The Pathway to Prayer and Piety, Prayer 6
A THANKES GIVING AFTER DELIVERANCE from any croſſe or ſickneſſe.
O Eternall God, almightie and moſt mercifull Father, the life of them that die, the health of them that are ſick, and the only recouerer of them that are caſt downe: I thy late ſick and ſorrowfull ſeruant, doe with bended knées, and a thankfull hart, proſtrate my ſelfe before thée at this time; and doe thankefully acknowledge all thoſe benefits, which from my cradle thou haſt heaped vponupon mee till this preſent houre. When I was nothing I was created by thée: when I was worſe than nothing, I was redeemed by thee: When I was worthie nothing, I was ſanctified by thee: and when I ſhall returne to nothing, I ſhall bee glorified by thée. And though I neuer knew thee as I ought, loued thee as I ſhould, obeyed thee as thou commandeſt, nor thanked thée as thou deſerueſt for all thy fauours, yet haſt thou loaded mee ſo with thine abundant fauours, as if I had euer done thy will. Experience hauehave I had of thy goodneſſe many times, but neuer more then in my late & laſt viſitation. I acknowledge O Lord that at that time, I chattered like a ſwallow, I mourned like a doue, I panted like an hart, & all ioy and gladneſſe was parted from my ſoule. I looked vponupon my friends, they could not reliue mee; I ſent to the Phyſitians, they could not recouer mee; I vſed all meanes, no meanes would helpe mee: I ſought vntounto thée, yea to thée alone in my trouble, and thou haſt deliuered mee from all my diſtreſſe. My mourning is turned into mirth, my ſorrow into ſolace, my ſickneſſe into health, and my death into life. O thou, that art the welſpring of life, the fountaine of health, and the alone preſeruer of al mankind, what ſhal I render vntounto thee for all thoſe mercies that I hauehave receiued, and for all thoſe iudgements that I hauehave eſcaped? aske of mee, and I will giuegive it: command mee, and I will performe it: tell mee, and I will do it. A thankfull heart is a ſacrifice to thée; a gratefull minde is well pleaſing vntounto thée; and therefore in the ſight of thy ſacred Maieſtie, and in the eyes of all thy people, I will take the cup of ſaluation, and magnifie & praiſe thy holy name, that thou haſt dealt ſo fauorablie with me.
The pangs of death had ſeized vponupon mee, thou haſt reſtored me from death to life; the ſorrowes of the graue had taken hold vponupon mee, thou haſt deliuered my ſoule from the graue. Thou diddeſt hide the face of thy louing kindneſſe from me, now the light of thy countenance hath ſhined vponupon mee. And I who heard of late this meſſage with Hezechiah, Set thy ſoule in order, for thou ſhalt die and not liue, do now ſée and féele this ioyfull promiſe, I hauehave added to thy life yet a number of daies. Teach mee ſo to number theſe my daies aright, that I may applie mine hart vntounto wiſedome: and that howſoeuer I liue heere for a while, yet that thou haſt appointed, that I ſhall once die. And becauſe this meditation ought to be the meditation of all Chriſtians, and will teach vsus to contemne this preſent euill world, grant me that I euer may thinke of mine end, and that exact account, which I muſt giuegive vntounto thée, of euerie action I doe in this fleſh, whether it bee good or euill. To this purpoſe grant me the aſſiſtance of thy Spirit, that I may ſo liue hereafter before thee in this life, that I may liue with thée eternally in the life to come. Teach mee O Lord thy way, and I will walke in thy truth: knit mine heart vntounto duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page thee, that I may feare thy name: teach mee to do thy will, for thou art my God, let thy good Spirit leade me into the land of righteouſneſſe. Create in mee a new heart, renue a right ſpirit within mee, and eſtabliſh me with thy free Spirit. I asked of thee life, and thou gaueſt it mee, I called for thy ſaluation, and thou heardeſt me.
I will praiſe thee, O Lord, with all mine heart, and I will magnifie thy name for euer. For many are thy mercies towards mee, and thou haſt deliuered my ſoule from the loweſt graue. If thou deſiredſt burnt offrings, I would giuegive it thée; if all that I hauehave, I would beſtow it on thee; but a thankfull heart, an obedient life, a zealous profeſſion, a godly conuerſation, is the only ſacrifice thou delighteſt in: make me therefore euer hereafter, to deny vngodlineſſe and worldly luſtes, and to liue ſoberly, and godly, and righteouſly in this world: that others ſéeing my godly behauiour, may glorifie thée in the day of viſitation. Make me to repent of my ſinnes the cauſes of my ſickneſſe, to beleeue in Chriſt the author of my health, and to depend vponupon thée the doer and giuer of all good things. And now I am whole, giuegive me thy grace not to ſinne againe, leſt a worſe thing happen vntounto mee. To this end, rectifie my iudgement, ſtrengthen my memorie, purifie my conſcience, whet on mine affections, order my will, and put on all the faculties of my ſoule and bodie, that I may louelove thee for thy mercies vnfainedly, feare thée for thy iudgements vnceſſantly, praiſe thee for thy fauours continually, pray vntounto thee for thy goodneſſe daily, and obey thee according to thy will, dutifully. Make me to know thee as thou haſt reuealed thy ſelfe in thy Word, to acknowledge thee as thou haſt opened thy ſelfe in thy Sonne: to thinke on thee, as the ſolace of my ſoule, to cleaue vntounto thee, as the authour of ſaluation, and to ſpeake of thee as thou art wonderfull in all thy workes. My ſoule praiſe thou the Lord, and all that is within mee praiſe his holy name: my ſoule praiſe thou the Lord, and forget not all his benefits, which forgiueth all thy ſinnes, and healeth all thine infirmities, which redeemeth thy life from the graue, and crowneth thee with mercy and louing kindneſſe: which ſatisfieth thy mouth with good things, and renueth thy youth like the Eagles. Thou art full of compaſſion and merciemercy, ſlow to anger, and great kindneſſe. Thou wilt not alway chide, neither keepeſt thou thine anger for euer. Thou haſt not dealt with me according to my ſinnes, nor rewarded me according to mine iniquities. For as high as the heauen is aboue the earth, ſo great is thy merciemercy towards them that feare thee. As farre as the Eaſt is from the Weſt, ſo farre thou remoueſt my ſinnes from me. As a Father hath compaſſion on his children: ſo haſt thou compaſſion on them that feare thee. Thou knoweſt whereof we be made: thou remembreſt that we are but duſt. I will praiſe thee O Lord among the people, I will ſing vntounto thoe in the congregation of the Saints. For thy merciemercy is great aboue the heauens, and thy truth aboue the clouds. Let my ſoule liue, and it ſhall praiſe thee, and thy iudgements ſhall helpe mee: Helpe mee they ſhall to louelove thee more zealouſly, to feare thee more reuerently, and to obey thee more carefully all the daies of my life. I confeſſe, O Lord, that before I was afflicted, I went aſtray: but now I hauehave learned thy precepts. It is good for mee that I was afflicted, for I ſought vntounto thee in my troubles: I was in mine health an vntamed heifer, it was thy goodneſſe to lay thy yoke vponupon mee, and to giuegive mee courage to beare it patiently. Thou haſt taken it from mee before I ſhooke it off, but it will come againe: make me in proſperitie to thinke on aduerſitie, in health to thinke on ſickneſſe, in ſickneſſe to thinke on death, and at all times to thinke ſo on iudgement, that whether I wake or ſleep, eate or drinke, or whatſoeuer I do els, I may euer hauehave this voice ſounding in mine eares, Ariſe yee dead, and come vntounto iudgement. I will ſing vntounto the Lord all my life, as long as I hauehave any being, I will ſing praiſes vntounto my God. O my ſoule praiſe thou the Lord. Praiſe yee the Lord. Praiſed bee the Lord God of Iſrael from this time forth, and for euermore, and let all people ſay, Amen.
Are there not ten clenſed? where are the nine? there is none returned to giuegive thanks but this one, and he is a Samaritan. Luk. 17.17.18.
Behold thou art now whole, ſin no more, leſt a worſe thing happen vntounto thée.