Death Made Comfortable, Prayers 6
Prayers.
1. Prayers on the Prospect of ones own Death Drawing near.
1.
GRaunt, O! Lord, that I may end my Life in thy Fear and Favor; and that I may Receive my Death, which now threatens me, not as my Curse, but as my Deliverance. Let me find it a Rest from my Labors, and an Entrance upon a Life without Trouble and without Sin. And Blessed be thy Mercy, which tho it has seen fit and needfull to Discipline me with Sorrows, yet has not made my Sorrows Endless, but all to be laid down with this mortal Life; and even in my Death has given me hopes of joys without end in a better Life, through my Dearest Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
2.
O! Blessed Lord, now I am hasting on to the End of my Life, Remember not against me the Great and manifold errors thereof, but let them all be wholly done away, by thy Mercyes, and my Blessed Saviours merits, and my own true Repentance. Let me come to my Change without Guilt, and foresee its near approach without Fear or impatience.
And Oh! that I may allways stand ready, to give a Good account of my Life unto thee. And that I may fight out the Good Fight of Faith with Constancy and Perseverance, and finish my Course with joy, and never Sleep in Sin, nor lye Down in misery and Sorrow.
And since my Soul is now summon'd to meet the Bridegroom, Dress it, O! Lord, in a Wedding Garment, fit to appear in his train. Give me†Mat. 25 4, 7, 10. Oyl in my Lamp, and Grace to trim, and light it, and keep it allways burning, sending up a pure and holy Flame, that when the Door opens I may be ready to Enter in with him. And enable it to strip it self of all Fleshly affections before it leaves my Body; and to be of like mind and Disposition with the Holy Angels and Beatifyed Spirits, before it goes to keep them Company.
And, O! my God, let me never forge…, that this is like to be the last Tryal, which thou wilt afford me, of renouncing mine own will, and resigning my self up to thine; and of shewing forth Devotion of Spirit, and all Holy Obedience and Patience, and Faith, and humble Confidence in thee. And therefore make me watch for all opportunityes of exerciseing the same, and Doe them diligently, as my last Labors for immortality, and for secureing thy everlasting Mercy thro Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
II. Prayers for Willingness to Dye.
I.
O! Most Gracious and Mercyfull Father, Give me Grace to be allways fit for thy Mercy, that I may not be slow or unwilling to Come to thee, now thou callest for me.
Forgive me all my Sins, O! God, which are*1 Cor. 15. 56. the Sting of Death, that I may look on it as an harmless thing which cannot hurt me. And make me sensible, how I am thereby eased of all those weaknesses and Sorrows, which render my Life a burden to me.
Help me to consider it, O! Lord, as what comes to give me rest from all my Labours. And to take up therewith, as with a Shelter against all Injuries and ill usage. To look upon it, as a Cure of all my Bodily Pains, and Sicknesses; and as a Remedy of all my Sins and Temptations, Sorrows and misfortunes. For after once I shall have got to thee, O! Blessed Father, I shall be out of their Reach, and never Come under their Power any more.
I know, O! Gracious God, that Heaven is my Country, and that I have still more cause to rejoyce, and less to repine, the nearer I am drawing home. That this Death, is but the begining of a better Life, and a most Desirable exchange, of Travail and Misery for Rest and Joy, and of a few Days for Eternity. And let me not be afraid of that, O! my God, which is to set me safe in thy Kingdom, and to bring me to injoy thee in Everlasting Bliss and Glory, thro Jesus Christ my Blessed Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.
2.
LOrd, now thy messengers are come to Summon me, make me reckon that thy Time is best for my Departure, and let me not seek about for Excuses and Pretences, of Staying longer here. Since this Summons is of thy Sending, let not me receive it with reluctancy. Since thou sendest it for my Good, let me not be afraid of it as if it would doe me hurt. Since thou Callest me thereby to come to thee, let me not come unwillingly, or seem forced away.
Let not my Heart, O! God, be tyed fast to any Earthly Things, and then it will be easy to me to be taken from them. Raise it above this world, and make it fit and free to trust thee for the next: And then, O! Jesu, Come when thou pleasest, and I shall receive thy Call with joy.
And Grant, O! Lord, that I may take noe Pretence for my unwillingness, because I shall thereby leave some Good Things unfinish'd, which I have in hand for my Brethrens needs, or for thy Service. But remember and Consider with my Self, that soe must all they, who make it their Care at all times, to be Designing and Doing Good. And that 'tis fittest for thee to Determine, wherein, or how long thou wilt be served by me, in any things which my poor Soul is any ways Capable thro thy Grace to design or Doe for thee. That if it seem Good in thy Eyes, thy Providence will raise up instruments, and supply what I am Designing, by other, and it may be far better ways. And that I have noe Reason to be slow, but much, infinitely much to be hasty in Coming to thee, if from†Mat. 20. 12. bearing the Heat of the Day, and a task of Labor and toyl in thy Service, thou shalt be Graciously pleased to call me, to Everlasting Rest and Joy in thy Presence, thro Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
3.
LOrd! in this State I am sore †2 Cor. 5. 2.Burdened, and Groan Earnestly; †Phil. 1. 23.Desiring rather if thou pleasest, to Depart, and be with Christ, which is far better for me.
But let me not be weary of my work and station, O! my God, before thy Time, nor hasty in Desires of Death, whilst thou seest fit to trye me in the Labors and Patience of Life. Keep me Contented to bear my Sorrows whilst thou pleasest, and to leave it to thee to Order when 'tis fittest for me to lay them Down, and to exchange them for E…se and Pleasures in thy Heavenly Kingdom, where†1 Cor. 15. 54. Death at last shall be swallowed up in Victory, and this Mortal shall put on immortality, thro the merits of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
III. Prayers against Fear of Death.
1.
CLeanse me, O! Gracious God, from Guilt and Sin, which are the Sting of Death, and then let nothing else make me afraid of it.
Let me not Dread the stroak thereof, as a thing that is hard for me to bear. But Consider, that it is an hardship Common to me, with every mortal Nature. That if it is hard, it Cures all other Sores and hardships, and is it self soon over. And that hard and painfull as it is, the weakest have born it, and can pass thro it. Yea, and that very frequently the pains of Sickness are much worse than the pains of Death, and men ordinarily endure more sorrow before they come to Dye, than they feel or show at last in Death it self. Nay, that as they fall asleep insensibly, soe they often seem to dye soe too.
And whatever pains it would otherwise make to me, O! Lord, it will be made easy by a clear Conscience, and a Comfortable Hope of thy Mercy. And let it arm my Spirit against Fear, to think that I am coming thereby to a good Master, whom as I have ever found most Gracious and Mercyfull all my Life, I shall now much more finde soe at my Death, thro the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.
2.
NOr let my Spirit, O! God, be broken with Fear, out of an apprehension of Dying under the load of thy Heavy Displeasure. For thou takest Delight in Pardoning those, whose sincere Desire and Care has been to please thee; and in makeing all fair abatements, and reasonable allowances, to their forgetfullness and infirmityes.
I am very sensible, alass, that I am too Defective in my Duty and Service. But make me remember, O! Blessed Lord, that thou canst and doest bear with some Defects. For the best are not free, from Faults and Defects enow to humble them; and yet they are surely within the terms of thy Pardon.
Yea, thou will bear with many Defects, in truely Loveing and Dutyfull mindes, and hast not limited thy Forbearance to narrow and scanty Bounds. For among those whom thou savest, there are many, and very Distant Degrees of Virtue and Obedience, and the greater measures thereof which are attained by some, are still wanting in others of them.
And these Defects of mine, O! God, great and many as they are, are to be judged of by a mercyfull Saviour, who knows our Natural Frailtyes and infirmityes, and is ready to allow all that Pity and Favor to them, which can be Desired in Reason. For he doth not require such exactness of us, as is a task fit, not for men, but for Angells. But takes up with such, as the Natural and Pityable Weakness of our state, and of a frail and forgetfull Creature in the midst of a tempting World, can bear.
Oh! then, that I may consider thy Mercy, to fortifye my minde against Fear. And fix my Soul upon the tenderness and Clemency of my judge and Saviour, which will embolden me to stand before him without Horror. And upon the Condescentions of thy Gospel, and the needfull Deductions and Forbearance which it promises to our weaknesses, that in this Hour of my necessity I may be guarded against all the suspicions of my own melancholy, or mistrusts of thy mercy, and may be strenthend with a comfortable Hope in thee, thro Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
3.
BUt if after all, my Fears shall by times return upon me, and prove troublesom to me: let it however Comfort me, O! Lord, to thinke, that thou art wont to make better of Humble Souls, than they are wont to make of themselves; and wilt judge me, not according to my Fears, but according to thy mercyes. A truely Contrite Heart. O! God, is Safe in thine Eyes, even when it gives it self up for lost in its own.
And as my Fears will be noe Prejudice to my safety, soe Grant, Good Lord, that they may be an Help to my Duty, and may quicken and increase my Care and Endeavours to obey thee. Make them the Guards of my innocence, and a constant Spur to thy Service. And then, O! Holy Father, tho they trouble and Discomfit me at Present, Yet they will happily Con…ute themselves and recompence me in the end; and my sincere Obedience shall make sure thy Gracious acceptance, tho I my self dare not beleive it till I come to find and hear it from thee in the other World, thro the merits of my only Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
IV. A Prayer against Presumption
LEt not my Heart Deceive me, O! Blessed Lord, in judgeing of my self: but keep me from Pride and vain Confidence, in setting too little by thy Grace, and thinking too well of mine own ways.
Oh! that I may never flatter my self into an Evil Security, and an insensibleness of the Great need I have of thy Mercy. For thou, O! Lord, †Jam. 4. 6.resistest the Proud, but givest Grace unto the Humble. Thou rejectest†Luk. 18. 11. 14. the Proud Pharisee, who justifyes himself, and sees not his own nakedness and Poverty.
But the very best of us all Doe absolutely need repentance, and have but too many Sins to humble us. We must*Vae etiam laudabili vitae hominum si remota misericordia discutias eam. Aug. Conf. l. 9. c. 13. throw our Selves upon thy Mercy, and†Ps. 130. 3. can not stand in thy judgement shouldest thou be Rigorous in exacting what we have Done amiss, nor *Ps. 7 6. 7.appear before thee when thou art angry. Thy justice is terrible to the Greatest Saints; yea, and before thee even the Angels themselves doe cover their Faces.
And as we can not come off clear in thy judgement, but merely thro Mercy; Soe neither Can†Rom. 11. 20. we stand in Obedience to qualifye us for it, but only thro Faith▪ 'Tis thy Help, O! Lord, that must support and keep us in thy ways. And if it were not for thy Grace, and our own Caution and holy jealousy over our Selves, we are as lyable to fall as others. Oh! then that I may†Ib. not be high minded, and place my Confidence in my self; but learn to Fear, and shew Care, and humble Dependance upon thee, and with Godly Reverence look for thy Promises of Grace and Mercy, thro Jesus Christ my Lord and only Saviour. Amen.
V. Prayers in the last Agonies.
Ejaculations.
DVst thou art, and to Dust shalt thou return. Gen. 3. 19.
Lord Jesus! have mercy upon me.
O thou Lamb of God,†Jo. 1. 29 that takest away the Sins of the World;
Be merciful to me a Sinner. Luk. 18. 13.
Tho I often offend thee, yet, Lord, thou knowest I sincerely Love thee, and hate my self for having displeased thee. And can any who sincerely Loves thee Perish Eternally?
Lord receive me, for I am hasting apace to thee.
I stretch forth my Hands unto thee, my Soul thirsteth after thee as a thirsty Land. Ps. 143. 6.
†Luk. 23. 42.Lord, remember me when thou Comest in thy Kingdom. Doe with this frail and wearied Body, what thou pleasest. Only receive my Spirit to thy Mercy in Death; and raise up this Corruptible to incorruption after Death.
And forsake me not, O! God, now my strength faileth me. Ps. 71. 9.
Besides which, the Dying Persons may use the Scriptures Collected for this Case, p. 127.