certain in its own Acts, praying one way, and defiring another, wandring and imperfect, loofe and various, worshipping God, and entertaining Sin, following what it hates, and running from what it flatters, loving to be tempted and betrayed; petulant like a wanton Girl, running from, that it might invite the Fondness, and enrage the Appetite of the foolish young Man, or the evil Temptation that follows it; cold and indifferent one while, and prefently zealous and paffionate, furious and indifcreet; not understood of itself, or any one elfe; and deceitful beyond all the arts and numbers of Observation. 8. That it is certain we have highly finned against God, but we are not fo certain that our Repentance is real and effective, integral and fufficient. 9. That it is not revealed to us whether or no the time of our Repentance be not paft; or if it be not, yet how far God will give us Pardon, or upon what Condition, or after what Sufferings or Duties, is ftill under a Cloud. 10. That Virtue and Vice are oftentimes fo near Neighbours, that we pafs into each others Borders without Obfervation, and think we do Justice. when we are cruel, or call our felves liberal when we are loofe and foolish in Expences, and are amorous when we commend our own Civilities and good Nature. 11. That we allow to our felves fo many little Irregularities, that infenfibly they fwell to fo great a Heap, that from thence we have reafon to fear an Evil: For an Army of Frogs and Flies, may destroy all the hopes of our Harvest. 12. That when we do that which is lawful, and do all that we can in thofe Bounds, we commonly and easily run out of our Proportions. 13. That it is not eafy to diftinguifh the Virtues of our Nature from the Virtues of our Choice; and we may expect the Reward of Temperance, when it is against our Nature to be drunk, or we may hope to have the Coronet of Virgins for our morofe Difpofition, or our Abftinence from Marriage upon fecular Ends. 14. That it may be we call every little Sigh or the keeping a Fifb-day the Duty of Repentance, or have entertained falfe Principles In the effimate and meatures of Virtue, and, contrary to to that Steward in the Gofpel, we write down Fourscore when we fhould fet dowh but fifty. 15. That it is better to truft the Goodness and Juftice of God with our Accounts, than to offer him large Bills. 16. That we are commanded by Chrift to fit down in the lowest Place, till the Mafter of the Houfe bids us fit up higher. 17. That when we have done all that we can, we are unprofitable Servants: And yet no Man does all that he can do; and therefore is more to be despised and undervalued. 18. That the self-accufing Publican was juftified rather than the thanksgiving and confident Pharifee. 19. That if Adam in Paradife, and David in his Houfe, and Solomon in the Temple, and Peter in Chrift's Family, and Judas in the College of Apoftles, and Nicolas among the Deacons, and the Angels in Heaven it felf did fall fo foully and difhoneftly; then it is prudent Advice that we be not high-minded, but fear, and when we ftand most confidently, take heed left we fall: And yet there is nothing fo likely to make us fall as Pride and great Opinions, which ruined the Angels, which God refifts, which all Men defpife, and which betrays us into Carelefnefs, and a wretchlefs, undifcerning and unwary Spirit. て * * 4. Now the main Parts of the Ecclefiaftical Miniftery are done, and that which remains is, that the Minifter pray over him, and re-mind him to do good Actions as he is capable; to call upon God for Pardon, * to put his whole Truft in him, * to refigno himself to God's difpofing, God's difpofing, to be patient and even, *to renounce every ill Word, or Thought, or undecent Action, which the Violence of his Sickness may caufe in him, * to beg of God to give him his holy Spirit to guide him in his Agony, and his holy Angels to guard him in his Paffage. 5. Whatsoever is befides this concerns the Standersby That they do all in their Minifteries diligentlyand temperately; that they join with much Charity and Devotion in the Prayer of the Minister; * that they make no Out-cries or Exclamations in the departure of the Soul; and that they make no Judgment con concerning the dying Perfon, by his dying quietly or violently, with Comfort or without, with great Fears or a chearful Confidence, with Senfe or without, like a Lamb or a Lion, with Convulfions or Semblances of great Pain, or like an expiring and a spent Candle: for thefe happen to all Men, without Rule, without any known Reason, but according as God pleafes to difpenfe the Grace or the Punishment, for Reafons only known to himself. Let us lay our Hands upon our Mouth, and adore the Mysteries of the Divine Wisdom and Providence, and pray to God to give the dying Man Reft and Pardon, and to our felves Grace to live well, and the Bleffing of a holy and happy Death. Offices to be faid by the Minifter, in his Vifitation of the Sick. N the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Our Father, which art Heaven, &c. Let the Priest fay this Prayer fecretly : Eternal Jefus, thou great Lover of Souls, who haft constituted a Miniftery in the Church to glorifie thy Name, and to ferve in the Affiftance of thofe that come to thee, profeffing thy Difcipline and Service; give Grace to me the unworthieft of thy Servants, that I in this my Ministry, may purely and zealously intend thy Glory, and effectually may minifter Comfort and Advantages to his fick Perfon, (whom God affoil from all this Offences :) and grant that nothing of thy Grace may perifh to him by the Unworthiness of the Minifter; but let thy Spirit fpeak by me, and give me Prudence and Charity, Wifdom and Diligence, good Obfervation and apt Difcourfes, a certain Judgment and merciful Difpenfation, that the Soul of thy Servant may pafs from this ftate of Imperfection to the Perfections of the state of Glory, through thy Mercies, O eternal Jefus. Amen. The The Pfalm. Ουτ If thou, Lord, fhouldest mark Iniquities, O Lord, who But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayst be feared. I wait for the Lord, my Soul doth wait; and in his Word do I hope. My Soul waiteth for the Lord, more than they that watch for the Morning. Let Ifrael hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is Mercy, and with him is plenteous Redemption. And he fall redeem his Servants from all their Iniquities. Wherefore fhall I fear in the Days of Evil, when the Pf. 49. 5. Wickedness of my Heels fhall compass me about? A * No Man can by any means redeem his Brother, nor give to God a Ranfom for him. 7, (For the Redemption of their Soul is precious, and it 8, ceafeth for ever.) That he should ftill live for ever, and not fee Cor-. ruption. 9, But wife Men die, likewife the Fool and the brutish Perfon perifh, and leave their Wealth to others.. 10, But God will redeem my Soul from the Power of the Grave: For he shall receive me. 15. As for me, I will behold thy Face in Righteousness: IPL.17.15. fhall be fatisfied when I awake in thy Likeness. Thou shalt fhew me the Path of Life: In thy Prefence Pf.16.11. is the Fulness of Joy, at thy Right Hand there are Pleasures for evermore. Glory be to the Father, &c. As it was in the Beginning, &c. Let Let us pray. Almighty God, Father of Mercies, the God of Peace and Comfort, of Reft and Pardon, we thy Servants, though unworthy to pray to thee, yet, in Duty to thee, and Charity to our Brother, humbly beg Mercy of thee for him, to defcend upon his Body and his Soul; one Sinner, O Lord, for another, the miferable for the afflicted, the poor for him that is in need: But thou giveft thy Graces and thy Favours by the measures of thy own Mercies, and in Proportion to our Neceffities. We humbly come to thee in the Name of Jefus, for the merit of our Saviour, and the mercies of our God, praying thee to pardon the Sins of this thy Servant, and to put them all upon the Accounts of the Crofs, and to bury them in the Grave of Jefus, that they may never rife up in Judgment against thy Servant, nor bring him to fhame and confufion of Face in the Day of final Inquiry and Sentence. Amen. Gl II. Ive thy Servant Patience in his Sorrows, Comfort in this his Sickness, and restore him to Health, if it seems good to thee, in order to thy great Ends, and his greatest Intereft. And however thou fhalt determine concerning him in this Affair, yet make his Repentance perfect, and his Paffage fafe, and his Faith ftrong, and his Hope modeft and confident; that when thou fhalt call his Soul from the Prison of the Body, it may enter into the Securities and Reft of the Sons of God, in the Bofom of Bleffednefs, and the Cuftodies of Jesus. Amen. III. THou, O Lord, knoweft all the Neceffities and all the Infirmities of thy Servant: Fortifie his Spirit with fpiritual Joys and perfect Refignation, and take from him all degrees of inordinate or infecure Affections to this World, and enlarge his Heart with Defires of being with thee, and of freedom from Sins, and fruition of God. IV. LORD, |