by repeated acts to root it in his heart it being the best Disposition he can die in in order to his perfect enjoyment of God after his Dissolution And First For the bringing him duly to consider how much God deserves our Love let him make use of such Words as these Thou knowest Dear Brother that the Sum of all the Evangelical Law is That we should love God with all our Hearts with all our Souls with all our Minds and with all our Strength and this not only with regard to our selves because it is necessary and profitable for us and without which we cannot be happy but also with respect to Him and his Divine Attributes who being transcendently Good and Wise and Almighty and Gracious and Merciful and possessing all Perfections above utterance or Conception it ought to be our great desire that all Men should acknowledge Him for such and pay Him the Honour Obedience and Love due to so Supream a Being Who by his Own Nature and as the Fountain of all Goodness possesses the Virtues of the Saints and Angels and of all other Creatures Visible and Invisible their greatest Perfections how admirable soever they may appear to us being at the best but faint glimpses and reflections of his immense Light and Glory And thus you see how much we are bound to love God for his own sake whom to behold is alone sufficient to make both Angels and Men happy Let the Minister also observe to him that God has even prevented us by his Love and a greater Love than ever Father bore towards Son than ever Friend bore towards Friend than ever Husband bore towards Wife And that upon this account it is He has given Himself the three Titles of Father Friend and Husband to the end that by these endearing Appellations which express the greatest tenderness among Men He might make us sensible how great the Love is He bears towards us If a King that loves his Subjects deserves from them a reciprocal Love 't is surely very fit and just that though we were even vile enough not to love God for his own sake yet at least out of common gratitude we should love Him because He has first loved us Moreover let him be admonished to love God for the Benefits he has receiv'd at his Hand and this under a double Consideration I. With regard to the Order of Nature For his Creation and Being for his Immortal Soul capable of Eternal Happiness for the use and preservation of his Senses for the Rank assign'd all other Creatures in subservience to his Aid Pleasure and Convenience And then let him be put in mind that 't was not for any need He had of him that God had heaped all these Benefits upon him but purely out of an abundant Love and Goodness and for which He expects no return of Profit or Reward but only a mutual and reciprocal Love II. With regard to the Order of Grace That the Father Everlasting forbore not to give his own Son to redeem him from the Slavery of the Devil and perpetual Torments That this beloved Son humbled himself even to the Death of the Cross to purchase Eternal Glory for him That the Holy Ghost has many times been pleas'd to descend into his Soul to purifie it from its Spots and Blemishes and replenish it with his Divine Inspirations That He it is that comforts him in his Sickness that allows him time to prepare himself to die as behoves a pious Christian and has preserv'd him from being snatch'd away suddenly In short let the Minister present to his Consideration the Pleasures which God has provided for him Pleasures so great and ravishing as exceed the power of Mortal Man with Tongue to express or Thought to conceive And from all this leave him to judge with what fervency and faithfulness he ought to love Him Again The Minister may encline his heart to the Divine Love by way of Prayer causing him to repeat after him some Words of the Holy Scripture like these Lord Thou hast said that we ought to love Thee with all our Hearts and with all our Souls Oh! if it be thy blessed Will encrease in me this Divine Charity I feel a great desire of loving Thee and if in this Life I cannot do it to the degree I wish Lord grant I may in the Eternal State For whom have I in Heaven but Thee and whom upon Earth can I desire in Comparison of Thee Thou art the God of my Life and my Portion for ever Grant that I may not only love Thee above all the Creatures in the World but that I may love nothing but Thee and for Thy sake that so I may look upon Thee as my only Good both in this Life and in that which is to come O infinite Goodness Who shall give me power and strength to love Thee infinitely When will that blessed State come that Thou alone shalt have the sole possession of my Heart When shall I be wholly Thine who am by so many ties and on so many accounts bound to be so O let it come that blessed Time when God shall possess me fully and entirely and when I shall be able to offer my self to Him without reserve Lord who hast loved me with an Eternal Love Who createdst me of nothing who savedst me when I was worse than nothing and hast so often restored to me Thy Heavenly Grace when I had lost it by my Sins If I owe my Soul to Thee so many ways what do I not owe Thee for Thy Self who art so Holy and Merciful To the rest of Thy transcendent Favours be pleas'd to add that of inflaming my Heart so as I may love Thee without bounds or measure O Blessed Spirit who art that immense Love proceeding from the Father and the Son Who vouchsafest to fill us with Thy Divine Gifts Encrease I beseech Thee every moment the Love I have and shall ever continue to have for Thee Lastly The Minister shall engage him to a Love of God by some eminent Instances of the Great Love of the Saints towards Him whether from the Lives of the Holy Apostles or other Blessed Martyrs and Confessors of Jesus Christ raising there-from an Occasion of exciting him to Acts of Contrition and the acknowledging himself a miserable Sinner who contrary to the Example of those Holy Men had so often abandoned his God and Creator for the sake of the World and vilest of its Creatures directing him at the same time to lift up his heart to the Eternal Father in these Words Lord who hast prevented me by thy manifold Blessings I own my self to be that miserable Sinner that ungrateful Slave that Wicked Wretch who have despised Thee even Thee my Creator and my Father In the Name and for the sake of Thy dear Son Christ Jesus my Redeemer I implore Thy Pardon O Father of Mercy Wash away all my Iniquities and have mercy upon me Thy poor Creature who am the Work
dies in impenitence though formerly he may have led a Righteous Life must expect to be adjudg'd to Everlasting Flames Yet let the Minister as is said before take care not to affright the Patient especially if he be naturally timorous but rather increase and support his Contrition by laying before him God's Mercies and Goodness in the order both of Nature and Grace shewing him what great Love He had for him in not sparing his only begotten Son but delivering him up to the Death of the Cross for the Redemption of him and all penitent Sinners What Glory He has prepar'd for him in Heaven How good and gracious He is and worthy of our Love and Praise who has both made him out of nothing and adopted him in his Son and our Redeemer Christ Jesus And so the Minister shall continue with an affectionate tenderness to represent to him that this is that Good God he has offended by his manifold Sins and for which therefore he ought sensibly to be afflicted and heartily repent Which having said the Minister may here make a pause and give the Sick Person time to reflect upon what he has now spoken so as he may be excited to Contrition And then he shall raise his Hope again and animate his Love by telling him that the same God forgives him all his Sins who in his infinite Mercy waited for his Repentance and has promised by his Prophet that at what time soever the Sinner shall return to Him He will pardon his iniquities and remember them no more That his Saviour has his Arms stretched out upon the Cross ready to embrace him and put him into the possession of Heaven which He has purchased for him with his Precious Blood After this let the Minister exhort him to say both with Heart and Mouth as the Publican in the Gospel Lord have mercy upon me a poor Sinner And with David Lord forgive me all my Sins Have mercy upon me O Lord according to thy great Goodness according to the multitude of thy Mercies do away mine Offences Wash me throughly from my Wickedness and cleanse me from my Sin O turn thee unto me and have mercy upon me for I am desolate and in misery Against Thee O my God! have I sinn'd and done evil in thy sight And if thou Lord wilt be extream to mark what I have done amiss I cannot abide it O enter not into Judgment with thy Servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified My soul cleaves unto the dust O quicken thou me according to thy Word I am full of heaviness because I have offended thee My Soul also is sore troubled but Lord how long wilt thou punish me O be thou merciful unto me and help me for I put my trust in Thee Remember not O Lord the Sins and Offences of my Youth but according to thy mercy think thou upon me Turn thy face from my Sins and put out all my misdeeds O let me hear of joy and gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce Make me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit withinme Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me O give me the comfort of thy help again and stablish me with thy free Spirit Lord I am thine O save me and deliver me Shew the light of thy countenance upon me Make hast to help me O Lord Thou art my Helper and my Redeemer O Lord make no long tarrying Cast me not away in this time of distress forsake me not now my strength fails me but draw nigh unto my soul and save it for thy mercies sake Bow down thine Ear O Lord and hear me for I am poor and in misery Be merciful unto me O Lord for my spirit waxeth faint Comfort the soul of thy servant for unto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul For thou Lord art good and gracious and of great mercy unto all them that call upon thee Give ear Lord unto my Prayer and ponder the voice of my humble desires In the time of my trouble I will call upon Thee for Thou hearest me Teach me thy way O Lord and I will walk in thy Truth O knit my heart unto Thee that I may fear thy Name Lord Thou knowest all my desire and my groaning is not hid from Thee My heart panteth my strength has failed me and the sight of my Eyes is gone from me There is no health in my flâ—sh because of thy displeasure neither is there any rest in my bones by reason of my Sin Take thy plague away from me I am even consumed by the means of thy heavy hand O hide not thou thy face from me nor cast thy Servant away in displeasure Thou hast been my succour leave me not neither forsake me O God of my Salvation Hear my prayer O Lord and with thine ears consider my calling Hold not thy peace at my tears For thy hand is heavy upon me day and night and my moisture is like the drought in summer O spare me a little that I may recover my strength before I go hence and be no more seen These Divine Sentences or some of them or the like with which the Book of Psalms is abounding the Minister may use according as he shall judge most proper and suitable to the Capacity of the Sick Person and the Condition he shall find him in to the end he may still keep him in a state of Contrition and remove from his heart all inclinations to Sin But as we have intimated before let him take great care that this Contrition of his be not imperfect and grounded only upon fear of Punishment but be excited and supported by a true Love of God and perfect Charity towards all Men. And when the Minister shall perceive the Patient to be thus throughly affected with the sense of his Sins and to express a hearty Sorrow for them and fervent Love towards his offended Creator let him for his Comfort declare to him In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost that upon his sincere Repentance all his Sins are done away and will never more be remembred That the Gracious and Merciful God has passed by and forgiven his Iniquities and Transgressions has now received him into his Favour and will shortly admit him into the Company of his Holy Angels and Blessed Saints That He will make him sit at Table with him in the Kingdom of Glory and replenish him with Joy and Felicity for ever more But before this Declaration be made 't is necessary that the Minister exhort him to take his Sickness and if it should so please God his Death too with patience and submission it being a Tribute we are all obliged to and acceptable to God when freely paid He must also admonish him that if he has any Goods in his possession that belong to his Neighbour he should if possible make immediate Restitution
of thy own Hands Assist me in this last Period of my Life Comfort thou my sad and afflicted Soul and preserve it from being taken out of Thy Arms by the infernal Spirits O Blessed JESU who gavest Thy most precious Blood for my Sanctification and Salvation be Thou pleased to render it efficacious to me in this my last Hour I acknowledge I have many and many times forfeited the Grace Thou bestowedst on me in my Baptism when I was first consecrated to Thee But Thy Mercy is far above my Transgressions Apply to my Soul the Merits of Thy Death and let me at this moment of my Departure feel the gracious Effects of Thy infinite Goodness and Power Me O Lord the unworthiest of Thy Creatures who with an humble and contrite Heart and a Soul full of Love to Thee and confidence in Thy Mercy do in a ready expectation of my sudden Dissolution cry unto Thee Lord JESU receive my Spirit Amen CHAP. VIII What the Minister is to do when coming to a Sick Person he finds every thing already done necessary for the disposing him to die as a good Christian HItherto we have spoken of what the Minister is to do for the disposing the Sick Person to die well But if he finds him to be already well prepar'd to have receiv'd the Holy Sacrament and to require only some Body with him to entertain him in those Godly Dispositions the Minister having first satisfied himself that he has still the use of his Understanding and is in a condition to hear what he shall say may read to him something out of the Gospel and repeat over him the usual Prayers of the Church And then proced 1. To the supplying what if ought that is necessary may have been omitted in his Preparation 2. To the exciting him to further Acts of Faith Hope and Charity and comforting him in his Afflictions and Pains 3. To the recommending his Soul to God 4. and Lastly To the saying something for the Edification of such as are present To the First Having desired those that shall be about the Patient's Bed to withdraw a little he shall ask him as we have said at the latter end of the Fourth Chapter whether he feels a calm in his Conscience or whether he be doubtful and desirous of further information in any thing concerning his Salvation And if he be the Minister ought diligently to attend both to the hearing him and giving him satisfaction therein Or if he says no and yet the Minister suspects the Case to be otherwise with him let him advise him to bethink himself whether he has not forgot to repent of some secret Sin or whether he has not been too reserv'd in some certain Particulars such as the Restitution of the Honour or Goods he may have taken away from his Neighbour Which Restitution if he be really convinc'd he ought to make let him forthwith do it himself if possible or at least order it to be done as soon as may be And in case he has not sufficient for it let him be brought faithfully to promise that if it should please God to restore him to his health again he would omit nothing for the giving satisfaction to all he is indebted to In like manner the Minister is to inform himself whether he has Children or had the discharging of any Publick Offices or the like that so he may ask him proper Questions concerning the same respectively and avoid what else would be less useful As to the Second Head namely the Exciting the Patient to Acts of Faith c. The Minister is to consider the bent of his Mind For if he be one that is Pious and accustom'd to Divine Meditation and able to pray and meditate by himself 't will be convenient that he be let alone for sometime without interruption But because his Sickness may have brought him low and there may be cause to fear that by reason of the weakness of his Mind as well as that of his Body he may not be able to support himself in his holy Cogitations the Minister may gently ask him whether he is not willing to be assisted therein To which if he replyes that he is devoutly entertaining himself the Minister shall desire him to communicate his Meditations to him that he may be also profited thereby This is a very useful Caution For by it the Minister will discover whether there be no delusion or temptation mixt in his thoughts And if he finds him as it often happens to need a Subject to be given him to meditate upon he shall propose to him some comfortable Words of our Saviour as these recorded in St. Mathew's Gospel Come unto me all ye that travail and are heavy-laden and I will give you rest Or some others relating to the Mystery of his Passion and especially such as he may be thought to like best and be most edified by remembring him of Christ's Sufferings upon the Cross and the excessive Torments and reproachful Death He underwent for our Sins whose heinousness required so severe a Punishment in his Sacred Person By which means he may at once be excited to Contrition and a necessary Confidence of obtaining Heaven which the Redeemer of the World has thus purchas'd for him with his most precious Blood If the Patient has not strength sufficient to meditate by himself and yet has enough of his Senses remaining to be able both to hear and to be affected with the Words of Exhortation then the Minister will do well to continue him in the Exercise of his Contrition Faith Hope and Charity as we have said in the 2d 5th 6th and 7th Chapters and having represented to him how great and ignominious those Torments were which our Blessed Saviour endur'd he shall add that our Sins must certainly have been very enormous to have stood in need of so extraordinary a Remedy Let him if he be able say Lord Have mercy upon me Christ Have mercy upon me a poor wretched Sinner I am sorry from my heart that ever I have offended Thee O forgive me all my iniquities Encrease my repentance and support it and supply its defects with the Merits of Thy Blood O Merciful Saviour be favourable unto my Soul that longeth after Thee and nothing but Thee And for the exciting his Faith let him call to mind that Jesus Christ though of one and the same Substance with the Father Co-eternal and Coequal with Him in all his Perfections yet has been willing so far to humble himself as even to take our Flesh upon Him and die on the Cross for our Salvation and then let him adore Him as the Saviour and Redeemer of the World It will be also very proper for the Comfort and Edification of his Relations and other Persons present that he openly declare the Profession of Faith he dies in saying I protest before Heaven and Earth that I die in the Catholick and Apostolick Faith hoping to be saved through the sole
said before of God Himself who being Omniscient cannot be mistaken in his knowledge and being the very Truth cannot deceive or impose upon Us by false Revelation CHAP. XIII How to comfort a Sick Person that is mistrustful of God's Mercy and troubled with Desparing Thoughts 1. THE Minister is to examine the chief Motive of his Distrust whether it be that he is still linked to some beloved Sin that he cannot easily part with such as Hatred or Covetousness or Carnal Lust or the like Of which we shall treat in the Seventeenth Chapter Or whether there lies something hid in his Heart which he ought to repent of the Minister exhorting him at the same time to make a sincere Confession of his Sins to God and throughly bewail them whereby to remove his diffidence and set his Soul entirely at peace 2. If the Patient has no Cause to mistrust God's Goodness to him but is terrified only with the remembrance of his past Sins or the Temptations he is now disturbed with then let the Minister excite his Hope First towards God whom he has offended by telling him that God is always ready to forgive him That he is a Merciful Father That his Graces are infinite That He is full of Tenderness and Compassion and that His Love far surpasses the Sins of Men That He prevents and assists us by the inspirations of his Holy Spirit and pardons our Iniquities when we are truly sorrowful for them Secondly towards Christ with these Words Our Sins we must confess are many and great but God has laid them all upon Jesus Christ by whose Sufferings we are redeemed from them And forasmuch as we were not able to make Satisfaction for them by reason of our own unworthiness his Love for us has extended so far as to give his only Son to be a Saviour to us His Humility has brought down and destroy'd our Pride His Patience our Passions His Charity our Hatred His Cross our Luxury and His Obedience even to die for us has blotted out all our Transgressions And as the least of his Torments was sufficient to satisfie the Justice of God so through these infinite Merits of his may we ask of Him both the Remission of our Sins and Inheritance of His Kingdom Let the Patient for his Comfort remember that he is to have for his Judge this same Jesus who is now at the right Hand of God making Intercession for him and call to mind how gracious He was to St. Peter whom He pardoned almost the same moment he denied Him Let him think of the Charitable Words He pronounced upon the Cross on behalf of his very Enemies Father forgive them for they know not what they do and those he spake to the Penitent Thief That the self-same day he should be with him in Paradise In short let him be perswaded that God has a greater desire to save him than he himself can have to be saved and therefore he has not the least cause to be diffident of his Mercy 3. The Minister may sustain his Hope and Confidence in God's Goodness and Mercy by the Example of divers Holy Persons that remitted the injuries done to them as Joseph David St. Stephen and others teaching him therefrom that if these who were but Men had so much Meekness and Charity as to forgive their very Persecutors what ought not we to expect from God the Fountain of Mercy Whose Goodness will appear still the greater by how much more numerous the Sins are which He pardons to us That therefore provided he has a broken and contrite Heart he needs not in the least apprehend his being rejected or abandoned for though his Transgressions were more heinous than those of the Devils themselves the Cross of Christ is sufficient for the abolishing of them We do not mean that the Minister should say all these things at once and in the Order here prescribed as if he made a set Discourse to him but that he use his Discretion in speaking them by little and little and at several times according as he shall find the Patient in a Condition of hearing him and of receiving Comfort therefrom He may also introduce and relate in few words the History of the Prodigal Son of Mary Magdalen of the Samaritan and of the Cananitish Woman mention'd in the Gospel with that of the whole People of the Jews whom God conducted into the Land of Promise notwithstanding their continual Rebellions and Unfaithfulnesses Let him likewise put the Patient in mind of the Passage in Ezekiel where God says He will forget the iniquities of a Sinner at what hour soever he shall turn and repent That Pardon is in the Gospel it self secured to us upon Condition of our forgiving our Enemies and therefore we ought not to doubt of Forgiveness at God's hand if we for his sake freely and entirely forgive them that have offended us Thus shall the Minister support his Hope by continually saying before him God's Mercies and Promises of Pardon to us for the sake of Christ's Blood that was shed for all Sinners and assuring him that God will not fail to assist him by his Grace nor will suffer him to fall away and miscarry in what concerns his Eternal Salvation Which having said and added thereto what else he may think fit for the same purpose he shall admonish the Patient to apply himself to God in this manner Lord I am an ungrateful Son yet still thy Son Thou having both created me and adopted me in Jesus Christ Thy very Son Co-substantial with Thee O Lord in Thee I have put my trust let me never be confounded I am a prodigal Child I acknowledg that I have sinned against Heaven and before Thee and am no more worthy to be called Thy Son But O my God! are not Thy Mercies greater than my Transgressions Let him say with St. Anselm Lord though I have kindled lust in my Heart can I have quenched Mercy in Thine Though I have commited Sins for which Thou mayst justly condemn me hast thou departed from that Goodness and Clemency by which Thou wast wont to pardon and indulge me Have mercy upon me O my Father For thine own sake and for thy dear Son Jesus Christ ' s sake forgive me all that is past I do earnestly repent I am heartily sorry for all my Misdoings Abolish them in the death and wash them away in the Blood of my Blessed Redeemer Let him also say with Job Though thou should'st kill me yet will I hope in Thee And with David Why art Thou so vexed O my Soul and why art thou disquieted within me O put thy trust in God and remember that He is Thy Comfort and Defence Lord enter not into judgment with thy Servant I fly to thy Clemency I implore thy Mercy not thy Justice Judge me not O Lord according to my Deserts Deal not with me after my sins neither reward me after mine iniquities All which let the Patient be advis'd