The Physic of the Soul, Title page
¶ The Physyke of the soule, wherein thou shalt finde many Godly emplastures & confortable salues agaynst al spiritual diseases very necessary to be red of the true christians in these last and perilous dayes. Set forth by Thomas Becon.
Math. xi.
Come vntounto me all ye that are sycke & dyseased, and I shal release you of your paynes.
Imprinted at london the tenth day of Iulii. …nno Domini. M.D.xlix. And are to be solde by William hill remainig at the Sygne of the Hyll in Paules Churche Yarde.
Benedic Anima mea Domino.
The Physyke Of the soule.
The diseases whe… wt out bodyes are troubled, & ye death which oure b… dyes ilyke maner must of necessite suffer, do very greatelye vexe & disquiete oure mindes, yea and that with no smal feare and trembling: insomuche yt many tymes, euen at the namīge of thē …or whē any menciō of th…m is made a… all, we shake and tremble for f…are. Certes, the nature of mā, whych had rather not to be, thē to be euel at ease or dysquyeted, when these euylles are at hand, can noue otherwise, then waxe pale and be sorowful, but yet can ther not chaūce to man a more fearse or more horrible, or cruel misfortune, thē ye dysease of ye soule & ye death of y• same. But for asmuche as eueryevery man doth drede and fle with all haste p…ssyble the punishementes troubles dyseases, sicknesses, and thys death of the body: verely we ought muche more to auoyd and eschue the causes of these euelles: I meane, sinne and vngodlines, and to feare the heauy dyspleasure of God whych throw oure innumerable offences we pro…oke so many tymes agaynst vsus. When we be diseased …n our body, we rūne streght way…s vntounto a Phisycian, wee spare no cost in thys behalfe. Nothyng is to deare for the health of our lyfe. We lashe out oure monie plenteously in biynge remedyes & salues, that thys earthly vessel and sheal, which notwithstanding, shal shortlye after decaye, may be recouered and amended. Why do we not lykewyse wyth a… muche study and care, couete and seeke after remedyes against the diseases of the Soule? seing… they bee muche more greuous, and beyond al measure more peryllous.
What should it profyt a man, yf he had all the riches of the world, lyued an whole thousand yeares, and enioyed also al the most denty and fine Pelasures of thys Lyfe, and were troubled wyth no paynes of syknes dysease or any other myserye, yf yet for al yt hys soul in the meane season were infecte wyth the dāpnable wyckednes and poyson of synne, and beinge oppr…ssed with the tyranny of sathā had the displeasure of God, & after the departure of thys lyfe be dāpned for euer?Math. …x therfore Chryst monisheth vsus saiyng, watch, for ye know not the daye nor the houre, whan the Sonne of Man wyll come. And becau…e we shoulde not follow lyght Tryf…lynge and Vyle thynges: and despyce thynges whyche are muche … the most nigh, certen and suer waye to cōe vntounto teue felicitee▪ Math. vi.welth ioye or pleasure, whē he saieth: seek▪ first the kingdome of god and ye ryghtteousnes of it ād al thinges shal be …ast to you.
We take thought & turmoyle oureselues daye and nyghte to gett vsus a liuing, & to make suer our ritches and suche other vayne and transytory thinges, whiche lytyl helpe vsus yea, whiche many tymes also are y• cause of most greuous miseries, and horrible sines: but in sekyng ād▪ prouidīg for heuenly goodes? how sluggysh are we? how negligēt? how vncircūspect? how dastardelyke what more horryble blindnes ād madnes can ther be / I beseche you? whyl we lyu… wealthly & make frolycke chere we neuer remember the lyfe that is to come, nor yet the deathe that we … we … & red… to dye, and whā we should go to y• battel and fight valiauntly, then a… the last we b…gynne to thinke of gettyng ar…ours and wepons agaīst Satan and of amendyng our life. Thes t…inges shew euidētly, yt we be very weake and slender in fayth, & but a litel exercised in the christen warefare. God hauehave marcy on vsus. AMEN. And although it be so ye eueryevery age is apt to repent ād amēd & yt no repentance is to late so that it be done before the departure of this lyfe, yet I counsel & monysh al men euen from the verye harte, yt no man do prolonge and differ the act of repentance vntounto this last ād most bytter agony. For they also do very …ardly s…onde and remayne▪ which al the tyme of ther lyfe / enioyyng prosperous health, hauehave en…rmed ād Prepared theym selues vntounto this howr of departure, and yet defend them selfes with great labor and Busynes from the Assaultes, graftes, gulles ād subt…ltes of that most cruel and crafti enemy. What shal become than of them, whiche without al feare of God hauehave ledde a stinckyng, dissolut ād vnthryfty lyfe, yea and that wythout any repē taunce? how, I pray you shall they striue? hou shal the… resyste?
…ut seynge ther is in eueryevery place a gret multytude of men, & for asmuche as the ministers of y• Gospell are not alwaye in presence, nether can they geue ther dyligence to al menne at al tymes: I being greately desyrous to help al menne, hauehave wrytten this maner, way & forme of confortyng, o…deryng ād monyshīg ye sycke, gathered out of gods word especyally for them, whiche as yet are rude and not perfectly instructed wyth the sentences of the holy Scripture vntounto suche chaunces, y• they either redyng thes thinges▪ or hearyng thes thinges redde before them, maye conceaue hope and sure and true comforte, that they dispayre not and peryshe in that most bytter agony and conflicte of deathe.
A man therfore liyng on his bedde thorowe the greuous disease wh… wyth he is vex…d, and beyng i…i…operdye of his Lyfe, is assayled and ouerwhelmed with dyuers and greuous temtacions, wherwith he must fyght valeauntly. But aboue all, this is the most bytter and most greuous tentacyon / whan ye moste heauy, displeasaunt & lothesō Image of deathe is prese …t before owre eyes, and whan we see or consyder the most cherful lyght of this lyfe, & al ower kynnesfolkes or frendes, howe we muste forsake theym and go awaye from theym, yea, and not … in this worlde, which be most dere ād pleasaunt to vsus. Besydes this the synnes also which we hauehave cō mitted agaīst y• wil of god & his cō m…ūdement, cōe streight wayes into our minde, & brasting in wt gret vyolēce, are renewed & waxe fresh, and seme manymo, yea & more heynous & abominable, thē they euer appeted before▪ & do by thys meanes tormēt, vexe trouble & disquie… the conscience wōderf…lly. For after y• consideratyō of the …hīges afore sayd, death, ye iudgmēt of god hel, dāpnaciō, feare & …remblīg, cō …lockīg together as it w…t a swarm of bees, and vexe our olde man wt most violent & t…oublous stormes of most greuous sorowes & feates and wt most sharp and bitter engynes of sorow & heuynes …hey shake and assayle our breastes.
In thes agonies except our breast be strengthened and made sure wt greate and constāt faith, it shalbe …eopardꝰ, lest we beīg made wery & dashed out of coūtenaūce thorow thes greuous and myghty tētacyons / do fall vntounto desperacyō. For those thīges whych com vntounto our remēbraūce when we be sicke, seme vntounto vsus most horryble and moste haynous, yea and that for none other cause, than that oure fayth is weake and slēder, and not as yet growen vntounto such perfection, that trustīg ō gods word, is able to lay hande on those exceadīg and ī …stymable treasures and ryches of the sonnes of god, I meane / remyssyō of al our sinnes thorow christ, the resurrectiō of our flesh, yt felouship of al ye elec…, so gretely to be desired & lōged for: to conclude, euerlastīg life, and yt al these thīges are frely … for christes sake. In these articles of our faith should we exercyse our selues dayly & after that we hauehave dyligently weied thē & earnestly pondred them, repose thē ī our minde. We ought also often tymes to come vntounto the cōmuniō ād that holy table of the Lord, yet so ye we fyrste proue and Examine oure selues dyligētly, lest we vn…euerētly handle so holy a thing: ād though it be cōueniēt at al other tymes to eatè y• supper of ye lord, for our cōfort: yet is it now moste necessarye & we hauehave in the tyme of our sykenes an vrgēt cause to do it. Truly, it is a pytyfull thing and a thinge worthy to be lamented / that now many yeres thys sacrament of the body and bloud of Iesus Christ hath ben both vnworthely ād vnreuerntly handled, yea of very many most extremely despited How horrible and haynous a synne … punished now adayes do abūdātly testify: and S. Paule spake of it before. i Cor. xi. God hauehave mercy on vsus and lightē the …ies of our mind that we leauing so ā vnsemely & horrible errour, may ones repent and a…end We shal therfor of…ē times come vntounto this table with high study of godlynes and deuocyō, that our mindes beyng recreated, chered & cōforted wt that heuēly m…ate of ye soule, faith & charite maie be …ncreased and made strōg in vsus. Moreouer we ought alwaie dilygentlye to remēbre all the articles …f our …atholyke faith, but in the agonies of death foure are nerest of al, with greate …iligence to be weied & pōdred of vsus, yt is to saye, y• articles of ye church or congregatiō of sayntes of remyssyon of sines by christes bloud, of the resurrecciō of ye flesh, and of euerlasting lyfe.
Fyrst / as death is the payne of sine, so lykewyse are diseases many tymes sent vsus of God for oure synnes,Ioan. v. P…a vxx… v iii Deu. xx viii…ii. Re. xxiiii. as it is manyfest in dyuers places of the scrypture. we ar punyshed also oftentymes to proue and try oure fayth / for then is it p…rc…aued, how derely we louelove god how greatly we trust vntounto hym, whē we be oppressed & troubled wyth any heauy crosse. Therfor loke yt here before al thynges, thou tur…est al thyne hert al thy mynd / and al thy sences vntounto God, ād that thou doest truly repēt and that thou doest lament and confesse thy synnes before God, for the whych al we hauehave deserued, eue…n ye most rightuous wrath of God and most greuous p…yne. Notwithsta… dyng, the most plēteous comfort or absolucion, as they cal it, or remyssion of synnes, whych chryst ordeined in the church, thou shal require of ye Gospel of Iohn.Ion. xx. Thys exceadynge greate treasure is dayly opened ād offred to thee. Take ye, saith Christ… the holy goost. Whose sinnes ye fo… geue, ar forgeuen them, and whose synnes ye retayne, are retayned. Note, after that we hauehave prayed ād obteyned the forgeuenes of synnes, wythout doubte the payne & disease & the trouble that is layd vponupon vsus, shall ceasse and leaue vsus, or els accordyng to the syngular good wyll of God, it shall turne vntounto the saluacyon of the diseased. For beleue this for an vndoubted trueth, that theyr payne or cross… (seme it neuer so greuous a yoke ād bur…hē to the flesh) is a very fa…herly rodde or chastisement, wherwith god calleth thee, being hys sonne vntounto hym, and withdrawethe and allureth thee awaye from synninge. Certes, God loueth vsus most tenderly. He fauoureth vsus, euen from the very har…e, & he doth all thynges for thys purpose euen that he maye amende vsus and do vsus good. For whome he loueth, he cor…ecteth ād chasteneth and seourgeth hym in thys vale, that he maye not be tormented after thys lyfe wyth ye euerlasting punishement of hel fire. Neyther shalt thou doubt, but most certenly persuade thy self, that G…d is thy most louyng father, and m…t entierly desyreth thee / althoughe he pretendeth neuer so greatly to be ā gry wyth thee▪ Thys is not ye anger of a Tiraunt, nor of a butcher, but of a father that most de…elye louethe vsus, which would not that we should be destroyed, but that we should correcte our maners, amēd and obt…ine health and Saluacion. Thys is as sure as God is in heauen / if we had fayth to beleue it. Therfore fyrst of al, aske forgeuenes & remission of all thy synnes, But in Chrstis name: But wyth an harte that truly repenteth / that thou mayst be at a poynt with God, ād that thou mayst hauehave hym good, fauourable and mercyful to thee. After yt also mayst yu desire god, that he wil deliuer ther frō the affliccion & disease / that is layd vponupon thee. So teacheth vsus Iesus y• Sonne of S…ach, Sonne, saith he …espyse not thy selfe in thy sykenes But praye vntounto the Lorde and he shal heale thee. Eccl: xxxvi…iSo praieth Dauid lykewyse:Psal, lxx…i…. rem…ber not our old wickednesses: but let thy mercies soone ouertake vsus. helpe vsus O God ower Sauiour O yu lord god of pou…rs turne vsus. how long wil thou be angry▪ Sh…w vsus thy countenaūce, & we shall be safe. First he desireth remissiō of sinnes, y• he ma…e be iustyfi…d by ye grace of god: afterward he praieth god, to turne awy his wrath And whē yu praiest to be deliuered & eased of the crosse whiche do burden thee, thou shalt alway adde this vntounto it: let thy most holye & good wyll be don▪ O heuenly father, for we shal not better prouide for oure selfes thē that moste trusty father wyl do which is of infinyt power, … ysoō & vnmesurable goodnes, which ī no place turneth away his eyes frō vsus which taketh great care for vsus / whiche hathe the heares of ower heade numbred, which maketh alyue, quickeneth, norisheth, couerethe, cherisheth, saueth and defendeth al thinges which aforeseeth ād prouideth for al thinges moch more & better / then the creatures can wysh.
There are thre thynges, whych in the agony of deathe do most greuously dysquiet vsus ād trouble our myndes with greate feare that is to saye Synne, Death hel or Dampnatiō.
Synne
The synnes wherin we hauehave … … …pent oure lyfe, wherwithe also we hauehave moste greuously offended both God and our neighbour, when we remember them lyeng vponupon our bed sycke, we are stricken with a wonderful feare and sorowe as Paule sayth, indignacion & wrath…afflyction,Rom. ii. & grefe of mynde, …s against eueryevery soule of man that doth euell.
Death.
Oure olde man and flesh are verye loth to dye. Therfor when death is at hand, the hart of man is troubled disquieted, & in a mane… ouerthrowen wyth such sorowes & thought …akynge, as no tunge can expresse. For fearfull nature, and our natural man feareth beyond al measure lest y• whē he is ones dead & layd in hys graue, he should neuer returne and lyue agayne: yea he thyncketh that he is past all hope and cōforte.