A Manual for True Catholics, Prayers 3
Certaine Praiers vſed by our Fore-fathers in the darkeſt times of Popery, in the time of a mans ſickeneſſe: ſome to bee made for the ſicke, and ſome by the ſicke perſon: gathered out of the ſame ancient books. When the ſicke perſon feeles his ſtrength to faile, then let him commend his ſoule to God in this Praier.
O Moſt high and ſoueraigne God whoſe goodneſſe and merciemercy is infinite: ô moſt glorious Trinity, which art louelove, and merciemercy, and goodneſſe it ſelfe, hauehave mercy on me moſt miſerable ſinner, for vntounto thee, and vntounto thy hands I commend my ſpirit: ô Lord, my moſt louing God, & father of mercies, ſhew thy mercy on me thy poore creature, and forſake mee not in my laſt neede, but ſtand with me Lord, and helpe my ſuccourleſſe ſoule, ſaue my poore and deſolate ſoule, that it bee not deuoured of the infernall dogges.
O moſt louing Lord, & ſweet Sauiour Ieſus Chriſt, the ſonne of the liuing God, I beſeech thee for the honor, and by the vertue of thy moſt bleſſed paſſion command that I may be receiued into the number of thy Saints, and ſeruants.
O my Sauiour & my Redeemer I here yeeld vp my ſelfe wholly to thee, O grant mee thy grace and thy glory, vochſafe me pardon of my ſin, and giuegive me a portion of thy glory. But ô my deere Lord, I chalenge not a place in heauen for any worthines of my owne merits, for I am but duſt & aſhes, & a moſt wretched finner: but for the vertue of thy moſt bleſſed paſſiō, by which thou diddeſt vouchſafe to redeeme mee miſerable man, and to purchaſe heauē for me, euen with the price of thy precious bloud. I beſeech thee therefore by thy moſt bleſſed, & bitter paſſion, which thou ſuſtainedſt on the Croſſe for me, eſpecially in that houre whē thy bleſſed ſoule did leaue the body, that thou wouldeſt hauehave mercy on my poore ſoule at the time of my departure.
Then let him lift vp his heart with ioy and thankſgiuing, and ſay, Lord thou haſt broken my bonds, therefore I will offer to thee the ſacrifice of praiſe.
After, if his weakneſſe grow ſo that hee looſe the vſe of his ſpeech, let ſome of the by-ſtanders ſay theſe prayers following ouer him, or more if he liue ſo long.
MErcifull God and Father wee beſeech thee for the multitudes of thy mercies, look fauourably vponupon this thy ſeruant (our deere brother) who with true and hearty confeſſion ſeeks pardon of all his ſinnes at the hand of thy mercies, O Lord heare vsus for him, and we beſeech thee for him, moſt holy father, to renew in his heart what euer is corrupted by the frailty of his fleſh, and reſtore that grace which the wily and malicious enemy the diuell hath ſtolne out of his ſoule: O Lord recall him to the vnity of thy Church; ingraft him into the body of thy ſoule. O Lord take pitty of the ſighes and ſobbes of his ſoule, and groanes of his heart, o Lord looke vponupon his teares, gather them in thy bottle, and be good to him, who hath no hope, comfort nor confidence, but in thy mercy, and ſeale vp the aſſurance of his reconciliation with thee. O moſt holy Father we humbly commend the ſoule of this thy ſeruant, and our brother into the hands of thy vnmeaſureable mercies, humbly beſeeching thee, according to the greatneſſe of that louelove in which the bleſſed ſoule of thy ſonne did commend it ſelfe into thy holy hands, that for the worthineſſe of that infinite louelove of thine, in which thou didſt receiue that holy ſoule vntounto thy ſelfe, thou wouldſt vouchſafe in this our brothers laſt houre, to receiue his poore ſoule alſo and make it partaker of the ſame louelove.
And thou moſt ſweete Sauiour and moſt mercifull Lord Ieſus, thou that dying on the croſſe was ſo preſſed with anguiſh and torments for vsus, as made thee ſound out that pittiful voyce vntounto thy Father: My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken me, we beſeech thee eſtrange not thy ſelfe, and turne not away thy face frō thy ſeruant our brother, now in the houre of his ſoules affliction, when his ſtrength faileth, and his ſpirits are ſo ſpent that he cannot cal vponupon theee: heare vsus O Lord: heare vsus for him, and for that thy glorious victory in which thou didſt triumph on the croſſe, & for thy pretious paſſion and bitter death thinke of him the thoughts of mercy and not of iuſtice: ſhed thy mercies in his ſoule & ſpeak cōfortably to his conſcience, deliuer his ſoule out of all ſpirituall diſtreſſe, ſaue him frō the tormēts due vntounto his deſeruings, & bring him, for thy own merits ſake, to eternal reſt. O Lod Ieſus Chriſt which didſt redeem vsus with thy precious bloud, write with thine own bloud, in the ſoule, and ingraue thy wounds in the heart of this thy ſeruant, that in thē he may ſee & read thy doleful ſuffrings & thy ſweet louelove: thy ſufferings that they may be effectual to raſome him frō thoſe ſorrows & torments which he hath merited by his ſins: thy louelove that it may vnite his heart to thee, in inuiſible & inſeparable bonds, ſo as he may neuer be ſeperated frō, thee nor thy Saints, for euer and euer.
And Lord Ieſus Chriſt we beſeech thee make his ſoule partaker of all the merits of thy moſt ſacred incarnation, paſſion, reſurrection, and aſcention. Make him pertaker of the vertue of thy moſt bleſſed ſacraments, and all thy holy myſteries. Make him pertaker of all the praiers & good deedes done in thy whole Church. Make him pertaker of al the bleſſings, graces, and comforts of all thy elect, and grant that with them all he may liue in thy preſence for euermore. O Lord which powred out thy prayer for vsus on the mount Oliuet, and ſweat water and bloud, wee beſeech thee, let that precious bloud of thine, which thou didſt ſo aboundantly poure out for our ſaluation, let it bee preſented and offered to thy father to ſtand againſt the multitude of of the ſinnes of this thy ſeruant, our brother: Lord be with him at his laſt houre, and then deliuer him from the anguiſh and torments which for his ſins he may iuſtly feare: Graciouſly receiue his ſoule in the houre of his departure: open the gate of heauen vntounto him, and giuegive him a portion with thy Saints in glory, for thy owne moſt glorious merite, O Lord Ieſus Chriſt, who with God the Father, and the holy Ghoſt, liueſt and raigneſt one God for euermore, Amen.
And when the ſicke mans ſtrength beginnes to faile, and the ſoule is ready to depart: then let the ſoule be commended to God by one of the by-ſtanders on this manner.
The Commendation of the ſoule to be ſaid at a mans death.
I Heere commend thee to Almighty God moſt deere brother, and I commit thee to him whoſe creature thou art. Go forth therefore O Chriſtian ſoule, get thee gone out of this filthy world, go forth in the name of the Almighty Father who created thee, in the name of Ieſus Chriſt, who dyed for thee, in the name of the holy Ghost who hath bene poured out vponupon thee: And when thou (happy ſoule) art deliuered out of the priſon of the body, the glorious quire of heauenly Angels meet thee, and the company of all holy Saintes entertaine thee: the louing countenance and cheereful face of Ieſus Chriſt ſhine vponupon thee, a mercifull Iudge bee hee vntounto thee, that thou maiſt hauehave ſentence to ſit for euer amongſt his Saints, on his right hand: thy dwellings be in peace, and thy ſaluation in the heauenly Ieruſalem for euermore, farr be it from thee euer to feele or know how horrible the darkneſſe, how terrible the flames, and how intollerable the torments of hell are, Sathan and all his helliſh guard be they confounded at thy preſence, and if hee dare ſet vponupon thee, victory and triumph be on thy ſide, ſhame and trembling fall vponupon him from the preſence of Gods Angels, and be hee baniſhed into the blacke miſts, and confuſed chaos of eternall darkneſſe. But let the Lord ariſe and let his enemies be ſcattered, and as the ſmoake vaniſheth, ſo let them flye away. But let the iuſt be exalted and reioyce in the preſence of the Lord: let the infernall legions not dare to touch theee, nor all Sathans helhounds preſume to hinder thee, and hee who diſdained not to dye for thee, be hee thy Sauiour and deliuerer from all ſpirituall vexation. Be the gates of paradiſe open vntounto thee, & thy Chriſt giuegive thee thy place and manſion in the ſame. And he that is the true Paſtor, and great Sheepeheard of the Sheepe acknowledge thee for one of his true Sheepe, and receiue thee into his fold, Ieſus Chriſt abſolue thee from all thy ſins, and place thee on his right hand among his elect, that there thou maiſt ſee thy Redeemer face to face, & in the ſociety of bleſſed ſed ſoules maiſt enioy the comforts of heauenly cōtemplation, and the bleſſed viſion of God, for euer and euer.
Amen.