Death Made Comfortable, Prayers 2

Death Made Comfortable · Prayers 2

p. 129PRAYERS FOR THE Duties, and Needs OF SICK PERSONS.

I. A General Prayer for things needful under Sickness.

O! Almighty and most Righteous Lord, who ††Jo… 5. 18.John 5:18makest sore and bindest up, and in**Ps. 68. 20.Ps 68:20 whose Hands are the Issues of life and death: Give me Grace to look upon this my Sickness as of thy sending, …nd to own both p. 130the justice and the mercifulness of thy Visitation and of my suffering therein, and to look up to thee for strength to bear, and for Grace to profit by the same.

It comes, O! My God, as thy scourge for my sins, which is to make me see them, and avoid them. And as thy Medicine, to cure my Spiritual Diseases, and repair in me the Decays of thy Grace. And as thy Fiery Tryal, which is to prove my Virtues, and to purge away my Dross.

And, Lord! Let it not miss of serving, and effecting in me all these Gracious purposes. And make all my thoughts under the same, to be only thoughts of Love and Thankfulness, of Holy Resignation and Obedience unto thee, and of humble hope in thy Mercy. And suffer me not to fall into impatience, or mistrust of thy Love and Gracious promises, or into any evil and indecent carriage, which will add to my guilt if I die, or to my remorse and shame if I live.

p. 131Temper my Sorrows also, O! Father, to my weakness, and support me under them by thy Comforts. And direct and recompence the labours and kindness of those, who charitably attend about me in my sickness. Keep me always submissive and devout towards thee, and thankful and easie unto them. And let thy Blessing go along with all their Means and Medicines; and in thy due time, asswage, and end my pains; and either restore me to my strength, and send me health and ease, and the mercies of a longer and a better life; or else a blessed, and a comf…rtable death, for our Lord Jesus Christ…s sake. Amen.

Out of the Office of Visitation of the Sick.

O! Lord look down from Heaven, …ehold, visit and relieve me thy Servant. Look upon me with the eyes of thy mercy, give me comfort and sure confidence in thee, defend me from the danger of the enemy, and keep me in perpetual peace and safety, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

p. 132Our Father which art in Heaven; Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in Earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our Trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into Temptation; But deliver us from evil: For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power and the Glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

And he may still conclude with the Lord's Prayer on all occasions, when he has used as many of these Prayers as he thinks fit for that time.

p. 133Particular Prayers, for the Duties and Needs of Sick Persons.

Prayers for Repentance in Sickness.

I.

RIghteous art thou, O! God, in all these pains and sorrows, which punish my sins and try my patience, and I have none to accuse or complain of for the same, but my self. I receive my sickness, as the Chastisement of a Sinner; and am willing to bear Chastisement for my sins, that I may be thereby reclaimed from them. Correct me, O! Lord, that thou mayest not condemn me▪ and let me be judged by thee for my sins, and judge my self for them here, that I may have nothing but mercy without judgment to receive at thine hands hereafter.

p. 134But judge me, O! My God, with Mercy, and not in thine Anger. Judge me not according as my sins have deserved, but according as my weakness can bear, and according as thy Compassions are wont to mitigate thy Judgments. And let my sickness work my true Repentance, and prove an happy means in the hand of thy mercy, to expiate my Guilts, not to encrease them; and to reclaim me perfectly from all the Evils which I have committed formerly, not to occasion my committing more; and to confer that rest and peace upon my Soul, which is denyed to my Body, for our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

2.

Thou smitest me, O! Gracious Lord, that thou mayst cure me, and punishest my sin, that thou mayest thereby amend and reclaim my person. And I am weary of my sins, which have brought upon me all these Sorrows, and which I know assuredly will bring infinitely worse, p. 135unless I prevent the same by my timely and true Repentance of them.

Help me therefore to search them out, O! God, and to discover every accursed thing. And when I see them, let me not stop at any one, but set my self intirely to renounce and amend all. Let thy love, make me h…te every evil way. And make my purposes against them, strong and resolute; and my care in fulfilling the same, vigilant and patient; and all the remainder of my days, to be one continued defacement of my former Errors, and Devotion of my self to thy Service.

Lord! Cure my Folly by my Misery, and teach me by the loss of my bodily ease, to purchase the Blessing of true Repentance, and the comfortable hopes of thy merciful acceptance thereof, thro the Merits of our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

To make his Confessions, and other Acts of Repentance, with greater sureness and satisfaction to himself, the Sick man must first make a discovery p. 136of his Sins, by examining himself, and trying his ways upon the several Heads and Branches of God's Commandments. And thereby inquire into the state of his Soul, to see whether he is already safe within the terms of pardon, or what he wants to make him so. This is a work, for all men, at all times, who would live with safety, or die with peace. But especially for sick and dying persons, who are more sensible their case admits of no delays; and who not only ought, but also more commonly are wont to make it their earnest desire and care. And in their performance of this most important Task, with security and comfort, I have assisted them as well as I can, in the Tryal or Judgment of the Soul, &c. in a small Treatise intituled, A Companion for the Penitent, to which I refer them.

p. 1373. A Confession of Sins, taken out of the Office for the Penitent, or those who mourn for sin, p. 39. &c.

O! Almighty and most Righteous Lord, I do hear with grief of heart, and with shame and deep humility confess unto thy Dreadful Majesty, that my sins are exceeding many and great, and have been frequently repeated.

I have oft-times transgressed out of Ignorance: O! that I could not say careless Ignorance, under Opportunities of Knowledge; yea, or affected Ignorance, espoused for Earthly ends against Light and clear Evidence, which was enough to shame and silence me, though not to gain and convince me. But I have transgressed oftner out of Negligence, Worldly Fear, or Desire; yea, alas▪ too oft, out of presumptuous Wilfulness, condemning the Evil, whilst I was a doing it, and offending wittingly, p. 138and with Checks and Convictions to the contrary**Especially, &c. here mention Particulars▪.

And these Sins I have been drawn to, against all the Endearments of thy Mercies, and all the Alarms and louder Warnings of thy Punishments; against all the Rebukes and Strivings of thy Grace, and of my own Conscience, and of other faithful and seasonable Admonishers. And against all mine own Purposes and Engagements, Deliberately made, and solemnly profess'd, and frequently repeated, that I would offend therein no more.

Lord be merciful to me, a Great and Wretched Sinner.

2.

BUT thou, O! Blessed Jesus, by making thy self a Sin-Offering for us, art come to take away the Sins of all, who truly Repent thereof. And, O! Merciful Lord, tho' my Sins are many and grievous, yet I do not desire to overlook them, but would gladly see and discover them all, that I may penitently bewail and forsake them. And Oh! That no p. 139corrupt Passions, nor love of Worldly or Carnal Interests, may ever byass me, or blind my Eyes from seeing the same, whilst there is space left me to repent of them. And as for those sins, which I do know my self to be guilty of, I do not cover, but with shame confess them. I do not justifie nor excuse, but condemn my self for the same.

I stand thereby guilty, O! Lord, of highest Disobedience, against the strictest Obligations; of wretched Disingenuity and Unthankfulness, against the most endearing Mercies; and of most stupid Folly, against my own clearest, highest, and most lasting Interests, throwing away thy favour and future Joys, for empty shows and shadows, and a blessed Eternity for moments of Vanity.

I reflect on all this, O! Merciful God, with bitterness, and with a Spirit wearied with mine own ways. I see and lament my own folly, and abhor mine own vileness on account thereof. I wish with all my Soul, that those Sins had never been done, and would take any way to undoe them, and most earnestly desire, and p. 140fnlly purpose by thy Grace, that I may do so no more.

God be merciful to me, a self-condemning and repenting Sinner.

3.

LOrd, I am burden'd and heavy laden with my Sins, Oh! Do thou, who**Matth. …. 28. callest out to the heavy laden, to seek refreshment at thine Hands, give me ease. I confess them, and desire above all things else, that I may utterly forsake them: Let me according to my Promise ††Prov. 28. 13.Prov 28:13find Mercy. From mine Heart I forgive all Persons who have offended me, even my bitterest Enemies, and most earnestly entreat thee, that thou wouldst forgive them: Oh! Do thou, who**Matth. 6. 14, 15.Matt 6:14Matt 6:15 offerest forgiveness to those who are ready to grant it, for Jesus Christ's sake forgive me. I repent unfeignedly of all my Sins, and am ready to make all just amends, at least as far as I am able, to any whom I have ever injured, whether they be of low or of high Degree, or even the highest of all. O! God of all Grace, perfect my Repentance p. 141and accept it, and blot out all my misdeeds, as thou††Acts 3. 19.Acts 3:19 engagest to do unto all those who sincerely repent of the same.

I know, O! Blessed Jesus, that **Acts 4. 12.Acts 4:12there is no Name but thine, whereby I can obtain Pardon. And I trust only to the fulness of thy Merits, and to the faithfulness of thy gracious Promises, and to the abundance of my Heavenly Father's Mercy and Loving Kindness, to me a great and miserable, but an Humble, Contrite, Penitent Sinner. Forgive them all, O! Blessed Father, Remembring not my Deservings, but the pityableness of my Weakness, and thy Dear Sons infinite Merits, and thine own boundless Mercies and most precious Promises. Let me here have thy Peace, and be admitted hereafter to stand for ever in thy …resence, for our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, Amen.

Our Father, &c.

For carrying on this duty of Repentance, the sick person may likewise make use of the Prayer for Profession of Godly Sorrow for Sins, and of Resolutions of New Obedience; and of the p. 142Profession of the Fruits of Repentance, and the Conditions of Forgiveness; and of the Prayer for Pardon of sins, in the Office for Penitents. And for comforting and quieting his Conscience, against Fears and Scruples, he may be supplyed with Hymns and Prayers in the Office for Persons troubled in mind; all which are in the Companion to the Penitent.

p. 143II. Prayers for an Heart to be Liberal in Alms-Deeds, when any Persons are about to make their Will; or to accompany Repentance at any time, leaving out the Passages within the Hooks, [] which particularly refer to their last Wills.

I.

O! Almighty Father, thou gavest me all my worldly Estate, that I should employ it for the convenient support of my self and of my Family, and of the …oor and Needy. And when I come to thee, I can have nothing to carry along with me, but a strict account how I have laid it out.

Give me Grace therefore, I earnestly intreat thee, after I have made a wise provision for my Family out of it, with a free and glad heart, to give good Portions thereof to the poor, who are thy Receivers, or to p. 144Religious and Pious uses, that when I can no longer possess my Estate, I may come with joy to give up my account of it; and that when my worldly Goods can no longer profit me, my good disposal thereof may, thro the Merits of my only Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

2.

AND whatsoever I give to the Poor, or to pious uses for thy sake, give me the Heart, O! Lord, to do it with a good Will, and with a Liberal Hand.

For thou, O! My God, hast freely given the whole of this Estate to me; and therefore it is not for me to be narrow and niggardly, in these Returns of a small part thereof, which I make to thee. [And these Pious and Charitable Gifts, alas! Have been far too few, and too poor and slender, all my life; and therefore I need to supply that Defect, by being more liberal therein at my Death.] And what I thus give out of it, O! Blessed Jesu, is to thy poor Members, p. 145who are all my near Kindred, and Brethren in the Spirit.

Yea, Lord,**Prov. 16. 6.Prov 16:6 by such Acts of Mercy, I know that iniquity is purged. And by this use††Luk. 16. 9.Luke 16:9 of the Mammon of unrighteousness, I may make my self Friends in thy Presence. And the Poors Prayers and Thanksgivings, for any relief or comfort which they have received by my means, may heap Blessings on my head whilst I live, and help much to recommend me to thy mercy and gracious Acceptance when I die.

So that these Gifts to them, O! Blessed Lord, are the truest way I have of giving to my self, and are much more for my own relief, than for theirs. And I do, and will look upon them, as a**Mat. 6. 20.Matt 6:20 laying up Treasure for my self in Heaven, and making a Return of my wealth for my own use and behoof in another Life. And reckon, that what I wisely give in this kind, I take and carry away with me, to stand me in stead in the most needful time of thy mercy, thro' Jesus Christ my Lord, and only Saviour, Amen.

p. 146…. A Prayer, at the Oblation, or giving of our Alms; or on alloting any sums, to charitable, or Pious uses.

O! Blessed Lord, I humbly intreat thee Graciously to accept of this poor return of the worldly Substance, which thou hast committed unto me. I offer it to thee, for the use of thy poor Members, whom I look upon as my poor Brethren. I offer it with an Heart, that is truly sorrowful for all my Sins, and thankful for all thy Mercies; that seeks acceptance for it, only for the sake of thy Sons merits, and from thy mere Grace and Favour; and that is ashamed for its having made the offering no sooner, and now for offering no more.

And all my Alms and Repentance, I present and put into thy Hands, O! Holy Jesu, in the Communion of Saints, and in the Unity of thy Holy Church, which is**Col. 1. 18.Col 1:18 thy Body, and††2 Cor. 11. 2. & Eph. c. 23, 24, 25, 32.2 Cor 11:2 Spouse, and whereto thou p. 147hast given the precious Promises, of Grace, and Pardon, and eternal Life.

O! Father, in the Unity of this Body, let me find mercy. And accept mine Alms as an Oblation of a sweet Savour, and supply and perfect all my Wants, and purge away all my Sins, thro' the merits of my only Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Our Father which art, &c.

III. Prayers for Trust in God in Sickness.

I.

O! Almighty Lord, under all my weakness and pains of Body, and uncertain Prospects for my self, and for my Family, I trust [intirely] to thee, who hast Goodness enough to Pity us, and Power enough to help and deliver us.

I trust in thee, O! my dear God, who hast been my Refuge and Defence in many troubles, and art still ready to be so in more; who invitest p. 148us most Lovingly, to**1 Pet. 5. 7.1 Pet 5:7 cast all our Cares upon thee, and hast promised to take care of us; who lovest to be trusted, and††Ps. 9. 10, & 34, 22.Ps 9:10Ps 34:22 never failest them who trust in thee. I trust to thy Wisdom, to chuse for me better than I can chuse for my Self. I trust to thy Power, to help and support me, where I am weak, and without strength to help and support my Self. And I trust to thy Love and Fatherly care, to deal out all my Sorrows with tenderness, and to turn them all to my good and greater Comfort in the End.

For I believe and know, O! Gracious Lord, that**Jer. 30. 11.Jer 30:11 thou wilt correct me in measure, and consider, not what my Sins do deserve, but what my Weakness can bear. I believe, that ††Hab. 3. 2.Hab 3:2thou wilt remember Mercy in my Corrections, and still**Ps. 112. 4.Ps 112:4 make light to arise up up to me out of Darkness, and daily relieve my Sorrows, with thy manifold and most seasonable Favours. I believe, that††Ps. 103. 9.Ps 103:9 thou wilt not keep Anger for ever, but in due time wilt abate my Pains and Troubles; or, if that be good for me, and for thy Glory, perfectly remove them; however, in the End, that thou wilt p. 149change them all into everlasting Rest and Joy with thee, thro' Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.

2. For Trust, against the Torment, and distraction of Fears.

AND since, under all my Sorrows and uncertainties, thou art my stay and confidence, Lord keep me easie, and quiet within my Self. I have cast all my cares npon thee, and therefore they should not any longer be troublesome, or distracting unto me. I have put my self into thy hands, and thou hast promised to take care of me; and therefore I ought to rest assured, that all is certainly for my good, and is most wisely and kindly Ordered, which befalls me.

Oh! then, that I be not disq…ieted with fear of Evil, since none can happen unto me without thy leave. That I be not troubled, at the Helplessness of those I am to leave behind me, because I leave thee to take care of them. Nor frighted with the approach of Pains, because thou art to set bounds to them. Nor with any evil Tydings, or Alarm of Dangers, because thou art to govern p. 150them. Yea, that I be not terrified, ††Ps. 23. 4.Ps 23:4tho' I walk thro' the shadow of Death, because Life and Death are both in thy hands. Nor even in Death it self, because thou wilt most Graciously support me in my Death, and make it the Gate to everlasting Life, thro Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.

3. For Trust, against dejection of Spirit, and Despondency.

AND since I rest upon thee as my Rock and stay, and have thy strength to Trust to, let me not sink under my Burden, O! Lord, by Dejection, and Faintness of Spirit. For no Burden is so heavy upon me, but thou canst, and wilt support me under it, and in thy due time, which is always my best time, deliver me from it.

Thou hast Promised, O! my God, ††1 Cor. 10. 1….1 Cor 10:1not to lay more upon me, than thou wilt enable me to bear. And thou, Holy Jesu,Heb. 4. 15.Heb 4:15 art touched with the Sense of our infirmities, and wilt inflict no more, than thou knowest is proportionable to my weakness. Thou hast bore them in thy self, and wilt tenderly p. 151consider them in thy Members. Thou wilt not continue my Smart, till I have quite lost my Patience. Nor send me Pains and Sorrows, without supports and succours. And thou dost send, and wilt send, no evil upon me, but what I need, or what is for my Good, and what thou wilt take off, when it has wrought thy gracious Purposes, and served my Necessities.

And therefore when my Pains or Distresses are hardest upon me, let me not think, or say, that I cannot endure them. For thou, Lord, knowest better what I can endure, than I do. And when I come to it, by thy help I shall find my self able to endure more, than I thought I could. And if thou hadst not known me strong enough thro' thy Grace to endure them, thou wouldest not have put me to endure them. And even now, thou wilt either remove, or mitigate the same, when I can abide no more.

Instead of concluding then, that I can bear them no longer, give me Grace, O! Father, to set my self resolutely to bear them the best I p. 152can. And firmly to believe, that thou mercifully considerest what I can bear, and wilt shew thy Grace is strong where my flesh is weak, and wilt be sure to support me at present, and to ease and deliver me at last, thro' the Merits of my dearest Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

4. For Trust, against Suspiciousness, and finding Fault.

SInce I wholly commit and trust my Self to thee, O! my God, let me constantly think well of all that thou dost for me, and sendest upon me. Let me not think ill of it, because I cannot think ill of thee: nor fall to Tax it, either with unfitness, or unkindness, or once suspect any therein, because it is ordered by thee, who canst not order amiss, and who in all these things hast not less Love and Goodness, but only more wisdom to allot and order for me, than I have to order for my self. Yea, where things are hardest to be accounted for, make me still think well of them, and believe firmly p. 153that thou se…st good and kind Reasons for the same, tho' my short-sighted, and shallow understanding can see none.

And therefore, O! Father, when things are hardest upon me in my Condition, my Reverence and Confidence in thee, shall be stronger than my mistrust of them, and by thy Grace I will answer all my own Objections against them, by considering they are of thy chusing. And whether any evils are sent upon me, or any comforts are delayed, and withheld from me, I will believe still that all is as it should be, and will turn to good in the end, because all is done by thee, who lovest me, and hast promised to keep me under thy tender care at present, and to receive me to thy Blessed self at last, thro' the Merits of my dearest Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

5. For Trust, for Deliverance out of Sickness or Afflictions.

LOrd, I trust to thee, who sendest all these Sorrows upon me, to take them off again. I trust to thee p. 154to take them off, because thou **Lam. 3. 33.Lam 3:33takest no delight in the Pain of thy Servants; yea, because thou art of great Pity, and art††Heb. 4. 15.Heb 4:15 touched with a Sense of our sufferings; because **Ps. 22. 4.Ps 22:4our Fathers trusted in thee, and were holpen; because I my self have [always hitherto] trusted in thee, and thou hast still delivered me; and because thou hast promised††Ps. 50. 15.Ps 50:15 in the day of Trouble, to deliver those that call upon thee, that they may Glorifie thee.

And now, O! my God, let thy word be verified unto thy Servant, and**Ps. 119. 116.Ps 119:116 let me not be ashamed, or Disappointed of my Hope. I trust and depend on thee, do not thou fail, or forsake me. Leave me not under my Troubles, but relieve and††Ps. 90. 15.Ps 90:15 comfort me, according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted me; and turn my Mourning into Joy, that they who love thee may see it, and learn thereby to Praise thy mercy, and to put their trust in the same, thro' Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

p. 1556. Prayers of Sick, or dying Persons, for trusting God with their Friends or Kindred.

I.

LOrd, if thou seest fit to call me home to thy self by this Sickness▪ when I am taken from my Wife and Children, and from those who under thee depend on me, give them Grace, I earnestly intreat thee, to betake themselves to thee.

I commit them to thee, O! God of mercy and truth, for they are thine; and††Hos. 14. 3.Hos 14:3 with thee the Fatherless find mercy. Yea,††Ps 68. 5.Ps 68:5 thou art the Father of the Fatherless, and the judge of the Widows, and will shew thy self ††Prov. 23. 10, 11.Prov 23:10Prov 23:11might to plead their cause. And my Heart is at ease, to have them lodged in thy care, where they are infinitely safer, and will be infinitely happier and better provided for, than ever they could be in mine, or in any others without thine. I freely p. 156commit them to it, O! Blessed Lord, having my self always found the …lessing of being under it, and of trusting to it. And I beg no greater Blessing for them, than that they may ever have thy good Providence for their Inheritance in this world, and thy Peace for their Portion in the world to come, for Jesus Christ's sake, Amen.

2.

[When I am gone] O! my dear God,This Prayer may be used by the Widows and Orphans themselves, omitting the words within the hooks [] and puting we for they, ours for theirs, us for them, our for their, are for am, &c. they are thrown upon thee, who art the Husband of the Widow, and the Father of the Fatherless. And, Lord, as thou art their Father, provide against all their wants, and Protect them from all wrongs. Supply to them by thy kind Providence, what they want in outward helps. And altho' they have none to Counsel them, where they are unskilful and unexperienced; nor to right them, where they are injured; nor to furnish and supply them, where they are unprovided: p. 157yet will thy Spirit be the best Guide, and thy Care, and thy Blessing will abundantly make up all.

[††Now thou hast taken away ou…, … c. Nameing the Relative. At my Departure,] O! Father, they are bereft of their earthly stay. But thou art better, than Friend, or Husband, or Father, or Mother: Yea, than allot her supports put together. Oh! then, do not thou leave them, but when††They, when the … ws, &c. use t…is Prayer. [I] am gone, stay thou still with them. And be thou to them, whatsoever I would be, and more than I could be, if I were still employ'd by thee to take care of them.

And enable them evermore to place their love and delight in thee, and to fix their Trust and Confidence in thy mercy. Oh! that th… Will and Honour may always be their care, that so their needs and welfare may always be thine. And keep them from polluting themselves with any things, which may forfeit thy Fatherly Care and Providence, and Cry louder against them, than their destitute Circumstances do for them. Train them up, good p. 158Lord, stedfastly in thy Fear, and preserve them from all the Evils and Temptations of this world, and bring them safe at last to the Joys and Blessedness of that to come, for Jesus Christ's fake, Amen.

3. Another Prayer for the Widows and Orphans, &c. for Trusting God with themselves.

O! Blessed Lord, the more we are bereaved of other supports,When …his Prayer is used by one al…ne, put I for we, me for us, am for are, my for ou…, &c. the more do thou strengthen our Faith and Confidence in thy self. Make us know, that we can never be destitute, whilst we have thee to take care of us; and that no earthly Provision, is, or can be so good to us, as being intitled to thy good Providence.

For it is thy Goodness, O! dear God, that supplys and supports us by any earthly Friends. They are only means of thy Providence, and Instruments whereby thou takest p. 159care of us. And thy good Providence, which sends us Comforts, or supplies by them, when it removes them, can and will find out other ways, and do the same without them. So that we are never without Friends and faithful helpers, whilst we have thee to stand by us.

And thou, Holy Father, still remainest, and thy Mercy is still the same; altho††Here they may name the Relative. this most dear and desired means of conveying the Blessed Effects thereof upon us, is withdrawn. Yea, thou art nearer to us, and more concern'd to help and provide for us, now††Or He, or She. they are gone. Oh! then, that we may look up unto thee, more than unto them; and rest our Hearts more on thy staying with us, than on theirs. And that being taken off from earthly Dependances, we may now depend more intirely upon they Promises, and place our chiefest Security and Comfort in thy Love, thro… Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Our Father, &c.

p. 160IV. Prayers for Faith in Gods Promises, under Sickness.

I.

O! Almighty Lord, who relievvest our weakness by the belief and hope of thy Promises, under all my weariness I take Comfort, and amidst all my Temptations I rest my Soul upon thy word.

For under the load and guilt of my Sins, I trust to the Blood of Jesus, and to thy sure Promises of Forgiveness upon our true Repentance. And under the Sense of their strength, and of my own weakness, I trust to the Promises of thy Spirit and Grace. And amidst all the Decays and Miseries of this mortal Body, I trust to thy sure Promises of …mmortality.

I trust to thy Promises, O! Father, to be with me in all my Sicknesses and Sorrows, to temper my p. 161afflictions to my infirmities, and to give me strength in Proportion to my Needs, to ease and rid me of my Pains, or to support me under them whilst I live, and to turn them all to my advantage in the end, and to receive me to thy self when I die, for my dearest Lord and Saviour▪ Jesus Christ's sake, Amen.

2.

AND, Lord, let not the Adversary shake my Faith of these Gracious Promises, nor let my own weakness ever betray me once to doubt of them. For thou art true, and canst not deceive us. Thou art††Deut. 7…. 9.Deut 7:9 the faithful God, who keepest covenant and mercy for ever. Thy††2 Cor. 1. 20.2 Cor 1:20 Promises are all yea, and Amen. And††2 Sam. 20. 31.2 Sam 20:31 thy word is tryed, and is a sure Buckler to all who trust to it. Even when we think thee far off, thou art near at hand to us; and remembrest our Sorrows, and thine own Promises, when we fancy thou hast forgot them.

Oh! then, that I may trust to thy word, which shall surely be verified in its time. And keep stedfastly in p. 162the Expectation, that all these Mercies shall be made good unto thy Servant, and Patient in waiting till thou graciously and plentifully fulfillest the same, for Jesus Christ's sake, Amen.

Our Father, &c.

V. Prayers for Resignation to the Will of God under Sickness.

I.

O! Almighty and most merciful God, my Sorrows are great, and my Flesh is weak and sore wearied; but I am willing to bear them, because they are of thy sending. Since thou thinkest them fit for me, O! my God, I will think them so too, and will find no fault therewith, nor think another State were better for me. I humbly yield to thy Wisdom, and prefer thy Will before mine own. I am content to bear what thou pleasest, and to be eased p. 163of my Burden when thou please…t. And desire, not only silently to suffer thy Will, but in my Will and Heart to be truely reconciled and consenting to it, and to see thy Love and my own Benefit in my Chastisement, which is sent for my Good, and will work good for me in the end, thro' Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.

2.

AND therefore in all, that doth, or shall befall me in this Sickness, thy Will, O! Blessed Lord, be done. Thy Will be done, because it is thine; and because thou art my Father, and nothing can come to me from thee, but what is very agreeable with a Fathers Tenderness and Affection.

Thy will be done, because thou knowest best what to chu…e for me; and because I am well assured, that to refer all my matters to thy Choice, is the best care I can take for my self. For in thy Choice, thou hast not less kindness, but only more knowledge, Care, and Providence, p. 164than I can have in chusing for my self.

For as for me, O! my God, I know that I am ignorant, and whilst I live in this world, shall be ignorant, what things thereof, or what States and Conditions therein, are most desireable for my Self, or for my Friends. I am foolish in my wishes, too oft opposing that, which is most safe for me, and which is fit, or it may be needful to do me good: and as often coveting that, which is full of Danger, and like to do me hurt. And therefore I renounce my own Will, which is blind and foolish, and which if I could have it, would too often be to my sorrow and prejudice.

And instead of that, I refer my self wholly to be guided and disposed of by thine, which never errs, and is always for my real welfare and advantage. And my desire is, not that my foolish wishes, but that thy unerring Wisdom, may at all times prescribe me and mine our Portion. I trust to thine All-seeing eye, to direct what is best; and to thy Fatherly love and care, to allot it for us. And where I do not see p. 165how any Orderings of thine, should work for mine, or for my Families, or Friends good; yet, Lord, I will believe that thou doest, and that all is both wisely, and kindly appointed for us, because it is thy doing, who††2 Cor. 4. 6. Ps 112. 4.2 Cor 4:6Ps 112:4 bringest light out of darkness, and Comforts out of Crosses, and makest††Rom. 8. 28.Rom 8:28 all things work together for good to those that love thee, thro' Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

3.

SEnd then, O! Father, what thou pleasest upon me, for thou wilt send nothing, but what is most fit for me. I heartily submit my self to thy Pleasure, for it is always a good Pleasure. I wait thy Time, for it is always the best time. I know not what things to desire in this case for my self, nor when to desire them. But my safety is, that I am in thy hands, and that there I desire to be, and to have thy Love and Wisdom chuse for me. And that I am willing to receive my Mercies and Comforts from thee, not when I fancy, but when thou seest they will p. 166most serve and glorifie thee, and benefit me, thro' Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.

4.

UNder my weakness, O! merciful God, I pour out my Complaints before thee; and when I am most pressed by my Pains and Sorrows, I am most earnest and importunate in my desires of ease. And thou, who knowest our Frame, and pitiest our infirmities, allowest me to be so. But amidst all these Cravings and Importunities to have my own Will, O! Gracious Father, I desire above all things still to be intirely resigned to thine.

For when my Heart desires ease, or deliverance, it is with Submission. When I ask the same, according to to my desire; I leave thee, O! my dear God, to Order for me, and to Answer me according to thy most wise and good Pleasure. Yea, where my Pains and Sorrows are most pressing, and I am most earnest and importunate in asking and desiring; yet even there would I by no means p. 167prescribe to thy Wisdom, nor seem to doubt of thy Love.

For I trust assuredly, O! Father, to thy indulgent Care and sure Promises, of tempering my troubles to my weakness, and of giving me all needful Supports under them, and of turning all to my Comfort and Advantage in thy due time. And I leave thee still to do me good, by such ways, not as I fancy, but as thou seest best for me, and most fit to make me sure of thine everlasting Mercy, thro' Jesus Christ my Blessed Lord and Saviour, Amen.

Our Father, &c.

p. 168VI. Prayers for Thankfulness under Sickness.

I.

O! Almighty and most merciful God, tho' I am compassed about with Weaknesses and Sorrows, yet I have no cause at all to complain of thee, but have still enough to thank thee for, and to speak well of thy Name. And by thy Grace I will not overlook the endearing Mercies which I have, out of Discontentedness for others which I have not; nor quarrel with those which are still left me, because others are taken away. For the least of those I have, O! Lord, is abundantly better than I deserve. And instead of being ungratefully angry for those which I have now lost, I most humbly and heartily thank thee, that I was allowed to have them, and injoy p. 169them at all, and that I lost them no sooner.

Yea, and even as for my Sorrows themselves, O! my dear God, I do not only own thy Justice, but reverence thy Wisdom, and acknowledge thy Goodness to me therein. I receive my Chastisements as thy Favours, and as Tokens of thy love, and means of my own Happiness, which come to do me good against my Will, and to lead me thro' the Valley of tears, to the happy Regions of everlasting Rest and Bliss. And tho' affliction it self††Heb. 12. 11.Heb 12:11 is not joyous, yet the Sense of thy Love and of my Benefit are joyous, and to be received, not with Complaints, but with Thanksgivings.

Lord,††Mat. 26. 41.Matt 26:41 my Spirit is willing, but my Flesh is weak. But let thy Grace be the support of my weakness, and the Finisher of my willingness. And let the sense of thy Love, and the hopes of thy Promises, drown the sense of my Sorrows, and fill my heart and tongue with Thanks and Praise to thee, thro' Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

p. 1702.

I Bless thee, O! Father, for all the manifold and great Mercies, vouchsafed to me under my Sickness. For my affliction, is infinitely less than I have deserved. And thou dost not send it upon me, till I need it. Aud when thou sendest it, it is all to do me good.

And in doing me good this way, O! Lord, thou dost in great mercy Pity my weakness, and provide for it. For 'tis thy mercy, that lays not too much upon me. 'Tis thy mercy, that I am brought down by degrees, and am††Lam. 3. 22.Lam 3:22 not consumed suddenly. 'Tis thy mercy, that thou wast not soon, nor wilt be long angry with me. 'Tis thy mercy, that††Ps. 41. 3.Ps 41:3 makes my Bed in my Sickness; that considereth my weakness, and supporteth me; and considereth my Pains, and shortneth them, and always in due time gives me ease, or intermission from them. 'Tis thy mercy, O! dear God, that ordereth Comforts for me continually, to sweeten my Distresses to me; and that makes thee still to be p. 171most near unto me at those times, when I stand most in need of thee.

So that altho' I am Sick, O! my God, yet I am not forsaken. For Blessed be thy Name, my Griefs are not beyond measure, and my Burden is not without help, nor my Sufferings without hope and comfort, wherewith in thine abundant Mercy thou daily temperest them, and sustainest me, thro' Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.

3.

I Bless thee, O! most gracious Lord, for sending this Sickness upon me, which thou sendest to shew thy Love and Care of me, and to do me good. For if my Body were not sick, thou seest my Soul would be sick. Yea, alas! it has been [very] Sick, and this Sickness of my Body comes to cure it.

For in thus Correcting me when I had gone astray, thou art putting an end, O! God, to my wandring. Thou sendest these Sorrows,††Job 36. 10.Job 36:10 to open my ears to discipline when Mercies would not open them, and to reclaim p. 172me and set me in the way of Pardon. So that this dealing shows, that thou hast not rejected me, as an outcast or Alien; but still lookest upon me with thoughts of Mercy, and††Heb. 12. 7.Heb 12:7 treatest me as a Son.

And Blessed be thy Mercy, O! Father of Mercies, which by these Pains and Sorrows of my Body, hast given my Spirit rest, from the wearisome importunity and Sollicitations, of Lust and Envy. Blessed by thou, who hast thereby dull…d the edge of my covetous Desires, and laid asleep my worldly Cares, and brought down my ambitious and aspiring thoughts, and humbled Self-conceit, by shewing me that I am but sin and folly, dust and misery. Blessed be thou, who hast thereby calld me off from incumbring my self††Luk. 10. 41, 42.Luke 10:41Luke 10:42 with many things, which now I see cannot profit me, to mind the one thing necessary; and from minding worldly Vanities, to spend my thoughts upon thy Laws and Promises; and from placeing my confidence in my Self, to place it only and wholly in thee.

p. 173And since my Sickness, doth thus shew me thy Love, and cure my Spirit, and set on my Felicity, it shall please me, O! God, when it pains me. And I will confess to the Glory of thy Truth and Goodness, that ††Ps. 119. 75.Ps 119:75thou out of very Faithfulness, hast caused me to be troubled, even because I need it, and because by thy Grace I shall receive much benefit by it, thro' my Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

4.

I Bless thee, O! Lord, for all the innumerable Mercies which I have received from thee most bountifully and seasonably, in all States and Conditions of my Life, and thro' all the days and years of it. And for that I have long received good at thy hands, before I am brought now to receive Evil. I owe thee infinite thanks for a Life of health, before this Confinement to my Bed of Sickness: and for the long and sweet relish I have had of worldly Comforts, before my Disease has rendred them unsavory.

p. 174And my present Pains and Sorrows, O my God, do not make me forget thy past or present Mercies, nor go about to lessen them nor shall they by thy Grace, ever make me out of humour with thee, or unthankful for them. Yea, instead of giving thee less thanks for them, by reason of this change of my Condition, I wll give thee more, because my present want of them has taught me better how to prize and value them. And I do Bless, and I will††Job 1. 21.Job 1:21 Bless the Lord that gave, and Bless him still after he has taken away. I Bless thee, for that I still injoy much Good; and cannot in the least blame thee, that I have some evil; but thank thee abundantly that I have no more. And above all, that under all my present Misery, I am comforted with the Sense of thy Love, and with the Blessed hopes of everlasting Peace and Joy, thro' Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.

p. 175VII. Prayers for Patience under Sickness.

I. A General Prayer for Patience.

O! Merci…ul Lord, now I am called to the State of Sickness, which is a Tryal of Patience, give me Grace to shew Patience under the same, that is not to be wearied, and cannot be reproved.

Enable me, O! Father, to shew a quiet and composed Patience, that is without tumult of troubled Thoughts, and discontented Passions. A submissive and resigned Patience, that is without reluctance to thy Will, or Rebellious murmurings. A Patience of hope, that doth not s…k under my Burdens, nor is driven by …he smart of my Pains, to … Love, or Care, or …. And a Thankful … sensible of my p. 176Comforts and Supports, as well as of my Sicknesses; and that owns all my present Sufferings to be far below my deserts, and all my past and present Mercies to be infinitely above them.

And make me perfect, O! my God, in this Patience. Let me tarry thy leisure, and not be hasty. Let me wait on thee, and not grow weary. But bear all, whilst I have any thing to bear, in comfortable hopes of thy Strength to support my present Weakness, and of thy Mercy to ease and deliver me at last, either by a more healthful Life, or by an happy Death, thro' the Merits of Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.

2. For Patience without reluctance, or Disquietness.

LOrd, I humble my Self under thy mighty hand, and submit to thy Visitation. I submit my Self willingly, and will not strive, or make resistance. I kiss the Rod, instead of Quarrelling with it, and ††Lev. 26. 41.Lev 26:41accept of it quietly, as of the punishment p. 177of mine iniquities; Yea, thankfully, as of the Restorer of mine innocence.

And in this Patience, O! Holy Father, do thou still continue and preserve my Spirit, composed and quiet, and easie to my Self. Since it is thy Will thus to afflict me, bow my Will to thine, and make me willing to bear it. And bearing it willingly, let it not anger or discontent me. Yea, O! my God, I trust to thee, to lay no more upon me than I can bear; Oh! let that Trust keep me, without Fears and Distractions under my Burdens. I bear only what I most justly deserve, Oh! let that stop me from complaining. Nay, I bear infinitely less than I have deserved, and still injoy abundance of Mercies after I have deserved to lose all; Oh! then let me not fall to accuse thee for thine inflictions, but rather to accuse my self for my evil Deserts, and to thank thee for my most undeserved Comforts.

Set a watch upon my Tongue therefore, O! righteous Lord, and suffer it not to vent it self in any fretful or froward Speeches; nor to p. 178make my Sufferings seem bigger, or my Comforts and Supports seem fewer, or thy most tender and undeserved Mercies to me in my Distress, seem less than they really are. But if the painful agitation of my Spirits must issue out in Crys, Lord, let my Crys be, not at all to accuse, but only to justifie thy Visitations, and to express my own Sorrows, and implore thy Mercy and seek help from thy Grace, thro' our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

3. For Patience without Dejection of Spirit, and without Hastiness for ease.

AND help me, O! Almighty God, to bear my Load without being cast down. For whatever my Burden be, I have thee for my support, and therefore should not faint, or sink under it. Thy sure Promises are my Confidence, and thy Almighty power is my defence; O! then let not any Greatness of my Tryals, or Sense of my own weakness, make me afraid.

p. 179And give me long Patience in bearing and waiting, O! my God, if my relief from thee doth not come suddenly. And let me not foolishly prescribe to thee, by what means, or Medicines thou shalt ease me under my Maladies, or deliver me from them, or at what time thou shalt do it. For 'tis more than enough for me, if I may be allowed to have these Mercies at all, tho' by any means, or at any time: and it is always best for me, to have them in thy way, and at thy time. Thou knowest best how to succour and save me, and when it will most sensibly affect me, and serve thee.

Oh! then, that I may six no times of ease to my self, but expect them from thee. That I may tarry thy leisure, and not think thee long. That I may Patiently abide, if thou delayest, and not mistrust thee. Yea, Patiently abide always, and not grow weary; but still think with my self, yet a little while, and he will shew forth his Mercies, and fulfill his Promises, and I shall find the ease and deliverance which my wearied Flesh desires, in the exchange of my Sickness, p. 180either for the Comforts of health, or for the rest and joys of Paradice, thro… my dearest Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

4. For Patience with Friends, and Attendants.

I.

AND together with this Patience towards thee, give me Patience, O! merciful Lord, towards all those, who friendly, or charitably minister to me, and attend about me.

Keep me from being humorsome, and shewing Crossness to their good Counsels; or from being causelesly angry, and Exceptious, against their kind Services. And if any evil Accidents, or Indiscretions happen, let me not fall unquietly to aggravate them, or burst out into any passionate or opprobrious words thereupon.

But enable me always, O! Father, to shew my self pleased, and obliged, with the least kindness, which they do p. 181for me, or about me; and to …nterpret all mis-chances favourably; and to pass over things with Ease and Gentleness, which are not done for me to my desire. And on all occasions, to make it my study, to give them no more trouble than needs to help me, nor any cause to repent of their officious care, or to grudge at what they do for me: which, as I receive with Thankfulness, so I humbly beseech thee in thy goodness, most mercifully to repay to them and theirs, for Jesus Christ's sake, Amen.

2.

AND, Lord let me ever bethink my self, that my own Pains and and Weaknesses will keep me troublesome to my self; and that whil…t I am so, I am in no good Disposition to be pleased with others, altho' what they do for me be really fit to please me, were I in a …emper to be pleased with it as I ought to be. And that 'tis very hard, even for a discreet and kind Care, p. 182to do all things acceptably to a pained and sickly Body. And therefore, that I ought to take all well, and not to quarrel with what they do for me, which is always well meant and done kindly; yea, and it may be wisely too, tho' it happens not to hit with my diseased Fancy.

Oh! then, Holy Father, that I may consider upon every occasion of offence with them, that at the best I am very troublesome to them. And that all they do for me, is out of kindness, which should be kindly taken. That much of it is pure Charity, which in this Estate I cannot recompence to them, by taking their troubles upon me, as they do mine upon them. And that it is a small thing, to return Good-will and hearty thanks, where I have nothing better to repay: And to be pleased with their love and kindness, tho' I am not eased by their Performance: And to study to please them with my kind acceptance, who have no other aim, than to oblige and ease me by their friendly and charitable Offices, and p. 183when they can do no more for me themselves, to seek to thee for the rest, and recommend me by their Prayers to thy help and mercy, thro' Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

5. For Patience with ones self, and with the Heaviness and Brokenness of their own Spirit under Sickness.

I.

O! most Gracious God, when I am most burden'd with my heavy Load of Pains and Weaknesses, give me Grace, I humbly intreat thee, to gather up what thoughts and powers I have left, and to employ them all to bear it Patiently. And when I am a little more at ease, let me be sure to praise thee for the ease I find, and to improve my ease and return thee Thanks, in a tribute of Godly Prayers, and of holy thoughts and Meditations.

Make me look upon my Prayers, O! Lord, as my surest support, and as my best Employment. And enaable p. 184me always, to be glad of any helps in them, and of any ease and leisure for them, and to be sincerely careful then to put them up the best I can.

But when I do this the best I can, let me not fear that it will offend thee, or endanger me, because in this State of Pain and Sickness I can do it no better. For my Bodily indispositions, and my troubled Fancy, and broken Thoughts, O! my God, are part of my Disease, wherewith thou tryest my Patience. And as thou expectest from me, that I should bear with them, as with an affliction of thy sending, so thou wilt Graciously bear with them too, for our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ's sake, Amen.

2.

FOR thou, O! merciful God, considerest our State, and makest all just and reasonable allowances for the weakness of it. And therefore thou wilt not exact of me to seek to thee, with the Vigour and strength p. 185of healthy Faculties, or with such uninterrupted continuance and attendance as requires the same, after thou hast taken my health and strength away.

But thou dost, and wilt accept, O! Gracious Lord, of a feeble Prayer, from a faint and feeble Spirit: and of a short one, from a mind of broken thoughts, which is soon spent and wearied, and cannot attend to any thing long. Nay, thou Graciously acceptest, even of a Sigh, or a Groan, or a devout Wish, or of a sudden Breathing, and short Act, of holy Love, or of humble Resignation, of Faith, or of Patience, when the decays and Drowsiness of a Spirit almost spent and ready to faint, will suffer us to put up nothing else.

Oh! then that I may bear with my self, and with the feebleness and faintness of my own Spirit, in my religious Services under my Sickness. And when I am the most languid and liveless in any spiritual Acts, make me remember, that 'tis thy Blessed Will, to send this State of weakness upon me. And that all the while I am bearing thy Will patiently, p. 186I am pleasing thee: and that every moments Resignation of my Will thereto, is an holy Offering. Let me consider, that I recommend my self to thee, by the patience of hope, and by meek Suffering, when I have no strength left to do it by Labour and Action. Nay, that in the hight of my Disability, even my weakness, and Bodily indispositions are vocal for me, and move thy Pity, which in thy due time will give me ease and Deliverance from them, and Graciously allow for my Faintness and accept of my poor Services under the same, thro' the Merits of our most Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

6. A Prayer for the helps to Patience.

O! Blessed Lord, under all my Grief and Misery, help me, I humbly and earnestly beseech thee, to all those good Dispositions, and wise Thoughts and Considerations, which may make it easie to me.

Keep me humble, O! God, and I shall quietly stoop to my Burden, p. 187and not complain. Teach me to deny my self, and my own desires, and I shall contentedly bear my Cross. Let me have hope in thee as an Anchor of rest, and keep me from doubting of thy Love, and from mistrusting thy Grace and sure Promises, and I shall bear up under my Load, yea, bear up with Comfort, and in thy due time see an happy end thereof. Give me Peace in my own mind, and I shall be the stronger to endure the troubles of this World; and thy Comforts in my Soul, shall support and defend me, against all the Storms and Tumults that are raised in my Body.

And, Lord, let me not stand to reckon up my Sorrows after they are past, and to renew them to my Self by calling them over again in a painful Remembrance. Especially, let me not aggravate them to my Self, by envious Reflections, and discontented Comparisons with the easier state of others. Nor let me anticipate them by frightful Imaginations before they come, and when by thy Grace they may very likely never come: or any other ways create p. 188Sorrows to my self, where really thou dost not send them. But keep me from all such Reflexion on them, as serves not to reform me, but only to afflict me; and as tends not to enable me to bear my Pains, but only to give Strength and quickness to them, and Feebleness and Trouble to my self.

And Grant, O! Holy Father, that forgetting still what is past, I may every moment set my self with all my might, to bear what lyes upon me at present. And that under the same, my thoughts may all busie themselves, in justifying thy Goodness, and Arraigning mine own wickedness; and in casting about, how I may bear my Affliction patiently and devoutly, and learn Obedience thereby, and how I may be comforted under it at present, and turn it to my everlasting ease and joy in the end, thro' Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.

p. 1897. Prayers containing Motives to Patience.

I.

LOrd, make me Patient under all I suffer, because it is thy doing, and my Deserving. Make me look upon my Afflictions, as Tokens of thy Love and Care of me, which are not sent upon me, till they are needful for my good and for thy Glory, and which tho' they are troublesome are yet exceding wholsome. For they come, to keep my Soul from being corrupted, and lost by Ease and Pleasures; and to cure me of my Errors and earthly Afflictions, and of my Forgetfulness of better things; and to raise my Heart to thee, on whom it should always fix, and from whom it should never stray.

And keep me sensible, O! Almighty God, that impatience doth only double my Disease. That it makes me troublesome to others, but most of all unto my self. And p. 190that it provokes thy wrath, instead of diverting it, and makes more severity necessary to break my Spirit, when less will not suffice to bend it to thy Yoke.

Whereas humble Submission to thy Will, O! Lord, is the readiest way to have mine own; and my bearing thy Rod with Faith and Patience, and hearkning to the voyce thereof, is the readiest way I can take of hastning on my own Deliverance. For when there is no hindrance thereto from other wise ends of thy Providence, thou art wont to grow weary of using the Rod, after it has show'd us our Errours; and art inclined to spare us, when we submit our selves: Not smiting us, for any pleasure and delight thou takest in the Pains of thy Servants; but to bring down our Spirits, and to purge away our Sins, that we may be fit and duely qualified for thy Love, and for our own everlasting Happiness, thro' the Merits of our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

p. 1912.

AND tho' my Pain and Sickness is hard to be born, O! Gracious God, yet keep me ever mindful, that there is need of much heat**Ecclus. 2. 5.Sir 2:5 in the Furnace, to fine the gold, and to purge away the Dross. That I need to bear some Hardships to prevent worse, and cannot be torn from my Sins, and from thy Wrath, without some violence. Yea, Lord, that it is a Favour to me, and very desireable, to be visited with these short Pains, which thy Grace and my Patience will turn at last into durable Joys; rather than to be let alone in my Sins, to lye down without ease or remedy in everlasting Torments.

And whilst I am bearing my hard Lot, make me know, O! Father, that all thy Promises of Grace and help in time of need, are sure and stedfast. That thou tenderly considerest my weakness, both in sending of my Sorrows, and in proportioning of my Succours. That thou hearest all my Groans, and pitiest p. 192them, and wilt find a cure or put and end to them in thy due Time. And that thou art most ready to accept of my humble Repentance to appease thy wrath, making such allowances for my frailty and Forgetfulness, as our needs do require, and as thine infinite Mercy and Goodness, and thy Gospel Promises do bid us comfortably hope for, thro' the Merits and Mediation of our only Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ, Amen.

3.

AND whatever my Hardships and Sorrows be, O! God of Patience and of all Consolations, make me consider, that this World is the place of Sorrow and Trouble, whereof all must expect to bear their share. That we need these Embitterments of Life, to reconcile us to the thoughts of Death, and to awaken our Preparation for it. That Patience is one of the principal Virtues, which we have to learn and exercise whilst we Live. And that if the exercise of it is hard, it will answerably be exceeding happy, and most highly rewarded.

p. 193And let me remember moreover, O! Lord, that the more Tryal we have here of our own Patience, the more Proof we have withal of thy Grace and Faithfulness, and the greater is our hope of a more abundant joy and Blessed recompence. And that a little waiting and endurance usually lets us see, how good and Gracious thou art, in removing what lyes hard upon us: However, that the Rest and Comforts of the next World, will abundantly satisfie and make amends for all.

Yea, and even here, O! Lord, let me consider, that Patience under my Burdens makes them lighter, and my Condition better; giving me present ease in this Life, as well as more abundant hopes in the Life to come, That 'tis best for thy Will, to take place of mine, and to chuse for me, both whether, and when, and how I shall be eased of them. And that if I struggle against thy Will, I cannot resist it. But by bearing it patiently, I do not only submit to necessity, but shew an Act of Obedience and Duty, which will please thee, and in the end will far p. 194more profit me than my Pains do at present afflict me, thro' my Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

4.

AND Grant me Grace, O! Lord, always to bear in mind, that I am here but as††1 Pet. 2. 11.1 Pet 2:11 a Stranger, and that these Decays will carry me home. That whilst I am here **2 Cor 5. 6, 8.2 Cor 5:62 Cor 5:8in the Body, I am absent from the Lord, and still as I am leaving my Body, I am hastning to him. And that my poor Soul is now a clogg…d and a close Prisoner in Flesh, and these Pains and Weaknesses are come to set it free.

And let me remember, O! Father, that these Sorrows, which I endure in my passage to Rest and Peace, are common to men. Nay, they are the Lot of good men, who are often exercised with a greater measure thereof, because here is all the Place ††Luk. 16. 25.Luke 16:25of their evil things. They are not only incident to us, but Profitable for us, and the best have need of them. For even the Blessed Jesus p. 195himself,††Heb. 5. 8.Heb 5:8 tho he were a Son, yet learned he Obedience by the things which he suffered. He bore the Cross, before he wore the Crown: and we are first ††2 Tim. 2. 12.2 Tim 2:12to suffer, that we may also Reign with him.

And I willingly submit to follow, where my Blessed Lord has lead the way, and to take Pain and Sorrow in my passage to everlasting Life and Joy, as he has done before me. Only, O! my God, be thou with me, as thou wast with him; and let me have thee for my Support and Comfort under all my Sorrows whilst I live, and for my Blessed Portion when I die, thro' Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.

p. 196VIII. Prayers for Spiritual Improvements by Sickness.

I.

O! Most Gracious and Merciful God, I receive this sickness as thy Monitor, to put me upon considering and amending the Errors of my Life, and on making preparation for my Death.

And let no flattering hopes of life, O! Lord, delay or slacken my Repentance, or keep me from setting my Soul in order. But give me Grace to make use thereof, as if I were sure it would be, what for ought I know it may be, a Sickness unto Death. And therefore let me now begin, to repent of all my sins with that exactness, as he should do who thinks this is like to be the last time. And to order all my Actions with that uprightness and holy care, as befits him who is going to give p. 197an account of them. And to be so perfect in putting on all the Dresses of a Religious Spirit, as he who expects to have no place afterwards for filling up any Omissions.

And on my Sick-bed, Holy Father, let Holy Prayers be my Employment and Delight. And make me look on shewing Patience, and exercising Faith, and perfecting Repentance, to be my business, for those remaining moments, which I have still to spend on earth. Oh! Let me have as little to do with Vanity, and as much intercourse with thee my God, and exercise of all Heavenly Thoughts and Virtues, as I can; that being used to that blessed Employment of Beatified Spirits, I may be fit for their Society, and prepared everlastingly to injoy thee in Glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

p. 1982.

AND, Lord, do thou, whose Glory it is to bring good out of evil, and Light out of Darkness, turn my sickness, which comes as the punishment of my sins, into the means of my obedience. Make it the instrument of thy Grace to bring me to my self, and to call me off from Sin and Folly, which have been the Parents of all our pain and misery. Let it bring Innocence and Watchfulness to my Spirit, and peace and comfort therein; and then my Afflictions shall pass for Favours, and I will give thee thanks and praise for my Correction.

When it wasts and brings down my Spirits, O! Father, cause it also to tame and bring down my Passions, and all violent Motions. In my low Estate, make me meek and lowly. And let the sense of my wants and weakness, cure me of all Self-Confidence, and carry me out wholly to depend on thee. Under the Terrors of thy Power, possess me with holy awe and fear. And whilst p. 199my pains make me forgetful of other things, let me not remember the wrongs I have received, nor be high in resentments of them

Let the dulness also of my Senses, O God, mortifie all Carnal Appetites, and the unsavoryness of all worldly Vanities, cure me of all inordinate fondness for them. Oh! Make my love of Earthly things, and all my sinful Lusts and Self-esteem to die before me, and let my Sickness kill them, and save my Soul alive.

And grant, O! Lord, that the trouble which I find there is in wanting thy Mercies, may keep me duly sensible of them, and thankful for them, whilst I enjoy them. And let the feeling of these Sorrows in my self, touch me with Pity and Compassion for the Sufferings of others, whensoever I see them exercised therewith.

And make me ever think, O! Holy Father, that I get more in being thus made better and wiser by my Afflictions, than in being deliver'd from them: And count nothing so good for me, as to be brought thus to know my self, and to know and p. 200serve thee, and to be put in the sure way of obtaining thine everlasting Mercy, thro my most Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

3.

AND if as**2 Cor. 4. 16.2 Cor 4:16 my outward man decays, my inward man be thus renewed, I will bless thy Name, O! Merciful God, for the kindness of these hard Providences, and acknowledge to thy praise, that††Ps. …19. 75.Ps 19:75 thou in very Faithfulness hast caused me to be troubled. For thou give…t me better things, than thou takest away. The bringing down my Body, is for the inrichment of my Soul, which is my better part. And this smiting and wounding of my Flesh, is for the healing and binding up my Spirit, which is the truest way to do me good.

Oh! then, that instead of dreading thy Visitation as my Scourge, I may receive it as my Medicine. That I may not repine at its making me weak in Body, but rather rejoyce that it makes me strong in Spirit. And give thee thanks, for thy kindness, p. 201and my comfort in thy Corrections, which are to make me good, that thou mayest make me happy, and give me everlasting Rest and Bliss with thee, thro' Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

IX. Prayers for the Bodily Needs and Desires of Sick Persons.

1. For Ease, when Sickness grows very painful or troublesome.

1.

LORD, look upon mine Adversity and Misery, which call aloud to thee for ease.These Expressions within the Hooks [] the sick Person must use or omit as he finds they do or do not suit with his own case. For [**Ps. 102. 4, 5.Ps 102:4Ps 102:5 I am wither'd like grass, and my Bones will scarce cleave to my skin.††Ps. 38. 3. 10.Ps 38:3Ps 38:10 My heart panteth, and my strength faileth me, and mine eyes are grown dim. And] there is no soundness in my flesh, because of thine anger, nor rest in my bones because of my sin. [Yea, **Ps. 102. 3.Ps 102:3my bones are burnt as p. 202an Hearth, and] I††Ps. 28. 6.Ps 28:6 go mourning all the day long, and**Job 7. 3, 4.Job 7:3Job 7:4 wearisom nights are appointed to me, and I am full of tossing to and fro unto the dawning of the day.

This thou knowest, O! My God, for††Ps. 38. 9.Ps 38:9 my groaning is not hid from thee. Oh!**Is. 64. 9.Isa 64:9 Be not wroth very sore, nor remember iniquity for ever. ††Ps. 71. 9.Ps 71:9Cast me not off, when I need most to seek to thee, nor forsake me when my strength faileth me▪ But hear me, and ease me, O! Lord, for thou delightest in Mercy. Hear me, for I cry unto thee, yea I cry unto thee all the day. Hear me**Ps. 79. 8.Ps 79:8 speedily, for I am brought very low; and make no long tarrying, for††Ps. 119. 82.Ps 119:82 mine eyes long sore for thy word, saying, when wilt thou comfort me? And though my flesh, and my heart fail me, yet let not thy Mercy, and thy Word fail me. For I still resign, and trust my self to them; and in my greatest weakness and extremity, thou, O! Father, art my strength and my portion for ever, thro' Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

p. 2032.

O! Most Gracious God, my pains are extreme, and too heavy for me, have pity upon me, and lighten them.††Jer. 30. 11.Jer 30:11 Correct me in measure, and consider that I am but a feeble and frail Creature. In**Hab. 3. 2.Hab 3:2 thine anger remember mercy, for I humbly submit my self, and return to thee. And Oh! Give me that tractableness and ingenuity of Spirit, that will be check'd with a word, and easily call'd off from evil, and will not need any long or sharp methods of correction to reclaim me.

I have waited for thy Relief, O! Father, give me the comforts of it. Yea,††Ps. 119. 82. 123.Ps 119:82Ps 119:123 Mine eyes long sore for thy word, and are even wasted away with looking for thy saving health; let them see it, and be satisfied therewith. Oh! shew me thy mercy, and that soon, for my need thereof is great. And think upon me as concerning thy word, for I trust to it to lay no more upon me than I can bear, and to send me seasonable help and ease at present, and everlasting Rest with p. 204thee in the end, thro Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

A short Prayer on receipt of Ease, or abatement of Pain, or Sickness.

BLessed be thy Mercy, O! my God, which pitieth me in my Misery.**Ps. 103. 13.Ps 103:13 As a Father pitieth his Children, when they cry out in the extremity of their pain, so hast thou pityed me.††Ps. 118. 18.Ps 118:18 Thou hast chastned me sore, but thou hast not given me over unto death; **Is. 12. 1.Isa 12:1thine anger is turn'd away, and thou hast eased and comforted me.

Lord, my Soul shall love thee, and sing of thy Mercy. And in my Distress I will always trust thee, and not be afraid. For thou art our strength whilst we suffer, and our most merciful Deliverer when we are able to bear no more, for our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

p. 2052. A Prayer for Strength under the same.

GIVE me strength, O! Lord, to strive with my Disease, and to bear the weakness of Nature. And strengthen my Spirit, to withstand all its Temptations; as well as my Body, to bear its Diseases. O! Enable me to resist the Devil, and to suppress all stirrings of sin and folly. To beat back all motions of corrupt Passion, and not to lose the due Government of my self thro excess of pain; but to shew my self mighty thro thee to bear all patiently, and to fortifie my weakness by a firm Faith and unshaken Trust in thy Grace and sure Promises.

Lord, if I have no strength but my own, every weight will bear me down. But if thou wilt support me, nothing will be too heavy for me, because nothing is too hard for thee. But††2 Cor. 12. 9.2 Cor 12:9 thy strength will be made perfect in my weakness, and thy Grace is sure to overcome my Corruptions, and thy Comforts to give me Ease, p. 206thro' my most Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

3. A Prayer for Deliverance from them.

DEliver me, O! my God, for I seek unto thee to help me; yea, I seek unto thee early, and continue seeking all the day long. Thou delightest in Mercy, deliver me for thy Mercies sake. Thou hast**Heb. 13. 5, 6.Heb 13:5Heb 13:6 promised to be with us, and help us in trouble, ††Ps. 31. 1.Ps 31:1Deliver me for thy Righteousness. Thou art Glorious in might to help our weaknesses,**Ps. 54. 1.Ps 54:1 Deliver me in thy strength. Thou hast formerly been my succour, Oh! be so still. And††Ps. 22. 4.Ps 22:4 our Fathers hoped in thee, and were delivered; let not my hope in thee perish, or be put to shame, more than theirs was. Save me, O! Almighty Lord, and make hast to my help: And **Ps. 109. 26.Ps 109:26m…n shall know that it is thy hand, and that thou hast done it, and learn thereby both to give thee Praise, and to make thee their strength and confidence, thro Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

p. 2074. Prayers for longer Respite, and Recovery from Sickness.

1.

O! Almighty Lord, in whose Hands are the Issues of Life and Death, look in Mercy upon these Decays of Nature which my Diseases hath made, and repair them, and ††Ps. 39. 13.Ps 39:13spare me a little, that I may recover my Health and Strength again.

I do not desire Health, O! my God, to consume it in Idleness. Nor out of Fondness for the gay Pleasures and Pomps of this World, that I may be strong to pursue them. For I believe and know them all, to be Vanity, and Vexation of Spirit. I lift my Heart above them, and do by no means desire to have this Earth for my home, or to take up with them for my Portion. For I love thee and thy ways, O! Dear Lord, above them and their Delights; and will harbour no love of them, but what is ready to submit them all to thee, when thou art pleased p. 208to take them away, and which will never sin against thy Laws to secure them to my self, nor use and injoy them as the Treasures of my home, but only as the helps of my Pilgrimage.

But I desire it, if it may seem fit to thee, O! God, that I may be fitter for thy Work, and more able to labor in thy Service. And that I may be more perfect in my obedience, before I am calld to give up my Accounts.This clause within the Hooks, [] may be used or omitted, as best suits with the petitioner's own case. [And because I am still willing, if it may please thee, to be an instrument of thy care and good Providence towards those, who by Nature, or Friendship are committed unto me.] And the guift thereof I shall thankfully ascribe unto thee, and praise thy Power and Mercy for the benefits of my Recovery, thro' my Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

2.

I know, O! Lord, that thou canst soon restore me when thou pleasest, and that if††Luk. 7▪ 7.Luke 7:7 thou do but say the word I shall be whole. And I believe p. 209that thou wilt restore me, if it is best for thy Glory, and for my good, and for the wise ends of thy Providence in this World. And therefore tho' I do heartily desire it, yet I humbly submit the same to thee. For I am no where so safe as in thy choice, and therefore I leave thee to determine still, whether thou shalt be honour'd and my poor Soul benefitted, by my Life or by my Death; whether by me in a state of Health, or in a state of Sickness.

But when thou hast chosen and fixt my condition for me, then, Lord, I beg of thee, and I beg it earnestly, that I may receive it willingly and thankfully; and that I may have Grace wisely and faithfully to discharge all those Duties which thou requirest from us under the same. And that I may always find, both my Tryal temper'd to my weakness, and my self still comforted and supported under it by thy Grace, thro' Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

p. 2105. Prayers on taking Physick.

1.

O! Gracious Lord, [direct the Counsels of those who prescribe to me, and] prosper the Medicines which are to give me ease, or strength. But let not my confidence in them, take off any thing of my eye or dependance upon thee. ††Mat. 4. 4.Matt 4:4For Man lives not by bread, nor recovers by Physick alone, but by every word out of the mouth of God, to give a Blessing unto both. And if thou biddest them, the things or Accidents which I do not think of, or set least by, shall recover me.

Oh! therefore, as their part is the care, so let thine, O God, be the Blessing, and mine the Comfort: And as I shall love them as thy instruments, so I shall own thee for the Author of my Mercies, and to thee shall I give Thanks, and pay my Vows and Services, thro' my dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

p. 2112.

LORD, let not my desires of Health, ever make me yield to seek Remedy from Charms or suspected means, or apply my self to Dealers with Familiar Spirits. Let me not resort to thy utter Enemy, who sets up this way against thee; nor fall again to seek him after I have solemnly renounced him in my Baptism; nor fondly flatter my self with hopes of receiving good, from the Grand Author and Plotter of all evil, who then only seems to cure when he ceases to kill, and doth▪ not cease to torment a Body but when he hopes thereby to ensnare or destroy a Soul. But give me patience to wait for Life and Health in thy ways, that I may always owe the same to thee, and wholly devote them to thy Service, thro' Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

p. 2126. Prayers on want of Sleep.

1.

O! Righteous Lord,**Ps. 77. 4.Ps 77:4 thou holdest mine eyes waking, and in the Night Season I take no rest. I seek sweet Sleep to ease my pains, and to recruit my Spirits: I seek it earnestly, but I can not find it; and if I seem to have it fast,††Dan. 2. 1.Dan 2:1 it suddenly breaks from me.

But, O! Merciful God, let it not always flee away, but let my wearied eyes at length lay hold of it, and make**Jer. 31. 26.Jer 31:26 my sleep sweet unto me. Consider my weariness, which calls aloud for rest; and my weakness, which greatly needs refreshment. And give my labouring Spirits ease, that restless agitations, or incessant pains, may not always keep me awake.

Or if my Spirits must not be allured by ease into sound sleep, or at least into soft Slumbers; let them however be born down into it by the weight of my Sorrows and their p. 213own weariness, that I may a little forget my Troubles, and recover strength to bear any new returns thereof, till thy Blessed time shall come of sending me deliverance from the same, either by the Blessing of Health, or the infinitely greater Blessing of Heaven, thro' Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

2.

AND whilst thou keepest mine eyes awake, O! Lord, keep my Heart watchful, and make me seek both to divert my Sorrows, and to ease and comfort my self, by employing my Thoughts well.

Oh! That I may fall††Ps. 63. 6.Ps 63:6 to remember thee on my Bed, and meditate on thy ways and Promises in the night Watches. That I may**Ps. 77. 6.Ps 77:6 Commune with mine own Heart, and diligently search out my own Spirit. That I may remember thy tender Mercies, and Gracious Dealings towards; and call to mind the Blessed end of Patience, and how carefull thou art sometimes to give us ease whilst thou denyest p. 214us sleep, at others to send us sleep too when we are not fit any longer to subsist without it. Yea, that in thy due time, thou wilt bring us to that Blessed State, where they sleep away no happy Minutes, but wake continually to injoy the same, as Angels do, and where their Eyes never take sleep, nor ever need or desire it.

And let these Thoughts comfort me, till thy Grace and Mercy sees fit to give sleep to my Eyes, and deliverance from my Sorrows, thro' my dearest Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

7. A Prayer of Friends for the sick under excess of Sleep, and when they apprehend danger by it.

O! Merciful God, let not this deep Sleep, which is fall'n upon thy Servant, prove the Sleep of Death. Make it the Sleep of a recovering Person, to relieve and revive††or her. him, not to carry him off, and awake him out of it in thy due time, to offer thee praise, and to labour p. 215still among us in doing thee Honour and Service.

But if thou hast order'd thereby to take him to thy self, Lord, remember and accept of all his former Prayers, and Repentance, Faith, and Patience. Look not upon his sins, but to pardon them; nor on his weaknesses, but to pity them. And when he awakes in the next World, let him find himself surrounded with Light and Bliss instead of his Sick-bed Sorrows, and awake to Eternal Life, with thee in Glory.

Lord, hear us, for this thy weak Servant in Distress. Hear our Prayers for him, who seems not able now to offer up any Prayers to thee for himself. And accept both him and us, to the Blessed injoyment of thy Love, and hopes of thy Mercies, thro! Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

p. 2168. A Prayer of Friends for the Sick, when they are Light-headed, or apprehend danger thereof.

LORD, in this extremity of pain and sickness, keep thy Servant in††or her. his Senses, and let him not want the use of Reason when he stands most in need of its Succors.

Let not his Disease transport him, into vane, or violent Ravings. And much less let the Enemy abuse his Fancy, when he himself has lost all good use thereof, and possess it with any frightful or ungodly Thoughts and Illusions.

But whatever he says or doth, amiss, or indecent, under such Disturbance and alienation of mind, impute not the same to him as his sins, O! Lord, whilst his Reason can neither understand nor refuse them; and whilst that, which takes away the use of his Reason from him, is only his Disease which is of thy sending. But impute them to the busie working of the Adversary, upon an ungovern'd imagination: p. 217And give thy Servant his Senses again, that he [††This Clause within the Hooks may be left out when he has said nothing amiss under the want of his Senses. may disclaim all the evil which he said or did whilst he knew it not; and that he] may watch against the Enemy, and may see his own wants, and earnestly implore thy Grace and Mercy for the supply thereof, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

p. 218X. PRAYERS for certain kinds of Sickness.

I. For Women with Child.

Scriptures for Women with Child.

1. Before their Travail.

UNTO the Woman God said, I will greatly multiply thy Sorrow and thy Conception; in Sorrow shalt thou bring forth Children, Gen. 3. 16.

For the Woman being deceived, was first in the Transgression.

Notwithstanding she shall be saved in Child-bearing, if she continue in Faith, and Charity, and Holyness with Sobriety, 1 Tim. 2. 14, 15.

And when she is in Travail, she hath Sorrow, because her hour is come: But as soon as she is deliver'd, she remembreth p. 219no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the World, Jo 16. 21.

2. In Travail.

LORD, my heart is sore pained within me, and the Terrors of Death are fal…'n upon me.

Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath over-whelmed me, Ps. 55. 4, 5.

But▪ what time I am afraid, I put my trust in thee, Ps. 56. 3.

Lord I beseech thee, deliver my soul, Ps. 116. 4.

Oh! Be not thou far from me, nor seem as if thou heardest not.

Shew some token upon me for good, and make haste to help me, O! Lord, Ps. 38. 21. 22. and 88. 17.

p. 2203. After Delivery, she may express her Devotion in one of the Hymns in the Office for Churching of Women, or in this following.

I Love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplicacations.

Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell got hold upon me; I found trouble and sorrow.

Then called I upon the Name of the Lord, 116. 1, 2, 3, 4.

And in the day when I cryed, he answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul, Ps. 138. 3.

When I sought him, he heard me, and deliver'd me from all my fears, Ps. 34. 4.

Oh! Sing unto the Lord, all ye Saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his Holiness, Psal. 30. 4.

p. 221Ye that fear the Lord, praise him. For he hath not despised, nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from me, but when I cryed unto him he heard me.

And my praise shall be of him in the great Congregation; I will pay my Vows before them that fear him, Psal. 22. 23, 24, 25.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, World without end. Amen.

p. 222Prayers for Women with Child.

1. A Prayer for a breeding Woman, and against Miscarriage, to be used at any time before Travel.

O! Almighty Lord, who in thy Mercy hast given me an hopeful Conception, carry it on I humbly intreat thee, to an happy Deliverance in thy due time.

Oh! let not my Child fare the worse for mine Offences, nor deal with it according to my Deserts, but according to thy own tender Mercies. Give it its due shapes, and full growth: and preserve me from all Frights, or evil Accidents which may cause me to miscarry, and in great Love and Pity both to it and me, bring it into the World at its full Maturity.

p. 223And Bless it in mind, O God, as well as in Body. Endow it with an understanding capable to know thee, and with an Heart well disposed and strongly bent to fear thee. Sanctifie it from the Womb, and receive and reckon it for thy Child as soon as it is mine, lent to me for my Comfort, but ever reserved and employ'd by thee for thy Service and Glory.

And, Lord, if it may please thee, make it easie to me in the breeding, and in the bearing and bringing forth also, when the time shall come. And grant that in both, I may always bear my Burden with Patience, and look up to thee with Faith, and receive thy Mercies with all Humility and Thankfulness, thro' Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.

2. A Prayer, when the time of Travel draws near.

GIve me Grace, O! merciful God, to look for the pangs and throws of Travel, which now draw near unto me, with holy Fear, and humble Confidence in thee.

p. 224Let me not come to meet them, O! Almighty Father, in a stupid, or careless Security, as one insensible how much the smart, and peril of this State, do need thy help and mercy. For nothing is fitter to show us our weakness, nor calls more for the Succours of thy strength. And therefore I disclaim all Confidence in my Self, or other humane means: and humbly seek to thee, and give my Self and my poor Babe up for lost, unless thou art pleased to stand by me.

But when I see how much I need thee, let me not mistrust thee, O! my God. For thou art prone to shew Pity, and my pangs will be strong to move it. And the Preservation of my sweet Babe, which has done nothing against thee, will call aloud to thy mercy to deliver me. Thou art ready to hear us, and to help us, O! Lord, because of thy Promise. And my Trust is, that thy Power and Goodness will not be wanting to support and deliver me in this Case, because I see thou daily dost extend the same to support and deliver others; [and because thou p. 225hast several times heretofore done the same to my Self.]

And therefore, O! Father, I cheerfully commit my self into thy hands. And look to find mercy from thee, as one who absolutely needs thee, and humbly trusts to thee. For mine eyes are unto thee, O! God, and to thee alone, to give me convenient Courage to meet my pangs, and strength to bear them, and to give me Patience to wait on thee, and a safe Deliverance at thy due time, for our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, Amen.

III. Prayers in time of Travel, one or other whereof may still be recited by her Self, or read to her by her Friends, as often as she pleases.

1.

LOrd, now my Sorrows have got hold upon me, let thy strength come in to support me. Oh! let not my Burdens come faster upon me, than thy Succours do. But give me Patience to bear my Pains, and quietly to wait thy time of easing them. Give me Faith to relye upon thy p. 226Mercy and Promises, and to believe that they will be shewn towards me, and fulfilled upon me in their Season. Give me Comfort under my pangs, and after them. And as thou hast enabled me to conceive a Child, and to bear it hitherto in my Womb; so now to Crown those Blessings, give me strength to bring it forth at its full time, and, if it may please thee, neither let my Pains be too sharp, nor too long, before I am happily delivered of the same, for my dearest Lord and Saviour Jesus Christs sake, Amen.

2.

O! Almighty God, do thou direct the Counsels, and Endeavours of those, who charitably Minister about me. Guide them to ways, that are most for mine and my Childs safety and ease; and of quickest dispatch. Oh! let thy Counsel, and thy hand, go along with theirs, for they can do nothing without thee. Let me now be thy Care, for thou art my Confidence. And save and deliver me, for now is the hour of my extreme need, and of p. 227thy shewing Pity and Mercy on me, thro' the Merits and Mediation of my dearest Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

3.

LOrd, I receive these Pangs, as the Sorrows which thou hast justly laid upon our Sex, for being first in Disobedience. I**Lev. 26. 41.Lev 26:41 accept them as the punishment of mine iniquity; Oh! let that appease, and pacifie thee. I resist not, but submit my self to them meekly; Oh! then smite not too sore, nor lay too much upon me. But proportion both their Degrees, and continuance, not according to my Sins, but according to my weakness, and as may best suit with thy tender Mercies, thro' Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.

4.

SUpport me, O! dear God, for I am weak. Support me, for I am one that fears thee. Support thou me, for I trust my Self unto thee, and wait on thee, and long sore for thy Mercy and my safe Delivery, for Jesus Christ's sake, Amen.

p. 2285.

MAke hast to help me, O! Lord, and deliver me speedily, for my Spirit waxeth faint. This speedy ease my Flesh earnestly desires, if thou seest it fit for me. But yet I humbly submit the same to thee. For be it quicker, or …lower, thy time I acknowledge is always best. Oh! then deliver me when thou pleasest, and give me Patience to wait for my Delivery. And delay it no longer, O! my dear God, than suits best with my weakness, and with thy Goodness, for my Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ's sake, Amen.

Short Ejaculations, which she may use in time of her Travel.

LOrd,††Ps. 38. 9.Ps 38:9 my Groans are not hid from thee, let not thy mercy be hid from me.

Thy Terrours come about me, and threaten me on every side: but ††Ps. 56. 3.Ps 56:3what time I am afraid, I will still put my trust in thee.

p. 229Consider, O! my God, that I am made of Flesh, very sensible of Pains, and short in Patience; Oh! lay not too much upon me.

Help me, Lord, for thou art my hope.

Make hast to my help, for my Spirit waxeth faint.

Oh! Jesu, who wast thy self born of a Woman, help this tender Babe strugling for Birth. Amen.

IV. Prayers after Delivery.

The Collect in the Office of Churching of Women, which may be said by some Friend there present.

O! Almighty God, we give thee humble Thanks, for that thou hast vouchsafed to deliver this Woman thy Servant, from the great Pain and Peril of Child-birth. Grant, we beseech, thee most merciful Father, that she thro' thy help, may both faithfully live, and walk according to thy Will in this Life present, and also may be partaker of everlasting Glory in the Life to come, thro' Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

p. 230Other Prayers, which may be read to her, for her devoutly to offer up to God, her Friends heartily concurring, and saying Amen with her.

1. A Thanksgiving for safe Deliverance.

O! Father of Mercies, what Thanks can I worthily give unto thee, for thine unspeakable Goodness to my helpless Babe and me, and for the wondrous things, which thou hast now done for my Soul? For the Pangs and Terrors of Death got hold of me, and the mouth of the Pit was opened, and ready to shut it self upon me. But thou hast Graciously asswaged those Pains, and wrought Deliverance, and turned my Sorrows into Joys.

Lord, I will ever adore, and magnifie thy Mercy, which hath dealt so lovingly with me; and praise thy Truth and Faithfulness, which have not suffered thy Promises, or my Hopes to fail. I will never forget; how mindful thou hast been of me p. 231in my low Estate, and how thou hast been a present help in the time of my greatest need.

For I have felt thy Power, O! my God, in my greatest weakness, and have been enabled thereby above my strength. I have tasted thy Goodness, in the midst of all my piercing Pangs and Sorrows: for thou didst comfort, and support me under them; and dist measure them out to me, according as I could bear them; and in tender Pity didst send ease, yea, hast turned those Sorrows into Joys, when I could bear no more.

And oh! that all thy Saints may praise thee, for the Glories of thy Power and Mercy. That they may be encouraged to fear and trust thee, for the wonders which thou host wrought for me. And that I may never grow weary of waiting on thee, remembring how gracious thou art still in the end to me; nor despair of thy most seasonable help and merciful Deliverance in my greatest Streights and Difficulties, thro' my Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

p. 2322. A Prayer for Grace and Assistance, under the remaining Sorrows and Tryals of Child-bed.

PErfect, Good Lord, that Deliverance, both to my child and me, which thou hast most graciously begun, and let us not be …ost after the Wonders which thou hast already done for us, for want of thy doing a little more.

Continue my Patience, O! Father, and my Humble dependance and comfortable hope in thee, under any further pains and Accidents of my Child-bed. Support my Spirit under them, and, if thou pleasest, bring me safely thro' the same, and raise me up again in thy due time. Thy Mercy and Power are still the same, and will be the same for ever. Oh! Let them still be shewn for my Recovery, as they have already been for my Delivery. Let them be shewn upon me, that I may still more and more praise thee; and because I place my safety in thy love and care, and put my hope and trust in thee.

p. 233But if in thy Paternal Providence, whereto I willingly commit my self, thou hast determined otherwise concerning me, thy Blessed Will, O! my God, be done. Dispose of me, either to Life or Death, as thou pleasest; only in both to thy Mercy. And whether living, or dying, let me still please thee, and be thou my Portion. Oh! Perfect my Repentance, and purge away all my sins. And give me Patience whilst I live, and Peace when I die, and after that the happiness to see thy Face in a Blessed Eternity, which thou hast prepared and promised to all that truly fear thee, thro Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

3. A Prayer for her Child.

PReserve my tender Child, O! Father, and let its own weakness, and my Cries, commend it to thy Blessed Care. Preserve it to be regenerated and born again by Baptism, and thereby made thine own Child by Adoption; which is infinitely a greater Blessing, both to it and me, than thy making of it mine.

p. 234Keep it also afterwards in Health and Safety. And as it increases in Years and Stature, let it increase withal in Wisdom and in thy Fear. I beg not for it Wealth, or Greatness, but Wisdom to know and serve thee. For, O! Lord, I do not desire Life, either for my self or it, but that we may live to thee, and grow daily in Love and Thankfulness for all thy Mercies, and in Faith, and Patience, and all holy Obedience, which may fit us both for ever to injoy thee, thro' Jesus Christ our only Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.

Afterwards, when she comes to be Churched, besides the accustomed▪ Offering to the Minister, she may add a Gift of Alms to the Poor, as a proper and acceptable Tribute of Thanks and Praise, Alms being as fit to attend and recommend our Thanksgivings, as they are to inforce our Prayers.

And let her not forget the††Rubrick at the end of the Office for Churching of Women. Churches Admonition, to compleat her giving Thanks by Receiving the Holy Sacrament if there be a Communion that day, or so soon as there shall be one.

p. 235II. Devotions on the Loss of Eyesight, to be read to them by some Friends, for them to Meditate upon, or to joyn in.

Scriptures.

I.

WHO hath made the Seeing and the Blind? Have not I the Lord? Ex. 4. 11.

And the Lord openeth the eyes of the Blind, Ps. 146. 8.

He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the Poor, and recovering of Sight to the Blind, Luk. 4. 18.

Lord, I grope for the wall, and stumble at Noon-day as in the Night.

I wait for Light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but I walk in darkness, Is. 59. 9, 10.

Lord, I beseech thee, that I may recover my sight.

Receive thy sight, thy faith hath saved thee, Luk. 18. 41, 42.

p. 236But if I must not receive it in my Body, however open the Eyes of ††Eph. 1. 18.Eph 1:18my Soul, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Law, Ps. 119. 18.

2.

The Light of the Eyes, indeed, rejoyceth the Heart, Prov. 15. 30.

For truly the Light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the Eyes to behold the Sun, Eccl. 11. 7.

But the Eye is not satisfied with seeing, Eccl. 1. 8.

For as Hell and Destruction are never full, so the Eyes of Man are never satisfied, Prov. 27. 20.

And the Lust of the Eyes is not of the Father, but of the World, 1 Jo. 2. 16.

So that we need to make a Covenant with our Eyes, Job 31. 1.

And if thine Eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: It is better for the to enter into Life without Eyes, rather than having Eyes to be cast into Hell-fire, Mat. 18. 9.

Besides, in seeing much, we see much evil; and it may be thou shalt be mad for the Sight of thine Eyes which thou shalt see, Deut. 28. 34.

p. 237And just Lot in seeing vexed his Righteous Soul from day to day, with the unlawful deeds of the wicked, 2 Pet. 2. 7, 8.

3.

Moreover, tho' the Body be dark, yet the Eyes of our understanding may be inlightned, Eph. 1. 18.

For the Spirit of Man is the Candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly, Prov. 20. 27.

And we walk by Faith, and not by Sight, 2 Cor. 5. 7.

And tho 'tis pleasant to see the Sun, yet 'tis pleasanter to see those things, which the Angels desire to look into, 1 Pet. 1. 12.

And to supply our want of Bodily Eyes, our Friends and Neighbours, may be to us instead of eyes, Num. 10. 31.

For I was Eyes to the Blind, and Feet to the Lame, Job 29. 15.

And cursed be he, that maketh the Blind to wander out of the way, Deut. 27. 18.

Or putteth a Stumbling-block before him, Lev. 19. 14.

Glory be to the Father, &c.