Meditationes praeparantes ad Mortem.
A Plea for Mercy
The penitent cries out for divine mercy, acknowledging the weight of sin and the hope of grace.
O Lord, revive and comfort my soul, for I have sinned against you. Lord, I remember all the years of my life spent in the bitterness of my soul because of my sin. My misdeeds have weighed heavily against me; O be merciful to my sin; for the sake of your name, be merciful to my sin, for it is great. Amen. Especially, O Lord, be merciful to me. Here, O Lord, be merciful to your servant. O Lord, don’t hold these against me, nor the rest. O Lord, let the depth of my sin call forth the depth of your mercies and your grace. Lord, let it come, so that where my sin has abounded, grace may abound even more.
Trust in the Shadow of Death
The believer expresses unwavering trust in God's presence and sovereignty, even when facing the prospect of death.
Lord, I believe; help my unbelief. O Lord, even if you were to kill me, I will still put my trust in you. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I won’t be afraid, because you are with me.✦ For I truly hope to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.✦ O let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, if it cannot pass from me, but I must drink from it, your will be done. You are the Lord; do whatever seems good to you. For I will take it as the Cup of Salvation and give thanks to your Name, O Lord. O Lord, grant that throughout all the days of my appointed time on earth, I may wait for when my change will come. If only you would hide me in the grave and keep me secret until your wrath has passed, and set a time when you will remember me! Say to my soul, O say it now, I am your Salvation. Command my spirit, whenever you wish, to be received up to you in peace. Oh, tell me to come to you; say to me, "Today you will be with me in Paradise." Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation.
Commending the Soul to the Trinity
The soul is committed into the hands of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter.
O Lord, blessed Trinity, three Persons and one God, have mercy on me. I entrust myself to your hands as to a faithful Creator. Lord, receive your own creation, not made by any strange god, but by you, the only living and true God. Lord, don't despise the work of your own hands. I am created in your own image and likeness; O do not allow your own image to be defaced, but renew it again in righteousness and true holiness. I entrust myself into your hands, as to a most gracious Redeemer; for you have redeemed me, O Lord God of Truth. O Lord, I am the price of your blood, your most precious blood; please don’t let such a great and invaluable price perish. O Lord, you came down from heaven to save what was lost; don't let what you have redeemed be lost. I entrust myself to your hands, as to my most blessed Comforter. O Lord, I’m weary and burdened, and I come to you to be refreshed by you. Behold, O Lord, I have been the temple of your holy Spirit; I confess that I have strangely polluted it; yet do not destroy me, but dedicate me anew, and sanctify me to yourself once again.
The Invocation of the Holy Name
The petitioner anchors their hope in the Name of the Lord, seeking mercy and identity through that sacred invocation.
O Lord, I bear your Name; it is your Name that is called upon me. For the sake of your Name, be merciful to me. O spare me, Lord; if not me, then let your own Name remain in me. Do not remember my sin, O Lord; don't let it be that in remembering it, you forget your own Name. I have desired to fear your Name, to love and to honor your Name. And I now desire to depart this life, invoking and confessing your Name. Lord, I confess it and call upon it; O come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Final Affirmations of Faith
The believer concludes with a series of affirmations regarding faith, hope, and forgiveness, ultimately resting in God's character.
I have sinned, O Lord! But I will not deny you; may the enemy never prevail so that I deny you. But I believe; O Lord, increase my faith, and don't let me be put to shame forever. But I hope; and what is my hope except you alone? Receive me according to your word, and don't let me be put to shame because of my hope. But I have prepared and directed my heart to seek you; and even if it’s not with the purity of the Sanctuary, still, do not extinguish or break the smoking flax and the bruised reed, O Lord Jesus. But I patiently endure your correction, and I remain silent because you have done it. But I forgive those who owe me, and You have promised to forgive those who forgive. But I throw myself upon you; don’t let me be cast away when I come to you. But I want to depart in the confession and invocation of Your name. Therefore, not for my sake, O Lord Jesus, or for anything of mine, but for your own sake. For the sake of your name. For the glory of your name and your truth. For your many, great, and wonderful mercies. For Christ the Mediator and the Spirit the Advocate, receive the one returning to you and turning back to you. Amen.
Read the original Latin
O Lord, quicken and comfort my soul, for I have sinned against thee. Lord, I call to mind all the years of my life past in the bitterness of my soul for my sin. My misdeeds have prevailed against me, O be thou merciful unto my sin; O for thy Names sake be merciful unto my sin, for it is great. Amen.
Namely and especially, O Lord, be merciful unto me, &c.
Herein O Lord be merciful unto thy servant. O Lord, lay not these, nor the rest unto my charge.
O let the depth of my sin call up the depth of thy mercies, of thy grace. Lord, let it come, that where my sin hath abounded, grace may supe…abound.
Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief.
O Lord, though thou kill me, yet will I put my trust in thee.
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, yet will I fear no evil. For I hope verily to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
O let this Cup pass from me; nevertheless, if it may not pass from me, but that I must drink of it, thy will be done.
Thou art the Lord, do what seemeth good in thine own eyes.
For I will take it as the Cup of Salvation, and give thanks to thy Name, O Lord.
O Lord, grant that all the dayes of my appointed time upon earth I may wait when my Changing shall come.
O that thou wouldst hide me in the grave, and keep me secret until thy wrath be past, and appoint me a time in which thou wilt remember me!
Say unto my soul, O say it now, I am thy Salvation.
Command my spirit, whenever thou wilt command it, to be received up to thee in peace.
O bid me come unto thee: say unto me, This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.
Lord thus, and now let thy servant depart in peace, that mine eyes may see thy Salvation.
O Lord, thou blessed Trinity, three Persons and one God, have mercy upon me.
I commend my self into thy hands as to a faithful Creator.
Lord, receive thine own Creature, not made by any strange God, but by thee the only living and true God.
Despise not, O Lord, the work of thine own hands.
I am created to thine own Image and likeness; O suffer not thine own Image to be defaced, but renew it again in righteousness and true holiness.
I commend my self into thy hands, as to a most gracious Redeemer: For thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of Truth.
O Lord, I am the price of thy Blood, of thy most precious Blood; O suffer not so great, so unvaluable a price to perish.
O Lord, thou camest down from heaven to redeem that which was lost; suffer not that to be lost which thou hast redeemed.
I commend my self into thy hands, as to my most blessed Comforter.
O Lord, I am weary and heavy laden, and I come to thee to be refreshed by thee. Behold, O Lord, I have been the Temple of thy holy Spirit; I have I confess, strangely polluted it; yet destroy me not, but dedicate me anew, and sanctifie me to thy self yet once again.
O Lord, I wear thy Name: 'tis thy Name that is called upon me. For thy Names sake therefore be merciful unto me. O spare, Lord, if not me, yet thine own Name in me. And do not so remember my sin, O Lord do not, as that in remembring it, thou forget thine own Name. I have desired to fear thy Name, to love and to honour thy Name. And I now desire to depart this life, in the Invocation and Confession of thy Name. Lord, I confess it and call upon it, O come Lord Iesu. Amen.
Peccavi O Domine!
Sed non negavi te: O nunquam praevaleat Inimicus ut negem.
Sed credo; O Domine adauge fidem, & non confundar in aeternum.
Sed spero; et quae spes mea nisi tu solus? suscipe me secundum eloquium tuum, & non confundar ab expectatione mea.
Sed praeparavi & direxi cor meum ad te quaerendum: & etiamsi non secundum munditiem Sanctuarii, tamen linum fumigans, & quassam arundinem nec extinguas nec frangas, O Domine Jesu.
Sed patienter sustineo castigationem tuam, & taceo quia tu fecisti.
Sed remitto debitoribus meis, et tu pollicitus es remissionem remittenti.
Sed projicio me in te; ne te subtrahas, & venientem ad te ne ejicias foras.
Sed in Nominis tui confessione & invocatione opto decedere.
Quare non propter me, O Domine Jesu, aut quicquam mei, sed propter temetipsum. Propter Nomen tuum. Propter gloriam Nominis tui, & veritatem tuam. Propter misericordias tuas multas, magnas, mirificas. Propter Christum Mediatorem, & Spiritum Paracletum, suscipe reversum ad se, & revertentem ad te. Amen.
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