Min. Be unto him, O Lord, a strong tower, Answ. From the face of his enemy. Min. O Lord, hear our prayers; Answ. And let our cry come unto thee. Minister. O Lord, look down from heaven, behold, visit, and relieve this thy servant. Look upon him with the eyes of thy mercy, give him comfort and sure confidence in thee, defend him from the danger of the enemy, and keep him in perpetual peace and safety; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Hear us, Almighty and most merciful God and Saviour; extend thy accustomed goodness to this thy servant who is grieved with sickness. Sanctify, we beseech thee, this thy fatherly correction to him; that the sense of his weakness may add strength to his faith, and seriousness to his repentance: that, if it shall be thy good pleasure to restore him to his former health, he may lead the residue of his life in thy fear, Vers. Esto ei, Domine, turris fortitudinis, Resp. A facie inimici. Vers. Domine, exaudi orationem meam; Resp. Et clamor meus ad te veniat. Respice, Domine, de cœlo, et vide et visita hunc famulum tuum N. Et benedic eum sicut benedicere dignatus es Abraham, Isaac, et Jacob. Respice super eum, Domine, oculis misericordiæ tuæ, et reple eum omni gaudio et lætitia et timore tuo. Expelle ex eo omnes inimici insidias, et mitte Angelum pacis qui eum custodiat et domum istam in pace perpetua. Per Christum Dominum nostrum d. Exaudi nos, omnipotens et misericors Deus, et visitationem conferre digneris super hunc famulum tuum N. quem diversa vexat infirmitas: visita eum, Domine, sicut visitare dignatus es socrum Petri puerumque centurionis, et Tobiam et Saram per sanctum angelum tuum Raphaelem. Restitue in eo, Domine, pristinam sanitatem, ut mereatur in atrio domus tuæ dicere, Castigans castigavit me Dominus, et morti c Man. Sarisb. fol. 88. VOL. II. d Ibid. fol. 89. Q and to thy glory or else give him grace so to take thy visitation, that after this painful life ended, he may dwell with thee in life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ¶ Then shall the minister exhort the sick person after this form, or other like. .... Dearly beloved, know this, that Almighty God is the Lord of life and death, and of all things to them pertaining, as youth, strength, health, age, weakness,and sickness. Wherefore, whatsoever your sickness is, know you certainly, that it is God's visitation. And for what cause soever this sickness is sent unto you know you certainly, that if you truly repent you of your sins, and bear your sickness patiently, trusting in God's mercy, for his dear Son Jesus Christ's sake, and render unto him humble thanks for his fatherly visitation, submitting yourself wholly unto his will, it shall turn to your profit, and help you forward in the right way that leadeth unto everlasting life ..... And forasmuch as after this life there is an account to be given unto the righteous Judge....I require you to examine yourself and non tradidit me; Salvator mundi. Qui cum Deo Patre et Spiritu Sancto vivis et regnas Deus, per omnia sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Deinde priusquam....infirmus ...communicetur, exhortetur eum sacerdos hoc modo. Frater charissime, gratias age omnipotenti Deo pro universis beneficiis suis, patienter et benigne suscipiens infirmitatem corporis, quam tibi Deus immisit, nam si ipsam humiliter sine murmure toleraveris, inferet animæ tuæ maximum præmium et salutem .... Et frater charissime, quia viam universæ carnis ingressurus es, esto firmus in fide: qui enim non est firmus in fide, infidelis est, et sine fide impossibile est placere Deo. Et ideo si salvus. esse volueris, ante omnia opus est ut teneas catholicam fidem, quam nisi integram inviolatamque servaveris, absque dubio in æternum peribis ... Deinde bonum et valde expediens est, ut sacerdos exprimat infirmo XIV articulos fidei, quorum VII primi ad mysterium Trinitatis, et VII alii ad Christi humanitatem pertineant: ut si forte prius in aliquo ipsorum erraverit, titubaverit, vel du e Man. Sarisb. fol. 88. your estate, both toward God bius fuerit ante mortem....ad and man.... Therefore I shall fidem solidam reducatur f. rehearse to you the Articles of our faith, that you may know whether you do believe as a Christian man should, or no. Here the minister shall rehearse the Articles of the Faith, saying thus ; Dost thou believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth? And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord? And that he was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; that he suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; that he went down into hell, and also did rise again the third day; that he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; and from thence shall come again at the end of the world, to judge the quick and the dead? And dost thou believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the remission of sins; the resurrection of the flesh; and everlasting life after death? Et si infirmus laicus vel simpliciter literatus fuerit, tunc potest sacerdos articulos fidei in generali ab eo inquirere sub hac forma ; Charissime frater, credis Patrem et Filium et Spiritum Sanctum esse tres personas, et unum Deum, et ipsam benedictam atque invisibilem Trinitatem creasse omnia creata, visibilia et invisibilia. Et solum Filium, de Spiritu Sancto conceptum, incarnatum fuisse ex Maria Virgine, passum et mortuum pro nobis in cruce sub Pontio Pilato, sepultum descendisse ad inferna, die tertia resurrexisse a mortuis, ad cœlos ascendisse, iterumque venturum ad judicandos vivos et mortuos, omnesque homines tunc in corpore et anima resurrecturos, bona et mala secundum merita sua recepturos; et remissionem peccatorum per sacramentorum ecclesiæ perceptionem; et sanctorum communionem, id est, omnes homines in charitate existentes, esse participes omnium bono The sick person shall answer, All this I steadfastly believe. ¶ Then shall the minister examine whether he repent him truly of his sins, and be in charity with all the world; exhorting him to forgive, from the bottom of his heart, all persons that have offended him; and if he hath offended any other, to ask them forgiveness; and where he hath done injury or wrong to any man, that he make amends to the uttermost of his power ¶ The minister should not omit earnestly to move such sick persons, as are of ability, to be liberal to the poor. ¶Here shall the sick person be moved to make a special confession of his sins, if he feel his conscience troubled with any weighty matter. rum gratiæ, quæ fiunt in ecclesia, et omnes qui communicant cum justis hic in gratia communicaturos cum eis in gloria. Deinde respondeat infirmus, Deinde dicat sacerdos, Charissime frater, quia sine charitate nihil tibi proderit fides, testante apostolo, qui dicit: Si habuero omnem fidem ita ut montes transferam, charitatem autem non habuero, nihil sum; ideo oportet te diligere Dominum Deum tuum super omnia ex toto corde tuo, et ex tota anima tua, et proximum tuum propter Deum sicut teipsum. Nam sine hujusmodi charitate nulla fides valet. Exerce igitur charitatis opera dum vales : et si multum tibi affuerit, abundanter tribue; si autem exiguum, illud impartire stude. Et ante omnia si quem injuste læseris, satisfacias si valeas, si autem non valeas, expedit ut ab eo veniam humiliter postules. Dimitte debitoribus tuis et illis qui in te peccaverunt; ut Deus tibi dimitCharissime frater, si velis ad visionem Dei pervenire, oportet omnino quod sis mundus in mente et purus in conscientia. Ait enim Christus in evangelio, Beati mundo corde, quoniam ipsi Deum videbunt. Si ergo vis mundum tat .... After which confession the priest shall absolve him (if he humbly and heartily desire it) after this sort: Our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath left power to his church to absolve all sinners who truly repent and believe in him, of his great mercy forgive thee thine offences: and by his authority committed to me, I absolve thee from all thy sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. cor et conscientiam sanam habere, peccata tua universa confitere 8. Deinde absolvat sacerdos infirmum ab omnibus peccatis suis, hoc modo dicens: Dominus noster Jesus Christus pro sua magna pietate te absolvat. Et ego auctoritate ejusdem Dei Domini nostri Jesu Christi, et beatorum apostolorum Petri et Pauli, et auctoritate mihi tradita, absolvo te ab omnibus peccatis his de quibus corde contritus et ore mihi confessus es; et ab omnibus aliis peccatis tuis de quibus si tuæ occurrerent memoriæ libenter confiteri velles : et sacramentis ecclesiæ te restituo. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen h The prayer which immediately follows the preceding form, is in fact the original absolution, which has been given to dying persons for more than thirteen hundred years in the western churches. This ancient absolution or reconciliation of a penitent near death is not only found in the old formularies of the English church, where it was used long before the preceding indicative form was introduced, but in the sacramentary of Gelasius, A. D. 494; and for many centuries was commonly used in the churches of the west. s Man. Sarisb. fol. 90, 91. h Ibid. fol. 91. |