The Sick Mans Catechism, Prayer 1 – Prayer 2
A prayer to be vsed of a sick man.
O Lord GOD great and fearefull, iust in thy iudgements, intollerable in thy displeasure, and yet bottomlesse in thy mercies, & kéeping couenant, and mercy to them that louelove thée, and obey thy commandements. I poore wretched sinner that am but dust, earth, and ashes, vnworthy of the least of mercies, and most iustly deseruing all temporall and eternal iudgements, doe here present and prostrate my selfe before thy throane of grace. And I fréely confesse vntounto thée that I am conceiued & borne in originall corruption, prone vntounto al wickednes, vntoward & backward to any goodnes, ful of alimperfections, & that I hauehave by mine actuall transgressions (which are many & mighty) broken all thy holy lawes and Cōmandements, and that therefore amongst many other euils, this present sicknesse, ache, pain, and weakenesse is deseruedly come page missing
thée my purposes and vowes of obedience and thansgiuing: doe better and further seruice vntounto thy Maiestie, and be the more prepared for thy Kingdome.
But if it be thy will, decrée and pleasure, by this sicknesse, to finish my daies; I then intreat thy good Maiestie to renue me in the inner man, as the outward man decayeth, and grant that as the bodie dyeth, so thy grace may liue and grow in me; & open the eyes of my vnderstanding, that I may know what the hope is of my heauenly calling, and the riches of the glorious inheritance that thou haste laid vp in store for me, that by this meanes, I may dye in the true faith of Christ, in willing obedience to thy Maiesty, and in thy fauour and louelove of my neighbour, and so when this life endeth, I may beginne a better, and dwell with thée: and with all the triumphant company of Saintes and Angels praise and magnifie thy name for euer.
Blesse and inlarge thy Sion and thy Ierusalem (euen) after my death, build vp the wals of it, repaire the decaies of thy Church and confound Antichrist and the vponupon me, yet notwithstanding, I herein acknowledge thy infinite goodnesse and compassion in Christ, that thou haste in slicted them vponupon me not as plagues and curses (as they are in their owne nature to the vnbeléeuing and vnrepentant) but as fatherly corrections and chastisments & messengers of death and immortallitie, and meanes to prepare me for, and conuay mee to thy kingdome. For hereby thou (my most deare Father) intendest and workest mine amendment, makest triall of my faith, hope, patience, and thankefulnesse: preuentest sinne to come, and stirrest vp in me a desire and longing expectation of euerlasting rest & happines. UUherfore I most humbly beseech thée to pardon and remoue my sin the cause thereof, perfit my repentance for the same, increase my faith and hope, graunt me strength and patience, with comfort to indure this thy visitation, sanctifie it vntounto me, and conuert it to my saluation in the end.
Restore me (if it be thy good pleasure) in thy good time to my former and perfect health, that I may performe vntounto page missing
Turke, and the rest of the obstinate enemies of it. Uouchsafe to bee a father vntounto my wife, children and family, supply their wāts whether spiritual or boddily: plant thy feare in their hearts, and make them constant in all duties of holynes & righteousnes, that they may liue and die in thy fauor, and at length be made partakers of eternall ioy and glory.
GiueGive (O my heauenly father) a blessed assent to these my petitions, and graunt me all other thinge which thy wisdome séeeth good for me, for thy sonne Iesus Christ his sake, mine onelyonly Redéemer & Mediator: to whome with thy Maiesty, & God the holy Ghost, bée giuen al honour, praise, and glory now and for euermore Amen.
A thansgiuing to be vsed of a sicke man if he recouer.
I Yéeld render and ascribe vntounto thée (O Lord my God) al honor praise, thanks, and glory, for all thine infinite, vnmeasurable, vndeserued mercies in Christ, whether they concern my body or soule, this life, or a better, and in particular for his present benefit of redéeming my soule from death, and my body from the graue, that I should yet liue the longer in the land of the liuing, to set forth thy glory, to do more good in my calling and standing, and the more perfectly to prepare my selfe for my latter end and for thy kingdome. O Lord my God, this is thy work, & it procéedeth only from thy grace and mercy, and not from any goodnes or merit of mine. But séeing thy might and mercy so meruailously appeareth in my recouery, and I of my self am more ready to forget thē remember, and to grow remisse & carelesse for the time to come, then to serue thée in godly feare and grow vp in grace & sanctification: I beséech thée to write the memory of this thy mercy in my heart wt the Diamond of thy spirit, graunt me grace yt denying mine own wit, wil & sence, I may follow ye direction of thine holy word, and: submit my selfe to the blessed gouernment of thy spirit. Make mee a willing and happy instrument of further good in my vocation and trade of life, and grant (déere father) that, as I growe in yeares, so I may grow and increase in grace and obedience, that I may liue in thy feare and fauour; and die in peace, and then see thy glorious face, and inioy the immediate and most blessed fellowship of Christ my sweet Sauiour, and of all thy Saints and Angels, for euermore.
Uouchsafe me (louing and gratious father) these mercies and al other things néedfull for me, for the merits, obedience and mediation of thy beloued Sonne, Iesus Christ, to whom with thée and the holy Ghost, thrée persons & one al sufficient God, bee praise in the Church, throughout all generations for euer.
Amen.
End of the text · Thomas Draxe, The Sick Mans Catechism (1609)