DEVOTIONS ON RECEIVING THE

HOLY COMMUNION.

Instruction.

Having purified yourself by true repentence, humble confession, and a strong purpose of amendment-keep your mind in the pious dispositions which these duties have called up.

Withdraw yourself, as much as you can, from all that may entice your feelings to worldly hopes and every-day interests; and keep yourself recollected, meek and pious; "speaking to yourself in psalms and hymns, and spiritual canticles; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;" and by a holy seriousness, curbing your thoughts and your senses, even in lawful allurements.

Add to your piety by considering the mighty work you are about to do; the lowliness and the unworthiness of your own self, and the greatness and kindness of your Saviour.

Sorrow, humility, reverence, faith, hope, thankfulness, and love-these are the feelings which should wholly engage your soul.

Arouse

them within you; and you may then hope to reap those spiritual blessings and that help for all your wants, even for this world, which a merciful God so plentifully bestows on the more worthy partakers of his saving body and blood.

PREPARATORY PRAYERS.

"I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever. And the bread which I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” John vi.

"As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me." John vi.

"Come to me all you that labour and are heavy burthened, and I will refresh you, saith the Lord." Matt. xi.

These are thy words, oh Christ, the Eternal Truth. Though not all spoken at one time nor written in one place, they are thy words, and they are true; and they are to be received by me with thanks and with faith. They are thine, for thou hast spoken them; but they are also mine, for thou hast delivered them for my salvation. Willingly, therefore, I receive them from thy mouth, that they may be inseparably engrafted on my heart. Do thou prepare my soul, oh my Saviour! for thy words of love and of tenderness encourage me, while my own sins affright me; and my unclean conscience keeps me back from approaching thy awful mysteries.

Thou commandest, oh my God, that I should approach thee in confidence if I wish to have part with thee, and that I should receive the food of immortality if I would obtain eternal life and glory. "Come to me," thou sayest, come to me all you that labour and are heavy burthened, and I will refresh you." I hear, great God, I hear the loving call which thou makest to the

poor and needy sinner to receive the communion of thy most holy body. I hear thee, my God; but who am I that I should presume to draw nigh? Behold the heaven of heavens may not contain thee, and thou sayest "Come you all unto me."

But how shall I dare approach who am conscious to myself of no good on which I may rely? How shall I, who have so often sinned before thee, introduce thee into my house? The angels and the archangels revere thee, the saints and the just fear thee; and yet, my Saviour, thou sayest "Come you all unto me." Oh, unless thou, my God, didst say it, who could believe the words? and unless thou didst command it, who would dare approach?

When I remember that Noah, a just man, spent one hundred years in making the Ark that he and a few others might be saved, how can I, in one hour, prepare myself to receive with reverence the Maker of the world? When I remember that thy great servant and chosen friend Moses, made an ark of incorruptible wood, incased with pure gold, to contain the tables of the law; how can I, my God, how can I, a faulty creature, dare so lightly to receive thee, the founder of the law and the giver of life? When I remember that Solomon, the wisest king of Israel, spent seven years in building a magnificent temple to the honour of thy name; that he spent eight days in solemnly consecrating it, and that he offered up one thousand peaceful holocausts before he would place therein the ark of the covenant-when I remember all this, how, great God! can I, a poor and wretched mortal,

how can I take thee into my house-I who am scarcely able to spend one half hour devoutly ?and oh that I could even spend that half hour as I ought!

Oh, my God! how much did these, thy servants, do to please thee: while, alas, how little do I perform. In how short a time do I think to prepare myself for communion! Make me, however, at least entirely recollected; free my soul from every outward distraction. Oh, in the presence of thy saving Deity, let no unworthy thought occur; let no created thing engage my mind, when I am about to welcome the king of angels. For what was the ark of the covenant with its relics compared to thy most pure body and its unspeakable virtues? What were all those royal offerings, which did but foretell the future, compared with the true host of thy body, which is the fulfilment of every ancient sacrifice?

Oh! excite me then, my Redeemer, when I approach to thee! Let me feel some part of that burning love and solicitude which so many patriarchs and prophets, and kings and princes, and people gladly showed towards thy holy worship! Oh; the blindness and the hardness of the heart of man, to attend so little to this unspeakable gift, and even from daily custom to disregard its advantages! For if this most holy sacrament were only in one place in all the world, with what an earnest desire would not all ever long to be in that place, that they might behold the celebration of the divine mystery! Many, indeed, run to sundry countries to visit the relics of thy saints; they wonder when they hear of their actions and see the splendid temples raised

over them, while they honour thee by kissing their bones wrapped up in silks and gold: but thou, thou my God! art here before us on the altar;-thou, the Saint of Saints, the creator of man, and the God of Angels! Thanks, therefore, be to thee, oh good Jesus, the eternal shepherd, who hast deigned to strengthen us poor exiles with thy precious body and blood; and hast invited us to partake of thy mysteries in those words full of hope and encouragement :"Come to me all ye that labour and are heavy burthened, and I will refresh you."

Rejoice, oh my soul, and give thanks to God always for so noble a gift and so great a comfort left to thee in this vale of tears!

A PRAYER FOR THE GRACE OF GOD.

I come to thee, oh Lord, that it may be well with me by thy gift, and that I may be blessed in the holy banquet which thou, oh God, hast prepared for us. În thee, is all whatsoever I can or ought to desire: thou art my salvation and my redemption, my hope and my strength, my honour and my glory. Grant, therefore, oh Lord Jesus, that my soul may be joyful this day, because I have lifted it up to thee.

I desire, at this time, to receive thee devoutly and reverently; I desire to bring thee into my house, that, like Zaccheus, I may receive thy blessing and be numbered amongst thy children. My soul longs after thee, and aspires to be united to thee. Oh "send me not home fasting lest I faint by the way;" lest I lose thy grace to withdraw me from evil, and to strengthen me in good. Prepare me, oh my Saviour, by thy blessed