Page:Devotions - Donne - 1840.djvu/133

 shall be for meat, and their leaves for medicine. It is the voice of thy Son, Wilt thou be made whole ? That draws from the patient a confession, that he was ill, and could not make himself well. And it is thine own voice, Is there no physician ? That inclines us, disposes us to accept thine ordinance. And it is the voice of the wise man, both for the matter, physic itself, 7The Lord hath created medicines out of the earth, and he that is wise shall not abhor them, and for the art, and the person, the physician cutteth off a long disease. In all these voices, thou sendest us to those helps which thou hast afforded us in that. But wilt not thou avow that voice too, He that hath sinned ageainst his Maker, let him fall into the hands of the physician ; and wilt not thou afford me an understanding of those words? Thou, who sendest us for a blessing to the physician, dost not make it a curse to us to go when thou sendest. Is not the curse rather in this, that only he falls into the hands of the physician, that casts himself wholly, entirely upon the physician, confides in him, relies upon him, attends all from him, and neglects that spiritual physic, which thou also hast instituted in thy church: so to fall into the hands of the physician is a sin, and a punishment of former sins; so, as Asa fell, who in his disease sought not to the Lord, but to the physician. Reveal therefore to me thy method, O Lord, and see whether I have followed it; that thou mayest have glory, if I have; and I pardon, if I have not, and help that I may. Thy method is, In time of thy sichkness, be not negligent: wherein wilt thou have my diligence expressed? Pray unto the Lord, and he will make thee whole. O Lord, I do; I