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A93339 A sermon preached at the funeral oe [sic] the incomparably vertuous and truly pious gentlewoman Mrs. Dorothy Litster. By Edward Smith. Smith, Edward, 1620 or 21-1682. 1660 (1660) Wing S4022; Thomason E1013_19; ESTC R208099 15,181 20

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A SERMON Preached at the FUNERAL OE THE Incomparably vertuous and truly pious GENTLEWOMAN M RS. DOROTHY LITSTER By EDWARD SMITH The Righteous shall be had in everlasting Remembrance The Righteous hath hope in his Death None considereth that they are taken away from the evil to come Bl●ssed ar● the dead that dye in the Lord. For they rest from their labours and their works follow them VIRTUS Post FUNERA vivit LONDON Printed by T. R. for Will. Palmer at the Palm-Tree in Fleet-street over against St. Dunstan's Church 1660. Madam WHat I should have deem'd presumption flattery or self-conceit to have offered on my own accord I reckon my duty to tender upon your request being fully assured that where the quick eye of your Judgment shall find a fault the tender hand of your goodnesse will blot it out and if you find many you have Charity enough to cover them all I never yet thought any thing I could do either worthy the acceptance of such a person or able to abide the test of such a judicious hearer or reader if you should mind to be critical and therefore should rather have run the hazard of being reputed rude and unmannerly in denying to transcribe the notes you lately heard than to be convict of ignorance and weaknesse under my owne hand But being fully assured that out of a dear love to the memory of that precious Gentlewoman your late dear sister who being dead yet speakes to you in what was spoken at her Funeral and it may be also out of a desire to incourag me in the work of my Ministry you have condescended to signify your good liking of what was then deliverd I have taken upon me the confidence to give you the Sermon as it is my Notes not as it was then curtail'd by the shortness of the time sharpness of the weather which I here humbly present to you and which I beseech you to look upon as a testimany of my thankful resentment of those many obliging favours I have received from you For to a service of this nature no consideration but that of Duty and Gratitude could ever have moved me What I spake concerning the sweet and precious Mrs Litster you have to a word almost as it was then delivered where yet I find my self in a straight those who knew her not will condemne me of flattery and lavishnesse in my expressions those who knew her will blame me as to low and scant wronging both her and the auditory to which I can only say God and my own conscience acquit me from the first my weakness and unfitnesse for a work so much above me will begg if not from others yet from you my pardon for the last Madam How much of the comfort of my life and of cheerfulnesse in the work of my Ministry I owe to Mr. Hartop and yourselfe I have a deeper sense than I have either power or opportunity at this time to expresse only to what I have said I add this God forbid I should sin against him in ceasing to pray and praise God for you and yours I humbly take leave and remaine Madam Your poore and unworthy but many ways obliged servant Edward Smith Hoby this 30. of December 1659. AS undue praises is a piece of flattery that suits only with base and slavish spirits who dare sacrifice their Consciences to satisfy some persons vain glorious humour endeavouring by the vermilion of their sale-oratory to paint them at their death like Saints who in their life-time were no better than Devils So on the other side to deny Commendations where true worth claimes them as due is a superstitious niceness savouring either of ignorance to descern it or of malice not to acknowledg it or of injustice to render it And therefore I think he was not mistaken to whom it seemed as reall apoynt of Religion to honour the vertues as to reli●ve then cessito is For I am sure as this is commanded by the Apostle James c. 1. v. 27. so the other is allowed by Solomon who spendeth almost the 31th chapter of the Proverbs in the praise of the vertuous women and v. 30. saith A woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised I think such and none but such for according to Morall philosophy praise is a moral Consesequent of vertuous actions And as the wise man warrants our Commendation of the vertuous so the Knowledg that many here present had of the vertues of this deceased Gentlewoman will not only warrant but require it as a due satisfaction to their just expectation that as we are taught that we must die by this spectacle of mortality so how to live and die by setting before us though but in some darke and shaddowy representations the patte●n of her never dying vertues But I am given to understand that this is not regarded at any hands Yet I hope I may do my self that right as to pay some small tribute of that respect and honour which I do and shall owe to his precious Memory and you the service of quickning your graces by reminding you of hers which I doubt not wil be acceptable to some and I hope none here so squeamishly affected as to be offended at it And here I shall not mention her descent her being such a Knights Daughter this we owe to fortune if you● allow the wo●d that often favous fooles or necessity such a discourse would be here but a troublesome impertinency which it may be if one were tied to speak of some great persons must be the principall argument for want of better But though many of our degenerate Nobility and Gentry think it honour and Dignity sufficient that they be known to be the Sons Daughters of such Parents such a Noble mans son such a Knights daughter and Glory worldly Nobility necessarily descending upon them need not endeavour to excel in any worthy or well-doing yet I am sure this deceased Gentlewoman was otherwise minded counting it a small thing that she was such a Great mans Daughter unless she was also Daughter to a Greater Father even to the Lord Almighty 1 Cor. 9. For where Vertue is wanting Great men as Sir W. Raleigh truly says are but like painted papers whom ignorant persons worship in stead of Christ our Lady or other Saints That therefore which will for ever endear her memory to us is her care to enoble her birth by Grace making honour which usually yea naturally descends to go up the Channel For it was not so much honour to her that Sir Mart. Litster was her Father as it was to him that he had such a Daughter Such a Daughter I say whose tender yeares were seasoned with Grace who as if she had foreseen how short her day was like a good Houswife got up in the morning of her life and finished her work before the night of Death could surprize her The time would fail me should I speak of her rare natural Endowments