yourself to forget them now; but they will return with awful fear upon the bed of death. At the last hour, when every thing will abandon you, when every human succour shall become useless, when those delusive blessings which you enjoyed on earth shall be torn from you, then the sufferings of Christ, which might have been your resource, your refuge and strength, shall fill you with the most lively fears and dismay. You will shudder when you consider this Saviour sacrificed by the same justice which will then cite you to its tribunal; notwithstanding the efficacy of a divine blood, it will give no hope to you; and when your soul, torn at last from your body, shall fall defenceless and polluted before the throne of God, what, ah! what will be your destiny? what will be the inflictions of that justice, which here manifested its power and severity by wounding the Saviour? of that justice which will consider the agonies of Christ as aggravating your guilt, and impres sing more deeply on your soul the seal of eternal reprobation."

Communicants! ever bear in mind the solemn obligations you are under to walk worthy of the high vocation wherewith you are called. You have entered into a solemn oath, in the presence of God and all his holy angels: and man marks with jealous and scrutinizing eye your future conduct. By your becoming deportment, you may be instrumental in the salvation of others. "Ye are the epistle of God, read and known of all men:" and many who do not take the trouble to read the Bible, cannot shut their eyes to the light of a holy life; but have been won over to the faith and practice of a religion so illustriously displayed. On the other hand, nothing tends so much to harden men in crime, and to confirm their infidelity, as the irregular lives of professors. And thus we may become stumbling blocks in their way, and accessary to their damnation. When we consider then that so much depends upon our walking aright; that thereby we may be instrumental in the prosperity of the church, and to the welfare of society, or, on the other hand, that we may defeat these great objects

and

our own salvation; surely the consideration should awaken all our energies, and arouse all our hopes, and fears, and exertions, to let our light so shine before men, that they, seeing our good works, may glorify our Father who is in Heaven.

MEDITATIONS AND PRAYERS,

Suitable for the occasion of the Lord's Supper, to be used at any time before the elements are consecrated.

O my soul, come now and go down to the garden of Gethsemane, where thy Saviour is about to commence the course of his sacred sorrows. Look up to the mountain of Calvary, and behold him extended there upon the cross. The nail strikes deep through his hands and feet. The spear pierces his blessed side, and blood and water flow out. "It is finished." Thy Saviour bows his head and dies. And was it for thee, O my soul, that Jesus suffered and died? O my God, may the thoughts of it awaken in me a deep and genuine repentance. May I abhor those sins that caused his sorrows. Forgive me, O Lord, my manifold transgressions. They are more in number than the hairs of my head. I have destroyed myself, but blessed be thy name, thou hast laid my help on one who is mighty. Thy hand, O God, formed us when thou didst create the world. Thy hand again wrought redemption for us. In our formation thou didst employ the light of thy wisdom, and the power of thy hands. In our redemption, O Jesus, thou hast healed us by thy wounds, and by thy death. Remember, O Lord, what thou hast done for me, and apply that remedy which thou hast written and signed with thy own blood. Renew and sanctify me by the power of thy grace; prepare me to come with advantage to thy holy altar; accept of the unworthy offering I am about to make, and let no improper thought, or unholy desire, intrude upon those sacred hours in which I come into thy presence.

I know, O Lord, that I have of myself no capacity, no strength for thy favour and service: that I am utterly unworthy to walk under the light of thy countenance; and that it is only Thou who canst influence me even to desire, much more to obtain thy blessings. Send then, O God, thy light and thy truth to conduct me to thy tabernacle. Display in me, O Heavenly Father, the efficacy of thy grace, the strength of that power which thou didst shew forth in Jesus Christ when thou didst raise him from the dead. Enlighten and restore me, who am sunk in darkness, and in the region of the shadow of death. Conduct me, O Father, in the road of salvation, that I may arrive with joy, at the habitations of thy holiness, there to contemplate the wonders of thy mercy and the glories of thy eternal presence. Grant my unworthy petitions through the merits of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.

To be used just before going to the Altar.

What am I, O my God, that I dare to present myself before thy sovereign majesty? O my soul, open thine eyes upon thy unworthiness, and call up all thy powers, to contemplate that infinite love which the mystery of thy redemption unfolds. Jesus thy Saviour is now crucified before thee. The bread broken and wine poured out, remind thee of that body broken and that blood shed for thy sins. My Lord and my God, who came into the world to save sinners, I supplicate thee to save my sinful soul. Enable me to offer thee the sacrifice of a contrite heart, of a spirit humbled by repentance, and penetrated with grief for my offences. Grant me some testimony of thy presence and love, which may convince me that my soul is dear unto thee. Draw toward thee all the affections of my heart, that with thy aid the chain of my sins may be broken, and that my soul may be replenished with that celestial joy, which thou dost communicate to those who love thee. Thou who art the Redeemer of souls, and hast pronounced those to be happy who weep-Thou benevolent Saviour, who

didst weep over Lazarus dead. Thou who didst shed abundance of tears over unhappy Jerusalem, let thy Holy Spirit soften the hard hearts of sinners, who are on the point of perishing by thy just judgments. Let mine be melted before thee, when I consider, that though thou wouldst purify it by the virtue of thy grace, I am daily soiling it anew.

O Lord, efface these criminal spots. Renew a right spirit within me. O purify my heart. If thou wilt cleanse it by thy grace, it shall be whiter than snow. Then instead of those fears, worse than a thousand deaths, of which sin makes it the miserable prey, it will experience a joy which shall extend beyond the limits of time.

O God, the Father, assist me in my supplications by the influence of thy Holy Spirit, and graciously answer them for the sake of thy blessed Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.

To be used at the time of receiving the Communion.

O Lord, who by one word didst calm the winds and waves, establish tranquillity in my agitated heart. Let me rest on thee, and my troubles will subside. Let me retire under the shadow of thy wings, that I may be defended from those vain thoughts which pursue me.

From the exterior symbols of the Holy Supper, my soul indeed draws the sweetest consolations; but this cannot satisfy its desires. It aspires after something more perfect. It desires to see thee, not as in a glass darkly, but face to face. But submissive to thy will, O Lord, yet full of hope and love, I wait the happy day when I shall behold the pure light of thy dwelling, and enjoy the complete, the ineffable blessings of Heaven. When feeling the weight of the chains which bind me down to earth, I sink in sorrow, and call on thee, O Lord, who art my only refuge, to shake them off, and to raise me on the wings of contemplation, above this dark and dangerous scene, Thou wilt hear me.

Thou wilt regard the aspirings of my soul. Thou who art the fountain of salvation wilt satisfy its thirst

for the pure water of life. I find this happy work be gun, whenever I seek that union with thee which thou offerest in the holy eucharist. Let not the shadows of earth separate me for thee, who art the sun of right

eousness.

Let no intervening clouds obscure or hide from my spiritual view the pure heaven in which thou residest. Assist me, divine Saviour, to raise my soul from these worldly things to thee: and let it be only on thee, who art the Creator of all things, that it rests the eyes of its faith; let it be on thee that the ultimate confidence of its affections is placed, since thou art its Sovereign God, and the only source of endless joy. Let me have a full sense of this truth every time I approach the holy table. Let me there taste the delights of thy love.

O my God, although I cannot yet mount to the source of living waters, to satisfy the thirst of my soul, I will at least refresh it at the precious channels of thy mercy, which thou hast given us in the ordinances of thy church. Although I cannot while here, be altogether heavenly, I will endeavour, at least, to obtain, through thy grace, some vigour; and, by renewed efforts at thy holy SupWith per, prepare my heart for the joys of Heaven. these foretastes of eternal blessedness will I console myself in this world, till I am admitted to the assembly of the just made perfect, and till I possess those full enjoyments which are to be found in the eternal presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.*

To be used after receiving the Communion.

What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits? The earth after having received the rain, sends back sweet exhalations to heaven. The plants, in acknowledgment of the dew, which fertilizes the earth, bear fruit in abundance. May I learn from these inanimate productions, what is my duty to that gracious Being,

*These prayers and meditations are principally from Nienvorts

devotions.