A Help Unto Devotion, Prayer 11
11. A Prayer in reſpect of death, needful at all times but eſpecially in ſickeneſſe.
O God, the God of the Spirits of all fleſh, and which haſt the keyes of hell and of death; thou haſt prepared them both, and thou ruleſt them both at thine owne pleaſure. I beſéech thee bee mercifull to a poore trembling & weak-hearted ſinner, and vouchſafe to preſerue mee from the horror and extreamitie of dread, into which I am euen now ready to fall. When I conſider (O Lord) how that I dwell in a houſe of clay, my foundation being in ye duſt, & yt I muſt erelong make my bed in the dark, ſaying to corruptiō, Thou art my Father, and to the worme, Thou art my Mother, & my Siſter, O how my belly trembleth, & what a kind of rottenneſſe cōmeth into my bones! my ſpirit ſeeming to fayle me, & my heart within mee being filled with diſmayednes. Eſpecially, when I thinke vponupon the iudgement that commeth after it, & the ſtraitneſſe of that account which I am inſtantly to be called to, and vponupon thoſe euerlaſting chaynes vnderunder darkenes in which the wicked are reſerued vntounto the laſt ſeſſions, I am then ſo euen ouerwhelmed with amazedneſſe, that I ſéeme to my ſelfe for the preſent, not to know where to find any true refreſhing. I am told by thy bleſſed and not-deceiuing word, that the ſting of death is mine owne ſinne, and with it I daily feele my ſelfe goared and galled and wounded ſo excéedingly, that (mée thinketh) to mee (poore wretch) there can be no hope of recouery, but death muſt néedes bée as a paſſage to leade mee into the bottomleſſe priſon of hell. Rayſe vp (O Lord I beſéech thée) theſe my ſad & vnquiet thoughts, teach mee how to ouercome theſe diſcouraging and killing perplexities, ye death may not be vntounto me as a king of fear: nor I, as one of ye wicked, whoſe hope doeth periſh with their breath, & the candle of whoſe comfort is put out, when thou art pleaſed to take away their Soule Reuiue my memory, that I may call to minde, and cōfortably ponder thoſe things which thy ſacred word hath taught me: namely, how the nature of death is cleane altered to thy ſeruants, the ſting is plucked out, & it ſelfe is ſwallowed vp in victory. To them the comming thereof ſhall be a time of diſcharge, they ſhall by it bee fréed from ſickneſſes of body, from anguiſhes of ſpirit, from all poſſibilitie of ſinning againſt their God, from the tedious and diſcontenting ſocietie of the vngodly: their fleſh ſhall reſt in hope, their graues ſhall bee vntounto them as beds of eaſe, being ſwéetened and ſeaſoned by the buriall of their Sauiour: the Angels ſhall giuegive attendance vponupon their Soules, to conuey thē into Abrahams Boſome, to the fellowſhip of belieuers, to the ſpirits of iuſt and perfit men; ſo ſhall they bée with Chriſt: which is beſt of all. This (O Lorde) is the happineſſe which cōmeth by death vntounto thy choſen: Oh what are all the moſt torturing ſickneſſes, the bitter pangs and ſorrowes of the graue, vntounto ſuch a glorious exchange? Who would feare corruption, for a neuer ſading crowne of righteouſneſſe? What is a momentany yéelding of the body to conſumption in the duſt, in compariſon of the euerlaſting preſeruation of ye Soule, with aſſurance alſo, that in the time appointed theſe vile bodyes ſhall by the mightie working of thy beloued Sonne, be faſhioned like vntounto his owne glorious body, and ſo both bodyes and ſoules bee for euer with him in his kingdome.
Teach mee (O Lord) effectually to apply theſe things to mine owne comfort, that ſo this timorouſneſſe procéeding from the guilt of ſinne, may be turned into a chéerefull expectation, and euen a longing for the day of my diſſolution.
And, leſt I ſhould beguile my owne Soule, in laying clayme to that ſpirituall refreſhing which belonges not to mee, make mee to labour for thoſe aſſured euidences and vndeceiuing fore-runners of a happy departure. I know (O Lorde) that if I liue héere without conſcience, I ſhall ſurely dye without comfort.
Holineſſe here, is the way and path to future happineſſe. I muſt ſeeke to glorifie thee, if I deſire to be glorified with thée, I muſt fight the good fight againſt ſathā, againſt the world, againſt mine owne corruption, I muſt faythfully fulfill my courſe, and performe the ſeruice to which thou haſt appointed me, I muſt know thy trueth, and keepe the faith in ſoundnes and ſinceritie to the end: otherwiſe it will bee in vaine to exſpect a crowne of righteouſneſſe. I muſt come to the firſt reſurrection, or elſe I ſhal neuer eſcape the ſecond death: Graunt mee therefore grace (I humbly pray thee) to ſerue thee in holineſſe and righteouſneſſe all my dayes, and to endeauour alwayes to hauehave a cléere conſcience towards thee, and towards men; Kill my corruption in mee, that I may bee euen dead to ſinne, but aliue to thee in Ieſus Chriſt. And becauſe if I liue after the fleſh, taking thought for it to fulfill it, I ſhall dye; therefore, I beſéech thée, to mortifie the deedes of the body by thy ſpirit, that ſo I may hauehave my fruite in holineſſe, and my end eternall life. Teach mee often to number my dayes, and to conſider the vncertaine certaintie of my ende, that I may dye euen eueryevery day, ſtill looking and ſtill preparing for my change, and making account that each day may bee the day of my diſſolution. Strengthen alſo my weake and faint faith, make mee ſtrong in thee and in the power of thy might, ſeale me with the holy ſpirit of promiſe, as with the earneſt of my heauenly inheritance, that ſo no anguiſh of ſickneſſe may diſcourage me, no pang of death diſmay mee, no aſſault of ſathan ouercome mee; but that, come death when it will, or in what manner it ſhall pleaſe thee, I may boldly (through Chriſt) commit my ſoule to thee as vntounto a faithful creator: Grant me this cōfortable bleſſing for his ſake, who dyed to free me frō death, & from him yt had the power of death, euen for Chriſt Ieſus ſake. Amen.