A Prayer of Bishop Jeremy Taylor

O God, whose days are without end,
and whose mercies cannot be numbered;
make us, we beseech thee, deeply sensible
of the shortness and uncertainty of human life;
and let thy Holy Spirit lead us
in holiness and righteousness all our days:
that, when we shall have served thee in our generation,
we may be gathered unto our fathers,
having the testimony of a good conscience;
in the communion of the Catholic Church;
in the confidence of a certain faith;
in the comfort of a reasonable, religious, and holy hope;
in favour with thee our God,
and in perfect charity with the world.
All which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This lovely prayer by Jeremy Taylor 1613-1667, Bishop of Down, Connor & Dromore, is included in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church, for Visitation of the Sick. He is commemorated in the Church of Ireland on 13th August.