The Prayer on Saturday Morning.

For obtaining fuch abftinence as is necessary to fubdue the flefb to the fpirit.

LMIGHTY and everlafting God, to A whofe good Providence I afcribe my health and fafety, and owe the enjoyment of the comfortable refreshment of the night past, and the avoidance of thofe evils which I have juftly deferved: for thefe, O Lord, and for all thy other mercies, I defire to adore and bless thy glorious name; humbly befeeching thee to accept this my morning facrifice of praise and thanksgiving, in and through the merits and mediation of my dear Redeemer, who fafted forty days and forty nights,* to teach us fuch abftinence, as may fubdue our flesh to the fpirit, whereby we may ever obey thy will, and for his fake, O Lord, I humbly beseech thee to pardon all my fins, and grant that a due fenfe of thy mercies may be fo deeply impreffed upon my mind, that I may love thee above all things.

Vouchfafe me the affiftance of thy good fpirit, to inure me by felf-denial to bring my body into fubjection; to punish all thofe exceffes I have been guilty of in the ufe of thy creatures; and to enable me to withstand the temptations of this wicked world, and with an undaunted courage and refolution to bear up

* Matth, iv. 2. Mark i. 3. Luke iv. 2.

up under all the trials and difficulties, which I fhall meet with in my chriftian warfare. Let my retirement from the world make me fee the vanity and emptiness of it, and teach me to relish the pleafures of fpiritual enjoyments; let me fpend my folitary hours in the improvement of my christian knowledge, and do thou open my eyes, that I may fee the wondrous things of thy law. Make me heartily to bewail my fins, and do thou work in me that godly forrow, not to be repented of; that fo I may manifeft the fincerity of my love, by a conftant and habitual care to do what is pleafing in thy fight.

O Lord, fearch my reins and my heart, prove me and examine my thoughts:* grant, I may fincerely examine the ftate of my own mind; that perceiving how bitter a thing it is to depart from the living God, I may no longer continue at a distance from the fountain of joy and happinefs; but be fo truly honeft and upright, and fo ftedfaft and immoveable in the ways of truth and justice, that no worldly intereft or advantage, how promifing or great foever, may be able to fhake my integrity. And give me grace, by confeffing and forfaking my fins, to be entirely converted unto thee, and to depend upon thy Providence, fo as to reft contented under all the difpenfations of thy infinite wifdom and goodness. And tho'

* Pfalm cxxxix. 1. Pfalm vii. 9. Pfalm xxvi. 2.

317 tho' thou shouldft fee fit to deprive me of any, or even all the comforts of this life, yet,

O gracious Father, leave me not deftitute of thofe things that accompany falvation, nor deny me thy favour which is better than life itfelf. Whatever thou art pleafed to deprive me of, yet take not from me, I beseech thee, the comforts of thy holy Spirit; but in all the troubles and difappointments of this world, in all the calamities and trials I fhall meet with here, be thou my only refuge and fupport, my tay and my truft, my Saviour, and mighty deliverer.*

Stand by me in all trials, fuccour me in every temptation, fupport me in difcouragements, and advise me in all difficult cafes: but efpecially, O Lord, I most importunately befeech thee that, when the time of my diffolution draws nigh, and all things here begin to fail me, thou wouldft then vouchfafe to ftrengthen and fupport me, and at last receive me into thy bleffed kingdom. And, till that time draweth nigh,

Let thy great goodness, O Lord, continue to me thy favour and protection; let thy watchful providence be my guide and my guard. Keep me in thy fear all the day long, and grant that I may take nothing in hand but what is agreeable to thy bleffed will. Into thy hands

Palm xviii. 2.

Pfalm xl. 17. Pfalm lxx. Pfalm

exliv. 2.

hands I commend my foul and body, and all that are related to me, humbly befeeching thee to keep us from all evil, to lead us into all good, and carry us fafely through the dangers and temptations of this wicked world, to that place of everlasting reft and peace, which thou haft prepared for thy faithful fervants, through the merits of thy beloved Son, Jefus Christ our Lord; in whose words I call upon thee, faying, Our Father, &c.

The Meditation for Saturday Evening.
On prefumptuous thoughts.

I hate vain thoughts, but thy law do I love. Palm cxix. 113.

MY foul! how haft thou ftruck me, how am I difmayed at thofe checks of thy voice? the enemy had almost filled me with prefumptuous thoughts of my own merits; I was very well fatisfied, full of joy and holy confolation, affured of God's favour, the forgiveness of my fins, and everlasting happinefs, fince my return from the holy Sacrament, and our continual pious exercife for this week paft: but

II. Thou art defponding, and filleft my ears with It may not be: one may, fayest thou, be in God's favour without knowing or believing it; and one may be (in the purpose of God) everlastingly happy in the world to

co ne,

come, and yet be miferable and defponding here on earth. So we may be forfaken, and full of prefumptuous confolations and,

III. Now I remember, we have already fpoken of and agreed in these things before,* and I am fully fatisfied that if we truly repent us of our fins, they fhall certainly be forgiven, and we shall certainly be happy; but that is in the world to come; fo that I shall always think upon that excellent admonition, never to credit any inward comfort and confolation, fo much as to fuffer them to puff me up any more that my fins are forgiven, at fuch a certain time, at, or after the receiving the Sacrament; for that is not quite fo fure. You have made me fenfible that no fuch joy or confolation is annexed by any promife of God, to the worthy reception of the bleffed Sacrament; I believe that the benefits are fecured by God's promife to the worthy receiver, from whence that joy may reasonably refult; but the party may, by fome indifpofition of body or mind, not be filled with it. And,

IV. Therefore I will not expect or depend upon any fuch unufual lightfomeness or confolations; but if they follow, it is well; if not, there is no harm or danger in the want of them. I will prepare myself by true and fincere repentance, and come with faith,† and as well

*See the first part of the new Week's Preparation. See the last exhortation in the Communion Service.