Helps for the sick person himself, how to behave properly under it.

1. You should constantly be mindful to behave with patience and thankfulness to all those (whether relations, friends, or servants) who kindly attend on you in your sickness. Be not fretful, nor shew uneasiness or anger on any little forgetfulness or slowness in those about you, or if things should not be ready for you just when and how you would have them to be.

2. You should frequently say to yourself under any temptation to be displeased with your attendants, "Lord, enable me to bear with pa"tience all the pain or severity of the distemper "which I now suffer, and to receive with thank"fulness all the necessary services which others ❝endeavour to render me."

3. You should moreover beg of God “to re"member for good" all their kind offices to you; and not" to remember against you" your fretfulness or peevishness in your acceptance of their services.

4. You should desire them to consider your weakness, to pity it, and to bear with it; and you should strive to watch against it, and not to fall into it continally by giving way to it.

5. You should show your contentment by a habitual readiness to comply with the directions of every kind which may have been given you, especially with those by the minister and your physician; and you should often with gratitude express your satisfaction that you have such comforts about you, while so many, much better than yourself, stand in need of them.

6. If your sickness be of such a nature, that any noise would affect you, or the sight of company agitate you, or be rather troublesome than acceptable, you should not out of compliment admit them. They should be informed, that an

interview would be prejudicial to you, and that you cannot converse with them. When you found yourself a little refreshed by sleep, or by the mitigatiou of your distemper, you might choose perhaps to have that interval to yourself for reflection, and your private affairs, especially if you were dangerously ill; and should any one inconsiderately desire to see you, on hearing you are a little better, (as is too often the case,) you must absolutely prohibit it, or risk your recovery. No prudent friend would attempt to break in upon you at such a time, though he would be always ready to visit you whenever you signified to him that his company might be helpful to you.

7. When you are incapable of reading, or using any forms of prayer yourself, let such as you think best suit with your present need and desire be read to you by an attendant on you. Or, if you should be so very ill that you cannot hearken to any reader, put up some short petitions, or ejaculations, which you may do frequently and devoutly from your own memory, or from what your own wants and feelings will naturally suggest to you; particularly for a blessing on the medicines you are taking.

8. Besides your own prayers for yourself, you should desire the prayers of others for you. You should send to the minister, and request the pub-. lic prayers of the congregation to which you be long. And if you can afford to give alms at the same time to the poor, the prayers of the church will be more likely to prevail for you. lius's alms accompanied his prayers. Acts x. 31.

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9. When you can receive any friendly visitors without inconvenience, desire the favour of such of them as are religiously disposed to remember you in their prayers; thus shewing on all occasions your eye is looking to God for help,

in your sickness more than to man; and that you expect to reap your chief benefit from fervent prayer, especially from the prayers of those who are the most faithful servants of that God, who has declared, for our consolation, that he heareth prayer. See the Consolations from Prayer, p. 60.

10. By such ways and thoughts as these you may bear your pain and weakness with patience, thankfulness, resignation, and trust in God. You may likewise make such reflections on them as are fitting for a sick bed.

Helps for the attendants on the sick, in regard to their behaviour.

1. You may give some assistance in promoting the salvation of the sick, and should therefore add to your care of his body that of his soul; for by this you will best testify your love, and do him the most signal service.

2. You should prevent, as much as possible, his mind from being diverted from serious things, either by the impertinent discourses or improper behaviour of those who visit him.

3. You should cherish in him, as much as you well can, the pious thoughts which the minister has excited; read to him, when convenient, plainly and distinctly, one of the seven penitential Psalms, [namely, vi. xxxii. xxxviii, li. cii. cxxx. cxliii.] some passages relating to the sufferings of Christ, or such other parts of Scripture, as may be most beneficial to him in his present circumstances.

4. As the minister (though he may visit him often) cannot always be with him, you should endeavour to supply his place by advising and comforting the sick on whom you attend.

5. You will naturally expect the same kindness from others, if you yourself should ever be

seized with any dangerous illness: you should therefore put in practice that admirable rule of our Lord," All things whatsoever ye would that "men should do unto you, do ye even so to them." Matthew vii. 12.

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6. If you are much grieved to see the sick person dangerously ill, you should endeavour to check and moderate your grief, especially before him, since it is vain, useless, and contrary to right reason, because it does no real good; and if it be indulged too far, it will be displeasing to God; who may indeed forgive it; yet excessive grief can never be indulged without opposing his authority. You should use therefore your best endeavours and prayers, in order to submit your will to God's will.

7. If the sick be likely to die. you who are about him will probably be reminded by the minister of the uncertainty of life, that death is the common lot of all; that you should not be either averse to your own death, or too greatly lament that of others; since we were all born on this condition, that we should leave the world when God commands; and we must all soon follow the deceased to the grave. "Your fathers, where are "they? And the prophets, do they live for 66 ever?" Zech. i. 5.

8. You who are the attendants should do all in your respective stations diligently and tenderly. You should join in prayer with the minister; you should put up ejaculations to heaven, that it may please God to give the dying person rest and pardon, and to yourself grace to live well, and to die holily and happily. You should make no outcries on the departure of the soul from the body; nor give any positive judgment afterwards on the state of the deceased, because he died quietly, or violently; with great fears, or a cheerful confidence; in his senses or out of

them; with convulsions and terrible agonies, or in silence, like an expiring lamp; for these may happen severally according to the constitution of the person, and the nature of his distemper; or as God pleases to dispense the grace, or the punishment, for reasons only known to himself. Further helps for the attendants on the sick, in regard to their behaviour.

1. You should read to the sick person, if he be not able to read himself, some suitable portions of Scripture, or discourse with him profitably on repentance, redemption, patience, thankfulness, trust in God, death, judgment, heaven, and hell. 2. You should endeavour occasionally to suggest serious thoughts fit for the comfort or admo-, nition of one who is looking on himself as taking leave of the world, and going to meet his eternal doom.

3. You should endeavour to spiritualize accidents, and take occasion from all that happens to excite the sick person to make profitable reflections, so that he may not want the hint of a good thought, as often as he is ready to receive it. A most comfortable and important text for his meditation and your prayer for him is, "That "the God of hope may fill him with all joy and 66 peace in believing, that he may abound in hope 66 through the power of the Holy Ghost." Rom. xv. 13.

4. If he awake more easy, you may tell him he should bless God for that ease, and observe to him how tenderly God proportions trials to our weakness, considering as a tender father what we can bear.

5. Or, if he awake under more pain, you might suggest to him, that if it be great it is likely to be shorter; that God knows best how much and how long we can bear; that he is in