Ye Lave forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

II.

Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept Thy word. Thou art good, and doest good; teach me Thy statutes. It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes. I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. Let, I pray Thee, Thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Thy word unto Thy servant. Let Thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for Thy law is my delight.

We glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

We are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

III.

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now He that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (for we walk by faith, not by sight:) we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him.

IV.

For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. What I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my de parture is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory fcr ever and ever. Amen.

me.

V.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive

O God, who is like unto Thee! Thou, which hast showed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

For the Lord will not cast off forever: but though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.

For a small moment have I forsaken Thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.

Then the Minister, or Elder, shall pray with and for the sick person, slowly and distinctly rehearsing, in the first place, the Apostles' Creed, using afterward one or other of the following prayers, as the case may require, and closing with the Lord's Prayer.

A General Prayer for the Sick.

O LORD God, in whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind; regard with tender compassion this Thy servant, whom it

hath pleased Thee to visit with bodily affliction and disease. Be graciously near to him in the hour of his need. Grant unto him, we beseech Thee, true repentance for all his sins, a firm and steady trust in the merits of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, and grace to be in perfect charity with all men. Enable him to cast

all his cares on Thee, and to yield himself with child like submission to Thy righteous will.

God of all power and grace, bless, we entreat Thee, the means used for his recovery, rebuke the violence of disease, and raise him up from his bed of pain, that being delivered by Thy compassion he may walk before Thee in newness of life. But if, O most wise and merciful Father, this sickness should be unto death, grant him, we humbly implore Thee, a comfortable release from all his sufferings. Let the arms of Thine everlasting love be around him, and, when flesh and heart shall fail, be Thou the strength of his heart and his portion for evermore: through the mediation and merits of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for a Sick Person not prepared for Death.

MOST merciful Saviour, who, when hanging on the cross, didst grant repentance and faith to the dying thief, and hast assured us in Thy holy word, that Thou desirest not the death of the sinner, but that whosoever cometh unto Thee Thou wilt in no wise cast him out; look down, we beseech Thee, in tender compassion upon him, who now looks up to Thee from his bed of suffering and distress. Lamb of God,

that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon him. Hear his prayer and wash him from his sins in Thy most precious blood. Give him strength against all his temptations and heal the maladies of his soul. Break not the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax. Shut not up Thy tender mercies in displeasure; but make him to hear of joy and gladness, that the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice. Deliver him from fear of the Enemy, and lift up the light of Thy countenance upon him, and give him peace.

Hear us, merciful Saviour, who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

A Prayer for a Sick Child.

O ALMIGHTY God and merciful Father, to whom alone belong the issues of life and death; look down from heaven, we humbly beseech Thee, with the eyes of mercy upon this child, now lying upon the bed of sickness. Visit him, O Lord, with Thy salvation, deliver him in Thy good appointed time from his bodily pain, and save his soul for Thy mercies' sake; that if it shall be Thy pleasure to prolong his days here on earth, he may live to Thee, and be an instrument of Thy glory, by serving Thee faithfully, and doing good in his generation; or else receive him into those heavenly habitations, where the souls of those who sleep in the Lord Jesus, enjoy perpetual rest and felicity. Grant this, O Lord, for Thy mercies' sake, in the name of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.