conjunction with him and giving him an Explanation of its Contents From which if the Patient shall think himself in some measure inlightened but not yet sufficiently acquainted with some certain Articles thereof the Minister may prudently and dexterously instruct him concerning the same without any shew of catechising of him but by way of Prayer exhorting him to say after him Lord I commend my Soul to Thee O most Holy Blessed and Glorious Trinity Father Son and Holy Spirit One only God in Three Persons and Unity of Substance have mercy upon me I commit my self to Thee O Father Almighty who hast created Heaven and Earth and all things visible and invisible I commend my self to Thee O Blessed JESU Saviour of my Soul who wast sent from Heaven by the Father Eternal Who wast conceived by the Operation of the Holy Ghost in the Womb of the Virgin MARY Who Suffer'dst Dyedst and wast Buried Who didst descend into Hell and rosest again on the Third Day Who ascendedst into Heaven and art sitting on the right Hand of God the Father Almighty From whence Thou shalt come to Judge all Men who are to rise again in their own Bodies giving Life to such of them as shall have dyed in Grace and adjudging the Reprobates to Eternal Fire I commend my self to Thee Holy Spirit who proceedest both from the Father and the Son and whom together with these Two Divine Persons I adore with one and the same Adoration who inlivenest and sanctifiest One Catholick and Apostolick Church on Earth in which Thou hast ordain'd Two Sacraments for the Remission of Sins and Communion with Thy Self I beseech Thee I humbly intreat Thee through Thine Own Merits O sweet JESU my Redeemer by Thy tender Love and Mercy and by all that Thou hast done and suffered for me to lead me to those Mansions of Eternal Bliss and Glory which Thou hast prepar'd for those that love Thee Amen The same thing may be done also by way of Oblation as I Offer up my Heart and my Soul to Thee O Lord who c. Or by way of Supplication as Have mercy upon me O Lord c. Or Lastly by way of Thansgiving as I thank Thee O most Holy Blessed and Glorious Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost One only God in Three Persons who hast created c. as before The Minister may also instruct the Patient by raising his Hope towards God and shewing him what Father he has by Creation and at the same time explaining to him those Articles of Faith that respect the Divinity Then by shewing him who his Redeemer is and acquainting him with the Mystery of the Incarnation And lastly by telling him who is his Comforter discoursing to him of the Holy Spirit and of the Graces which he communicates to us In like manner may he teach him the Articles of his Belief by causing him to ponder the Benefits and Favours God has done him by representing to him that the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost have created all Things for him and that Jesus Christ who is the Word equal to his Father has been willing to put on Human Flesh in order to his Redemption from Sin and Death and the purchasing for him a Crown of Everlasting Glory All these different Ways of explaining the Articles of the Christian Faith to One that is not throughly acquainted with them may also be very useful to those that are the most perfect therein not for instructing but inciting them to Acts of Faith especially when drawing near to Death it being very necessary at that juncture to fix in the Patient a Belief of those Blessings he hopes to enjoy to all Eternity CHAP. VI. How the Minister is to raise and exercise the Hope of the Sick Person FIRST of all he must examine how his Soul is affected there being three sorts of Dispositions to be found in Sick Persons Some have little Hope with much Fear whether proceeding from a Natural Timorousness and the remembrance of their Sins that perhaps are very many and heinous or from the Craft and Malice of the Devil who having propos'd to them while they were in health God's Mercy alone abstracted from his Justice for the more easie inducing them to a Security in Sinning does now they are approaching Death and Judgment present to their Eyes the Severity of God's Justice unattended with his Mercy to the end he may cast them into Despair concerning their Salvation and so harden them to a thorough impenitence Others there are who on the contrary exceed in Hope even to Presumption as thinking of nothing but the Virtuous Actions and good Works they fancy to have done and regarding only the Divine Mercy and infinite Merits of Christ without reflecting at all upon their Sins or the Judgments denounced by God against them The third and last sort are such as have neither Hope nor Despair in whom it is therefore expedient to excite the former by the Means we shall next endeavour to shew referring it to another place to speak of raising the Hope of the Timerous and moderating that of the Presumptuous As the principal Object of Hope is God He being the Author of that Felicity we look for so there are two Things which the Minister is chiefly to attend to with regard to this Head The one is the raising and fixing the Sick Person 's Hope upon the Glory Eternal The other is the exciting him to a Christian Confidence that he shall attain to it He may raise his Hope and strengthen his Courage by telling him that within a little time the Torments and Afflictions which always accompany this present Life will be at an end He may comfort him also with that which made the Prophet rejoyce namely The glad Tidings of his being now going to the House of God Wherein he shall feel no more Pains nor Cares nor Grief the same Prophet assuring us that no Harms no Sufferings no Torments no Fears shall ever come nigh the Everlasting Mansions Where also as St. John says God shall wipe away all Tears from our Eyes The Minister shall endeavour to lift up his Heart and Mind to the Heavenly Jerusalem that Divine City and sure Refuge from all our Enemies where the World the Flesh and the Devil shall no longer be able to pursue after us and where we shall reap the Eternal Fruits of our Victories over them and be Crowned with immortal Life and Glory It may inspire the Sick Person with some sort of Joy too to put him in mind that he will shortly return his acceptable Thanks to Almighty God for his having led him as it were through Fire and Water into a Place of true Refreshment and Delight Let him repeat sometimes the Words which God spake by his Prophet Isaiah Behold I will extend Peace to them like a River and Glory like a flowing stream that is I will cause their hearts to overflow with joy and tranquility Let him remember with St.
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
thereof and not leave it to be done by his Heirs or Executors who perhaps will forget it as soon as he is dead What we have here said of Restitution is to be understood of things that are undoubtedly another Man's or Debts that he has legally contracted and admit of no dispute But if it be a doubtful Debt and the Sick Person be able to give a clear account of it he must by all means be advis'd to do it in order to the restoring what is not his own Or if he cannot presently clear the Matter as may happen in the Case of a Guardian to a Minor or a Steward or Agent to One of a great Estate or Dealings he must be told that he ought by a special Clause in his Last Will and Testament to oblige his Heirs Executors or Administrators under a certain penalty to prepare immediately after his Death the Accounts he should have given-in himself had he lived and what shall be found to be remaining due to pay without delay And if he ow'd a clear Sum which he was not then in a condition to pay he ought likewise to oblige his said Administrators to discharge it as soon as may be But if it were at all possible 't would be much better and safer for him to make all those Restitutions himself before his Death than to charge them that come after him therewith Again if the Sick Person be publickly known to have been at Enmity with any one he ought not only to be now in Charity with him but if possible see him and as his Hatred has made a noise in the World so it would not be amiss that his Reconciliation were made before Witnesses to remove the Scandal occasioned thereby And if it was he that gave the first offence to his Neighbour he ought to send to him to beg his Pardon for his misbehaviour and make him satisfaction for the Wrong he may have done him This is meant of publick Injuries But if it be a private Grudge or Spleen Prudence requires That Satisfaction should be made in private and only with the Persons concern'd therein And if he is under an Obligation of repairing the Honour and Reputation which by Slander he may have taken away from his Neighbour let him do it in the best manner he can either by himself or another by word of Mouth or in Writing And Lastly If he has had the misfortune to incur the Publick Censure of the Church he should be exhorted to an humble submission and acknowledgment of his Crime This being over the Minister shall more particularly dispose him to receive the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper preparing him thereto by Acts of Faith Hope and Charity and above all a profound Humility before God who has said by his Prophet That he dwelleth with him that is of a contrite and humble Spirit CHAP. III. Advice to be given to a Sick Person concerning his Relations his Body and his Estate THE Minister having done with the Patient in whatever he thought necessary for the good of his Soul he must now proceed to the advising him to think of his Relations to declare where he will be Buried and to dispose of his Worldly Goods Of which he might have put him in mind before he administred the Holy Sacrament to him But if he omitted it then he ought now to do it and first of all to offer to him the consideration of his Wise and Children especially if the latter be under Age that he may appoint an honest and careful Person for their Guardian whom he can trust with their Education and Estate And in case he has any Daughters not yet dispos'd of that he may leave them according to his Ability wherewith to live either a Single or Married Life as it shall please God to order it And if he has Nephews or other Relations under his Care or Servants he owes any Wages to or is in conscience oblig'd to provide for that he be not remiss in his Justice and Charity to every of them In like manner if the Sick Person has had the Management and Administration of any one's Estate or Affairs or has been in any Publick Employment or concerned in any part of the King's Service let the Minister exhort him strictly to examine his Conduct and Behaviour with relation thereto that if he finds any thing respecting the discharge of such his Duty or Trust that troubles his Conscience he may tell it him or cause it to be told by some body else to the Parties concerned He should be ask'd also what Place he desires to be Buried in in case he has not yet declared it But above all should be desired to prohibit any superfluous Pomp at his Funeral which does not in the least contribute to the Salvation of the Soul but is commonly done by the Friends and Relations out of Pride and Vain-glory Shewing him that a good Christian ought to direct and enjoyn that his Burial be made in an humble and modest and decent manner and at most but suitable to his Quality and Condition In the making his Will and disposing of his Estate let the Minister exhorâ— him carefully to avoid all unjust Partialities which are often-times very ill grounded Or if he has made his Will already 't is fit he be ask'd whether he has any thing to add to take from or alter in it which may be done by a Codiciâ— annext putting him in mind to order therein the payment of his Domesticks Wages and what other Debts he owes If his Estate be so considerable as to admit of Pious Legacies the Minister may shew him the Order he ought to observe herein And much better and safer it would be for him to see the Distribution of his own Charities before he dies than to charge his Heirs or Administrators with them it too often falling out that they prove very hard and backward in the acquitting themselves therein Whereas if he saw the same done in his Life-time the Poor would reap the greater benefit and himself the more satisfaction from it and he might say with St. Lawrence The hands of the Needy have carried up my Alms to Heaven And if among his pious Legacies he designs to found an Hospital or Almshouse or ought of this kind that may remain a Monument to Posterity let him take great care that he does it not more out of Pride and a Vain-glorious Expectation of being celebrated for his Munificence than through a sincere Love to God making him sensible that those Foundations that are laid purely for Charity-sake and the Service of God and true Religion are infinitely more pleasing and acceptable to Him than the bestowing of a Man's whole Estate upon the Poor with any other prospect or intention Upon which the Minister shall advise him to make a serious reflection and to take notice also that though the Foundation of Hospitals and other Places of Charity be a very commendable Work yet the
be us'd when the Patient does not resign himself as he ought to the Will of God and is afraid of Death through a too great Love of this Life p. 68. Chap. X. What is to be said to a Sick Person whose unwillingness to die proceeds from an excessive Love for the Things of this World p. 77. Chap. XI What is to be done to a Sick Person that is Impatient p. 84. Chap. XII How those Persons ought to be managed that lie under Temptations against the Faith p. 89. Chap. XIII How to comfort a Sick Person that is mistrustful of God ' s Mercy and troubled with Despairing Thoughts p. 94. Chap. XIV What is to be said to such as shew too great a Confidence and presume too far upon their Salvation p. 101. Chap. XV. How a Sick Person is to be managed when bereft in a great measure of his Senses and Understanding p. 104. Chap. XVI What the Minister is to do when he finds the Sick Person posess'd of his Speech and Understanding but likely to die very soon p. 107. Chap. XVII How the Minister is to apply himself to a Sick Person who has the Vse of his Reason but no Disposition to such things as are necessary to the making a Happy End p. 109. Chap. XVIII What in the last place the Minister is to do if the Patient dies and What in case it shall please God to restore him to his Health again With regard on the one hand to the Standers-by and on the other to the Person Recover'd p. 117. Being concluded with A Prayer and Thanksgiving to be offer'd to GOD by One newly Recover'd from a Dangerous Sickness p. 124. THE Dying Man's Assistant OR Short Instructions For those who are concern'd in the Preparing of Sick Persons FOR DEATH CHAP. I. The Duty of a Minister in assisting Persons who are in danger of Death THOSE whom it shall please Almighty God to call to the Assistance of Dying Christians in order to their making a Happy End ought well to consider that this is an Office of the highest Consequence for as much as no less than our Neighbour's Salvation may depend thereon As we die but once so if in the last moment of our Lives we omit ought that is necessary to our Eternal Welfare we are gone for ever the Fault is irreparable And what should still the more excite the Zeal and Charity of Ministers on this Occasion is this Consideration That oftentimes the Divine Providence marks out some particular Persons to contribute to the Salvation of others who without their Assistance might eternally perish But though this were not so certain it is that they who are aiding to Dying Persons may perform their Duty in such a manner as to dispose them at least to die in more abundant Grace and contribute to their enjoying a greater degree of Felicity in Heaven If it be an Act of Charity to preserve in Grace those that are in Health by exhorting them to a frequent Participation of the Blessed Sacrament and the Use of other Pious Means What ought the Minister's Zeal to be in assisting those poor Souls that are drawing near the time of their Departure it being certain that wheresoever the Tree shall fall be it on the South or be it on the North there it will for ever lie Let the Minister therefore remember that of himself he is by no means capable of performing this important Part of his Ministry but must apply himself to God for the Assistance of his Holy Spirit herein A Sick Person has often-times his Mind disturb'd through the violence of his Distemper and sometimes a Prospect of Hell too raises in him an inward Terror and Disquiet and whil'st he is in this Agony and just upon the point of giving up the Ghost the Devil n'ere fails to use all his Arts for improving the little time that remains to his final Destruction The Consideration of all which should oblige the Minister humbly to acknowledge his own Weakness to be mistrustful of his own Strength and repose in God alone all his Hopes of contributing to the Salvation of Dying Persons His intention of assisting them in the Condition they are in must be sincere remembring they are the Images of God and Members of Jesus Christ who has redeemed them with his Blood and appointed him in his stead to take care of their Salvation and that by how much the better End they make so much the more God will be glorified Let all these Motives serve to raise in him a fervent desire of saving them by all the Means the Divine Providence shall inspire him with Let him every day ask of God the Talent necessary for this Function Let him pray for the Sick in general and particularly for those to whom he is called Let him renew his Zeal by Exultations of the Heart and short and frequent Ejaculations which he may apply to them and let him recommend their Souls to God not only in his private Prayers but above all in the Publick Prayers of the Church 'T is advisable that the Minister think afore-hand of what he is to say or do on this Occasion and so to order and dispose it in his memory as to omit nothing that may be necessary both for the Comfort of the Sick Person and Edification of those that are present This he ought to be very intent upon forasmuch as the same things are not always proper to be said or at least not to be said in the same manner but must be caâ—efully suited to Time and Place and the Disposition he shall find in the Patient of hearing them A Person of Quality is to be dealt with after a quite disferent manner from one of a low Condition They that abound with Wit and Learning and are of a sweet Temper and have exercised themselves in the Practice of Devotion are not to be addressed to in the same Stile as those that are ignorant rude and of a moâ—ose Nature To the former a few Words well chosen and seasonably spoken are sufficient Whereas the latter need common things to be said to them adapted to their Apprehensions and those to be also inlarged upon But here the Minister is to consider whether they retain or have lost their Sences whether their Distemper puts them to great Torment or not whether they may for some time be spoken to or whether their Pain will not permit it All which shews that there is a great deal of Prudence requisite in the Minister for his making a good and seasonable use of those Things he has prepar'd speaking them sometimes interruptedly and by intervals sometimes softly and at other times in a different tone to the end the Sick Person may the better relish them be less troubled therewith and reflect on the same with more leisure He may also propound Questions to him if he perceives in him Strength and Understanding enough to answer them And above all he must not omit Praying
Paul that God's Children have no abiding and continuing City upon Earth but ought to long for the New Jerusalem which is above Let him cry out with David O how amiable are thy Tabernacles Thou Lord of Hosts My Soul longeth yea even fainteth for Thy Courts O Lord For there to dwell but one day or be a Door-keeper in Thy House is far better and more pleasant to me than were I to live Thousands and ten Thousands of Years in the Palaces of Worldly Men. Let him possess his mind with the unspeakable Joy he will feel in the Company of so many Saints and Blessed Spirits that do and shall ever love each other with a most perfect Love that resemble so many glorious Kings who reign not as the Kings of the Earth for a little while and that too in continual troubles and disquiets but in the Kingdom of the Living where there are none but the Children of God and where Sorrow and Death shall never come Let care be used to remove from his Soul all sort of reluctance or difficulty he may conceive of parting with his Body by making him sensible that at present 't is nothing but Filth and Corruption and Weakness and Infirmity and in lieu thereof will rise again all Glorious Spiritual and Immortal Let him be put in mind of what is intimated to us in Exodus That Man shall never see God so long as he lives in the Flesh For as the Apostle saith God inhabits an inaccessible Light That therefore out of this World we must get before we can enjoy that Glory so sull of Beauty and Sweetness the sole fruition whereof makes up the Felicity of the Blessed For which reason it is that Life Eternal is said in the Gospel to consist only in the full Knowledg and Love of God A Bliss so great as no Eye ever saw no Ear ever heard nor has it enter'd into the heart of Man to conceive Such is to be the Felicity of the Elect Who as David saith shall be satisfied and refreshed with those Rivers of Pleasure that continually flow from God as the Well of Life Let him be exhorted to say with the same Royal Prophet Like as the Hart desires the Water-brooks so longeth my Soul after Thee O God! My Soul is a-thirst for God yea even for the Living God O when shall I come to appear before the presence of God Must my Confinement continue yet longer And shall my Soul never be dissolv'd from this Body that she may for ever abide with Christ my Saviour These or the like Sentences according to his discretion the Minister shall make use of uttering them in such a manner as the Patient may distinctly hear them and if he can repeat them after him in order to their making the greater impression upon his mind Thus far of the Means for raising his Hope Now for the exciting his Confidence and Assurance of obtaining the Happiness he is labouring after the Minister may use these three several ways First By moving him to the Exercise and Performance of those good Works and Virtues his Condition shall leave him capable of such as Alms and pious Legacies Wherein he must yet be very cautious how he prompts his Zeal so far as to give any just occasion of murmur or dissatisfaction to his Friends and Relations But let him not spare exercising him in all the inward Acts of Faith Hope Charity and Contrition which no Doubt will give him great Confidence especially if he be fervent and continue in the practice thereof Secondly By Consideration that is fixing his Thoughts upon those things he shall say to him in order to his obtaining this Confidence And here he may entertain him after this manner Though the Glory of God infinitely exceeds your poor Merits yet fear you not God in his Mercy will supply your Defects and support your Weakness and comfort your Heart Be fully perswaded that he to whom Grace and Glory belong will bestow them on you inasmuch as he is infinitely Good and is pleased to make you and all sincere Believers happy You are his Son and He your Father and a Father full of Love and Tenderness who is far more desirous to receive you into Heaven than your self can be to obtain it Why should you therefore at all doubt of your being now going to possess Eternal Joy and Felicity For that alone it was He created you Nor came Jesus Christ to die upon the Cross for any other End than to open to us the Gates of Heaven which the Disobedience of our First Parents had shut upon us He has also wash'd in his Precious Blood the Sins you have committed He has given you his Sacraments and preventing Grace that hath wrought Contrition in your heart so as to make you Heir of his Kingdom Consider that He who so often sought for you during the whole Course of your Life even whilst you despised and highly provoked him will shew so much the more Mercy and Favour to you now that you humbly prostrate your self before Him with a truly broken and contrite heart Again The Minister may comfort the Sick Person and more and more establish his Trust and Confidence in God's Mercy by continuing to speak to him in this sort Dear Brother look-up chearfully towards Jesus Christ and never grow weary of thinking of what he did and suffer'd for your sake for the space of Three and Thirty Years He lived here upon Earth Who though very God and King of Glory was willing to subject himself to pains and contempt and at last to a shameful Death upon the Cross for your Salvation Be you perswaded that so many Sufferings will not be lost but will certainly procure you Everlasting Rest and Glory This All-merciful God who for your sake was pleas'd to take Human Flesh upon Him and hath left a sensible Memomorial of that his infinite Love to you in the Blessed Eucharist In a word who has adopted you to be Partaker of his Kingdom How can he now deny or reject you seeing you so well dispos'd to receive the Impressions of his Holy Spirit and so patiently submitting to all the Afflictions wherewith He thinks fit to try your Fidelity Consider that He is your Advocate and Intercessor with the Father and is prevailing with Him at this very time I am speaking to you for the Pardon of your Sins Apply your self to Him and say O Holy JESU my Redeemer accept I beseech Thee my Love and my Repentance Wash all my Sins in thy most precious Blood Cover my Unrighteousnesses and Imperfections with thy Merits and Righteousness and thus adorned present me unto God the Father that so I may be acceptable to Him for Thy sake and through Thy Dear Self O my Sweet Saviour All these things may be useful likewise to raise a true Christian Confidence in them who are afraid of Death Of whom we have promised to speak by and by Another Means to excite Hope in
a Sick Person is by Words or Sentences taken out of the Holy Scripture and adapted into a Form of Prayer which the Minister shall first devoutly pronounce and the Patient if able repeat after him saying both with Heart and Mouth O Almighty God and my Eternal Creator I shall ever be troubled in my Mind until I am perfectly united to Thee The Number of my Transgressions I confess should set me far from that happy Union But Thine infinite Mercy will draw me to Thy self Remember Lord that I am the Work of Thine own Hands and that through the means of Thy Blessed Son Jesus Christ Thou hast call'd me to the Participation of Thy Kingdom I acknowledg my unfaithfulness to be such as renders me wholly unworthy so great a Favour But by the Merits of Thine only Son vouchsafe I beseech Thee to admit me into that Place of Rest and Bliss where I shall to all Eternity celebrate the Glory of Thy Name Be Thou pleased O Father of Mercies to look upon me as a miserable Slave whom Thou hast redeem'd with the Sacred Blood of Thy Dear Son and whose Sins Thou hast punish'd and taken satisfaction for by causing Him to die upon the Cross O have pity on my Soul and suffer not that so much Merit be cast away upon me In Thee O Lord do I put my trust let me never be confounded But deliver me for the sake of Thy dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ who by the Merits of his Death and Passion is become my Righteousness my Sanctification and my Redemption Why art thou so full of heaviness O my Soul and why art thou so disquieted within me O put thy trust in God for I will yet give him thanks who is the help of my Countenance and my God Blessed are they O Lord that dwell in Thy House they shall be always praising Thee O lead Thou me into that Sacred Place where I may return Thee perpetual Thanks for the great Benefits Thou hast bestow'd upon me And Thou O my Saviour Jesus Christ who didst undergo the heavy Punishment due to my Sins that I might be capable of Eternal Happiness hast said that Thou art the Resurrection and the Life that he who does believe in Thee shall never die nay though he was even dead shall live O my God! I believe in Thee and hope e're long to enjoy and possess Thee in the Land of the Living I will come into Thy House I will worship in Thy Temple and confess Thy Name For Thou art the Way the Life and the Truth I have set God before mine Eyes and He is on my right hand so that I shall not fall Wherefore my heart is glad and does rejoyce My Flesh also shall rest in hope Thou shalt shew me the Path of Life In Thy Presence is the fulness of Joy and at Thy right Hand there is Pleasure for evermore The Minister shall also cause the Sick Person to mix Contrition with his Hope crying-out with David Have mercy upon me O God after 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 For I acknowledge my faults and my Sin is ever before me Against Thee only have I sinned and done ill in Thy sight Turn Thy Face from my Sins and put out my my Misdeeds Make me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me In a word let not his Hope of Pardon be any ways confin'd but let it be extended to all his past Sins whether Sins of Commission or Sins of Omission whether actual Offences against God and his Neighbour or neglect of his Duty towards both To which purpose the following Ejaculations may be us'd O Blessed JESU my only Helper and Amender repair that good which I have so unworthily destroy'd in my self by the abuse I have made of thy Graces to me as well as the scandal I have given my Neighbour by my ill Example Words and Actions Supply the imperfections and unprofitableness of my Life which with grief I confess to have spent in coldness towards Thee and indifference for my own Salvation Thou canst O Lord if Thou wilt even in the little time that I have now remaining restore to me all that I have lost Supply my wants and strengthen the weakness and infirmitys of my Soul Of all the Actions of my Life there is not one how pure soever it may appear but has been attended with many defects nor have I the least merit of my own But I fly to Thee O my Saviour beseeching Thee to support me with the abundance of Thy Grace to apply the Merits of Thy Sufferings to my Soul and present her to thy Father all covered with that most precious Blood Thou hast shed for her so as she may find Mercy with Him and be admitted into his Kingdom of Glory The Minister having thus established him in the Hope he ought to have of obtaining the forgiveness of all his Sins he may if he finds him able to bear it still continue the exercising of him in pious Thoughts and Ejaculations requiring him to say after him with an attentive mind O Father of Mercy and God of all Comfort be favorable to me and pardon the numberless Errors and Wickednesses and extravagancies of my Life who like the Prodigal Son whom Thou hast propos'd to me as an Instance of Thy Fatherly Goodness have wasted and abus'd not only the Temporal but Spiritual Talents which Thou hadst committed to my improvement O my gracious God I humbly beseech Thee for the Lord Jesus Christ ' s sake and by the Merits of his Death and Passion forgive me all my Sins and remit the Punishment due to me for them O Lord JESU to whom all Power and Authority belongs Thou hast promis'd that those who forgive the injuries done to them Thou wilt also forgive I do heartily forgive every one that has offended me Vouchsafe therefore to forgive me all my Wickednesses Ingratitudes and Infirmities and let thy Death make atonement for whatever I have done amiss to the end that when my Soul shall be separated from this Earthly Body she may presently be united to Thee and made Partaker of Thy Glory The Minister may also if he judges it convenient express himself in other words remembring especially to put the Sick Person often in mind of the great Love of Christ towards him and of the unspeakable Sufferings He has undergone to make Satisfaction for his Sins that the remembrance thereof may encrease his Hope and excite him to Acts of Faith Charity and Contrition CHAP. VII The Means for exciting Charity in a Sick Person AS Charity is of all Virtues the most excellent and the greatest of all Spiritual Gifts so the Minister ought as much as in him lies to entertain the Sick Person in this Divine Love and
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
Merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Then he shall rehearse the Apostles Creed or if he cannot himself do it endeavour to follow in heart and mind the Minister that shall pronounce it for him who at the same time may encrease his Hopes of Salvation by remembring him of Christ's great Love to him by whose Sufferings it is that the Gates of Heaven do now stand open ready to receive him by whose Wounds and Torments he is heal'd and by whose Death he shall obtain Everlasting Life and Happiness The Minister shall also represent to him the precious Blood which ran from his Saviour's Feet Hands and Head and from all his Sacred Body even from his Side that was so barbarously and inhumanly pierced with a Spear He shall likewise put him in mind of the Crown of Thorns that was set on his Head out of derision and contempt of the Scourges that cruelly tore his Flesh as if He had been a Slave of the Blows He received upon His Sacred Face which were not only painful and dolorous but full of ignominy and confusion All which he shall lay before him in order to the raising his Confidence and perswading him that Jesus Christ did thus suffer and humble Himself for no other end but his Redemption making him sensible that God who has done so much for him surely will not now abandon him at a time when he has the greatest need of his Assistance and telling him therefore that if the Devil inwardly reproaches him and endeavours to affright him with the heinousness of his Sins he must boldly answer him My God in whom I believe and repose my trust has by his Blood shed on the Cross wash'd them away and is now at the Right Hand of his Father making intercession for me and shewing Him His Body still cover'd as it were with that most precious Blood by which He made full Satisfaction and Atonement for all my Transgressions And then go on in these Words My God I put my trust in Thee O shut not up the Bowels of Thy tender Mercies from me Arise O God of my Salvation and scatter abroad all my Enemies Let them that hate Thee flee before Thee Even as the smoke let them vanish away and melt at Thy Presence as Wax melteth before the Fire But let Thy Servant rejoyce In short the Minister shall again and again exhort him to Charity and a Love of God by the several Motives before propos'd and above all the rest by that of the exceeding great Love which the Son of God has shewn in dying for us Whereupon he shall cry-out with David What reward shall I give to the Lord for all the benefits that he has done unto me I cannot better express my love to Him than by receiving this his Visitation with patience and humility Most ready I am O Lord to embrace Death it self to the end my Soul may be united to Thee for evermore In like manner ought he to resign himself into the Hands of God and commend his Spirit to His Mercy To Thee O Lord I give up my Soul for Thou hast both created and redeemed it Thine I am yea Thine alone Therefore Thy Holy Will be done in me and by me Be Thou only pleased to inlighten mine Eyes that they may readily discover the Snares which the Enemy is laying for me and never suffer them to be surpris'd by the slumber of Death If he languishes by slow degrees and remains sensible in his last Agony the History of Christ's Passion shall be read to him out of the Gospel together with some Chapters of St. Paul's Epistles as the 1st and 2d to the Corinthians the 2d to Timothy and the two last Chapters of the Revelation of St. John choosing the Places in those Chapters that are proper for a Dying Person and passing over the rest Some Psalms may be also recited to him suitable to the occasion In a Word let not the Minister abandon him one Minute whilst he appears to have the least remainder of Sense For at this last Moment it is as St. Gregory tells us upon the Nineteenth Chapter of St. Luke that the Devil redoubles his Endeavours to destroy us So that the Minister continuing his Exhortation to him may if he finds him capable thereof desire him to pursue his Applications to God after this manner Lord I believe that Thou art my God and my Redeemer I humbly beg of Thee the pardon and forgiveness of all my Sins I am exceedingly sorry for the Commission of them and wish my Sorrow were still greater If I have omitted any thing that Thou requirest for my Repentance Lord I pray Thee give me a due sense thereof and fit me for Thy Self Supply all my imperfections and make me such as Thou would'st have me to be Lord I do for Thy sake freely forgive whatever wrongs and injuries I have received and heartily ask forgiveness of them whom I have any ways offended If I have ought that is another's due I desire to restore it as far as my Abilities will permit In Thee O Lord I place all my Hope though I know my self unworthy of the least of Thy Mercies Thy Sufferings and Thy Blood assure me of my Salvation Both my Life and my Death are in Thy Hands Do Thou with me as it shall seem good to Thee 'T is sufficient for me to love and bless Thee to all Eternity If the Sick Person be in a condition of bearing with any more Discourse the Minister shall go on in the same Method of assisting him to lift up his Soul to God and to that end make use of the Words mention'd in the 5th 6th and 7th Chapters of this Book not omitting to admonish him to beg of God to accept the Prayers whether publick or private put up by the Church or his Friends for him As to the Third Head Which respects the Minister's solemn Recommendation of the Dying Person 's Soul to God the proper time to go about it is when he perceives him to be struggling with the Pangs of Death and just upon the point of his Departure The Form thereof is prescribed by the Church To which if he finds the Patient to continue longer than he expected and possest of any remains of his Senses he may add such further Sentences of Scripture as he shall judge convenient like these O Son of David have mercy upon me Haste Thee to deliver me make haste to help me O Lord. With how much Sincerity Zeal and Attention this last Office ought to be performed I hope no good Christian much less those of the Sacred Function whose more particular Province it is need to be admonish'd As to the Fourth Head Which concerns the Edification of those that are present we shall treat thereof in the last Chapter of this Book CHAP. IX What means are to be us'd when the Patient does not resign himself as he ought to the Will of God and is afraid of Death through a
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
well to ponder that from his Reflections thereupon which may be shorter or longer according as his pains will allow him more or less opportunity for it he may receive Spiritual Help and Comfort Lastly He should be admonished to look up to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith and God of our Salvation to fix in his Mind the continual remembrance of his Sufferings and break forth to Him in these Words O Lord who hast shed thy precious Blood for me have mercy upon me Thou Lord who for the attonement of my sins didst in the midst of so many torments and with so much ignominy resign thy Divine Spirit upon the Cross have mercy upon me O Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the World have mercy upon me I commend my Soul to Thee I commit it into Thy Hands Lord receive it Lord vouchsafe to save it Amen To this the Minister may add the Words set down in the Sixth Chapter if he judges them necessary for the fortifying of the Patient's Hope and administring Comfort to him CHAP. XIV What is to be said to such as shew too great a Confidence and presume too far upon their Salvation AS the Devil labours nothing more than the undoing of us to all Eternity so he endeavours to bring this his pernicious Design about by quite contrary Means sometimes by suggesting too great a Fear of God's Judgments and sometimes too great a Confidence in his Mercy If the Minister shall perceive that the Sick Person is flattering himself with the good Works he has done and so from them presumes too much upon his Salvation he ought meekly to admonish him to enter into and recollect himself in order to the making him sensible that our Felicity depends only upon Christ on whom we are wholly to build our Hope of Salvation That God alone enables us to act and that to Him it is we owe all the Honour and Glory of our Good Works That of our selves we are but Weakness and capable of nothing that is good not so much as one good Thought without his preventing and assisting Grace That we ought to give Him Thanks and Praise for what we are and what we have That all our Virtue is derived from Him and that we should find a terrible Account if when He comes at the last Day to judge us He would look upon our Merits only That we must always remember what is said in the Gospel That when we have done all that we are commanded to do we are but unprofitable Servants In a word that we are bound to God by so many Ties of Favours and Blessings that though we should humble our selves even to nothing before Him yet should we be very far from expressing a due acknowledgment to Him for the same But if the Sick Person shall still run upon an excess of Hope and rely so far upon the Merits of Christ as not to be at all afflicted or concerned for his Sins 't will be expedient to affright him into a due sense of them by recalling to his Memory the many Transgressions of his past Life and shewing him the heinousness of them that so he may be made apprehensive of the necessity of a sincere Repentance and Humiliation before he can expect to obtain Pardon The Minister may tell him that his Hope is laudable but considering what great Sinners we are we should mix with our Confidence a Filial Fear accompanied with Sorrow and Contrition for our having offended so Good so Gracious and so Benign a Father adding hereto what further he shall think conducive to the raising in him the just Notion he ought to have of God's Mercy CHAP. XV. How a Sick Person is to be managed when bereft in a great measure of his Senses and Understanding IN the first place the Minister is to inform himself whether the Sick Person has already been pray'd with and received the Holy Communion Whether he has set his House and Affairs in order and thought of every thing requisite for him to do of which we shall speak in the Seventeenth Chapter If they answer him that nothing has yet been done of all this as it often happens to those that are backward in preparing themselves for Death or are struck on a sudden with a violent and unforeseen Distemper he shall call to the Patient with a loud Voice and ask him whether he hears him and if he perceives him to have still some remainder of Understanding he is to advertise him of the danger his Life is in and of the great Concern of his Salvation which without delay lest it should prove fatal to him he ought to secure by Repentance and true Contrition of heart for all the Sins known and unknown he has committed against his Maker his Neighbour and Himself and to restore or cause to be restored as far as he is able whatever he may have of another Body's Then he shall ask him whether he be not desirous to receive the Blessed Sacrament as well for the Confirmation of his Faith as Assurance of God's Pardon of all his Transgressions and intitling him to Christ's Merits To which if the Minister finds him dispos'd he shall administer it to him declaring that God has put away his Sins and will remember them no more and that the same moment this Breath shall depart from him God will receive him to Himself and admit him into the Number of the Righteous that are Sanctified With whom he shall live a Life full of Joy and Bliss which never shall have end If the Patient be in a Condition of doing any thing which he hath omitted towards the future settlement of his Family or Estate the Minister shall advise him to do â—â— now as we have said elsewhere And this done he shall go on with entertaining him in Devotion and Spiritual Contemplations But if the Minister is told that the Patient has been already visited by another and has received the Holy Sacrament he may spare asking him many Questions about the State of his Soul especially if he finds him very weak and apply himself only to the comforting him and raising his Hope and Affections more and more to God and there fixing them Or if the Patient be fallen into a Delirium or Lethargy the Minister shall either wait till he is come to himself again or desire to have notice so soon as those that look after him shall find his Judgment return'd to him Which interval of sensibleness it will concern the Minister to improve as much as he is able by exciting in him those good Motions and Dispositions that may help him to die in a true State of Regeneration as well as with solid Comfort and Satisfaction making use to that purpose of those means we have proposed in the preceding Chapters particularly in the Eighth and what else in his prudence he shall see fit CHAP. XVI What the Minister is to do when he finds the Sick Person posess'd of
the Days of Salvation pass away apace and when once gone it being for ever out of our power to recall them again we ought to employ them with the Care and Circumspection becoming good Christians by weaning our selves without delay from the Things of this World and dispossessing our Hearts of all other Thoughts but what relate to God alone Nor need we any other Arguments than the sight of this very Dead Body to convince us how vain and transistory how deceitful and perishable all those false Enjoyments are which the Devil makes use of to dazzle our Eyes and allure us to Sin Neither Riches nor Honours are able to procure one Minute's Respit from the Stroke of Death When she summons we must immediately obey and quit them all nay and our very Bodies too as straightly as we are ty'd to them and resign them to unavoidable Corruption In a word That the Goods of this World are so far only to be desired as may serve for the necessary support of our selves and enable us to be assisting to others From whence he may take occasion of saying something to them about the Settlement of their Temporal Concerns advising them to make their Wills and Testaments whilst in a state of perfect Health and Understanding that so they may be able to deliberate the more maturely thereon and dispose of their Estates with the greater satisfaction to themselves as well as Justice and Equality to others by a due regard to Relation Friendship and Deserts it often happening where this Caution is not us'd that a Feaver or some other violent Distemper surprises a Man and puts it out of his power to do the Good he intended to have done Or some of his greedy Friends and Relations finding him in a helpless condition do by their tiresome importunities oblige him to make an unequal Testament Or lastly not to mention more of the many inconveniencies arising from this neglect he dies Intestate and leaves his Estate for a Prey to the Lawyers and a standing occasion of Discord in his Family But when by a prudent timely and just disposal of his Earthly Possessions he has convey'd the Blessings of Peace Plenty and Prosperity to his Family When by an upright and unspotted Life he has preserved himself fit to enter into the Holy of Holies the Sacred Mansions of the Most High And last of all when by his Merciful Deeds he has secur'd to himself Mercy from his Blessed Saviour Oh! with what unspeakable Comfort may he end his days and with what Confidence and Alacrity appear before the Tribunal of God to receive his Everlasting Reward applying to himself the Words of the Revelation I heard a Voice from Heaven saying to me Write From henceforth blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord even so saith the Spirit for they rest from their Labours and their Works follow them Thus much in case the Patient shall die IF it shall please God to restore him to his health again The Minister is to visit and congratulate him thereon and with so much the more fervency by how much the more dangerous his Sickness has been Which will give him the fairer Opportunity of inlarging upon and rendring him sensible of God's transcendent Mercies to him and the Gratitude on his part due for the same A Debt he may tell him no other ways to be discharg'd than by his making such good use of this Visitation as may tend to the Glory of God the Edification of his Neighbour and the Amendment of his own Life for the future In order whereto the Minister shall remind him of what pass'd between them during his Illness upon the Subject of his Spiritual Welfare Of the Difficulties met with in his Preparation for Death for want of a timely regard thereto Of the Defects in his Repentance still remaining to be supply'd Of the particular Frailties against which he is chiefly to arm himself for the time to come And Lastly Of his Pious Vows and Resolutions concerning these or any other Points founded upon the Condition of his Recovery and requiring to be now confirm'd and made good Adding thereto to conclude all That as when Sick he desired and had the Publick Prayers of the Church as well as those of his Private Friends so is it meet and his bounden Duty that having received the Benefit of them in his Redemption from the Grave and the Gates of Death he should now Give Thanks unto the Lord with his whole heart not only secretly but among the Faithful and in the Congregation Where he ought also with the first Opportunity to Offer his Vows unto the Most High by receiving the Cup of Salvation and calling upon the Name of the Lord with humblest Supplications for the Assistance of his Holy Spirit towards enabling him duely to perform the same In the mean time and ever continuing fervent in his Private Devotions and sering himself in some measure therein with the Prayer and Thanksgiving hereto annext Which God of his Infinite Mercy accept Amen A PRAYER and THANKSGIVING to be offer'd to GOD by One newly Recover'd from a dangerous SICKNESS O MOST GRACIOUS GOD and MERCIFUL FATHER Who art a Physician to the Sick Strength to the Weak Comfort to the Afflicted Relief to the Needy and Succour to the Helpless I Thy poor Wretched Creature having so deeply tasted of Thy Mercies do with a profound sense of Thine Infinite Goodness and of my own unworthiness yeild Thee most humble and hearty Thanks and Praise for Thy manifold Benefits and Favours towards me and particularly for that Thou hast been pleased in so fatherly a manner to visit me and to bring me back from the Grave and from the Gates of Death restoring me to my former Health and Strength LORD What shall I render unto Thee as for all other so more especially for this tender Mercy of thine in thus sparing me longer in the Land of the Living and affording me still a larger space for my Repentance Thou hast chasten'd and corrected me but hast not given me over unto Death Thou hiddest not Thy Face from me when I was in trouble Thou hast not made my Life like them that go down into the pit nor cast Thy Servant away in Displeasure O sanctifie this Thy Fatherly Correction to me that it may prove an effectual Means for my Thorough-amendment And grant I humbly beseech Thee that through the Assistance of Thy Divine Spirit I may be enabled hereafter to make such good use of the Time which Thy unspeakable Goodness hath now inlarged to me and so husband and improve the same to Thy Service as that it may not repent Thee to have lent it me Grant that I may seriously ponder and admire Thy transcendent Favours to me and my just Obligations of Gratitude to Thee as well as Encouragement continually to depend upon Thee and may without further delay set about the Business Thou hast appointed for me here even the 〈◊〉 Business of my Eternal Salvation 〈◊〉 I may spend the precious Remainder of my â—ife in a constant practice of my Duty towards Thee O MY GOD and towards my Neighbour and my self That I may redeem the time which alas I have so unworthily mispent by living in ignorance and after the Corruptions and Vanities of the World And that considering how short this my time is which is but a Vapour that vanishes away I may never imploy it in making provision for the Flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof but live in Righteousness Purity and Holiness all my days That I may apply my Heart to that true Wisdom which is to know and serve Thee That I may begin even here on Earth that blessed Work I shall continue in Heaven to all Eternity namely to love and adore Thee and to walk before Thee with all humility and uprightness to Praise Laud and Magnifie Thy Holy Name for Thy great Glory and for Thy Goodness-sake Inlighten my mind that I may have a more perfect Knowledge of Thee and inflame my heart with a greater Love towards Thee Teach me to do the thing that pleases Thee for Thou art my God Let Thy loving Spirit lead me forth into the Land of Righteousness O give me grace to do Thy Will in all Things and to delight in nothing more than in obeying Thy Laws and Commandments wherein there is Great Pleasure and Great Reward And to all the Favours I have already received at Thy Merciful Hand LORD Vouchsafe to add this one more That I may never depart from Thee or be abandoned by Thee but that I may in my whole Life please Thee and in my Death praise Thee That when ever Thou shalt see fit to call me out of this World I may be ready to obey Thy Heavenly Summons and to follow Thee and be admitted into Thine Everlasting Kingdom of Bliss and Glory with this most sweet and comfortable Invitation of my BLESSED SAVIOUR's Well done Good and Faithful Servant Enter thou into the Joy of thy Master Grant this O MERCIFUL FATHER for Thine own sake and for the sake of this Dear Son of Thy Love for whom I and all that is within me give Praise and Adoration to Thee and in whose most prevailing Name I further implore Thy Divine Majesty humbly and earnestly praying as He Himself has taught me in his Holy Gospel Our Father c. FINIS