God's Glory will be the Meat, and the Light of his Fa vour the Drink, and Angels the Musicians, and glorify'd Saints the Company, and the Eternal Love of God the Canopy, under which the vast Armies of Saints and Martyrs will feaft, and gather everlasting strength; ftrength which no sickness, no illness, and no accident can ever awaken or diffolve.

The Preceding Confiderations reduc'd to Practice.

1. W

See Archbi hop Sparf

wood's Hift. Book2.p.69.

E may take notice here of the strange decay of Chriftianity, especially with respect to Fafting; a piece of Devotion, whereby the Primitive Believers effected very great things: And it's to be fear'd that the over-tenderness of Men to their Bodies in this Age, and a fancy that every thing is neceffary which their Appetite craves, is no fmall hindrance to their eminen cy in Virtue and Goodness. It's granted, that Men may be very vicious, and yet great Fafters too, as one John Scot in Scotland, in the Year 1539. a Man of no Learning, and no good Qualities neie ther, who was able to abftain thirty or for ty days together from all manner of Meat and Drink; whereof the King willing to make tryal, fhut him up in a Room within the Caftle of Edinburgh, fuffering no creature to come at him: A little Bread and Water indeed was fet before him at his first coming into the room; but upon examination, it was found that he had not fo much as tafted of it in the space of 32 days. And going afterwards to Rome,the like proof of his fafting was given to Pope Clement VII. and fome time after,preaching against King Hen. VIII's Divorce at London, he was fhut up in Prifon, where he fafted so days, yet continued ftill a diffolute Man. But it is not the bare abftinence that makes a Mama Chriftian, but the spending a Faft religioufly, and to good ends, works the Miracle of Holiness; and fuch were the Fafts of the Primitive Believers, who by fuch frequent Mortifications

made

made their Graces tower and climb and culminate, to the admiration of the unbelieving World; when they would conquer any Corruption, when they had a mind to arrive to any excellency in Vertue, when they wanted a fignal spiritual Bleffing; nay, when their Friends and Relations, or any eminent Servant of God, lay fick, they presently apply'd themselves to this piece of Mortification, and found great Succefs: And it ftands to reason, that where the Soul gets thus above the Body, flights the Pleasures of the Flesh, determines to converfe with God, and entertains herself with the thoughts of his Greatness and her own Vilenefs; God, who ever loves an humble Spirit, will look down and fatisfie the longing Soul, and fill the thirsty Soul with Goodness. Yet,

II. Let's not think we have discharg'd our duty, when we have receiv'd the Lord's Supper fafting; that will fignifie but little, if after receiving we do not fast from Sin. This is the acceptable Lent, and must be observed more religiously than the Mahometan doth his Month Ramafan: This is the Fast which the Lord hath chofen, and except our Abftinence from Food be in order to this Faft, God regards it no more than the lowing of Oxen, or the bleating of Sheep. To faft from Sin, is both a Preparative for the Lord's Supper, and must be the confequence of it. This Faft must be the very end of our coming to the Holy Table, and we eat and drink there, that we may be out of love with this dangerous Meat. Nor is this Fast from Sin a thing impoffible, if by Sin, as we ought to do, we understand wilful and habitual Sin; and the Motives to this perpetual Faft are very cogent: He that believes that Sin is the Food of Devils, and the Meat of Hell, and the Festival of Fallen Angels,can have no great Stomach to it. Nothing starves the Soul fooner than Sin; and as pleasant as it may be to the Palate, the Soul fuffers extreamly by it, and falls into Palfies and Apoplexies. It makes it not only lean, but miferable too; it fhuts her out from the care and tenderness of a Gracious God, and, in its pernicious effects,

goes

goes beyond the Apples of Sodom; for whereas these, upon touching of them, fall and fhatter only into Ashes, that ends in eternal Fire. The Ears must be ftopt therefore against its Charms, the Eyes fhut against its alluring Dresses; and thus we may wean our felves from any affection to this forbidden fruit.

The PRAYER.

My God! Thou art the most Charming Object, and though the fenfual World will not be perfwaded to believe it, yet it is because their Eyes are blinded. The enlighten'd Soul difcovers fuch Beauty in thee, as transcends the fairest Pictures that mortal hands can make. Thou, who art the Creator of all Excellencies, muft needs be more excellent than all thy Creatures. O how have I been mistaken in my choice! How greedy have I been after the Meat which perisheth? To faft and abstain from that, I have thought Death and Mifery; while I could be content to live without thee; and to be deprived of the Communications of thy Goodness, hath not so much as caused the leaft folicitude in my Breaft. The want of thy favour bath troubled me no more than the want of things which are contrary to my Nature and Conftitution. 1 fee now, where my Happiness lies, and to feed on thee, I perceive, is to feed on that which is incorruptible. O kifs me with the kiffes of thy lips, and my Soul shall leap for joy. Maké Sin odious to me, and make me as averfe from it, as my Nature is from Poyfon. Let my defires be after thee alone, and let me feel, that when I enjoy thee, 1have the best Meat and Drink, and that which will nourish me into everlasting Life: Let nothing fatisfie me, but to live for ever; Let that be my Ambition; Let that be my Refolution; Let that be my Endeavour. My Soul hath been precious in thy fight, thon haft not yet condemn'd me with the World. Thy patience hath long waited for me; while others have been fent into Darkness, thon haft Spared me, and fuffer'd me to enjoy the Light of the Liing. I will trefpafs upon thy Goodness no more, I feel the workings of thy Spirit in my Soul, I feel defires and propenfities to Goodness, I will cherish them; O help thon me! Let those

drops

drops of Goodness in me fwell into Flodds, and the rivulet? of Grace that run through my Soul, into larger streams. Let thy voice be heard in my Soul, thy convincing, thy converting, thy pardoning, thy fanctifying volte. At thy Word I will let down the Net; O let me enclose a multitude of Vertues! Goodness hath been meat I have had an averfion from; now let it become my daily Bread. Teach me the art of Abstinence, perfmade me to abstain from that, which will certainly be my ruine. Give me a Holy greediness after thy Word; let mine Ears delight to hear it, and mine Eyes delight te fee it, and my Feet delight to walk in the way of it. Lead me to the Rock that is stronger than I; let me freely Sacrifice unto thee. Let my great endeavour be, to please my Ré deemer, who bath faved my Life from the Nethermoft Hell. He bids me follow him; O bleffed Fefu! I will follow thee whitherfoever thou goeft! Only give me alacrity and readi ness to make hafte after thee, who art the Captain of my Salvation; To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be Honour and Glory for ever, and ever; Amen.

CHAP. VII.

Of the Elements in this Sacrament; and Firft of the Bread Chrift made ufe of, and of the Nature and Defign of it. let. 26. 26.

The CONTENTS.

The Bread Chrift made use of, was, in all probability, unleavened Bread. The reafon why, in the Church of England, we made ufe of Bread that's leaven' d. Wheatert Substantial Bread neceffary in the Celebration of this Sacrament, not Wafers. Several Reasons why Chrift made ufe of Bread in the Inftitution. God makes use of very mean and ordinary things,

Bread made ufe of in the first Institution

to reprefent great Mysteries by them. Examination neceffary, whether we are ftrengthen'd by the Holy Bread in this Sacrament. Several figns and characters of Spiritual Strength, laid down. The Prayer.

1.T

1.Hat Chrift made ufe of Bread in this Sacrament, we have the concurrent Teftimonies of the Evangelifts; and confidering the Circumftances he then was under, cannot but conclude, that it was Unleavened Bread he ufed, because at that time, when he instituted this Sacrament, no other Bread was to be had, it being the First day of the Feast of unleavened Bread, as we are informed by St. Matthew, Chap. 26. 17. Now the first day of unleavened Bread, the Difciples came to Jefus, faying unto him, there wilt thou, that we prepare for thee to eat the Paffover? If Chrift did eat the Paffover of Un leavened Bread, and inftituted the Sacrament of the Eucharift after he had eaten. the Paffover, it must neceffarily follow, that he ufed Unleavened Bread in this Inftitution; for, from the first day of Unleavened Bread to the last, no Leaven was fuffer'd to remain in any Jewish House whatfoever: For Seven days fhall ye eat Unleavened Bread, even the first day ye shall put Leaven out of your Houfes; for whosoever eats Leavened Bread from the first day, until the feventh day, that Soul fhall be cut off from Ifrael, faith the Law, 12. 15. And therefore Chrift who came not to defroy the Law, but to fulfil it, muft be fuppofed, to have done according to this Law, and confequently, inftituting this Sacrament immediately after the Paffover, he could not poffibly make ufe of any other Bread, but unleavened, because there was no other to be found in the Houfes of the Ifraelites at that time. And whereas it is faid by fome, that Chrift did eat the Pallover before the Jews, and confequently there might be Leavened Bread to be had; I anfwer, That he did indeed eat it before the Jews, but still the fame day that the Fems did eat it; Chrift in the beginning of the Fourteenth Day of Nifan, the Jews about the latter end of it; and if fo, no Leaven could be had;

F

for,