faith. Pray, too, for all Christians throughout the world. Intercede for all those who have wronged or injured you, striving to enter into the full meaning of our Lord's command, Love your enemies. Pray for Jews, Turks, infidels, and heretics; the death commemorated in the sacrament, is that of a Lamb to take away the sins of the world. Let then a communion-day be specially a day of intercession for all men, that God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh.

ENJOY COMMUNION WITH THE FATHER, THROUGH THE SON, AND BY THE SPIRIT. There is a realizing communion with God as a Father to us his adopted children; with Christ, our Lord, in his grace and tender compassion, and with the Holy Ghost in his teaching, sanctifying, and comforting work. When men lost the substance of the blessing of feeding by faith on Christ himself, they invented the Romish doctrine of transubstantiation; taking up the image of the truth, instead of the real blessing. Nothing can satisfy the soul but the real blessing; the actual enjoyment of communion with God, our Saviour, at his table.

PRAISE GOD FOR HIS MANIFOLD MERCIES. Surely the immense benefits which we are here commemorating should lead us to say, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits ; who forgiveth all thy iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases, who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies: who satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. Never can we view redeeming love aright without a thankful and grateful heart. If Jesus has done so much for us, surely we

may well offer up the rapturous song of praise, Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

GIVE UP YOURSELF TO THE SERVICE OF GOD. All we are, and all we have, are from him; and when such mercies are presented before us as the Lord's table exhibits, each should be constrained to present himself (freely and voluntarily offering ourselves) to be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. Jesus has redeemed us from the death of sin, and eternal ruin; let us, then, yield ourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and our members as instruments of righteousness unto God. The Lord's Supper is one of the appointed ways in which God calls us, from time to time, to give up ourselves afresh to him. It is an ordinance in which one shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel. Isaiah xliv. 5.

MAKE HOLY RESOLUTIONS IN THE STRENGTH OF DIVINE GRACE. Now is the time to determine more firmly to strive against all sin, and more resolutely to fulfil all your duties. Deliberately, in the presence of God and his saints, now in your secret devotions, express your stedfast purpose to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather to reprove them; and that, however assailed and tempted, you will, in the strength of Christ, and quickened by his death, be faithful unto him. Now is the time to decide upon and bind yourself to more enlarged charity. When Zaccheus was honoured

224 HINTS FOR THE EMPLOYMENT OF THE MIND.

with the presence of our Lord under his own roof, he said, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give unto the poor, and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. It was on this determination that he was gladdened by that cheering assurance, This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. And when Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, we should be forming purposes and plans how we may most effectually lay ourselves out to him.

This is also a proper time for MEDITATION upon divine subjects. We shall endeavour, in a subsequent chapter, to furnish some helps in the discharge of this duty. Let us have ready some affecting passages of God's word relating to the love of God in Christ, and the Saviour's sufferings and death, and think on them till the Holy Spirit touch and inflame our hearts with some kindlings of love to God, and some breathings after him.

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CHAPTER V.

ON THE COMMUNION SERVICE OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

THE nature of the Lord's Supper, and the whole of its design, are practically and devotionally brought before us, in our Communion Service. We are here also furnished with a test of those dispositions which are needful for a due reception of this ordinance. It has been well remarked, "Read over attentively the service of our church, and if you can join heartily and sincerely, with the spirit and with the understanding, in the prayers, the confession, and the thanksgiving that you find there, you are indeed meet to be a partaker of those holy mysteries."

It is hoped that the following observations on the Communion Service, may assist the devotions of the Church of England communicants.* We have an

*Several of these observations are taken from the Rev. J. Milner's Sermon on the Communion. The author has not entered into any critical remarks on the service. Those who wish to see it defended from objections may consult Wheatley, Nichols, and others, on the Common Prayer, and Hooker's Eccl. Polity, Book v. sect. 68. The Author's object has been to give a few practical and devotional remarks on the Service.

excellent form of sound words, which we shall do well to hold fast: (2 Tim. i. 13.) but we should ever remember, that there must be something besides the form of words, however admirable they may be, to communicate the life and feeling of devotion; even the life-giving Spirit of Jehovah. We may repeat the words with our lips, without any desire or feeling of the heart. God may have to say of us, as he did of Israel, They have well said all that they have spoken, O that there were such an heart in them!

The whole of the service may be considered as a public record of the most solemn and important transactions that can take place on earth, between the fallen spirit of man, accepting salvation by Jesus Christ, and the God of the spirits of all flesh, giving the pledge of that salvation by his ministers.

The service begins with the Lord's Prayer: well may we commence this solemn transaction with addressing God as a Father, and with petitions for the advancement of his glory, the gift of our daily bread, and the forgiveness of our own sins, with a profession to forgive all others sinning against us. These petitions will all bear an edifying reference to the important duty in which we are about to engage.

The affecting prayer that God would "cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of his Holy Spirit," is adapted to our fallen and impure state, unable of ourselves to think any thing aright, and yet hoping for the promised aid of the Holy Spirit. To pray that we may perfectly love God, is a suitable introduction to the ten commandments, which are next brought before us, love being the fulfilling of the law.

The compilers of our Liturgy, knowing that by the