(2.) In the second place, if thou wilt be sick to thy comfort, disease not thy sold beforehand. Those that will avoid sickness, they will abstain from such meats and other things as may increase their malady. Let it be thus in our soul sickness ; find what thou art sick of, and take heed of hunting after such temptations and occasions as may inflame thy soul. Those that are profane swearers and loose livers they think they shall never hear of their wickedness ; they think it will be forgotten and borne withal, whenas, even while they are thus wretched, they distemjier both their souls and their own bodies also. Thus do they eat their own bane. Take away the strength and power of sickness. Take heed of sin beforehand. For it is the sin that thou now committest that breeds sickness. And he that tempts thee now to sin, when sickness comes will tempt thee to despair of pardon.
(3.) Thirdly, Wean thine affections from the earth; for else when any cross comes, we shall not be able to endure. The saying is true, qui nimis amat, nimis dolet. In what proportion a man loves this world too much in the enjoyment of it, in that proportion he grieves too much at his departure from it. It is an easy matter for one to die that hath died in heart and aff"ection before. And to help this, consider the uncertainty and vanity of these things, and how unable they will be to help thee when thou shalt ■ stand most in need of help. Men when they are well, they consider not what these things will do, but they consider what they cannot do. Friends in adversity are true friends. Alas, when thou art sick, what will thy friends or thy riches do ! Yea, what can they do for thy recovery !
(4.) In the fourth place, make uj) thy accounts daily, that when sickness and weakness comes we have not our greatest and most laborious work to do. It is an atheistical folly to put off all till sickness, whenas they know not but God may call them by sudden death, or if he warns them by sick- ness, God may sufl'er their understanding and senses to be so troubled as
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they shall neither be able to conceive or jutlge. Now, what madness is it to put off our hardest works to our weakest estate. There is no day but the best of us gather soil, especially those that have much dealing in the world. We had need to wash ourselves daily, and pray to God that he would cleanse us.
(5.) Fifthly, While thou art in health, lay a foundation and ground of comfort for sickness; and still be doing of something that may further thine account, and testify of the reconciliation, between God and thee. It is strange to see how many account of death ; send for a minister, be absolved, and take the communion, and say, ' Lord, have mercy on me ;' and we presently conclude he is assuredly saved. 'Tis true, these are good if well used ; but if there be not a foundation laid, these are but miserable com- forters. A good death is ever laid in a good life. Absolution to such as these that so lightl}' esteem of their estate is no other than as a seal to a blank. It is true, we ought to deny absolution to none as will say they repent ; but know this, you may be hypocrites, notwithstanding our abso- lution. We spend all our wits and powers to get unto us a little worldly pelf ; and shall we think to go to heaven, and to be carried thither, through pleasures and ease ? No. He that made thee without thee will not save thee without thee. This is one reason why we condemn popery; and though we in show hate it, yet are we popish in our conceits. It is the good that in our health we do that comforts us in our sickness ; for con- sidering how it hath pleased God not only to put into our minds but into our wills to do this or that good — ^Such a good man have I raised ; such a poor man have I relieved — we thmk of it as an evidence of God's Spirit in us. Contrarily, when we think how brave our apparel hath been, how gallant our company, w-hat pleasing plays and spectacles we have seen, what can this comfort us '? Nay, will it not discomfort us to consider we have spent our means and time unprofitably ; we have delighted in worldly dehghts? How shall I account with that just Judge for my time and means ill spent ? Doth not this argue want of grace, want of God's Spirit '? Be wise therefore with Joseph against times of iamine, of sickness, of death ; prepare such cordials as may strengthen thee. Now,
2. In the next place consider we how we are to behave ourselves in sickness.
(1.) First, therefore, know and consider that as Job saith, ' Sickness comes not from the dust,' Job v. 6 ; but consider thij ways, especially thy antecedent course of life, trhich of late thou hast passed over next before thy sickness. For God corrects not for sin in general so much as for some one sin that rules. If it appears not, pray to God to help thee in this thy search : and when thou hast found out the Jonah, the Achan that thus troubleth thee, ' then judge thyself and justify God,' Josh. yii. 19.