sense of thy mercies, that I may never provoke thee to withdraw thy favours from me. Let not the blessings thou bestowest on me make me in love with this world; let neither covetousness nor ambition, neither pride nor vanity, neither a contempt of others, nor a fond conceit of myself, be the result of thy loving-kindness toward me: but,

Endue me with such a humble and contented mind, such a meek and resigned spirit, such a quiet and peaceable temper and behaviour, as becomes a creature and a sinner. Oh! inspire my soul with pure and pious dispositions, and instead of those filthy rags of my righteousness, clothe me with the righteousness of the saints. Let the consideration of my unworthiness suppress in me all proud and aspiring thoughts, and all covetous and ambitious desires; that being meek and lowly in mine own eyes, my heart may be a clean receptacle for my Saviour, and that I may find rest unto my soul, and be filled with that grace, which thou hast promised to a humble and contrite heart: so I shall, as I ought, be fitted and prepared for every condition, and especially for my great and last change.

Strengthen my faith in the time of sickness and trial, and forsake me not when my strength faileth me. Let thy merciful ears, O Lord, be then open to my prayers: O let not the cruel enemy of souls affright me with

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his terrors, but give thy holy angels charge over me; and let the consolations of thy Holy Spirit fortify my mind, and dissipate my fears, and be a reviving cordial to my soul, at that last and momentous period of my life, when I shall stand in so much need of thee.

Give me an unfeigned repentance of all my sins, great love to thee, and charity to my neighbour, an entire submission to thy blessed will, and (if thou seest fitting) some foretaste and assurance of my salvation. But if thou, in thy great wisdom, shalt not see fitting to vouchsafe me so great a mercy, yet, O gracious Father, let me not fail, in the great day of judgment, to hear that blessed sentence pronounced unto me, Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Grant this, O most gracious God, for thy mercies' sake in Jesus Christ our Lord; in the full extent of whose words, I desire to be heard for myself, and all mankind, when I call upon thee, saying, Our Father, &c.

THE MEDITATION FOR TUESDAY EVENING.

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Of the great advantages of frequent communion.

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N intimate intercourse with temporal things, and familiarity with the delights and satisfactions of sense, are but too apt to take off our minds from serious thoughts, and to impair that vigour and resolution which ought to be employed about the one thing needful. On the contrary, frequent communion keeps a lively sense of religion upon our minds, and invigorates them with fresh strength and power to perform our duty to God, our neighbour, and ourselves; without this, O my soul! we can no more maintain a spiritual life, than we can our temporal without eating and drinking; for it is the proper nourishment of the soul.

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2. The frail and sinful body can never hope to be free from the perpetual assaults which the world, the flesh, and the devil, constant enemies to our true happiness, are ever making upon our virtue and innocence. the contrary, frequent communion, by mortifying our passions, by spiritualizing our affections, is the sovereign remedy against all their temptations; how then, my soul! can we yield to any sinful satisfaction that crucified the Lord of glory, or fix our hearts upon

perishing objects, when God only deserves the whole man, and we in this sacrament commemorate the price by which we are purchased from sin and slavery?

3. The great advantage of our Christianity consists in being made members of Christ's mystical body, by reason of those happy influences we derive from our head; and our happiness depends upon our enjoying this blessed privilege. This spiritual union, inviolable between Christ and all faithful Christians, is preserved by frequent communion, by a mutual intercourse of goodness and compassion, in pardoning our sins, in strengthening our feeble virtues, and in communicating heavenly joys ard foretastes of happiness: and on our side, my soul! by repeated acts of adoration and thankfulness, of love and admiration, of resignation and submission to his holy will, and of sincere professions of constancy and perseverance in the service of our Creator and Redecmer.

4. Fatal experience convinceth us, that either through surprise, or the strength of temptation, we cannot always stand upright; that we do those things we ought not to have done, and leave undone the things we ought to have done. But, my soul! this Holy Šacrament perfects our repentance, and ratifies and confirms to us the pardon of our sins; repairs those breaches, which our follies have made in our souls, and applies to us in parti

cular that satisfaction, which our Saviour made upon the cross; and conveys to us the benefits of that all-sufficient sacrifice, whereby God is rendered favourable and merciful to all that are sincerely penitent.

5. Afflictions and calamities are often the lot of the best men, in this vale of tears. And where, my soul! shall we find comfort under these difficulties, or strength to contend with them, but from that provision that is administered at God's table? From those sufferings which our Saviour endured for us, and no ways deserved himself? Can any one complain of affliction in any kind, that considers what necessary correctives they are of our follies? What noble improvements of our virtue? And what a testimony they are of our love and affection to the blessed Jesus, when borne with patience and submission; and that withal remembers, that his Lord and Master was made perfect through sufferings upon the cross, which he bore for our sins? We also receive such comfortable impressions from this divine nourishment as make the troubles of this life lose their sting; and it supplies us with such inward delights as surpass all expression, and which are only felt by those that frequently make the experiment at the Lord's table. In fine, this is the most proper method to make us temples of the Holy Ghost, and the most effectual