A Golden Chain

Thus having seen the doctrine of the Papists; I come now to speak of the true and right manner of making particular preparation before death, which contains three sorts of duties: one concerning God, the other concerning a mans own self, the third concerning our neighbour. The first concerning God, is to seek to be reconciled unto him in Christ, though we have been long assured of his favour. All other duties must come after in the second place, and they are of little or no effect without this. Now this reconciliation must be sought for and is obtained by a renewing of our former faith and repentance: and they must be renewed on this manner. So soon as a man shall feel any manner of sickness to seize upon his body, he must consider with himself whence it ariseth: and after serious consideration, he shall find that it comes not by chance or fortune, but by the special providence of God. This done, he m•st go yet further and consider for what cause the Lord should afflict his body with any sickness or disease. And he shall find by Gods word, that sickness comes ordinarily and usually of sin.¹ Wherefore is the living man sorrowful? man suffereth for his sin. It is true indeed, there be other causes of the wants of the body, and of sickness, beside sin; and though they be not known to us: yet they are known to the Lord. Hereupon Christ when he saw a certain blind man, and was demanded what was the cause of the blindness, answered,² neither hath this man sinned nor his parents, but that the work of God should be showed on him. Yet we for our parts, who are to go not by the secret, but by the revealed will of God, must make this use of our sickness, that it is sent unto us for our sins. When Christ healed the man sick of the palsy, he sayeth, be of good comfort, thy sins are forgiven thee: and when he had healed the man by the pool of Bethesda, ³that had bin sick thirty eight years, he bids him sin no more least a worst thing happen unto him: giving them both to understand that their sickness came by reason of their sins. And thus should every sick man resolve himself. Now when we have proceeded thus far, and have as it were laid our finger upon the right and proper cause of our sickness, three things concerning our sins must be performed of us in sickness.