INTERCESSIONS general and particular.

AND, Lord, hear my poor supplications for others, as well as for myself. Thou seest what desolations are wrought in the earth, how sin covers the face of the world, and gross darkness the people; O send out thy light and thy truth, that the ends of the earth may remember themselves, and be turned unto thee, O Lord. Especially visit our land with thy salvation; we have the form of godliness and the profession of thy gospel, but O how far removed from the practice and the power of it! Return, O GOD of hosts return, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us. [Remove not our candlestick away, as by our manifold iniquities we have most justly provoked thee to do, but remember thy mercy which hath been to a thousand generations, and hear the prayers of thy people, who cry day and night before thee.] Raise up thy power and come among us, and with great might succour us. Send out, we pray thêe, labourers into thine harvest; the land mourneth, the people perish for lack of knowledge; give them pastors after thy own mind, who may exalt the cross of the Redeemer, and be successful preachers of his righteousness; bless the few who truly labour in the word and ministry, may thy grace make thy word in their mouths effectual for the conviction, conversion, and consolation of mens souls; particularly bless him who ministers to my soul, and may he sce of the fruit of his labour in me, and multitudes be brought by his teaching to the knowledge of the salvation which is in JESUS CHRIST. Lord, make us more diligent, that our profiting may appear under the blessed means of grace which we enjoy. Bless all those who are especially near to me under any ties of relation; may all my friends be thine; my benefactors find in thy favour an abundant return, and those of this house and family be the objects of thy peculiar regard*.

And now, Lord, accept my humble praise for all the mercies I have tasted from the first day even until now; unwor

*The particular states of husband and wife, parent and child, master and servant, will afford opportunity for more particular enlargement.

thy indeed, utterly unworthy of the least of them I confess myself to be. Blessed be thy name for the being I enjoy, and for all the blessings of time which accompany it; but above all, blessed be the name of my GOD for his redeeming love, for JESUS the fountain of grace, and for the great and precious promises given freely in him to me a sinner. Blessed be thy name for the knowledge of him whom to know is everlasting life; for all the means of growth in grace, and all the hopes of glory purchased, taken possession of, and to be revealed by and in the Lord JESUS my Saviour; whose righteousness is my title, whose blood is my plea, and who is to me all and in all. In his name and words I would, since he hath commanded it, sum up all my imperfect prayers, saying, Our Father, &c.

You have here a long prayer, which may be easily shortened and adapted to your state whatever it be: remember only that your eye in all your prayers never lose sight of the Advocate, JESUS CHRIST the righteous, in and through whom alone any answer of peace can be given to your requests. All blessings in time and eternity are the purchase of his blood on the cross; they are given into his power, as the peculiar head of the mediatorial kingdom; and are to be obtained by that intercession which he ever liveth to make for his people.

As the foregoing prayer is intended as a help to the sincere in general, it may be useful to add something particular of the same kind respecting the Lord's Supper, which, with some Meditations on select passages of scripture, may serve to enliven our souls before, and at this ordinance.

A PRAYER BEFORE THE LORD'S SUPPER.

DEAR Saviour of my soul, look upon the sinner

thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood. I come because thou hast bidden me, and my soul needeth the refresh-ment thou hast provided. Never do I draw near but I bring

with me fresh cause of humiliation, and carry new burdens to thee my Lord, from which I need relief. Look upon me in thy wonted compassion, and pity and pardon all the faithlessness with which I stand chargeable before thee. JESUS, my hope is in thee. Ten thousand times have I forfeited all the mercies of my GOD, but thou hast been my Advocate, thy blood hath spoken for me; still, Lord, let it speak, and sprinkled on me purge my heart from dead works to serve the living GOD. Bleeding Lamb of GoD, thy open wounds afford a safe retreat to my poor soul. I fly to thee to hide me. Let my iniquities be covered, let my backslidings be healed. My deep complaints come up before thee; this body of sin, when shall my soul be delivered from it? Lord, mine eyes are unto thee. I have found renewed attacks from my corrupt and vile affections *; to the blessed fountain opened for sin and uncleanness I fly; O wash this spotted soul, and heal the leprosy within. When now again I am drawing near to thee, draw near to my sinful soul. Strengthen my confidence in thy love, when I partake of the instituted pledges thou hast left me. O comfort me with the assurance that thou art mine. Teach these eyes with tears of penitence and joy to look upon thy broken body, give me thus that repentance unto salvation never to be repented of. O my Lord, conquered by thy dying love, may every lust be offered up a willing sacrifice at thy cross; take them, Lord, slay them before thee; consume the dross of base affections, purify my soul, and with this sacred fire refine it like thine own.

Anointed JESUs, save me from every sin; set up within my soul thy kingdom of righteousness, and peace and joy in the HOLY GHOST; reign over a willing subject, and let thy service be ever the happy freedom of my soul. O what bondage, Lord, like the bondage of corruption; what liberty so sweet as that which they enjoy who take up thy light burden, thy easy yoke. Thou askest nothing from me which it is not my happi

* Particulars must be enlarged upon, according to your latest temptations and most besetting corruptions.

ness to renounce; thou commandest nothing wherein it is not my happiness to obey thee. O then let me count nothing grievous which thou dost enjoin: anew I would make my surrender unto thee; again would I solemnly seal my soul for thine own; enable me to approve myself more faithful to the vows which are upon me, and live more devoted to thee who hast died for

me.

Thou knowest, Lord, my simpleness, and my faults are not hid from thee; thou knowest it is the desire of my soul to love and please thee; it is my bitterness that I ever offend thee: O when shall I have done with sin? when shall I grieve no more thy Spirit in me? O Lord, when shall it yet be? Continue to be gracious; draw me nearer to thy blessed self, that I may run more eagerly after thee; shew me more of thy beauty, that sin may grow more hateful in my eyes: lay thy hand upon me and fashion me, O fashion me, dear Redeemer, in thy own blessed image, and make me wholly such as thou wouldst have me to be. Make thyself known unto me in the breaking of bread, reveal thyself to my poor soul as thou dost not to the world; make me to taste the comforts of thy regard, that I may be enabled for all thy service. And open my eyes to heavenly things; when I remember thee on the cross, may I look to thee also on the throne, and feel the weight of thy expected appearance continually influencial over me. O Saviour, that I may then be found of thee in peace, and meet thee on thy throne of judgment with kind acceptance and regard! Thou wilt come, I know thou wilt, and wilt not tarry. O Lord JEsus, may I be ever looking for, and hasting unto, the day of thine appearing, and be found watching when thou shalt stand at the door and knock.

Receive my thanks, dear suffering Saviour, thou compassionate high priest, who canst be touched with the feeling of thy people's infirmities, blessing and praise be ever thine. Help me daily to be telling of thy salvation, till thou shalt give me a place with those blessed spirits of the just made perfect, whose happy labour is everlasting songs of thanksgiving to thee, who

wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, and made us kings and priests that we might reign with thee in thy kingdom for ever. Amen.

IT is supposed that every Communicant walks in a continual course of self-examination. The temper described in Chapter III. will afford the most interesting points of inquiry. As we shall ever find how short we come of that blessed disposition there described, we shall have continual need for new confessions of sin and unfaithfulness, with renewed purposes of heart of cleaving to the Lord. If any thing particularly humbling hath befallen us, or any new temptation beset us, we must spread it before the Redeemer, and pour out our griefs into his compassionate bosom: he is a kind Saviour, we know little of the depths of his bowels and mercies, if we did we should never dishonour him as we do with our distrusts, and should be more deeply melted down under the sense of his amazing patience and love. One view of CHRIST in his transcendently gracious character, as the dear Redeemer of lost souls, hath more power and efficacy to break the bonds of sin, and urge us to obedience, than all the vows, promises, and resolutions, wherewith we can bind our souls.

CHAP. VII.

On MEDITATION.

AT the Lord's Table, and before we go to it, a most profitable exercise is divine Meditation; nothing serves more to spiritualize and enliven the soul, than the consideration of some of the great and precious promises that in JESUS CHRIST are made to us; or of those blessed portions of scripture that more immediately speak of him whom our soul loveth; declare his offices, describe his sufferings, or point us to the glory which followed; they are too numerous to be collected: I will select a few as heads of Meditation, which I shall endeavour to

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