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

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.

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

law is the knowledge of sin, and that a penitent heart is most needful for a due reception of the Lord's Supper, have well placed at the commencement of this service, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, containing a comprehensive summary of the holy law of God. We must not suppose that these precepts relate only to the outward act of sin; our Lord has shown us that they forbid that principle or love of sin, which leads to outward iniquity. When, for instance, it is said, Thou shalt have none other gods but me, it forbids our forgetfulness of God, and our love of the world; if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. When it is said, Thou shalt do no murder, angry thoughts, and malice, and revenge are forbidden, as well as murder. When we are told, Thou shalt not commit adultery, impure thoughts are equally forbidden. This manifestly is the obedience which the Lord of all requires. Matt. v. 21, 22, 27, 28. Hence you observe, that after every command the congregation are directed to say, "Lord have mercy on us;" hereby, as it is said in the rubric, asking God mercy for their transgression thereof for the time past. You should inquire, therefore, whether, when you have repeated these words after each command, you really felt that you had in the sight of God broken that command, and needed his pardoning mercy. We are farther taught to add," and incline our hearts to keep this law." This plainly expresses, if we repeat it in sincerity, that we are convinced that we have neither natural inclination, nor power of ourselves, to obey God's holy commands: but look up to him, and depend wholly on him, to dispose and enable us to do his will; and really purpose and desire to obey his holy law.