The Flower of Godly Prayers, Prayer 72 – Prayer 73
A prayer to be sayed for all suche as lye at the poynt of deathe.
O Moste louynge Sauioure and gentle redemer, whyche cammest into this world to call synners vntounto repentance, & to seke vp yt was loste, thou seest in what case thys oure brother lyeth here: visited with thy mercyful hand al weake, feble, sick and ready to yeld vp his soule into thi holi hands. O loke vpō him (most gentle sauiour) with thy merciful eie, pitie him and be fauorable vntounto him. He is thy workmanshippe, despise not therefore the work of thine owne handes. Thou sufferedst thy blessed body & thy precyous bloud to be shed for his sins, and to bring hym vntounto the glory of thy heauenlye father, let it not therefore come to passe, that thou shuldest suffer so great pains for him in vaine. He was baptised in thi name, and gaue himself wholy to be thy seruaunt, forsakynge the deuyl, the world and the flesh, confesse hym therefore before thy heauenlye father and hys blessed aungels to be thy seruaunt.Prou. xvi. Hys synnes, we confesse, ar great (for who is able to sai, mi hert is clene and I am fre from synne) but thy mercyes, o Lord, are much greater.Ma…h. ix. And thou cāmest not to cal y• ryghteous, but synners vntounto repentance.M…th…. xi, To them that are disesed and ouerladen wyth the burdē of sin doste thou promyse ease. Thou art that god,Ezec. xviii. which willest not the death of a synner, but rather that he shoulde turne & lyue. Thou art the sauioure which wishest all men to be saued,i. Timo. ii. and to come to the knoledge of thy truth Withdraw not therfore thy merci frō him because of his sins, but rather lay vponupon hym thy sauynge health, that thou maist shewe thy self toward hym to be a sauioure. What greter praise cā ther be to a phisiciō, thē to hele ye sick? Nether cā th…r be a gr…ter glori, to the being a …auiour then to saue siners saue hī therfore, o lord for thi nāe sake Agaī let ye law b… …o …orsiffe to his consciēce but rather giuegive hī grace euen in this extreme agoni & cōflict of deth to be fully persuaded that thou by thy death hast takē away al his sīs,Ro… ▪ i. fulfilled ye law for him & bi this means deliuered hym from the cursse of the lawe,Galath. iii and paied his ransome: yt he thus being fully perswaded may hauehave a quiet herte, a fre conscience, & a glad wil to forsake this wretched world: and to go vntounto ye his lorde god. Moreouer thou hast conquered him that hadde rule of death, euē satā,Hebru, ii. suffer him not therfore to exercise hys tirranny vpō this our sycke brother, nor to disquiet his cōsciēce with ye errours of sin and pains of hell.Gse…. xiii. i. Cori. xv.Lette not Satan nor his infernall army tempt him further thē he is able to bear but euermore gyue hym grace euen vntounto his last breath valeantly to fight against the deuil witha a stronge fayeth in thy precyouse bloud yt he may fyght a good fight and finish his course with ioy vn the to glorye of thi name, and the health of his soul. O lord so work in him by thy holy spirite, that he wyth al his hert may contempne & dispise al worldly thyng…s, and set his minde who…ly vponupon heauē ly thynges, hopyng for thē with a strong & vndouted fayth. Agayn let it not greue him o swet sauior to be lo…oned frō this vile & wretched carcase, which is now so full of sorowe, trouble, anguysh sickenes, and paine: but rather let h…m hauehave abent and readye wyll, thorowe thy goodnesse to putte it of, yea and that wyth this faith▪ that he. at the last daye, shall receyue it agayn in a much better state then it is now or euer was frō the daie of hys byrthe,Phil. iii. euen a bodye vncorruptible, immortal and like to thy glorious body. Let hys whol hert and mynde be set only vppon the· Let the remēbraunce of the ioies of heauē be so feruent in his brest that he may bothe pacientlye and thanckfully take his deathe,ii. Cori. xv. and euer wish to be with the in glory. And when the time cōmeth, that he shall gyue ouer to nature and depart from this miserable world vouchesafe we most humblye beseche the, O Lorde Iesu to take his soule into thy handes, and to place it among the glorious company of thy holy angels and blessed Saynctes, and to kepe it vntounto that mooste ioyfull daye of the general resurrecciō, that both his bodye and soule thorow thyne almyghty power being knit againe togither at that daye, he maye for euer and euer enioy thy glorious kindom and sing perpetuall praises to thy blessed name. Amen.
☞A thankesgeuynge vntounto God for the departure of the faythful out of thys world.
O How can we (most louing father) render vntounto the sufficient thanks for thine in estimable goodnes toward thi faithful seruauntes, whome thou calling out of this wretched worlde, vouchestsafe to place in thy heauenly kingdō amonge the gloryous company of thy holy aūgels and blessed saintes.Psal. cxv. O full precyous is the death of the faithful in thy sighte. Blessed are the deade that dye in the, O Lord:Apoc. xiiii. For they are at reast frō their paynful trauails and labours. The souls of the righteous are in thy hand,Sapi. iii. O God, and the payne of death shall not touch them. In the syghte of the vnwise thei appere to die, but they are in peace. They shine as the sparckes, that runne thorowe the reed bushe.Danie. xii. They glyster as ye shining of heauen. Thei are as ye stars, world wythout ende. They ar as ye angels of God.Math. xx…i. Apoc. iiii They are clad wt white garmentes, & hauehave goldē crownes vponupon their heads They do seruice day & nyght before the glorious throne of thi diuine Maiesty.Apoca vii. They nether honger nor thirst anye, more neyther doth the sun or any heat fal vponupon them for the lambe which is in ye mids of the thron, gouerneth thē, and ledeth them vntounto the lyuing foūtains of waters. They folow the lābe whithersoeuer he goeth. They hauehave such ioies▪ E…ay lxiii. i. …or. iii.as eie hath not sene, nor eare hath herd neyther is th…r any hert able to thīck them. Infinite and vnspeakable are the tresures, O Lord, whych thou haste layed vp for them, that depart in thy fayth. For these thy fatherly benefyts toward ye souls of the fayethful, & for that it hath pleased the to cal our Christē brethren and sisterne from this vale of misery vntounto thy heuenly kingdome, we geue vntounto the most herty thanks, humbly beseching the that thou wylte take lyke care for vsus, and so gouern vsus wyth thy holye spirite both in sycknes and in health, that we maye lyue a good and godlye lyfe in thys preas…nte world, and whensoeuer it shalbe thy good plesure to call vsus hence, we may with strong faith in the, and in thy sōne Christe Iesu our Lord, commēd both our bodies & soules into thy mercifull handes and thorowe thy goodnes be placed in thy gloryous kyngdome, among thy faythfull chosē people, and so for euer and euer praise & magnify the our heauenli father, to whome with thi derely beloued son Iesu Christ our Lord and sauior, and the holy gost that moste swete comfortour be al glory and honor worlds without end. Amē.
Finis.