glories of Thy kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen, Amen, Amen. 1. I am in Thy sight, O Lord, a polluted person: sin like a crust of leprosy hath overspread me. I am a scandal to others, a shame to myself, a reproach to my relations, a burden to the earth, a spot in the church, and deserve to be rejected and scorned by Thee. 2. But this, O God, I cannot bear; it is just in Thee to destroy me, but Thou delightest not in that; I am guilty of death, but Thou lovest rather that I should live. 3. O let the cry of Thy Son's blood, who offers an eternal sacrifice to Thee, speak on my behalf, and speak better things than the blood of Abel. 4. My conscience does accuse me, the devils rejoice in my fall and aggravate my crimes, already too great, and Thy holy spirit is grieved by me but my Saviour Jesus died for me, and Thou pitiest me, and Thy holy spirit still calls upon me, and I am willing to come; but I cannot come unless Thou drawest me with the cords of love. 5. O draw me unto Thee by the arguments of charity, by the endearments of Thy mercies, by the order of Thy providence, by the hope of Thy promises, by the sense of Thy comforts, by the conviction of my understanding, by the zeal and passion of holy affections; by an unreprovable faith and an humble hope, by a religious fear and an increasing love; by the obedience of precepts, and efficacy of holy example; by Thy power and Thy wisdom; by the love of Thy Son, and the grace of Thy spirit: draw me, O God, and I will run after Thee and the sweetnesses of Thy precious ointments. 6. I am not worthy, O Lord, I am not worthy to come into Thy presence, much less to eat the flesh of the sacrificed lamb. For my sins, O blessed Saviour Jesus, went along in confederation with the high-priests, in treachery with Judas, in injustice with Pilate, in malice with the people. 7. My sins and the Jews crucified Thee: my hypocrisy was the kiss that betrayed Thee: my covetous and ambitious desires were the thorns that pricked Thy sacred head: my vanity was the knee that mocked Thee: my lusts disrobed Thee and made Thee naked to shame and cruel scourgings; my anger and malice, my peevishness and revenge were the bitter gall which Thou didst taste; my bitter words and cursedi speaking were the vinegar which Thou didst drink; and my scarlet sins made for Thee a purple robe of mockery and derision and where shall I vile wretch appear, who have put my Lord to death, and exposed Him to an open shame, and crucified the Lord of life? : i [See vol. vii. p. 383.] 8. Where should I appear but before my Saviour who died for them that have murdered Him, who hath loved them that hated Him, who is the Saviour of His enemies, and the life of the dead, and the redemption of captives, and the advocate for sinners, and all that we do need, and all that we can desire? 9. Grant that in Thy wounds I may find my safety, in Thy stripes my cure, in Thy pain my peace, in Thy cross my victory, in Thy resurrection my triumph; and a crown of righteousness in the glories of Thy eternal kingdom. Amen, Amen. S. AUSTIN'S PENITENTIAL PRAYER. "BEFORE Thy eyes, O gracious Lord, we bring our crimes; before Thee we expose the wounds of our bleeding souls. That which we suffer is little, but that which we deserve is intolerable: we fear the punishment of our sins, but cease not pertinaciously to proceed in sinning our weakness is sometimes smitten with Thy rod, but our iniquity is not changed; our grieved mind is troubled, but our stiff neck is not bended with the flexures of a holy obedience our life spends in vanity and trouble, but amends itself in nothing: when Thou smitest us then we confess our sin; but when Thy visitation is past, then we forget that we have wept: when Thou stretchest forth Thy hand, then we promise to do our duty; but when Thou takest off Thy hand, we perform no promises: if Thou strikest, we cry to Thee to spare us; but when Thou sparest, we again provoke Thee to strike us. "Thus, O God, the guilty confess before Thee: and unless Thou givest us pardon, it is but just that we perish. But, O almighty God, our Father, grant to us what we ask, even though we deserve it not; for Thou madest us out of nothing, else we had not any power to ask." Pardon us, O gracious Father, and take away all our sin, and destroy the work of the devil; and let the enemy have no part nor portion in us; but acknowledge the work of Thine own hands, the price of Thy own blood, the sheep of Thy own fold, the members of Thy own body, the purchase of Thine own inheritance; and make us to be what Thou hast commanded, give unto us what Thou hast designed for us, enable us for the work Thou hast enjoined us, and bring us to the place which Thou hast prepared for us by the blood of the everlasting covenant, and by the pains of the cross, and the glories of Thy resurrection, O blessed and most glorious Saviour and Redeemer Jesus. Amen. CHAPTER VI. OF OUR ACTUAL AND ORNAMENTAL PREPARATION TO THE RECEPTION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. SECTION I. He that is dressed by the former measures is always worthy to communicate; but he that is always well vested, will against a weddingday be more adorned; and the five wise virgins that stood ready for the coming of the bridegroom, with oil in their lamps and fire on their oil, yet at the notice of his coming trimmed their lamps and made them to burn brighter. The receiving of the blessed sacrament is a receiving of Christ, and here the soul is united to her Lord, and this feast is the supper of the Lamb, and the Lamb is the bridegroom, and every faithful soul is the bride: and all this is but the image of the state of blessedness in heaven; where we shall see Him without a veil, whom here we receive under the veil of sacraments; and there we shall live upon Him without a figure, to whom we are now brought by significations and representments corporalk. But then as we here receive the same thing as there though after a less perfect manner; it is also very fit we should have here the same, that is, a heavenly conversation, though after the manner of men living upon the earth. It is true that the blessed souls receive Christ always, and they live accordingly, in perpetual uninterrupted glorifications of His name, and conformities to His excellencies. Here we receive Him at certain times, and at such times we should make our conversation celestial, and our holiness actual when our addresses are so; so that in our actual addresses to the reception of these divine mysteries, there is nothing else to be done, but that what in our whole life is done habitually, at that time be done actually. No man is fit to die, but he who is safe if he dies suddenly; and yet he that is so fitted, if he hears the noise of the bridegroom's coming, will snuff his lamp, and · Λύχνου χρείαν ἔχων ἐπιχεῖν μέμνησο ἔλαιον. cf. Plut. in Pericl. § 16. fin.-t. i. p. 629.] Fac sanctorum civium. stir up the fire, and apply the oil; and so must he that hath warning of his communion. He that communicates every day, must live a life of a continual religion; and so must he who in any sense communicates frequently, if he does it at all worthily; but he that lives carelessly and dresses his soul with the beginnings of virtues against a communion day, is like him that repents not till the day of his death; if it succeeds well, it is happy for him; but if it does not, he may blame himself for being confident without a promise. Every worthy communicant must prepare himself by a holy life, by mortification of all his sins, by the acquisition of all christian graces; and this is not the work of a day, or a week; but by how much the more these things are done, by so much the better we are prepared. So that the actual address and proper preparation to the blessed sacrament is indeed an enquiry whether we are habitually prepared, that is, whether we be in the state of grace; whether we belong to Christ, whether we have faith and charity, whether we have repented truly. If we be to communicate next week, or it may be to-morrow, these things cannot be gotten to-day; and therefore we must stay till we be ready. And if by our want of preparation we be compelled, for the saving of our souls and lest we die, to abstain from this holy feast; let us consider what our case would be if this should be the last coming of the Bridegroom. This is but the warning of that; this is but His last coming a little antedated; and God graciously calls us now to be prepared here, that we may not be unprepared then; but it is a formidable thing to be thrust out when we see others enter. And therefore when the masters of spiritual life call upon us to set apart a day, or two, or three for preparation to this holy feast; they do not mean that any man who on the Thursday is unfit and unworthy should be fitted to communicate on Sunday; but that he should on those days try whether he be or no, and pass from one degree of perfection to a greater, from the less perfect to the more; for let us think of it as we please, there is no other preparation: and it might otherwise seem a wonder to us, why S. Paul who particularly speaks of it, and indeed the whole New testament, should say nothing of any particular preparation to this holy feast; but only gives us caution that we do not receive it unworthily, but gives us no particular rule or precept but this one, that a man should examine himself, and so let him eat?' I say this might seem very strange; but that we find there is and there can be no worthy preparation to it but a life of holiness, and 'that every one who names the Lord Jesus should depart from iniquity;' and therefore that against the day of communion, there is nothing peculiarly and signally required, but to examine ourselves, to see if all be right in the whole: and what is wanting towards our proportion of perfection and ornament, to supply it. So that the immediate preparation to the holy communion can have in it but three parts and conjugations of duty;- First, an examination of our conscience. Secondly, an actual supply of such actions as are wanting. Thirdly, actual devotion, and the exercise of special graces by way of prayer, so to adorn our present state and dispositions. SECTION II. RULES FOR EXAMINATION OF OUR CONSCIENCES AGAINST THE DAY How we are to examine ourselves concerning such states of life and conjugations of duty as are properly relative to the great and essential preparation and worthiness to communicate, I have already largely considered': now I shall add such practical advices which may with advantage minister to the actual reception, such which concern the immediate preparatory and ornamental address; that we may reduce the former doctrine to action and exercise against that time; and this will serve as an appendix and for the completing the former measures. 1. In the days of your address, consider the greatness of the work you go about; that it is the highest mystery of the whole religion you handle; that it is no less than Christ himself in sacrament that you take; that as sure as any Christian does ever receive the Spirit of God, so sure every good man receives Christ in the sacrament; that to receive Christ in sacrament, is not a diminution or lessening of the blessing; it is a real communion with Him, to all material events of blessing and holiness; that now every communicant does an act that will contribute very much to an happy or unhappy eternity; that by this act and its appendages a man may live or die for ever; that a man cannot at all be supposed in any state, that this thing will be indifferent to him in that state, but will set him forward to some very great event; that this is the greatest thing that God gives us in the world, and if we do it well, it is the greatest thing we can do in the world; and therefore when we have considered these things in general, let us examine whether we be persons in any sense fitted to such glorious communications, and prepared by such dispositions which the greatness of the mystery may in its appearance seem to require. Some may perceive their disproportion at the first sight, and need to examine no further. It is as if a Jew in Rome with his basket and bottle of hay should be advised to stand candidate for the consulship; you mock him if you speak of it: and therefore if you find your case like this, start back and come not near. It is τὸ θεῖον, there's 'divinity' in it; and to the wicked it brings 'brimstonen' and fire. ' Chap. ii. m [Juv. sat. iii. 14; vi. 541.] n [0eos, divinus; letov, sulphur.] |