thou wilt receive'; let thy loving correction pu- he may plentifully give to the poor and distress. rify thy servant, and make him great in thy ed, though no otherwise related to him but as favour by his present humiliation. O let him they are members of Jesus Christ, and brethlearn 66 thy statutes" in this school of afflic-ren and sisters of the same communion. tion:" let him "seek thee early" in it; and Let him, O let him, now, O Lord, and at when his "heart is overwhelmed, lead him to all times, if thou shouldst graciously continue the rock of salvation." him here any longer, make to himself such friends of the unrighteous mammon, that when these fail, they may receive him into everlasting habitations." Amen.

Let thy "rod" awaken him from his former security in sin, and let him sensibly find that thou "chastisest him for his profit, that he may be partaker of thy holiness."

Teach him, by this proof of thy fathefly correction, to be more dutiful for the time to come to repent of his former offences, and to "redeem the time past," by a double diligence for the future, if thou shalt in mercy raise him up again. Let the remainder of his life be thine, and let nothing separate him from thy love and service, but let it be his whole care and study to provide oil for his lamp, and prepare for eternity; that so" all the days of his appointed time he may wait till his change come," and be ready whensoever his Lord shall call him. Amen.

For a sick Person who is about to make his
Will.

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A Prayer for a sick Penitent.

(From Mr. Kettlewell.)

RIGHTEOUS art thou, O God, in all the pains and sorrows which punish our sins and try our patience, and we have none to accuse and complain of for the same but ourselves. This is the acknowledgment which thy servant makes, whom thou hast now afflicted. He receives it as the chastisement of a sinner, and is willing to bear chastisement for his sins, that he may thereby be reclaimed from them. Correct him, O Lord, that thou mayest not condemn him; and let him be judged by thee for his sins, and judge himself for them here, that he may have nothing but mercy without judgment to receive at thine hands hereafter.

O LORD, who puttest into our hearts good| But judge him, O God, with mercy, and not desires, and hast inclined thy servant to" set in thine anger. Judge him not according as his house in order," as well in relation to his his sins have deserved, but according as his temporal, as his spiritual, concerns, grant that weakness can bear, and according as thy comhe may do it with exact justice, according to passions are wont to mitigate thy judgments: the rules of our own religion, and the dictates and let his afflictions work in him a true reof right reason. He unfeignedly thanks thee pentance," not to be repented of," and prove for thy great mercies, in having so liberally a happy means, in the hand of thy mercy, to provided for him, that he may be rather help-reclaim him perfectly from all the errors into ful than chargeable to any, and die a benefac-which he hath fallen; and to confer that rest tor and not in debt. and peace upon his soul, which is denied to his body; for our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ's sake.

We charitably hope, that what he is now about to dispose of, was all procured by fair and righteous dealings, that he may comfortably feel, that "it is more blessed to give than to receive."

Let him be ready, with good Zaccheus, to make restitution in the best manner he is able, and to say with Samuel:

"Behold, here I am: witness against me before the Lord; whose ox have I taken, or whose ass have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed, or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it."

THOU smitest him, O gracious God, that thou mayest cure him; and punishest his sin, that thou mayest thereby amend and reclaim the sinner; and he is weary of his sins, which have brought upon him all these sorrows, and which, as he seems now deeply sensible, will bring infinitely worse, unless he prevent the same by his timely and sincere repentance.

Help him, therefore, to search them out; and when he sees them, let him not stop at any one, but steadfastly resolve to renounce and amend Lord, give him strength to order all things all: Let thy love make him hate every evil in as due and regular a manner as if he were way, and render his purposes against them well. Let his memory be perfect, and his judg-strong and resolute, and his care in fulfilling ment sound, and his heart so rightly disposed, the same, vigilant and patient; and grant that that he may do nothing amiss, or through par- the remainder of his days may be one contintiality, but that justice and integrity may be seen through the whole conduct of his will.

(If rich, add this.)

Let the light of his charity likewise shine gloriously before men, that out of the abundance thou hast been pleased to bless him with,

ual amendment of his former errors, and dedication of himself to thy service. He desires life, only that he may serve thee; Lord, continue and confirm him in this purpose.

Lord, cure his folly by his misery; and teach him, by the loss of his ease, to purchase the blessing of true repentance, and the comfort

T

able hopes of thy merciful acceptance thereof; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

multitude of his thoughts within him, let thy comforts delight his soul. If he still continues without any rest, grant that his mind may rest and repose itself in the bosom of thy dearest

A Prayer for a sick Person who intends to re- | love, and may feel the most sensible consolaceive the blessed Sacrament.

tions from heaven, not only quieting, but greatly rejoicing his heart. Preserve the use O THOU infinite and eternal Spirit, from of his understanding, and let the enemy have whom every good motion of our hearts proceed- no advantage of him; but make him able to say, eth! who both quickenest the dead, and after" I will wait patiently for the Lord, till he inthou hast given life, givest the increase: in-cline his ear unto me, and hear my cry.-0, crease, we beseech thee, the good seeds of thy hear his prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto grace, which thou hast sown in the heart of his cry: O, spare him, that he may recover thy servant, by inclining him to receive the sa- strength before he go hence ;" for Jesus crament of the body and blood of our Lord, Christ's sake. Amen. in which thou art more immediately present, to illuminate the faithful, and to comfort and refresh all that are weary and heavy-laden with their sins."

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O, cause thy face thus comfortably to shine upon thy distressed servant, who now intendsto draw near to thee in this sacrament, as thou hast commanded him.

Help him, in the mean time, O Lord, to fit and prepare himself for this holy communion: fill his soul with reverence and godly fear; with earnest desires and longings after divine life; with serious repentance for all his past offences, and hearty resolutions of living for ever after unto Jesus, who died for him. O, let him meditate upon his bleeding Saviour with a "broken and a contrite heart," which thou hast promised not to despise :" forgive him all that is past, and give him grace for the future, to" live more soberly, righteously, and piously, in this present world," if it shall be thy good pleasure to continue him in it.

66

A prayer to be said when the sick Person grows light-headed.

(From Bishop Patrick.)

O Lord, look down from heaven, in pity and compassion, upon this thine afflicted servant, who is not able now to look up to thee: the more sorrowful his condition grows, the fitter object he is of thine infinite mercies; who acceptest, we humbly hope, of the submission he made of himself, in the beginning of his sickness, to thine almighty wisdom and goodness, And therefore, since it is thy pleasure to suffer his distemper to proceed to this dangerous extremity, do thou no less graciously love him, and delight in him, than if he could still give up himself to thy blessed will.

And hear, O most merciful Father, our prayers in his behalf, when he can no longer commend himself to thy mercies. Pardon, good Lord, pardon all his sins; impute not to him any of his former follies; lay not to his charge

A Prayer for a sick Person that wants Sleep. his not improving, or misusing, his reason and

(From Bishop Patrick.)

understanding, which we earnestly, but humbly, entreat thee to restore to him, together ADORED be thy love, thy wonderful love, with such a measure of thy divine grace, as O most Gracious God, who hast so many ways may quicken and assist him to employ his expressed thy bounty towards us. Thy mer-thoughts to the best purposes, especially in mecies in Christ Jesus surpass all our thoughts; ditating on thy mercies, in studying thy praise, we are not able to number all the other bless- and in exhorting all others to love thee, to How much ings thou hast bestowed upon us. trust in thee, and sincerely obey thee. do we owe thee for the quiet sleep of but one night! We see, in this thy poor afflicted servant, how much we ought to thank thee for this single blessing, that our eyes, when we would close them, are not held waking.

Pardon, good Lord, our ingratitude for this and all the rest of thy undeserved mercies: and be pleased graciously also to visit him, who still languishes on his sick-bed, looking up to thee from whom cometh our help. Renew his wasted spirits with comfortable sleep; compose him to a sweet and undisturbed rest; refresh him thereby so sensibly, that he may restored to such a degree of strength, as may make him able, in some measure, affectionately to ackowledge thy goodness, when thou hast dealt so bountifully with him: or if thou delayest to bestow that blessing on him, in the

be

And while he remains thus deprived of his reason, be pleased to quiet and compose his spirits, or to prevent all furious motions there, or quickly to abate such violent passions, if any arise: for which end, be pleased to remove all frightful imaginations far from him, and suffer not the evil one to approach him; preserve him from doing any harm, either to himself or to any others. "Forsake him not, O Lord our God, be not far from him. Make haste to help him, O Lord our salvation+."

"So will we give thanks unto thee for ev

er."

"We will be still praising thee, and showing forth thy loving kindness to those who

succeed us:"

* Psalm xl. 1. and xxxix. 12, 13.
+ Psalm xxxviii. 21, 22,

That they may set their hope in thee our God, and not forget thy works, but keep thy commandments." Amen.

A Prayer for a Person, when Danger is ap- to the arms of thy mercy, and accept him, for prehended by excessive Sleep.

O MERCIFUL God, let not this deep sleep, which is fallen on thy servant, prove the sleep of death; make it the sleep of a recovering person, to relieve and revive him: and awake him out of it in thy due time, to offer thee A Prayer for Qne who hath been a notoriously praise, and to labour still among us in doing thee honour and service.

But if thou art pleased to take him to thy- O LORD God, of infinite goodness and comself, Lord, remember and accept of all his for-passion, whose mercies are over all thy works; mer prayers and repentance, faith and pa- who makest the sun to shine, and the rain to tience.

Lord, hear us for this thy weak servant in Let thy rod, therefore, awaken him now to distress. Hear our prayers for him, who seems a sense of his condition, whom thy goodness not able now to offer up any prayers to thee hath not reclaimed, and let him still find merfor himself. And accept both him and us to cy at thy hands, notwithstanding his continuthe blessed enjoyment of thy love through Je-al abuse of it. sus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O quicken him to a sense of his duty, and of Hear our petitions, O Lord, and receive our his danger, before it be too late: and when prayers for our brother, that this image of death thou hast brought him to his right mind, remay not be converted into death itself, but that ceive him, we beseech thee, as the compassionhe may live to prociaim thy power and to ce-ate father did his prodigal son, or the sheplebrate thy praises longer upon earth. herd his lost sheep.

able hopes of thy merciful acceptance thereof; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

multitude of his thoughts within him, let thy comforts delight his soul. If he still continues without any rest, grant that his mind may rest and repose itself in the bosom of thy dearest

A Prayer for a sick Person who intends to re-love, and may feel the most sensible consolaceive the blessed Sacrament.

tions from heaven, not only quieting, but greatly rejoicing his heart. Preserve the use of his understanding, and let the enemy have no advantage of him; but make him able to say, I will wait patiently for the Lord, till he inhear his prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto his cry: O, spare him, that he may recover strength before he go hence;" for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

O THOU infinite and eternal Spirit, from whom every good motion of our hearts proceedeth! who both quickenest the dead, and after thou hast given life, givest the increase: in-cline his ear unto me, and hear my cry.-0, crease, we beseech thee, the good seeds of thy grace, which thou hast sown in the heart of thy servant, by inclining him to receive the sacrament of the body and blood of our Lord, in which thou art more immediately present, to illuminate the faithful, and to comfort and refresh all that are weary and heavy-laden with their sins."

66

O, cause thy face thus comfortably to shine upon thy distressed servant, who now intends to draw near to thee in this sacrament, as thou hast commanded him.

Help him, in the mean time, O Lord, to fit and prepare himself for this holy communion: fill his soul with reverence and godly fear; with earnest desires and longings after divine life; with serious repentance for all his past offences, and hearty resolutions of living for ever after unto Jesus, who died for him. O, let him meditate upon his bleeding Saviour with a "broken and a contrite heart," which thou hast promised not to despise :" forgive him all that is past, and give him grace for the future, to" live more soberly, righteously, and piously, in this present world," if it shall be thy good pleasure to continue him in it.

66

A prayer to be said when the sick Person grows light-headed.

(From Bishop Patrick.)

O Lord, look down from heaven, in pity and compassion, upon this thine afflicted servant, who is not able now to look up to thee: the more sorrowful his condition grows, the fitter object he is of thine infinite mercies; who acceptest, we humbly hope, of the submission he made of himself, in the beginning of his sickness, to thine almighty wisdom and goodness. And therefore, since it is thy pleasure to suffer his distemper to proceed to this dangerous extremity, do thou no less graciously love him, and delight in him, than if he could still give up himself to thy blessed will.

And hear, O most merciful Father, our prayers in his behalf, when he can no longer commend himself to thy mercies. Pardon, good Lord, pardon all his sins; impute not to him any of his former follies; lay not to his charge

A Prayer for a sick Person that wants Sleep. his not improving, or misusing, his reason and

(From Bishop Patrick.)

understanding, which we earnestly, but humbly, entreat thee to restore to him, together ADORED be thy love, thy wonderful love, with such a measure of thy divine grace, as O most Gracious God, who hast so many ways may quicken and assist him to employ his expressed thy bounty towards us. Thy mer-thoughts to the best purposes, especially in mecies in Christ Jesus surpass all our thoughts; ditating on thy mercies, in studying thy praise, we are not able to number all the other bless- and in exhorting all others to love thee, to How much ings thou hast bestowed upon us. trust in thee, and sincerely obey thee. do we owe thee for the quiet sleep of but one night! We see, in this thy poor afflicted servant, how much we ought to thank thee for this single blessing, that our eyes, when we would close them, are not held waking.

And while he remains thus deprived of his reason, be pleased to quiet and compose his spirits, or to prevent all furious motions there, or quickly to abate such violent passions, if any arise: for which end, be pleased to remove Pardon, good Lord, our ingratitude for this all frightful imaginations far from him, and and all the rest of thy undeserved mercies: suffer not the evil one to approach him; preand be pleased graciously also to visit him, who serve him from doing any harm, either to himstill languishes on his sick-bed, looking up to self or to any others. "Forsake him not, O thee from whom cometh our help. Renew Lord our God, be not far from him. his wasted spirits with comfortable sleep; com-haste to help him, O Lord our salvation." pose him to a sweet and undisturbed rest; re- "So will we give thanks unto thee for evfresh him thereby so sensibly, that he be may er." restored to such a degree of strength, as may make him able, in some measure, affectionately to ackowledge thy goodness, when thou hast dealt so bountifully with him: or if thou delayest to bestow that blessing on him, in the

Make

"We will be still praising thee, and showing forth thy loving kindness to those who

succeed us :"

* Psalm xl. 1. and xxxix. 12, 13.
+ Psalm xxxviii. 21, 22,

That they may set their hope in thee our God, and not forget thy works, but keep thy commandments." Amen.

thee, all his offences, and accept of the preparation and repentance that he was able to make before the distemper prevailed upon him, in so deadly a manner. Receive him, O Lord, in

A Prayer for a Person, when Danger is ap- to the arms of thy mercy, and accept him, for prehended by excessive Sleep.

(From Mr. Kettlewell.

O MERCIFUL God, let not this deep sleep, which is fallen on thy servant, prove the sleep of death; make it the sleep of a recovering person, to relieve and revive him: and awake

thy well-beloved Son's sake; that so this short night may quickly be turned into everlasting day; and, after these dark shadows are repiness, where," in thy light, he may see light" moved, he may find himself in a heaven of hapfor ever. Amen.

him out of it in thy due time, to offer thee A Prayer for Qne who hath been a notoriously praise, and to labour still among us in doing thee honour and service.

But if thou art pleased to take him to thyself, Lord, remember and accept of all his former prayers and repentance, faith and patience.

Look not upon his sins, but to pardon them; nor on his weaknesses, but to pity them: and when he awakes in the next world, let him find himself surrounded with light and bliss, instead of gloominess and sorrow, and awake to eternal life.

wicked Liver.

O LORD God, of infinite goodness and compassion, whose mercies are over all thy works; who makest the sun to shine, and the rain to descend, upon the "unjust" as well as the " just," and art kind even to the most unthankful; we humbly beseech thee, to look down in mercy upon this thy unworthy servant, who hath so long "trampled upon the riches of thy goodness, not knowing that it should lead to repentance."

Let thy rod, therefore, awaken him now to a sense of his condition, whom thy goodness hath not reclaimed, and let him still find mercy at thy hands, notwithstanding his continu

Lord, hear us for this thy weak servant in distress. Hear our prayers for him, who seems not able now to offer up any prayers to thee for himself. And accept both him and us to the blessed enjoyment of thy love through Je-al abuse of it. sus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for a Person lying insensible on a
Sick-bed.

Thou hast promised, O Lord, that, "when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness which he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive." O make good this thy promise to thy servant here, who stands in so much need of it.

O THOU PRESERVER of men, who knowest the frailty of our constitutions; how soon our senses may fail us, and our understanding depart from us; to what accidents, distempers, "Hide thy face from his sins, and blot out and decays, our weak nature is subject; even all his iniquities:" though they be "red as such as may make the most acute and judici-scarlet," yet do thou make them "white as ous quickly become as fools; and the ablest snow," by repentance, which we beg of thee and strongest, weak and insensible; O look to give him, and to accept, though late, through down, we beseech thee, upon thy servant, who thine infinite mercies. now lies in such a weak and insensible condition.

The less able he is to assist himself, the more need hath he of our prayers, and of thy tender mercy to him. O thou great Creator of the world, who broughtest light out of darkness, and madest all things out of nothing, and canst restore our dead bodies again after they are mouldered into dust, be pleased to repel the clouds of darkness which now have taken away the light of our brother's understanding, and rendered him a companion for the dead.

Quicken him again, O Lord, and restore him to his former senses, that his soul may bless and praise thy holy name.

99

Simon Magus, though in the "gall of bitterness, and the bond of iniquity," was exhorted to repent, and to pray for pardon: and therefore we hope the gate of life is still open for our brother, though he hath so long shut himself out of it, by going on in a course that leadeth to the "chambers of death."

Blessed Lord, let thy terrors at length awaken him out of this lethargical condition, before he is overtaken by thy judgments. Afflict him here, that thou mayest spare him hereafter. Soften his heart, that he may bewail his ill-spent life, like Mary Magdalen, with tears of contrition.

O quicken him to a sense of his duty, and of Hear our petitions, O Lord, and receive our his danger, before it be too late: and when prayers for our brother, that this image of death | thou hast brought him to his right mind, remay not be converted into death itself, but that ceive him, we beseech thee, as the compassionhe may live to prociaim thy power and to ce-ate father did his prodigal son, or the sheplebrate thy praises longer upon earth.

But if it be thy will to remove him hence in this insensible condition, O pardon, we beseech

herd his lost sheep.

Thou, O Lord, who didst pardon the thief upon the cross, hear our prayers for our bro