--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our physical illnesses serve us for…" description: "\"Our physical illnesses serve us for medicines to purge us from worldly affections and retrench what is superfluous in us, and since they are to us the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/john-calvin-490_affection_our-physical-illnesses-serve-us-for-medi_2938433.jpg" --- # Our physical illnesses serve us for medicines to purge us… ![“Our physical illnesses serve us for medicines to purge us from worldly affections and retrench what is superfluous in us, and since they are to us the messengers of death, we ought to learn to have one foot raised to take our departure when it shall please God.” quote by John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/john-calvin-490_affection_our-physical-illnesses-serve-us-for-medi_2938433.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/john-calvin-490_affection_our-physical-illnesses-serve-us-for-medi_2938433.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/john-calvin-490_affection_our-physical-illnesses-serve-us-for-medi_2938433.jpg) > “Our physical illnesses serve us for medicines to purge us from worldly affections and retrench what is superfluous in us, and since they are to us the messengers of death, we ought to learn to have one foot raised to take our departure when it shall please God.” [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Physical illness reminds us of mortality and encourages spiritual preparation for death **In simple terms:** Illness reminds us to prepare for death Key Takeaway Live with spiritual readiness Themes mortality spiritual discipline detachment Mood solemn thoughtful Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - health crises - end‑of‑life planning - spiritual counseling Key Concepts theology existentialism ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance physical care with spiritual readiness? - What role does suffering play in faith? 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Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Trayvon Martin’s killing touches on something universal. His death ought to make us look at ourselves and be honest: we need to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-k-fallon/trayvon-martin-s-killing-touches-on-something-universal-his-death/) [Peter K. Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-k-fallon/) > [I'm an imperfect messenger, but the message is perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/i-m-an-imperfect-messenger-but-the-message-is-perfect/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [The merry cuckow, messenger of Spring, His trumpet shrill hath thrice already sounded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/the-merry-cuckow-messenger-of-spring-his-trumpet-shrill-hath-thrice/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [A well-fashioned day - with a beginning and an end, a purpose and a content, a color and a character, a feel and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/a-well-fashioned-day-with-a-beginning-and-an-end-a-purpose-and-a/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) ## More by John Calvin > [I have never seen either a drop of piety or a grain of truth or ingenuousness - nay, I have never found common sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/i-have-never-seen-either-a-drop-of-piety-or-a-grain-of-truth-or/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [But a most pernicious error widely prevails that Scripture has only so much weight as is conceded to it by the consent of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/but-a-most-pernicious-error-widely-prevails-that-scripture-has-only/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [For earthly princes lay aside their power when they rise up against God, and are unworthy to be reckoned among the number of mankind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/for-earthly-princes-lay-aside-their-power-when-they-rise-up-against/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [It is no small honour that God for our sake has so magnificently adorned the world, in order that we may not only be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/it-is-no-small-honour-that-god-for-our-sake-has-so-magnificently/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [The word "hope" I take for faith; 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He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [The still affection of the heart Became an outward breathing type, That into stillness past again, And left a want unknown before; Although the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-still-affection-of-the-heart-became-an-outward-breathing-type/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [I am persuaded that there is no affection of the human heart more exquisitely pure, than that which is felt by a grateful son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/i-am-persuaded-that-there-is-no-affection-of-the-human-heart-more/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Our sweetest experiences of affection are meant to be suggestions of that realm which is the home of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/our-sweetest-experiences-of-affection-are-meant-to-be-suggestions-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Browse all 2,465 Affection quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our physical illnesses serve us for medicines to purge us from worldly affections and retrench what is superfluous in us, and since they are to us the messengers of death, we ought to learn to have one foot raised to take our departure when it shall please God.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Calvin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/our-physical-illnesses-serve-us-for-medicines-to-purge-us-from/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affection" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/our-physical-illnesses-serve-us-for-medicines-to-purge-us-from/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/john-calvin-490_affection_our-physical-illnesses-serve-us-for-medi_2938433.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/john-calvin-490_affection_our-physical-illnesses-serve-us-for-medi_2938433.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/john-calvin-490_affection_our-physical-illnesses-serve-us-for-medi_2938433.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Our physical illnesses serve us for medicines to purge us from worldly affections and retrench what is…” — John Calvin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Calvin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Our physical illnesses serve us for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/our-physical-illnesses-serve-us-for-medicines-to-purge-us-from/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/our-physical-illnesses-serve-us-for-medicines-to-purge-us-from/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```