O Eternal and forever blessed and glorious Lord God: You are God (continued)
10. ANOTHER AFTER THE RECEIVING OF THE LORD'S SUPPER Lord, my God and my Father in Jesus Christ, I can never sufficiently admire the condescension of your grace to me; what is man that you dost thus magnify him, and the son of man that you visit him! Who am I? and what is my house that you have brought me hitherto; have brought me into your banqueting house, and your banner over me hath been love? I have reason to say, That a day in your courts, an hour at your table, is better, far better, than a thousand days, than ten thousand hours elsewhere; it is good for me to draw near to God. Blessed be God for the privileges of his house; and those comforts with which he makes his people joyful in his house of prayer.
But] have reason to blush and be ashamed ofmyself, that I have not been more affected with the great things which have been set before me and offered to me at the Lord's table. O what a vain foolish trifling heart have I! when I would do good, even then evil is present with me; good Lord, be merciful to me, and pardon the iniquity of my holy things, and let not my manifold defects in my attendance upon you be laid to my charge, or hinder my profiting by the ordinance.
I have now been commemorating the death of Christ, Lord grant that by the power of that, sin may be crucified in me, the world crucified to me, and I to the world; and enable me so to bear about with me continually the dying of the Lord Jesus, as that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in my mortal body.
I have now been receiving the precious benefits which flow from Christ's death, Lord grant that I may never lose, may never forfeit those benefits, but as I have received Christ Jesus the Lord, give me grace so to walk in him, and to live as one that am not my own, but am bought witha price, glorifying God with my body and spirit which are his.
I have now been renewing my covenant with you and engaging myself a-fresh to you to be yours, now Lord, give me grace to perform my vow. Keep it always in the imagination of the thought of my heart, and establish my way before you; Lord, preserve me by your grace that I may never return again to folly; after God has spoken peace, may never by my loose and careless walking undo what I have been doing today: But having my heart enlarged with the consolations of God, give me to run the way of your commandments with cheerfulness and constancy, and still to hold fast my integrity.
This precious soul of mine, which is the work of your own hands, and the purchase of your Son's blood, I commit into your hands, to be sanctified by your Spirit and grace, and wrought up into a conformity to your holy will in everything: Lord set up your throne in my heart, write your law there, shed abroad your love there, and bring every thought within me into obedience to you, to the commanding power of your law, and the constraining power of your love; Keep through your own name that which I commit unto you, keep it against that day when it shall be called for; let me be preserved blameless to the coming of your glory, that I may then be presented faultless with exceeding joy.
All my outward affairs I submit to the disposal of your wise and gracious providence; Lord save my soul, and then as to other things do what you please with me; only make all providences to work together for my spiritual and eternal advantage. Let all things be pure to me, and give me to taste covenant-love in common mercies; and by your grace let me be taught both how to want and how to abound, how to enjoy prosperity, and how to bear adversity as becomes a Christian; and at all times let your grace be sufficient for me, and mighty in me, to work in me both to will and to do that which is good of your own good pleasure.
And that in everything Imay do my duty, and stand complete in it, let my heart be enlarged in love to Jesus Christ, and affected with the height and depth, the length and breadth of that love of his to me, which passes all conception and expression.
And as an evidence of that love let my mouth be filled with his praises; Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive blessing and honor, and glory and power; for he was slain, and hath redeemed a chosen remnant unto God by his blood, and made them to him kings and priests. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me bless his holy name, who forgives all mine iniquities, and heals all my diseases; who redeems my life from destruction, and crowns me with loving kindness and tender mercy; who having begun a good work, will perform it unto the day of Christ. As long as I live,
I will bless the Lord, I will praise my God while I have any being; and when I have no being on earth, I hope to have a being in heaven to be doing it better. O let me be borne up in everlasting arms, and carried from strength to strength, till ] appear before God in Zion;