fafting makes you more devout and ferious, and that you are in a better frame of mind, you fhould certainly choofe to go to the facrament fafting; or, if it be indifferent, and you are much the fame whether Ï fast or not, and find it makes no change at all in you, I would for decency, and with regard to ancient practice, accompany you to the facrament fafling.

4. But, as I have by cuftom contracted fuch a habit of eating or drinking fome light matter every morning, that you know I fhall be uneafy or difordered without it; fo, I hope, you will permit me to do as I used to do, and that alfo, for your own fake, and to ftrengthen devotion; because the purposes of fafting (which are to raise the mind to God, and to put it into a better frame) are better answered by moderate refreshment, than by wholly abftaining. Yet, I fay, that as neither God, nor the church, has appointed the contrary, I would advise the morning abftinence on facrament days, where the inconveniency of doing it is none; but I must disapprove of it, if there be any inconveniency in abftaining.

5. And let us always remember, that whether we abftain or not, we do it without fcru

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ple in ourselves, and without cenfuring what another perfon does, though contrary to what we do. But let us do in this, and in all other indifferent cafes, what we believe will tend moft to our own fpiritual edification, without regard to what other people do; for every one is to give an account of his own deeds.

The Hymn, on Saturday Morning.
Ndulge, O GOD, my humble claim,

Thou art my hope, my joy, my rest;
The glories that compofe thy name
Stand all engag'd to make me bleft.
Thou great and good, thou juft and wife,
Thou art my Father and my GOD;
And I am thine by facred ties, .

Thy fon, thy fervant, bought with blocd.
With heart and eyes and lifted hands
For thee I long, to thee I look,

As travellers in thirsty lands

Pant for the cooling water-brook.

Nor fruits or wines that tempt our taste,
Nor all the joys our fenfes know,
Could make me fo divinely bleft,
Or raife my chearful paffions fo.
My life itself without thy love
No tafte of pleafure could afford;
'Twould but a tiresome burden prove,
If I were banish'd from the Lord.

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Amid

Amid the wakeful hours of night,
When bufy cares afflict my head,
One thought of thee gives new delight,
And adds refreshment to my bed.

I'll lift my bands, I'll raife my voice,
While I have breath to pray or praise;
This work fhall make my heart rejoice,
And Spend the remnant of my days.

Another.

BRoad is the road that leads to death,
And thoufands walk together there;

But wisdom fhews a narrower path,
With here and there a traveller.

Deny thyfelf, and take thy cross,
Is the Redeemer's great command;
Mortals must count their gold but dross,
If they would gain this heavenly land.
The fearful foul that tires and faints,
And walks the ways of God no more,
Is but efteem'd almost a faint,

And makes his own defiruction fure.

Lord, let not all my hopes be vain,
Create my heart entirely new;
Which hypocrites could ne'er attain,
Which faife apoflates never knew.

The

The Prayer, on Saturday Morning. For obtaining fuch abftinence as is necessary to fubdue the fleth to the fpirit.

ALmighty and everlasting God, to whose good providence I afcribe my health and afety, and owe the enjoyment of the comfortble refreshment of the night paft, and the aoidance of thofe evils which I have juftly deerved; for these, O Lord, and for all thy other mercies, I defire to adore and blefs thy glorious ame; humbly befeeching thee to accept this ny morning facrifice of praife and thanksgivng in and through the merits and mediation of my dear redeemer, who did fast forty days and forty nights, to teach us fuch abftinence as may fubdue our flesh to the fpirit, whereby we may ever obey thy godly motions; and For his fake, O Lord, I humbly beseech thee o pardon all my fins, and grant that a due enfe of thy mercies may be fo deeply impreffed upon my mind, that I may love thee aDove all things.

Vouchfafe me the affiftance of thy good fpirit to inure me by felf-denial to bring my boly into subjection, and to punish all those exceffes I have been guilty of in the ule of thy creatures; and to enable me to withstand the F 5

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temptations of this wicked world, and with an undaunted courage and refolution to bear up under all the trials and difficulties, which fhall meet with in my chriftian warfare, Let my retirement from the world make me fee the vanity and emptinefs of it, and teach me to relifh the pleasures of fpiritual enjoyments; let me spend my folitary hours in the improve-the ment of my chriftian knowledge, and do thou open my eyes, that I may fee the wondrous things of thy law. Make me heartily to bewail my fins, and do thou work in me that godly forrow, not to be repented of; that so I may manifeft the fincerity of my love by a constant and habitual care to do what is pleafing in thy fight.

O Lord,fearch my reins andmyheart, prove me and examine my thoughts, grant that I may fincerely examine the state of my own mind; that perceiving how bitter a thing it is to depart from the living God, I may no longer continue at a distance from the fountain of all joy and happiness; but befo truely honeft and upright, and fo ftedfaft and immoveable in the way of truth and justice, that no worldly interest or advantage, how promifing or great foever, may be able to shake my integrity. And give me grace by confeffing and forfaking my

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