done by you to any other; and being likewife ready to forgive others that have offended you, as ye would have forgiveness of your offences at God's hand: for otherwife the receiving of the holy Communion doth nothing else but increafe your damnation. Therefore if any of you be a blafphemer of God, an hinderer or flanderer of his Word, an adulterer, or be in malice, or envy, or in any other grievous crime, repent you of your fins, or else come not to that holy Table; left, after the taking of that holy Sacrament, the devil enter into you, as he entered into Judas, and fill you full of all iniquities, and bring you to destruction both of body and foul.

And because it is requifite, that no man should come to the holy Communion, but with a full truft in God's mercy, and with a quiet confcience; therefore if there be any of you, who by this means cannot quiet his own confcience herein, but requireth further comfort or counsel, let him come to me, or to fome other difcreet and learned Minister of God's Word, and open his grief; that by the miniftry of God's holy Word he may receive the benefit of abfolution, together with ghoftly counsel and advice, to the quieting of his confcience, and avoiding of all fcruple and doubtfulness.

¶ Or, in case he shall see the people negligent to come to the holy Communion, instead of the former, he shall use this Exhortation.

EARLY beloved brethren,

on I intend, by God's grace, to celebrate the Lord's Supper: unto which, in God's behalf, I bid you all that are here prefent; and befeech you, for the Lord Jefus Chrift's fake, that ye will not refufe to come thereto, being fo lovingly called and bidden by God himfelf. Ye know how grievous and unkind a thing it is, when a man hath prepared a rich feast, decked his table with all kind of provifion, fo that there lacketh nothing but the guests to fit down; and yet they who are called (without any cause) moft unthankfully refufe to come. Which of you in fuch a cafe would not be moved? Who would not think a great injury and wrong done unto him? Wherefore, moft dearly beloved in Chrift, take ye good heed, left ye, withdrawing yourselves from this holy Supper, provoke God's indignation against you. It is an eafy matter for a man to fay, I will not communicate, because I am otherwife hindered with worldly bufinefs. But fuch excufes are not fo eafily accepted and allowed before God. If any man fay, I am a grievous finner, and therefore am afraid to come: wherefore then do ye not repent and amend? When God calleth you, are ye not asham

as ye

ed to fay ye will not come? When ye should return to God, will ye excufe yourselves, and fay ye are not ready? Confider earnestly with yourselves how little fuch feigned excuses will avail before God. They that refused the feast in the Gofpel, because they had bought a farm, or would try their yokes of oxen, or because they were married, were not fo excufed, but counted unworthy of the heavenly feaft. I, for my part, shall be ready; and, according to mine Office, I bid you in the Name of God, I call you in Chrift's behalf, I exhort you, love your own falvation, that ye will be partakers of this holy Communion. And as the Son of God did vouchfafe to yield up his foul by death upon the Crofs for your falvation; fo it is your duty to receive the Communion in remembrance of the facrifice of his death, as he himself hath commanded: which if ye fhall neglect to do, confider with yourfelves how great injury ye do unto God, and how fore punishment hangeth over your heads for the fame; when ye wilfully abftain from the Lord's Table, and separate from your brethren, who come to feed on the banquet of that moft heavenly food. These things if ye earnestly confider, ye will by God's grace return to a better mind: for the obtaining whereof we shall not ceafe to make

our humble petitions unto Almighty God our heavenly Father.

¶ At the time of the celebration of the Communion, the Communicants being conveniently placed for the receiving of the holy Sacrament, the Priest shall say this Exhortation.

DEARLY beloved in the Lord,

ye

that mind to come to the holy Communion of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Chrift, must confider how Saint Paul exhorteth all perfons diligently to try and examine themselves, before they prefume to eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup. For as the benefit is great, if with a true penitent heart and lively faith we receive that holy Sacrament; (for then we fpiritually eat the flesh of Chrift, and drink his blood; then we dwell in Chrift, and Chrift in us; we are one with Chrift, and Chrift with us;) fo is the danger great, if we receive the fame unworthily. For then we are guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ our Saviour; we eat and drink our own damnation, not confidering the Lord's Body; we kindle God's wrath against us; we provoke him to plague us with divers diseases, and fundry kinds of death. Judge therefore yourselves, brethren, that ye be not judged of the Lord; repent you truly for your fins paft; have a lively and ftedfaft faith in Chrift our Saviour; amend your lives, and be in perfect charity with all men; fo fhall ye be meet par

takers of those holy myfteries. And above all things ye muft give moft humble and hearty thanks to God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, for the redemption of the world by the death and paffion of our Saviour Chrift, both God and man; who did humble himself, even to the death upon the Crofs, for us, miferable finners, who lay in darkness and the fhadow of death; that he might make us the children of God, and exalt us to everlafting life. And to the end that we should alway remember the exceeding great love of our Mafter, and only Saviour, Jefus Chrift, thus dying for us, and the innumerable benefits which by his precious blood-fhedding he hath obtained to us; he hath instituted and ordained holy mysteries, as pledges of his love, and for a continual remembrance of his death, to our great and endless comfort. To him therefore, with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, let us give (as we are moft bounden) continual thanks; fubmitting ourselves wholly to his holy will and pleasure, and ftudying to ferve him in true holiness and righteousness all the days of our life. Amen.

¶Then shall the Priest say to them that come to receive the holy Communion,

YE that do truly and earneftly repent you of your fins, and are in love and charity with your

neighbours, and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in his holy ways; Draw near with faith, and take this holy Sacrament to your comfort; and make your humble confeffion to Almighty God, meekly kneeling upon your knees.

¶ Then shall this general Confession be made, in the name of all those that are minded to receive the holy Communion, by one of the Ministers; both he and all the people kneeling humbly upon their knees, and saying,

A

LMIGHTY God, Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, Maker of all things, Judge of all men; We acknowledge and bewail our manifold fins and wickednefs, Which we, from time to time, moft grievously have committed, By thought, word, and deed, Against thy Divine Majefty, Provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation againft us. We do earnestly repent, And are heartily forry for these our mifdoings; The remembrance of them is grievous unto us; The burden of them is intolerable. Have mercy upon us, Have mercy upon us, moft merciful Father; For thy Son our Lord Jefus Christ's fake, Forgive us all that is paft; And grant that we may ever hereafter Serve and please thee In newness of life, To the honour and glory of thy Name; Through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.