A Salve for a Sick Man, or a Treatise on Godliness in Sickness and Dying

by William Perkins, Therese B. McMahon (Editor), C. Matthew McMahon (Editor)

William Perkins (1558-1602) was a Calvinist minister and theologian who was one of the foremost leaders of the Puritan movement in the Church of England. His “Works” were originally published in three large volumes spanning thousands of pages. However, he wrote a number of individual treatises that are exceedingly biblically, spiritual and helpful for Christians today. The Works of William Perkins have not been published until now in these individual treatises.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 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 a facsimile.

Genres: Theology

85 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 21, 2012

About the author

William Perkins (1558–1602) was an influential English cleric and Cambridge theologian, receiving both a B.A. and M.A. from the university in 1581 and 1584 respectively, and also one of the foremost leaders of the Puritan movement in the Church of England during the Elizabethan era. Although not entirely accepting of the Church of England's ecclesiastical practices, Perkins conformed to many of the policies and procedures imposed by the Elizabethan Settlement. He did remain, however, sympathetic to the non-conformist puritans and even faced disciplinary action for his support.

Perkins was a prolific author who penned over forty works, many of which were published posthumously. In addition to writing, he also served as a fellow at Christ's College and as a lecturer at St Andrew's Church in Cambridge. He was a firm proponent of Reformed theology, particularly the supralapsarian theology of Theodore Beza and John Calvin. In addition, he was a staunch defender of Protestant ideals, specifically the five solae with a particular emphasis on solus Christus and sola Scriptura.

Reviews

[Jesus Salgado · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is the second book I have read by William Perkins and I continue to find myself impressed with his writings. The way he talks of death for believers being the best thing is truly a feast to read. The only reason I didn’t leave 5 stars is because the ending was somewhat dry but the rest of the book was gold!

[Peter Kiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time to ask my wife for 500 dollars to buy all ten volumes of Perkins.

This was a very sobering and well written book. There's parts where I am confused with Perkins' use of Scripture or argumentation, but overall, I don't know if I could've asked for a better work on the subject matter: Seeking to die the death of the righteous.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good resource for contemplating life and death (meditating upon the text in Ecclesiastes 7:3). Indeed, "for if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s" (Romans 14:8).