THANKSGIVING FOR THE BEGINNING OF A RECOVERY.

REAT and mighty God, who bringest down to

GRE

the grave and bringest up again; we bless thy wonderful goodness, for having turned our heaviness into joy, and our mourning into gladness, by restoring this our brother to some degree of his former health. Blessed be thy name, that thou didst not forsake him in his sickness; but didst visit him with comforts from above; didst support him in patience and submission to thy will, and at last didst send him relief. Perfect, we beseech thee, this thy mercy towards him, and prosper the means which shall be made use of for his cure ; that being restored to health of body, vigor of mind, and cheerfulness of spirit, he may offer thee a spiritual oblation with great gladness, and bless thy holy name for all thy goodness towards him, through Jesus Christ our Saviour, through whom we ascribe unto thee all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

END OF THE VISITATION OF THE SICK.

When the Procession is entering the Church, the Minister shall utter these Sentences.

I

AM the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord; he who believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. St. John xi. 25, 26.

I

KNOW that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. Fob xix. 25, 26.

WE

E brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. 1 Tim. vi. 7; Fob i. 21.

Then shall be said the following Passages from the 39th and 90th Psalms.

PSALM XXXIX.

LORD, make me to know mine end, and the

measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.

Behold thou hast made my days as it were a span long, and mine age is even as nothing in respect of thee; and verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.

For man walketh in a vain shadow, and disquieteth himself in vain; he heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them.

And now, Lord, what is my hope? truly my hope is even in thee.

I became dumb, and opened not my mouth; for it was thy doing.

But take thy stroke away from me; for I am consumed by the blow of thy heavy hand.

When thou with rebukes dost chasten man for sin, thou makest his beauty to consume away, like as it were a moth fretting a garment; surely every man is vanity.

Hear my prayer, O Lord, and with thine ears consider my calling; hold not thy peace at my tears. For I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.

O spare me a little, that I may recover my strength, before I go hence, and be no more seen.

PSALM XC.

LORD, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all

generations.

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or a watch in the night.

Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are even as a sleep; and fade away suddenly like the grass;

In the morning it is green, and groweth up; but in the evening it is cut down, dried up, and withered.

The days of our age are threescore years and ten; and though men be so strong, that they come to fourscore years, yet is their strength then but labor and sorrow; so soon passeth it away, and we are gone.

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Then may follow John xiv. or these Selections from I Cor. xv.

OW is Christ risen from the dead, and become

No

the first fruits of those who slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then the Minister, either at the Grave, or in the body of the Church, shall say,

MAN who is born of a woman, hath but a short

time to live, and is full of misery. He cometh up, and is cut down like a flower; he fleeth as it were a shadow, and never continueth in one stay.

In the midst of life we are in death; of whom may we seek for succor, but of thee, O Lord, who for our sins art justly displeased?

Yet, O Lord God most holy, O Lord most mighty, O holy and most merciful Father, deliver us not into the bitter pains of eternal death.

Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut not thy merciful ears to our prayers; but spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty, O holy and merciful Father, thou most worthy Judge eternal, suffer us not, at our last hour, for any pains of death, to fall from thee.