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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	find_v	life_n	sin_n	7,038	5	4.6201	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19515	The life and death of the Reuerend Father, and faithfull seruant of God, Mr. William Cowper, Bishop of Galloway who departed this life at Edenburgh, the 15. of February. 1619. Whereunto is added a resolution penned by himselfe, some few dayes before his death, touching the Articles concluded in the late generall Assembly holden at Perth. 1618.	Cowper, William, 1568-1619.	1619 (1619)	STC 5945; ESTC S109006	14,789	34

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF THE REVEREND FATHER and faithfull Seruant of GOD Mr. WILLIAM COWPER Bishop of Galloway who departed this life at Edenburgh the 15 of February 1619. WHEREVNTO IS ADDED A RESOLVTION penned by himselfe some few dayes before his death touching the Articles concluded in the late generall Assembly holden at PERTH 1618. LONDON Printed by George Purslowe for Iohn Budge and are to be sold in Pauls Church-yard at the Signe of the Greene-Dragon 1619. THE PREFACE IT is profitable and considering the times we now liue in very necessarie that the liues deaths of Gods faithfull seruants such as was this worthy Person be registred and commended to Posteritie as well for examples to the liuing that they may know how to walke in a good Conscience before God as to preserue the fame of the righteous after their death from the reprochful detractions of the wicked And this last charitie towards our Brethren departed requires of vs then especially when the wrong done vnto their memories tends to the discrediting of the seruice wherein they were by God imployed in the time of their life For though it be true that lyes and calumnies can neuer long preuaile and that Truth by some rightly called the Daughter of Time will at last breake forth as the light and shine as the noone day to the iustifying of them that haue feared the Lord and beene carefull to approue their courses vnto him yet in the meane while preiudices may possesse the minds of many not euill affected and while they lacke better information by mis-reports they may be made to thinke and speake of persons and matters otherwise then they should Neither can we be excused if wee shall keepe silence and forbeare to giue witnesse vnto the Truth when peruerse men take such libertie as we see to vent lies both by speech and writing onely to confirme others in wicked and rebelli●us courses This respect albeit there had been no other is a sufficient reason for the publishing of this Discourse written by that faithfull Seruant of God of himselfe some two yeeres before his departing and since found amongst his papers for as in his life there wanted not enemies to charge him with many false imputations whereof himselfe did often complaine so yet after his death when humanitie it selfe might teach them not to disquiet the ashes of the dead they forbeare not to lay vpon him and the manner of his death false and foule aspersions albeit no man while he liued did walk in all his wayes with a b●tter conscience nor any of the Saints of God did euer conclude his dayes more peaceably and with better Resolution Concerning his life which was not idle or fruitlesse as his writings already come forth and others that shortly will see the light may sufficiently witnesse wee remit you to this Discourse penned by himselfe as it seemes when he found his sicknes beginning which put an end to his dayes And for his death whereof there were many witnesses the forme and manner thereof we haue annexed to stop the mouthes of vngodly men and giue all that feare the Lord an example of dying and occasion of thankefulnes to Almighty God who vouchsafed so mercifully to rid his seruant of the miseries of this life and receiue him to his ioy and that place of felicitie where we are perswaded now he rests THE LIFE AND DEATH OF W. COWPER BISHOP OF GALLOWAY This Discourse was penned by himselfe on the first of Ianuary 1616. MY life hath not beene such that I am ashamed to liue longer if my gracious God haue any further seruice to employ mee withall in his Church Neither am I so desirous to liue but yet I am willing and heartily content to remoue out of this body that I may be with my Lord freed from these restlesse tentations which on euery side haue sore pressed but through his grace neuer oppressed me In my younger yeeres I was trained vp with the wrestlings of God from my youth I haue borne his yoke exercised with his terrours yet so that many a time his sweet consolations haue refreshed my soule In my old days men haue risen against me but without a cause betwixt these two my dayes are spent my Witnesse is in heauen Hee knoweth that in euery state of life my heart was euer toward the Lord it was my ioy to serue him and my griefe when I sinned against him Being of the age of eight yeere old about Martimas I was carried by my father from Edenborough to Dunbar Schoole I could not write nor read any Latine then I tarried there till my twelft yeere euen then did the Lord beginne to acquaint my heart to seek him we went two two to the Church he put then this prayer in my heart euery day in the way Lord bow mine care that I may heare thy Word In the Schoole many a time haue I turned on my face seeking from God knowledge and vnderstanding In the space of foure yeeres and lesse I learned the whole course of Grammar wherein God made me to prosper not inferiour to others in the company with me From thence I was called by my Parents to Edenborugh and in the entry of my 13. yeere sent ouer to S. Andrewes and passed in course of Philosophy there in the 16. yeere there made I not such progresse in knowledge as I had done before in my other Studies either mine age not being capable of it or my wise and mercifull Father not thinking it expedient for me yet euen there was the seede of grace still working in me inclining me to a carefull hearing and penning of Sermons and Theologicall lessons as I could haue occasion to heare them And heere Satan working in corrupt nature sought many a time to trap mee in his snares intending in my young yeeres to giue mee that wound that night haue beene a marke of shame to me in my old age when the Lord should call mee to doe his Worke but as on the one part I felt my weakenesse compared with the strength of corrupt nature so though then I could not discerne it afterward I had proofe it was the Lords preuenting mercy that kept me from being an offence vnto his Church It is his mercy that he pardoned the vanities and ignorances of my youth and his mercy also that he preserued me in all my life from any that could make me a shame to his Saints or a scorne and reproach to his enemies Hauing passed my course in S. Andrewes at the age of sixteene yeeres I returned to my Parents in Edenborough I was pressed by them to enter into sundry sorts of life I liked not for my heart still inclined to the study of holy Scriptures wherevpon I resolued to goe into England where I euidently perceiued the Lord going before mee and prouiding for me at Hoddesdon within eighteene mile of London my meane portion which I had being all spent I speake it to his glory that

of my former painfulnes and fidelitie My witnesse is in he●uen that the loue of Iesus and his People made continuall preaching my pleasure and I had no such ioy as in doing his worke Some witnesses also I want not to remaine For albeit my charge was to teach fiue times in the weeke yet this was more that I penned thereafter whatsoeuer I preached whereof some are already extant others by Gods grace if the Lord spare my dayes shall come in their time And in outward things what care I had to see the House of God there honoured the welfare of that people euery way there are monuments standing to witnes for me when I am dead All this time except some little intermissions and breathing times did the LORD still exercise mee with inward tentations O what a vicissitude of estates O what a varietie of combates It were tedious here to set them downe all as they were done and fought but this I must say the end of all and euery one of them were vnspeakeable ioy And once for all in greatest extremitie of horrour and anguish of Spirit when I had vtterly giuen ouer and looked for nothing but confusion suddenly did there shine in the very twinckling of an eye the bright and lightsome countenance of God proclaiming peace and confirming peace with inuincible reasons O what a change was there in a moment The silly soule that was euen now at the brinke of the pit looking for nothing but to be swallowed vp was instantly raised vp to Heauen to haue ioyfull fellowship with God in Christ Iesus and from this day forth my soule was neuer troubled with such extremitie of terrours This confirmation was giuen me on a Saturday in the morning there found I the power of Religion the certaintie of the Word there was I touched with such liuely sense of a diuinitie and power of the Godhead in mercy reconciled with man with me in Christ as I trust my soule shall neuer forget Glory glory glory be to the ioyfull Deliuerer of my soule out of all aduersities for euer In the middest of these wrestlings with God all this time wanted I not combates with wicked men like those Beasts at Ephesus with whom Saint Paul did fight All the time of my residens yeere continued this battell as one left off another still renewing the battell but the greatnes of my inward conflicts made me regard lightly all their outward contradictions and I esteemed them but like the bitings of a Flea I resolued with my selfe It was no maruell to see Satan stirre vp his wicked instruments to disquies mee since I professed my selfe a disquieter of him and his Kingdome yea my cōfort was that I had neuer a controuersie with any of them but for their sinnes God knowes I loued their persons and estates therefore did the Lord assist me the power of his Word hammering downe their pride they were al of them by course brought to the acknowledgement of their sinnes But at length as God turned the heart of Pharaoh and his people from the Israelites when the time came that hee would haue them to remoue out of Egypt so by little and little did the zeale and loue of the most of this people at least in my sense fall away so that at last my battell was not with such as were like the Publicans and sinners for these now were turned my fauourers and comforters but with such as seemed before Iusticiars I meane vnrebukeable men for outward offences These men found I stuffed with such pride selfe-conceit disdaine and intolerable contempt as carried them further frō their dutie then any of the former yea such as aboue others should haue beene my comforters were my crossers That I had cause to say with Micah The best of them are Bryers But I trust it repents them ere now And therefore pray I God not to lay it to their charge I will haue none of my words extended to that handfull there which truely scare the Lord. Now about this time God had opened to me a doore and called mee to the charge of the Churches in Galloway in the South-west part of this Kingdom for being named with others by the generall Assembly of such as they thought meet to be preferred to the Episcopall dignitie whereof I euer acknowledged my selfe not worthy and recommended by the Fathers of our Church it was his Maiesties pleasure to present mee to that Benefice due to the office wherevnto the Church had called me God knowes this was done without my knowledge or seeking directly or indirectly For I could haue been contented all my dayes with a priuate life resolued to giue honour and obedience in God to such as were called to these places after that once it was established by order in our Church and I had considered the lawfulnes antiquitie and necessitie of it among vs. Here was I neither guiltie of Ambition not of any precipitate embracing of it for betweene the date of his Ma presentation and my acceptation there interuened eighteene weekes Yet as the Calling to this Worke was greater then any other whereto I had been led before so greatest opposition was there made vnto mee by men whose lying Libels and carnall contradictions forced me to spend more time vnprofitably then I had done before since my entry to the Ministerie The Lord forgiue them and me also where in the maner of my answering I haue been sharper then became Christian meeknes For as to the matter it selfe vnfainedly I followed my light I esteeme it a lawfull ancient and necessarie gouernment I see not nor haue not read of any Church that wanted it before our time Onely the abuses of it by pride tyranny and idlenes haue brought it in misliking From these euils I pray the Lord preserue his seruants that now are or hereafter shall be called to those places but there is no reason why a thing good in it selfe should be condemned or reiected for the euill of abuse for so no good thing at all should bee retained in the Church And in this Calling how I haue walked and what my care was to aduance the Gospell there I trust I shall not nor yet doe want witnesses In this estate doe I now liue my soule alway in mine hand ready to bee offered to my God where or what kinde of death God hath prepared for me I know not but sure I am there can be no euill death to him that liueth in Christ nor sodaine death to a Christian Pilgrime who as Iob sayes euery day waites for his change yea many a day haue I sought it with teares not out of impatience distrust or perturbation but being weary of sin fearfull to fall into it Concerning those who haue beene my enemies without cause and charged me with many wrongfull imputations from which my conscience cleares me excusing me of these things loue of gaine and glory or such like whereof they accused me The Lord lay it not to

their charge I go to my Father wish his blessing to them to rectifie their iudgements moderate their affections with true pietie from faith loue AMONGST THE SAME Papers wee found three short Meditations whereby he comforted himselfe whilest he found his death approching written also with his owne hand and bearing date the seuenth of December 1618. NOw my soule be glad at all parts of this prison the Lord hath set to his Pioners to loose thee Head Feet Milt Liuer are fast failing yea the middle strength of the whole body the stomake is weakened long agoe Arise make ready shake off thy setters mount vp from the body and goe thy way Let me tell you that which I know yea foreknow yet I after others haue foretasted before you Death is somewhat drieric the streames of that Iordan betweene vs and our Canaan runne furiously but they stand still when the Arke commeth Let your Author be cast within the vaile and fastned on the Rocke Iesus Let the end of the three-fold cord bee buckled to the heart so shall yee goe thorow what threds the cord is made of I cannot now tarrie to tell you who knowes but if ye aske God will teach you I saw not my children when they were in the wombe there the Lord fed them without my knowledge I shall not see them when I goe out of the body yet shall they not vvant a Father This faithfull Seruant of God who from the time of his entrie into the Ministerie had alwayes shewed himselfe diligent and painefull in his Calling notwithstanding that his Sicknes grew dayly vpon him was no way deficient in his duties of ordinarie preaching taking great paines also to perfit his Worke vpon the Reuelation which he had begunne and desired greatly to finish it before his dying Besides which studies the griefe he conceiued for the backwardnes of vnruly spirits in giuing obedience to the Articles concluded in the late Assembly and ratified by authoritie to the great disturbance of the Peace of the Church which hee laboured carefully in all his life to procure did hasten him not a little to his end So as in the beginning of Ianuary 1619. his infirmitie increasing hee was compelled to keepe at home and not to goe any more abroad yet as his weaknesse did permit hee gaue himselfe to reuise his writings and dispose of his worldly affaires that hee might bee ready for his passage which euery day hee expected And some ten dayes before his departure hauing his minde freed of all earthly businesse to those that visited him hee manifested a great contentment hee had in his approching death The Wednesday before which was the tenth of February The Bishops some other Brethren beeing assembled at Edenborough for certaine affaires of the Church tooke occasion to meete at his house because of his Sicknesse which hee tooke most kindly and continued with them that whole afternoone giuing very wholesome aduice in matters propounded and shewing himselfe as pleasant and iocund in speeches as euer before Howbeit euen then hee signified to them that his death was drawing neere and declared his minde somewhat disposedly concerning his Successor The dayes following hee kept with all that came to visit him in most holy and Diuine conferences expressing a great willingnes of exchanging this life with that better And vpon Munday which was the fifteenth of February at one of the clocke in the afternoone feeling his strength and spirits to decay after hee had conceiued a most heauenly prayer in the company of those that were by him he desired to be laid in bed for the dayes before he arose alwayes and either walked or sate in his Chamber which being done after he had againe commended himselfe most deuoutly vnto Almightie God he tooke some quiet rest after which he spake not many words but those that hee vttered shew his memory and other senses to haue beene perfect his tongue onely failing him and in this sort about seuen of the clocke at night he rendred his soule to God in a most quiet and peaceable manner His body the seuenteenth of February was interred according to his owne direction in the Churchyard called the Blacke-Friers at Edenborough in the South-side of the new Church and was conueyed to the place by the Earl of Dumsermeline Chancellor and the rest of the Honourable Lords of Councell with the Magistrates of the Citie and many others The Funerall Sermon being preached by the most Reuerend Father in God the Arch-bishop of St. Andrewes THE BISHOP OF GALLOWAY HIS answers to such as desire a resolution of their scruples against the Acts of the last Assembly holden at Perth in the month of August 1618. Mercy grace and peace be vnto all them that loue the Lord Iesus WEe are commanded by S. Peter to giue a reason of that faith which is in vs and so will I No good Christian differs one from another in any Article of faith for our beliefe is a short compend of the Scripture and I haue preached all the Articles thereof I beleeue all As for Papists where they differ from vs see what I haue professed in my writings published in Print and I am resolued to dye in the same minde what that is they may perceiue by the seuen dayes conference betwixt a Catholike Christian and a Catholike Roman By that threefold Treatise vpon the 8. to the Romans By that Anatomy of a Christian. By that Alphabet for Sious Schollers By that Treatise of Iacobs wrastling with God And that of Christs Genealogie And another of his Baptisme And the third of his combate with Satan in the Wildernesse By that which I intituled A defiance to Death By that Preparatiue to the new Passeouer By the Treatises of good newes from Canaan on the 51. Psalme By the Heauenly Mansions and the Praise of Patience By the Conuersion of the Prodigall Sonne By that comfortable Dialogue betwixt God and a troubled Soule And that begun Commentary vpon the Apocalyps beside many others These haue done good to many good Christians and I hope shall doe when I am gone And as for these needelesse controucrsies that make diuers voyces among vs I say some conscientious with little knowledge these I loue others contentious with lesse knowledge these I pitty willing them alwayes to remember that to them who are countentious and disobey the truth and obey vnrighteousnesse shall be indignation and wrath Rom. 2. 1. yet wishing to them mercy and light to illuminate their mindes OF DAYES IN my minde no King on earth no Church may make an Holy-day only the Lord who made the day hath that prerogatiue and he hath sanctified the seuenth Day yet either a Christian King or a Church may separate a day by preaching and that either ordinary as we haue Tuesday or extraordinary for fasting and humiliation or then for solemne ioy and thanksgiuing This is and hath been euer the lawfull practice of our Church and continuall who at