A helpe vnto deuotion: containing certain moulds or forms of prayer, fitted to seuerall occasions; & penned for the furtherance of those, who haue more desire then skil, to poure out their soules by petitions vnto God. By Sam. Hieron.

11. A Prayer in respect of death, needful at all times but especially in sickenesse.

O God, the God of the Spirits of all flesh, and which hast the keyes of hell and of death; thou hast prepared them both, and thou rulest them both at thine owne pleasure. I be∣séech thee bee mercifull to a poore trembling & weak-hear∣ted sinner, and vouchsafe to preserue mee from the horror and extreamitie of dread, into which I am euen now ready to fall. When I consider (O Lord) how that I dwell in a

house of clay, my foundation being in y^e dust, & y^t I must ere∣long make my bed in the dark, saying to corruptiō, Thou art my Father, and to the worme, Thou art my Mother, & my Sister, O how my belly trem∣bleth, & what a kind of rotten∣nesse cōmeth into my bones! my spirit seeming to fayle me, & my heart within mee being filled with dismayednes. Es∣pecially, when I thinke vpon the iudgement that commeth after it, & the straitnesse of that account which I am instantly to be called to, and vpon those euerlasting chaynes vnder darkenes in which the wicked are reserued vnto the last sessi∣ons,

I am then so euen ouer∣whelmed with amazednesse, that I séeme to my selfe for the present, not to know where to find any true refreshing. I am told by thy blessed and not-deceiuing word, that the sting of death is mine owne sinne, and with it I daily feele my selfe goared and galled and wounded so excéedingly, that (mée thinketh) to mee (poore wretch) there can be no hope of recouery, but death must néedes bée as a passage to leade mee into the bottomlesse prison of hell. Rayse vp (O Lord I beséech thée) these my sad & vnquiet thoughts, teach mee how to ouercome these

discouraging and killing per∣plexities, y^e death may not be vnto me as a king of fear: nor I, as one of y^e wicked, whose hope doeth perish with their breath, & the candle of whose comfort is put out, when thou art pleased to take away their Soule Reuiue my memory, that I may call to minde, and cōfortably ponder those things which thy sacred word hath taught me: namely, how the nature of death is cleane alte∣red to thy seruants, the sting is plucked out, & it selfe is swal∣lowed vp in victory. To them the comming thereof shall be a time of discharge, they shall by it bee fréed from sicknesses

of body, from anguishes of spirit, from all possibilitie of sinning against their God, from the tedious and discon∣tenting societie of the vngod∣ly: their flesh shall rest in hope, their graues shall bee vnto them as beds of ease, being swéetened and seasoned by the buriall of their Sauiour: the Angels shall giue attendance vpon their Soules, to conuey thē into Abrahams Bosome, to the fellowship of belieuers, to the spirits of iust and perfit men; so shall they bée with Christ: which is best of all. This (O Lorde) is the happi∣nesse which cōmeth by death vnto thy chosen: Oh what are

all the most torturing sicknes∣ses, the bitter pangs and sor∣rowes of the graue, vnto such a glorious exchange? Who would feare corruption, for a neuer sading crowne of righ∣teousnesse? What is a mo∣mentany yéelding of the body to consumption in the dust, in comparison of the euerlasting preseruation of y^e Soule, with assurance also, that in the time appointed these vile bodyes shall by the mightie working of thy beloued Sonne, be fa∣shioned like vnto his owne glorious body, and so both bo∣dyes and soules bee for euer with him in his kingdome.

Teach mee (O Lord) effe∣ctually

to apply these things to mine owne comfort, that so this timorousnesse procée∣ding from the guilt of sinne, may be turned into a chéere∣full expectation, and euen a longing for the day of my dis∣solution.

And, lest I should beguile my owne Soule, in laying clayme to that spirituall re∣freshing which belonges not to mee, make mee to labour for those assured euidences and vndeceiuing fore-runners of a happy departure. I know (O Lorde) that if I liue héere without conscience, I shall surely dye without comfort.

Holinesse here, is the way and path to future happinesse. I must seeke to glorifie thee, if I desire to be glorified with thée, I must fight the good fight a∣gainst sathā, against the world, against mine owne corrupti∣on, I must faythfully fulfill my course, and performe the seruice to which thou hast ap∣pointed me, I must know thy trueth, and keepe the faith in soundnes and sinceritie to the end: otherwise it will bee in vaine to exspect a crowne of righteousnesse. I must come to the first resurrection, or else I shal neuer escape the second death: Graunt mee therefore grace (I humbly pray thee)

to serue thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all my dayes, and to endeauour alwayes to haue a cléere conscience towards thee, and towards men; Kill my corruption in mee, that I may bee euen dead to sinne, but aliue to thee in Iesus Christ. And because if I liue after the flesh, taking thought for it to fulfill it, I shall dye; therefore, I beséech thée, to mortifie the deedes of the body by thy spirit, that so I may haue my fruite in holi∣nesse, and my end eternall life. Teach mee often to number my dayes, and to consider the vncertaine certaintie of my ende, that I may dye euen e∣uery

day, still looking and still preparing for my change, and making account that each day may bee the day of my disso∣lution. Strengthen also my weake and faint faith, make mee strong in thee and in the power of thy might, seale me with the holy spirit of promise, as with the earnest of my hea∣uenly inheritance, that so no anguish of sicknesse may dis∣courage me, no pang of death dismay mee, no assault of sa∣than ouercome mee; but that, come death when it will, or in what manner it shall please thee, I may boldly (through Christ) commit my soule to thee as vnto a faithful creator:

Grant me this cōfortable bles∣sing for his sake, who dyed to free me frō death, & from him y^t had the power of death, euen for Christ Iesus sake. Amen.