sickness: Visit him, O Lord, with thy salvation; deliver him in thy good appointed time from his bodily pain, and save his soul for thy mercies' sake: That, if it shall be thy pleasure to prolong his days here on earth, he may live to thee, and be an instrument of thy glory, by serving thee faithfully, and doing good in his generation; or else receive him into those heavenly habitations, where the souls of them that sleep in the Lord Jesus enjoy perpetual rest and felicity. Grant this, O Lord, for thy mercies' sake, in the same thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

A Prayer for a sick person, when there appeareth small hope of recovery.

FATHER of mercies, and God of all comfort, our only help in time

of need; We fly unto thee for succour in behalf of this thy servant, here lying under thy hand in great weakness of body. Look graciously upon him, O Lord; and the more the outward man decayeth, strengthen him, we beseech thee, so much the more continually with thy grace and holy Spirit in the inner man. Give him unfeigned repentance for all the errors of his life past, and stedfast faith in thy Son Jesus; that his sins may be done away by thy mercy, and his pardon sealed in heaven, before he go hence, and be no more seen. We know, O Lord, that there is no word impossible with thee; and that, if thou wilt, thou canst even yet raise him up, and grant him a longer continuance amongst us: Yet, forasmuch as in all appearance the time of his dissolution draweth near, so fit and prepare him, we beseech thee, against the hour of death, that after his departure hence in peace, and in thy favour, his soul may be received into thine everlasting kingdom, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thine only Son, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

A commendatory Prayer for a sick person at the point of departure.

ALMIGHTY God, with whom do live the spirits of just men made perfect, after they are delivered from their earthly prisons; We humbly commend the soul of this thy servant, our dear brother, into thy hands, as into the hands of a faithful Creator, and most merciful Saviour; most humbly beseeching thee, that it may be precious in thy sight. Wash it, we pray thee, in the blood of that immaculate Lamb, that was slain to take away the sins of the world; that whatsoever defilements it may have contracted in the midst of this miserable and naughty world, through the lusts of the flesh, or the wiles of Satan, being purged and done away, it may be presented pure and without spot before thee. And teach us who survive, in this and other like daily spectacles of mortality, to see how frail and uncertain our own condition is; and so to number our days, that we may seriously apply our hearts to that holy and heavenly wisdom, whilst we live here, which may in the end bring us to life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ thine only Son our Lord. Amen.

rsons troubled in mind or in conscience.

The Father of mercies, and the God of all comforts; ce, look down in pity and compassion upon this thy ou writest bitter things against him, and makest him to iquities; thy wrath lieth hard upon him, and his soul is "ut, O merciful God, who hast written thy holy Word for at we, through patience and comfort of thy holy Scriptures, pe; give him a right understanding of himself, and of thy promises; that he may neither cast away his confidence in thee, ny where but in thee. Give him strength against all his tempheal all his distempers. Break not the bruised reed, nor quench ing flax. Shut not up thy tender mercies in displeasure; but make ear of joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may Deliver him from fear of the enemy, and lift up the light of thy enance upon him, and give him peace, through the merits and mediation Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE COMMUNION OF THE SICK.

Forasmuch as all mortal men be subject to many sudden perils, diseases, and sicknesses, and ever uncertain what time they shall depart out of this life; therefore, to the intent they may be always in a readiness to die, whensoever shall please Almighty God to call them, the Curates shall diligently from time to time (but especially in the time of pestilence, or other infectious sickness) exhort their Parishioners to the often receiving of the holy Communion of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ, when it shall be publickly administered in the Church; that so doing, they may, in case of sudden visitation, have the less cause to be disquieted for lack of the same. But if the sick person be not able to come to the Church, and yet is desirous to receive the Communion in his house; then he must give timely notice to the Curate, signifying also how many there are to com municate with him, (which shall be three, or two at the least,) and having a convenient place in the sick man's house, with all things necessary so prepared, that the Curate may reverently minister, he shall there celebrate the holy Communion, beginning with the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, here following.

The Collect.

LMIGHTY, everliving God, Maker of mankind, who dost correct those whom thou dost love, and chastise every one whom thou dost receive ; We beseech thee to have mercy upon this thy servant visited with thine hand, and to grant that he may take his sickness patiently, and recover his bodily health, (if it be thy gracious will;) and whensoever his soul shall depart from the body, it may be without spot presented unto thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

MY

The Epistle. Heb. xii. 5.

Y son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth; and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

The Gospel. St. John v. 24.

ERILY, verily I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth

VE

on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into

condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

¶After which the Priest shall proceed according to the form before prescribed for the holy Communion, beginning at these words [Ye that do truly, &c.]

¶ At the time of the distribution of the holy Sacrament, the Priest shall first receive the Communion himself, and after minister unto them that are appointed to communicate with the sick, and last of all to the sick person.

¶But if a man, either by reason of extremity of sickness, or for want of warning in due time to the Curate, or for lack of company to receive with him, or by any other just impediment, do not receive the Sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood, the Curate shall instruct him, that if he do truly repent him of his sins, and stedfastly believe that Jesus Christ hath suffered death upon the Cross for him, and shed his Blood for his redemption, earnestly remembering the benefits he hath thereby, and giving him hearty thanks therefore, he doth eat and drink the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ profitably to his Soul's health, although he do not receive the Sacrament with his mouth.

When the sick person is visited, and receiveth the holy Communion all at one time, then the Priest, for more expedition, shall cut off the form of the Visitation at the Psalm [In thee, O Lord, have I put my trust, &c.] and go straight to the Communion.

¶In the time of the Plague, Sweat, or such other like contagious times of sickness or diseases, when none of the Parish or neighbours can be gotten to communicate with the sick in their houses, for fear of the infection, upon special request of the diseased, the Minister may only communicate with him.

NOTE ON THE ORDER FOR THE VISITATION OF THE SICK AND THE COMMUNION OF THE SICK.

If religion be professed with any degree of earnestness, its supports and consolations will naturally be sought for in seasons of calamity. The love of God is a fountain of health-His name is a strong tower; and when the heart is fainting under the weight of bodily afflictions, to what source of comfort can it turn, with so confident an expectation of relief, as to the mercy of the Almighty Father! There are, moreover, the positive invitations of Jesus Christ. Himself a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, He says, "Come unto me all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you." The appellation of the Holy Spirit as the Comforter has a signification of wide extent, and the balm of His grace is sufficient to give ease, whatever be the nature of the sorrows under which we grieve.

It is the direction of St. James that if any be sick he should call for the elders of the Church. In all ages it has been regarded by thoughtful persons as no less a privilege than a duty to obey this injunction. The visitation of the sick, therefore, is an important part of ministerial engagements, and the present office was provided by the compilers of the Liturgy as an aid to the performance of this important duty. Though considered by many as defective, it is not wanting in the chief characters which should distinguish such a service. Our reformers, however, wisely judging that particular cases might occur in which the minister had better be left to his own discretion, gave liberty to those who are licensed preachers to follow such a method as they may deem best suited to the condition of the person visited.

In the first edition of the Liturgy the 143rd Psalm was inserted before the supplications, but was left out in the next. The prayers and exhortations breathe a most devout and affectionate spirit, and the rehearsal of the Apostles' Creed, that pure summary of evangelical truth, fixes the mind on the firm foundations of heavenly knowledge. "Without faith it is impossible to please God;""By grace are ye saved through faith;" and, "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." If the sick person, therefore, can with earnestness and sincerity declare his faith in the Gospel, the way is open to the throne of grace, and all the blessings which attend Divine peace.

The declaration of faith is followed by an inquiry highly necessary in most instances to the comfort of the sick man's mind, and to the efficacy of his prayers, but the manner of conducting which must depend greatly upon the circumstances, character, and disposition of the individual. It is to consist, however, of particulars to which every man, whatever be his condition, is bound to give heed, if he would make due preparation for appearing at the throne of Christ. A particular confession of sins is often of great use, and, if the heart, after it has thus disburthened itself, seeks for further consolation, the minister is authorized to pronounce its absolution, and to declare it free from the penalties of its transgressions. As the form here inserted is expressed in strong and direct language, it is a question whether anything more be meant than an absolution from those offences which the church has power to punish, and the penalties of which, therefore, it may remit. That it ought to be viewed in this manner seems indicated by the prayer which follows,

in which the penitent still entreats God to pardon him, as one who can only be actually absolved from his iniquities by the Majesty of Heaven. The expression, however, "I absolve thee from all thy sins," is so comprehensive that it can scarcely be reconciled with this interpretation. The subject is, therefore, one of doubt and difficulty, but the interpretation must, at all events, be that given to the words in which our Lord told His disciples that, what they should bind or unloose on earth, should be bound or unloosed in heaven. (Matth. xvi. 19.)

This form of absolution was originally directed to be used in all private confessions, but in the review of the first edition of the Liturgy the order was modified, and a sentence was inserted in the Rubric, intimating that the absolution was only to be pronounced when the sick person "humbly and heartily desired it." The 71st Psalm is found in offices for the Visitation of the Sick wherever used. In the first edition of the Liturgy the Rubric directed that the sick person might be anointed with oil if he desired. As this was an observance which, though ancient, had led to many superstitions, and could only be traced to the particular customs of eastern countries, it was discontinued, as many other trifling usages had been, at the instigation of the Swiss Reformer, Martin Bucer.

The administration of the Communion in private houses is only allowed from a great sense of the importance of the Sacrament to the health of men's souls. Sickness alone authorizes this departure from the general directions of the canons. The permission to receive it, therefore, ought to be regarded as a privilege. At the same time, let no one suppose that, if the heart be not sanctified by repentance and faith, the ordinance will avail to salvation.