Why this office is CHAP. XI. Of the Order for the VISITATION of the SICK. The INTRODUCTION. Chap. XI. IN a world fo full of casualties as this we live in, in which Sicknefs and even Death fometimes interrupts the Marriage-folemnities, it should be no matter of furplaced next prife that this melancholy office is placed immediately after that of Matrimony. The Eaftern Emperors thought trimony. it not unfuitable to choose the stone for their fepulchre on to that of Ma incumbent upon all. the day of their coronation 39. And it would not a little tend to temper and moderate the exuberant joys which fometimes attend the feftivities of Marriage, if, by cafting an eye on the following form, we should call to mind, that the next and longer fcene may be calamitous. Vifiting the §. 2. It is certain that no age, nor fex, no state nor conSick a duty dition can fecure us from Sickness; and therefore, as no man should forget that it will, one day or other, come to be his own lot; fo fhould all men take care to comfort those who at prefent lie under this calamity. So that this is a duty which all Chriftians are obliged to, and to which great promifes are annexed 40, and which was therefore always efteemed, by the ancient fathers of the church, to be one of the moft folemn exercises of religion 41. Especially upon the Clergy. §. 3. The Clergy more especially are exprefsly required to perform this duty by a divine command. For though private friends may pray for us, and with us, yet we can by no means place fuch confidence in their prayers, as we may in those that are fent to heaven in our behalf, by fuch as are peculiarly commiffioned to offer them. For this reafon it is enjoined by Saint James 42, that if any be fick, Whom the they call for the Elders of the Church. From whence we Sick are to may obferve that the care of fending for the Minifter is left to the Sick. For the Prieft himself, it is very probable, may never have heard of his Sicknefs; or, if he has, fend for. may not be so good a judge when his vifit will be season- Introduct. able, or when the party is beft able to join with him. their Sick nefs. §. 4. For this reafon it is ordered by the rubric, that when At the beany perfon is fick, notice shall be given thereof to the Minister ginning of of the parish: i. e. not when the perfon is just expiring, (as is too often the cafe,) but when the diftemper or disease first discovers its approach. To put it off to the last scene of life, is to defer the office till it can do no good. For when the distemper is grown paft recovery, to pray for his restoration is only to mock the Almighty: and what fpiritual advantage can be propofed or expected from the Minifter's affiftance, to one who is unable to do any thing for himself? For this reafon it is the advice of the wife man, that in the time of our Sickness we take care of our Souls in the first place, and then afterwards give place to the Physician 43. And among the ancient conftitutions of this church, a strict charge is laid upon the bodily Phyfcians, that, when they are at any time called to the Sick, they do before all things perfuade them to fend for the Phyfician of Souls, that, when care is taken for the fick man's Spirit, they may more fuccefsfully proceed to the remedies of external medicines 44 delay. §. 5. It is the fick perfon's duty therefore to give the Who are to Minifter notice, and the Minifter's to go when notice is go without given: for by the fixty-feventh canon of the church, it is ordered, that when any perfon is dangerously fick in any parifh, the Minifter or Curate (having knowledge thereof) shall refort unto him or her (if the difeafe be not known, or probably fufpected to be infectious) to inftruct and comfort them in their diftrefs, according to the order of the Communion-Book, if he be no Preacher; or if he be a Preacher, then as he shall think moft needful and convenient. Which laft words evi- Whether dently allow a preaching Minifter (that is, a Minifter who the Minifis licensed to preach) the liberty of ufing either this or- fined to the der, or any other, as he fhall fee convenient. And it is prefent orcertain that the order prescribed by the Common PrayerBook is very deficient in feveral cafes. For which reason Bishop Andrews and others have drawn up offices to fupply the defect; though it may be queftioned, whether, by the Act for the Uniformity of public prayers, we be not restrained from private forms. At least it were to be wished that fome more copious office was provided by authority, which might take in the various conditions of the Sick, 43 Ecclus. xxxvii. 9, 10, 11, 12. A. D. 1217. apud Spelm. Concil. 44 Conftit. Richard. Epifc. Sarum. tom. ii. Ff3 for ter be con der. Chap. XI. for which they that confine themselves to the present order are often at a lofs. tation. 46 SECT. I. Of the Salutation. 45. The Salu- THE Minifter of the parish coming into the fick man's house, is to fay, Peace be to this houfe, and to all that dwell in it: which is the fame Salutation that our Saviour commanded his Apostles to use to every house into which they should enter *s. And (which is particularly to our purpose) one main part of the Apostles' errand was to heal the Sick 4. We know indeed the Apostles worked miraculous cures: however, when the gift was ceased, the Salutation remained; which therefore we use to this very day in vifiting the Sick, fince we ftill go on the fame charitable account, though not endued with the fame power. And the fenfe of the words is very suitable: for Peace fignifies all outward bleffings, though, when ufed in Salutations, it generally imports Health. For which reason, in Jofeph's inquiry +7 after the health of his father, though the Hebrew text expreffes it, Is there Peace to your Father? our tranflation renders it, Is your Father well? to which the Septuagint reading alfo exactly correfponds, viz. Is your Father in Health? When therefore a family is vifited with fickness or distress, what better Salutation can we ufe than this, viz. that they may all have Peace, i. e. Health and Profperity? And as the apoftolical Salutation was not a mere compliment, but a real benediction to those that were worthy 48; fo fhall this of ours prevail for what we ask to that house which is prepared to receive it. For which reafon the family fhould receive it with thankfulness and faith, and welcome with joy the ambassador of heaven, who in the time of their calamity comes with health and falvation to their dwelling. SECT. II. Of the Supplications and Prayers. I.WHEN the Minister is come into the fick man's Pfal. exliii. prefence, he is to begin the Supplications. By the first book of King Edward, these were introduced with the hundred and forty-third Pfalm; which, upon whatever occafion it was compofed, is very proper and appli ufed for merly. 45 Luke x. 5. 46 Verfe 9. 47 Genefis xliii. 27. 48 Luke x. 6. cable the Litany. cable to any state of affliction. But at the next review Sect. II. this Pfalm was left out, and the office has ever fince begun with the sentence out of the Litany. For the Litany The fenbeing defigned for the averting of evil, and the proper office tence out of for a state of affliction, would have been very proper to be used here entirely, but that it is fuppofed the fick man cannot attend fo long. For which reafon there is only one sentence taken out of the whole, to deprecate both our own, and the Iniquities of our Forefathers, which fo long as God remembers, his holiness and juftice will oblige him to punish us more and more. And because all of us equally deferve to be afflicted, as well as the person for whom we are going to pray, therefore all that are prefent join to fay both for themselves and him, Spare us, good Lord. II. And as all that came to JESUS for help, ufed to Lord have cry, Lord have mercy upon us49; fo do we here, on the mercy like occafion, fupplicate and befeech the whole Trinity for upon us, mercy, in that ancient form of which we have already spo ken 50. III. When we have thus prayed against evil, we pro- The Lord's ceed to petition for thofe good things which the fick man's Prayer. condition makes him ftand in need of. And that our prayers may be the more prevailing, they are introduced as ufual with the Prayer of our Lord, which is more particularly proper here, as being very fuitable to a state of trouble. IV. This is followed by fome fhort Refponfes, in which The Verfiall that are prefent are to join with the Prieft in behalf of cles and the Sick, who will doubtfefs be refreshed by the charity Refponfes. and devotion of fo many fupplicants, with united requests, petitioning the throne of grace for him *. V. After this the Minifter proceeds to collect the re- The first quefts of the people into a fhort prayer; wherein he begs, Collect. that whilft the Sicknefs remains, it may be made easy to *The places of the Pfalms, whence they are taken, have already been fhewed upon the office of Matrimony: here is only one added for the preservation of the Sick from the malice of the Devil, which is taken from Pfalm lxxxix. 23. according to the old Latin tranflation. 49 Matt. ix. 27. xv. 22. xvii. 15. XX. 30, 31. 50 Page 152. 51 l'age 432. Ff4 bear, Chap. XI. bear, by the comforts of divine grace continually bestowed. upon the perfon that fuffers. The fecond How this prayer was worded formerly. VI. And then, in another prayer, he proceeds farther to beg that the correction may be fanctified fo, that, whether it end in life or death, it may turn to his advantage. §. 2. This laft prayer was fhorter before the last review: how it ran then may be seen in the margin*, where the inftances borrowed from the Roman offices, being examples of miraculous cures which are not now to be expected, were prudently left out, and fupplied with some other more fuitable petitions; which must be allowed to be a good improvement of the form. The firft IT is part. SECT. III. Of the Exhortation. IT is a part of a Minister's office to exhort, as well as to pray for their people, and that not only in time of health, but also in ficknefs 52: for then they stand in most need of directions, and are then most likely to follow wholesome advice. The church therefore, being unwilling to lose fo likely an opportunity of doing good, when the fufferings of the patient make him tender and tractable, hath drawn up a proper and pious Exhortation, to improve that happy temper for his foul's falvation. The form here prescribed exactly agrees with the heads of Exhortation, which the Prieft was ordered to use to the Sick by an ancient council above eight hundred years ago 53. It confifts first of Inftructions, concerning the author of afflictions, the ends for which they are fent, the manner * After the words-Grieved with Sickness, it ran thus: Vifit bim, O Lord, as thou didst vifit Peter's wife's mother, and the captain's fervant. [And as thou prefervedft Tobie and Sarab by thy angel from danger;] fo vifit and restore unto this fick perfon his former health, (if it be thy will,) or elfe give him grace fo to take thy Vifitation, that after this painful life ended, be may drwell with thee in life everlasting. Amen. But note, the clause within the crotchets [] concerning Tobie and Sarah, was only in the first book of King Edward, which also omitted the words Vifit and, and instead of Vifitation read Correction. 52 Theff. v. 14. 2 Tim. iv. 2. 53 Concil. Nannetenf. c. 4. apud Binium, tom. iii. par. 2. pag. 131. how |