know that medicine is not so much an art, as a gift of Thy Holy Spirit; and that I may wholly believe that by the help of the same Spirits I can be sufficient for my calling, and that those things which are impossible for human reason, will be easier through Thee. Grant this, O Lord, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen. (24.)

(11.) Confession of Weakness, and Prayer for Divine Help.

O LORD God Almighty, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, together with the Son and Holy Spirit, hast made heaven and earth, with all the ornament thereoft; who hast bound the sea by the word of Thy commandment; who hast shut up the deep, and sealed it by Thy terrible and glorious name; whom all men fear, and tremble before Thy power; for the majesty of Thy glory cannot be borne, and Thine angry threatening toward sinners is importable: but Thy merciful promise is unmeasurable and unsearchable; for Thou art the most high Lord, of great compassion, long suffering, very merciful, and repentest of the evils of men. Thou, O Lord, according to Thy great goodness, hast promised to us a sufficiency

Ecclus. xxxviii. 2.

Prayer of Manasses.

from Thee in our calling. And Thou, O God, hast done all things which Thou hast spoken. Because my strength is unequal to the business which I have undertaken, in teaching and lecturing on true and health-giving medicine, my cares are multiplied; I am bowed down by the greatness of my burden, and have no breath, because we have provoked Thy wrath, and have done evil before Thee. O Lord God, we have not reverently enough considered Thy divine power in diseases and in the accidents thereof. Those things which are beheld worthy of admiration in the nature of things, Thine everlasting power and divinity, we have rashly despised. Now therefore I bow the knee of mine heart, beseeching Thee of grace. I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, and I acknowledge mine iniquities: wherefore, I humbly beseech Thee, forgive me, O Lord, forgive me, and destroy me not. O Lord, I turn unto Thee, and Thou wilt instruct me, and Thou wilt make me perfect in my calling, through Thy sufficiency according to Thy great mercy. There, fore I will praise Thee for ever all the days of my life for all the powers of the heavens do praise Thee, and Thine is the glory, who, with the Son and Holy Spirit, livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (25.)

(12.) Another of the same.

O LORD, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Thee, and to them that keep Thy commandments: We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments"; neither have we hearkened unto Thy servant the Apostle, who doth admonish us that Thine eternal power and Godhead should be understood by the things that are made, and that we should not worship and serve the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever*. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto Thee, but unto us confusion of face, as at this day, through all the countries wherein Thou hast placed us, because of our trespass that we have trespassed against Thee. O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, because we have sinned against Thee : but to the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against Him; neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws which He hath set before us by His servant the Apostle: nor have

Dan. ix. 4, &c.

Rom. i. 20, 25.

we entreated Thy face, O Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand Thy truth. Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and hath brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all His works which He doeth. And now, O Lord our God, have pity on us, through Thy Son Jesus Christ, and hear the prayers of Thy servants, and our supplications, and cause Thy face to shine upon our art, for Thy name's sake. O our God, incline Thine ear and hear; open Thine eyes and behold the poverty of our art, whereupon Thy name is called: for neither do we set forth our prayers before Thy face, trusting in our own righteousness, but in Thy manifold and great mercies. Hear us, O Lord, and be graciously pleased to listen to our prayers; and do not tarry, O Lord God, for both upon the art of healing and upon its disciples Thy blessing is implored. And this we beg for Jesus Christ His sake. Amen. (27.)

(13.) For God's Help in Teaching.

O MY Lord, Thou only art our King: help me, who am the least of the teachers of the art of healing, and who have no helper but Theey. Truly

y Esther xiv. 3, &c.

indeed unto me is committed, after the health of the souls of men, the greatest good of the human race, the health of their bodies. For whilst I teach medicine publicly, both by lecturing and in my writings, Thou wilt require from my hands the life of all men, not only of those whom I myself attend, but also of those whom others undertake to cure according to mine instruction. And now it is not sufficient for me, that in my practising medicine, I use both the greatest diligence and prudence through Thee, lest I should err; unless also I beware of teaching, either by my voice or in my writings, any thing that is false, any thing that may mislead, any thing that may be hurtful to others. Call me not to that for which I am not worthy, but send unto me Thy counsel and Thy help, and make perfect by Thy sufficiency one who plainly is not sufficient of himself; and help mine unworthiness, for I have no other help but Thee. Thou knowest all things, O Lord; Thou knowest that I hate the craft of the wicked, and abhor the deceit of vain arrogance. Thou knowest the necessity of my calling, and the sincerity of all my discourse and my doctrine, that I do not teach more than I have learnt, and that I come not to the office of teaching unless called and advised by many. And now I am Thy servant, and by Thee I have been supported to this time, even to the present