At the Beginning of the Illness

Help, Lord God, help

In this trouble!

I think Death is at the door.

Stand before me, Christ;

For Thou hast overcome him!

To Thee I cry:

If it is Thy will,

Take out the dart,

Which wounds me

Nor lets me have an hour’s

Rest or repose!

Will’st Thou however

That Death take me

In the midst of my days,

So let it be!

Do what Thou wilt;

Me nothing lacks.

Thy vessel am I;

To make or break altogether.

For, if Thou takest away

My Spirit

From this earth,

Thou dost it, that it may not grow worse,

Nor spot

The pious lives and ways of others.

In the Midst of the Illness

Console me, Lord God, console me!

The illness increases,

Pain and fear seize

My soul and body.

Come to me then,

With Thy grace, O my only consolation!

It will surely save

Everyone, who

His heart’s desire

And hopes sets

On Thee, and who besides

Despises all gain and loss.

Now all is up.

My tongue is dumb,

It cannot speak a word.

My sense are all blighted.

Therefore it is time

That Thou my fight

Conductest hereafter;

Since I am not

So strong, that I

Can bravely

Make resistance

To the Devil’s wiles and treacherous hand.

Still will my spirit

Constantly abide by Thee, however he rages.

At the End of the Sickness

Sound, Lord God, sound!

I think I am

Already coming back.

Yes, if it please Thee,

That no spark of sin

Rule me longer on earth.

Then my lips must

Thy praise and teaching

Bespeak more

Than ever before,

However it may go,

In simplicity and with no danger.

Although I must

The punishment of death

Sometime endure,

Perhaps with greater anguish

Then would now have

Happened, Lord!

Since I came

So near;

So will I still

The spite and boasting

Of this world

Bear joyfully for the sake of the reward

By Thy help,

Without which nothing can be perfect.

Zwingli, Huldreich. The Latin Works and The Correspondence of Huldreich Zwingli: Together with Selections from His German Works. Edited by Samuel Macauley Jackson. Translated by Henry Preble, Walter Lichtenstein, and Lawrence A. McLouth. Vol. 1. New York; London: G. P. Putnam’s Sons; Knickerbocker Press, 1912.

Please note our prayer and praise updates on the right side of the screen. As we head into the new year, it is good to remind ourselves that “the Lord is good — and his mercies endure”.

Do check our Resources section from time to time. We have added a French-language resource under the Documents sub-section.  Déclaration de foi 2011 Association réformée évangélique mondiale

Don’t miss these three new posts: A report from the World Reformed Fellowship by Fergus Macdonald, a new article on the health and wealth or prosperity Gospel by Dr. Whytock, and The Fall Newsletter. Please scroll down for these new postings.

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The current banner photograph was taken by Mrs. Nancy Whytock from the Caribou Nova Scotia – Wood Islands Prince Edward Island Ferry on the evening of September 13, 2019.