REASONS FOR PUBLISHING THIS BOOK.

HAVING for many years experienced, in the course of my office, that in no une instance of Christian duty, there was more need of assistance than in this of the Lord's Supper; and that many devout communicants have laboured under the same doubts and scruples concerning a worthy preparation and partaking of this duty : I am of opinion, that many others would be very glad to find such doubts cleared up, and the cause of such scruples removed for the future, which too commonly disturb and perplex them with such fears and terrors, as indeed make their desire of being truly religious the burden and misery, instead of the delight of their lives.

For, notwithstanding the compiler of the second part of the Old Week's Preparation* (a treatise very improper to come into the hands of many Protestant readers) has observed a quite contrary method: I do not think my time can be better employed, than when I am endeavouring to render the preparation of that holy ordinance orthodox, rational, and satisfactory to every one.

And,

It is certainly a very great fault with the generality of those who have written upon this subject, that they have made it their whole business only to raise and inflame the devotion of communicants, without taking any thought about informing and settling their understandings.

The most considerable doubts and scruples, which are apt to distract and render the minds of communicants uneasy, are such as, I think, fall under some or other of the heads of the following meditations, which I have framed

*The Popish book of Devotions, from whence all the meditations and hymns are taken, which constitutes above one half of the Second Part of the Old Week's Preparation, was condemned by Authority of Parliament to be publicly burnt by the hands of the common hangman; and this circumstance I think myself in duty bound to take notice of, to prevent any farther ill consequences among the common people from the use of that book; notwithstanding it is now pretended to be published by a clergyman of London.

as full and satisfactory, as, I believe, can reasonably be expected în so small a volume.

OF THE MEDITATIONS, HYMNS, AND PRAYERS.

The Meditation for each day is placed first; because I esteem meditation to be a noble exercise of a rational and devout soul. To revolve and consider over and over, and to reflect upon those divine subjects to which each meditation relates, will greatly contribute to the improvement of our lives, and to the rendering them more conformable to the will of Almighty God.

Meditation hath an universal influence upon the whole life of a Christian, and is an admirable instrument to quicken our progress in all the graces of God's Holy Spirit. It illuminates our understandings with the knowledge of our duty, and stores our memory with all such arguments as are proper to excite us to the performance of it. It wings our prayers with reverence and devotion; and increases our importunity by impressing a lively sense of the necessity and importance of those things we beg of God. It habituates our minds to spiritual objects, and raises them above the perishing things of this life. It strengthens our holy purposes, arms us against temptations, and inflames all the faculties of our souls with earnest desires of attaining and enjoying our chieftest good.

In the use of the meditations, we should not read them over in a hasty and cursory manner; but must proceed very deliberately, and try whether we cannot find out something of greater importance in each sentence than may be apprehended at the first reading; and after we have thus gone through the meditation, which we should always do at one reading, begging God to affect our minds with a constant sense of our duty in all the particulars of it: chiefly that he would enable us to perform these resolutions we have made of advancing in piety and virtue; that he would not leave us to ourselves; but so assist us with his grace, that what we perceive and know to be our duty, we may faithfully fulfil all the days of our life I say, when the meditation is thus ended, I have immediately subjoined the hymns to be sung or said, accord

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ing to the disposition of every devout reader. And the reason of this method, I doubt not, will readily appear to every one who considers that the design of hymns is to raise the soul to a nearer conference with God in prayer, when perchance fatigued in some other part of a Christian's duty.

To the hymn you have a prayer added, which will furnish you with suitable petitions, supplications, and thanksgivings to be offered up to our heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, his dearly beloved Son, our Lord. Not that I presume to dictate any thing that may stifle the fervency of any one's private devotion, who may rather choose to conclude his devotions with a hymn: and it is with a view to satisfy such different tempers, that in some cases I have added more hymns than one, to some of the subjects. But as God has given us no direct com mand in this particular, let it be far from me to act with that presumption, as to endeavour to enforce my own intentions instead thereof.

OF THE TIME TO BE SPENT IN PREPARATION.

As to the time requisite to be spent in our preparation for a worthy receiving the Lord's Supper, I could wish it had been more particularly directed and commanded by the church: yet I doubt not but that her having not done it has proceeded from her knowledge, that the best rules might hurt some one or other, if too closely followed. But I am clear in my opinion, that it is always her intention, that her members should be as well and thoroughly prepared as they can, before they approach the Lord's table: and, for my part, I think myself bound to thank the great and good God, that I am not of the number of those selfsufficient Christians, who can lay so great stress upon habitual preparation, as to save themselves the trouble of any preparation at all,*

OF OUR DUTY AFTER RECEIVING.

But what will all the preparation in the world avail us, if, as soon as we have turned our backs on the Lord's table,

* See the Preface to the First Part of the NEW WEEK'S PREPARATION, page v. concerning the usefulness of actual Preparation before receiving the LORD'S SUPPER.

we forget that ever we were there, and remember no more our solemn engagement, nor those holy resolutions, which have been raised in our minds by that course of devotions in the week preparatory to our receiving the Holy Communion: instead of placing us in the favour of the Almighty, this will draw upon us that abundance and severity of his wrath, for such our mockery of his divine institution and commands.

OF THE CARE OF OUR SOULS.

It remains for me to desire such as have a great deal of worldly business upon their hands, (more perhaps than they can well turn themselves to,) I say I would desire such to consider, that the worldly business they have, is still but the business of this world, this transient, and uncertain world, that soon passeth away; and that they have another world to live in as well as in this; a world that will have no end. And, therefore, if we have any care for our souls, let us take heed of the cares of this life, that they do not hinder us from receiving Christ's most blessed body and blood, as often as we can. And for that purpose, whensoever we are invited to the Lord's table, let us think thus with ourselves; we have now an opportunity put into our hands of partaking of the body and blood of our ever blessed Saviour, to preserve our bodies and souls to everlasting life: it is true, we have at this time more than ordinary business upon our hands: but what is all this world in comparison of everlasting life and happiness? And who knows whether we shall ever have such another opportunity so long as we live? I say, think thus, and then let us slip an opportunity if we can. If we have any regard for our immortal souls, I believe it will be very difficult, if not impossible.

It is certainly our bounden duty to take care of our worldly concerns, in the several callings, or ways of life allotted to us by Divine Providence; but it must be remembered that we must always have the fear and commandments of God in view, and be so under a perpetual obligation to perform all those promises, so lately made to his Divine Majesty, at his holy table. So that our outward or worldly employments must never remove our hearts from this duty; and when temptation and sin pursues us again,

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we must remember that it is a part of our solemn vow to forsake transgression and to resist every temptation, that shall deprive us of the favour of our Maker and Redeemer, with whom we enter into a strict covenant of friendship, when we receive Christ's most blessed body and blood. By this covenant we are assured of God's omnipotent protection against all our enemies both ghostly and bodily for, if God be with us, neither the malice of men, nor the craft of the devil, can prevail against us. On the contrary, as on our part of the covenant, we vow entire obedience, as well as faith, we by returning into the evil ways we have so lately disavowed, shall forfeit our right to that friendship; bring God's wrath upon us; and then we shall, of all men, find ourselves the most miserable, it not being in the power of any human means to escape his justice.

SOME ACCOUNT OF THE METHOD OF THIS WORK.

Therefore I have in this second part of the New Week's Preparation, exhibited such meditations, hymns, and prayers to be used by the worthy communicant, during the week following his participation of Christ's body and blood, as I apprehend will furnish him with a right sense of his duty; which I take to be the best means he can make use of, to secure himself against the sudden surprise, and impetuous attacks of all our enemies, both ghostly and bodily. And,

It is some satisfaction to me, that I can assure the reader, that I have taken the church catechism and the communion service for my guide; so that he may be satisfied that what he meets with in his New Week's Preparation is strictly orthodox, and perfectly agreeable to the doctrine of the church of England, and to the word of God itself; being convinced, that whoever will speak upon this subject with any authority and certainty, must speak from those fountains of salvation, and not from Popish and superstitious prayer-books; as the compiler and late editor of the Old Week's Preparation have done.

Moreover, I have been advised to prefix the explanation of that part of the church catechism which relates to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, by some who believe it to be the shortest, plainest, and most comprehensive of any extant; and the scriptures are the authorities upon which this explanation is founded.