H. Zanchius his confession of Christian religion Which novve at length being 70. yeares of age, he caused to bee published in the name of himselfe & his family. Englished in sense agreeable, and in words as answerable to his ovvne latine copie, as in so graue a mans worke is requisite: for the profite of all the vnlearneder sort, of English christians, that desire to know his iudgement in matters of faith.

XXXIII. Sick people must be visited, * 1.1 comforted, and strength∣ned in faith: and they that are dying must bee acompanied with prayer, & commended to Christ: & the bodies of the dead reuerently buried.

Neither ought the church to take lesse care of the sicke, thē of the whole, nor of the dead, then of the liuing: seing all are members of Christ and their bodies temples of the holie ghost. We ther∣fore acknowledge that it belongeth to the true gouernement of the church, that some godlie and wife men be apointed: which may visite the sick persons, comforte them out of the word of God, and confirme them in faith: and if it happen that those sick persons be cal∣led of God forth of this worlde, to encourage and animate thē to their departure: as know∣ing, that the soules of the faithfull, so soone as they goe forth of their bodies: do presently passe into heauen to Christ: conuaied thither by Christs spirite, and accompanied with his Angells: and that they are blessed which dye in the Lord; Let them also pray with them, and accō∣panie those, who are departing this life with their praiers, euen vnto the last gaspe, and so commend them to Christ. And we doubt not but their bodies are with reuerence to bee brought vnto the graues: as our churches both in words and in their deedes doe teach:

openly witnessing, that they were temples of the holie ghost: nowe indeede destroyed, but shall againe in their time be restored, and rai∣sed againe to life, and that eternall. Meane while the graues and churchyardes (or buriall places) must be kept decently and religiously, as it is with vs: & the children, parents, kinse∣men, and alliance of the dead, are to be com∣forted: & all those offices of humanitie which can be performed, we endeauour to performe vnto them, and teach that they are to bee per∣formed. And if so bee, any psalme concerning the resurrection of the dead, bee any where song in carrying of the course, or any sermon made vnto the people, after the dead body is laide in the earth, wherein also some honest mention may be made of others that are dead who religiously died in the Lord: this we doe not disallow: so long as it is not done for the saluation of the dead, but for the comfort & profite of the liuing, and edification of the whole church. Wee beleeue also the soules of the faithfull, loosed from their bodies, do pre∣sently passe into heauen to Christ: and there∣fore haue no need of our prayers: yet the edi∣fication of the church is to be promoted and set forward vpon any occasion whatsoeuer.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of sickmen and buriall.