# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juni 1859_S185
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

How should a pastor conduct himself at the sickbed of a member of his congregation? 185

there belongs the Gospel with its sweet comfort, of which even the strongest believing
Christians at every time, and especially in sickness, when perhaps the
hour of death is no longer far off, have need.

Very beautiful and glorious practical examples of visiting the godly sick
are found in Dr. Luther's Table Talk, of which here at the close
two of the shorter ones shall be given: "On August 4, 1536, Dr.
Luther visited the Hohendörffin, burgomaster's wife at Wittenberg, in her
illness, and said to her: My dear godmother, you should have patience,
and gladly bear the will of God, which is good and holy; for
the body, which has sinned, must suffer and die, but we have the comfort and
advantage that we commend our dear little soul into his bosom
who has redeemed it; that comfort the world does not have."

"Another time Dr. Luther visited an honest matron, who lay gravely
ill, and comforted her thus: Aunt Lene, do you know me, and do you
hear me? And when she understood and recognized him, he said to her: Does
your faith rest wholly and entirely on the Lord Christ? Then he said further:
He is the resurrection and the life; nothing shall be wanting to you,
you shall not die, but shall fall asleep as in a cradle,
and when the dawn shall rise, you shall rise again
and live forever. Then she said: O yes. Then the doctor asked her and
said: Have you no temptation? No, she said. What, then, does
nothing hurt you? Yes, she said, my heart aches. Then he said: The Lord
will soon deliver you from all evil; you shall not die; and he turned
to us and said: O, how well is he, for that is no death, but
a sleep; and he went at once alone to the window, and prayed, and
then went away from her again at twelve noon; but in the evening about
seven she fell asleep gently in Christ."

Finally, let a short general account: "How Dr. M. Luther was
accustomed to visit and comfort the sick" find its place here as well.
"Whenever Dr. Martinus Luther came to a sick person whom he
visited in his bodily weakness, he spoke with him quite kindly, bent
down close to him, and asked first about his illness, what ailed him,
and how long he had been weak, what physician he had used,
and what medicine had been given him. Then he began to
ask whether in this bodily weakness he had also been patient toward God.
When he had learned how the sick person had conducted himself in his bodily
weakness, and how he was disposed toward God, whether he was willing
patiently to bear and suffer his sickness, since God had sent it to him
out of a gracious and fatherly will; and whether he acknowledged that he had
well deserved this visitation by his sins, and was ready to die willingly, if
it should so please God — thereupon he would begin highly to praise such a
Christian resolve and will, as a work of the Holy Spirit working
such things in him; and he would commend it as a great benefit of God, when
someone in this life attains true knowledge of God, and believes on