¶ A Prayer for persons troubled in mind or in conscience.

BLESSED Lord, the Father of mercies, and

the God of all comforts, we beseech thee, look down in pity and compassion upon this, thy afflicted servant. His soul is full of trouble: but, O merciful God, who hast written thy holy word for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of thy holy Scriptures, might have hope; give him a right understanding of himself, and of thy promises; that he may neither cast away his confidence in thee, nor place it any where but in thee. Give him strength against all his temptations, and heal all his distempers: break not the bruised reed: shut not up thy tender mercies in displeasure; but make him to hear of joy and gladness, that his heart may again rejoice: deliver him from fear, and lift up the light of thy countenance upon him; and give him peace, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer which may be said by the Minister, in behalf of all present at the Visitation.

O GOD, whose days are without end, and

whose mercies cannot be numbered; make us, we beseech thee, deeply sensible of the shortness and uncertainty of human life; and let thy Holy Spirit lead us through this vale of misery, in holiness and righteousness, all the days of our lives; that, when we shall have served thee in our generation, we may be gathered unto our fathers, having the testimony of a good con

science; in the communion of the Catholic Church; in the confidence of a certain faith; in the comfort of a reasonable, religious, and holy hope; in favor with thee our God, and in perfect charity with the world: All which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

TA Thanksgiving for the beginning of a recovery.

GREAT and mighty Father, who bringest down to 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 seasonable relief. Perfect, we beseech thee, this thy mercy toward 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 be able to go to thine house, to offer thee an oblation with great gladness; and to bless thy holy name for all thy goodness toward him, through Jesus Christ our Saviour: to whom with thee and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

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

FATHER of mercies, and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need; we fly

:

unto thee for succor 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 steadfast 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 favor, his soul may be received into thine everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE ORDER

FOR

The Burial of the Dead.

The Minister, meeting the Corpse at the entrance of the Churchyard, and going before it either into the Church or towards the grave, shall say, or sing,

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

St.

WE brought nothing into this world, and it is certain 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. Job i. 21.

T After they are come into the Church, shall be said or sung the following Anthem, taken from the 39th and 90th Psalms.

LORD, let me know my end, and the number of my days; that I may be certified how long I have to live.

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 living 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.

Deliver me from all mine offences; and make me not a rebuke unto the foolish.

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: every man therefore is but 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.

Lord, thou hast been our refuge, from one generation to another.

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday; as soon as thou scatterest the children of men 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.

For we consume away in thy displeasure; and are afraid at thy wrathful indignation.

Thou hast set our misdeeds before thee; and our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.