walk humbly with my God. Pſ. 19.14.Let theſe words of my mouth, and meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy ſight, O Lord my ſtrength, and my redeemer. And when I come to thy holy Table, may I feel that thou haſt accepted them: by inſpiring me with ſtronger purpoſes to continue in thy obedience; and lifting me up to an higher degree of love to thee and my bleſſed Saviour. Raiſe me, O Lord, ſo high, that I may be out of the reach of the temptations of the world and the Devil: or at leaſt, they may never be able to draw me down to follow any ſinful luſts and deſires.Dan 9.19. O Lord hear; O Lord forgive: O Lord, hearken and do, according to thy infinite mercies declared in Chriſt Jeſus; and the moſt comprehenſive meaning of his own holy words, in which he hath taught us to pray, ſaying, Our Father, &c.
A Meditation afterward.
THE next time thou viſiteſt thy ſoul, ask it if it obſerved well that glorious perſon who feaſted thee at his Table: and marked the kind and gracious words which he ſpake unto thee, by the repreſentation of his broken body, and blood that was ſhed for thy ſake. Alas! wilt thou ſay, I ſhould not have been here, if I had had a clear view of his glories. He would have carried me to heaven with him, if my heart had been poſſeſſed with the fulneſs of his love. My eyes are too weak to behold his perfections: my thoughts too narrow to comprehend the unſearchable riches of his grace.
But haſt thou not ſeen ſomething of him? Did not many of his beauteous graces ſhine fairly in thine eyes? Did he not even force upon thee ſome ſenſe of his wondrous goodneſs and charity? And hath he not put himſelf, by ſenſible tokens, into thy very hands; nay, entred into thine heart, and told thee; that he hath deſired it for his habitation. Where is he then? what haſt thou done with him? are the thoughts of him vaniſhed already out of thy mind? Doth the love of him languiſh and die thus ſoon in thy breaſt? Art thou content to let him go, and ſee him no more; till the ſame ſolemnity come about again?
How wilt thou be able then to appear before him, at that time? with what face wilt thou look upon him, whom thou ſlighteſt ſo much; as to love any company better than his? Will it not confound thee to think that thou art but a ſtranger to him, though thou haſt been ſo often with him? and that he can find nothing of himſelf in thee; no, not after ſo many profeſſions of the greateſt love and friendſhip to him? O let him ſee, that he hath not beſtowed himſelf on one that knows not how to value ſo divine a gueſt. Preſerve an everlaſting memory of his dying love. Never fail to thank him for it every day, with the greateſt paſſion thou art able to excite. Look on him ſeriouſly and ſtudy to be like him. Never take off thine eyes from his beauties, till all his lovely qualities be imprinted on thy heart. Imitate his humility and great condeſcention to us of low eſtate. Learn of him to be meek and lowly in heart.…atch. 11.20. … 5.2. … Walk in love, as Chriſt alſo hath loved us, and given himſelf for us, an offering and a ſacrifice to God for a ſweet ſmelling ſavour. Purifie thy ſelf,1 Joh. 3.3. even as he is pure.Heb. 13.5. Let thy converſation be without covetouſneſs;Pſal. 37.3. and be content with ſuch things as thou haſt. Truſt in the Lord, and do good: make him thy hope, and thy portion. That as long as thou liveſt; Chriſt Jeſus may be ſeen among men. O what a goodly ſight would it be, to behold our Lord ſtill walking up and down in the world! To ſee the loving, the peaceable, the meek, the merciful, the holy Jeſus again upon the earth! Do thou reſolve to be that bleſſed man, in whom he ſhall appear. Let not his Image and likeneſs be loſt, whilſt thou art in being: and labour to leave it upon others when thou art dead and gone.
Particularly thou mayſt reſolve all this month to meditate often on the PATIENCE of our Lord; under ah the rude affronts and cruel pains he endured from his enemies: and the great dulneſs, untowardneſs, and ſlowneſs to believe, which he found in his Diſciples. That ſo Patience may have its perfect work in thee; to the end thou mayſt be perfect, and entire, Jam. 1.4.wanting nothing. For we have need of Patience, Heb. 10.36that after we have done the will of God, we may receive the promiſe. Reſt in the Lord therefore, and wait patiently for him: Pſal. 37.7.fret not thy ſelf becauſe of him who proſpereth in his way, becauſe of the man who bringeth wicked devices to paſs. Reſolve not to be diſcouraged in thy Chriſtian courſe, whatſoever it be that thou art to do, or ſuffer. Warn them that are unruly; … T…ſſ. 5.14.comfort the feeble minded; ſupport the weak; be patient toward all men. Remembring that this is the character of thoſe, who received the heavenly ſeed with honeſt and good hearts;Luke 8.15. that they brought forth fruit with patience. And we know that the fruit of patience is experience; Rom. 5.3, 4.and experience worketh hope; and hope maketh not aſhamed.
The Thanksgiving and Prayer.
ALL thy works praiſe thee, O Lord; they proclaim thy greatneſs, thy wiſdom, thy power and goodneſs, throughout the world. There is no place in heaven or earth where their voice is not heard. But the mouths of rational creatures ought moſt to be filled with thy praiſes: whom thou haſt made to underſtand the wiſdome and majeſty of all thy works. We our ſelves, O Lord, are fearfully and wonderfully made. Thou haſt adorned mankind with moſt noble perfections, and given us dominion over the works of thy hands. And after we had deſpiſed this honour which thou didſt us, chuſing to become like the beaſts that periſh; thou waſt pleaſed to do us a greater: and to demonſtrate an infinite wiſdom, power and charity in our recovery by Chriſt Jeſus. I bleſs thee, O God, for that abundant grace; and for that part and portion, which thou haſt given me in it. That thou waſt pleaſed to come ſo lovingly, and dwell among us; and appear in the likeneſs of ſinful fleſh; to what can I aſcribe it, but thine incomprehenſible love, and readineſs to do us good. I moſt heartily thank thee, that thou wouldt ſo mercifully comfort us by thy divine preſence among us; and incourage us to hope in thee, that wouldſt not deſtroy us. And that thou haſt proclaimed as much by thine eternal Word, and bidden us to hope in thy mercy. Above all, that thou haſt aſſured us by his Death and Paſſion, that thou wilt pardon our ſins; and by his Reſurrection, that thou wilt beſtow on us eternal life. There is no end, O Lord, of thy loving kindneſs. For thou continueſt to give us new aſſurances and tokens of thy good will towards us: and haſt now entertained me at thine own Table, with his moſt pretious body and blood. It is too little, O God of all grace, to give thee my ſelf, if I had any more to give. All that I can do, is again and again to give my ſelf to thee. And as I have at thine Altar offered my whole ſoul and body, to be employed according to thy holy will and pleaſure: ſo I continue here to renew my devotion to thee; and to oblige my ſelf by repeated vows to be thy ſervant. I hope I ſhall never ſuffer thy love to ſlip out of my mind; nor forget the promiſes wherein I ſtand ingaged to thee. Yea, that thou in thine abundant goodneſs wilt always accompany me by thy holy ſpirit, (which our Lord hath bid me expect from thee,) to preſerve alive his memory in my heart: that I may ever be a follower of him in poverty of Spirit; in meekneſs; in mercifulneſs; in purity of heart; in peaceableneſs, and ſtudying to be quiet.2 Theſſ. 3.5. And the Lord direct my heart to the love of God, and the patient waiting for Chriſt. That I may endure all the troubles of this life with a compoſed, conſtant ſpirit; and never repine at any thing that befalls me. That I may chearfully ſuffer for righteouſneſs ſake; and taking up my Croſs,Heb. 12.1, 2. run with patience the race that is ſet before me, looking unto Jeſus the Author and finiſher of our faith; who for the joy that was ſet before him, endured the Croſs, deſpiſing the ſhame and is ſet down at the right hand of thy throne of glory.
Rom. 15.5, 6, 7.Now the God of patience and conſolati… grant us all to be like minded one towards another, according to Chriſt Jeſus. That a… Chriſtian people may with one mind a… one mouth glorifie thee our God: and receiv… one another, as Chriſt alſo received us, un… thy glory. Unite our hearts in love and charity: and give us grace to follow afte… thoſe things which make for peace, Rom. 14.…and thing wherewith one may edifie another. O that the power of all Chriſtian Kings and Rulers may be employed to be a terror to all evil doers; and to give praiſe and incouragement to all that do well. That all the ſervants of the Lord in holy offices, may be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, 2 Tim. 2.24.patient, in meekneſs inſtructing thoſe that oppoſe themſelves. And all thoſe that are under their care,1 Theſſ. 5.13. may have the grace to eſteem them very highly in love for their works ſake: and laying apart all filthineſs, Jam. 1.21.and ſuperfluity of naughtineſs, receive with meekneſs the engrafted word, which is able to ſave their ſouls. I recommend to thy mercies all the poor, the ſick, the fatherleſs and widdows; and whoſoever are in any diſtreſs: that they may remember the words of the Lord Jeſus,Luk. 21.19. and in their patience poſſeſs their ſouls. And the Lord deliver us all from every evil work, and preſerve us unto his heavenly kingdom: 2 Tim. 4.18.to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen.