sweet and comfortable death so on the contrary it is very rare and seldome that a wicked life makes a good and happy end And therefore Tully an heathen Oratour could call this the highest pitch and emprovement of the best wisdome To do those things living which we would desire to have done when we are to die holy Bernard seconds it with advice much to the same purpose In every action and enterprise of thy life sayes he be still saying over to thy self Si modo moriturus esses istud faceres if thou wert to die out of hand wouldst thou doe so and so And who of us all can tell that he is not modo moriturus to die soon for life we know is uncertain and death very ordinarily comes suddenly upon people and not alwayes in the preface and solemnity either af a lingring Consumption or a swelling Dropsie or a tedious Ague or a growing Fever or the like but many times in the sudden surprisalls of some secret and unexpected accident which we could not possibly foresee untill it came to light fatally and mortally upon us And does it not concern us then to be continually numbring our dayes and putting our selves in as great a readinesse and preparednesse for death as may be that so we may rather our selves be said to meet it then That to come suddenly and unexpectedly upon us And to this purpose was this Psalm here penned which contains in it if you mark it well a relation and narrative both of the necessity of our mortality and also the brevity and uncertainty of our lives To the end that having these things alwayes in our thoughts before our eyes both the necessity of our mortality that it is necessary for us at some time to die and also the brevity and uncertainty of our lives that it is possible for us to die every hour we might the sooner be awakened out of our present course of sin and incogitancy into studious endeavours and practises of piety and devotion of abstinence and mortification of heavenly mindednesse and spirituall affections in a word of a wise and timely provision of such gracious habits and dispositions which may in some good measure dresse our souls for a fit salute and entertainment of death These words which I have now read unto you do contain in them the form and substance of a devout and pious prayer and whether David was the Authour of it or Moses that should not need to trouble us for to be sure the prayer it self is most Divine and heavenly and the very piety of the prayer does sufficiently declare the Authour whoever he was to be highly pious and religious In it we have particularly considerable these four things First Quis petit who it is that prayes or the party praying and that indeed is not expressed in terms but conceived by some to be holy David whose are most of the other Psalms but presumed by others to be Moses grounding their opinion and that not without good cause upon the Title and Inscription of the Psalm Psalmus Moses viri Dei a Psalm of Moses the man of God Secondly Proquibus petit who they are whom he prayes for not if you mark it for himself alone but for others as well or for himself conjunctly and together with others Doce nos Teach us Thirdly Quid petit what it is which he prayes for and that is negatively no worldly advantage at all no temporal concerment but positively to be taught and instructed in the mysterious art of spiritual Arirhmetick to be put into a right way and method of numbring and counting up our dayes Doce nos numerare dies nostros Teach us to number our dayes Fourthly Propter quid petit the design and end of his prayer or the particular reason principally moving him to make this request and that is adductio cordis ad sapientiam the application of our hearts unto wisdome or our spiritual instruction and edification Sic doce ut adducamus So teach us that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome I shall begin with the first of these The party making the request and he as is generally concluded was holy Moses A man of God So the inscription of the Psalm styles him One that was faithful in all his house so the Authour to the Hebrews reports him chap. 3. 5. See what what an high character what a large commendation here is some are faithfull in this or that in one or two particular instances of piety Thus one man is very temperate another very humble another very patient another very mortified another very charitable but Moses you see he was a through proficient an universal Saint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faithfull in all Whence be pleased to take away with you this observation that the best and most excellent Saints of all have great need and reason to pray to be better taught and instructed in duty And why in many things we do all fall short and offend the brightest Moon hath its spots the richest wine hath its lees and there are dreggs and much corrupt matter lodging in the best and most improved Saint of us all Well but mark what it is which Moses here prayes for onely to be taught to number his dayes But did he not do this already was it not his dayly work this his constant and continual employment Yes doubtlesse it was yea and he did it carefully and conscientiously too But yet he thought he did it not well enough and therefore prayes here in the Text to be taught to do better See a good man how little he pleaseth himself in any action of his life in any performance of duty that he does He can never think that he does well enough whatever he does but still desires to do otherwise and would fain do better There is an affection of modesty and humility which still accompanies real piety and every pious man is an humble modest man never reckons himself a perfect proficient or to be advanced above a teaching but is content and covetous to be a continual learner to know more then he knows and to do better then he does yea and thinks it no disparagement to his graces at all to take advice and to seek instruction where it is to be had A proud man is evermore high lofty in his own conceit and none is so wise as he none fit and worthy enough to teach him What doest thou teach us said the Pharisees you know to the blind man in the Gospel Iohn 9. 35. oh but an humble man is ever meek and lowly in his own eyes and takes it well yea and is glad and desirous to be taught Accordingly O teach me sayes holy David to do the thing that pleaseth thee Psal 143. 10 and here in the Text So teach us to number our dayes S. Paul 2 Tim. 4. 3. reports it of some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who will not endure sound doctrine But such
feel the benefit and receive the comfort of them And questionlesse that peremptory promise Ioh. 20. 23. Quorumcunque peccata remiseritis whosoever sins ye remit they are remitted doe signifie much more then the bare complement of an indifferent usage and Ceremony The same day she departed which was Ianuary 26. about three a clock in the afternoon she sent for me four severall times to go to prayers with her thrice in the morning and once in the afternoon at which last time all her children one onely excepted which was not in Town were present and joyned in prayers together with us Soon after that I was called to her again to perform my last Ministeriall Office the recommendation of her soul into the hands of Almighty God and then indeed and not before her senses began to fail her and within few minutes after in much peace and sweetnesse she concluded her last breath I doe here willingly passe over many other most remarkable carriages of hers during the time of her sickness as her most Christian Charity her constant Devotion her stupendious Silence Patience even to a miracle the amazement of beholders Her perfect Weanednesse from the world her continuall thoughts and discourses of the joyes and happinesse of heaven and indeed in this latter God Almighty was exceeding gracious to her for she would often wish that if it might stand with the good will and pleasure of God as he dealt with his servant Moses and gave him a little before his death a sight and view of the land of promise so he would also some time before her departure hence vouchsafe her some sensible tastes and feelings of the joyes and happinesse of heaven And truly in this she had her request granted and God was in most signal manner as good to her as her desires for her soul was full of the glory of God and of the joyes and happinesse of heaven and she was in a manner caught up into Paradise and saw in her spirit strange sights and heard words of joy and peace not to be uttered and did sensibly feel new comforts every day breaking in fresh and more upon her soul and lived to see all her former fears vanished and doubts satisfied and objections answered and scruples resolved and hopes evidenced and in a word her whole mind most sweetly composed and settled into a heavenly posture of pious confidence and assurance so that now she had nothing left to do but to resolve with holy David Psal 4. 8. To lay her down in peace for the Lord had graciously made her to dwell in safety Accordingly a few dayes before her death she was pleased to utter her self to me in these or I am sure such like words Oh Sir what a gracious God have I how rich in his mercees towards me how favourable in his corrections of me The thing which I so greatly feared a painfull torturing death he has turned into ease and comfort And my wordly cares and thoughtfulnesse for the provision of my children he has also in great measure taken off of my hand And now what doe I lingring and tarrying here any longer all my work is done and the world has no further need of me why may I not forthwith goe to my God Is it not much better for me to be dissolved and to be with Christ These and such like heavenly sayings were her frequent and usuall discourses with me so that it was an exceeding joy and comfort to me when at any time she did send for me neither doe I know that I ever went to her and did not learn somewhat remarkable from her And indeed every speech and posture of hers was a most fruitfull Sermon to all those who had the happiness to attend about her to minister unto her did either hear the one or observe the other the one a visible Sermon of patience the other an audible Sermon of devotion But I see I am now entred into a large Field and may say with Elihu in Iob chap. 32. 18. I am full of matter and the spirit within me constraineth me And indeed I can very hardly wind my self out but I must have regard to my promise of brevity Take all therefore which I shall adde further in these few words and believe it they are not the words of vanity or flattery but of truth and soberness uttered in the fear presence of God I have in my time been with severall dying persons have seen their piety observed their patience taken speciall notice of their whole carriage and behaviour yet never in all my life did I see such an uniform Samplar of piety nor a whiter Soul return to its maker One thing was very notable and I beseech God to make us truly thankfull to him for it as being a most signall instance and evidence of his goodnesse to her and which indeed considering the condition of her disease may justly deserve the name of a miraculous mercy It was this Though her sicknesse as I said before was very painfull and grievous yet it pleased God for some dayes before her death to deliver her from any sense of pain at all so that she had her thoughts very free and at liberty and made a most Christian use and advantage of that freedome Yea when we and her self too by reason of the little rest which she took greatly feared that her sicknesse might at last grow into some kind of distemper It pleased Almighty God to secure her from that also so that she enjoyed her understanding and memory and all her senses very quick and perfect to the last even so long as she had any occasion or need to make use of them And thus have I at length given you the whole world in a Map a brief account and history of the holy Life and Death of our most excellent Lady See for all the world as she lived so she died she lived in peace and she died in peace her whole life here was as a man would say one continued act of piety and good works and as for her death that in like manner was a conclusion of most heavenly sweetnesse and comfort The Lord in mercy give us grace who survive so to frame our lives according to the example of her piety that when it shall come to our turns to die we also may share in like feelings of comfort All the farther application which I shall now make hereof is to you that are here present and particularly to those who were her dearest relations Her right Noble and Honourable Children most earnestly beseeching them to consider and call often to mind these pious Parents of theirs to endeavour to tread in their steps and to follow the example of their piety and not give themselves the liberty of committing those sins which they were so carefull to prevent or lightly neglect any of those wholsome customes practises whither in their private Closets or Families which they made
A SERMON PREACHED At the Funerall of the Right Honourable and most Excellent Lady THE LADY ELIZABETH CAPELL DOWAGER TOGETHER With some brief Memorialls of her most holy Life and Death By EDM. BARKER late Chaplain to her Honour and now Rector of Buriton in Hampshire Prov. 31. 29. Many Daughters have done virtuously but thou excellest them all Non moeremus quòd talem amisimus sed gratias agimus quòd habuimus imò habemus quidquid enim revertitur ad dominum in familiae numero computatur Hieron Epitaph Paulae LONDON Printed by I. R. for Iohn Williams at the Crown in St. Paul's Church-yard 1661. To the Right Honourable and truly Noble ARTHUR LORD CAPELL Baron of Hadham My Lord THis short discourse being at first conceived and formed by your L ps special command and afterwards enlivened and quickened by your noble and gracious acceptance is since grown bold to beg a further Boon of your Honour which is that under the Sanctuary of your Name and Patronage it may walk a little abroad and visit the Neighbour-hood Indeed I can discover nothing in it which I can warrantably and with confidence conceive worthy your Noble eyes save onely the necessary justice and gratitude of my design therein viz. to pay all dutifull respects and Honours to the precious Memory of the Best of Ladies to burn a little Incense before her Shrine And though I am very sensible what great difficulties I am to encounter with for the fame of her great worth has long since spread it self far near and the world does every where ring of her piety and her example is solemnly propounded and quoted by those who are desirous of the Best things and would fain improve into Excellent and peoples expectations do begin to swell and grow big hereupon and will not easily be put off with a sparing and slender report where so much in truth may and in justice ought to be spoken Yet am I notwithstanding no whit discouraged at all this but am resolved to go on howsoever to make up such an Offering as I am able my two small mites and a little Goats hair having an Heart large and willing enough to offer with the freest had I but wherewithall And besides I must not deny it that I my self also am a man subject to like incidencies of grief and sorrow of passion and sadness in common with other people neither indeed as yet have I throughly recovered the free command and use of my Parts nor perfectly wrought my spirit out of those huge discomposures and indispositions which the apprehension and remembrance of so signal a loss did at first cause in me yea and to this very day the wound continues bleeding a fresh upon every uncovering of it so that if either my expressions be disturbed or language indigested or stile not so even methodical as is fit it should rather move resentments of Pitie and Pardon in the Reader then expressions of Censure and Anger and especially there where the mind which should prevent and rectifie all these transgressions is it self so much out of Order Howbeit my Lord if you shall but please to smile Graciously upon this poor and little Oblation which I here humbly cast at your Lordship's feet I shall the less value the report and censure of the World as having in some measure fulfilled and observed your Lp' s commands which were to preach a Sermon and that you know is confined to Minutes and Houre-glasses and not to write a full and complete history of all the virtuous Acts and Merits of this most excellent Lady And yet neither have I been wholly wanting in this latter for though I have not indeed spoken of Her what either in justice I ought or of my own knowledge and Observation I might in Truth have said yet have I said so much as will I fear me put the greatest part of the World to the blush and I hope too provoke an holy Zeal and Emulation in all And now my Lord give me leave to beseech you to reflect a little upon the great advantages of your Relation You are Heir to a Blessed Martyr and the Eldest Son of a most Excellent Mother so that Honour and Nobility and Worth and Piety are in a manner intailed upon you and you do derive them and claim them as it were by inheritance and this must needs doubtless provoke very great Emulations and continue most earnest desires and endeavours in you to resemble and be as like these two Excellent Parents of yours as may be And blessed be GOD for it you have in great measure attained to their perfections already and those people who knowing you do not take notice of your singular Temperance and Sobriety your rare Humility and Condescention your exceeding Courtesie and Affability are either wilfully blind or worse And though I know your great Modestie doth not love to be told of your Virtues but had rather do things Noble and Excellent then hear talk of them Yet herein do I humbly beg your pardon if I tell the World of one it was so eminent and remarkable in you and gave such perfect content and satisfaction to your dear Mother and That was your signal dutifulness and complyance with every request and command of Hers in the time of Her sickness and since that too your most exact and punctual observation of Her last Will and Testament hitherto even to the smallest tittles and minutes And doubtless you have taken the right course to secure a blessing to your self and family for GOD Almighty who is so particularly mindfull of our lesser Charities and payes us still present money for every cup of cold water given in his name will not questionless be forgetfull of such signal returns demonstrations of filial Duty and Obedience but will in his time and manner abundantly reward them and recompence them And besides you have the first Commandement with promise as the Apostle calls it for your security and you may confidently build upon it and conclude and argue from it And therefore my Lord go on still in these pious and noble resolutions and recover every day more and more of the likeness and resemblance of your Parents and May the Blessings of Heaven continually descend on you and attend you both in your Person Relations and May there never want one of your Name and if it be the will of GOD out of your own Loins too to keep up perpetuate to the World's end The Renowned Memory of your famous Progenitours which is and shall alwayes be the prayer of My Lord Your Honour 's most humble and devoted Servant BARKER Psalm 90. vers 12. So teach us to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome EVery Christian hath two great works to doe in the world to live well and to die well yea to live well to the end he may be sure to die well for as a holy life has evermore a
written if possible with a pen of iron and the point of a Diamond Ier. 17. 1. that so nothing might be sure ever to blot it out but that considering at what uncertainties we do here continually live we might the more seriously and effectually apply our hearts unto wisedome and in time seek out and make sure of somewhat that is certain and that somewhat what other is it but heaven and happinesse eternity and immortality yea too and the way to obtain this is sure and certain also and the holy Scripture have plainly told it us and we cannot be ignorant of it viz. by applying our hearts unto wisdome by the exercises of a pious and holy life the reformation of sinful courses and practises the mortification of our earthly members and the like This briefly for the third and last importance of this duty of numbring our dayes implying recogitationem incertitudinis a frequent recogitation of the unconstancy and uncertainty of ovr present beings Come we now to the fourth and last thing considerable in the Text the design and scope of Moses his prayer So teach us that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome See here a good prayer and for a good end also and that too not barely an end of speculation onely to know the certain number of our dayes and no more but an end of practicall improvement and edification so as to be improved and grow every day better by knowing Vt adducamus cor ad sapientiam that we may apply our hearts unto wisedome S. Paul in his Epistles takes notice of several sorts of wisdome as viz. a wisdome of words 1 Cor. 1. 17. again the wisdome of this world 1 Cor. 2. 19. again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fleshly wisdome or the wisdome of the flesh 2 Cor. 1. 12. but neither of these is the wisdome here in the Text oh no! This it is that very wisdome which the Apostle S. Iames chap. 3. 17. calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wisdome which is from above or divine and heavenly wisdome and then the adductio cordis the applying our hearts unto this wisdome consists particularly in these three things First In minus diligendo in an holy weanednesse from this present life in expressions of lesse love and affection to the world every day then other not suffering our hearts to be as it were glued to it or our affections over much set upon it but loving it as strangers and Pilgrims do the place and countrey of their pilgrimage with a passing transient love The Apostles advice to this purpose is good 1 Cor. 7. 29. This I say brethren 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the time is short the time of our worldly comforts and enjoyments that is short and to be sure the time of our present lives and continuance here that is short how short the Lord onely knows we do not and then mark what an inference of pious abstinence and mortification he raiseth from hence it remaineth that they that have wives be as though they had none and they that weep as though they wept not and they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not and they that use this world as not abusing it See these severall affections of love and sorrow and joy and possession of the world how we are to expresse them Loving as not loving that is with that sobriety of affection as if we loved not again weeping as not weeping that is with that moderation of passion as if we wept not again rejoycing as not rejoycing that is with that mortification of joy as if we rejoiced not again using as not using that is with that indifferency and unconcerndnesse of desire as if we used not Wilt thou sayes Solomon Prov. 23. 5. set thine eyet upon that that is not Now riches are not and honours are not and so in like manner of all our worldly comforts and enjoyments here They are not In actuall possession it is true for the present they are but in security of continuance in certainty of possession and enjoyment They are not And so long let holy David counsel you Psal 62. 9. If riches encrease and so also if honours or children or friends or whatsoever else of the world do encrease and come in flowing upon you what then Nolite cor apponere set not your hearts upon them do not covet them do not love them at all if possible but not excessively not immoderately not overmuch to be sure for remember you have but slippery hold of them they are passing transient injoyments and when you enjoy them most you cannot tell how soon either they may be parted from you or you from them Cornel. A Lapide's rule Com. in 1 Cor. c. 7. is good Taliter utenda est res sicut res est Every thing is to be used as it is For example if it be a thing lasting and permanent such as are onely sprituall and heavenly comforts then use it lastingly and permanently Dwell upon the use of it But if otherwise and it be a transient and momentany enjoyment such as are life health riches honours children and all our worldly comforts whatsoever then you know what the Apostles counsel is Col. 3. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Set not your affections upon it be not glued in your desires to it but love it and use it altogether in transitu as travellers do Innes in a journey for a short bait but no long stay This for the first application of our hearts unto wisdome consisting in minus diligendo in expressions of lesse love and affection to the world every day then other A second instance layes In cautius vivendo in living warily and cautelously in more exactnesse of dutie in more watchfulnesse over sin in more circumspection and observation of our actions for the time to come You know the Apostles Item to this purpose Eph. 1. 15. See that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise redeeming the time And why it is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but a short time you see but a very little while that we have to tarry here oh then let us loose none of this little let us loiter away none of this short time upon which so much depends nay but as our Saviour commanded his Disciples concerning the broken meat in the Gospel let us gather up all these fragments that nothing be lost improve every small portion of our time in continual exercises of piety and devotion of abstinence and mortification as not having the least assurance of a next day when this is once spent or if we had yet can we not certainly tell whether it will be a day of grace to us or no or that we shall have the heart to repent of our losse of time and the sin which we committed the day before And in case Death should come hastily upon us and surprize us either in the actuall commission of sin or before we have finished our repentance for our sin Consider and tremble