The Sick Mans Salve, Title page – Dedication
THE SYCKE Mans Salue.
VVherin the faithfull christians may learne both how to be hauehave them selues paciently and thankefully, in the tyme of sickenes, and also vertuously to dispose their temporall goodes, and finally to prepare them selues gladly and godly to die: Made and newly recognised by Maister Tho. Becon. 1561.
Math. 11.
¶Come vntounto me all ye that are sicke and diseased, and I will comfort you.
CVM PRIVILEGIO per Septennium.
THOMAS BECONVS SACROSĀCTAE THEOLOGIAE PROFESSOR.
Ora expressa vides, viuos imitantia vultus.
Quod potuit calamo pictor & arte vides.
mentis quā nullus potuit tibi reddere pictor.
Effigiem scriptis, praebuit ipse suis.
¶The Names of all suche bookes, as Thomas Becon, hath hetherto made and set forth.
i.
The Newes out of Heauen.
ii.
The Christmas Bancket.
iii.
The Potation for Lent.
iiii.
The Pathway vntounto Prayer.
v.
The Cathechisme.
vi.
The Nosegaye.
vii.
The Pollecie of Warre.
viii.
The Boke of Matrimonie.
ix.
Dauids Harpe.
x.
The New years gift.
xi.
The Inuectiue against swering
xii.
The Gouernaunce of Uertue.
xiii.
The Dialogue of Christes birth
xiiii.
The Inuectiue against whordō
xv.
The Solace of the Soule.
xvi.
The Iewell of Ioye.
xvii.
The Castell of Comfort.
xviii.
The Fortresse of the faithfull.
xix.
The Flower of godly prayers.
xx
The Principles of christen religion
xxi.
The True vse of fasting
xxii.
The Pomaunder of prayer.
xxiii.
The Christen knight.
xxiiii.
The Sickmans Salue.
xxv.
The Reliques of Rome.
¶TO THE RIGHT worshipful Maister Basil Felding Esquier, Thomas Becon wysheth the fauour of God, continual health and prosperous felicitie.
CHrist our Lorde and Sauiour, cōsidering what and how great carnall securitie and fleshly quietnes reigneth in mortall men of all ages,Colos. iii. yea, and that in them, that professe godlynesse, that is to saye: Christians, whiche by their professiō ar dead vntounto the world, and hauehave their lyfe hydden with Christ in God, in somuche that they being occupied about worldlye and transitory thinges, which sone perish and come to naught, do vtterly neglecte the thinges that appertaine vntounto the saluation of their soules: in many places of his holy Gospell admonisheth vsus to watche and to make prouision for our latter ende, least we be found vnready whā we shall be called out of the worlde. In the Gospell of blessed Mathewe he hath these words:Math. xxiiii▪ watch, for you know not what hour the Lord will come. Of this be ye sure, that if the good man of the house knew what hour the thief would come he would surely watche, and not suffer his house to be broken vp. Therfore be ye also ready. For in suche houre as ye thinke not, wil the sonne of man come. In S. Markes Gospell also he sayth. Watch, for ye know not whē the maister of the house wil come,Mark. xiii at euen or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing or in the dauning, least if he come sodenly, he finde you sleping. And that I say vntounto you, I say vntounto all. Watch▪ Yea take hede, watche and pray, for ye know not when the time is. Again in the Reuelation of blessed Iohn he sayth. Behold I come as a thiefe.Apoca. xvi. Blessed is he that watcheth and kepeth his garmentes, that he walke not naked, and men see his fylthines.Apoca. xxii. Item, Behold I come shortly, and my rewarde is with me, to geue eueryevery man according as his dedes shall be.i. Thes. v▪ The holy Apostle S. Paule lykewyse exhorteth vsus, that we sleepe not as other doo, but that we watche & be sober, nether that we fall into fleshly quietnes, promysing our selues long lyfe, healthe and reste in this worlde, least soden destruction fall vponupon vsus.
For the day of the Lorde (sayth he) shall come euen as the thief in the night. Certes our mortall estate declareth euidētly, that we be so bound vntounto death, that we are not certen of our lyfe not one houre. Out of hand may death oppres vsus, for any certentie that we hauehave of the contrary. What thing is your lyfe, sayth S. Iames?Iacob. iiii. It is a vapour that appeareth for lyttle tyme, and then vanisheth away.Iob. ix. My dayes, saith Iob, are more swift then a runner, yea they are passed awaye as the shyppes that bee good vnderunder sayle, and as the Egle that flyeth vntounto the pray. Agayne he saith: Man that is borne of woman, hath but short tyme to lyue, and is ful of mysery. He commeth vp and is cut downe lyke a floure.Iob. xiiii. He flyeth as it were a shadow and neuer continueth in one state. The Prophet also sayth:Esay. xl. All fleshe is grasse, and all the glory thereof is as the floure of the field. The grasse is withered, the flower falleth away: Euen so is the people as grasse, when the breathe of the Lord bloweth vponupon them. Thus sewe the misery, vanitie and shortnes of our mortall life painted out before our eies and that these thynges are true, dayly experience proueth. Notwithstandinge such is our blindnes, fondnes and madnes that we vtterly forget the vncertentie of this our wretched and short lyfe and promyse our selues the florishyng yeares of Nestor,Gene. v. or the long lyfe of Methuselah. We may right well be lykened to that vngodly richman, of whom we rede in the Gospel of Luke,Luke. xii▪ whiche made prouision for a great nomber of yeares, promising him selfe long to liue vponupon the face of the earth, & forgetting him selfe to be mortall and bound vntounto death. But when he thought least of death and was moste busily occupied in getting and gatheringe together the goodes of ye world, God sayd vntounto him: thou foole, this night wil they fetch away thy soul again frō thee. Then whose shal those thinges be, which thou hast prouided?Psal. xxxix. The Psalmograph saythe: He heapeth tresure vponupon treasure, and yet knoweth he not for whome he gathereth it. After this sort do we behaue our selues at this day. We moyle and turmoyll our selues in studiyng & deuising how we may come by the giftes of glassy fortune. We refuse no paynes, no laboures to become ritche and welthy in worldly goodes. Yea so blynded are our heartes, that the nerer we approche vntounto the end of our life, ye more studious, carefull & diligent are we to get the substaunce of this worlde. We remember not this saying of the holy Apostle.i. Tim. vi. Godlines is great rytches, if a man bee content with that he hath. For we brought nothing into ye world neither may we cary any thinge out. But when we hauehave fode and raiment,Psal. xxxix. let vsus therwith be content. The holy scripturs calleth vsus straungers and Pilgrims in this worlde,i. Pet. ii. & declareth that we hauehave here no continuyng city,Heb. xiii. but we seke one to come. Notwithstanding as though ther were none other life after this, or els as though we should for euer here remaine and neuer departe, we trauaile about ye getting of worldly substaunce.Iere. viii. Al, as the Prophet saith, euen from the lowest vntounto the hiest set their myndes on filthy lucre.Esay. lvi. They are shameles dogges, that bee neuer satisfied. Hereto agreeth the saying of the Apostle,Philip. ii. all seke their owne auauntage and not that, whiche shuld set forth the glory of Iesus Christ. And as in couetousnes, so lykewyse in all other abhominable sinnes do we moste wickedlye walke. And all thinges come to passe, because we remember not the shortnesse of this lyfe and forget our latter end. This considered the wiseman right well, when he saith: Whatsoeuer thou takest in hand, remember thy end, and thou shalt neuer do amisse,Eccle. vii. Deut. xxxi… Moses also saith, O that men would ones be wyse and vnderstande, and make prouision for their latter end. There is not a strō ger bit to brydle our carnall affectes, nor a better scholemaister to keepe vsus in an order then the remembraunce of our latter end, then to remember that we shall not alway here remaine, yt we ar but straungers and pylgrims in this world, that we shall leaue behynde vsus, whatsoeuer worldly substaūce we hauehave here, ether painfully gotten or carefully kept, that we shal die the death, that we shal appeare before the iudgement seat of Christ and receaue accordinge to the workes whiche we hauehave doone in this lyfe, either euerlasting glory or perpetuall payne. But these thinges seeke we not to remember, but rather to forget, and therfore fall we into all kynde of vngodlynes and dissolution of lyfe. And when the tyme cōmeth, that God visiteth vsus with sickenes or otherwyse plageth vsus for our euill behauour, then doo we not prepare our selues vntounto the crosse, as we ought submitting our selues to the good pleasure of God, and beyng contented paciently and thanckfully to receaue what so euer is layde vponupon vsus at the appoyntment of God, but we rather murmur and grudge against God, and with vnwillyng hartes suffer that louing visitation of God, almoste wishinge that there were no God to plage and punishe vsus, but that we myght here liue continually and go forth to sinne frely & without punishement. And when death approcheth, & no remedy can be found against ye violence therof, then doo the vngodly & wicked liuers beholding the miserable face of their conscience, which presenteth vntounto them nothing but sin, ye wrath of God hel fyre, & euerlasting damnation, begin to despaire & strayght yeld them selues to the pleasure of Sathan to bee for euer and euer tormēted in that lake that burneth with fire & brimston,Apoca. xxi. thē selues their soules and consciences consenting and assentinge thereunto. For what other end can be loked for of a wicked & vngodly lyfe? Is it to be thought, that he whiche thorow sinne hath serued the deuill all the tyme of his lyfe, can at his latter end loke for the enheritaunce of euerlasting glory, wherewith God rewardeth thē ye painfully labour to serue him in holynes and righteousnes al the dayes of their lyfe?i. Cor. ix. S. Paul saith. So run, that ye may obtayn, that is to say, so trayne your lyfe in all Godlynes and vertue to the vttermost of your power whyle ye lyue in this worlde, yt after ye hauehave finished your course here, ye may enioy ye glorious reward of eternal life. A corruptible crowne is not obtained without great pains taking, & shall we loke for an euerlasting crown by leding an vngodly and wanton lyfe?ii. Tim. ii. No man is crowned, sayth the apostle, except he fighteth lawfully. In this world therfore, wherein our life is nothing but a knighthod or warfar,Iob. vii. must we lawfully, valeantly & mightely fight & striue against our ennemies ye deuill, the world & the flesh, and by feruent and diligent prayer vntounto God so triumphe ouer thē thorow the help of our graund captain Christ, yt we may hauehave a glorious spoill of our ennemies, & garnishe our selues with al kind of victorious & roial robes I meane, all good workes & godly vertues. Wher such a life is led, there must a good end be, and euerlasting life may with a fre conscience and assured hope be loked for. And to bring this to passe. Who laboureth not to the vttermoste of his power, namely if he be of God, & loketh for a better and more blessed lyfe after this? How we shuld fight against our aduersaries and leade a good life in this world I hauehave declared aboundantly heretofore in many of my bokes. In this treatise, whiche I hauehave nowe in hand, entitled (The Sickemans Salue) my mynd is to shew vntounto the faithfull christians, how they ought to make prouision for their latter end, that they may depart in the faythe of Christ, and be of the nūber of those of whome it is written. Blessed are the dead, whiche die in the Lord.Apoca. xiiii. Psal. cxvi Again. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his sainctes. For what shuld it profit a man to wyn all the worlde,Mat. xvi. if at the last he loseth his soule? Therefore in this my worke I hauehave declared first of all,The contentes of this boke. how the faithfull christians ought to behaue them selues paciently and thankefully in the tyme of syckenesse.
Secondly, howe they should vertuously dispose their temporall goodes.
Thirdly, after what manner they ought to prepare them selues gladly & Godly to die.
Finally I hauehave enterlased many cō fortable exhortations vntounto the sycke, and diuers godly & necessary prayers, some to be sayd of them that are sicke, & some of other for suche as are diseased.
This treatise, after that I had finished it, calling to remembraunce howe greatly I am bound to your right worshipfull Maistership, considering also your most harty zeale and feruent affection toward the true and Christen religion (all superstition and papistry layd asyde) I thought it my bounden dutie to sende vntounto you as a testimonie of my good wyll and thankefull hart toward you, moste entirely desiryng you to accept and take in good part this my lyttle gift, although much more base then it may seme in any part worthy to recompence the least poynt of your vnfayned frendship dyuers wayes heretofore declared vntounto me.
God preserue your right worshypfull Maistershyp, with the moste vertuous Gentlewoman your wyfe, and all your godly chyldren in continuall health and prosperous felicitie. Amen.