Perkins - BX9315 P465 1597

7heright may Ezechias lay ticke,ashe thought vpon his deathbedilre wept as for lomeo- thercaufes fo alfoforhis tinnes,andwithall he praied God to ca`` them-be -- hind his backe. Dauid made certaine Pfalmes when he was ficke,or atthe leadupon the occafionof his ficknes, as namely the fixt,the thirtietwo,the thirtie eight,the thirtienine,&c.and they all arePfalrnes ofrepentance: irr which we may fee how in difheffe ofbody and mindehe renewedhis faith and repentance,heartily bewailing hisfinncs,and intreating the Lord for the pardonofthem. Manaffes, one that fell fromGod, and gaue hirnfelfe to many horrible finnes, whemhewas taken captiuc and itnprifoned in Baby- ión,bepraied to the Lord 12.4 Sod, and humbled h:mfelfegreat(ybefore the god r.Chron.33. ofhisfathers,andpraied.mtohim: and god raes intreated ofhim.,,andbeardhie is,'3 praier,andbrought him agatne into Iertrfalem into his k;ingdorne, and then MA naffis knew that the Lordwas God. Now looke what Manaffes did in this trig bulation,the fame thingmuff we doe in the time ofour bodilyficknes. Here I haue occafion to:rnentionanotorious fault that is verycommon in this age,euen amongfuch as haue long liued in thebofom ofehe church: and that is this. Men now a dales are fo farre from renewingtheir faithand repentance, that when they lie ficke and are drawingtowarddeath , they muffbe Catechifed in the doh}nine of faith and repentance, as ifthey had binbut oflate receiued into the Church.Whofoeuerwill,but asoccafion is offered vifitthe ficke,(hall finde this to be true which I fay. What a fhame is this, that whenaman bath (pent hislife&, daies in theChurch for the (pace oftwentie or thirtie, or fourtie Meares, he fhould at the veryendeof all and not before,begintoinquire,whatfaith,and what repentance is,andhowhis foulemight be faued.This one tinne argues the great fecuritieofthisage,and thegreat contempt ofGod and hisword. Well,let all men hereafter in time tocome,be warned to take heedof this exceedingnegligence in mattersof faluation, and tovfe all goodmeanes beforehand,that they maybe able in ficknes and in the time ofdeath to put in pra6tife t he fpirituall exercites of inuocation and repentance. Nowiffo be it fallout that the fickepartie cannot ofhim relferenew his owne faith and repentance, he mutt (mite the helpe ofothers. When the man that was ficke ofthe dead pallie could not goe to Chrifl him felfc,he got otherstobeare him in his bed; and when they couldnot come ncre for themultitude they vncouered theroofe ofthehoule and let thebed downe. before Chrideeuen fo,when fickemen cannot alone by thenmfelues do the good duties towhich theyarcbound,theymuff borrow helpe from their fel- lowmembers; who arepartly by their couniell to put to their helpinghand, and partly by their praiets to prefentthem vntoGod, and tobring them in- to the pretenceofChrii}. And touching helpe in thiscafe,fundrieduties areto be perforeled.Saint Iames fees downefoure,two whereofconcerne the fickepad ent, and other two fuch as be helpers. The firfi dudeofthe Cake man is to fend for helpe where two circurnÁiances malt be confidered: who :nun be fear for, and when.

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