26 INSENSIBILITY, NO BAR to use of the OFFICE.

petition may be in the words of the Evening Prayer of Bishop Taylor: "In the day of my death, O Holy JESUS, shine gloriously upon me: let Thy mercies and the light of Thy countenance sustain me in all my agonies, weaknesses, and temptations. Give me opportunity of a prudent and spiritual guide, and of receiving the Holy Sacrament, that with the testimony of a good conscience I may depart this life in the unity of the Church, in the love of GOD, and a certain hope of salvation, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD and most blessed SAVIOUR."l

1 In connection with the remarks above made concerning the physician's duty to the sick, as possessed of an undying soul as well as of a mortal body, the following resolution amongst several others made by Sir Thomas Browne, the learned and pious author of the Religio Medici, are both interesting and instructive, as showing the dependence he placed upon God for a blessing on his skill when called upon to prescribe for his patients. "Since the necessities of the sick, and unavoidable diversions of my profession, keep me often from church, yet to take all possible care, that I might never miss sacraments upon their accustomed days. To pray daily and particularly for sick patients, and in general for others, whensoever, howsoever, under whose care soever; and at the entrance of the house of the sick, to say 'The peace and mercy of God be in this place.'"

CHAPTER II.

THE SICK MAN INSTRUCTED IN HIS DUTIES BY THE

CHURCH.

THESE general remarks premised, in which we have drawn our doctrine of the spiritual wants of the sick man, both from the express words of Scripture and from the absolute necessities which his fallen nature impose upon him-necessities, which such doctrine only is calculated to meet and provide for, we are the better prepared to appreciate, as affectionate and docile members of the Church of England, the wisdom of her provisions for those visited by suffering and sickness, and to endeavour to apply, to the great comfort of our souls, her instructions against the day of our own visitation.

We now, therefore, propose to consider the duties of the sick man in the order in which the Church prescribes them, and shall accordingly have to guide our course by the Visitation Office, and endeavour to illustrate the intent and meaning of the whole of its provisions thus making it, in the main, the basis of all those instructions which are needful to a sick person, and in this manner acquainting him with and preparing him for that course of treatment, which he is to expect at the hands of the minister who visits him. "When any person is sick, notice shall be given thereof to the Minister of the Parish."

1. You are strictly charged by this rubric to give notice of your illness to the minister who has cure of souls within the parish, or curacy in which you live. And this obligation is thus distinctly imposed upon you

yourself, because your minister will only in rare cases, be aware that you need his spiritual help. It very often happens that when the minister is even a near neighbour of a sick man, his illness does not reach his ears; though ordinarily perhaps he might be likely to hear of it as soon as any other person. There is no calculating upon the circumstances which will sometimes keep the intelligence from him; and to obviate all ill consequences likely to arise from trusting to common rumour to convey the tidings of sickness to him, the Church has in her wisdom, imposed the responsibility of calling in the priest, upon the sick man himself. And, besides this, although a clergyman may have heard that you are ill, he may not be sure that your illness is of such a kind as would demand his attendance. There are indeed very many reasons, often indefinite ones, that will sometimes make a clergyman hesitate and prolong the time before visiting, on first hearing of a case of sickness; but which one plain invitation from the sick patient himself would at once suffice to set aside. You may often suppose him slack in these instances, in the performance of his duty,— often charge him in your own mind, or to others, with want of sympathy with your affliction, when he is only withheld from immediate attendance upon you, by feelings of delicacy, as somewhat uncertain of your reception of him, and whether or not his visit would be well timed. Were it always an easy matter for a clergyman so to time his visit to his sick patient that he could be sure it might be acceptable and not prove the occasion of some disturbance in the arrangements of the family, he might often proceed to a sick house with the more boldness and confidence, secure of a welcome reception. Were all sick patients imbued, in an equal degree, with religious feeling, it is obvious, these remarks would be the less necessary; but where, as so often is the case, owing to the manners and habits of thinking and feeling of latter days, this ministration is unhappily not held in that high esteem it should be, and where save among the poor, little encouragement is commonly afforded to the priest in the performance of his duty, it is but right to give every intimation calculated to

assure him that his visit is acceptable, is truly desired and would be properly appreciated. No fear of being troublesome to your parish priest should deter you. No apprehension of the kind keeps you from troubling the lawyer when your estate is in danger, or the physician in time of your sickness; and we cannot suppose that the clergy would be slack in the performance of this duty, because they are not directly paid for its performance; at least we have no reason so to judge them until we have proved them, whether they be zealous healers of souls or no. We are bound by every rule of charity to think that a minister would be glad to be called upon to perform one of his most important functions, and to discharge an office which, perhaps, more than any other in the whole range of ministerial duty, is likely to be attended with beneficial results; inasmuch as a man in sickness is commonly more ready to listen to spiritual advice than in the time of health.

Dean Comber points out the following as an important reason, which it would be well for the sick man to consider, why he should send for the priest and not wait his coming, viz., that he shows thereby his full appreciation of the blessing of ministerial attendance. "It is an argument of men's pride and contempt of holy things, when they think them not worth the asking for, and expect to find them without seeking; wherefore the sick man is commanded to send speedily for the priest, nor do the ancient Canons oblige the clergy to go unless they be humbly requested thereto."

The friends too, of the sick man, his nurses and attendants, will at once perceive the obligation which devolves upon them of seeing that their sick be no less furnished with spiritual remedies for the soul than for the body, and should without any delay send for the curate. It is plain that the minister would not be always able of himself to find out his sick. One day his parishioner may be met by him in perfect health; the next the hand of GoD may be upon him in a heavy visitation. And should he die without making his peace with GOD, at whose hand will his soul be required at the day of judgment, but from those who neglected to inform, in due time, him whose office it is

after the model of his Divine Master "to preach repentance and minister reconciliation to the sinner, to heal the broken hearted, to set at liberty them that are bruised ?" The attendants and friends should therefore not fear to persuade the sick man to send for the priest, as though it would occasion some suspicion in the sick man's mind of his case being a hopeless one; but should tell him that the sending for the minister of GOD is likely to benefit his bodily condition by inspiring him with patience and fortitude to bear suffering, and so disposing his body to the most fitting state for the effective operation of medicine.

If there is any reluctance upon the part of the sick manifested, they should do all in the way of entreaty, that the most lively concern for a soul which may soon have to appear before GOD would suggest to their minds, to induce him to signify his wish to obtain the benefits of the ministry of reconciliation. They should plainly represent to him that that man seems to deny some portion of his faith who shuts himself up from the offices of the Elders of the Church, whose prayer of faith is appointed to save the sick and through whose ministrations GOD has decreed that sins should be remitted; that in short, they as much as in them lies, practically deny their belief in those Articles of the Faith, the Holy Catholic Church and Remission of Sins. This charitable office seems to have been understood by none more than Margaret Lady Maynard, of whom Bishop Ken in his Funeral Sermon upon her says, "Happy was it for others that her charity was so comprehensive, for she often met with objects so deplorable that were to be relieved in all these capacities, so that she was fain to become their benefactress, their physician, and their Divine, all together, or if need were, she bid them show themselves to the priest, or else took care to send the priest to them; thus was it visibly her constant endeavour to be in all respects merciful, as her FATHER in heaven is merciful."

2. As respects the degree of sickness which would render the clergyman's attendance necessary, you may be ruled ordinarily by the following expression of opinion on the subject: "Generally speaking, what