The works of George Swinnock, M.A

If the sick person be one that is judged a true member of Christ, then speak to the excellency of Grace, and Christ, and Heaven, to the certainty and worth of those promises that are entailed on believers, to make his passage into the other world as comfortable as thou canst. It will be fit also to speak to those graces of Faith, Patience, Love, Heavenly-mindedness, and Joy in God, which should be minded and exercised in a time of sickness, how the time of affliction is the spring, the special time wherein those graces should shoot up and show themselves, that God expecteth some service from him under his sickness, and that his last works should be better then his first. If he be under doubts and fears (for Satan will take the advantage of his sickness, to assault him with his fiery darts, and Saints are too apt to Question Gods love when they feel his hand; the weakness of the body, discomposing the mind, and denying it the free exercise of spiritual judgement) then advise him to review his former experiences of divine goodness, and trials of divine grace within him, to hold fast on Jesus Christ, and to consider that sickness is common to men, good as well as bad; that though they differ vastly in the other world, yet not at all in their passage thither; Singular Saints have been afflicted with the sorest sickness; Job was a none-such for sanctity, yet full of sores; Its a question whether he were ⟨p. 579⟩more eminent for corporal distempers, or spiritual health; Hezekiah, David, Asa, Paul, Epaphroditus, were all thus chastened of the Lord, but not condemned with the world.

If the sick person be one that is judged a true member of Christ, then speak to the excellency of Grace, and Christ, and Heaven, to the certainty and worth of those promises that are entailed on beleivers, to make his passage into the other world as comfortable as thou canst. It will be fit also to speak to those graces of Faith, Patience, Love, Heavenly-mindedness, and Ioy in God, which should be minded and exercised in a time of sickness, how the time of affliction is the spring, the special time wherein those graces should shoot up and shew themselves, that God expecteth some service from him under his fickness, and that his last works should be better then his first. If he be under doubts and fears (for Satan will take the advantage of his sickness, to assault him with his fiery darts, and Saints are too apt to Question Gods love when they feel his hand; the weakness of the body, discomposing the mind, and denying it the free exercise of spiritual judgement) then advise him to review his former experiences of divine goodness, and trials of divine grace within him, to hold fast on Jesus Christ, and to consider that sickness is common to men, good as well as bad; that though they differ vastly in the other world, yet not at all in their passage thither; Singular Saints have been afflicted with the sorest sickness; Iob was a none-such for sanctity, yet full of sores; Its a question whether he were