our love by our deeds; to him let us reverently go, and offer our devout hearts at his footstool; let us remember every passage of his love with unfeigned thanks. For the Lord is sold, that the slave may be free; the innocent is condemned, that the guilty may be saved; the physician is sick, that the patient may be cured; and God himself becomes man to die, that man may live.

IV. Tell me, my Soul, when first thou hast well considered and looked about among all we know, tell me whoever wished us so much good? who ever loved us with so much tenderness? Our nearest friends, what have they done for us; or even our parents, in comparison of this charity?-no less than the Son of God came down to redeem us; no less than his own dear life was the price he paid for us; what can the favour of the world promise us, compared to this miraculous bounty? no less than the joys of Angels are become our hope; no less than the kingdom of Heaven is made our inhe ritance.

V. This is the compassion of my God! thus far his charity prevailed; who thought it was not enough to become man for us, but exposed himself to all our miseries! was it not enough, O Jesus! to labour all thy life, but thou must suffer even the pains of death? no, gracious Lord, thy merey still observed

many

many wants in our nature as yet unsupplied; thou sawest our too great fondness of life needed thy parting with it, to reconcile us to death; thou sawest our fear of sufferings could no way be abated, but by freely undergoing them in thy own person! thou sawest our souls so deeply stained with guilt, that without shedding thy blood we

could have no remission.

VI. Can we thus remember the labours of our Redeemer for us, and not be convinced of our duty to him? can my cold heart recount his sufferings, and not be warmed with the love of him that suffered for me? can I believe my salvation cost him so dear, yet live as if salvation was not worthy my pains; ungrateful man, how doth he slight the goodness of his God! how carelesly comply with his gracious designs! for all his gifts he requires no other return, than that we hope still more, and still desire greater blessings, and improve them all to our own happiness. For all his favours he seeks no other praise, than our following his steps till we arrive at his glory.

VII. O my adored Redeemer, behold to thee I bow, and humbly prostrate myself in honour of thy death: behold thus low I bow to implore thy blessing and the assistance of thy special grace, that I may

wean my

affec

affections from all vain desires, and cleanse my thoughts from all impertinent fancies:

that my life may be entirely dedicated to

thee, and all the faculties of my soul to thy holy service: that my mind may continually study the knowledge of thee; my will grow every day stronger in thy love; ny memory faithfully recount thy mercies; and both my tongue and heart be continually disposed and habitually employed to praise thy incomparable love, which has done and suffered so much for -lost mankid.

Here observe the Directions given in page 8.

A prayer on Friday Evening, for faith and repentance, and a due preparation to the Holy Sacrament.

Repent and believe the Gospel.

Mark. i. 15◄

GRACIOUS God, and most merciful Father, who of thy tender love to mankind, didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ, 'to suffer death upon the Cross for our redemption, who made there by his own oblation of himself once offered, a full, "perfect and sufficient sacrifice, for the sins of the whole world; grant, that the effect of this redemption may be all universal as the design of it, that it may be to the salvation of all. O let no person by impenitence and wilful sin forfeit his part in it, but by the

thy grace bring all, even the most obstinate sinners, to repentance.

More especially, I beseech thee, to give me, thy sinful creature, a right understanding of the urgent need I have of a saviour, and of all those things which thy Son hath done and suffered, and is still doing at thy right-hand, in order to the cleansing of my guilty and pol luted nature, and the restoring me to thy grace and favour; and let not all this be in vain, and useless to me, lest I become eternally miserable, and lost to all hopes and possibilities of comfort; give me grace to accept of thy love, and to comply with those gracious terms of salvation which thy Son hath procured for, and proposed to me, in the Gospel.

I acknowledge, O Lord, that I have too much neglected this great Salvation, but thou with infinite patience dost still wait to see I will accept of mercy: O that thy forbear, ance and long suffering may soften my heart and melt me into shame and tears of penitential sorrow, for having so long abused the tender mercy of so good a God, I desire now to resign and devote myself to the con duct of thy Holy spirit. Lead me into thy truth and teach me, for thou art the God of my Salvation. Let thy word be my rule, thy grace my guide and assistance, thy goodness

my

my pattern and example, thy promses my encouragement, and thy joys my everlasting recompence and reward, thro' the merits and intercession of thy blessed Son, my Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.

- See the concluding Prayer and Blessing page 40.

*The Meditation for Saturday Morning.

On the Excellency of the Holy Sacrament:

This is the Bread which cometh down from Heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. John vi. 50.

I.

COM

COME unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, says the Lord Jesus, and I will refresh you; take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls ; for my yoke is easy and my burthen is light.

II. Does my Saviour invite me, and shall I go? shall a sinner dare to sit down at his table? does he invite and shall I not go? shall a wretch presume to refuse his call? rise then, my Soul, and take thy swiftest wings, and fly to the participation of this great mystery. A feast of holy bread and holy wine, in representation of Christ's most sacred body broken.

Here you may observe the directions given page 3.