A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

A Prayer for the Sick.

A Prayer for the Sicke.

Most glorious and mighty God, who are righteous in all thy ways, and holy in all thy works; most just in all thy Judgements, and infinitely gracious, and merciful towards thy children in Jesus Christ, even in thy chastisements and Fatherly corrections; who art the Author of health and sickness, and hast in thy hand the issues of life & death. For as much as thou hast commanded us to call upon thee, as at all times, so especially in the time of trouble and affliction, and hast encouraged us hereunto by thy most gracious promise, that thou wilt hear and help us, that being delivered, we may glorify thee. We thy poor humble servants, in obedience unto this thy Commandment, and in confidence of this thy promise, do here in the Name and mediation of Jesus Christ, humbly prostrate our selves before thee, acknowledging and bewailing our manifold and grievous sins. For we were not only conceived and borne in sin, and thereby so defiled in all the powers and parts of our souls and bodies, that we have been disabled unto all good duties, and made prone to all wickedness; but we have also from this bitter root of original corruption, brought forth continually those cursed fruits of actual transgressions, by breaking all and every of thy Commandments in thought, word and deed, from the beginning of our lives, unto this present hour: And that not only in the days of our ignorance, whilst we continued the vassals of Satan, and when as sin reigned and ruled in us, and we performed unto it voluntary and cheerful obedience, as unto our King and Sovereign; but even since thou hast graciously called us out of the kingdom of darkness, and hast wrought in our hearts some desires to serve thee: we have often rebelled against thee, and for the base hire of worldly trifles, have been allured to commit many sins, not only through frailty and infirmity, but even against our knowledge and consciences; contrary to our general vow in Baptism, and many special promises which we have made unto thee upon sundry occasions. And although thou hast given unto us our Being, and preserved us in it by thy special and good providence, and hast redeemed us by the death of thy dear Son, out of the hands of all our spiritual enemies, that we might worship and serve thee, in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives;