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rebuked of him ;a but that they may both hear the rod, and him that hath appointed it, and may kiss the rod,b and accept of the punishment of their iniquity.c

Give them to see that affliction cometh not forth out of the dust, nor springs out of the ground,d that they may therefore seek unto God, to the Lord more than to the physicians,e because unto God the Lord belong the issues of life and death.g

Lord, show them wherefore thou contendest with them, and give them in their affliction to humble themselves greatly before the God of their fathers, and to repent and turn from every evil way, and make their ways and their doings good,k and being judged, and being chastened of the Lord, they may not be condemned with the world. By the sickness of the body, and the sadness of the countenance, let the heart be made better.m

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O Lord, rebuke them not in thine 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 saken and lay no more upon them than thou wilt enable them to bear, and enable them to bear what thou dost lay upon them.o

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.p

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 thine uprightness, be gracious to them. Deliver them from going down to the pit, for thou hast found a ransom.q

a Heb. 12.5. d Job 5. 6, 8, Job 10. 2.

1 Cor. 11.32. 01 Cor. 10, 13.

b Mic. 6.9.

e 2 Chron. 16. 12. i 2 Chron. 33, 12. in Eccl. 7.3.

c Lev. 26, 41. g Psalm 68. 20. k Jer, 18. 11.

n Psalm 6. 1, 2, 3, 4.

Psal. 39. 10, 11, 13. q Job 33, 19, 20, 23; 24.

Let the eternal God be their refuge, and underneath them be the everlasting arms,r consider their frame, remember that they are but dust.s

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.t

O 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 sin.u

Make thy face to shine upon them, save them for thy mercy's sake. The God that comforteth them that are cast down, comfort them!w and let the soul dwell at ease in thee, when the body lies in pain.x

(If it be the beginning of a distemper.) Lord set bounds to this sickness, and say, Hitherto shall it come, and no further ;y let it not prevail to extremity, but in, measure, when it shooteth forth, do thou debate, 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.z

(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,a may continue hoping, and quietly waiting for the salvation of the Lord; Let tribulation work patience, and patience experience, and experience a hope that maketh not ashamed,c and enable them to call even this affliction light, seeing it to work for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.d

(If there be hopes of recovery.) Lord, when thou hast tried, let them come forth like gold je let their 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 g In love to their souls deliver them from the pit of corruption, and cast all their sins behind thy back.

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Recover them, and make them to live.h Speak the word, and they shall be healed :i Say unto them, Live, yea, say unto them, Live, and the time shall be a time of love.k

Father, if it be possible, let the cup pass away; however, not as we will, but as thou wilt :/ The will of the Lord be done. Perfect that which concerns them :m 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.n

(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 : In the valley of the shadow of death, Lord, be thou present, as the good Shepherd, with a guiding rod, and a supporting staff. O do not fail them, nor forsake them now.q Be a very present help :r Into thy hands we commit the departing spirit,s as into the hands of a faithful Creator,by the hands of him who has redeemed it.t Let it be carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom.u Let it be presented to thee, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Lord Jesus, receive this precious soul, let it come to the spirits of just men made perfect ; when it is absent from the body, let it be present with the Lord.y This day let it be with thee in paradise.z Now let it he for ever comforted,a and perfectly freed from sin ;6 and prepare us to draw after, as there are innumerable before,c that we may be together for ever with the Lord,d there where there shall be no more death, and where all tears shall be wiped away.e

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,g whose judgment is taken away,h so that their soul chooseth strangling and death, rather

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than life. O restore them to themselves, and their right mind.h Deliver them from doing themselves any harm.i 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.k

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 God.n O let sick children be pitied by thee, as they are by their earthly parents. 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. Be gracious to us, and let the children liver However, Father,g thy will be done.r 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 mourning, as our Saviour did, and comfort them, by assuring them that Christ is the resurrection and the life, that their relations which are remov ed from them,t are not dead, but sleep :u and that they shall rise again, that they may not sorrow as those that have no hope. And enable them to trust in the liv ing God,w the rock of ages, and enjoy the fountains of living waters, when creatures prove broken reeds and broken cisterns.y

Be a father to the fatherless, and a husband to the wi dows, O God in thy holy habitation.z With thee let the fatherless find mercy,a keep them alive, and let the widows trust in thee, that they may be widows indeed, who being desolate, trust in God, and continue instant in prayer night and day.c And where father and mother have forsaken, let the Lord take up the children,d and not leave them orphans, but come to them.e

g Job 7.15.
k Acts 16. 28.
n Mark 10. 14.
q 2 Sam. 12. 22.
7 John 11.23, 25.
w 1 Tim. 6. 17.
z Psalm 68. 5.
c1 Tim. 5. 5.

h Luke 15. 17.

7 Rom. 5. 14.
o Psalm 103. 13.
r Acts 21. 14.
u Mat. 9. 24.
x Psalm 146.4, 5.
a Hos. 14: 3.
d Psalm 27.10.

i Mat. 5. 15.
m2 Tim. 1. 10,
Job 14. 2. 6.
s 1 Cor. 5. 5.
v 1 Thes. 4.13.

y Jer. 2. 13.
b Jer. 49.11
e John 14. 18.

7. When we pray with, or for those women that are near the time of travail, or in travail.

Lord, thou hast passed this sentence upon the woman that was first in the transgression,ż that in sorrow she shall bring forth children.k But let this handmaid of thine be saved in child bearing, and continue in faith, and charity, and holiness, with sobriety./ Enable her to cast her burden upon the Lord, and let the Lord sustain her ;m and. what time she is afraid, grant that she may trust in thee, and may encourage herself in the Lord her God. O let not the root be dried up from beneath, nor let the branch be withered, or cut off ;0 but let both live before thee.p Be thou her strong habitation, her rock, and her fortress, give commandment to save her.q And when travail comes upon her, which she cannot escape, be pleased, O Lord, to deliver her :r O Lord, make haste to help her: Be thou thyself her help and deliverer, make no tarrying, O our God: Let her be safely delivered,s and remember the anguish no more, for joy that a child is born into the world, is born unto thee.t

8. When we pray with, or for those that are recovered from sickness, or are delivered in child-bearing, and desire to return thanks to God for his mercy.

We will extol thee, O Lord, upon the account of those whom thou hast lifted up, whose souls thou hast brought up from the grave, and kept them alive, that they should not go down to the pit.u Those that were brought low thou hast helped, hast delivered their souls from death, their eyes from tears, and their feet from falling. Now give them grace to walk before thee in the land of the living, to offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, to' call upon thy name, and to pay their vows unto the Lord.v

The grave cannot thus praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee, they that go down to the pit cannot hope for thy truth, but the living they shall praise thee, as we do this day.w Lord, grant that those who are delivered from

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