Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A88065
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Short remains of a dead gentlewoman and wife: published by her surviving husband, for the continuance and advancement of her memory, and the good example of those to whose hands it may come
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L., Elizabeth, d. 1690?
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1690
(1690)
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Wing L17A; ESTC R231026
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5,362
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4
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Short Remains of a Dead Gentlewoman and Wife Published by her Surviving Husband for the Continuance and Advancement of her Memory and the good Example of those to whose Hands it may come My Dear IT has Pleased Almighty God to call me to the Estate of suffering great Pain and Sickness thereby to wean my Affections from the things of the World I do receive his Chastisement with all Humility and Thankfulness as coming from a Merciful and Gracious Father and do acknowledge he deals with me in great Kindness and that hitherto he has laid no more upon me than he has enabled me to bear I acknowledge my Sins and Offences are so great that if he should be extream with me and mark what is amiss and Punish me accordingly he might justly destroy me and cast my Soul into eternal Torments But he is a Merciful God slow to Anger and of great Pity And I have a full trust and confidence in him and in the Merits and Intercession of my Blessed Saviour and that he came into the World to save Sinners That he died for my Sins and rose again for my Justification That there is no Name under Heaven by which I can be saved but by my Blessed Saviour JESVS I love God with all my Heart with all my Mind with all my Soul with all my Strength I put my whole Trust and Confidence in him and do freely and willingly resign my self to his Pleasure to do with me as he pleases and do humbly and heartily beg that he will not leave me nor forsake me but thaâ— when I am weakest he will be strongest and will inable me to overcome the Temptations of the World the Flesh and the Devil And that I may prove a Conqueror thrâ—… Christ that Strengthens me That I may Fight a good Fight keep a good Faith and finisâ— my Course with Joy that I may rest in JESVS and have a House not made witâ— hands eternal in the Heavens where all Tears shall be wiped from mine Eyes wheâ—â— there shall be no more Sorrow nor Death nor Crying nor Pain but shall be in peâ—fect Happiness without end and shall follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth anâ— this I humbly and earnestly beg for my dear and ever Blessed Saviour's sake I 〈◊〉 freely and willingly resign my Soul to God who gave it and my Body to the Earth and do desire I may be Buried in Rawden Chappel near the place Mr. L designs for his own Burying-Place I am willing to part with Mr. L and with all the World and I heartily pray to Almighty God to forgive me all my Sins and I do with all my Heart forgive all the World whatever they have done against me I desire Mr. L that he will forgive me in whatever I have at any time offended him in I confess I have been too apt to say such things as he hath taken ill and has imputed them to ill nature I am sorry I have at any time done or said any thing that might give him disturbance I beg God will forgive me and that he will do so too But I think I ought to do my self that Justice as to affirm I have been Faithful to Mr. L both to his Bed and Fortune in what he has trusted into my Hands I hope I have a clear Conscience to those things that I shall not have any thing to answer upon those accounts There has been many Differences betwixt us and Mr. L has both said and done several severe and hard things to me which have stuck close to me and I know he has thought me a Fool that I could not tell what to say to him but my computation was much otherways for it was very seldom but I could have answered with as much Sharpness as he but I knew he would not bear it and if I had done so I could not have lived with him Therefore I made it my daily request to Almighty God that he would enable me to govern my Tongue that I might always set such a watch over that as that it should be no occasion of difference betwixt my Husband and me And I humbly thank him I have been able to do it I believe as much as most People and I hope when I am gone to my long home Mr. L will be sensible that what I say is true I heartily pray to God to bless him and that when I am gone he may live happy and enjoy the Blessing of Almighty God in as great a measure as he shall see good for him and that we may have a Joyful Meeting at the Resurrection And I humbly beg of Almighty God that he will forgive us both all our Offences against him and against one another And I make it my Request to Mr. L that he will please to give to my Sister Constable a Suit of Damask Linnen which was my Mother's and was bought against my Christening It lies in the bottom of the great Trunk in my Closet at one end there is a long Table-cloth Two less Table-cloths and Two Dozen of Napkins I also desire she may have a little Scarlet Silk Purse and the Gold that is in it only one Broad Piece taken out of it for a Ring for my Brother Yarbrough The Purse is in a private Drawer in the Table in my Closet at the Stairs-head I desire my Maids may have every one of them something of my Clothes and Joseph and Tim may have each of them Twenty Shillings a piece I desire there may be a Sermon at my Funeral which I would have one I had from Mr. Wood It may be found in a thin Red Book which lies on the top of other Books and in it is a little Paper Book of Mr. Wood's Writing The Text is Matth. 24.44 Therefore be ye also ready for in such an hour as you think not the Son of Man cometh I desire Mr. Wood may have Two Guinea's from me besides what Mr. L will give him This is what I desire may be done if Mr. L be willing But I know I have no power to dispose of any thing without his Consent and if he be not willing I should be sorry to displease him in the last Act of my Life and if he be not willing these things should be as I desire I am contented all should be as he pleases This is all I shall say but as long as I live 〈◊〉 shall continue Your Dutiful and Affectionate Wife ELIZABETH L â—he foregoing Letter was Superscribed by the dead Person 's hand in these Words This for Mr. L which I desire may be given to him after my Death and before I am buried And this direction was fulfilled and performed accordingly Here follows a Confession of her Sins found after her Death and written in and by â—er own Hand An Humble Confession to Almighty God of the Grievous Sins I am too guilty of O Lord I confess I offend and Sin in preferring and loving many Worldly Vanities and
Pleasures before the Service of God I confess I sometimes neglect to read the Holy Scriptures and when I do read them I do not mark them as I ought nor do I fear God so much as to keep from Offending him I do not call my self to a daily account for my Sins nor am I so careful as I ought to be in examining what my estate is towards God nor do I repent of my Sins and forsake them as I should do I confess I am often discontented with my own estate and condition and too much troubled when any Worldly things cross me I am too forward to credit things which I hear to the disadvantage of other People and to relate them again tho' I do not know the truth of them and my Thoughts and Phantasies are often such as they ought not to be I am not so careful of my Neighbours Credit as I should be but do sometime talk more of them than I should do I have not so sincere a Charity nor do I forgive my Enemies as I desire God would forgive me but am too apt to remember Injuries and am not sorry enough when any misfortunes come upon those that have done me unkindness or displeasure I confess I am subject to be angry at a small occasion and Impatient if any be angry with me My Affection is too much set upon my Husband and I am too desirous to have his esteem and I cannot bear his Vnkindness with that Patience which I ought I am too apt to provoke him to Anger and Vnkindness by saying ill-natured and cross things I am too Suspicious and Mistrustful of him and too Fretful and Grieving at any thing that makes differences betwixt us I am more afraid of losing his Favour and Kindness than I am of sinning against God I confess I am too slack in my Devotion that when I should be the most Intent in God's service then the Devil is the busiest and puts vain and wandring Thoughts into my Head I am not so thankful to God as I should be for all the Benefits and Blessings he daily and hourly bestows upon me All which I am heartily sorry for and do beg of thee Good Lord to deliver me from all these Sins It is my full purpose to do my utmost endeavour to forsake all these Sins and I humbly and earnestly beg of God for his Grace and Assistance and if he will please to grant me that I do not fear but I shall be a Conqueror Next follows the Purport of a Dream which was found set down by Her own Hand amongst the last Leaves of one of Her Manuscript Books express'd distinctly in the following Words THE 24 November 1689. In the Night towards the Morning of the 25th Day I dreamed that I was saying my Prayers at Night by Candle-light in my Closet and something touched me upon the forepart of my Head like a Hand at which I was frighted and looked up and saw a bright shining Thing with glittering Wings but could not see any Face It hung in the Air and touched nothing It seemed to be about the bigness of an ordinary Hawk It spoke to me and said Thy Prayers are heard and thy Afflictions are sanctified to thee If thou dost continue to do thy Duty unto the end God will not forget his Promises but thou shalt go to the Grave in Peace and with a resigned and quiet Mind and shall receive a Crown of Righteousness Then it stay'd a while I was very much frighted and would fain have spoke but could not Then it said be not frighted but make an end of thy Prayers and with striving to speak I awoke I thought it was in constant Motion with the Wings and spoke slowly and not very high but very plain to be understood The following ELOGY was Composed and bestowed upon the Memory of his dead Wife by her surviving Husband UNder this Stone that Head lies low Which living made so fair a show As drave Beholders to reflect Thereon with Kindness and Respect Her Favour liv'd beyond Her Breath And made her lovely after Death Her Bones and Dust lye here inshrin'd But the clear Luster of her Mind Remains Ingraven deep and high In those that love her Memory Whilst here She liv'd She blest the Place With such Effects of Good and Grace As in no Time will be forgot But told to such as saw them not No wonder then that more than one Refuse to tread upon this Stone Where shrined lies such Wit and Sense Such Goodness Truth and Innocence As may be Samples for the best And dignifie her Place of Rest Which whoso sees will sigh and say Like as the Luster of the Day Hath set in Clouds of a dark Night The World 's depriv'd of Her and Light HERE may She rest reserv'd in Store Till Heavens and Times shall be no more Then shall this heavy Stone remove And let Her pass to Clouds above Where those like Her mett in accord Remain for ever with the Lord. From Words like these comforts are given By a Sound Messenger of Heaven Who bids with Moderation weep For our dead Friends late fall'n asleep Because he with Assurance says God will dead Person wake and raise Thus we confide God's Call to have From our dead Slumbers in the Grave And being rais'd shall mount on high To Clouds and Regions of the Sky And with fresh Bodies light and fair Meet our Redeemer in the Air. TRansports of Joy will then surprize Those Persons who with craving Eyes Behold the Luster of that Light Then offer'd to the Sense and Sight A Prince once dead by great Oppression Comes then to take the full Possession Of all the Powers of Heav'n and Earth Due to the Merits of his Birth The Trumpet 's Sound shall Warning give To all the dead and all that live Of such Approaches as this train Make to the Globe of Earth and Main Then shall translated Bodies rise From Earth to meet them in the Skies Coming to Thrones from earthly Beds They with meek Boldness raise their Heads To look upon the Lord of Bliss Whom they shall see then as he is A Prince of Peace to those that stand Vpon the bent of his Right Hand But terrible sharp and severe To those that on the Left appear He calls the first with Words of Love And Power to make Mountaines move Come near ye blessed of my Father Who fought to Death and chose it rather Than fail in Duty whilst on Earth Ye've now full Shares of the new Birth Come forth and take the Crowns of Glory In earliest Times provided for you Assume your Thrones not come by chance But given as firm Inheritance Which in no Time shall find decay But last as long and fair as day Rising from endless Springs of Light God's holy Throne and boundless might Your teeming Joys shall spring forâ—… And Care and Grief approach you nâ—â—â— You shall be led o're spicy Mountains To Shady Groves and Springing Fountains Where safe you may past wo's despise And have all Tears wip'd from your Eyes And by the Force of this Decree You Kings and Priests to God shall be And have large Shares of heavenly Love Which in true Value stand above All things that Heaven and Earth can show Or that Man's Wit can frame or know HOW can Men bear the strong Reflection Of Joys thus grown to their Perfection More like in Swoons fainting to dye And perish in an Extasy But raised Folk can die no more Nor be or'ewhelm'd with this great Store They 'l have the Power to live for ever Amidst these Joys that fail them never But till the Time that Christ shall come To judge the World and pass the Doom Expect we may since die we must A rest together in the Dust Job 17.16 FINIS