Prayers for Patience under Thou God of Patience and tience and Submission under the Pains and Confinement of a Sick Bed. Whatever thou shalt please to lay upon me, it is thy Doing, and my Deserving. Canft not thou do what thou wilt with thine own? I will therefore lay my hand upon my Mouth, and say, It is the Lord, let him do what Seemeth him Goods But why do I complain of what I have deserved? Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the Punishment of his Sins? O, let me never charge God foolishly, nor offend thee by an impatient and uneasy Spi rit. Lord, I humbly lye down un D 4 der ! der thy Rod. Do with me as thou pleasest. I am thine, thy Creature the Work of thy Hands. , But confider, O Lord, of what I am made: Remember that I am but Flesh and Dust, frail and corruptible Flesh. Deal gently with me; and in the midst of Judgment, do thou remember Mercy. : Let thy Grace be the support of my Weakness, and let the sense of thy Mercies sweeten all my Sorrows. For the sake of my dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. Merciful Father, I defire not only to submit, but to be Thankful. I am indeed in Trouble and in Pain, but it is for my Good; to Amend and Reform me... Thou doft correct those whom thou dost love, and dost chastise every one whom thou dot re ceive. I defire therefore to accept of this thy Fatherly Correction, as a Token of thy Love, and a Means of my own Happiness. By humbling me for my Sins; By weaning me from this world; and by fitting and preparing me for the Glories of the next. 'Tis thy Mercy that makes my Bed in my Sickness; that confidereth my Weakness, and supporteth me. Thou puttest my Tears into thy Bottle; Thou hearest all my Groans, and pitiest them; and wilt find a Cure, or put an end to them in thy due time. And though my flesh and my heart fail me. And though all outward Helps and Comforts fail me; be thou, O Father, the Strength of my heart, and my.. Portion for ever. Through the Merits of Jesus Chrift, my dear Lord and Saviour. Amen. ; 194 Having thus taken care not to increase your *Guilt, by any Frowardness of Temper, or Impatient Behaviour, your great and chief Work as, 2. To perfect and compleat your Repen tance. Of Repentance upon a Sick 1. Bed. 7 Ere pray observe; I do not Harya , that the Sick Person is to Repent, (this I hope he did in the time of his Health;) but I am to admonish him to fiwish and compleat his Repentance, by reviewing the State of his Soul, and perfecting his Accounts with God. And that this is the Orthodox Doctrine, and Prudent Practice of the Church of England, is plain from the Order for the Vifitation of the Sick. Then Then (faith the Rubrick) shall the Minister examine; Whether he Repent him truly of his Sins ? That is, He will examine him, Whether his Repentance be true and fincere? The which Examination must be free and impartial, strict and without referve. For Eternity depends upon it. And a Mistake in this Matter will be fatal and irreverfible. The Dying Person is now leaving this World; and his Soul, upon its Separation from the Body, will be disposed of in an unalterable State, either of Happiness or Misery. Now the great Enquiry is'; Whether of these Two shall be his Portion? Life or Death, Heaven or Hell? Shall he be Everlastingly Happy, or Eternally Miferable? The Resolution of this great Question is briefly this. If |