Tbe 'Duty of others about the Sick. CHAP. XXXI. VireEHons to the Friends of tl1e Sick tl~at lire about tl1em. 9· ,, Diw5t. •· w· Hen you fie tbe fick,.ntfs or dtath of your ftiendt, tal<! it at Gods war~· Dirt/1. ,. ing to you to prepare for tbe fame your [tlvts: Remember that thus 1t mull be with you; Thus are you hke to lye in pain, and thus w1ll all the world forfake you, and nothing of all your honour or wealth, w1ll afford you any comfort: This w1ll be the end of all your pleafures, ot your greatnefs, and your houfes, and lands, and attendance, and of all your delicious meats and drmk5 ; and of all your mirth, and play, and recreations: Thus mufi your catkaffes be forfaken of your fouls, and laid in a grave, and there lie rotting in the dark; and your fouls appear before your Judge, to be fentenced to their endlefs !late. This certainly will be your cafe!. and 0 how quickly will it come> 1btn what will Chri!\ and Grace be worth? 1hm nothing but the f•vour ofGod can comfort you. 1htn whether will it be better to you, to look back on a holy well-fpcnt life, or upon a lite of 1\dhly eafe and pleafure : 1hen had you rather be a Saint or a S~nfualift• Lay this to heart, and let the houfe of mourning make you better ; and live as one ~hat looks to dye. . 9· 2. Dirc6t. 2. Vfe the beft m,.ns for the recovery of the fick.., t.hich tht ab/eft Phyficions fhall ad· Dtrt/J. 2· viji you to, as far as you art •hleo Take heed of being guilty of the Pride and folly of many felf-c6nceited ignorant perfrms who are ready to thruO: every Medicine of their own, up0n their friends ip. ficknefs, when they 11eirher know the nature of the fickncfs, or the cure : Mlfly thoufands are brougl\t to their dea~h untimely, by the folly of their nearell friends, who will needs be medicining them, and ruling them, and d<fpiling the Phyficion, as if they were thcmfelv<S much wifer than he, when they art meerly ignorant of what they do. As ignbnnt Sethries defpife Divines, and fet up them· felves as better Preachers, fo manY filly Women defpife Phyficiqns, and when they have got afew Me.. dicines, which they know not the narure of, nor li"ow to ufc, they take themfe]vcs for the betrer Phylicions, and the lives of their poor friends mull pay for their prid'e and folly. No means fnnfi be rrufttd ro inftead of God, but the btft mufl be ufid in fubfervience unto God. And one would think that a fmall mcafure of wit and humitify might ferve to make filly women underfiand, that they that never beftowed one year in the ftudy of Phyfick, are not fo likely to nnderlland ir, as thofe ihat have iludied and pra6tifcd it a great part of their lives. lt is fad to fee people kill their dearel\ friends in kindnefs; even by that ignor.. ct and proud [elfconceitednefs, which alfo maketh them the dcllroyers of their own fouls. 9· 3• ~ell. Bur feeingGod bath appointed aY mens time, 'R>hat gnod c.n Phyfick.. do? IfGotl hath fi!.!!eff; appoinud them to live they jhaO live, and if he have app3inwi tiJem to tlye, it is not Phyfick that can fave tbtm. Anfrv. T~is is the fooli{h reafoning of wicked people abou_t their ~lvarion: IfGod havt appointed Anf,.; me to folvatmt, I jhaU be faved; if he bavt uot, all my dzhgence wzll do na good. Bur fuch people know not what they talk of. God bath made your duty more open and known to you,than his own decrees. And you feparate thofe things which he hath joyned together. As Gad Mth appointed no man to falvation fimp1y w~t~out rcf~eet to th~ meant of falvation; fo God hath appointed no man to live, but by the meanr of life•..Hts .Decree 1S not [ Sui:h a man jhall bt foved] or [ S,uch a man jhaY live fo l•ng J only; But th1s IS Ius Decree, [Such a manjha/1 bt foved, in the way of faitiJ and holinefi, and in the diligent u[t of mwts] and [Such a man (hall live fo l•ng, by the ufe of tbofe me.ns whzch I have fitted for rht prefirvation of his lift: J So that as he that livetb a bnly lift may be, fure he 1s chofen ro falvation ( if he perfevere ) and he that is ungodly ir.ay be fure that he is in the way to Hell ; fo he that negletteth the mc~n1 of his health and lite, doth lhew thit it is unlike that God bath appointed him to live: and he that ufeth the l:Jt:H means is liker to, rttiH~er ( though the befl will not c:ure uncurable Difeafes, nor make a ma.n itnmorral ). The rcafoning ~ the fame, as if you fhould fay, [IfGod have appointed me to live fo long, I lhllllive though I neither. CJt nor drink:. But if he have not~ eating and. drinking _will not p~olo~g my life]: · Bur you rnllfr know, that Goe1 cloth not only appomt ynt to l1vc, ( thac IS but ha'lf h1s Decree) but he dtc'reeth [ that y m }ball live by eating and driu~ing J. ~ , §. 4 Dirc6t. 3• Mind your friends bctimes " make their Wills, and prudently bj good advice roftttlt direfl. i: tbe~r tjfat.u, that they ma~ leave na occa{l~u of con!cndittg a~o~t it, when they_ are deaJ. This ttuuld be done m health, becauicof the uncertatnty ofhfe: But If It be undone till hcknefs' it fhould then be dono hetirnes. The neglecr ofir oft caufeth much finlul contending about wOild!y things even among thofe near relations, who lhould live in the greatell amity and peace: '
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=