Minister. Let the enemy have no advantage of him;

Answer. Nor the wicked approach to hurt him.

Minister. Be unto him, O Lord, a strong tower.

Answer. From the face of his enemy. Minister. O Lord, hear our prayers; Answer. And let our cry come unto thee.

Minister.

O Lord, look down from heaven, behold, visit, and relieve this thy servant. Look upon him with the eyes of thy mercy; give him comfort and sure confidence in thee; defend him from the danger of the enemy; and keep him in perpetual peace and safety, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hear us, almighty and most merciful God and Saviour; extend thy accustomed goodness to this thy servant, who is grieved with sickness. Sanctify, we beseech thee, this thy fatherly correction to him, that the sense of his weakness may add strength to his faith, and seriousness to his repentance. That if it shall be thy good pleasure to restore him to his former health, he may lead the residue of his

life in thy fear and to thy glory or else give him grace so to take thy visitation, that after this painful life is ended, he may dwell with thee in life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

After which the Minister may read the remainder of the exhortation, prefacing it thus:

When I finished. my last visit to you, I had read that part of the exhortation appointed by our Church in "The "order for visiting the Sick," which proposes the example of our blessed Saviour as a pattern of patience to those who are under adversities, troubles, and sicknesses: an example which I hope you will endeavour to imitate, as far as your present circumstances, with the assistance of God's grace, will enable you to do: and that God will certainly grant you, if you ask it sincerely, through the merits of your Saviour. I shall now proceed with the remainder of the exhortation, to which I request that you will attend as earnestly as you can.

Now therefore, taking your sickness, which is thus profitable for you, patiently; I exhort you, in the name of God, to remember the profession which you made

unto

unto God in your baptism. And forasmuch as after this life there is an account to be given to the righteous Judge, by whom all must be judged without respect of persons; I require you to examine yourself and your estate both toward God and man; so that accusing and condemning yourself for your own faults you may find mercy at our heavenly Father's hand, for Christ's sake, and not be accused and condemned at that fearful judgment. Therefore I shall rehearse to you the articles of our faith, that you may know whether you believe, as a christian man should, or no.

Now this the church directs me to do, that is, to examine your faith, forasmuch as a well-grounded faith in God will be the Sick Person's best defence against the assaults of the devil, who will be sure to tempt him either to despair of God's mercy, or to presume upon his own righteousness, or to be impatient, and charge God foolishly..

Here the Minister shall rehearse the articles of the faith, saying thus,

I therefore proceed to ask you,

Bp. Wilson's Parochialia. P. 152. Edit. 1788.

Dost

Dost thou believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth?

And in Jesus Christ his only begotten Son our Lord? and that he was conceived by the Holy Ghost; born of the Virgin Mary; that he suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; that he went down into Hell*, and also did rise again the third day; that he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, and from thence shall come again at the end of the world, to judge the quick and the dead?

And dost thou believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church; the Communion of Saints; of Saints; the Remission [Forgiveness] of Sins; the Resurrection of the Flesh; [body,] and everlasting Life after death?

The Sick Person shall answer, All this
I stedfastly believe.

But lest Sick People, and such as are of
slow understanding, should profess with
their lips what they are not able to apply

* The word Hell does not here mean the place of torment, but the place of departed souls.

to

to their soul's comfort; it will be highly charitable and useful, after repeating the Creed, to propose the use that ought to be made of it, in short questions, after some such way as the following*; prejacing it with the introduction which follows;

And now, Brother, that you may be able to apply to your soul's comfort, what you have thus professed with your lips; having repeated the Creed, all which you say that you sted astly believe, I think it will be very serviceable to you, if I propose the use that ought to be made of it, in some short questions, which I request you to attend to as well as you can.

Do you believe that it is God who ordereth all things both in heaven and earth?

Then you must believe that nothing can come by chance; and that, as our Lord saith, even a sparrow does not die without God's knowledge and his leave.

Do you believe that this present visitation of yours is from God?

If God is our father, his correction must be for our good.

Bp. Wilson's Parochialia. Page 152.

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