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.
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
pleases to lay upon us Which Arguments the Minister may greatly inforce by inculcating to him the Examples of Job the Holy Apostles Martyrs and Confessors and CHRIST Himself Crucified especially by displaying to him the excessive Torments of the Cross and at the same time proposing to his Meditation by way of Prayer and Self Resignation these Words of St. Austin's Lord burn me cut me into pieces scourge me and correct me in this World so Thou pardon me in the next Or these O God who chastisest those whom Thou do'st love admit me I beseech Thee after my Death into the Number of Thy Blessed Children since Thou makest me to endure thy Corrections in this Life My God! and my Father Who art my only Refuge and Defence succour me in all my Afflictions and Miseries either by asswaging and moderating them or giving me strength to sustain the same without repining I thank Thee O Merciful Father for the troubles Thou hast laid upon me Thou that knowest my weakness vouchsafe to fortifie and support me so as I may not fall into impatience and murmur but that I may truly humble my self under Thy Afflicting Hand and wholly submit to Thy Chastisements To which the Minister may still add what other Words of the like kind he shall judge convenient with regard to the Condition of the Sick Person CHAP. XII How those Persons ought to be managed that lie under Temptations against the Faith OF Persons tempted against the Faith there are two Sorts Either they are such as have not a clear apprehension of all that is necessary to be believed in the Law of Grace whom how to instruct we have shewn in the First Chapter Or they are such as are tormented by Satan who is continually endeavouring to cast Doubts into their Minds about their Faith in general or some particular Article of it The former of which Cases being as we have said provided for in the First Chapter we shall here need only to speak to the latter Which the Minister perceiving to be the Sick Person 's shall advise him not to dispute with the Devil whose sole aim is to destroy his Faith Without which as the Apostle tells us it is impossible to please God but humbly to implore the Holy Ghost so to inlighten him as that he may never fall into Infidelity nor the Enemy have any advantage over him Let him cry out with the Prophet Lord thou seest how I am tempted be thou pleased to answer for me Adding thereto if occasion be what is before mentioned in the Fifth Chapter and making an humble Confession of that Faith which is founded not upon human Reasons but the Eternal Truth Which will secure him against all the ill suggestions wherewith the Devil may labour to assault and disturb him and set him entirely at liberty to think of those things that will administer pleasure and comfort to him such as the unspeakable Joys of Heaven which he is hoping for the infinite Love of God towards him and Spiritual Graces He has confer'd upon him And for a yet further diversion of those Temptations he finds himself obnoxious to it may be convenient for him to speak sometimes to those that are present But if notwithstanding all these Precautions he shall still perceive his Faith to be wavering let him first pray to God to help his Unbelief and then protest before Him and all the Standers by that he resolves to die in that Faith which Jesus Christ is the Author of and the Martyrs have sealed and attested by their Blood And here if the Patient's illness will permit it the Minister may offer him some general Reasons to confirm him in the Christian Faith and Religion as that it flows directly from the Divine Wisdom and is not like others grounded only upon Human Arguments but the Authority and Truth of God himself who has been pleas'd to reveal it to his Church But at the same time he must be very cautious of descending to any particular Point least it should provoke the Sick Person to Disputation a thing most dangerous on such an occasion unless he desires to be inform'd about some of the Mysteries of our Religion Which is to be done too in as few words as may be Let him be shewn that the Christian Faith is establish'd upon no less than the Testimony of the Eternal Father who said of Christ He is my beloved Son hear ye him Than the Word of Jesus Christ himself who assures us that his Father and He are but One God and commanded his Apostles to Preach these Truths throughout the World saying that they who believe shall be saved and that there is no Salvation but in Him For the reasonableness thereof he may be refer'd to the Jews themselves who though the very Enemies of Christ gave sufficient Testimony to his Divinity when being astonish'd at the Miracles wrought by Him they openly profess'd that unless a stop was put thereto by securing his Person and forbidding his Doctrine all Nations would believe in Him Nor have their Historians alone but other Unbelievers also own'd the Christian Religion to be of all others in the World the best theirs only excepted which they 〈◊〉 before it either through ignorance or prejudice For indeed what Religion could ever shew such Marks and Tokens of the Hand of God as this of the Christian through the whole Course of its Propagation In its first Institution by how many Miracles was it confirm'd As we find them recorded in the Holy Scriptures by those who were Eye-witnesses thereof and whose plainness and simplicity apparent in all their Relations of the same is proof sufficient of their Sincerity Nor is it less to be admired how succesfully it was Preached and Established by Persons of neither Learning Eloquence nor Authority but on the contrary destitute of all outward Accomplishments exposed to Poverty and the Contempt of all Mankind Who yet by the meer force of Truth reduced both Learned and Unlearned whole Empires and Nations to the same Christian Faith and under which by the special Providence of Almighty God they have for so many Ages been preserved notwithstanding its containing not only Mysteries above the Reach but Precepts again the Inclinations and Passions of Men's Minds In a Word That he need not doubt of believing that which those Blessed Spirits so divinely proclaim'd who foretold the Birth of Jesus Christ and published it with Songs of Rejoycing giving Glory to God and promising Peace to all Men Who also were Witnesses of his Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven That which so many Saints and Holy Men and Women enlighten'd by God have profess'd which such vast Numbers of the Faithful in all Ages have by their Mortification and Self-denial sacrificed the Pleasures of this World to and through the midst of so many cruel Persecutions maintained at no less a Price than that of their Blood as knowing what sure Grounds they were on even the Authority as we have