2. The great business is to bring the sick man to a true sight of his state and condition: indeed this is an happy thing, whatever his condition be, if his conditio be sound and good, then it is an happiness to know it, that he may have the comfort of it, if it be bad, yet it is an happiness to know it, that a man may be capable of counsel, and put into the way to amend it: it is true, evil men, like persons much in debt, care not to look into their books, and understand their debts, but they must be brought to it. And the worse thy condition is the more art thou concerned to discover it, for to be ignorant of thy condition, if it be good, only hinders thee from comfort, but if it be bad, it hinders thee from salvation: you and they must both consider, that as the heart is always deceitful, so then especially for three reasons amongst others. 1. Then men are impotent and unable to examine themselves, their natural parts are weakened, the eyes of their mind clouded: their mind is diverted by bodily pains that it cannot attend, and so may sooner be cheated. 2. Then men are slothful and listless as to all spiritual exercises: if even good men are slothful in their most healthful times, how much more evil men in times of sickness? the listlessness of the body generally makes an answerable impression upon the faculties of the soul, that being a received truth amongst Physicians and Philosophers, & ratified by daily experience that mores animi, sequuntur temperames […] tum corporis. 3. In times of sickness men are greedy of comfort, and so will catch even at a shadow, &c. upon all these grounds there needs the more caution, to set before his eyes the folly and misery of self-deceit, especially in everlasting matters.
2. The great business is to bring the sick man to a true sight of his state and condition: indeed this is an happy thing, whatever his condition be, if his conditio be sound and good, then it is an happiness to know it, that he may have the comfort of it, if it be bad, yet it is an happiness to know it, that a man may be capable of counsel, and put into the way to amend it: it is true, evil men, like persons much in debt, care not to look into their books, and understand their debts, but they must be brought to it. And the worse thy condition is the more art thou concerned to discover it, for to be ignorant of thy condition, if it be good, only hinders thee from comfort, but if it be bad, it hinders thee from salvation: you and they must both consider, that as the heart is always deceitful, so then especially for three reasons amongst others. 1. Then men are impotent and unable to examine themselves, their natural parts are weakned, the eyes of their mind clouded: their mind is diverted by bodily paines that it cannot attend, and so may sooner be cheated. 2. Then men are sloathful and listless as to all spiritual exercises: if even good men are sloathful in their most healthful times, how much more evil men in times of sickness? the listlesness of the body generally makes an answerable impression upon the faculties of the soul, that being a received truth amongst Physicians and Philosophers, & ratified by daily experience that mores animi, sequuntur temperames 〈…〉 tum corporis. 3. In times of sickness men are greedy of comfort, and so will catch even at a shadow, &c. upon all these grounds there needs the more caution, to set before his eyes the folly and misery of self-deceit, especially in everlasting matters.
