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THE

AUTHOR

TO THE

READER.

Reafons for publishing this Bock, and to fhere the dangerous tendency of the ufe of the ŎLD Week's Preparation.

AVING for many years experienced,

HAV

in the course of my office, that, in no one inftance of chriftian duty, there was more need of affiftance, than in this of the Lord's Supper; and that many devout communicants have laboured under the fame doubts and fcruples concerning a worthy preparation, and partaking of this duty; I am of opinion that many others would be very glad to find fuch doubts cleared up, and the cause of fuch fcruples removed, which too commonly dif turb and perplex them by fuch fears and terrors, as indeed make their defire of being truly religious, the burthen and mifery, inftead of the delight, of their lives; therefore

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I do

I do not think my time can be better employed, than when I am endeavouring to render the preparation for that holy ordinance orthodox, rational, and fatisfactory to every one. And, I have endeavoured to avoid that too general fault of raifing and inflaming the devotion of communicants, without any regard to their information, and fettling their understandings.

The most confiderable doubts and fcruples, which render the minds of communicants uneafy, are confidered in the following meditations, which I have framed as full and fatisfactory, as, I believe, can reasonably be expected, in fo fmall a volume,

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N. B. To this edition is added our Lord's fermon on the Mount, with Dr. Clarke's paraphrafe; for the ufe of all perfons who wish to fee that most excellent fummary of our christian duty clearly explained.

Of the Meditations, Hymns, and Prayers.

The Meditation for each day is placed first; because I esteem meditation to be a noble exercife of a rational and devout foul. To revolve and confider over and over, and to reflect upon those divine fubjects, to which each meditation relates, will greatly contribute to the improvement of our lives, and to the rendering them more conformable to the will of Almighty God.

In

In the use of the Meditations, we should not read them over in a hafty and curfory manner; but proceed very deliberately, and try whether we cannot find out fomething of greater importance in each reading, than may be apprehended at the firft fentence; and after we have thus gone through the Meditation, which we should always do at one reading, begging God to affect our minds with a conftant fenfe of our duty in all the particulars of it; chiefly that he would enable us to perform thofe refolutions we have made of advancing in piety and virtue; that he would not leave us to ourselves; but so affift us with his grace, that what we perceive and know to be our duty, we may faithfully fulfil all the days of our life; I fay, when the Meditation is thus ended, I have immediately fubjoined the Hymns, to be fung or faid according to the difpofition of every devout reader. And the reafon of this method, I doubt not, will readily appear to every one, who confiders that the defign of Hymns is to raise the foul to a nearer conference with God in prayer, when perchance fatigued in fome other part of a chriftian's duty.

To the hymns you have a prayer added, which will furnish you with fuitable petitions, fupplications, and thankfgivings, to be offered up to our heavenly Father through Jefus

Christ,

Chrift, his dearly beloved Son, our Lord. Not that I prefume to dictate any thing that may ftife the fervency of any one's private devotion, who may rather choose to conclude his devotions with an hymn; and it is with a view to fatisfy fuch different tempers, that in fome cafes I have added more hymns than one to fome of the fubjects. But as God has given us no direct command in this particular, let it be far from me to act with that prefumption, as to endeavour to inforce my own inventions inftead thereof.

Of the time to be spent in Preparation.

As to the time requifite to be fpeat, in our preparation for a worthy receiving the Lord's Supper; I could wish it had been more particularly directed and commanded by the Church; yet, I doubt not but that her having not done it, has proceeded from her know, ing that the best rules might hurt fame or other, if too clofely followed. But I am clear in my opinion, it is always her intention, that her members fhould be as well and tho roughly prepared as they can, before they ap proach the Lord's Table; and, for my part, I think myfelf bound to thank the great and good God, that I am not of the number of thofe felf-fufficient Chriftians, who can lay fo great refs upon habitual preparation, as

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