The 1552 Book of Common Prayer: Confirmation & Catechism: Visitation of the Sick · The 1552 Book of Common Prayer: Preface & Of Ceremonies

The Book of Common Prayer

	The Book of Common Prayer - 1552

THE ORDRE FOR THE
VISITACION OF THE SICKE.
¶
The Priest entering into the sicke person's house, shall saye,
Peace be in this house, and to all that dwell in it.
When
he cometh into the sick man's presence, he shall saye, kneling downe.
REMEMBRE
not, Lorde, oure iniquities, nor the iniquities of our forefathers.
Spare us, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redemed with thy
most precious bloud, and be not angry with us for ever.
Lorde, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lorde, have mercy upon us.
Our father, which art in heaven, &c.
And leade us not into temptacion.
Aunswere. But delyver
us from evyll. Amen.
Minister. O Lord, save
thy servaunt.
Aunswere. Which putteth
his trust in thee.
Minister. Sende him
helpe from thy holy place.
Aunswere. And evermore mightely
defende him.
Minister. Let the enemie
have none advauntage of him.
Aunswere. Nor the wicked
approche to hurte him.
Minister. Be unto him,
O Lord, a stronge towre.
Aunswere. From the
face of his enemie.
Minister. Lorde, heare
oure prayers.
Aunswere. And let our
crye come unto thee.
Minister.
O
LORD, loke downe from heaven, behold, visite, and releve this thy servaunt:
Looke upon him with the eyes of thy mercy, geve him comforte, and sure
confidence in thee: Defende him from the daunger of the enemye, and
keepe him in perpetuall peace, and safetie: through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Heare us, almightie and most mercyful God and saviour. Extend thy accustomed
goodnes to this thy servaunt, which is grieved with sicknes: Visite
him, O Lorde, as thou diddeste visite Peter's wyve's mother and the
Captayne's [centurion's] servaunt. So visite and restore unto
this sycke person his former health, (yf it bee thy wyl) or els geve
him grace so to take thy vysitacion, that after this paynfull lyfe ended,
he maye dwell with thee in lyfe everlasting. Amen.
Then
shall the Minister exhorte the sicke person after this fourme or other
lyke.
DERELY
beloved, know this: that almightie God is the Lord of lyfe and death,
and over all thinges to them perteyning, as youth, strength, health,
age, weakenes, and sickenesse. Wherfore, whatsoever your sickenesse
is, know you certaynlye that it is god's visitacion. And for what cause
soever this sickenesse is sente unto you: whether it be to trie youre
pacience for the example of other, and that your fayth may be found
in the day of the lord laudable, glorious, and honorable, to the encrease
of glory, and endlesse felicitie: Or els it be sent unto you to correct
and amend in you, whatsoever doeth offend the eyes of our heavenly father:
know you certainly, that yf you truely repent you of your sinnes, and
beare your sickenes paciently, trustinge in god's mercye, for his dere
sonne Jesus Christes sake, and rendre unto him humble thankes for his
fatherly visitacion, submittinge yourself wholy to his wyll; it shall
turne to your profit, and helpe you forward in the right way that leadeth
unto everlasting lyfe.
Yf the person vysyted be very sicke, then
the curate maye ende hys exhortacion in this place.
¶
Take therefore in good worth the chastement of the Lorde. For whom the
Lorde loveth, he chastiseth. Yea, (as Sainct Paul sayth,) he skourgeth
every sonne which he receyveth: yf you indure chastisement, he offreth
him self unto you as unto his owne children. What sonne is he that the
father chastiseth not? Yf ye be not under correccion (whereof all true
children are partakers), then are ye bastardes and not children. Therfore
seing that whan our carnal fathers do correcte us, we reverentlye obeye
them: shall we not now much rather be obedient to our spiritual father,
and so lyve? And they for a fewe dayes dooe chastise us after theyr
owne pleasure: but he doeth chastise us for our profyt, to the intent
he may make us partakers of his holynes. These wordes, good brother,
are God's wordes, and written in holy scripture for oure comfort and
instruccion, that we shoulde paciently and with thankesgeving beare
our heavenly father's correccion, whansoever by anye maner of adversytie
it shall please his gracious goodnes to vysit us. And there should be
no greater comfort to christian persons, then to be made lyke unto Christe,
by sufferinge paciently adversities, troubles, and sickenesses. For
he himself went not up to joye, but fyrst he suffered payne: he entred
not into his glorye before he was crucifyed. So truely oure waye to
eternall joye is to suffre here with Christ, and our doore to entre
into eternall lyfe is gladlye to dye with Christ, that we may ryse agayne
from death, and dwel with him in everlastinge lyfe. Now therfore taking
your sicknesse which is thus profytable for you, pacientely: I exhorte
you in the name of God, to remembre the profession which you made unto
God in your Baptisme. And forasmuch as after this lyfe there is accoumpte
to be geven unto the righteous judge, of whom all muste be judged without
respecte of persones: I requyre you to examine your self, and your state,
both towarde God and man : so that accusing and condemning your self
for your owne faultes, you may fynd mercy at our heavenly father's hande
for Christ's sake, and not be accused and condemned in that feareful
judgement. Therfore I shall shortely rehearse the articles of our faythe,
that ye maye knowe whether you do beleve as a Christian man should,
or no.
¶
Here the Minister shal rehearse the articles a/the faith, sayinge
thus.
DOEST
thou beleve in God the father alinightie?
¶
And so forth, as it is in Baptisme.
¶ Then shall the Minister
examine whether he be in charitie with al the world: Exhortinge him
to forgeve from the bottome of his hearte al persons that have offended
hym: and yf he have oflended other to aske them forgevenesse: And where
he hath done injurie or wrong to any man, that he make amendes to the
uttermost of his power. And yf he have not afore disposed hys goodes,
let him then make his wyl. But men must be of be admonished that they
sette an ordre for theyr temporall goodes and landes whan they be in
health. And also declare his debtes, what he oweth, and what is owing
unto him, for discharging of his conscience, and quietnesse of hys executours.
¶ These words before rehearsed, may be
said before the Minister beginne his prayer, as he shal see cause.
¶ The minister may not forgeat nor omitte
to move the sicke person (and that most earnestly) to lyberalitie towarde
the poore.
¶ Here shal the sicke person make a special
confession, yf he feele his conscience troubled wyth any weyghtie matter.
After which confession the Priest shal absolve hym after thys sorte.
OUR
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath left power to his Church to absolve al sinners,
whiche truely repent and beleve in him, of his great mercy forgeve thee
thine offences: and by his aucthoritie committed to me, I absolve thee
from all thy synnes, in the name of the father, and of the sonne, and
of the holy gost. Amen.
¶
And then the Priest shal saye the Collect folowinge.
¶
Let us praye.
O
MOSTE mercyfull God, whiche according to the multitude of thy mercies
doest so put away the sinnes of those which truely repente, that thou
remembrest them no more: open thy eye of mercy upon this thy servaunt,
who most earnestly desyreth pardon and forgevenes: Renue in him, most
loving father, whatsoever hath been decayed by the fraud and malice
of the devyl, or by his owne carnal wyl, and fraylnesse: preserve and
continue this sicke membre in the unitie of thy church, consider his
contricion, accept his teares, asswage his paine, as shal be sene to
thee most expedient for him. And forasmuch as he putteth his full trust
onely in thy mercy; Impute not unto him his former synnes, but take
him unto thy favoure: through the merites of thy most derely beloved
sonne Jesus Christe. Amen.
Then	[actually
the Minister shal saye thys Psalme.	Psalm 71]
In te Domine speravi. Psal. xxi.
IN
thee, O lord, have I put my trust, let me never be put to confusion
: but rydde me, and delyver me, into thy rightousnesse; incline thyne
eare unto me, and save me.
Be thou my strong holde, (whereunto I may alway resorte)
thou hast promised to helpe me, for thou art my house of defence, and
my castell.
Deliver me (O my God) out of the hand of the ungodly
: out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruell man.
For thou (O Lorde God) art the thinge that I long
for : thou art my hope, even from my youth.
Throughe thee have I been holden up ever since I
was borne; thou art he that toke me out of my mother's wombe; my prayse
shall alway be of thee.
I am become as it were a monstre unto many : but
my sure trust is in thee.
O lette my mouth be fylled with thy prayse (that
I may sing of thy glory) and honour all the daye longe.
Caste me not away in the tyme of age, forsake me
not when my strength fayleth me.
For myne enemies speake agaynste me : and they that
lay waite for my soule take their counsel together, saying : God hath
forsaken him; persecute him, and take him, for there is none to delyver
him.
Goe not farre from me, O God : my God, haste thee
to helpe me.
Let them be confounded and perishe that are against
my soule : let them be covered with shame and dishonor that seke to
do me evyll.
As for me, I wyll paciently abyde alwaye : and wyll
prayse thee more and more.
My mouth shall daylye speake of thye righteousnesse
and salvacion : for I knowe no ende thereof.
I wyl goe forth in the strength of the Lord God :
and wyll make mencion of thy righteousnes onely.
Thou (O god) hast taught me from my youth up until
now : therfore I wyl tel of thy wonderous workes.
Forsake me not (O God) in myne olde age, when I am
graye headed, untill I have shewed thy strength unto this generacion,
and thy power to all them that are yet for to come.
Thy righteousness (O God) is very hygh : and great
thinges are they that thou haste doone; O God, who is lyke unto thee?
O what greate troubles and adversities haste thou
shewed me! and yet diddeste thou turne and refreshe me: yea, and broughtest
me from the depe of the earth agayne.
Thou hast brought me to greate honour: and comforted
me on every syde.
Therfore wyl I prayse thee and thy faythfulness (O
God) playing upon an instrument of musicke, unto thee wyl I sing upon
the harpe, O thou holy one of Israel.
My lippes wyl be fayne when I syng unto thee : and
so wyll my soule whom thou hast delivered.
My tonge also shall talke of thy righteousnesse al
the daye longe, for they are confounded and broughte unto shame that
seke to do me evyll.
Glory bee to the father, and to the sonne; and to
the holye ghoste.
As it was in the beginninge, is nowe; and ever shall
be; worlde without ende. Amen.
¶
Addinge this.
O
SAVIOURE of the worlde, save us, whiche by thy crosse and precious bloud
hast redemed us, helpe us, we beseche thee, O God.
Then
shal the Minister saye.
THE
almightie Lorde, which is a most stronge tower to all them that put
their truste in him, to whom all thinges in heaven, in earth, and under
earth, doe bowe and obeye: be nowe and evermore thy defence, and make
thee know and feele, that there is no other name under heaven geven
to manne, in whom, and throughe whom, thou mayest receyve health and
salvacion, but onely the name of oure Lorde Jesus Christe. Amen.
THE
COMMUNION OF THE SICKE.
Forasmuch as all mortal men be subject to many sodayne perilles, diseases
and sickenesses, and ever uncertayne what time they shal depart out
of this lyfe: Therfore to thintent they may be alwayes in a readinesse
to dye, whensoever it shal please almightie God to call them, the Curates
shal diligentlye from tyme to tyme, but speciallye in the plague tyme,
exhorte theyr parishioners to the oft receyving in the church of the
holye communion of the body and bloud of our saviour Christ. Which (yf
they do,) they shal have no cause, in theyr sodaine visitacion, to be
unquieted for lacke of the same. But yf the sycke person be not liable
to come to the church, and yet is desyrous to receyve the communion
in hys house then he must geve knowledge overnyght, or els early in
the morning to the Curate, signifyinge also howe manye be appoynted
to communicate with hym. And havinge a convenient place in the syke
man's house, where the Curate maye reverently minister, and a good nombre
to receyve the communion wyth the sycke personne, with al thinges necessarye
for thesame, he shall there minister the holye communion.
The Collecte.
ALMIGHTIE
everlyvinge God, maker of mankinde, which doest correcte those whom
thou doest love, and chastisest every one whom thou doest receyve: we
beseche thee to have mercy upon this thy servaunt visited with thy hande,
and to graunte that he may take his syckenesse paciently, and recover
his bodelye health (yf it bee thy gracious wyll), and whensoever his
soule shall departe from the bodye, it maye bee without spotte presented
unto thee: through Jesus Christ our Lorde. Amen.
The Epistle. Heb. xii.
MY
sonne, despyse not the correccion of the Lord, nether faynte when thou
art rebuked of hym: For whom the Lord loveth, him he correcteth, yea
and he scourgeth every sonne whom he receyveth.
The Gospell. John v.
VERELY,
verely I saye unto you, he that heareth my worde, and beleveth on him
that sente me, hath everlasting lyfe, and shall not come unto damnacion,
but he passeth from death unto lyfe.
¶ At the tyme of the distribucion of the holy Sacrament,
the Priest shal fyrst receyve the Communion himself, and after minister
unto them that be appointed to communicate wyth the sycke.
¶
But yf any man either by reason of extremitie of syckenes, or for
lacke of warning in due tyme to the Curate, or for lacke of company
to receyve with him, or by any other just impediment, do not receyve
the Sacrament of Christes body and bloud; then the Curate shal instruct
him that yf he do truly repent him of his synnes, and stedfastly beleve
that Jesus Christ hath suffred death upon the crosse for him, and shed
his bloud for his redempcion, earnestly remembring the benefites he
hath therby, and gaving him heartie thanks therfore: he doeth eate and
drinke the body and bloude of our Saviour Christ, profytably to his
soules health, althoughe he doe not receyve the Sacrament with hys mouth.
¶
When the sicke person is visited and receiveth the holi communion
all at one tyme: then the priest for more expedicion shal cut of the
forum of the visitacion at the Psalme. In thee, O Lord, have I put
my trust, and go streyght to the communion.
¶
In the tyme of plague, Swette, or suche other lyke contagious tymes
of syckenesses or dyseases, when none of the parysh or neyghbours can
be gotten to communicate wyth the syck in theyr houses, for feare of
the infeccion. upon special request of the diseased, the minister may
alonly communicate wyth hym.

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