THE INTRODUCTION .

§ . 1. WEll might David be called the sweet Singer of Israel , ● Sam. 23.1 . Non minus vivendi genere , quàm canendi juavitate immorta●em Deo sui fudisse Cantilenam , dicit S Ambr. lib. de offic. c. 22. whose Heart was more divinely musical then his Harp , and the harmony of whose devout Soul did outvie that of his composed Song : His whole life , what was it but a continued Antheme ? His several failings , through the indulgent mercy of his God , being made as so many stops of time , to add more grace and sweetness to the musick .

§ . 2. This his Book of Psalms , it is aptly called the Epitome of the whole Bible , and the Anatomie of the Spiritual man ; yea , we may rightly entitle it , the Register of sacred History , the Ephemeris of the Churches Prophecies , the Library of Divine Doctrine , the Store-house of Spiritual Comforts , and the Treasury of holy Devotion ; And that Devotion either Penitentiary , Invocatory , or Eucharistical : Penitenitary , in deep contrition , humble confession , and passionate lamentation ; Invocatory , in fervent supplication , earnest deprecation , and pious intercession ; Eucharistical , in gratulatory thanksgivings , laudatory oblations , and triumphal songs .

David totus est in deprecanda venta peccatorum & cujusdam sensim quod magnum & multum dicit v. 11 hoc de illo cum Bethsabe commisso Kimhi intelligit . Sim. de Muis in loc . § . 3. Here amidst so large a store , choice is made of a Penetential Psalm ( though none of the seven commonly called the Penetentials ) fitted in its devotion to the sacred solemnity of the blessed Eucharist ; and could we attain Davids frame of spirit when he composed this Psalm of Penitence , O how well , how well would it become this holy Sacrament !

§ . 4. If any inquire a reason why choice is made of this present Psalm for the constant celebrations of the Lords Supper ; know , I have observed a secret vigor of devotion to diffuse it self into the soul , when exercised in prayer or meditation , making use of Davids Psalms to draw heat from his flame , and administer heavenly matter for so holy an exercise ; and upon this reason ( O ye humble suppliants ) I thought it an apt and profitable service , to give at once a pattern whereby to frame your private devotions in your Closet , and an help to compose your souls to an higher pitch of devotion in the publick solemnities of the holy Eucharist .

§ . 5. Besides , the mystery and benefits of this blessed Sacrament , they are so many and so various , that no one single verse , or small portion of Scripture , may be a Text large enough for so copious a subject ; wherefore , that many souls might receive something of instruction and devotion , see here I have chosen an whole Psalm , which divided into parts , like those loaves in the Gospel broken into peeces , it will so increase in the explication , Mark . 6.41 . as those did in their distribution ; that whereas this Psalm , like one of those loaves , may seem in the whole , to be but sufficient for one person , yet shall it , by a blessing of grace , like as that , by a miracle of power , be in its divided parts , sufficient for many fifties .

§ . 6. That this Psalm is of more then ordinary excellency and worth , as penned by a more then ordinary diligence and zeal , appears by the Alphabetical order of the Hebrew Letter , Ad musicam an ad memoriam pertineat incertum est , Ral b●ni nihil certi statuunt . beginning each verse ; The Psalm it self , is a mixture of various , yet devout affections , for that here the Psalmist moved with the sence of his sin , and the violence of his Enemies , he sues to God , for the remission of the former , and protection from the latter , and at last salvation , in respect of both , even to himself and the Church of God ; this he does supported by faith and hope , of which hope and faith he gives a sure testimony , in the commemoration he makes of Gods abundant mercy , and faithful promises ; And in the profession he declares of his sincere confidence in those promises , and his firm expectation of that mercy .

§ . 7. The Analysis of the Psalm .

The whole Psalm consists of Four parts .

1. The Preface , vers. 1. Unto thee , O Lord do I lift up my soul . 2. The Prayer 1. Deprecation , vers. 2. to 4. O my God I trust in thee , let me not be ashamed , &c. 2. Petition , vers. 4. to v. 8. Shew me thy ways , O Lord , teach me thy paths &c. 3. The Meditation 1. Laudatory , vers. 8. to v. 11. Good and upright is the Lord , &c. 2. Consolatory , vers. 12. to v. 6. What man is he that feareth the Lord , &c. 4. The Conclusion 1. Supplication , vers. 16. to v. 23. Turn thee unto me , and have mercy upon me , &c. 2. Intercession , vers. 22. Redeem Israel O God , out of all his troubles .

§ . 8. Now ( O ye devout souls ! ) that we may inlarge upon this of Davids Psalm , with the inlargement of Davids spirit , whilst I shall pass through the several parts in an explicatory application of the particular words and phrases , let me revive and raise your sincere devotion , as the Prophet did the Shunamites child ; 2 King ▪ 4.35 . as the Prophet laid his mouth to the childs mouth , his hands to the childs hands ; so let me lay Davids mouth to your mouth , his hands to your hands ; that is , I me●n , make his prayers your prayers , his meditations your meditations ; And having the same devotion with David , we shall find a like acceptance with God ; whose ear is still open to our prayers , whilst our hearts are laid open in his presence , the Throne of grace being the only refuge of an humble penitence .

Vers. 1. Vnto thee , O Lord , do I lift up my soul .

§ . 1. BUt , O my Soul ! hast thou not been lift up against the Lord in thy sinful rebellion ? how then canst thou lift up thy self unto him in a sincere devotion ? True , I have been long dead in sin , long buried in the grave of customary iniquity : yet I have heard the voice of the Son of God , Joh. 5 25. in his Word , in his Sacraments ; this a quickening , a reviving voice : And therefore unto him that calleth me , unto him that quickeneth me , unto my God , unto my Jesus , even unto thee , O Lord , do I lift up my soul .

§ . 2. And though heretofore , in the state of darkness , sin and death , though then I have lift up my soul against thee in pride and profaneness , the high-way to hell ; yet now let me lift up my soul unto thee in humility and devotion , the high-way to heaven . Pride and profaneness , they cast me from thee , then which what can be lower ? But humility and devotion , they subject me to thee , then which what can be higher ? Thus then raise me by humbling me ; lay me low in my self , and this shall lift me up to thee .

§ . 3. Oh , how does Sin and Sathan , the flesh and the world , even the whole Powers of darkness , how do they with violence pursue after me ? Psal. 55.6 . Oh give me then the wings of a Dove , that I may flee away and be at rest ? Haste , haste , O my Soul , for thy escape ; hie thee to the holes of the rock , to the wounds of thy Jesus ; and for this shelter and succor , for this protection and safety , Oh see , unto thee , O Lord , do I lift up my soul : Unto thee in the fulness of thy merits , unto thee in the riches of thy grace ; unto thee in the embraces of thy love , and comforts of thy Spirit ; unto thee , that thy thorns may be my crown , thy blood my balsom , thy curse my blessing , thy death my life , Coloss. 3.3 . thy cross my triumph . Thus is my life hid with Christ in God ; and if so , then where should be my soul , but where is my life ? And therefore unto thee , O Lord , do I lift up my soul .

§ . 4. I lift up my soul unto thee at thy Table , who hast been thy self lift up for me on thy Cross ; thou hast been lift up for me in a propitiatory sacrifice , and therefore I here offer my self to thee in a gratulatory oblation ; Is● . 53.10 . thou madest thy soul an offering for sin , and here I make my soul an offering of thankfulness : In this Eucharist then accept my 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , mine oblation of praise and thanksgiving , in which , O Lord , it is , that I lift up my soul unto thee .

§ . 5. Unto thee , O Lord , thy flesh , thy blood ; not unto the outward elements , the bread , the wine ; unto thee and thy fulness , as the inward grace , not unto thee and their use , as the outward sign : My soul dwells not on those earthly symbols ; but by them , as by a ladder , it ascends and lifts up it self unto thy heavenly riches : And thus whilst my body feeds on consecrated food , oh let my soul be filled with thy consecrating fulness ; whilst my body tastes their wholsom sweetness , let my soul be satisfied with thy saving goodness . And to this end it is , that unto thee , O Lord , I lift up my soul .

§ . 6. Unto thee , O Lord ! Oh make good thy name of Lord unto me ; as Lord rebuke Satan , and restrain all earthly and carnal affections , that they do not once dare to whisper a temptation to my soul , a distraction to my thoughts , whilst I am in communion with thee , in prayer at thine holy ordinance : Do thou as Lord rule me by thy grace , govern me by thy Spirit , defend me by thy power , and crown me with thy salvation . Thou Lord , the Preserver of heaven and earth , thou openest thine hand , Psal. 145.16 . and satisfiest the desire of every living thing ; Oh open now thine hand , thy bosom , thy bounty , thy love , and satisfie the desires of my longing soul , which I here lift up unto thee .

§ . 7. Thou Lord givest bread to man from the earth , thou gavest Manna to Israel from heaven ; give , oh give thy self unto me in this Sacrament , as the true bread , the heavenly Manna , the life-giving food of thy Church . Thou Lord art now reigning in heaven ; oh do thou now also set up thy throne in my heart : Thou art exalted in heavenly glory , oh manifest thy self in thy gracious presence : In thy heavenly glory thou art the joy of holy Angels and blessed Saints ; in thy gracious presence be thou now the reviving of devout souls and humble Penitents . O my love , my joy , my Jesus , my Lord ! be thou present with me in thy Sacrament , present more then by inspiration , and make me present with thee , and that more then by meditation ; even lift up my soul unto thee in a spiritual , real , and eternal communion .

§ . 8. Oh how does this blessed Sacrament add wings to devout souls , and wrap them up with S. Paul , unto the third heaven , 2 Cor. 1● . 2 . in an extasie of contemplation and love ! And what , shall my soul now lie groveling on the earth , hiding it self with Saul amongst the stuff , 1 Sam. 10.22 . clogg'd and deprest with worldly thoughts ; with earthly and carnal affections ? No , it may not , it must not ; Christ is risen , Col. 3.1 . and therefore sursum corda , my heart , my spirit , that shall rise too , and seek those things which are above ; even unto thee , O Lord , my Jesus , do I lift up my soul .

§ . 9. My soul ; but how shall I call it mine , seeing it is thine , thine by purchase , thine , having bought it with thy blood ? yea , is it not thy Spouse , whom thou hast wedded to thy self by thy Spirit through faith ? And is not this holy Sacrament the Marriage-feast ? If so , sure then , my Jesus , I was lost in my self , till found in thee ; and therefore my soul is now , and not till now , truly mine , in being wholly thine ; so that I can say with confidence , I lift up my soul unto thee .

§ . 10. I lift up ! Oh the load of my sins ! the burden of my flesh ! so heavy , that I cannot of my self lift up my head , how shall I then lift up my soul ? Wherefore , O my Savior , do thou add thy strength to my weakness , thy supporting grace to my fainting spirit , and then I will run after thee ; and lift up not onely my hands , but my heart , not onely my eies but my soul unto thee .

§ . 11. My soul ; For it is not indeed the eye , or the tongue , or the hand , or the knee , but the soul , which makes the acceptable service in prayer and praises unto God ; the devotion of the soul , that is the very soul of devotion ; Wherefore that I may present my self a living sacrifice at Christs table , Rom. 12.1 . my best part shall be my first oblation , and therefore in the very preparation and entrance of this sacred solemnity , See , O see , unto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul .

Vers 2 , 3. O my God , I trust in thee , let me not be ashamed , let not mine enemies triumph over me : yea , let none that wait on thee be ashamed ; let them be ashamed which transgress without cause .

§ . 1. O My God I trust in thee , &c. My prayer O Lord is founded upon faith , my faith upon thy promises , so that because thou art my God , therefore I trust in thee , yea because I trust in thee therefore thou art my God ; My God , otherwise , O Christ thou wert not my Jesus , but O my Jesus , who savest me by thy blood , Gal. 3 1. in this thy Sacrament thou art set forth crucified , and I behold thy wounds , from whence , by the hand of faith , I pluck forth these comfortable words of life , My Lord and my God .

Joh. 20 28. § . 2. My God ; mine , for thou hast partook of my humane nature , 2 Pet. 1 4. and thou hast made me to partake of thy divine nature ; thou hast taken upon thee my flesh , and thou hast communicated unto me of thy Spirit ; yea , in this thy Sacrament thou communicates body and blood , flesh and spirit , thy whole Manhood , yea thy very Godhead too , thy whole self as Mediator ; therefore thou art my God , and I trust in thee .

§ . 3. I trust in thee to make good my right , to the Covenant of Grace , to make good my claim to the heavenly inheritance , yea , even to make good my communion with thee in all thy fulness ; a communion so firm that the Bread and Wine I eat and drink is not more really my food , then thou my Jesus , in whom I beleeve and trust , art my God . And for this so great a blessing of thy love , for this so great a benefit of thy grace it is , that I trust in thee ; not in my self , not in mine own righteousness , who am not worthy thou shouldest come under my roof , Luk 7.6 . or that I should crawl-under thy table ; not worthy to gather the crums , not to pick up the scraps , much less to partake of the riches , the fulness of thy bounty , thy love .

§ . 4. It is not that I trust in mine own faith , but in thy faithfulness ; not in mine own repentance , but in thy pardon ; not in mine own preparation , but in thine acceptance ; in thee , and in thy merits , in thy mercies do I trust , Let me not then be ashamed , let me not be disappointed of my hope , deprived of thy blessing : I trust in thee , by this Sacrament to be filled with good things , Oh let me not then be ashamed of my trust , in being sent empty away ! I trust in thee , as the rock of my salvation ; even a firm rock , Oh let me not be ashamed of my trust , as if I had leaned upon a deceitful reed , or rested upon a broken staff ! as if I had followed mine own devices , and not attended thine Ordinance .

§ . 5. Thou my God hast promised , that whosoever trusteth in thee shall not be confounded , 1 Pet. 2.6 . Be it then unto me according to thy Word ; and seeing thou O God mayst as soon not be , as be unfaithful , make my trust as firm , as thy promise is sure , and so shall I not be confounded ; not confounded , as if I had taken a wrong course to be saved , when I run to thee for salvation ; or as if I had done foolishly in seeking thy grace , by trusting to thy promise ; and attending thy Sacraments , for the obtaining thy blessing ; Let me not thus be ashamed .

§ . 6. Neither let mine enemies triumph ' over me , my homebred Enemies , my lusts , my passions , when I return from thine Ordinance , let them not thus triumph over me , saying , Vain man , what hast thou gotten by all thy fastings and prayers ? what hast thou profited by all thy siftings and winnowings , thy confessions and humiliations ? what hast thou benefitted by all thy vows , thy resolutions and renewed resignations ? we are not yet abandoned , we are not yet cast out ; we still live , and are as mighty in power , yea , as many in number , as ever we were ; and thou as feeble , and as impotent to resist and quell us , as ever thou wast . O let not mine Enemies , my lusts , my passions , thus triumph over me ; rather let thy cross be to me , what thou hast made it to thy self , a Triumphant Chariot ; by the efficacie of thy death , 2 Cor: 10.5 . ● mortifying all my corrupt affections , and bringing into captivity every imagination that exalts it self against the power of thy grace .

§ . 7. Yea , not onely I , but many others also with me , here wait on thee at thine Ordinance , in obedience to thy command , and confidence of thy blessing ; let not , Oh let not me , nor them who thus wait on thee , have so ill success , and fruitless labour , as if we came to gather grapes of thorns , or figs of thistles ; knock at the wrong door for mercy . We come , and at thy call we come , Matth. 11.28 . as heavy laden to obtain rest , as spiritually sick to recover health , as secretly mournful to receive comfort ; we come , and at thine invitation we come , as thirsty to be refreshed , as hungring to be satisfied , as poor to be enriched . We come , and at thy Command we come , as weak to be strengthened , as fainting to be revived , as wavering to be established . For this , for this it is we come to thine ordinance , we wait at thy table : Oh let none that thus come unto thee , that thus wait upon thee , let none of them be ashamed ; let none frustrate of their hope , return from thy Sacrament , as empty , and as dry , as sorrowful , and as fainting , as poor and as weak , as when they came .

§ . 8. Rather let them be ashamed which transgress without cause ; even they , who not prizing thy love , despise thine ordinance , and causelesly absent themselves from thy table ; as if a morsel of bread and a sup of wine were all the bounty and blessing of thy Sacrament . Yea , let them be ashamed who carelesly presume , or causelesly despair at thy table : They who carelesly presume , as if all Sinners were welcome , though ne'r so unprepared ; or causelesly despair , as if no Sinners were accepted , though ne'r so penitent .

This the Explicatory Application of what David hath put up in prayer by way of Deprecation , saying , O my God , I trust in thee , let me not be ashamed , let not mine enemies triumph over me : yea , let none that wait on thee be ashamed ; let them be ashamed which transgress without cause .

Vers. 4 , 5. Shew me thy waies , O Lord , teach me thy paths ; lead me in thy truth , and teach me ; for thou art the God of my salvation , on thee do I wait all the day .

§ . 1. OBserve how the devout Communicant thus bespeaks his God , his Saviour : O my Lord , what is my hope ? what is the blessing I long and pray for by this holy Sacrament ? what is it but the blessing and hope of a Pilgrim , of a waifaring man ? I have left Egypt , but am not yet in Canaan : I am still in the wilderness ; and whilst my face is towards Jerusalem , the heavenly habitation of thy Saints , this is the object of my hope , this is the subject of my prayer , that thou wilt shew me thy waies , teach me thy paths , and lead me in thy truth .

§ . 2. There are the waies of men , and the waies of God ; the paths of sin , Psal. 23 3. and the paths of righteousness : There are thy waies , and there are my waies ; thine the waies of truth , mine the waies of error ; thine which are good in thine eies , and mine which are good in mine eies ; thine which lead to heaven , mine which lead to hell : Wherefore shew me thy waies , O Lord , teach me thy paths , lest I mistake mine own waies for thine ; yea , lead me in thy truth and teach me , lest I turn out of thy waies into mine own : shew me thy waies , by the ministry of thy word ; teach me thy paths , in the guidance of thy Spirit ; lead me in thy truth , by the assistance of thy grace .

§ . 3. Oh how have I been blinded in my Judgment , not discerning the light of thy truth , through the thick mist of mine own wilfulness and pride ! But now thou hast convinc'd me of my wanderings , shew me thy waies ; now Lord especially shew me thy waies , now so many and so diverse , yea , so cross and contrary are the waies of men and of the world , though all pretending the paths of God , and leading to the heavenly Jerusalem of peace and life . Psal. 139.1 , 2 , 23. Thou Lord who searchest the heart and tryest the reins , who understandest our thoughts afar off ; thou , even thou knowest the secret trouble of my Closet-thoughts , the private anguish of my souls distractions ; in that , viewing the waies of men and of the world , I see thy holy Name made to mask the face of wickedness ; and under the most signal judgments of thy displeasure , men plead signal testimonies of thine acceptance , even in what thy soul hates , thy Word condemns , and thy wrath pursues .

§ . 4. Whilst I see Covenants and Engagements entred with a seeming zeal , but broken with open perjurie ; whilst I see Sacriledge possess , yea demolish thy Temples , and yet Hypocrisie pretend a propagating thy Gospel ; whilst I see injustice in the seat of Judgment , Profaneness invade Devotion , and Violence suppress what is sacred and religious ; sure these waies of the world are none other then the waies of deceit , and lead into the chambers of death : But thy waies , Prov. 6 27. O Lord , are waies of truth , and lead in the paths of life ; wherefore shew me thy waies , and teach me thy paths . Psal. 16.11 .

§ . 5. Do thou shew me , and do thou teach me . While others take upon them to shew me thy waies , they teach me to throw off the sacred Order thou hast establishe in thy Church , as wicked and antichristian ; they teach me to desert thy publick Worship , as Popery and Superstition ; yea , they teach me Heresie , and pretend it is thy Word ; they teach me Blasphemie , and pretend it is saving Doctrine ; they teach me Schism , and pretend it is the Communion of Saints ; they teach me to prophane thine Ordinances , Joh. 4 24. and pretend it is to worship thee in Spirit . Wherefore do thou , thou Lord , shew me ; do thou teach me ; as shew me thy waies in thy Word , so teach me thy paths by thy Spirit ; yea , lead me in thy truth and teach me ; make me to learn by practising ; let the experiences thou givest me of thy sanctifying grace , confirm my soul in the sincere profession of thy saving truth .

§ . 6. But O my Jesus , behold me here , another poor Bartimaeus ; so blind , that to shew me thy waies , thou must not only point them out , but also give me eyes to see . Yea , I here present my self at thy Table , as another impotent Cripple in the Temple ; Act 3 . 2● so that to lead ●e in thy truth , thou must not onely go before me , but give me feet also to run after thee . And that thou my Jesus ( who art the same yesterday today and for ever ) wilt now by a miraculous power of thy grace and truth , Heb. 13 8. even cure my spiritual lameness , and ignorant blindness , this is the ground of my hopes , thy Promises ; this is my encouragement● thy Sacrament ; in which Sacrament and Promises thou art exhibited unto my soul , as the God of my salvation . In thy word thou hast given the promise , and in thy Sacrament that promise is sealed ; that thou wilt save me from the pathes of death , and lead me in the way of everlasting life , and so faithful art thou who hast promised that safer it is for my soul to be as low as Hell with a promise , Heb. 10.23 . then to be as high as Heaven without it , though as low as hell , yet would hope bear me up , and though as high as heaven yet would presumption throw me down .

Jer. 17.5 . 1 King . 13.4 . § . 7. Thou , O God , who art my trust , art my salvation , my trust is not in the arm of flesh , that , like Jeroboams hand doth suddenly wither ; my trust is not in humane power , or policie , that , I see by daily experiments , Jon. 4 7. proves like Jonas Gourd , when the Sun beats hottest , when trouble and dis●●ess is the the greatest , then doth it vanish and come to nothing , what then is my trust ? Truly Lord my trust is even in thee , Psa. 146.5 , 6. who hast made heaven and earth ; whose Wisdom will find out the way , and Power effect the means of my salvation , notwithstanding all the present difficulties , and seeming impossibilities of deliverance .

§ . 8. Yea , thou O Lord , my joy , my Jesus , thou art the God of my salvation ; Oh transcendent love ! Oh rich mercy ! Oh incomprehensible goodness ! the God of my salvation ! Blessed Saviour , had the efficacie of thy merits extended no further to the race of mankind , then mine own self ; yet wouldst thou glory and make me rejoyce in being the God of my salvation . And Oh firm salvation ! which is founded upon the Grace , Wisdom , Power and Faithfulness of my God! in all which attributes my God , my Jesus communicates himself unto me in this his Ordinance , sealing me the salvation of my God : and giving me a communion with the God of my salvation , in this holy Sacrament .

§ . 9. O how willingly could my soul dwel upon this Mount , and build Tabernacles for this contemplation of my Saviours love ? how do I behold him through faith , communicating himself unto me in all his fulness ? Which fulness is in his Church , and in his chosen , as the soul is in the body , and in the members ; whole in the whole , and whole in every part . So that though he gives salvation unto all , yet does he communicate himself unto my soul , in that fulness of his merits , and grace , as if I were saved alone . And Oh that my soul could imitate my Savior ! Oh that my heart might return like love ! in giving my self , my whole self unto my Jesus , even in that fervor of affection and ravishment of spirit , as if I alone were wholly to possess him , joying in him , and enjoyed by him , as the one and onely God of my salvation .

§ . 10. Seeing then , thou art the God of my salvation , on thee do I wait all the day ; so that , If I find not present comfort in thy blessed Sacrament , yet on thee will I wait ; the husbandman doth not sow his seed and reap his crop in a day , wherefore if thou art pleased to defer thy salvation , for the trial of my faith , and love ; yet on thee will I wait , in a constant use of those sacred means thou hast ordained , and the continued practise of those holy duties thou hast enjoyned ; and though this be all my daies ; Oh let not my faith faint , seeing I cannot wait too long for the grace I so much desire , and which am assured I shall at last obtain , Matth ●24 23. seeing he who indures to the end shall be saved .

§ . 11. On thee do I wait ; on thee , whose hand of bountie , whose bosom of love , yea , whose bowels of mercy are not onely opened but inlarged to all humble penitents ; on thee do I wait , wait to hear the secret voice of thy Spirit speaking peace unto my conscience , wait to feel the reviving v●gor of thy grace , quickning mine obedience ; wait to see the subduing power of thy holy Spirit quelling my rebellious sin ; wait to feel the chearing vertue of thy heavenly comforts , refreshing my fainting soul ; for all these thy blessings , O thou God of my salvation , on thee do I wait all the day . All the day ; being never so satisfied with thy goodness , as not more eagerly to long after thy heavenly fu●ness ; wherefore now refresh my faintings , quench not my desires ; but the more freely thou gives , let me the more eagerly covet ; the more sweet is thy mercy , let be the more eager my longings , that so my whole life on earth may be a continued breathing after that eternal fellowship and communion with thee in Heaven ; thus , thus , let me wait , even all my life , all the day .

Vers 6 , 7. Remember , O Lord , thy tender mercies , and thy loving kindnesses , for they have been ever of old ; Remember not the sins of my youth , nor my transgressions , according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness sake , O Lord .

§ 1. O My God ▪ thy former mercies are pledges to me of thy future grace . Wherefore , remember , O Lord , thy tender mercies , and thy loving kindnesses , which have been ever of old , Psal. 90.2 . exhibited by thy Spirit in this Sacrament ; Are not thy mercies O Lord , like thy self , from everlasting to everlasting ? thy mercies they have been ever of old , and sure the streams cannot fail , where the fountain is inexhaustible , and such is thy good goodness .

§ . 2. But how is it then that my soul dwels in darkness , if thou be light ? how is that I remain disconsolate and miserable , if thou Lord art so gracious and merciful ? thou lovest to be importuned in prayer , Isa. 43.26 . and thereby , as it were , minded of thy mercy , not that that thou art forgetful of thy love , but that thou wouldst have us sensible of our wants . Wherefore , least thou shouldst do as my sins have deserved , cast me out of thy thoughts , let my humble suit mind thee of thy mercies ; Thy tender mercies , for it is no ordinarie medicine that will cure my soar , no mean mercy that will save my soul ; the sadness of my affl ctions requires the tenderness of thy compassions , wherefore Remember , O Lord , thy tender mercies .

Psal. 42.7 . § . 3. Mercies ; O how does one deep call upon another ? the depth of my multipli'd miseries , calls , loudly calls upon the depth of thy manifold mercies ; even that mercy , whereby thou dost pardon my sin and help mine infirmities ; that mercy , whereby thou dost sanctifie me by thy Grace , and comfort me by thy Spirit ; that mercy , whereby thou dost quicken me with life , and preserve me from death ; that mercy , whereby thou dost deliver me from Hell , and possess me of Heaven . Remember , O Lord , all those thy mercies , thy tender mercies , which as they have been of old unto thy Saints , so now seal them unto thy servant , in this blessed Sacrament .

§ . 4. And as thou seals me thy tender mercies , so convey unto me thy loving kindnesses , even those enligthning gifts , those beautifiing graces , those refreshing comforts , those divine manifestations of thy presence , those secret aspirings of the soul , those devout raptures of the Spirit , those divine meltings of the heart ; that peace of conscience , that joy in the holy Ghost , all these thy loving kindnesses , let me in some proportion of measure taste , if not in some measure of fulness enjoy , in a blessed communion with thee my Jesus , in this sacred solemnity .

§ . 5. Thy Saints of old , how have they come from this thy Table satisfied with good things ? and like Giants refreshed with wine , Psal. 65.4 . furnished to every good work , and strong to resist the temptations of Satan ? having been made partakers of thy precious blood , which thou shedest for them ; how have they been animated in the profession of faith , to shed their dearest blood for thee ? Yea , remember those thy former mercies to mine own soul ; when I have come with sorrow and returned with joy , come trembling in fear , and returned exulting through faith ; come fainting and weak , returned strengthened and confirmed . And what Lord ! hath thy Table been so sweet a refreshing , and shall it not be so still to my soul ? if I come the oftner , shall I return the sadder ? and by how much I am the more eager in my desires , wilt thou be the further off in thy fulness ?

§ . 6. This indeed my sins have deserved ; but thy mercies they are tender , and will not deal with me according to my deserts ; wherefore remember then thy old mercies , not my old sins , thy tender compassions not my present transgrssions ; call not to mind the sins of my youth , to visit them upon the years of my riper age ; wean me from my youthful sins , and give me not over by a just judgement upon their provocation , to more manly , more stubborn impieties . Just it were that the sins of my greener years should deprive me of thy blessing in my riper age ; but whilst my sins move thee to wrath , let thy compassions move thee to mercy ; that so my former unworthiness with-hold not from me the blessing , and grace of thy present Ordinance , remember thou me in this according to thy mercy , for thy goodness sake , O Lord .

§ . 7. According to thy mercy , not mine , for I have forsaken those mercies thou madest mine own , in being cruel to my self by my sin ; Jon. 2 8. Psal. 59.10 , 17 through distrust of thy promise , upon presumptions in thy mercy ; yea let it be , for thy goodness sake not mine , for in me , Rom 7.18 . that is in my flesh dwelleth no manner of thing that is good ; let thy goodness then be the motive , thy mercy the rule of all that grace , and of all those blessings , thou vouchsafest unto my soul .