The Last Battle of the Soul, Religious tract 1 · Part 6 · Section 1
A Prayer for the sicke Man.
O LORD, prepare our heartes to prayer: Let vsus not be rash with our mouth, nor hastie with our heart to vtter any thing before Thee.
O glorious GOD, and all mercifull Father, which art the true Physicion both of Soule and bodie; we must humblie bend our knees before Thee intreating thee to be with thy seruant heere whom thou hast now laide into this bedde of languishing: Let not his sinnes whereof hee hath beene guiltie from his youth vp, prouok thy wrath any more against him: Knit them all in a bundle, and cast them all behind thy mercifull back, burie them al into the bottomlesse sea of thy compassions, that they neither bee able to accuse him any more in this worlde, nor yet to condemne him in the world to come.Isa. 1. 18.
Though his sinnes, LORD, were like Scarlet and Crimsin, there is vertue into the Blood of thy Lambe to make them white like woole, and whiter than the Snow For thy Sonnes sake remoue all his transgressions asPsal. 103. … 12 far▪frō him as the East is from the west.
Hell, LORD, & Destruction are before thee, how much more the hearts of the Sonnes of men? Thine All seeing Eye, pryes most clearelie into the in-most closet of mans heart: Look with the Eye of thy compassions within the Doores of this wearied heart of thy Seruant: Looke in and proclaime merciemercy and pardon vntounto his sillie Soule.
Let him know that neither Death▪ nor Life shalbe able to separate him from thy LoueLove: O LORD, assist him and stand fast by him in this houre▪ Desert him not in his greatest & last agonie: Let thy Spirit possesse him so fullie that there be none entrie or roume for Satans temptations: whē the Temper is bufiest▪ let thy Spirite bee strongest: Arme him with all Pieces against the last conflict of this bloodie battell: Honour him with the Lawrels of victorie: Let thy strength be made perfect in his greatest weak nesse: Doe the turne by thine owne force, and take all the glorie to thy selfe.
By the vertue of thy Christ crucifie into him the olde Man and his vvorkes: Make him to die into him, that hee may liue to Thee, vvho toPhilip. 1. 21 all the Faithfull is aduantage both in life and death: Hee is now, LORD, walking betweene thy MercieMercy and thy Iustice through many-temptations: Gouerne thou his steppes vvith such vvisedome, that the feare of Iustice may keepe him from presumption, and the hope of merciemercy may preuent despaire: Increase his patience vvith his paine▪ Sanctifie his Sickenesse, make it as Bellowes to thy graces, that thereby they may be kindled and blowne vp to a greater flame.
Enamour him vvith the louelove of thy goodnesse: Powre in the oyle of thy merciemercy into his bruissed hearte, which hath bene filled with mournfull groanes.
And seeing now thou art calling him to repetitions, to see vvhat hee hath profited in thy Schoole, cast into his rememberance all the good things that hitherto hee hath heard or meditate for to comfort this houre▪ Bee strong in him now in this time of tryall: Applye vntounto his wounds the Balme of Gilead: Hee is weake▪ and therefore, O LORD, forbea…e him in thy merciemercy.
O pittie this wounded man as did that Samaritane: Powre Oyle intoLuk. 10. 33 his wounds, bind them vp, and take him to thine Inne: For thy mercies sake remember him: Forthy Sonnes sake pittie him: For thy promise sake forget him not: Free his Soule f… the maze of all worldlie cares: Inspite into him the life of grace with a most fresh vigout and feruent heate of zeale to thy Glorie: Hee, LORD▪ in his most piercing paines knoweth not what to doe, but his eyes are on Thee: In thine handes is both Life and Death: Thou bringest to the Graue, and bringest backe againe.
In thy greate merciemercy, O LORD,Psal. 41. 3 make all his bedde in his sicknesse, make his bedde to be a Schoole vntounto him, wherein hee may not onelie learne the hudgnesse of his owne miserie, but also the greatnes of thy merciemercy: Let neither Death fright him, nor the Graue grieue him: Let him knowe that Death is but a sleepe for the friendes of Christ, and the GraueIoh. 11. 11 a bedde for the resting of their wearied bones: Let not the weight ofIsa. 57. 2. mortalitie beare downe his Spirite frō minding the things which are aboue Col. 3. 1.Make him content to quite gladlie all earthlie pleasures and contentments for to goe & dwell with Thee his GOD in immortalitie.
Let neither the sweetnesse of the Figge, nor the grapes of the Vine, nor the fatnesse of the O liue hinder his desire to reigne in heauen: Against the feare of death comfort him with hope of the glorious Resurrection: Assure his Soule though his bodie goe to bee eaten of the wormes, that hee in that bodie againe shall see his Redeemer and none other for him: Furnish him with spirituall courage vntounto the end: GiueGive him boldnesse to march without feare thorow the valey of Psal, 23. 4.death for to come to Thee, yea▪ to run were it thorow Hell for to come to Thee in Heauen.
Tell vntounto his Soule that his paines dismay him not, seeing his trauell is to bring foorth eternall life▪ Let thy Iustice seate trouble him no more, seeing Christ hath payed his debts: Let him not bee afraide to come before the Face of his Iudge, seeing the Iudge himselfe is his Brother, who hath both cut & cancelled that hand-writting of the Law, which no flesh was able to performe.
Pittie him, LORD, pittie him, for loe hee is nowe in thine handes looking pittifully vp to Thee for thy merciemercy: Some of thy setters are yet vponupon him, none can loose him but the hands which hauehave bund him: Pittie good LORD, and pardon, set vntounto this Soule the seale of thy pardons by the Spirit of adoption: Heale and sweetlie close vp the wounds of his Spirit by the vertue of thy most blessed Blood.
This is our confidence, that thou who hast stricken him is able to heale him, and will also doe it, if it bee for thy glorie and his well, if not, Lord, in judgement remember merciemercy.
If it bee his best that after some dayes sicknesse he depart out of this mortall life, let these paines which hee suffers nowe bee like Ionathans 1 Sam. 20. 20arrowes which were not shot for to …urt but to giuegive warning.
GiueGive him grace that like an obedient Childe hee may as w…ll kisse thine hand while it beateth as while it blesseth.
If thy decree be come foorth that hee must remoue from this World, assure him of a better place▪ where pleasures are in greater number th… the starres: Teach him by thy Spirit that by death hee shall change a mortall habitation, a dungeon of darknes… … cage of corruptions for euerlasting T… bernacles, most heauenlie sacred M… sions where constant peace & vnmi… joyes remaine: Weane his heart from the louelove of all things that are vnderunder the Sunne: Let the beautie and glorie of the Heauens whereof hee hath heard at length this day, drawe the desires of his heart to abide into that P…lace of pleasures, where there is Light without Darknesse; Mirth without Sadnesse, Health without Sicknesse▪ Wealth without want, & Beautie without blemish: For the sake, of thy dea…e Selfe, seale vp into his Soule the assurance of thy louelove, that in all bol… nesse through the bleeding bowels of Christes compassions hee may come to the Throne of thy grace, & frō thence he may enter into glory▪
O LORD, the comfort, the joye, and the glorie of Israel. Bee fauourable to thy distressed Sainctes dispersed vponupon the Earth: Thy Church here below is like a shippe on the sea: Though it floate aloft, it is fore tossed to and f…o with wind and with waue: thou therin▪ seemeth whiles to sleep: Now, LORD, at last awake, in these boisterous blastes: Master, Master, saue vsus, for wee perish: Awake, O LORD, and rebuke the winds: Alas, O LORD, thou seemeth now to lowre in thy wrath, by driuing all our petitions from Thee with a darke and cloudie countenance, so that these that trust in Thee are cleane dashed out of countenance while they heare the scorninges of the aduersaries who nowe waste and hauocke thy Vine.
Arise, O LORD, as a man of war: Awake, as one out of sleepe, and like a Psal. 78. 65mightie man that shouteth by reason of Wine: Smite thou all the enemies in the hinder partes, and put them to a perpetuall reproach: Take the Cudgell into thine hand and stricke a way these Dogges which follow Thee but for crustes: Let vsus neuer bee colde or carelesse in the distresse of others, but for to assure vsus that wee are all members of one Bodie, giuegive vsus this pledge of mourning with these that mourne: Make vsus all to bee grieued for the affliction of Ioseph.
Blesse our gracious SOVERAIGNEAmos. 6. 6 with the Spirit of Wisedome and of Grace, Rescue Him from all dangers both bodilie & ghostlie: Thogh Hee bee a Prince among men, yet Hee is thy Subject: Thou who by Grace hast made Him to reigne ouer thy people on earth, at the end of his appointed time when the dayes of His Reigne shall bee happilie finished, exalt Him highlie in the heanens among thy Sainctes and Angels: So long as Hee is heere, let Him know that it standeth Him fast in hand to bee an Hornager vntounto Thee: Direct him so in all His cariage that His whole life may bee to all His Subjects an holy patronage of good example: Let Him neuer retract nor repeale that vow which Hee made at His Coronation for to maintaine the puritie of thy Gospel, and for to bee a louing Father vntounto thy people: Cloth his enemies with Psal. 132. 18shame, but vponupon Himselfe make His Crowne to flourish.
Blesse His Royall Match: Make Her to striue & stretch all the powers of Her Soule by prayer in searching the sincere knowledge of thy truth▪ LORD, in Her carefull search make Her to say at last with the Spouse, I hauehave found him whom my Soule loueth, Psal. 1. 6I will not let him goe: Thou, LORD, louest Trueth in the inward partes, and therefore, so sanctifie Her Hearte, that She may day lie thriue in the power of Godlinesse: Though all outward meanes should faile Her, bee Thou to Her in stead of all meanes, aboundantlie supplying Her with the power and presence of thy Spirit: Leuell, LORD▪ Her Heart directlie to the louelove of Christ & of him crucified, that by a true & liuelie Faith in him Shee may shine among the Sainctes in Heauen like one who in a great measure hath beene receiued in Grace on earth: Let thy Preastes bee Psal. 132. 9cloathed with righteousnesse.
Blesse all our Nobles, mak them truelie noble, not like Ephraim, whose righteousnesse was like the morning Hos. 6▪ 1.dew: Let them neuer for feede or fauour slinke or shrinke back from the puritie of thy Gospel established in this Land: GiueGive vntounto vsus all courage for the Trueth, that wee may bee bold to resist euen vntounto the blood▪ not beeing like these who at the first in an hote and hastie zeale promise faire with Peter, but anone at the first womanlie temptation start aside like deceitfull bowes: Suffer no sinne to goe current with vsus without check: Let vsus neuer follow the sway of tymes, with sewed Cushions vnderunder our Elbowes.
LORD, abide with vsus this night: As thou hast drawne the night Curtaine of darknesse vponupon the face of the earth, so bee thou a pillar of the cloude betweene vsus and our enemies: Hide our soules from Sathans temptations, as by the cloudie pillar thou hid the Israelites from the Egyptians: Make vsus this night to sleepe softlie and soundlie in thine Armes, that our bodies beeing refreshed with sleepe, may bee the better enabled to morrow for to sette foorth thy Glorie in the work of our Vocation.
LORD, let these our weake prayers come vp before Thee like Pillars of smoke perfumed with theCan. 3. 6. liuelie sauoure of thy Son, To whom with Thee and the Spirit of Grace, bee endlesse Glorie and Dominion for euer.
Now Sir, wee hauehave recommended you God, to who is stretching out the Armes of his merciemercy, readie for to receiue your Soule, into the bosome of his LoueLove: Make you nowe readie for him, for in all appearance ye are not farre from the doores of death: BeePsal. 107. 18 vigilant in prayer, lest Satan yet put in his leauen into the Spirites dough, and so by sowring it, make it distastfull to the Lord: By a little droppe of filth the pure webbe of the Spirit will become a menstruous cloath.
The sicke Man.
The lost Sheepe is found: I giuegive you most heartie thankes for that feruent prayer: I pray God that it be heard in the Heauen, as Solomon prayed for these yt prayed in the Temple which he had builded, saying, Then Kin. 8. 34heare thou in Heauen: Lord, graunt that these comforts and contentments bee not deceiuable feelinges and flashings of joye: O Lord, let not the Spirit of Grace in this new birth recoyle, as once Zarah in Thamars wombe. Seeing God hath furnished me with a new spirituall strength. I wish that I culd imploy it well for ye short space that I hauehave to liue among mortall wightes in this region of corruption.A prayer
O Lord, stirre all the streames of mine affections toward thy selfe: Wound, ward, weaken, & wasle all my delightfull and darling sinnes, that my whole joye may rest on Thee: command & confine all my thoghts to thy selfe, that by Faith my Soule may seaze and lay hold on the merits of Christ the celestiall Pearles of price: Disburthen my soule of euerie weight that hangeth so fast on; lest that thereby it should bee swayed away from Thee.
I finde mine hearte stirred with a feruent desire to powre out it selfe in prayer before God: I pray you all that sit by, to joyne your affections with mine into this worke.