The Last Battle of the Soul, Religious tract 1 · Part 5 · Section
A Prayer for the sicke Man.
O Great and Omnipoten… GOD, whose Eyes are ten thousand time▪ brighter than the Sunne at Noone Day: Our sinnes cannot bee hidde from The… Faine would wee confesse them, but alas, for this hardnesse of hear… Smite, O LORD, smite these our hearts of yron, soften them with the fire of thy Spirit, till my: sighs & sobs they melt within our boweles: O… LORD, who shall not feare thee, to whom is giuen all power both in heauen and earth.
When we remember thy last Sessions which shall bee in that great & last judiciall day, it maketh all the haires of our head to start vp: Wee are instructed by thy diuine Word1 Cor. 7. 31 that the fashion & figure of this world shall passe away, and that all Thrones Dan. 7. 9.shall bee remoued, that that most Royall & glorious Throne may bee erected for the comming of the Son of man.
O LORD, in that great and terrible day all thinges must compeare naked before Thee: Then shalt thouHeb. 4. 13 bring to light the things which were hidde in darknesse, and shalt make manifest the most secret counsels of mens hearts: From thy face nothing shall bee able to procure escape: Happie shall that Soule be on whom in that day thou shalt bleink with a reconcealed face.
O gracious GOD, whose goodnesse is bottomlesse, and greatnesse immeasurable: Now speake home to the hearte of thy seruant heere, who in his fainting weaknesse hath desired me to powre out this prayer for him: All his desires are toward thee, stampe vponupon his Soule the Image of thy selfe: GiueGive him a pawne and a pledge of thy fauour, make him assured that in that day hee shall finde thee a fauourable Iudge, who shall cry on him among the rest of thy Children, Come yee vntounto mee yee blessed of my Father, and receiue Matth. 25. 34a Kingdome.
Let this consideration beare out in the stormie houre of the last assaults: Set a strong Guarde and a narrow watch ouer his heart, lest he bee vnawares surprised by Sathans craftie plots: Let the Sconce of thy merciemercy fence off the partching hea…e of Sathans most fierie temptations kindled in a bone-fire: Furnish him now with such grace whereby hee may possesse his Soule in patience, looking for that blessed hope, and appearing of thy glorie in the cloudes.
It was long since written by thyIam. 5. 9. blessed Pen-men, That the Iudge standeth before the doore, and that the end of all things draweth neere: Now seeing sin is come to such an hight, that thy Iustice cannot much longer forbeare, but that thou must come shortlie to put an end to this most corrupt world: LORD, cleanse quite away all our corruptiōs before thou come.
Grant that continuallie with ye wiseMatth. 25. 4. Virgines wee may hauehave our Lampes of oyle trimmed for the comming of our Lord, the blessed Bridegroome ofIoh. 3. 29. our Soules: Graunt that in that day with gladnesse wee may lift vp our Luk. 21. 28heades, beeing assured of a gracious welcomming vntounto our Masters joy.Matth. 25. 2…
Keepe this euer fast in our memorie as an aweband aboue our heades, for to keepe vsus from sinne, that Christ the determined Iudge of ye world shal come for to render to eueryevery one according as he or she hath done in the days of their flesh: grant therefore that whether we sleepe or we wak, the shrill Trumpet of Gods voyce may be as if it were euer sounding to our Soules, Arise for to compeare in judgement.
O LORD, enlighten our mistie mindes, that with an vndazeled eye euerie one of vsus may try and descry clearelie our owne estate in this world,
In a more speciall manner let it please thee to regard thy poore prisoner heere in this bed of languishing, whō Satan hath soght to sift that his Faith might faile: Waken his Soule softlie with a mercifull motion of thy Spirit of comfort: Let him not bee like these who in a dull, dead, and senslesse securitie not thinking on Death, chop in the earth before that euer they bee awares, neither suffer Sathan to quench his clearest comforts with ye dampe of despare: By this heauie sickenesse which daylie increaseth, thou is now Summoning thy seruant here to a perticular and personall compearance before thy great Tribunall: Let him finde thy Royall seate to be a merciemercy seate: Proclaime vntounto his Conscience in his inward partes, that thou wilt neuer enter into judgement with him: Assure his Soule that hee is one of thine, and that there is no condemnation Rom. 8. 1…to these that are in Christ Iesus, who vntounto all his faithfull is like a Ezek. 11. 16.little Sanctuarie.
Let the graces of thy Spirite bee all night like a bundle of Myrrhe intoCant. 1. 23 his bosome: Seale vp in his heart this comfort, that hee who shall bee his Iudge, is hee, euen hee, who is now his Aduocat, interceeding at the1 Ioh. 2. 1. right hand of the Father for him: GiueGive him strength couragiouslie to fight out this bloodie Battell, that in the ende thou may set on his head that neuer fadding Crowne of righteousnesse 2 Tim. 4. 8Let Sathan be now chained vp that hee bee not able any more to set by the eares the corruptions of his nature with the motions of thy grace.
He confesseth LORD, before thee that if presentlie thou should pronounce his doome, and suddenlie plunge him in the deepest Hels, that righteousnesse in so doing should belongDan. 9. 7. to thee: This from his heart would hee acknowledge being willing, that thy Name may bee glorified, to take to himselfe shame and confusion of face.
O LORD, whose bowels euer rumble with cōpassions raine downe vponupon thy seruāts heart here a showre of grace, for it is parched and dryed with greiefe and sorrow: Pittie him for he abhorreth himselfe as a stained sinner stript of all good things, worthie to be crushed vnderunder ye mountaines & milstones of thy vengeance, Neither dar he, neither will he plead against thee for his innocencie: Here hee is readie to subscribe all thy will were it with the best arteriall blood of his heart: His confessiō is, that thou art most just though from thy presence thou should banish him to the blacke lacke and woefull dungeon of darknesse, where is nothing but weeping and Matth. 8. 12gnashing of teeth.
Out of a sore sense & aboundance of feeling, hee powreth out this most plentifull & sincere confession before thee: Behold, him here Lord, opening the bosome of his confession and selfe condemnation before thee. O thou, whom his Soule loueth, tell him where thou feedest, and where thou makest thy flocke to rest at noone in the time of parching and most piercing heate of temptations: O coole this fainting Soule with thy blessed breath comming from the foure windes: Besprinkle it with the sauing and sacred Blood of Iesus.
Thou, LORD, who is the chiefe Paterne and examplar of all true Kindnes, Pittie, & LoueLove: Let his groanes and supplications get entrie into thine eares: Send downe the Ladder of Iaacob, the ministring Spirits Heb. 1, 14for to waite vponupon him, who is one of thy Redeemed ones, that when his Soule shall bee seuered from his bodie, they may carrie it into the blessed bosome of Abraham ye father ofLuk. 16. 22 the Faithfull: GiueGive him a sound & a Sanctified heart, say vntounto his Soule as thou said of olde concerning thy beloued Children, I will delight to doe him good: Take away the trespasse of thy seruant, and saue him; for hee distrusting his owne worth, is now fledde to the hornes of thine Altar, euen to the crosse of Iesus, the Sanctuarie of troubled Soules.
As Elishah was first inuested with a single Spirit and thereafter with a doubled Spirit, so now in thy tender compassions double thy graces vponupon him, which were but single of before: Let thy fauours falling downe vponupon him, bee like the raine which falleth first in small droppes, and after powreth downe in grea… aboundance: O quicken and enliuhis Soule with a supernaturall vi gour and life of grace, that by no lowring tempest of temptation his holie Faith bee dashed out of countenance: Let not his Hope bee like the Spiders webbe which is easilieIsa. 59. 5. sweept away with the least blast of winde: The weaker his bodie grow, increase so much the more his spirituall strength: Verifie that Text in him, To him that hath shall bee giuen: Matth. 25. 29Thou who giuest repentance to the sinner, giuegive pardon to the repenter: In the boisterous blasts of most fearfull temptations let his sillie Soule finde a shelter vnderunder the shadow of thy fauour: There is no succour but vnderunder thy wings from the plagues of God, and curses of the Law: Thy Blood onelie is able to purge & purifie him from the froth and filth of all his iniquities.
Seeing hee hath dealt vnpartialie with himselfe, by condemning himselfe, let thy merciemercy for the sake of thy Sonne his surtiship now absolue him, draw out the keen arrows of thy wrath which thou hast made to stick in his ribbes, the poyson whereof hath Iob. 6. 4.drunken vp his Spirit: O how fearefull hauehave thy terrours set themselues in aray against him: Beginne Lord, and continue to slacke thy wrath Be with him now in thy great mercy, O LORD, and conuoye him by the graces of thy Spirit thorow the snakie field & wildernesse of this world wherein hee hath beene like a Pilgrime, or a Traueller passing from Towne to Towne, till hee come into his Inne, where he hopeth by thy merciemercy to bee exempt from all mixture of miserie: Hee is now in the heate of his journey: Let some cooling droppes of thy comforts bee send vntounto him, for to coole and quench his drougth in the scorching heate of this spirituall skirmish: Thou who made waters to rush out of the jaw bone, for the refreshing of Samson Iudg 15. 19after his fight with ye Philistimes, giuegive vntounto this wearied soule a drink of that water whereof if a man drink hee shall neuer thirst any more.Ioh. 4. 14.
And now seeing in all appearance he is not for to remaine manie dayes vponupon this Earth, make him to be still looking all the dayes of his appointed Ioh. 14. 14.time till his changing come: grant that when it shall come, hee may change for the better, and that for the glorie of thy great Name, and for the euerlasting rest▪ peace, and joye of his sillie sorrow beaten Soule: O crush the head and breake the heart of euerie sinne, that lurketh, within his breast, left they choke the Soule of this thy Turtle Doue: Bee no more sowre vntounto him: If thou should appeare grieslie with a sterne countenance vntounto sinners, how soone should they bee out-faced, if thou straitlie m… iniquitie, who shall stand? But O, merciemercy is with thee: Let that merciemercyPsal. 130. 4 that is with thee come to him, wherby all his floating thoughts may bee made to sink & soake into the Blood of the Lambe, the softner and soupler of stiffe and hardened heartes: In the darkest houre of death bee thou the comfort and darlling del…ght of his heart: O Pastour of Israel, now put an end to all the cloudie and darke dayes of his distresse. Tak in this silly Soule, thy little Lambe within the compasse of thine heauenlie folde, till it winne there, refresh it with a baire in its journey, let no meanes bee deficient, til in it thou crowne thy graces with thy glorie.
LORD, blesse thy Church vniuersall, the deare Spouse of Iesus, as they are all members of one Body, make them all to bee of one heart, that in an heauenlie harmonie, they may all thinke one thing: Stop the mouth of the red Dragon from spewing out the red bloodie floodes of persecution against Her, if not, giuegive Her the winges of Faith whereby Shee may flee to the wildernesse for Her escape: O cloth her Priests with Psal. 132. 16Saluation, that all her Saints may shout a lowd for joye: GiueGive them one mind and one mouth: But, alas, Icabod, where nowe is that glorie?
Preserue our gracious SOVERAIGNE with his Royall Match: Send down a princelie Spirit vponupon him: Keepe them as the Apple of thine Eye: As thou hast bund their bodies into the bond of wed locke, so bind their Soules into the bandle of life: Make the Heauens to rejoyce at her Majesties conuersion: LoueLove Her, LORD, as thou loued Lidea, by the opening of herAct. 16. 14 heart.
Make both Crowne and Court seruiceable to thee the greatest Majestie aboue.
Sanctifie all our Nobles, make them lik the men of Berea, couragious Act. 17. 11for the Trueth, Plants of renowne.
Guide vsus all in the way of righteousnesse, and weane vsus from the louelove of this Worlde: Prepare vsus for the last Battell of the Soule: Suffer neuer Sathan with the mood of his temptations to trouble or distemper the cleare Riuers of thy comforts, wherwith thou refresheth thy beloued Ones: Suffer neuer that prince of darknesse to put out with his dampes the glorious Light of thy Gospel, which now most orientlie shineth among vsus.
LORD, perfume all our vnwhorthie prayers with the sweete smelling righteousnes of Iesus Christ our Lord & Master, in whose most blessed Name wee pray, as hee hath pleased him to teach vsus, Our Father which art. &c.
By Gods grace Sir, I shall returne the Morrow earelie: The Spirit of Iesus print into your heart the best comforts of his Treasures: Remember Sir, that all our goodnesse is of him, for naturallie wee are hewen out of a sinfull rocke: All our guises are but guile, till we bee cast into another mould by the Spirit of regeneration.
Striue more and more to bee constant and couragious till this bitterIsa. 9. 5. Battell bee ended: For euerie Battell of the Warriour is with confused noise, and garments rolled in Blood.
Now the night is fallen downe:Iob. 4. 13. while deepe sleepe falleth on mē, strin… to bee acquainted with the Teacher Psal 16 7.of the reines in the night season: If the paine of your sicknes rob your eyes of sleepe, cause read vntounto you this night Dan. 7. 1. Cor. 15. 1. Thess. 4.
The LORD pul off your Soule al theA prayer filthie menstruous cloutes of your corruptions, and cloath you with the most rich & invaluable Robe of Christs righteousnesse: The Lord fill your heart with the inspirations of the Almightie: His Grace bee with you.