Psal. xxii.

Psal. xxxi.

Psal. xci.
Heb. i.

death is present with you, and, when he seeth convenient time, he will deliver you out of all your pains, take you unto him, and place you in his glorious kingdom.

Epaph. "O Lord, deliver my soul from the sword, my dearling from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth." "Bow down thine ear to me: make haste to deliver me. Be thou my protector, O God, and house of defence, that thou mayest save me. Be thou my strong rock, and my castle. Be thou my guide, and lead me for thy name's sake. Draw me out of the net that they have laid privily for me; for thou art my strength. Into thy hands I commend my spirit; for thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth."

Phil. Fear not, brother Epaphroditus: God is your loving Father and most gentle Saviour. He hath heard your humble requests, and granted your petitions. He hath and will defend you from all evil even unto the end. He will not suffer you

He hath sent his holy

to be devoured of that hellish lion and cruel dog the devil. angels hither unto you, even into this your chamber. They are here present for Psal. xxxiv. your great comfort. They have pitched their tents round about you, that they may keep you harmless and safe from the devouring teeth of Satan. They wait upon you diligently for your defence, and will never depart from you, till they receive your soul, and carry it up lovingly as a most precious relique into the kingdom of heaven, and most joyfully present it unto the glorious throne of God's majesty. Fix the eyes of your faith on Christ and Christ's merits, on Christ's passion and death, on Christ's blessed body-breaking, and his most precious blood-shedding, on his triumph and victory over Satan and his hellish army: believe Christ to be your alone Saviour, and all his works to be your good works; and so shall ye not perish, but have everlasting life.

The sick

Epaph. Haste thee, O Lord, to deliver me; for it is high time. In thee, O Lord man's prayer. Christ, my most merciful Saviour and only Redeemer, in thee, in thee alone is all my trust let me never be confounded. O Jesu, mercy! Jesu, mercy! O Christ, mercy! Christ, mercy! O God the Father, O God the Son, O God the Holy Ghost. O most blessed Trinity, three Persons and one God, have mercy on me. Receive my soul into thy hands. Place it for thy mercies' sake in thy heavenly kingdom, among thy holy angels and blessed saints. O my good God. O Father, O my most merciful Father. Mercy, mercy!

An exhortation to the sick man.

Matt. xxiv.
Rev. ii.

Rev. iii.
Rev. iii.

Phil. God the Father, which made you, bless you. God the Son, which redeemed you, preserve you. God the Holy Ghost, which sanctifieth you, confirm and strengthen you. The blessing, defence, and saving health of the Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, preserve you from all evil, and bring you unto everlasting life. Chris. Amen.

Eus. Methink he hath given up the ghost.

Theo. No, he is yet alive. God comfort him. Lord, shew him the light of thy loving countenance.

Epaph. When shall I come to appear before the presence of my God?

Phil. God be thanked, he yet speaketh, yea, he godly speaketh. Brother Epaphroditus, take a good heart unto you, shrink not. Fight a good fight. Be not discouraged, neither with the terrors of Satan, nor with the pains of death. God is on your side. God is your grand captain. You fight under the banner of that most mighty and victorious Emperor Jesus Christ. Only continue as you have begun; and the day is yours. Satan, with all his army, like miserable cowards, shall be put to flight and vanquished. You shall have a joyful victory over them. The pain of the battle is short and light; but the glory of your triumph shall abide for ever and ever. Hear what your grand Captain saith: "He that continueth unto the end shall be saved." "To him that overcometh I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." "Be faithful unto the death; and I shall give thee the crown of life." "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God; and he shall go no more out." Yea, "to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my seat." Here see you what precious and most noble rewards are set forth unto you, if you go forth valiantly to fight against your enemies, which seek your destruction. Only believe, only fix the eyes of your faith on Christ crucified.

Only engrave in your heart deeply a sure and undoubted confidence in the merciful promises of God the Father, which he hath made unto you in the precious blood of his dearly-beloved Son and our alone Saviour Jesus Christ, and you shall most certainly have the victory, and obtain the reward of joyful immortality. Hear what your grand Captain Christ saith: "God hath so dearly loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that every one that believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world should be saved by him. He that believeth on him is not damned.” John Baptist saith: "He that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life." "My John x. sheep," saith Christ, "hear my voice; and I know them; and they follow me; and I give them everlasting life; neither shall they perish for ever, nor yet shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them to me, is greater than all; and no man can pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father am one. Again: "I am the resurrection and life. He that believeth in me, though he were John xi. dead, yet shall he live. And every one that liveth and believeth in me shall never die." "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Follow Christ, and you cannot err, John xiv. nor go out of the way; for he is the way. Believe Christ, and you cannot be deceived; for he is the truth. Abide and remain in Christ, and you cannot die the death everlasting; for he is the life. Wherefore, O most dear brother, cleave with strong faith to these most sweet and comfortable promises of Christ your Saviour. Believe to obtain whatsoever is promised. So may you be sure to be God's son, and heir of his everlasting kingdom, never to perish, but to have eternal life.

Epaph. I believe to have remission of all my sins through faith in Christ's blood. Lord Jesu, take my spirit. O heavenly Father, I commend my spirit into thy Acts vii.

hands.

Luke xxiii.

Phil. This faith, dear brother, maketh you the son of God and heir of his Faith. glorious kingdom: yea, it maketh you Christ's brother, and fellow-heir with him of everlasting glory. It purchaseth for you favour at the hand of God, and forgiveness of all your sins. It bringeth unto you peace and quietness of conscience. It maketh a perfect reconciliation and an everlasting agreement between God and you. It delivereth you from death, and bringeth you unto eternal glory. It maketh you a citizen of the new and heavenly Jerusalem, where (if you continue stedfast in this faith) you shall remain for ever and ever in a most blessed and joyful state, having the fruition of God's glorious majesty in perfect glory, worlds without end, unto your exceeding joy and unspeakable comfort.

tion to the

Eus. Sir, behold, the life of this our brother beginneth to draw unto an end. Phil. Yea, rather he now beginneth to change a mortal life for an immortal life. The life that is led in this world is rather a shadow of a life, than a very life indeed. Now, brother, be strong in the faith of Christ. Remember Christ crucified. An exhortaRemember Christ to be your alone Saviour. Remember God the Father to be your sick man. merciful Father. Forget not that all your sins are washed away in Christ's precious blood, and that by the virtue of his death and passion you are made heir of everlasting salvation. Brother, if you can speak, answer. If you cannot speak, shew some outward sign and token, that it may be a testimony unto us of your faith and godly departure.

Chris. Lo, he holdeth up his hand. Eus. God be thanked. Phil. He seemeth yet to hear.

Persuade yourself, most dear brother, that God even now calleth you out of this vale of wretchedness unto the joyful inheritance of his everlasting kingdom, where you shall not live miserably with sinful men (as you have done in this world), but you shall gloriously reign with that most mighty God, and with his holy angels and blessed saints. Now begins your joy, your solace, your comfort. Now beginneth your true life, which shall be everlasting. Now is the end of all your sorrows come; and now beginneth your unfeigned joy and true felicity. Now shall ye see the glorious majesty of God face to face. Now shall you behold and perfectly know all the godly

[1 From the edition of 1561; folio, God.]

The commen-
dation of the

ed.
Psal. cxvi.
Rev. xiv.

that have been from the beginning of the world, and be merry and rejoice with them. Now shall you see your Saviour and elder brother Christ as he is. Now shall you be clothed with the white garments of immortality. Now shall you have a crown of gold set upon your head. Now shall ye eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God, and drink of the fountains of living water. Now shall you be a pillar in the temple of your God, and sit with him on his seat. And these your joys shall be everlasting, and never have end. Unto these joys shall you straightways go, and for evermore enjoy them.

Theo. Our brother is even now departed from this world unto the Lord our God, as you spake these words: "Unto these joys shall you straightways go, and for evermore enjoy them;" he gave up the ghost, and now resteth in the Lord.

Phil. The Lord our God be praised. Our brother hath made a godly end. He man depart hath given up a good spirit into the hands of the living God. He is, I doubt not, of the number of them of whose death it is written: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." "Blessed are they that die in the Lord." His life before men was unrebukable and blameless. He lived' justly and uprightly with his neighbours. He was friendly to all godly men, and enemy to no man. He was both a sincere favourer and a diligent follower of God's most holy word. He abhorred all sects, papists, anabaptists, libertines, &c.; notwithstanding, alway praying for their amendment, that they, knowledging their errors, might with us confess one God, and one truth in the unity of the Spirit. He was a dear friend to such as were studious of good letters, to widows, to fatherless children, to poor young maids' marriages, to young men that had not wherewith to set up their occupations, to the prisoners, to those poor people which were not able to get their living, to poor householders, to the repairing of high-ways, and such-like. What a will he made, ye know. His end also ye know.

The Flower of Godly Prayers.

Psal. cxvi.
Dan. xii.

Wisd. iii.

Rev. xiv.

Isai. Ixiv. 1 Cor. ii.

Chris. A christian and godly end made he. God give us all grace to make the like!

Phil. Of a good life cometh a good death, if the departure of the godly may be called a death, and not rather a passage unto a better life. Well, his body now sleepeth in the Lord; and his soul reigneth in glory with God.

Eus. God grant him and us all a joyful resurrection!

Theo. Amen.

Phil. Neighbours, before we depart, let us all kneel down and give God the Father thanks for the godly departure of this our christian brother. Chris. It is convenient so to do.

Phil. Give me hither "The Flower of Godly Prayers." I will rehearse the thanksgiving unto God for the departure of the faithful out of this world. Eus. Lo, here is the book.

Phil. The name of the Lord our God be glorified.

Chris. Both now and ever. Amen.

Phil. O how can we, most loving Father, render unto thee sufficient thanks for thine inestimable goodness toward thy faithful servants, whom thou, calling out of this wretched world, vouchestsafe to place in thy heavenly kingdom, among the glorious company of thy holy angels and blessed saints. O full precious is the death of the faithful in thy sight! Blessed are the dead that die in thee, O Lord! For they are at rest from their painful travails and labours. The souls of the righteous are in thy hand, O God; and the pain of death shall not touch them. In the sight of the unwise they appear to die, but they are in peace. They shine as the sparks that run through the reed bush. They glister as the shining of heaven. They are as the stars world without end. They are as the angels of God. They are clad with white garments, and have golden crowns upon their heads. They do service day and night before the glorious throne of thy divine majesty. They neither hunger nor thirst any more, neither doth the sun or any heat fall upon them; for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne governeth them, and leadeth them unto the living fountains of waters. They follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. They have such joys as

eye hath not seen, nor ear hath heard, neither is there any heart able to think them. Infinite and unspeakable are the treasures, O Lord, which thou hast laid up for them that depart in thy faith. For these thy fatherly benefits toward the souls of the faithful, and for that it hath pleased thee to call this our christian brother from this vale of misery unto thy heavenly kingdom, we give unto thee most hearty thanks, humbly beseeching thee, that thou wilt take like care for us, and so govern us with thy holy Spirit, both in sickness and in health, that we may live a good and godly life in this present world, and, whensoever it shall be thy good pleasure to call us hence, we may, with strong faith in thee and in thy Son Christ Jesu our Lord, commend both our bodies and souls into thy merciful hands, and through thy goodness be placed in thy glorious kingdom, among thy faithful chosen people, and so for ever and ever praise and magnify thee our heavenly Father; to whom with thy dearlybeloved Son Jesu Christ our Lord and Saviour, and the Holy Ghost, that most sweet Comforter, be all glory and honour world without end. Theo. Amen.

Phil. Rise, let us go and comfort our friends, that they do not too much sorrow for the departure of this our most dear brother, which now resteth in joyful peace. That done, neighbour Christopher, repair you unto some godly learned man, and desire him to prepare a sermon for the burial of this our brother against tomorrow about the ninth hour. Chris. It shall be done.

Phil. Neighbour Theophile and neighbour Eusebius, go ye your way, and provide all things necessary for the comely furniture of the burial, that nothing be wanting when the time cometh. Eus. We will do it gladly.

Phil. "The very God of peace sanctify us throughout, and so wholly preserve 1 Thess. v. us, both spirit and soul and body, that we may be blamed in nothing at the coming of our Lord Jesu Christ." Theo. Amen.

Phil. "Our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father (which hath loved 2 Thess. ii. us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace), comfort our hearts, and stablish us in all good saying and doing." Eus. Amen.

Phil. "Peace be unto the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father Eph. vi. and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them which love our Lord Jesus Christ unfeignedly." Chris. Amen.

66

Phil. Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanks, and honour, and power,

and might, be unto our God for evermore."

Theo. Amen. Amen.

Give the glory to God alone.

Rev. vii.