Either entire as a Morning or evening Prayer for the Family or occasionally with some of the Family, or in part, paragraphs, selected from it being added to the usual family devotions.
O thou infinitely great and glorious God, thou killest and makest alive. Thou woundest and thy hands make whole. Thou bringest down to the grave, and bringest back again. Thou dost according to thy will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay thine hand or say unto thee, What dost thou? yet righteous art thou in all thy ways, and holy in all thy works. Even when thou afflictest, and causest trouble and heaviness to fall upon us, it is that we may learn righteousness from thy judgments, and receive profit from thy correction.
Wherefore, though thou hast not visited our house with sickness, and art calling us to humiliation for our sins, yet we would still speak good of thy name, and love and bless thee. We desire at this season to remember all the past mercies with which thou hast been pleased to bless us and our household. God forbid that our present grief should make us unmindful of the constant benefits we have enjoyed. How long has each of our family lain down and risen up, gone out and come in, in health, strength, and peace? How long has the candle of the Lord shone upon us without intermission? For these multiplied favours, blessed, O Lord, be thy good and holy name; since the smallest of benefits is more than we deserve, and the sharpest affliction less.
To us, on account of transgressions, is most justly due, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish. Wherefore then should living men complain, men and transgressors, for the punishment of their sin? Shall we receive so much good at the hand of the Lord, and shall we not receive evil? patiently and contentedly receive evil also; this temper we know, O Lord, is our bounding duty; O form it in us. And as in great compassion to us, thou hast opened a way of relief for us under every trouble, by directing, commanding, and encouraging us in all our afflictions to pour out our complaints unto thee, and tell thee of all we fear and feel; to thee, O Father of mercies, do we make our supplications at this time. O Lord be not far from us.
In entire submission to thy most wise and holy will, we do now most earnestly pray for that person whose sickness fills us with so much concern. O look upon him (or her) in his low estate; suffer not we beseech thee, his disorder to proceed, and let not his sickness be unto death, but be for the manifestation of thy grace towards us all. Thou knowest, Lord, his frame; lay no more upon him than thou wilt enable him to bear with patience and quietness of mind. And O, thou great Physician, without whom all others are of no value, do thou direct to the most proper medecines, and bless the art of healing to his body, and our great comfort. In thy due time restore thy servant to health and strength again, that he may have a longer day of grace and salvation, prove more useful, and do more good in his generation.
In the meantime, however, thou shalt think fit to dispose of him, O sanctify unto him this affliction; work in him deep humiliation for his sin; bless him with repentance unto life; enable him by faith to behold the Lamb of God, and to trust in the fountain opened in his blood for the remission of sins, that, being justified through faith, he may have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Make all his bed in his sickness, and let patience have its perfect work in his soul. Raise him up to praise thy name, to pay those vows he makes in trouble before the assembly of thy saints, and to walk in newness of life. But if thou dost not see fit to spare thy servant, whom we are now remembering before thee, O prepare every one of this family according to our several relations, for the awful stroke. With respect to himself, if the time of his departure draweth nigh, O let his heart be comforted by the promises in Christ, and taste that thou art gracious unto him. May his soul be safe and happy at the hour of death; and in the great day of the Lord Jesus Christ may be found among those who died for him.
And help us all, who are now in health, to improve this loud and solemn call to prepare for our own sickness and disease. Let us not abuse our bodily strength to encourage ourselves in sinful security and impenitence. Grant that we may always be ready, by performing the will of our Lord, that whensoever he shall come, we may be found of him in peace and enter into his joy; that whenever our health is turned into sickness, and our strength into weakness, and our ease into sharp pain, we may not be cast down or perplexed, but feel in our souls those supports and consolations, which the world cannot give, nor death itself take away.
Hear us, O Lord our God, in these our humble requests; forgive us our sins; and accept our persons and our services, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A THANKSGIVING FOR THE RECOVERY OF A SICK MEMBER.
Most gracious and holy, good and merciful God! we have heard, we have seen, we have experienced thy love. Blessed, for ever blessed be thy name, that instead of being known to us by the judgments our sins have deserved, thou art manifested to us as the God willing to forgive all our iniquities. Thou hast delivered our eyes from tears, and our hearts from anguish. Thy servant, whom thou hast lately afflicted, is now a monument of thy sparing mercy. Thou hast chastised and corrected him, (or her) but thou hast not delivered him over unto death. Thou hast turned our mourning into joy, and our fears into songs of praise.