A Salve for a Sick Man
William Perkins wrote this treatise in 1595 as a pastoral guide for ministering to the dying, addressing the practical need for ministers to offer spiritual counsel during final illness. The work emerged from Perkins' broader concern for applied theology, reflecting his conviction that Reformed doctrine must translate into concrete pastoral care. As one of the most influential Puritan theologians at Cambridge, Perkins recognized that many ministers felt unprepared to guide souls through the spiritual challenges of approaching death.
The treatise systematically addresses the spiritual conditions that afflict the dying, offering both diagnostic questions and remedial counsel. Perkins identifies seven primary spiritual ailments that beset the sick: despair over salvation, fear of death, excessive attachment to worldly things, impatience with suffering, lack of submission to God's will, failure to examine one's spiritual state, and inadequate preparation for eternity. For each condition, he provides scriptural remedies and practical guidance for ministers. The work emphasizes the importance of helping the sick person achieve assurance of salvation through examination of their faith, repentance, and evidence of regeneration. Perkins balances pastoral gentleness with theological precision, insisting that true comfort must be grounded in sound doctrine rather than false reassurance.
The treatise became a standard resource for Reformed pastoral care, influencing generations of ministers in their deathbed ministry. Its systematic approach and practical wisdom made it widely copied and consulted well into the seventeenth century. The work exemplifies Perkins' gift for making complex theological concepts accessible for pastoral application, demonstrating how Calvinist theology could provide concrete guidance for life's most challenging moments.
Who should read this: Ministers and pastoral counselors seeking historical wisdom on end-of-life spiritual care will find Perkins' systematic approach valuable, though readers uncomfortable with Reformed assumptions about election and assurance may struggle with his framework. Those interested in Puritan pastoral theology or the history of Christian approaches to death and dying will appreciate its theological depth and practical orientation.