The Practice of Piety, Treatise · Part 35
A Prayer to be said for the sick by them who visit him.
O Merciful Father, who art the Lord, and giver of life, and to whom belong the issues of Death; we thy Children here assembled, do acknowledge, that (in respect of our manifold sins) we are not worthy to ask any blessing for our selves at thy hands, much less to become suiters unto thy Majesty in the behalf of others; yet because thou hast commanded us to pray one for another,James 5. especially for the sick and hast promised that the Prayers of the righteous shall avail much with thee: in obedience therefore to thy Commandment, and confidence of thy gracious Promise, we are bold to become humble Suiters to thy Divine Majesty in the behalf of this our dear Brother (or Sister) whom thou hast hast visited with the Chastisement of thine own fatherly hand. We could gladly wish the Restitution of his health and a longer continuance of his life and Christian …ellowship amongst us: but forasmuch as it …ppeareth (as far as we can discern) that …hou hast appointed by this visitation, to …ll for him out of this mortal life; we sub…it our wills to thy blessed will, and hum…ly intreat for Jesus Christ his sake, and …e merits of his bitter death and passion which he hath suffered for him) that …ou would'st pardon and forgive unto …im all his sins: as well that wherein he …as conceived and born, as also all the offen…es and transgressions, which ever since, to …his day and hour, he hath committed in …hought, word, and deed, against thy Divine …ajesty. Cast them behind thy back, re…ive them as far from thy presence, Psal. 103. 12.as the East … from the West. Blot them out of thy re…embrance; lay them not to his charge; …ash them away with the Blood of Christ, …hat they may no more be seen: and deli…er him from all the Judgments which are …ue unto him for his sins, that they may …ever trouble his conscience, nor rise in …udgment against his Soul; and impute un…o him the righteousness of Jesus Christ, whereby he may appear righteous in thy …ght. And in his extremity at this time we …eseech the look down from heaven up…n him with those eyes of grace and com…assion wherewith thou art wont to look …pon thy children in their affliction and misery. Pity thy wounded Servant, like …he good Samaritan: for here is a sick soul …hat needeth the help of such a heaven… Physician. O Lord increase his Faith, that he may believe that Christ died for him, and that his blood cleans…th him from all his sins: and either asswage his pain, or else increase his patience, to endure thy blessed will and pleasure. And good Lord, lay no more upon him than thou shalt enable him to bear. Heave him up unto thy self with those sighs a…d groans which cannot be expressed. Make him now to feel what is the hope of his Calling, and what is the exceeding greatness of thy Mercy and Power towards them that believe in thee. And in his weakness, O Lord, shew thou thy strength▪ Defend him against the suggestions and temptations of Satan; who (as he hath all his life time) will now in his weakness especially seek to assail him and to devour him. O save his Soul, and reprove Satan, and command thy holy Angels to be about him, to aid him, and to chase away all evil and malignant Spirits far from him. Make him more and more to loath this world, and to desire to be loosed, and to be with Christ. And when that good hour and time shall come (wherein thou hast determined to call for him out of this present life) give him grace peacefully and joyfully to yield up his soul into thy merciful hands, and do thou receive her into thy mercy, and let thy blessed Angels carry her into thy kingdom. Make his last hour his best hour, his last words his best words, and his last thoughts his best thoughts. And when the sight of his eyes is gone, and his tongue shall fail to do its office, grant, O Lord▪ that his Soul may (with Stephen) behold Jesus Christ in Heaven ready to receive him:Rom. 8. 26. and that thy Spirit within him may make request for him with sighs which cannot be expressed. Teach us in him to read and see our own end and mortality: and therefore to be careful to prepare our selves for our last ends, and put our selves in a readiness against the time that thou shalt call for us in the like manner. Thus, Lord, we recommend this our dear Brother (or Sister) thy sick servant unto thy eternal Grace and Mercy, in that Prayer which Christ our Saviour hath taught us, saying,
Our Father which art in heaven, &c.
Thy grace, O Lord Jesus Christ, thy love, O heavenly Father, thy comfort and consolation, O holy Spirit, be with us all, and especially with this thy sick servant, to the end, and in the end. Amen.
Let them read often unto the sick some special Chapters of the holy Scripture: as,
The three first Chapters of the Book of Job.
The 14. and 19. Chapters of Job.
The 34. Chapter of Deuteronomy.
The two last Chapters of Joshua▪
The 17. Chapter of the first of Kings.
The 2, 4, and 12. Chapters of the Second of Kings.
The 38, 40, and 65. Chapters of Isaiah.
The History of the Passion of Christ.
The 8. Chapter of the Romans.
The 15. Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians.
The fourth of the first Epistle to the Thessalonians.
The fifth Chapter of the second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians.
The first and last Chapters of St. James.
The 11 and 12 to the Hebrews.
The first Epistle of Peter.
The three first and the three last Chapters of the Revelations, or some of these.
And so exhorting the sick party to wait upon God by faith and patience, till he send for him; and praying the Lord to send them a joyful meeting in the Kingdom of Heaven, and a blessed Resurrection at the last day; they may depart at their pleasure in the Peace of God.
Consolations against impatience in sickness.
IF in thy sickness by extremity of pain, thou be driven to impatience, meditate,
1. That thy sins have deserved the pains of hell; therefore thou maist with greater patience endure these fatherly Corrections.
2. That these are the scourges of thy heavenly Father, and the rod is in his hand. If thou didst suffer with reverence being a child, Heb. 12. 9.the correction of thy earthly Parents, how much rather should'st thou now subject thy self (being the Child of God) to …he chastis…ment of thy heavenly Father, seeing it is for thine eternal good?
3. That*Vir dolorum. …. 53. 3. Christ suffered in his soul and body far grievo ser pains for thee, therefore thou must more willingly suffer his blessed pleasure for thine own good. Therefore saith Peter, b1 Pet. 2. 21Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow hi… steps. And,cHeb. 12. 1, 2. Let us (saith S. Pau…, run with joy the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the Cross, &c.
4. That these afflictions which now you suffer, are none other, but such asd1 Pet. 5 9. S. …. are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world, as witnesseth Peter: Yea, Job's afflictions were far more grievous. There is not one of the Saints which now are at rest in heavenly joys, but endured as much as you do, before they went thither: yea, …ny of them willingly suffered all the torments that Tyrants could inflict upon them, that they might come to those heavenly … whereunto you are now called. And you have a promise, that*1 Pet 5. 10. the God of a…l grace, after that you have suffered a while, will make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, and settle you. And thatb1 Cor. 10. 13. God of his fidelity, will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
5. That God hath determined the time when thy affliction shall end, as well as the time when it began, 38 years were appointed the sick man at†Joh. 5. 5. Be…hesda's Pool Twelve Years to the Woman with thebMat. 9. 20. bloody Issue… Three months tocExod. 2. 2. Moses. Ten days tribulation to thedRev. 2. 10. Angel of the Church of Smyrna. Three days plague to e2 Sam. 24 13.David. Yea, the number of the godly man's tears are registred infPsal. 56. 8. God's book, and the quantity kept in his bottle,
The time of our trouble (saith Christ) is but aaModicum & … Joh. 16. 16. Modicum. God's Anger lasts but a bPsalm ….moment (saith David.) A little c….season, (saith the Lord) and therefore calls all the time of our pain, but thedJ…h 16. 21, hour of sorrow. Da…id, for the swiftness thereof, compares our present trouble to aePs…l. 11…. 7. Book; and*…. A…anasius to a Shower. Compare the longest misery that Man endures in this …, to the eternity of heavenly joys, and they will appear to be nothing. And as the sight of a Son safe born, Joh. 16. 21.makes the M… ther forget all her former deadly pain: so the sight of Christ in Heaven, who was born for thee, will make all these pangs of death to be quite forgotten, as if they had never been:Acts 7. like Stephen, who as soon as he saw Christ, forgat his own wounds, with the horror of the grave, and terror of the stones; and sweetly yielded his soul into the hands of his Saviour. Forget thine own pain, think of Christ's wounds, *Rev. 2. 10.Be faithful unto the death, and he will give thee the Crown of eternal life.
6. That you are now called to Repetitions in Christ's School; to see how much Faith, Patience, and Godliness you have learned all this while: and whether you can, like Job, †Job 2. 10.receive at the hand of God some evil, as well as you have hitherto received a great deal of good? As therefore you have always prayed, Thy will be done; so be not now offended at this which is done by his holy will.
7. ThatbRom. 9. 28, 38 39 Morbus non … lis… ad nu… …, m…l…is … Basil in …xam. all things shall work together for the best to them that love God: Insomuch that neither Death, nor Life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, &c. shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Assure your self that every pang is a prevention of the pains of hell: every res…ite an earnest of Heavens rest, Morbus est …tilis … institu…io, qu…e … care. ….and how many stripes do you esteem heaven worth? As your life hath been a comfort to others; so give your friends a Christian example to die, and deceive the Devil as Job did. It is but the …oss of Christ sent before to crucifie the love of the World in thee; that thou m…st go eternally to live with Christ who was crucified for thee. As thou art therefore a true Christian, take up (like Simon of Cyr…n… ) with both thy arms his holy Cross, carry it after him, … him; thy pains will shortly pass, thy joys shall never pass away.