as it is born, but let it be caught up to God, and to his throne a. 3. When we pray with, or for those that are sick and weak, and distempered in body, that those who are sick and in sin may be convinced, those who are sick and in Christ comforted. Lord, thou hast appointed those that are sick to be prayed for, and prayed with, and hast promised that the prayer of faith shall save the sick; Lord, help us to pray in faith for the sick, and as being ourselves also in the body b. When our Lord Jesus was here upon earth, we find that they brought to him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and he healed all manner of sickness, and all manner of diseases among the people: and he hath still the same power over bodily diseases that ever he had c; he saith to them, Go, and they go; Come, and they come; Do this, and they do it; and can speak the word, and they shall be healed d. And he is still touched with the feelings of our infirmities e. In the belief of this, we do by prayer bring our friends that are sick, and lay them before him g. Lord, grant that those who are sick may neither despise the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when they are rebuked of him h; but that they may both hear the rod, and him that hath appointed it, and may kiss the rodi, and accept of the punishment of their iniquity k. Give them to see that affliction cometh not forth out of the dust, nor springs out of the ground, that they may therefore seek unto God, to the Lord more than to a Rev. xii. 4, 5. 1 Job v. b Jam. v. 14, 15. c Matt. iv. 23, 24. the physicians a, because unto God the Lord belong the issues of life and death b. Lord, show them wherefore thou contendest with them c, and give them in their affliction to humble themselves greatly before the God of their fathers d, and to repent and turn from every evilyway, and make their ways and their doings goode, and being judged, and being chastened of the Lord, they may not be condemned with the worldg. By the sickness of the body, and the sadness of the countenance, let the heart be made better h. O Lord, rebuke them not in thy anger, neither chasten in thy hot displeasure: Have mercy upon them, O Lord, for they are weak; Lord heal them, for their bones are vexed, their souls also are sore vexed: Return, O Lord, and deliver their souls: save them for thy mercy's sakei: and lay no more upon them than thou wilt enable them to bear, and enable them to bear what thou dost lay upon them k. When thou with rebukes dost chasten man for sin, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth; surely every man is vanity. But remove thy stroke, we pray thee, from those that are even consumed by the blow of thine hand. O spare a little, that they may recover strength before they go hence, and be no more l. Those that are chastened with pain upon their bed, and the multitude of their bones with strong pain, so that their life abhorreth bread, and their soul dainty meat, show them thy uprightness, be gracious to them. Deliver them from going down to the pit, for thou hast found a ransom m. Let the eternal God be our refuge, and underneath a 2 Chron. xvi. 12. b Psal. lxviii. 20. e Jer. xviii. 11. i Psal. vi. 1-4. / Psal. xxxix. 10, 11, 13. m Job xxxiii. 19, them be the everlasting arms a, consider their frame, remember that they are but dustb. O deliver those that are thine in the time of trouble, preserve them and keep them alive; O strengthen them upon their bed of languishing, and make their bed in their sickness; Be merciful to them, and heal their souls, for they have sinned c. Ŏ turn to them, and have mercy upon them, bring them out of their distresses, look upon their affliction and their pain; but especially forgive all their sind. Make thy face to shine upon them, save them for thy mercy's sake c; The God that comforteth them that are cast down, comfort them g! and let the soul dwell at ease in thee, when the body lies in pain h. (If it be the beginning of a distemper.) Lord set bounds to this sickness, and say, Hitherto shall it come, and no further i; let it not prevail to extremity, but in measure, when it shooteth forth, do thou abate, and stay thy rough wind in the day of thine east wind; and by this let iniquity be purged, and let this be all the fruit, even the taking away of sin k. (If it have continued long.) Lord, let patience have her perfect work, even unto long-suffering, that those who have been long in the furnace l, may continue hoping, and quietly waiting for the salvation of the Lord m; Let tribulation work patience, and patience experience, and experience a hope that maketh not ashamed n, and enable them to call even this affliction light, seeing it is to work for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory o. (If there be hopes of recovery.) hast tried, let them come forth like Lord, when thou gold p; let their c Psal. xli. 1-4. & souls live and they shall praise thee, let thy judgments help them; O deal bountifully with them, that they may live and keep thy word a. In love to their souls deliver them from the pit of corruption, and cast all their sins behind thy back. Recover them, and make them to live b. Speak the word, and they shall be healed c; say unto them, Live, yea, say unto them, Live, and the time shall be a time of love d. Father, if it be possible, let the cup pass away; however, not as we will, but as thou wilt e: The will of the Lord be done. Perfect that which concerns them g: thy mercy, O Lord, endures for ever, forsake not the work of thine own hands, but whether they live or die, let them be the Lord's h. (If they be in appearance at the point of death.) Now the flesh and the heart are failing, Lord be thou the strength of the heart, and an everlasting portion i: In the valley of the shadow of death, Lord be thou present, as the good Shepherd, with a guiding rod, and a supporting staff k. O do not fail them, nor forsake them now l. Be a very present helpm: Into thy hands we commit the departing spirit n, as into the hands of a faithful Creator, by the hands of him who has redeemed ito. Let it be carried by the angels into Abraham's bosomp. Let it be presented to thee, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing q. Lord Jesus, receive this precious soulr, let it come to the spirits of just men made perfects; when it is absent from the body, let it be present with the Lordt. This day let it be in paradise u. Now let it be for ever comforted v, and perfectly freed from sin w; and prepare us to draw after, as b Isa. xxxviii. 16,17. c Mat. viii. 8. a Psal. cxix. 175. d Ezek. xvi. 6, 8. h Rom, xiv. 8. r Acts vii. 59. e Mat. xxvi. 39. i Psal. lxxiii. 26. g Psal. cxxxviii. 8. there are innumerable before a, that we may be together for ever with the Lordb, there where there shall be no more death, and where all tears shall be wiped away c. 4. When we pray with or for those that are deprived of the use of their reason. O look with pity upon those that are put out of possession of their own souls d, whose judgment is taken away e, so that their soul chooseth strangling and death, rather than life g. O restore them to themselves h, and their right mind i. Deliver them from doing themselves any harm k. And whatever afflictions thou layest upon any of us in this world, preserve to us the use of our reason, and the peace of our consciences. 5. When we pray with, or for sick children. Lord we see death reigning even over them that have not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression /; but Jesus Christ hath abolished death m, and admitted even little children into the kingdom of Godn. O let sick children be pitied by thee, as they are by their earthly parents o. They are come forth like flowers, O let them not be cut down again: Turn from them, that they may rest till they shall have accomplished as a hireling their day p. Be gracious to us, and let the children live. However, Fatherq, thy will be doner. O let their spirits be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus s. 6. When we pray with, or for families, where death is, especially such as have lost their head. Visit the houses of moruning, as our Saviour did, and comfort them, by assuring them that Christ is the resurrection and the life, that their relations which are re a Job xxi. 34. b 1 Thess. iv. 17. c Rev. xxi. 4. |