The Order for the
Visitation of the Sick.

O. The order for the visitation of the sick.] The methods and essentials of this order are derived from St. James, who directeth that, in case of sickness, the presbyters should be sent for: the intention of our Church is that they should come, both sent for, and unsent for, and so was Polycarpus’s order, οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ἐπισκεπτόμενοι πάντας ἀθενεῖς, “let the presbyters visit all such persons.” A duty of all most necessary at that time, when both body and soul cry aloud for help, and present help too, or both must perish everlastingly.

The minister must help to ransack all the sluts’ corners of his patient’s soul, to search narrowly into all his sins, which, unrepented of, defile and pollute that consecrated temple of the Holy Ghost; help him he must by making spiritual application of exhortation, reproof, consolation, congruous with, and suitable to, his particular necessities: and no time fitter for those applications than this, when the carnal lusts, and unruly passions, languishing with the body, they have all advantages for operation upon the soul.

The Priest entring into the sick mans house, shall say, Peace be to this house: so our LORD commanded, S. Luke 10. 5. And if the Son of peace be there, his peace shall rest upon it.

Then kneeling down, he prayes those prayers and ejaculations following, which whosoever reads and considers impartially, shall find them to be both very pious and suitable to the occasion.

Then shall the Priest exhort the sick person after this manner. The prayers are all prescribed, but the exhortation is left arbitrary to the discretion of the Priest, who can hardly be thought to make a better.

In the next place holy Church directs the Priest to examine the sick person concerning his life and conversation; especially concerning these two particulars.

1. Whether he forgives all the World.
2. Whether he hath satisfied all injuries done to others: without which the medicine of repentance, which is necessary to the sick persons salvation, will not profit him.

Then the Priest is to admonish the sick person to settle his estate, For the discharging of his own conscience, and quietness of his Executors. But holy Church exhorts men to do this work in their health, that when they are sick, they may not be troubled about the world, but may bestow their whole time and care, as it is fit, about setling and securing their future estate. And were men possest with that fear and trembling, that S. Paul speaks of, Phil. 2. 12. they would be careful to gain all the time that might be then, to work out their salvation.

The Minister may not forget to move the sick person, and that most earnestly, to liberality towards the poor. This is to have mercy upon our own souls, saies S. Aug. or Christum scribere haeredem, [to make Christ our heir.] For when the poor receives from us, Christ stands by and reaches out his hand to receive with them. In as much as ye have done it to one of these little ones, ye have done it to me. S. Mat. 25. 40. As it is always necessary to be put in mind of this duty, so especially, at this time of sickness. For then we are failing, and therefore most necessary it is then, to make friends of the unrighteous Mammon, that, when we fail, they may receive us into everlasting habitations, S. Luke 16. 9. Then we are going to give up our account to God, and therefore then most necessary it is to do the best we can to procure a gracious Absolution at the day of judgment. Now nothing seems more powerful with God to procure that, than liberality to the poor, Come ye blessed, for I was hungry, and ye gave me meat, S. Mat. 25. 34, 35.

Here shall the sick person make a special Confession, if he feel his conscience troubled with any weighty matter. It would be considered, whether every deadly sin be not a weighty matter?

Q. Whether he be in charity.] There is not any duty more enforced in the Gospel than that of brotherly reconciliation; Christ’s aphorism enforceth it: “If you forgive not men their trespasses, no more will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses.” Where mercy and forgiveness are made the condition annexed to God’s pardoning our sins. Again, Christ, whose followers we must be, His practice enforceth it: “Father, forgive them,” Luke xxiii. 34. So He to His very persecutors, and so Stephen, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge,” Acts vii. 60; what were His last and dying words should properly be ours. Lastly, the parable of that servus neguam, that unjust and implacable servant, enforceth it; his doom it was, and will certainly be ours, to be delivered to the tormentors, the devil and his angels, unless we totally and cordially forgive all that have wronged us.

R. The minister may not forget, &c.] Charity stands upon two legs, forgiving, and giving: the Church having endeavoured by her minister to raise the first part of this grace in the sick persons, comes now to the second, “shewing mercy and compassion to the poor.” This is called doing good, and they in whom this grace hath abounded, are said to be “rich in good works,” 1 Tim. vi. 18. And the better to excite worldlings to it, it is called, “laying up in store.” If then our deeds of charity to the poor, are our good works, and good works are our only moveables, which shall follow us to another world, no time more seasonable for them than sickness, when we are packing up to be gone.

After which Confession the Priest shall absolve him. After which, follows a most excellent prayer or two, and the 71. Psalm, all very fit to a sick persons condition; as will appear without an Interpreter, to the attentive Reader.

S. Confession and absolution.] Here the Church approveth of, though she doth not command, auricular confession. Many times poor souls lie labouring under the pangs of a horrid reflex upon the number or greatness of their sins, and the dreadful wrath of God deservedly expected for them. In this case, no remedy comparable to an humble and sincere confession at large, common to all, and sometimes restrained to some one particular predominant sin, of whose pressure he finds the greatest weight: upon which confession, mixed with a vehement and earnest plying the throne of God for mercy, it becomes the minister instantly to interpose, to lay before him the inexhaustible treasure of God’s infinite mercies, to assure him of his interest therein, and, upon the hypothesis of his contrition to be serious and unfeigned, to give him absolution. Not that at the moment of such absolution, and not before, the sinner’s pardon is sealed in heaven, which is done at the very first minute of his repentance, if to the great critic of hearts, as He calls Himself, the all-seeing God, it appeareth cordial: but that that pardon be evidenced to him, and manifested by unspeakable comforts, usually flowing into a disconsolate soul upon the pronouncing of such absolution, God thereby countenancing and giving reputation both to His word and ministry.

But there being two absolutions mentioned in the former offices, one at morning prayer, and the other in the Communion service, it may be demanded, why only this is in the first person, “I absolve thee. The answer is, there are three opinions concerning absolution. The first, entertained by a few, conceive it optative, precarious, or by petition only, as praying for the pardon of the sins of the penitent. The second think it declaratory only, that is, pronouncing the penitent absolved, by applying God’s promises to the signs of his contrition. Lastly, some contend that it is authoritative, as deriving power and commission from God, not to declare the party absolved, but for the priest to do it in words denoting the first person. All these three opinions our Church seemeth in part to favour; the first under these words, “Almighty God have mercy on you, pardon, and deliver you,” &c. (Absolution for the Communion.) The second, under these words, “Hath given charge and command to His ministers, to declare and pronounce to His people, being penitent, the absolution and remission of their sins.” The last by these words, “I absolve thee.” Which authoritative absolution is rather proper here, because, where the priest absolves in his own person, his absolution is not fitly applicable to any, but such as have given him evident tokens of hearty sorrow for their sins, such as divine chastisement usually causeth: extendible it is not to whole congregations (as in the former instances) where the confession is too general to be conceived in all real: and a confession at large can at most pretend but to an absolution at large, effectual only to such as truly and sincerely repent.

A most excellent and pious Benediction of the Priest concludes all, and so ends this Office.