goethunder the name of some other Authour but also in his divine discourses wherin he acts the part of a Preacher he declares to the world that these remedies must be applied for he saith there is a time to heal and that a medicine doth good if rightly used for he compares it to a chearful spirit or rather a good conscience which is a continual feast CHAP. XIII CErtainly Ahab would never have been so sinfully ambitious to abtain the vineyard of Naboth for a garden of herbs If he had not understood their virtue as well as delight Doubtless the good will of him that dwelt in the bush is further declar'd to man-kind by the fruit the leaves and the flowers growing theron which he hath impregnated with such virtues that they are good for the healing of the nations in a corporal as well as in a spiritual sence those contemptible persons Job speaks of who cut up mallows by the roots probably understood they were nutrative and medicinal as the experience of many ages demonstrate CHAP. XIV THe bitter herbs appointed to be eaten with the pascal Lamb were not only typical but medicinal if we may beleeve some of the antients Nay a Dinner of herbs with Evangelical charity is preferd by Solomon before a costly banquet Medicinal herbs as Mint Anniss Rhue and Cummin c. were so much in use amongst the Jews that they layed tithes and costomary impositions upon them CHAP. XV. WHen the Church would make a Metaphorical description of the external and internal qualifications of her beloved doth she not compare him to those things that are most excellent and usefull as Myrrhe Aloes Cassia and all the chief Spices Without controversie Physitians are not onely usefull for the Embalming of the Dead as Joseph used them but for the recovering of the dying as our Saviour intimates when he saith the whole have no need of the Physitian but they that be sick have Who can be so weak as to imagine that the Art of the Apothecary should be employed only to prepare the Holy Oyntments for the Consecration of Priests and Kings of old and not to prepare variety of Medecines for the restauration of virtuous and pious Souls who through the meritorious death of the Son are made Kings and Priests unto God the Father CHAP. XVI THe Evangelical Prophet Esay reflecting upon the deplorable condition of the Church with the whole head sick and heart faint full of wounds bruises and putrifying sores being not bound up nor mollified with oyntments doth plainly intimate how necessary he thought the natural as well as the spiritual application of fit remedies in such a case which must needs be sad indeed when there is no Balm in Gilead and no Physitian there Jothams Parable may be useful thus far to instruct the world that not onely the Olive the Fig-tree and the Vine are usefull to Honour and cheer the Heart of God and man but also the bramble may have an excellency and superiority in some distempers for although its thorns do tear the flesh yet of its leaves are made a healing application Such is the Beneficence of our great Creator that since the Appearance of the second Adam we may eat of every tree in the garden without any prejudice to us or our posterity asking no question for conscience sake for the Earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof It is wonderfull to observe the miraculous providence of God in preserving the seminal virtues of plants from perishing by the deluge when we read not of any seeds preserv'd in the Ark the innocent Dove shewing a leaf to the new world preached a Sermon of Divine goodness so that the Poet might well say Quaelibet herba Deum c. CHAP. XVII EZechiels vision through Gods goodness may be daily seen a tree whose fruit is good for food and leaves for medicine Our Saviour the Physitian of Souls was Physitian of bodies too and not only commended the good Samaritan but acted the part of one throughout his whole life Saint Luke the beloved Physian was the quill of the holy dove the Divine Amanuensis The Angelick Spirits think it not an office inferior to their natureto be instrumental in the healing of the sick as may be seen in the stirring the waters of Bethesda Although our Saviors restoring sight to the blind man was miraculous yet means was used although but clay and spittle Saint Paul himself prescribes wine to Timothy as a medicinal cordial to chear his spirits and to support him under his infirmities CHAP. XVIII ANd the utility of Physicall Remedies is not onely demonstrated from Scripture but it may be evinced from the use of it by the most knowing and intelligent part of mankind both Jews and Pagans In the Temple of Esculapius there was a fountain of oyle with a golden Arch a perfect symbole of Physick the one denoting its usefullness the other its honour Again it is founded upon reason and attended with the experience of many Ages Therefore the unsuccesfulnes of it cannot be from the nature of the thing but from the misusings of it CHAP. XIX THe Design of medicines being not to prevent death for it is the unalterable Decree of Heaven that men must dye but it is to make life comfortable and to preserve natures lamp so long until there is no more oyl left to feed it And if we rightly understand the excellency of natural life it being that space of time alloted us for the securing our eternal state it highly concerns us to use those means which may be most likely to preserve it Now there are several things absolutely needfull in order to the preservation or restoration of natural life and must be observed or we cannot rationally apply the remedies The ability of the Physitian in prescribing The faithfulness of the Apothecary in preparing The regularity of the Patient in observing The care of Nurses in attending The strength of Nature in Assisting The Providence of God in influencing CHAP. XXI Concerning the choise of an able Physitian which is the unum necessarium in sickness next to the imploring the Divine Benediction This I may say that there is no action of a mans life of greater consequence neither doth any discover more of wisdom or folly then a preposterous or prudent choise There 's no wife man but will choose a person of learning experience and known integrity If a mans horse be troubled with the glanders it is a point of prudence to apply himself to the ablest Farrier for advise and not to every Hostler that hath a confidence to prescribe a drench If my watch want mending I would choose to send it to the most ingenious Artist People seldom are so imprudent in other things as they send not their Bellows to a lookinglass maker to mend but their bodies shall be sent to any mungrel Physitian who can sooner cure all Diseases then one The curing of Diseases being like mending a watch if not
those means which may preserve them in health and vigor King Asa was not condemned for using but for trusting to the Physitians CHAP. VI. IT is a great sin upon the pretence of Gods power to be disobedient to his will in despising Physick which God hath ordained to be the means to restore us to health this is to try what God can doe and yet neglect what he commands in not adminstering those things which are necessary for the body c. The miraculous cures which the Apostles effected by their Handkerchiffs and by Oyntment and laying on their hands these wholly ceased according to that rule cessante causa cessat effectus the cause of that miraculous power being only to confirm their Doctrine in its first preaching that being done that miraculous way ceaseth and therefore now men must use more ordinary means found out by reason and experience as the extraordinary way of understanding tongues is ceased we must doe it by humane industry and natural study The life is more then meat and the body then rayment and therfore queen Hester preferred life before liberty and importuned the King to grant the life of the Jews and told him if they had been sold for bondmen and bond-women she had held her peace CHAP. VII THe father of lyes never spake a greater truth then when he said skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life It is a precious Jewel and Solomon saith the Adulteress hunts for the precious life That which was sick was not to be offer'd in Sacrifice why should we not therefore indeavour to present our bodies a healthfull as well as a holy Sacrifice which is but reasonable service When the body is in a weak and languishing condition it is not fit for holy service and therefore one part of the happiness of heaven consists in a freedom from sickness and distempers there Leah shall not be blear eyed nor Mephibosheth halt Saint John prayeth for Gaius that his body might prosper and be in health even as his soul was And Saint James bids us pray for one another that we may be healed Now if it be our duty to pray for one anothers health much more ought we to indeavor to preserve our own CHAP. VIII THe soul sits uneasie in a diseased body The body it is the sheath of the soul as Daniel calls it if the sheath be defective or impaired it is prejuditial to the blade so when the Golden bowl is broken and the sound of the grinding is low and the strong men bow themselves then the Sun and the Moon and the Stars will be darkned That is all the faculties of the Soul will be clouded and not so fit to perform their several offices the understanding the memory and the fancy will not be so clear strong and lively and desire it self must needs fail Barzillai took small delight in the pleasures of the Court when his sight and his tast fail him Our bodies are members of Christ therfore we ought to have a respect for them neglecting of the body is by St. Paul reckoned as a peece of will Worship The best way to keep the body under is by a virtuous mind CHAP. IX THe cure of the Leprous persons under the Law was appointed to be managed by the Priest rather then by the Physitian because it concern'd him to keep back men who were Leprous from the Sanctuary although it is probably though he might have the advice of the Physician for their profession was ancient as we may observe in the 50 of Genesis It is very remarkable the conformity between the Leprous contagion and the Law of cleansing the Leprosie did putrifie the skin and opposite to that was Cedar-wood commended against putrefaction it was of an offensive colour opposite to that was the colour of scarlet of an ill sent contrary to that was the sweetness of Hysop it did consume the flesh and bring death there was the sparrow let loose a significant sign of recovery and continuance of life It is probably thought that the prohibition of many sorts of meats in the 11 of Leviticus was not only upon a moral but also upon a physical account because they yield no good nourishment but are unwholsome CHAP. X. THe world is very full of complaints of the ineffectual application of Medicines in order to the procuring of Health when it is lost or the preservation of it when enjoyed and doubtlesse the the cause of these complaints must arise from the imprudent and preposterous use of so excellent an ordinance of God for the good of mankinde for who but a person whose reason is unhinged and whose intellectuals are Eclipsed with the fogs of ignorance or prejudice can reflect any deficiency in those remedies themselves which are designed by the God of nature to be good for food and physick even every herb bearing seed therefore he that dare to say in his heart ther is no God who hath given every herb for the service of man his folly is manifest to all men doubtless that profession which hath received a pattent from the King of Kings and the great preserver of men must needs be of great utillity transcendent excellency Shal the Almighty himl f prescribe an Emolient Cataplasme for the plague-sore of Hezekias in order to the addition of 15 years to his life and shall any condemn so noble a faculty as physick is in it self if rightly applyed CHAP. XI HOw many singular examples of physical applications do the inspired penmen of holy writ exhibit to us and whatsoever was written aforetime was written for our learning Were not the waters of Mara made salutiferous by the casting in of medicinal ingredients Without doubt the sons of the prophets had a physical intention in the composition of ther Broth with physicall herbs although it was attended with a mistake as to the nature of the simple CHAP. XII KIng Solomon who had the priviledge granted him from the only wise God to be the only wise man made it his business to enquire into the nature of vigetables from the tallest Cedar to the contemptible Hysop and shall we cast the Imputation of folly upon him whom the spirit of God hath recorded for the most eminent example of Wisdom and imagine that he spent his time in such a study as was not likely to be profitable to human nature shall he whose brow was incircled with a glittering Diadem whose Gold was so plentious as to pave his palace whose orchards were replenisht with delicious fruits whose eares were entertain'd with the most harmonious melodies and had all the delights of the sons of men shall he I say condescend to the study and improovement of physick and yet Contemptible fooles despise it The wiseman doth not onely tell us with what remedies the Almighty heales men and takes away their pains in his discription of the variety of plants a book which possibly the world hath lost or else
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE SHADOW OF THE Tree of Life Or a Discourse of the Divine Institution and most effectual Application of Medicinal Remedies In order to the Preservation and Restauration of Health By J. M. LONDON Printed for John Wilkins and are to be sold at his shop in Exchange-Alley by the Exchange-Coffee-House 1673. Courteous Reader WHen we reflect upon the erronious Principles and impertinent Practices of men in the Application of Medicines and observe how many destroy themselves thereby some possessed with Turkish Principles think to palliate all omissions in this kind by reflecting upon a Devine determination abstracted from the concurrence of second causes Others looking not upon it as a Divine Institution but only as a Pollitick trick to maintain a Society of men though grofly mistaken And some whose ignorance hath betrayed them into the hands of the unskillfull and not finding the event answer their expectation they make bold to condemn the whole Faculty for an Imposture As if because a man went to Sea with an unskilfull Pilot who runs his Vessel upon a Rock and lost all his Goods therefore the Art of Navigation must be condemned for unprofitable and vain Nay some are so fantastical as to think extreame Vnction sufficient to answer all intentions of Physical applycations And many other such evil conceipts may be seen under the Sun whereby men cheat themselves of their lives It being in Physick as in Divinity for the most sacred institutions are insignificant unto the Souls of men if not rightly received and applyed So the most wholesom remedies are unprofitable unto the bodies of men if not used in a due manner Now the design of the Authour of this small Treatise is only to take notice of the bounty of our great Creator in his provision of necessaries conducing to the health of natural life and also to direct to those proper Rules requisite to be observed in the right administration of naturall remedies here are no private receipts to amuse the vulgar and it may be the more useful because discourses of this nature are seldom seen in publick Therefore read and improve to the best advantage viz. the preservation of health which is the greatest temporall Blessing we can enjoy Without it the most delicious dainties will not please the pallate the most fragrant Odors will not delight the smell the most Harmonious melodies will not gratifie the ear the most beautiful objects will not please the eye the softest down will not ease the bones It is that which makes all our delights delightfull without which we can sollace our selves in no temporal enjoyments Health is that which renders the body serviceable to the soul for when our flesh upon us is in pain our souls within us doe usually mourn and we are unfit for holy services Health is that which renders us fit for the enjoyment of humane Society it preserves the faculties of the mind in strength and vigor makes the wit acute and the memory retentive Seeing then that Health is a blessing attended with so many priviledges and men are subject to dash upon so many quick sands in the persuite of it surely it cannot be unprofitable to humane nature to direct to those means which may be most likely to preserve or restore it but rather of the greatest and most comfortable Importance next to the salvation of our Souls Yours J. M. THE SHADOW OF THE Tree of Life Or a Discourse of the Excellency and Divine Institution of Medicinal Remedies Chap. I. THat every man is bound by the Law of God and Nature to keep the clayey Cottage of his Body in reparation and to use all possible means to preserve his naturall life in health and vigour none can question we being tenents at the will of our Great Landlord in these houses of Earth it ought to be our concern to take care least they run to ruine through neglect and so we expose our selves to an Inditement at the bar of Heaven for Delapidations he that is no life preserver is a self murtherer a felo de se in the sight of God that command thou shalt not kill doth strictly obliege us to preserve life both our own and others CHAP. II. THe Jews were to be at the charge of any mans cure whom they had hurt or any way prejudiced in their bodily health so as to expose them to expence or danger much more ought we to take care of our own cure if Divine providence lay any distemper upon us He who breathed into man the breath of Life at first and in whom we still live and move and have our being hath commanded us to pray for our daily bread viz. the necessary supports of this life and if we must pray for them certainly we must use them Chap. III. ALthough we live not by bread alone but by the word of blessing which proceeds out of the mouth of God yet the blessing is annext to bread not to stones that man will not trust God but tempt him who shall expect to have stones turned into bread if God have appointed staires it 's not faith but fury to go down by a Precipiece Holy David trusting in the Name of the Lord made him not throw away his sling when he went against Goliah Jacob's supplicating of God made him not neglect to send a present to his Brother the fast of Hester made her not forget to feast the King second causes are to be used in obedience to Gods order not in confidence of there own help Faith should cause us to be so diligent in the use of means as if God did nothing for us and yet so draw us from trusting in the means as if God were to do all for us CHAP. IV. Saint Pauls Mariners could not expect preservation unless they did abide in the Ship notwithstanding they had a promise of their lives Balaams Ass may instruct men that a mercifull man should be mercifull to his Beast much more to himself Our blessed Saviour makes it a great piece of Religion to visit the Sick and one of those actions according to which our final sentence will be determined The Shunamite woman took a journey and importuned the Prophet to use the best means he could to cure her Son CHAP. V. NAman was commanded to wash seven times in Jordain for the cure of his Leprosie although he would have had the Prophet only prayed for him If the Centurion were importunate with our Saviour to cure his servant when sick of a Palsie certainly all pious men ought to be concerned for the cure and ease of there servants and themselves when laid upon the bed of sickness and to apply themselves to the most proper remedies If the body of the Priest under the Law were to be without natural blemishes and distempers who were to offer Sacrifices in the material Temple why should not Christians under the Gospel whose bodies are the temples of the holy Ghost be carefull to use
man may dye in a time when God forbids and yet dye when God permits and live out all Gods time who wickedly shortens his own The murmuring Isralites were buried in the wilderness notwithstanding their promise of seeing Canaan their infidelity anticipated their funerals The wages of sin is death and may as justly be payd in the morning as in the evening of our lives Indeed temperance doth not alwayes prove an Antidot against the Pestilence nor Abstinence a preservative against Famin nor innocence a security from the stroke of injustice but they are likely meanes The flagitious impiety of the old world sent a Deluge which possibly might have been prevented had their repentance been as visible as the Ninevites was who were repreived from execution after the sentence of death had passed upon them whereby omnipotence did demonstrate that he hath reserved a power in his own hands to length then or shorten the lives of men as he pleaseth and to make the sands in the glass of time run swift or slow according to his pleasure it is very observable how the Patriarks out-lived all their titles of consanguinity yet none lived to a compleat thousand years some indeed give this reason for it be cause God would make good his threatning to Adam that in the day he eat he should dye the death and so they would compute a day for a thousand years as St. Peter speaks but this is trifling and foolish A more probable reason may be to declare to the world the vanity of life when those who lived longest could not arrive to such a period which in comparison of Gods eternity is but a day CHAP. XXXVII SIn brought death at first and as sin increased death came near er by 500 years presently after the flood man sinned still and built Castles in the air and then it is reduced to 200 years and by Moses time half that remnant is taken away and threescore and ten is the period had God gone on still to shorten our dayes as we increased in sin our life by this time had not been a day long and therefore he no longer destroys the kind but punisheth the individual and sets it down for a rule viz. evil shall slay the wicked So that not one in 500 arrive at that state which they might attain unto by the course of nature but end their dayes in sin and folly and in a period appointed in anger we may easily observe how the blessing of health is contradicted by an impious life for from surfeting proceeds disolution of members relaxation of nervs fractures of bones inflamation of the liver crudities of the stomach which Solomon sums up besides the uncleanly consequences of lust which hunt for the pretious life and like a dart strike through the liver and the casual deaths caused by Jealousies and animosities thus providence intervenes and suffers not nature to take its course by reason of impieties CHAP. XXXVIII IT is observable that not a Son dyed a natural death before the Father for three thousand years untill Terahs time who was the first that taught the people to make Images of clay and corrupted the Worship of God his son Haron was snatched away by death before him The Jewish Rabbins do observe that during the standing of the second Temple there were 300 high priests but in the time of the first but 18 which stood within 10 years as long as the first which may be much attributed to their impieties It is thought by some of the antients that Balaam's wish to dye the death of the righteous was not only that he might be sav'd at last but also seeing what judgments God had purposed to bring upon the Moabites that he might come to his grave in a good old age with his father in peace we live by the word of blessing out of the mouth of God every command if observ'd like food and physick tends to the length of our natural as well as spiritual lives CHAP. XXXIX THe fear of God is the best Antidote against sickness as it is a direct enemy to sin which brought in death If sin destroy soul and body why should not piety preserve both If the sting of conscience torment body as well as soul doubtless peace of conscience releives both Why may not the soul as well conduce to the prolongation of the body as to the immortality of it Why may not the body have the perfection of life viz. health from the soul as life it self CHAP. XL. THe circumstantial actions of piety are influential towards the lengthening the lives of men as the sweet sleeps of temperate persons and their freedome from violent and inraged passions and the admirable contentment that dwells in a holy conscience these must necessarily conduce to a healthfull life Dying to sin is an excellent means to preserve life if men would try the experiment It is observed that the male heir of Ely's family dyed as soon as born for many generations according to a divine threatning until they set themselves unto a serious humiliation and solemn repentance We live not at an adventure but the manner and moments of our death come under a divine appointment the Jews could not prejudice our Saviours life untill his hour was come viz. that hour which by a special providence was appointed to be his last hour although St. Paul was in deaths often yet he dyed not before providence thought meet it is appointed to men once to dye that is it is once appointed to men to dye CHAP. XLI A Man may shorten his own dayes but he cannot shorten a Divine determination the date of Hezekia's life was lengthened with respect to himself but not in respect of Divine purpose that is the same be our time long or short CHAP. XLII Object But if Piety doe so prevaile with God to lengthen our lives how comes it to pass that many good and holy men dye whilst in the prime of their years Answer Those that reason thus doe not consider that the righteous may be taken away from the evil to come and by their deaths God may serve other ends of his Providence and yet make his promise good by recompensing Temporal with Eternal life Although God hath promised long life to them that obey yet he never promised that he would not borrow our natural lives as it were and make a glorious exchange CHAP. XLIII DEath may sometimes be a great mercy and life a great misery It is observed that from Adam to to the Flood by the Patriarks were eleven Generations but by Cains line eight they being shorter lived because God intending to bring a flood upon the World rescued the Elect from the fatall Deluge And the same reason is generally given in case Infants dye before the use of reason for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven Although Abijah came to his grave whilst young yet ther was some good thing found in him towards the Lord God of Israel
our selves for the solemnities of our funerals sicknes it is a gradual puting of this vail of flesh that we may be cloathed upon with our house which is from heaven it is the the harbinger of death that we may say with that holy man when sickness comes death worketh in us death works apace it works away our health it works away our strength it works away our ease and works us into our graves CHAP. LII LOrd make me to know my end was the sickbed prayer of holy David When patient Job was almost suffocated with the violence of his distemper he concludes thus I know thou wilt bring me to death and to the house appointed for all living CHAP. LIII ANother design of God in sickness is to communicate experience of his power and goodness in strengthning and supporting under it Then is his strength made perfect in weakness then hath the pious soul experience of Divine power strengthning him upon his bed of languishing and making all its bed in its sickness when flesh and heart failes then God demonstrates to the soul that he is the strength of its heart and portion for ever Thus sickness is sometimes laid upon us is that we may experience the excellency of divine visits that in the end we may say thy visitation hath preserved my spirit CHAP. LIV. SOmetimes sickness is laid upon us to make us sympathize with others in the same condition David speaking of his very enemies when they were sick sackcloth was his clothing how much more should we sympathize with the members of our spiritual head and be sensible of the afflictions of Joseph CHAP. LV. ANother end of sickness is to teach us to pray when our bodies are the sinks of filthy humors our souls should be vialls of precious Odors Hezekias turned his face to the wall and prayed when his life was like to be cut off with pining sickness when our natural beauty doth consume away like a moth then we begin with an O spare me that I may recover strength before I go hence and be seen no more And we begin to pour out a prayer when heavens chastising hand is upon us CHAP. LVI SIckness is many times sent to try whether we will resign our selves and Relations up by Death as Job did his children and as holy Ely said It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good Sometimes the knife of sickness is ready to slay an Isaac to try whether we will be willing to sacrifice him to the will of God If he will have our friends to eternity who can give a randsom for them We are apt to cry after them as Elisha did when Elijah was taken to heaven My Father my Father but he stopt not to answer him O Absolom my Son my Son cryeth the affectionat parent would God I had dyed for thee Why should we mourn and weep for our dying Relations when all tears are wiped from their eyes and they are singing Hallelujahs with harps in their hands to him that sits upon the throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever The more lovely and excellent the friend was we parted with the more admirable was our obedience CHAP. LVII SIckness sometime coms to try whether we are willing to leave this world and to come to glory We should live so as to be ready at an hours-warning to leave all and to go to eternity Thou shal call me out of this life and I will answer thee said the holy man Sometimes a Feaver or a consumption stands at the bed-side and cries Husband come away from thy wife Parent come away from thy child now how ready should we be to be offered and how willing that the time of our departure be at hand that upon the least intimation we may readily go up to mount Nebo and dye CHAP. LVIII MAny times divine providence bids us go into a distemper and dye and go into a sick bed and dye and certainly did we but with an eye of faith see whether our diseases would carry us it would be a thousand times harder duty to be content to live then to be willing to dye if sincere Christians CHAP. LIX ANother arrant that sickness comes upon it is to try whether we will hold fast our integrity when the hand of Heaven toucheth our bone and our flesh he that can trust God although he kill him the trial of that mans faith is more pretious then Gold and will conduce to his praise honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ CHAP. LX. ANother end it is to conform us more more to the divine Image one great part of sick bed chastisements is to make us partakers of Gods holines although the outward man decay the inward man is thereby renewed day by day after the image of him that created it outward pains often procure inward peace The loadstone of mercy draws us not so nearly unto the likeness of God as the cords of affliction CHAP. LXI ANother arrant sickness comes upon it is to turn men from the ways of sin and iniquity unto virtue and obedience hence God complains of the Jews I have sent amongst you the pestilence yet have you not returned many times a fit of sickness it doth more good than an hundred Sermons Sickness it comes to convince of sin which is the meritorious cause of all diseases When our own wickedness doth correct us we should then know and see that it is an evil thing and a bitter to forsake the Lord in all our weaknesses God looks upon us to see if any say I have sinned and it profiteth me not This was the effect of holy David's sickness for he cryeth out There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin CHAP. LXII IF we did but behold the plagues the Consumptions the inflamations and the extreame burnings that attends as pageâ— upon our pride wantoness carnallity and intemperance we should stand in awe and sin not but commune with our own hearts upon our sick beds and our spirits would make a more dilligent search into the causes of our distempers CHAP. LXIII ANother errant of sickness is to convince us of the vanity of the creature what a vain treasure is that which a lump of phlegme may take from us a dead corps is a poor thing it must return naked as it came into the world If we could but view our selves as we lye in our Graves and Coffins what a poor thing would the World be in our eyes When a man looks upon his stately buildings and sees the sweet situation the wholesome aire the convenient rooms oh what golden dreams a man is involved in but did we see Death coming up into our windows what pleasure then hath a man in his house after him when the number of his moneths are cut of in the midst How vain are Noble Pedigrees and generous extractions and ancient Families when we must
it out This is like the Jews Truly this is my grief and I must bear it as well as I can thus men put from them the evil day and talk as if they were but beginning to live when they are ready to dye and boast as if they made a covenant with death It highly provokes God that when his hand is lifted up they will not see it Frowardness exasperates our calamities Now there are several considerations that may move Christians to patience and a willing submission unto the hand of God in sickness as to consider That it is laid upon us by a loving and wise Father and this may compose our spirits Shall we not drink the cup which our Father hath given us to drink we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of Spirits and live they chastened us after their own pleasure but He for our profit CHAP. LXXVIII SIckness it is a pledg of our Adoption God afflicts in faithfulness He aims at our good thereby and in making sore he binds up faithful are the wounds of such a friend when the righteous God smites he doth us a kindness we are not in heaviness except need be let us not say We are sick so as to complain if sin be pardoned Again Consider how many years of health you have injoyed formerly this may compose the spirits And shall we receive good at the hand of God and not evil Again Consider that it might be worse It is a mercy we are not utterly consumed that we are out of hell that we are scourged with rods not with scorpions that our calamity is a natural infirmity not a wounded spirit for that is intolerable Again consider that if our sickness be never so painful we brought it upon our selvs We should therefore bear the indignation of the Lord because we have sinned against him CHAP LXXIX A Gain the best of men in all ages have been exposed to the same distempers of body Lazarus whom Christ loved was sick It is nothing but what is common to man and we may take the Prophets and Apostles for our examples in suffering affliction of the like kind and of patience Lastly look beyond all these sorrows and sickness the Time is short the Coming of the Lord draws nigh Heaven will make amends for all take a prospect of the Land of Promise where there shall be no more crying nor pain but sorrow sighing and sickness shall fly away And these Rules being observed in sickness would be an effectual way to procure the concurrence of a Divine blessing with the means that are used towards the preservation of natural life A serious contemplation of Heaven and a future State where these vile weak languishing bodies shall be made like the glorious body of Christ in spiritual agility and immortallity may exhilarate the spirits of a Christian when his flesh upon him is so in pain as to cause his soul with in him to mourn Spiritual peace is the best cordial to chear up the heart against bodily pains the inhabitants of Sion complain not of sickness if sin be but pardoned Our bodies are like Nebuchadnezzar's Image whose feet were of clay our foundations are in the dust and it is as natural for our bodies to be out of frame as for a Watch to be irregular in its motions nay far more natural besides our indispositions depend upon supernatural causes Sometimes sickness and divine wrath are concomitants as Solomon intimates and then its sad indeed and sometimes it comes to good purposes if Naaman had not been Leprous he would not have given the Prophet a visit Detrimenta Corporis incrementa virtutis Be mercifull unto me O Lord for I am weak and my bones are sore vexed saith holy David when Gods chastning was upon him The sickness of the body many times brings the body of sin into a Consumption and the holiness of the heart is many times promoted by the weakness of the body when Jacob's thoughts were in Heaven he minded not his Thigh being out of Joynt Surely it is a mercy that God hath abridged so much of the term of mans life in these last days wherein so much of Heaven is discovered that it would put a Saints patience to it to know so much of the upper worlds glory and yet to be kept so long from it as the Fathers in the first Ages were Such is the Saints state in this world that their very life and the pompous entertainments of it are but their cross because they detain them from their Crown CHAP. LXXX VVHen we seriously consider and reflect upon the nature of man in this State of mortality and observe the wonderful composure of our Bodies the Scituation of the Parts the circulations of the Blood the secret meanders of the Veines and Nerves and the curious distributions and digestions of our aliment into Blood and Flesh and take notice how small an obstruction in any part will discompose our health and stop the current of our ease how small an inflammation will transport us into an other world as if we went in a fiery Chariot how mean a putrifaction is able to crumble us into our first Original These things considered may not only compose our spirits under sickness but fill us with admiration that we live an hour in health and ease Did we but consider our frame and remember we are but dust how should we wonder that every blast of aire doth not blow us into our sick beds and graves We are as naturally exposed to trouble and sickness as the sparks are to fly upwards why then should we not be thankfull that pains and anguish are not our constant companions CHAP. LXXXI VVEre it possible for a man to stand upon one of the Battlements of Heaven and with one glance of his eye to behold all the wounds and Diseases and so hear all the groans and complaints of all the sick persons in the world how would the blessing of health be prized by such a one how uneasie a place is a sick bed when the man is full of tossing to and fro until the dawning of the day when it is day withing t were night and when it is night wishing for day imploying his time in telling the Clock and entertaining melancholy apprehensions of the blackness of the night Sick men as Seneca observes Aegrotantes mutationibus ut remediis utuntur use changes as if they were remedies How miserable in outward appearance is that mans case whose flesh is cloathed with worms as holy Jobs was Some Criticks do observe that the word translated flesh it springs from a root which signifieth to bring glad tidings and the Gospel is exprest by it Evangelium and they give this reason for it because there must be a taking off Flesh viz. the incarnation of Christ which would bring the best news the world ever heard of CHAP.