God of all good,

I bless thee for the means of grace;
   teach me to see in them thy loving purposes
    and the joy and strength of my soul.

Thou hast prepared for me a feast;
   and though I am unworthy to sit down as guest,
     I wholly rest on the merits of Jesus,
   and hide myself beneath his righteousness;
When I hear his tender invitation
   and see his wondrous grace,
I cannot hesitate, but must come to thee in love.
By thy spirit enliven my faith rightly to discern
   and spiritually to apprehend the Saviour.
While I gaze upon the emblems of
     my Saviour’s death,
   may I ponder why he died, and hear him say,
     ‘I gave my life to purchase yours,
      presented myself an offering to expiate your sin,
      shed my blood to blot out your guilt,
      opened my side to make you clean,
      endured your curses to set you free,
      bore your condemnation to satisfy divine justice.’

Oh may I rightly grasp the breadth and length
     of this design,
   draw near, obey, extend the hand,
   take the bread, receive the cup,
   eat and drink, testify before all men
     that I do for myself, gladly, in faith,
       reverence and love, receive my Lord,
     to be my life, strength, nourishment, joy, delight.

In the supper I remember his eternal love,
     boundless grace, infinite compassion,
     agony, cross, redemption,
    and receive assurance of pardon, adoption, life, glory.
As the outward elements nourish my body,
    so may thy indwelling Spirit invigorate
       my soul,
    until that day when I hunger and thirst
       no more,
    and sit with Jesus at his heavenly feast.

(Taken from ‘The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers,’ edited by Arthur Bennett)

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