A07163:16
The sick mans salve Wherein the faithful christians may learn both how to behave…The sycke mans salue VVherin the faithfull christians may learne both how to behaue…
The sick mans salve Wherein the faithful christians may learn both how to behave them selves patiently and thankfully, in the time of sickness, and also virtuously to dispose their temporal goods, and finally to prepare them selves gladly and godly to die. Made and newly recognised by Master Tho. Becon. 1561.The sycke mans salue VVherin the faithfull christians may learne both how to behaue 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.
London: printed by John Day, 1561London: printed by Iohn Day, 1561
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
For the day of the Lord (saith he) shall come even as the thief in the night. Certes our mortal estate declareth evidently, that we be so bound unto death, that we are not certain of our life not one hour. Out of hand may death oppress us, for any certainty that we have of the contrary. What thing is your life, saith S. James?1 It is a vapour that appeareth for little time, and then vanisheth away.2 My days, saith Job, are more swift then a runner, yea they are passed away as the ships that be good under sail, and as the Eagle that flieth unto the pray. Again he saith: Man that is borne of woman, hath but short time to live, and is full of misery. He cometh up and is cut down like a flour.3 He flieth as it were a shadow and never continueth in one state. The Prophet also saith:4 All flesh is grass, and all the glory thereof is as the flour of the field. The grass is withered, the flower falleth away: Even so is the people as grass, when the breathe of the ⟨image 4⟩Lord bloweth upon them. Thus show the misery, vanity and shortness of our mortal life painted out before our eyes and that these things are true, daily experience proveth. Notwithstanding such is our blindness, fondness and madness that we utterly forget the uncertainty of this our wretched and short life and promise our selves the flourishing years of Nestor,5 or the long life of Methuselah. We may right well be likened to that ungodly rich man, of whom we read in the Gospel of Luke,6 which made provision for a great number of years, promising him self long to live upon the face of the earth, & forgetting him self to be mortal and bound unto death. But when he thought least of death and was most busily occupied in getting and gathering together the goods of the world, God said unto him: thou fool, this night will they fetch away thy soul again from thee. Then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?