Temptation and Illness

By J.

Here is a phrase from the Second Helvetic Confession (p. 110 in the Book of Confessions).

Since [people] are never exposed to more grievous temptations than when they are harassed by infirmities, are sick and weakened by diseases of both soul and body, surely it is never more fitting for pastors of churches to watch more carefully for the welfare of their flocks than in such diseases and infirmities.  Therefore let them visit the sick soon…Let them comfort and confirm them in the true faith, and then arm them against the dangerous suggestions of Satan…and they should see that they happily depart this life.

Questions this paragraph raises for me:  What are the “grievous temptations” that beset the sick? The dangerous suggestions of Satan?  How does this language help us see what it is we do in visiting the sick?  We do not talk much about “temptations” that plague the sick in CPE; what are the consequences for ministry when this category is dropped?  (I’m not implying that they are all negative, but it’s worth thinking about the fundamentally moral character of this description and what’s presumed to be at stake in the Confession, and how this compares with how typically speak about ministry to the sick.)