A companion to the altar, or, An help to the worthy receiving of the Lords Supper by discourses and meditations upon the whole communion office to which is added an essay upon the offices of baptism and confirmation / by Tho. Comber ...

Discourses and Meditations upon the Administration.

§. 3. We must now lay by all other thoughts and diligently compose our Souls for the Acts of holy Com∣munion, remembring that we must feast with God by silence and Heavenly Contemplation. Let us now therefore consider how great a work we are about to perform, let us think what benefits we shall lose, and what evil we shall fall into, if we do it unworthily, what Comforts and advantages we shall receive if we do it acceptably, let us call to mind what need we have of the divine assistance, and pray with Sampson, Strength∣en us, O Lord, only this once, Jud. 16.28. Let us re∣member our sins afresh to humble us, and review our

wants: Both that we may have them ready to spread before our Lord, and that we may thereby stir up in our selves most fervent desires after his Grace and Mercy: And let nothing divert us from these thoughts, unless our Charity to our Brethren. For when we hear the Minister use these words to the rest of the Congregation, we shall do well most heartily to wish this holy Communion may be life to every Soul, so that all who sit together at this blessed Feast, may also meet in life everlasting: And as the Minister is drawing near to you, consider the sound of his Masters feet is behind him, wherefore labour to express the same reverence both in Soul and Body as you would do if Jesus were visibly present with a train of glorious An∣gels: say as the Primitive Christi∣ans didg, Lord I am not worthy thou shouldst come under my roof! and at the sound of his words let you heart leap within you for joy: and say, whence is it that my Lord himself should come unto me? and then according as you have opportunity, you may from these very words be fur∣nished with most pertinent Meditations.

Meditations before the receiving of the Bread.

§. 4. The Body of our Lord Iesus Christ.

An Act of Faith. O Eternal word of God, by whose power all things were made. I will not ask how thou canst give me thy flesh to Eat? because I am abundantly satisfyed in thy

saying, This is my Body: since thou canst make it be∣come to me whatsoever thou sayst it ish. I believe Lord help my unbe∣lief! What though my senses assure me, the outward substance and its accidents still remaini? Yet my Faith and my Experience tell me there is an efficacy therein, beyond the power of any other thing: Alas the fl••sh would profit me nothing, John 6.63. for he that is joined to thee must be one spirit, 1 Cor. 6.17. O let these sacred Symbols therefore make me partaker of thy nature, and a partner in thy merits, let them unite me to thee, ingraft me in thee, and make that body mine which did suffer Death for me, and then I shall seek no further, but be more happy than if I could understand all mysteries: Sure I am, This is thy body in Sacrament, it communicates to us the blessings and benefit thereof, and though presented in a figure, and by a holy Rite, yet it is to all its purposes that which it doth represent; I will therefore receive it as thy Body, and esteem it infinitely above all other food, that I may not be judged for not dis∣cerning thy Body. O let it be unto me according to my Faith. Amen.

An Act of Humility. I am a sinful wretch O Lord, and yet if I bid thee de∣part from me, I banish all true happiness from my Soul. I long for thy presence, but how shall I entertain thee? thou wast born of a pure Virgin, wrapped in clean linnen, laid in a new Tomb, and dwellest now where nothing de∣filed can enter, but never was there so unworthy an Apart∣ment prepared for thee as my polluted heart, into which I

durst not presume to bring thee but that I know thou canst make it clean; However when by Faith I see that Body which all the Angels of Heaven worship, I cannot but abhor myself in Dust and Ashes; I am amazed to see such a Majesty come to visit a Sin-sick Soul in so poor a Cottage; yea I cannot but tremble at thy presence, O thou King of Glory, because I am so overspread with the filth of sin. But I will lament those corruptions which I cannot fully purge away, and beseech thee not to despise me though I do de∣serve it. I do profess my self unworthy, but thy condescen∣sion in stooping to me will be the more illustriousk, and if thou hast less delight in me for the present, thou shalt have more glory by me afterwards, when thou hast changed my vile body, and made it like to thy glorious Body, according to thy mighty Power, Amen.

§. 5. Which was given for thee.

An Act of Love. Holy Jesus, I am not worthy to touch this blessed Body as it is thine, yet I presume to approach because thy Love hath made it mine. This is the Sacrifice for my Sins, the price of my Redemption, and that by which my Soul was ransomed from Hell, and rescued from a dreadful Execu∣tion, it was given for me, and it shall now be given to me: And hast thou prepared such a propitiation for me, and offered it unto me, which is dearer to thee than thou∣sands of Gold and Silver? Lord I am even ravished with thy Love, and transported with affection to thee, who hast regarded me a forlorn Creature, and disappointed my Ene∣mies that waited to see my fall: Dear Saviour, I will love thee with all my Powers, and strive and pray that I

may love thee more and more, as fervently as ever any of thy Saints have done, I will give my self unto thee, and despise all other things in comparison of thee; and when I have once tasted of this all-saving Sacrifice which was given for me, I am perswaded that neither Life, nor Death, pleasure nor pain, things pr••sent or things to come, shall ever be able to separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.

§. 6. Preserve thy Body and Soul to Ever∣lasting Life.

An Act of Desire. O my Coelestial food, the Bread that came down from Heaven, how doth thy sweetness, and my own necessities invite me? My body alas! is liable to temporal, my Soul to Eternal Death, and behold here is the Medicine of im∣mortality, which will remove the sting of the first, and de∣stroy the power of the second Death, which will fill me with the graces which I want, fit me for the glory which I desire, and advance my Soul and Body above the power of Corruption: I feel a mighty hunger created in me, an Appe∣tite kindled after these incomparable dainties, which no∣thing but this Heavenly Manna can satisfie; Behold I de∣spise the meat which perisheth and feedeth for destruction, and I long with a great impatience to taste of this Body of Christ, of which I may eat and live for ever, which will make the Grave unable to hold me, and Hell not to dare to shut its mouth upon me: O make no long tarrying but give me now and ever this Bread, for I desire nothing but Christ, and if I want this repast, I shall faint or die before I come to the Mount of God.

A Meditation when the Bread is offered to us.

§. 7. Take and Eat this.

An Act of Admiration. Whence is it, that my Lord himself should come to me? No sooner doth his voice sound in my ears, but my heart within me leaps for joy. Oh blessed tidings to my poor Soul, almost famished with feeding on husks and vanity, faint and languishing with grief and fear, and behold thou sayst, Take and Eat, thou offerest thy self unto me, and com∣mandest me to feast upon thy own flesh, yea upon all thy Merits and Graces. Lord! thou reachest out most freely that which I need infinitely, and that which I wish for above all things. Adored be thy admirable bounty, in complyance wherewith (unworthy though I am) I do stretch out a trembling hand, I do open my mouth, yea my heart to receive thee: Open your Doors, O ye Gates of my Soul, and the King of Glory shall come in; Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for behold thy King cometh, meek and lowly, to visit the meanest of his servants. Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.

A Meditation while we Eat the Bread.

§. 8. In remembrance that Christ died for thee.

An Act of Contrition. O my Soul, behold how thou hast incensed the Majesty of Heaven? see how he gives up the most innocent and most holy Jesus, thy best, thy only friend, and his own dear Son, to be tortured and tormented for thy Sins: O how cruelly

was he scourged with whips, wounded with Thorns, loaden with the Cross, torn with Nails, pierced with a Spear, and rackt on the most painful instrument of Death! His lovely Face is defiled with blood and spitting, his Ears filled with taunts and curses, his Eyes drenched in tears for the ruine of his Enemies, and his Soul amazed at the terrors of the divine wrath; till at length all wounded, broken and bloody with many groans, yet with admirable patience he breaths out his holy Soul: And yet whatever he suffered was my portion. My pleasure hath been his pain, my wicked life hath caused his bitter death. Wretch that I am, to live in such a manner, that nothing else could satisfie or make my Peace! But here I come this day to call my sin to remembrance; I will look on thee whom I have pierced, with a most tender and sym∣pathizing affection, and while I break this holy Bread with my Teeth, I will commemorate how thou wast bruised for our iniquities, and how our offences did grind thee with grief and pain; Holy Saviour I am angry at my self and full of anguish, to see what I h••ve brought upon thee, I am sorry with all my heart, that I have given harbour to thy Murtherers: but I hope this most dismal specta∣clel shall mortifie in me all desires after Evil; and make me abhor all those desperate pleasures, which must be so dearly paid for by thee, or else stand charged upon my Account for ever. No, no, I will never crucifie thee again by renewing my disobe∣dience, for I have done too much already.

A Meditation after the receiving of the Bread.

§. 9. And feed on him in thy heart by Faith with thanksgiving.

An Act of particular Application and Gratitude. Hail holy Lamb of God, thrice welcome art thou to a poor perishing Sinner, was it not enough that thou shouldst suffer so much for me, but thou wilt also give all the pur∣chase of those sufferings to me? thy loving kindness is truly admirable. Thou hast taken my sins on thy self and communicated thy Righteousness unto my Soul. Lord while I believe and consider the benefits of thy Passion, I am revived and filled with an unwonted vigour: My Con∣science doth accuse me of many and grievous sins; but I do here most humbly and thankfully set forth this perfect Sin-offering before thy divine Majesty, and I know thou canst not except against it, I believe it is sufficient to attone thy anger; what I owe he hath discharged, what I have deserved he hath endured, so that for his sake I h••pe thou wilt set me free: Blessed Jesus! how is my Soul re∣freshed, that it is thus restored again to thy Fathers Love. Let Heaven and Earth praise thee and declare the merit of this glorious Sacrifice, and I will bless thee while I have my being, I will love thee because thou hast loved me bet∣ter than thy own life; my heart shall feast with joy and Eucharist upon the pleasures and Comforts, which I ex∣pect to draw from this Coelestial food; I have received thine immaculate Body, and it shall cleanse my sinful body, and teach me by the vertue of so rare an example to relieve my poor Brethren for whom thou hast died: and to con∣quer my Enemies by my Charity, for thus thou hast done to me: And both my lips and my life shall set forth thy

Praise; I begin to feel my self one with thee already, and I will wait till I am perfectly united to thee in Ever∣lasting Glory. Amen.

Meditations before the receiving of the Cup.

§. 10. The blood of our Lord Iesus Christ.

An Act of Acknowledgment. It will not suffice me, Dearest Saviour, to receive thee in part only, for I must be wholly thine, and (blessed be thy Name) thou art willing to be wholly mine also. Thou hast already given me thy holy Body to cleanse my nature, and now thou art preparing thy precious Blood to wash away my guilt. My sins have poured out every drop thereof, wherefore thou pre∣sentest it to me by it self, to shew how truly thou didst suffer Death for me. And now O my Redeemer, thou hast said this Cup is the Communion of thy blood, and thy Truth is unquestionable, thy power is infinite, and thy love was such that thou gavest thy hearts blood for me, I will receive it therefore as the Blood of the Ever∣lasting Covenant, the seal of all the Promises of thy holy Gospel, I have indeed (vile Sinner that I am) drunk in iniquity like water, and therefore am unfit to taste this Water of Life, and yet I shall perish without it, for I am all over defiled, and this is the fountain which thou hast opened to cleanse us; I am scorched with the flames of evil Lusts, and unruly Passions, and this is the Cup which thou hast provided to cool and refresh us: O thou Medicine of immortality, my Soul longeth for thee, what value is sufficient for me to put upon this Heavenly Cordial? how can I reverence it enough, since the God of Heaven esteemed it a price

sufficient for millions of perishing Mankind? Lord let me taste and my soul shall live, let me wash in this Laver before I come to thy great Tribunal, so shall I be whi∣ter than Snow.

§. 11. Which was shed for thee.

An Act of Repentance mixed with Faith. Was there ever so base a wretch as I have been, who have accounted those sins small and trivial, yea and made them my sport and pleasure, which have pressed down and wounded the holy Jesus till he is all over drenched in his own blood! Woe is me I have easily committed that, which nothing but these streams can wash away: O ye accursed Lusts, ye have by wicked hands taken, Crucified and slain the Lord of Life, and if he had not sustained your fury, ye had delivered me over to Everlasting Burnings; I do abhor and detest ye all, how dear soever you have been to me, the sight of my bleeding Saviour hath stirred up my indignation against you, and I will revenge his blood upon you, by sacrificing you all at this Altar. How can my Eyes but drop down tears of Contrition when they behold thee pouring forth Rivers of thy Blood? but while I grieve to see thy bleeding wounds I must not forget for whom thou didst sustain them; thy Blood was shed for me, because my life was forfeited; why art thou then so cast down O my Soul? wilt thou dishonour that price by thy doubts and fears which God hath accepted for all the World? cannot that Sacrifice which appeaseth the divine wrath, satisfie thy Faith? Be not afraid, only believe, and be assured he will not cast away those whom he hath bought at so dear a rate, for thee it was shed, for thee it is prepared, open thy mouth wide and he will fill it.

§. 12. Preserve thy Body and Soul unto Ever∣lasting Life.

An Act of Supplication. O Lord I tremble at the apprehension of all those Evils that stand between me and thy glory; behold the Grave gapeth for my Body, the Infernal Pit threatens to swallow my Soul, and Satan is ready (were he permitted) every moment to devour me; wherefore I beseech thee sprinkle me with thy all-saving blood, that the destroying Angel may pass over me; let me drink of this Cup of Life, and so shall my Body be free from Corruption, and my Soul from Condemnation; Death shall be defeated, the Grave dismantled, and Sa∣tan disappointed; Let me drink of thy precious Blood that I may receive thereby abundance of thy Spirit, so shall my Body be hallowed into a sacred Temple, and my Soul shall be replenished with such Graces that I can never perish; Sweetest Jesus! how desireable are thy Provisions? oh let us not always languish without them, but pitty our dry and parched Souls, and water them we intreat thee, with these living streams, for be∣hold we thirst, and long with a mighty Passion to drink of this Fountain of Life, that we may not faint in our journey to those Rivers of pleasures, which are at thy right hand: Oh give us this divine Cordial at present, and make it to us a Preservative for Body and Soul to everlasting life. Amen.

A Meditation in the receiving of the Cup.

§. 13. Drink this in remembrance that Christs blood was shed for thee.

An Act of Commemoration. How chearing is this Cup to me, Blessed Jesus! which was so dreadful unto thee; it was thy Agonies, and thy Wounds which afforded me this Wine of Joy. Thou didst find how bitter it was when thou wert appeasing an offended God, but I tast how sweet it is now that thou hast made him a tender, and reconciled Father; I receive this Cup O my Saviour as a new pl••dge of thy dearest love, for from those pits whence these Rivu∣lets did flow, I can discern thy heart bleeding in pity to my misery, and sick of Love: And since thou dost here give me a right to that great expiation which thou hast made, I do most humbly commemorate the same before the Father of Heaven, as the full satisfaction for my innumerable debts; and I will remember the do∣lours of thy Cross with a brisker sense than ever, because thou hast made me drink of thy blood and given me thy Soul, thy Life, and thy Spirit, so that now I will live no more, but thou shalt live in me, because we have mingled Souls, and thou hast joined me to thy self by the Communications of thy Spirit. O let nothing separate that which thou hast so graciously joined together.

A Meditation after the receiving of the Cup.

§. 14. And be thankful.

An Act of Thankfulness and Resolution. Praise the Lord O my Soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name, for now I find the Mercy and the Peace, the Comfort and the Grace which flows from the Death of Christ, let all the World know what he hath done for my Soul, he hath rescued me and many of my poor Brethren round about me from the nethermost Hell: wherefore I will love thee, holy Jesus! more than I can express, and I will love them for thy sake; And since thou hast given thy self, thy merits and graces to me, and sealed a New Covenant with me in thy own blood, I do here bind my self by this sacred Cup, to be sincerely thinem. I will spend my time and strength in thy ser∣vice, yea and Sacrifice my blood to bear witness to thy truth if ever thou callest me thereunto. I will never betray nor forsake thee, but live and die with thee, for I have sworn and am stedfastly purposed to keep thy righteous judgments. Oh let me never unhallow that body, nor defile that Soul in which the Lord Jesus de∣lights to dwell, let no Oaths or lying prophane those lips, no Obscenity or Intemperance pollute that mouth, by which those holy Symbols have passed: And me∣thinks I feel new desires and new hopes, my nature seems r••newed, my blood refined, my Soul full of holy vigour, blessed be thy name for it, let thy mercy keep

me in this happy temper till I have accomplished all my resolutions. Amen.

§. 15. By these and such like contemplations you must keep your minds imployed all the time that the Heavenly Banquet doth continue, and if the Congrega∣tion be numerous, and there be further opportunity, the devout Soul will easily find more fuel to nourish these flames, viz. by considering the necessities of all Man∣kind, the Calamities of the Church, the Miseries of the Sick, the wants of the Poor, the condition of our Re∣lations, Friends, and Acquaintance, and recommending them all with an effectual Charity to Almighty God through Christ Jesus: As also by lamenting its own unworthiness and indispositions, by recollecting all its present wants both spiritual and temporal, by survey∣ing the difficulties and dangers of that pious course now undertaken, and by calling upon the Father of Mer∣cies, for grace and relief, for courage and strength, for support and protection in order to each of these: So likewise by doing Acts of mental Charity, to be put in Execution afterwards, viz. Resolving for the sake of Jesus to forgive and do good to our Enemies, to re∣prove Sinners, instruct the ignorant, help those that are in need: And finally by contemplating of the wis∣dom and advantage of a holy Life, the comfort and peace of a happy Death, the joys and felicities of the life of Glory, with the pleasures of those Souls that behold Jesus face to face; these and many more which the good Spirit will offer, we must improve as much as the time will give us leave, because to look about us, or to unbend our thoughts while the Celebration is in hand, is a sign of a carnal heart and a base spirit, that is weary of conversing with God; it is an affront to the blood of Christ, it exposeth us to Satans malice, and prepares us for evil suggestions, which unguarded Souls

fall into sooner here than elsewhere; and to conclude, it will make our Lord abhor us, the Spirit forsake us, and turn the Cup of Blessing into poison and a Curse: Wherefore be very watchful that no evil or imperti∣nent cogitation do divert you, till the Post-Commu∣nion doth begin, and then you must have no other im∣ployment, but to join with the Minister in that part of this holy Office also.

Notes

• g

  Porro moris erat Com∣municaturis dum acci∣piebant Eucharistiam dicere, Domine non sum dignus ut intres sub te∣ctum meum. Authore Origine, hom. 6. in divers. ap. Durant.
• h

  Oportet igitur & non in sumptionibus Divino∣rum mysteriorum indu∣bitatam retinere fidem, & non quaerere quo mo∣do? D. Bernar.
• i

  Corporalis substantiae retinet speciem, sed vir∣tutis divinae invisibili efficientiâ probat adesse praesentiam. Cypr. de coen. Dom.
• k

  Majoris enim pretii beneficium est quod prae∣statur indignis. Salvian.
• l

  Est enim tanta vis crucis Christi, ut si ante oculos ponatur, & in mente fidelitèr retinea∣tur, ita ut in ipsam mor∣tem Christi intentis ocu∣lis adspiciatur, nulla concupiscentia, nulla li∣bido, nullus furor, nulla potest superare invidia. Origen. in 7. ad Rom.
• m

  Mos est regibus quo∣ties in societatem coe∣ant, implicare dextras, pollices{que} inter se vin∣cire. M••x — levi ictu cruorem eliciunt at{que} in∣vicem lambunt: id foe∣dus arcanum habetur, quasi mutuo cruore san∣citum: Tacit. Annal. lib. 12.