liueth and raigneth with thee God eternally Amen If the sicke person continue long and still in danger of death it will be conuenient to repeat at times necessary the abouesaid Comforts but especially those which are to assure and fortifie against the temptations and combats of Conscience And if it happen the sicke party be troubled with idle talke or cannot vnderstand a long discourse vse short sentences such as hereafter followeth speaking but at sometimes Sir it behooueth you to take good courage it is the fatherly hand of God that visiteth you for your good and saluation For to those whom God loueth all things worke together for good Lift vp your heart to God and confesse your sinnes and offences and imbrace by faith his mercy in Iesus Christ which hee hath promised to all those that repent and beleeue in him Haue you not alwaies a good assurance in the mercy of God a firme faith in Iesus Christ your Sauiour Patient Yes Doe you not beleeue that Iesus Christ is dead for your sinnes and risen againe for your iustification Patient Yes Doe you not beleeue that hee hath before the Father beene your wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Patient Yes Doe you not thinke that hee hath freely iustified you by the grace of God through the redemption which is in Christ Iesus Patient Yes Following this your faith doubt not but God will warrant you from all perdition and giue you euerlasting life For God hath giuen his Sonne to the end that whosoeuer shall beleeue in him shall not perish but haue eternall life Ioh. 16. Feare not death seeing by faith you imbrace Iesus Christ who is your life I am saith he the resurrection and the life who shall beleeue in me although he be dead shall liue and whosoeuer liueth and beleeueth in me shall neuer dye Ioh. 11.25.26 If your sinnes doe afflict you addresse your selfe alwaies by faith and runne to Christ Iesus and you shall finde rest to your soule Come to mee saith Saint Matthew 11.28 all you that labour and are ouer-laden and I will ease you Doubt not the rigour of Gods iustice for there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Iesus as the Apostle Saint Paul saith Rom. 8.1 And who is he Rom. 8.32.33 that will bring in accusation against the elect of God God is hee that iustifieth who will be hee that shall condemne Christ is he which is dead and which is more is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God and maketh intercession for vs. Be not sorry to leaue this miserable life which as Saint Iames saith 4.14 is but a vapour which appeareth a little while and afterwards vanisheth besides in exchange thereof euerlasting life shall be giuen vnto you and in that the very height of felicity so great and incomprehensible That eye hath not seene nor eare vnderstood and is not come vp into the heart of man that which God hath prepared for those that loue him When the sicke person is apparantly at the point of death or ready to yeeld vp the Ghost it is necessary to repeat this short consolation following with prayer Comfort your selfe Sir you now approach neare vnto the end of the Combat which cannot be otherwise but happy vnto you assure your selfe the victory is of your side by meanes of your faith which is the victory that ouercommeth the world and the Prince of the world Iesus Christ your head and Sauiour extendeth forth his hand and stayeth for you at the end of the lists to present vnto you the incorruptible Crowne of glory which he hath purchased with the price of his bloud commend your selfe vnto him now with all your heart goe vnto him with ioy throw your selfe into his Armes and say Into thy hands I commend my soule for thou hast bought me O God of truth Psal 31. Let vs againe pray to God that he will giue you his grace A Prayer O Lord Father of Mercy God of all Consolation let fall thy mercies and comforts vpon this occasion vpon this person thy poore childe and seruant Make him now gather and apply vnto himselfe excellent and abundant profit of the holy Instructions which in thy schoole thou hast taught him during the course of his life giue him an inuincible faith in this Combat Arme him with all thy spirituall Armour that hee may resist all the Temptations of Sathan and hauing ouercome all make him remain firme If thy Iustice astonish let thy mercie assure and comfort if his sinnes accuse him let the obedience of thy welbeloued excuse and iustifie him if the apprehension of death trouble him make him contemplate the open gate of euerlasting life to which thou goest to make him enter Thou hast giuen him it in thy Sonne make it perfectly happy to him Hee is of the flocke of this great Shepheard let it not be taken from him Thou hast begun his saluation let not the worke remaine vnperfect And now that thou hast brought him to the end of his sorrowfull course now receiue his soule into thy hands and bring it into thy heauenly paradice into the fulnesse of repose and beatitude into the company of thy blessed Angels and holy soules of thine Elect which thou hast gathered for euer to enioy together the perfection of all ioy which consisteth in the contemplation of his face Heare vs O Father of mercy for the loue of thy welbeloued Son Iesus Christ our Lord who in vnity of the holy Spirit liueth and raigneth with thee God eternally Amen A short comfort for those that are friends of the deceased to be giuen after the body is interred Friends it is needfull in this businesse for you to remember of the holy Christian instruction which you haue receiued in the schoole of Iesus Christ for to make your profit in bearing your affliction with patience and in humility resting in a quiet Spirit at the will of God to which we ought alwayes to be subiect and conformable Our Nature in such accidents leadeth vs to teares but the Spirit of God author of all Regeneration teacheth vs to keepe measure and not to afflict our selues like those that haue no hope 1 Thess 4.13 If we be men in weeping yet wee must shew our selues Christians adorned with faith and hope to assure vs that this corporall death is no other to the faithfull children of God but a happy port to enter into eternall life Ioh. 5.28.29 and as for the body it must remaine in earth vntill that day when they shall heare the voyce of the Lord which shall make them rise out of the graue into the resurrection of life That the deceased is of the number of Gods children the marks and testimonies which God hath giuen him by the good profession of piety and wisedome which hee hath made in the Church vnto the last breath of his life neede not leaue vs in doubt He hath liued to the Lord and is dead to the Lord by consequence is happy and resteth from his labour Apoc. 14.13 by the heauenly testimony of the Spirit of God himselfe You haue no cause to weep ouer him for the condition he is in being in euery kinde thrice happy He hath also a great aduantage of vs that remaine in this world behinde him For he is arriued at the port of saluation where as we are still beaten with the storme and torment of the confused and dangerous sea of this miserable world And therefore it is much better to aspire to go with him then to wish him to remaine here below with vs for the discommodity that you may receiue by his absence it behoueth you to consider that God that gaue him to you remaineth still with you who is enough for vs without all other things whereas all other things without him are nothing It is hee that will continue alwayes ouer you the care of his fatherly prouidence if you continue alwayes to walke in his feare I beseech God to giue you grace and fortifie you with a holy and constant resolution Amen FINIS
if man haue suffered the sparkes of diuine grace to dye in him he hath no other meanes to inlighten himselfe againe but at the Sunne of Iustice there to haue reliefe at the Sunne of Iustice and Father of lights The meanes that God vsed to raise man from his fall is that which he hath declared vnto Adam The seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpents head Gen. 3.15 God himselfe being pleased to be the first Euangelist and as Woman brought to man the fruit of death Woman should bring to man againe the fruit of life the meanes is that in the accomplishment of times he hath sent his Sonne his eternall Word and taken vpon him our flesh allying by this meanes God with man making the Sonne of God our Brother to the end we might be the Sonnes of God He hath taken our humane nature vpon him to the end we should participate of his diuine nature hee hath taken our flesh for to giue vs his spirit hee hath made himselfe a stranger here below to the end wee should be domesticke with God he which is Father of eternitie was well pleased to haue it so and hath sent his word amongst vs to the end we might speake to God with assurance making himselfe a seruant to the end we might raigne with him By this meanes we haue familiar accesse to God seeing he hath taken away the rayes from his face and that Maiesty that would haue amazed and astonished vs shewing himselfe in a familiar and accessible fashion in his Sonne who is our Emanuel that is to say God with vs. In stead of the Prouerbe which was vsed in Israell Wee dye for wee haue seene God now we ought and may say Wee liue for God hath made himselfe visible and accessible by his Sonne The second Person of the Trinitie hath bin imployed in this work For by what means could we be made the Children of God but by him who is his onely Son which bringeth vs to vnderstand that he is the wisedome of the Father by whom hee telleth vs that he is the Word it selfe putting all things into order by him by which he hath created all things Yet this is not all for in this selfe-same flesh he would haue him suffer the paine which wee haue merited and to satisfie for vs the diuine iustice as he saith of himselfe I paid them the things that I neuer tooke Psalme 69.5 For Iesus Christ had not wherwithall to hide his head to the end we might haue where to repose our consciences Hee which is the bread of Life was hungry to the end wee might be filled Hee is dead to the end to giue vs life hauing drunke the Cup of the wrath of God to the end we should drinke at the Riuer of his pleasures and as Saint Peter saith 1 Pet. 2. Verse 24. Hee hath borne our sinnes vpon his Body vpon the Tree to the end that being dead to sinne wee should liue to righteousnesse by the breach whereof wee haue beene healed for saith Saint Paul Col. 1.19 the good pleasure of the Father that all fulnesse should dwell in him and to reconcile by him euery thing to himselfe hauing made peace with the bloud of his Crosse c. Death swallowed him vp but it was like the fishes that swallowing the Baite are taken so Death in taking Iesus Christ is surmounted and ouercome by him for he is life it selfe and also because of his righteousnesse and innocencie death hath no power ouer him There is nothing so admirable as this death by the which hee hath triumphed ouer the power of Hell and of the Diuell by the which God hath punished and pardoned our sinnes declaring in one onely Action his soueraigne iustice and his infinite mercy all the triumphes of Emperours are of no value in comparison of the death of Christ the life of all men are of no value in regard of the death of Iesus Christ all the Crownes of Kings are not comparable to the Crosse of Iesus Christ and all the glory of the world is inferiour to his opprobrie as it is the ground of our faith so it is the summe of our knowledge to know Iesus Christ crucified This death taketh away the bitternesse and malediction of our own and maketh it that although a farre off it seemeth a fantasie which walketh vpon the waters when it approacheth and commeth nearer vnto vs we shall confesse that it is Iesus Christ that commeth vnto vs and haue by the bloud of Iesus Christ liberty to speake to God with assurance that not onely wee may implore his mercy but also wee may call for iustice saying Lord thou are iust and therefore take not two payments for one debt and correct me not in thine anger for my sinnes for which thy Sonne hath beene punished By this meanes the iustice of God changeth nature towards vs and of iustice iudging becommeth iustice iustifying and of iustice which punisheth sinne it becommeth a iustice which maketh vs iust And consider what the Aduocate is who not onely pleadeth for vs but payeth for vs who not onely intercedeth for sinners but of sinners maketh them iust Where is the Phisitian which taketh the medicine and by it healeth his Patient Hauing so indured death for vs for vs also hath ouercome death as the combat of his death is for vs so the victory of his Resurrection is ours after the which hee ascended into Heauen from whence he sendeth his graces there hee receiueth our soules which he hath bought with his owne bloud Hee is our onely assurance in the Kingdome of Heauen to whom wee aspire and tend vnto as strangers in this world but domestickes with God as dying but heires of eternall life hauing to resist the Courts of this world to publique iudgements to customes receiued to the ouer flowing of vices and idolatrie like vnto diuers kindes of Fishes which alwaies swimme against the streame and tend towards the Fountaine attending his comming to iudge the quicke and the dead and raise our bodies from the earth to the end that in body and soule we may raigne with him eternally Behold my Brethren the substance of the Gospell of Christ whereof Saint Paul saith that hee is not ashamed but glorifieth himselfe notwithstanding humane iudgements and contradictions which contradictions wee haue to speake of in the second place and of the meanes wherewith Sathan and the flesh â—â—â—ue themselues for to make men distaste and be ashamed of the Gospell of Christ for Saint Paul saith that the Gospell is a scandall to the Iewes and folly to the Greekes that is to say that the Iewes were offended with it and the Gentiles mocked at it They were offended to heare spoken that God became man of a crucified God of one that was called the Sonne of Dauid and neuerthelesse he said he was before Abraham was They were offended to heare in the Gospell where the first clause thereof begun with Blessed are those that weepe and
pardon of all those that might haue beene offended by you Patient Yes Now Sir it behooueth vs to addresse our prayer to God to the end that he will be pleased to fortifie you in faith which hee hath giuen you and to make his graces more and more abound in you and it is your part to humble your selfe with vs before him and to lift vp your heart to him to implore his Mercy from the bottome of your Heart A Prayer for the sicke when there is any signe of death O Lord our God Mercifull Father we are very vnworthy to lift vp our eyes vnto thee our sins and wicked deedes are so many wherewith wee are so polluted before thy face neither is this out of the confidence of our owne worth to be thus bolde to present our selues at the feete of thy diuine Maiesty but in the assurance of the great Compassions and perfect obedience which thy welbeloued Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord hath made for vs with the righteousnesse whereof wee beseech thee couer vs with thy grace to the end wee may be by his fauour made agreeable and reconciled vnto thee But wee beseech thee O good God particularly vouchsafe thy great mercy to this thy poore seruant so feeble mightily deiected vnder thy powerfull hand poore sinner remaining vnder the weight and rigour of thy high Iustice if thou doest not extend thy great clemency towards him Giue him grace good Lord to enter more and more into a serious examination and acknowledgement of his faults to conceiue that true detestation which alwayes bringeth forth true repentance and set him forward intirely to renounce himselfe and his owne way to haue all his refuge in thee and in thy bounty In the meane while receiue him gratiously O Lord shew him the face of a father and assure and comfort him Say to his soule Soule I am he that can warrant thee Dispose of his heart patiently to receiue with Action of graces this Fatherly correction which thou hast sent him and to put himselfe wholly into thy hands to submit himselfe peaceably vnder all that thou shalt please to lay vpon him by thy holy prouidence Lord thou knowest better then he himselfe or any of vs what is most conuenient whether he shall liue or die If thy good pleasure be that hee shall liue let it be that he may onely liue to thee in such sort that hauing profited well by thy chastisements he may learne to loue thee honour and serue thee all the dayes of his life in thy Church perpetually studying to bring sorth fruits of piety and holinesse worthy of thy Gospel and conuenient for a childe of such a Father so that in him thou maist be glorified and his neighbours edified But contrarily of the other part it be thy pleasure to take him out of this miserable world assure him that it shall be to put him into the possession of thy Heauenly kingdome which thou hast prepared before the foundations of the world and which thy Sonne hath purchased by the merit of his death To this end O Father of light from whom proceedeth euery good gift that thou wilt be pleased to giue him a true and a liuely faith with the which he may search find and apprehend the propitiation for his sinnes and the true righteousnes in the obedience of thy welbeloued Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord who hath suffered for our sinnes and risen againe for our iustification and ascended into Heauen to take possession in our Name and by this meanes giueth vs accesse and entrance which sinne had banished vs from Imprint in his heart a full assurance of all these thy graces to the end that by this meanes he may peaceably repose himselfe in thy mercy and happily ouercome all the snares and temptations which Sathan and his owne flesh would put before him to trouble the clearnesse of his faith and tranquility of his conscience That his sinnes then may not make him despaire because thy Iustice hath been so well payed not with gold or siluer but with the pretious blood of thy Christ as of the Lambe without spot or blemish Let not death affright him seeing sinne is abolished and destroyed in him which is the sting of death who now is disarmed and without all power that his spirit being separated from the body by this corporall death it shall be to come triumphantly to thee and deliuered from the captiuity of sinne to the end to taste of the enioying the most happy life which he neuer tasted in this world but by hope leauing his body in the earth but not for euer but to be refined transformed in time conuenient made conformable to the glorious body of his Redeemer by the benefit of his resurrection So Sathan shall no more astonish him but by sinne and death which he hath vtterly lost all power in ouer our visited Brother Assuring him in the end that this accuser can intend nothing against him before the Throne of thy iustice seeing hee is absolued iustified by thy grace there is no iudge that can condemne him That thou wilt also be pleased O good God to be likewise mercifull to all other sicke soules comfort and fortifie them according as thou knowest them needfull and aboue all giue them grace alwayes to embrace with a true and liuely faith thy mercy in Iesus Christ wherein they may euer be comforted Good Lord vouchsafe vnto vs all this grace that this example may profite and teach vs to renounce the world and our selues to imploy that time we haue here below to meditate thy wisedome walke carefully in thy feare retyre our hearts from the vanities of this life to raise them vp to attend and meditate vpon the Heauenly life and to this end to be alwayes prepared to appeare before thee with assurance to be gathered and receiued into thy mercy for the loue of thy welbeloued Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord In whose name we beseech thee O Father of mercy heere vs in these things and in all other things which thou knowest better to be necessary for thy poore seruant and for vs then we doe our selues as we doe now request thee in that prayer which thou hast commanded vs to present our selues before thee Our Father which art in Heauen c. Lord giue vs a good increase of Faith which thou hast planted in the heart of this thy childe and seruant defend him as with a Buckler by the which he may extinguish all the fiery darts of the Diuell and make him perseuere constantly therin vntill the very last breath of his life and that hee may alwaies at the least in his heart render vnto thee a pure and Christian confession as we now present with heart and mouth I beleeue in God the Father Almighty c. This is his Faith O Lord and ours giue vs grace to liue and dye in it through Iesus Christ thy Sonne our Lord who in the vnitie of the Holy Spirit