his crea

all his goodness to us, as we are, tures, and as we are Chriftians. The day itself is a type of heaven, and the eternal reft; and therefore our work in it fhould better accord with what is done in heaven, where they ceafe not day and night from praifing God. bed, sal

...We ought to praife him for all the be nefits of this life, for all the means of health, for all kinds of qualities and changes of feafons, and fuch like mercies, which we fhould commemorate, not only at the Sacrament, but afterwards, 'when we may more largely think how much we are beholden to him for his goodness. We have at the facrament been praifing him, but we have not praised him enough, and therefore ought not to cease to praise him, That day ought to be unto us more than a mere fhadow of heaven; yea one day is tod fhort, every day ought to have something of this in it, and to be a good day unto us. And then shall eternity be joyful, and the everlasting day, fhall give us light long enough to perfect his praifes,

II. As we fhould spend a great deal of the after-part of the day, in fuch acts of praife, fo fome time ought to be spent in an after-examination.

Let us make fome folemn reflections upon our behaviour when we were before the Lord; and if we find our minds not to have been fo ferioufly intended, and our hearts not fo deeply affected as we did defire, we fhould caft down ourselves humbly at the feet of our Lord, and beg a par don of our loving Saviour, and earnestly intreat him, that he would help us now by an after-act, that we may be able to do that, which we should have done before.

Or elfe, we may be excited to rejoice the more in his goodness, and to blefs him for the refreshments he hath afforded us, and to render him more hearty thanks that he hath fatisfied us fo abundantly with his goodnefs, and made us to drink of the ri vers of his pleasure.

III. LET us fpend fome time afterwards, in ftrengthening of our purposes, and con firming our resolutions of a more holy obediencce;

dience; that fo there may be fome fruit feen of this day, in many others that follow, till the folemnity thall return again.

Let us labour to fix and plant the meditations we have had, fo ftrongly in our minds, that they may fhoot their roots to the bottom of our hearts, and nothing may be able to pluck them up. Let us poffefs our hearts fo much with thofe perfuafions, that when a temptation comes, we may reject it with disdain.

Let us make our fouls fo fenfible of Chrift's prefence with us, that we may readily think upon every occafion on this manner: How is it fit that we should treat our gracious Lord, who is become fo united unto us? Shall we offend him by any ungracious actions; or displease him by any unhandsome thoughts? Shall we be fo addicted to the world, that we shall forget to retire and converfe with our deareft Saviour? Shall we fo perplex ourselves in business, as to omit to pray, to meditate, and to give praises to him? Let us confider, that we have stedfastly purpofed, to keep God's righteous judgements. And to incite every Hh 3

one

one the more, to do his endeavour thus to ftrengthen his refolution, let this one thing be seriously confidered; namely, The more carefully we walk with God, the less labour we fhall find to prepare ourselves against the next communion; with the less pains shall we dress up our fouls to come to "änother feast: There will be some relish of 'the former food left in our hearts, and we hall be in a fuitable difpofition, to perform the fame acts again. Moreover, Every re turn to fin after thefe engagements, makes it more intolerable, and more highly dif pleafing to God and our Saviour. After a man hath feriously confidered, how hateful Tin is in its own nature, after he hath refolved against it, and folemnly covenanted to avoid it, the fin is more black and deadly, and (in the language of holy fcripture) becometh exceeding finful.

And if fin be fo difpleafing to our Saviour, that he was willing to fuffer any torment, and even death itfelf, that he might deftroy the power of it; how can we think that he will stay and make his abode with us, if we again offend him;

and

and make no confcience to watch over our ways, and avoid all temptations, and fhun all occafions of fin? How can he endure, that we should admit any thing in competition with him?

He is the high and holy One; he expects to be treated honourably, and like unto himself; that we hould behave ourfelves as becometh fo noble a prefence; that we fhould live foberly, righteously, and godly And then, as he hath come to us, fo he will abide with us, and will manifeft himfelf to our fouls, acquaint us with more of the secrets of his religion, and the delights that are in an holy life. For so he faith to his difciples, He that bath my commandments, and keepeth them, be it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father; and I will love him, and will manifeft myself unto him. Which fame thing he repeateth over again, in other words, thus; If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him; and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.