A Golden Chain

Thus much of the duty which the sick man owes to God: now follow the duties which he is to perform unto himself, and they are twofold: one concerns his soul, the other his body. The duty concerning his soul is, that he must arm & furnish himself against the immoderate fear of present death. And the reason hereof is plain: because howsoever naturally men fear thorough the course of their lives more or less; yet in the time of sickness when death approacheth, this natural fear bred in the bone will most of all show it self, even in such sort, as it will astonish the senses of the sick party, & sometime cause desperation. Therefore it is necessary that we use means to strengthen our selves against the fear of death. The means are of two sorts: practises, and meditations. Practises are two especially. The first is, that the sick man must not so much regard death it self as the benefits of God which are obtained after death. He must fix his mind upon the consideration of the pangs & ⟨p. 797⟩torments of death; but all his thoughts and affections must be set upon that blessed estate that is enjoyed after death. He that is to pass over some great & deep river, must not look downward to the stream of the water: but if he would prevent fear, he must set his foot sure and cast his eye to the bank on the further side: and so must he that draws near death, as it were, look over the waves of death and directly fix the eye of his faith upon eternal life. The second practise is to look upon death in the glass of the Gospel, and not in the glass of the law: that is, we must consider death not as it is propounded in the law, and look upon that terrible face which the law giveth unto it; but as it is set forth in the Gospel. Death in the law is a curse and the downfall to the pit of destruction: in the Gospel it is the entrance to heaven: the law sets forth death as death, the Gospel sets death as no death, but as a sleep only: because it speaketh of death as it is altered and changed by the death of Christ; by the virtue whereof death is properly no death to the servants of God. When men shall have care on this manner to consider of death, it will be a notable means to strengthen and stablish them against all immoderate fears and terrors that usually rise in sickness.

Thus much of the dutie which the sick man owes to God: now follow the duties which he is to performe vnto himselfe, and they are twofold: one concernes his soule, the other his bodie. The dutie concerning his soule is, that he must arme & furnish himselfe against the immoderate feare of present death. And the reason hereof is plaine: because howsoeuer naturally men feare thorough the course of their liues more or lesse; yet in the time of sicknes when death approcheth, this naturall feare bred in the bone will most of all shew it selfe, euen in such sort, as it will astonish the senses of the sicke partie, & sometime cause desperation. Therefore it is necessary that we vse meanes to strengthen our selues against the feare of death. The meanes are of two sorts: practises, and meditations. Practises are two especially. The first is, that the sick man must not so much regard death it selfe as the benefits of God which are obtained after death. He must fixe his mind vpon the consideration of the pangs &