The crucified Jesus, or, A full account of the nature, end, design and benefits of the sacrament of the Lords Supper with necessary directions, prayers, praises and meditations to be used by persons who come to the Holy Communion / by Anthony Horneck ...

CHAP. XXVII. (Book 27)

Of the proper Acts of Devotion, when we come to the Holy Table. (Book 27)

The CONTENTS.

Private Acts of Devotion must be forborn, while the Con∣gregation joyns in common Addresses to Almighty God. General Acts of Devotion, relating to the wonderful Love of Christ, and our Love to him. Particular Acts of Devotion at the Consecration, and Receiving of the ho∣ly Symbols.

I. THE following Acts are fittest to be used, be∣fore the Prayers of the Church, usual at the Communion, do begin, or before the Minister of the Ordinance comes to us with the sacred Symbols, and while others are Communicating.

II. While the Minister of the Ordinance is engaged in the Prayers of the Church, these Ejaculations must be forborn; our Duty, during the publick Devotions, being, to joyn with the Congregation in their common Addresses to God. These Acts of Devotion are either General, or Particular. The General, I call those which respect the Love of the Lord Jesus. The Particular, those which are to be exercised at the Consecration and Receiving of the Consecrated Bread and Wine.

General Acts of Devotion at the Lord's Table.

I.

GReat Saviour of the World! Thou art infinitely amiable; worthy to be loved by all, to whose Ears the joyful Message of thy Love doth come. I re∣joyce in the Knowledge of thy Love. I count my self happy that I am born under the Shadow of thy Go∣spel, in which thy wonderful Love to the Children of Men is manifested! I desire no other Knowledge: 'Tis enough that I know thou hast loved me beyond Exam∣ple. I desire to count all things Dross and Dung, for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ.

II.

O my Jesus! I am not worthy to love thee! Yet, because thou biddest me love thee, and hast told me, that my Soul was created on purpose to love thee, I chearfully resign my Love and Affection to thee! I de∣sire to love thee! I wish for nothing more, than that I may passionately love thee! Whom have I in Heaven to love, but thee? And there is none on Earth, that I desire to love more than thy self: For thou art alto∣gether lovely, and thy Love surpasses all the Love of Friends, and the dearest Relations I have.

III.

O my blessed Redeemer! I desire to love thee with all my Heart, and with all my Strength! Thou gavest me this Heart, and this Strength: And on whom can I bestow it better, than on thee, the Author of it? Oh, that all that is within me might be turned into Desires, and Inclinations, and Sighs, and Languish∣ings, and Breathings after thee! For I cannot express what thou hast done for me. What thou hast done for me, is beyond all the Kindness that the greatest

Men ever did, or can do, for the meanest and poorest Creatures!

IV.

Great Advocate of my Soul! Thou seest my Desire to love thee! Make it strong and powerful! Take a Coal from the Altar, and give it Fire, that nothing may hinder the Flame from mounting up, that no∣thing may weaken this Desire, nothing may break it, nothing may tire it, nothing may mingle with it that is unclean, or contrary to thy Love!

V.

Great Object of my Desires! Make me a Martyr of thy Love! Make me willing even to die for love of thee! Raise a mighty Hunger and Thirst after thy Love in my Soul! Such an Hunger and Thirst, that I may be unsatisfied with any thing, but thy Love! Let thy Love work upon me with that Efficacy, that I may think my self afflicted, and poor, and misera∣ble, till I love thee fervently!

VI.

Blessed Jesu! Who would not love thee! Who would not wish to be enamour'd with such Charity as thine is to the Sons and Daughters of Men! If we love thee not, it is because we do not know the Vehe∣mency and Power of thy Love. Had we a clear Sight of it, our Souls would run after thee, and nothing could stop them from clinging to so amiable an Ob∣ject. Lord, give me that lively View of thy Love, that nothing may charm me more than thy Love!

VII.

Great King of Saints, pity me! I would love thee, but thou seest what Impediments come between thy Love, and my blockish Heart! Innumerable Tempta∣tions, my perverse Will, my Self-love, my Passions, and my other Imperfections! Oh, how these hinder me from loving thee! O my Gracious Master! Let me

detest and abhor all these Enemies, that would hinder me from loving thee! Stretch forth thy mighty Arm, and destroy these Foes, that I may entirely love thee!

VIII.

O Jesu! Thou art all Love, all Goodness, all Cha∣rity! And, Oh, what Opposition do I find in my self to love thee! O Love Divine! Where is thy Strength, thy Force, and thy uncontrollable Power! O my Lord! Why dost not thou shew it? Why dost not thou exert it for my Help? Why do not thy Ce∣lestial Flames consume in me all that is contrary to thy Love? Oh! When wilt thou establish the Life of Love, even that Divine Life, in my Soul?

IX.

O Omnipotent Love! I leave my self to thy Ma∣nagement. Enter, enter into this frozen Heart, and erect thy Kingdom, and thy Empire there. Undo what thou pleasest, and build up what thou pleasest. Let every Desire of my Soul become subject to thee. Subdue every Imagination that would refuse to be at thy Command: And make me willing to submit to any thing, so I may but love thee.

X.

Most lovely Saviour! Shall any thing hinder me from loving thee? Shall my Body? I will subdue that Beast. Shall my Sins? I will drown them in thy Blood. Shall the World, or the Creatures here be∣low? No, no; I will renounce my Love to them, I will despise them all: They have too long excom∣municated thee from my Soul. I will make no more Account of my Praises, of my Pleasures, of my Va∣nities. I will look upon them all as Dreams, and Smoak; and I will hate them, as much as they have hated thee, Great Centre of my Soul!

XI.

Great Sovereign of my Love! Thou hast sent me into the World, on purpose to love thee! What a no∣ble, what an excellent, what an holy End is this! Think of the Honour, think of the Favour, think of the Dignity, O my Soul, that God hath laid upon thee! That he that could have eternally enjoyed him∣self in his own Love, should speak a Creature into Being, and ordain that Creature to love him! Oh, how happy am I, that God hath given me an Heart to love him! O my Jesus! Let me die a Thousand Deaths, rather than lose thy Love.

XII.

O Love Divine! Be thou the Life of my Life, the Soul of my Soul, the Spirit of my Spirit! Let me think of thy Love, and speak of thy Love, and do Acts wor∣thy of thy Love, and let all my Conversation savour of the Love of Jesus. Whatever I do, let me do it for thy sake. Let thy Love put me upon Acts of Charity; and let every Vertue I exercise, be the Product of thy Love.

XIII.

O Jesu! Thou art my All! All other things are no∣thing, in comparison of thee! And I would love no∣thing, but in thee, and for thee! I would see thee in all things, and love thee in every thing I do! Thou art my greatest Friend, my only Friend. Thou art my Brother, my Father, my Husband, and my Chief. Thou art All in All to me: And, Oh, that my All might be consecrated to thy Service!

XIV.

My dearest Saviour! There is nothing in Heaven, or in Earth, so worthy to be loved, as thou. Oh, how amiable art thou! Yet the World doth not so much as think of thee: They think of nothing, but offending thee. They hope to be saved by thee, and yet do

what they can to dishonour thee! Let this very Consi∣deration inflame my Love to thee! Oh, that I could love thee, as the whole World ought to love thee!

XV.

Great Son of God! I was bound to love thee as soon as I came to the Use of my Reason: Yet how long hath it been, before I thought of loving thee! O my Lord, how late do I begin to love thee! How long have I hated thee! How many Years together have I despised thy Love! When I think of this, I have reason to wish for a Sea of Tears; nay, for Tears of Blood, to wash away my monstrous Ingratitude!

XVI.

O Beauty Eternal and Infinite! If I were to live eternally here on Earth, I were bound eternally to love thee: How much more then, during my short Stay here on Earth! O my Lord, consecrate my Life to thy Love! Let every Day and Hour of my Life be employed in thy Love; and make me ambitious of nothing more, than to love thee to all Eternity.

XVII.

O thou Everlasting King! At the Price of thy pre∣cious Blood thou hast bought every Moment of my Time, that I might employ it in loving thee! How much of that Time have I employed in loving the World, and the Creatures! How much of that Time have I lost, in loving things I should not love! 'Tis time that I begin to employ my Hours about that, for which they were designed: And since they were given me to love thee, Oh, transform all my Desires into Aspirations and Breathings after thee!

XVIII.

O my Jesus! Thou art so perfect, and so lovely, that if all Creatures in Heaven and in Earth should joyn their Forces together to love thee, they could not

love thee sufficiently; and if I had a Thousand Hearts, they would all be little enough to sacrifice to thy Love. O then, how am I oblig'd to employ that little Strength I have to love thee! Oh, that all Mankind might love thee! Oh, fill them all with a Sense of thy Love! Draw them, attract them, unite their Hearts, that they may love thy Name.

XIX.

O God of my Life! Thou hast been always employ'd in loving me! Thou didst create Heaven and Earth, to testifie thy Love to me! All that thou ever didst in this World for me, was, to shew how thou lovest me. All the Spiritual and Temporal Blessings thou hast sent upon me, tell me that thou lovest me. But what greater Testimony of thy Love can there be, than thy Dying for me! As thy Love is perpetually exercised towards me, so let mine be continually exercised to∣wards thee: And let me glory and rejoyce in nothing so much as in this, that I love thee.

XX.

O my bountiful Saviour! O my loving Redeemer! When, when shall it be, that I shall love thee perfectly? Here on Earth, I must not hope for this Happiness; but in Heaven I shall. O Heaven, Heaven! How de∣sirable art thou! Where the Love of Jesus shall eternal∣ly reign in my Soul! Where my Love shall be perfect∣ly pure, perfectly Seraphick, perfectly Extatical; and Eternal Ages shall not alter it. At present I am in Pri∣son, encompassed with a Mortal Body, and must so∣journ in a wicked World. Oh, when will that Day, that Hour, that Minute, that happy Time come, that I shall be delivered from this Dungeon, and translated to that place, where Love is all in all, where Love knows no End, no Decay, no Period; where it is pure, without Mixture; invariable, without Changes; eternal, without ceasing. Come, Lord Jesu! Come quickly!

Particular Acts of Devotion at the Acts of Consecra∣tion, and Receiving of the Consecrated Bread and Wine.

At the Minister's pouring out the holy Wine into the Cup.

O Jesu! Who can think of the flowing of thy Blood, without being desirous to be washed with it! Or,

I fancy, I do at this present stand under thy Cross, and see thee bleeding for my Sins! Or,

Oh. Let thy Blood flow upon my wounded Soul, that I may become a sound Member of thy Mysti∣cal Body!

At the Minister's laying his Hand upon the Bread.

O Blessed Saviour! Lay thy Hand upon my Soul, that all my Distempers may depart from me! Or,

Oh, lay hold on my Soul, as the Angel did on Lot! Save me from the Flames, and let me escape into the Mount of God, that I perish not!

At the Minister's Breaking the Bread.

Lord Jesu! In suffering thy Body to be broken for my Sins, I see the Vehemence, the Strength, and Fer∣vour of thy Love: Oh, make me all Love, all Fervour, all Charity! Or,

Oh, break the united Forces of my Sins; scatter them by thy mighty Arm. Gather the broken Planks of Vertue in my Soul; unite them, make them whole, and strong, and secure against the Fury of Winds and Tempests.

At the Minister's pronouncing the Words, This is my Body.

Lord! Let me look off from these material Things; and shew me Things invisible, and Heavenly! Or,

O Lord! The Benefits of thy wounded Body, my Soul longs for. Oh, say, They shall be thy Portion!

At the Minister's touching the Cup.

Lord! Touch my Soul, that it may feel the Power of thy Super-abundant Charity!Or,

Oh! Touch me, as thou didst the Blind of old, that I may see the Bowels of thy Compassion, and re∣joyce in the glorious Sight!

At the Minister's pronouncing the Words, This is my Blood.

Lord! My Soul wants Wine of another nature, than is in this Cup: Oh, wash it, and cleanse it, and purifie it in thy Blood! Or,

Lord! Speak thou to my Soul, and say, I will, be thou clean!

At the Receiving of the Bread.

Lord! Let thy Death be my Life! And the Bread, represented by this Bread, feed me into Everlasting Life! Or,

Lord! As thou hast provided Food for my Soul, so give me a Taste, and Relish also, of this Food, and a Tongue to praise thy Name for ever. Or,

Lord! As thou hast given thy Body for me, so I freely offer my Soul and Body, as Living Sacrifices, to thy Majesty!

At the Receiving of the Cup.

Lord! Nothing is more precious, than thy Blood! Oh! Let it warm my Heart, that it may comply with thy Will, wlthout wavering! Or,

Lord! Bid me look upon thy Blood; and in thy Blood, upon the Reconciliation wrought by it, to the Comfort and Edification of my Soul! Or,

O Lord! I am heavy laden, and my Pollutions are great! And as thy Blood alone can remove that Bur∣then, so free me from those Spots and Wrinkles which make me look deformed in thy Sight!