The penitent Christian,: fitted with meditations and prayers, for a the devout receiving of the Holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper, / by Lewis Southcomb, rector of Rose-Ash in the county of Devon. ; For the benefit of the people under his charge, and others.

A Prayer before the Sacrament; which may be used by them, who never re∣ceived it before.

O Blessed Saviour and Redeem∣er! who wert pleased to ad∣m•••• me into thy holy Church by the Waters of Baptism in my Infant dayes before I knew it; I do now, being by thy Grace come to the knowledge of it, from the bottom of my heart adore and bless thee for that mercy, and with a penitent heart, humbly and earnestly beg thy pardon for my great abuses of it, that I should so wretchedly as I have, stained and poluted those white and innocent Robes which I then put on; and for my known and unknown breaches of those vows and promises, which were then made in my name. O my Lord, I am accused, judged and condemned by my own Conscience. But O my Jesu, whose sacred side once dropt Water and Blood for me;

as thou hast admitted me to the Wa∣ter when I was baptized, so be thou now graciously pleased to admit me to the Blood too, and to partake of all the benefits of it, that as I early partaked of the cleansing of the one, so I may now receive the healing vir∣tue of the other; and let all my Ini∣quities I beseech thee, that have been adventured on by me since my Bap∣tism to this present hour, be to thee as if they had never been at all. O that I could now go to thy Table with the like innocence that I came from the waters of Regeneration; But seeing I cannot, O my Jesu, who wert pleas'd to bring me to the ho∣nour and priviledge of Baptism, be∣fore I could beg or desire it, be thou likewise pleased, by thy grace to car∣ry me prepared to thy Table, who can, and do earnestly desire and beg this of thee; and as thou wert plea∣sed then to make me a lamb of thy flock, so deny me not the favour (how unworthy soever I have hi∣therto

lived of it) of being one of those faithful Sheep of thy fold, that hear thy voice. O my Lord, as I was never yet at thy Table, and come a stranger to this Heavenly feast; so I intreat thee, let me not miss of the mercy of being a wel∣come and acceptable guest there. O make me to understand and consi∣der the advantage that I have above many others, who may now (by thy Grace) never be an unworthy Com∣municant. Do thou therefore by thy gracious intercession supply my ignorance, and by thy Mercy and Merits, pitty and pardon the vani∣ties and sins and follies of my youth∣ful state, [particular∣ly† 1.1—] and receive me with the Love and Compassion and Tenderness of a Parent: that so I may love thee, and adore thee, and bless thee, and obey thee betimes; and may tast of the sweets and deli∣cacies of an early Religion and Ho∣lyness.

I come then O my Jesu, I come to give thee this first solemn Testimony of my Love to thee, and to receive the first great tokens of thy Love to me. O be pleased so feelingly to touch my heart now at the first with a deep sence of Love to thee and thy Religion, that I may e∣ver hereafter rejoyce in all opportu∣nities of a holy Sacrament, and have a never-ceasing Love to those holy Mysteries. Do thou vouchsafe O my dear Redeemer, at this our first most solemn meeting, to bring all those Graces along with thee, which thou would'st have my Soul to be fitted with, and fix them there I beseech thee. O my Lord I was early de∣voted to thee by others, but suffer me now to dedicate my self to thee. Come Lord Jesu, come then, take possession of my heart, I beseech thee, before ever the World, Flesh, or De∣vil, get any more footing there; and if either of them have got any alrea∣dy, for my great neglects to present

my self to thee, and opening the door of it to thee sooner, turn out, O my Lord turn them out thence, and with the rest of thy Church accept me, even me also O my Father. Let me take thee into my hand, O my dear Lord, and place thee in my heart, before ever any more lusts or follies be admitted there; and then be thou pleased to take me by the hand, and place me in thy heart, that there I may live, and there I may dye. Finally O my Lord, let all my past Iniquities I be∣seech thee, be so done away, that thou mayst receive me so, as if I were but now come from the Wa∣ters of Baptism.

With such hopes as these, with such defires as these, I come to lay my self at thy feet, O blessed Saviour and Redeemer, Amen.

Notes

• † 1.1

  Here you may mention the par∣ticulars.