A Salve For A Sick Man Or A Treatise On Godliness In Sickness And Dying

This work is a treatise on being biblically instructed to live in a godly manner during times of sickness, and times of dying. Perkins uses Ecclesiastes 7:3 as his main text, “The day of death is better than the day that one is born.” He covers the doctrine that the day of death is truly better than the day of birth for the people of God, and why. He explains the duties of a sick man which are threefold: the sick man has duties that are in respect to God, to himself, and to his neighbor; and the sick should have a specific type of disposition before God knowing that Jesus Christ is completely sovereign over all things. God controls when and how sickness occurs, and specially controls the day of one’s death. This is an extremely helpful work to aid the Christian in their endeavor to glorify God in all things, especially the providences of sickness and death which people are faced with every day. This is not a scan or facsimile, and contains an active table of contents for electronic versions.

This book is a masterful selection of almost 1000 quotations drawn from a wide range of Puritan works. These quotes have been chosen with great care, and arranged under topical headings from "belief" to "worship". This work forms an ideal introduction to the writings of the godly men of the 17th century, and will prove to be rich devotional reading of the highest caliber. For those being introduced to the writings of the Puritans, or those who are already familiar with them, this devotional work will be a treasure to read again and again. The reading of Puritan works has brought great benefit to the people of God across barriers of culture and time. Christians owe a great debt of gratitude to those faithful theologians, pastors and preachers who continue to speak through their writings even though they have long since entered into their heavenly rest in Christ. In these pages, the reader will find that the Puritans knew how to teach and apply God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit, and for the glorification of Jesus Christ, while maintaining a solid biblical orthodoxy needed in our day and age. The purpose of this book is to open a door to the vast stores of biblical treasure and wisdom to be found in the writings of the Puritans and that it will stimulate further reading from our Reformed and spiritual heritage. Authors cited include: Nathaniel Vincent, George Walker, Francis Whiddon, William Perkins, Christopher Love, Thomas Hooker, Jeremiah Burroughs, Thomas Case, Jonathan Edwards, Matthew Mead, John Owen, Richard Sibbes, Samuel Ward, Thomas Watson, Thomas Mocket, Ephraim Pagitt, Edmund Calamy, John Arrowsmith, Cuthbert Sydenham, John Beart, Richard Rawlin, Nicholas Byfield, and dozens more. This work is not a scan or facsimile, has been carefully transcribed by hand being made easy to read in modern English, and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.

Have you ever wished for something more than the current job you are in? You believe that God has something more for you, but you just cannot place your finger on what that would be, or whether you even have those gifts that might suit you in some other employment. But you know that you have a longing for something better. We work most of our lives, so it is important that we have a right understanding of what it means to work before God. Perkins tackles the glorification of God in the duty of our callings, both in particular and general. He shows that God has providentially placed us in geographic areas and given us talents and skills which are for the good of the church and the good of the commonwealth in which we live. He covers how we are to biblically define a “calling,” rules accompanying our callings, what kinds of jobs God is pleased with, how we are to rightly use our jobs for the good of mankind, and how we are to obtain a good ending to our work before God in having an eye to glorify Jesus Christ. Not only is this a unique work in its substance, but seldom, if ever, will the contemporary Christian hear such exhortations from today’s pulpits. That makes this work all the more important today in glorifying God in our jobs. This is not a scan or facsimile, has been updated in modern English for easy reading and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.

Preaching today is in rapid decline. Pulpits all over the planet are filled with ministers who gain a paycheck, but give little else. William Perkins explains what it means to be truly called to the holy office of the minister. He does this from two principle texts: Job chapters 32-33 with emphasis on 33:23, and Isaiah 6:1-13. Perkins says that the words in Job contain, “a valuable description of a true minister,” how he is a messenger and an interpreter, one in a thousand. Then, he explains Isaiah 6:1-13 of Isaiah’s confirmation, showing Isaiah was fearful, stunned, cast down, comforted, and renewed in his commission to go and be sent of God to preach for Christ's glory. He explains that men ought to consider the extreme presumption of those who rashly enter the ministry. Many ministers come into God’s presence unsanctified, and in their sins, little concerned about how loosely they live before their people. Perkins will not make the ministry an easy door to open. That is because faithful exegesis on important passages about the ministry shows it to be a hard and difficult road. Being God’s mouthpiece is not an easy task, but being called to it is an honor that is inexpressible. This work is not a scan or facsimile, has been carefully transcribed by hand being made easy to read in modern English, and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.

In "A Salve for a Sick Man," William Perkins explores the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 7:3, which states that the day of death is better than the day of birth. Perkins addresses objections and explores the deeper meaning behind this principle. He examines death as the loss of life and a punishment decreed by God due to human sin, emphasizing that it serves as both the absence of life and a just consequence. Perkins highlights that death, as ordained by God, is executed by Him and distinguishes it from the death of animals, emphasizing the temporary separation of the soul from the body in human death.The book then focuses on why the day of death can be considered better than the day of birth. Perkins acknowledges objections to this claim but explains that it holds true for those who genuinely repent and believe in Christ. He differentiates between those who live and die in sin without repentance and those who, through their faith, experience the birth of eternal happiness. Perkins underscores the significance of a righteous life and the preparation it provides for the journey beyond mortality.Overall, "A Salve for a Sick Man" offers profound theological insights and biblical perspectives on death, highlighting the importance of righteousness and faith in shaping one's view of mortality and the afterlife. Perkins encourages readers to contemplate the true nature of death and embrace a life dedicated to virtue and spiritual growth.

The first-ever critical anthology of the death arts in Renaissance England, this book draws together over 60 extracts and 20 illustrations to establish and analyse how people grappled with mortality in the 16th and 17th centuries. As well as providing a comprehensive resource of annotated and modernized excerpts, this engaging study includes commentary on authors and overall texts, discussions of how each excerpt is constitutive and expressive of the death arts, and suggestions for further reading. The extended Introduction takes into account death's intersections with print, gender, sex, and race, surveying the period's far-reaching preoccupation with, and anticipatory reflection upon, the cessation of life. For researchers, instructors, and students interested in medieval and early modern history and literature, the Reformation, memory studies, book history, and print culture, this indispensable resource provides at once an entry point into the field of early modern death studies and a springboard for further research.