[131] John i. 10-12: iii. 16, 19, 20; Rom. vii. 20-25, 9; Psal. xi. 1-5.
[132] Matt. xxviii. 19, 20, 2; John xvii.; Rev. i. 18; Rom. x. 9-12.
[133] Heb. xii. 7-9; Rom. viii. 28.
CHAPTER XXXI.
DIRECTIONS TO THE FRIENDS OF THE SICK, THAT ARE ABOUT THEM.
Direct. I. When you see the sickness or death of friends, take it as God's warning to you, to prepare for the same yourselves. Remember that thus it must be with you: thus are you like to lie in pain; and thus will all the world forsake you, and nothing of all your honour or wealth will afford you any comfort. This will be the end of all your pleasures, of your greatness, and your houses, and lands, and attendance; and of your delicious meats and drinks; and of all your mirth, and play, and recreations. Thus must your carcasses be forsaken of your souls, and laid in a grave, and there lie rotting in the dark; and your souls appear before your Judge, to be sentenced to their endless state. This certainly will be your case: and oh how quickly will it come! Then, what will Christ and grace be worth! Then, nothing but the favour of God can comfort you. Then, whether will it be better to you to look back on a holy, well-spent life, or upon a life of fleshly ease and pleasure? Then, had you rather be a saint, or a sensualist? Lay this to heart, and let the house of mourning make you better, and live as one that looks to die.
Direct. II. Use the best means for the recovery of the sick, which the ablest physicians shall advise you to, as far as you are able. Take heed of being guilty of the pride and folly of many self-conceited, ignorant persons, who are ready to thrust every medicine of their own upon their friends in sickness, when they neither know the nature of the sickness or the cure. Many thousands are brought to their death untimely, by the folly of their nearest friends, who will needs be medicining them, and ruling them, and despising the physician; as if they were themselves much wiser than he, when they are merely ignorant of what they do. As ignorant sectaries despise divines, and set up themselves as better preachers, so many silly women despise physicians; and when they have got a few medicines, which they know not the nature of, nor how to use, they take themselves for the better physicians, and the lives of their poor friends must pay for their pride and folly. No means must be trusted to instead of God, but the best must be used in subservience unto God. And one would think that a small measure of wit and humility might serve to make silly women understand, that they that never bestowed one year in the study of physic, are not so likely to understand it, as those that have studied and practised it a great part of their lives. It is sad to see people kill their dearest friends in kindness; even by that ignorance and proud self conceitedness, which also maketh them the destroyers of their own souls.
Quest. But seeing God hath appointed all men's time, what good can physic do? If God hath appointed them to live, they shall live; and if he have appointed them to die, it is not physic that can save them.
Answ. This is the foolish reasoning of wicked people about their salvation. If God have appointed me to salvation, I shall be saved; if he have not, all my diligence will do no good. But such people know not what they talk of. God hath made your duty more open and known to you, than his own decrees. And you separate those things which he hath joined together. As God hath appointed no man to salvation simply without respect to the means of salvation; so God hath appointed no man to live but by the means of life. His decree is not, Such a man shall be saved, or, Such a man shall live so long, only; but this is his decree, Such a man shall be saved, in the way of faith and holiness, and in the diligent use of means, and, Such a man shall live so long, by the use of those means which I have fitted for the preservation of his life. So that as he that liveth a holy life, may be sure he is chosen to salvation, (if he persevere,) and he that is ungodly, may be sure that he is in the way to hell; so he that neglecteth the means of his health and life, doth show that it is unlike that God hath appointed him to live; and he that useth the best means is liker to recover (though the best will not cure incurable diseases, nor make a man immortal). The reasoning is the same, as if you should say, if God have appointed me to live so long, I shall live though I neither eat nor drink; but if he have not, eating and drinking will not prolong my life. But you must know, that God doth not only appoint you to live, that is but half his decree, but he decreeth, that you shall live by eating and drinking.
Direct. III. Mind your friends betimes to make their wills, and prudently by good advice to settle their estates, that they may leave no occasion of contending about it when they are dead. This should be done in health, because of the uncertainty of life; but if it be undone till sickness, it should then be done betimes. The neglect of it oft causeth much sinful contending about worldly things, even among those near relations, who should live in the greatest amity and peace.