A07163:57
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.
Philemon. OH, full truly is it said of the holy man Job, that noble mirror of perfect patience: Man that is borne of a woman,1 hath but a short time to live, and yet in the time that he liveth, he is replenished with many miseries. He cometh up, and withereth away again like a flour: He flieth as it were a shadow, and never continueth in one state▪ It is not yet two days since I saw my neighbour Epaphroditus, as me thought, well and •usty, yea and in perfect health, and behold he sent unto me even ⟨p. 2⟩now his servant Onesimus, that I should come unto him, with all expedition all other businesses set a part, If I ever intend to see him a live? oh good god, what a world is this? Ah most loving Christ, what a sudden change is this? Our life is not without a cause compared of the holy Apostle. S. James to a vapour,2 which appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. Who will trust a life so frail, so transitory, so bond unto mortality? Who can justly persuade him self to live many years in this world, seeing that in it so suddenly health is turned into sickness, valiance into imbecility, strength into weakness, joy into sadness, comfort into desperation, life into death? The rich man persuaded him self that he should live long in this world,3 as blessed Luke declareth in his holy ⟨p. 3⟩Gospel, when he said, considering the great abundance of his revenues that came yearly in: what shall I do? because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? This will I do: I will destroy my barns, and build greater, & therein will I gather all my goods, that are grown unto me, and I will say unto my soul: soul thou hast much goods laid up in store for many years, take thine ease, eat drink, be merry. But 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? The continuance of our life is not certain so much as one hour, neither is any man •able to say, I shall live till to moow. For albeit nothing is more certain then death: yet is nothing ore uncertain than the hour