Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	good_a	life_n	sin_n	13,827	5	4.6650	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02734	The christian life and death, of Mistris Katherin Brettergh late wife of Master William Brettergh, of Bretterghoult, in the countie of Lancaster gentleman. With the manner of a bitter conflict shee had with Satan, and blessed conquest by Christ, before her death, to the great glory of God, and comfort of all beholders.	Harrison, William, d. 1625.	1634 (1634)	STC 12865; ESTC S117327	20,842	26

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE AND DEATH OF MISTRIS KATHERIN BRETTERGH LATE wife of Master WILLIAM BRETTERGH of Bretterghoult in the Countie of Lancaster Gentleman With the manner of a bitter conflict shee had with Satan and blessed conquest by CHRIST before her death to the great glory of God and comfort of all beholders MICHA 7. 8. Reioyce not against me O mine enemies though I fall I shall rise againe And when I sit in darkenesse the Lord shall be a light vnto me PSALM 37. 37. Marke the vpright man and behold the iust for the end of that man is peace LONDON Imprinted by FELIX KYNGSTON 1634. TO THE CHRISTIAN READER grace and peace in IESVS CHRIST VVHen Achimaaz the sonne of Zadoc requested that he might be the messenger to bring Dauid word of Absoloms death Ioab would not suffer him Thou shall not saith he be the messenger to day but thou shalt carry newes another time but to day thou shalt carry none for the Kings sonne is dead He knew Dauids affection was such that the newes of his childes death would bee most heauie to him and the messenger himselfe not welcome for his message sake This is all our infirmity no tidings more grieuous to us then when wee heare of the death of those whom wee loue The Parent bewailes his Childe the Husband his Wife the Friend laments the death of his Friend and wee thinke it the losse of another friend to depart with this our griefe Iacob mourned for Ioseph his sonne that hee would not bee comforted of a long season but thought hee would weepe for him as long as he liued When the Amalekites had burned Ziklag and led away captiue the mens wiues and their children Dauid and his campany wept till they could weepe no more When Lazarus died his sisters Martha and Mary were much discomforted for him So heauie a thing wee see it is to bee seuered for a time from those that are deare vnto us One onely thing there is which is able in this case much to temper our affections when we see our friend to die in the Lord that is in comfort of conscience and assurance of saluation through Christ. This blessed departure God giues to many for diuers good purposes First that the world may know that peace is the end of the iust and comfort in death is the portion of the righteous Secondly That his eternall truth in our holy profession may appeare to bee able to comfort us not only in our life but in our death also when all other comforts forsake vs. Thirdly that our enemies may see our faith is not in vaine Fourthly that the weake by their example may be encouraged to a holy life when they see it bring with it so happy a death and that they may be strengthened against the feare of death seeing it is alwayes comfortable to those that lead a godly life Fifthly and finally that the friends of the departed by their heauenly departure may be admonished not to mourne so much for their death as to reioyce for their life and to thanke God that euer it was their lot in any degree to be ioyned or matched with so blessed seruants of God This Gentlewoman Mistresse Katherine Brettergh was one of this number her life as long as God continued it was deere to those among whom she was as the life of a friend might be Her husband friends kinsfolks brethren sisters and all the godly that knew her enioyed a great blessing of God of her and her death no doubt was grievous to her husband as the death of a vertuous yokefellow This is the thing I thought with profit might bee presented to the view of other also that knew her not for when I had for my owne priuate vse and the vse of my friends faithfully collected out of the fresh memories of those that were present and eie-witnesses as well as my selfe and set downe the manner of her sicknesse and death I considered that the knowledge thereof could not but bee welcome to all those that desire to dye the death of the righteous And so the same causes that moued me to collect it gaue mee also occasion to publish it I remembred the saying of one That it is is great piety to set forth the vertues of the departed if they haue excelled therein yea it is a meanes to encrease grace in our selues I thought so great mercie of God shewed to one among vs ought not to be forgotten but should remaine to us and our children an example to teach vs how good God is to them that loue him and to assure vs that he will neuer forsake vs but in like manner as he did her helpe and comfort vs when we shall by death be called vnto him I considered the vngodly and vncharitable tongues of the Papists abiding in our Country who since her death haue not ceased to giue it out that she died despairing and by her comfortlesse end shewed that she professed a comfortlesse Religion Wherein they bewray their malice and madnesse and shew themselues of what generation they are euen a people saith Ieremie which bend their tongues like bowes for lies and as Dauid saith make ready their arrowes to shoot at them which are vpright in heart And lastly when I remembred the censure giuen by our Sauiour Christ of the woman that powred costly oyntment on his head a little before his Passion though some of his Disciples vniustly blamed her for the same saying What needed this wast yet he himselfe did not only excuse her for that fact saying shee did it to bury him but also commanded that wheresoeuer the Gospell should bee preached throughout the world there also that which shee had done should bee spoken of for a memoriall of her Euen so seeing this vertuous Gentlewoman hath been vniustly accused by some popish persons I thought it ●it that she should not onely be iustly excused but also that a true history of her holy life and Christian death should be now published in print as a briefe history to be seene and read for a memoriall of her I had no other odours wherewith to embalme her I am but the penman the thing it selfe was her owne wrought in her by the spirit of diuine prouidence the which God grant that we may all imitate Amen The holie Life and Christian Death of Mistris KATHERIN BRETTERGH THis Gentlewoman was borne in Cheshire the daughter of Iohn Breuen of Breuenstapleford Esquire well descended and of an ancient House Her education before her mariage was such as became the profession of the Gospell in godlinesse and purity of life and Religion and well beseemed the house where shee was brought up The Scriptures shee knew from a childe and by reading thereof gained such knowledge that shee was able readily to apply them when occasson was offered as we may see at the time of her death and that so fitly and effectually that shee seemed

Lord to sanctifie her husbands thoughts and direct his heart aright onely to seeke Gods glory without either desire of reuenge or satisfying his owne affections So humble was her spirit so carefull to auoide and preuent sinne both in her selfe and others and so milde of nature that as Iacob with his mildenesse softned the malicious heart of Esau his brother and Dauid by his kindenesse in the caue changed the fury of Saul into weeping and confession that Dauid was more righteous than hee so shee by her meekenesse humility and vnspotted carriage in the World forced some of the aduersaries to religion to speake well of her For her life shee was well reported of all that knew her Pitifull and bountifull was shee to the poore and slacked no opportunity to doe good wherein she could but constantly held her course and kept her times of praying reading and meditating wherein shee had plentifull gifts and contiuuasly used the same at such times as were fitting for her estate sex and calling At the exercises of Religion as prayer and instruction in her family she would not be wanting besides priuate prayer and meditation which she omitted not but vsed dayly both in her chamber as also abroad secretly and solitarily in the Orchard Garden or Fields as Isacks manner was In reading the Scriptures shee vsed euermore to taske her selfe eight Chapters a day at the least and for the time which shee saw euill or idlely spent without doing some good shee vsed to call the time of tentation Many times also she would read some godly writer or expositor of Scripture or in the booke of Martyrs and was seene to weepe most bitterly when either she had read of that which touched her affections neere or of the cruell Martyrdome which the deere Children of God were put vnto by the cruell and wicked tyrants of former dayes For Popery she saw it so grosse and foolish that she would not once name it except it were to argue against it but neuer for it so zealous was shee of Gods glory and loued the truth so entirely that shee would not once open her mouth to plead for Baal Sinne aboue all things was hatefull vnto her for thereat shee would haue grieued as well when shee had seene it in others as in her selfe One or two examples I cannot omit wherein shee bewrayed a worthy spirit sanctified by the Spirit of God and prepared for all the assaults of Satan On a time as her husband and shee were riding toward the Church he was angry with his man Alas husband quoth shee I feare your heart is not right towards God that can be thus angry for a trifle And weeping shee said further you must pray against this your affection and alwayes bee sure your anger bee of God for else how dare you appeare this day before his Minister And offer vp your prayers in the publike congregregation of the saints of God Another time a Tenant of her husbands being behinde with his rent shee desired him to beare yet with him a quarter of a yeere which he did and when the man brought his mony with teares she said to her husband I feare you doe not well to take it of him though it be your right for I doubt he is not well able to pay it and then you oppresse the poore So great a compassion had shee of other mens wants that all things being duely considered and rightly weighed methinks I may say of her as Paul said of Timothie I know none like minded Thus after she was married shee continued in the things shee had learned and held her profession with much sincerity that the common enemies to our religion the very Papists had nothing to say against her but confessed her life was vnreprooueable And as for the godly that knew her they alwayes acknowledged that modesty and vertuous carriage in her ioyned with knowledge and practise of all the duties of religion that they had lust cause to report of her as of a sound and faithfull professor of the Gospell Two yeeres and something more shee liued with her husband till about 〈◊〉 it pleased God to send her that sicknesse whereof on Whitsonday 1601. she died Her sickenesse tooke her in the manner of a hot burning Ague which made her according to the nature of such diseases now and then to talke somewhat idely and through the tempters subtilty which abused the infirmity of her body to that end as hee oftentimes useth to doe in many from idle words to descend into a heauie conflict with the infirmity of her owne spirit from the which yet the Lord presently and wonderfully deliuered her giuing so ioyfull an issue to the tentation that shee might well vse the words of the Prophet as afterwards she did For a moment O Lord thou diddest hide thy face from mee for a little season but with euerlasting mercy thou hadst compassion on me On Saturday seuen-night before Whitsonday what time she sickened she began to feele some little infirmity and weakenesse of faith more than shee had wont to shew but shee soone ouercame it On Munday night it encreased vpon her and the assault of the enemie began to be sharpe and so continued till the next day at afternoone what time God deliuered her and sent her peace and comfort of conscience and so encreased the same in her continually till shee died The manner of her affliction was this First the seuerity of Gods iustice and the greatnesse of her sinnes began to come into her minde which much afflicted her and shee would often speake of it Then shee accused her selfe of pride that shee had delighted to much in her selfe and her beauty Afterwards she thought she had no faith but was full of hypocrisie and had not embraced religion so earnestly nor glorified God so worthily especially with her tongue which oft she repeated nor loued him so sincerely as she ought to haue done Sometime she would cast her Bible from her and say It was indeed the booke of life but shee read the same vnprofitably and therefore feared it was become to her the booke of death Sometimes she would say her sinnes had made her a prey to Satan a spectacle to the world a disgrace to religion and a shame to her husband kindred and all true Christians and here she would weepe bitterly Sometime the originall corruption wherein she was borne troubled her and the sinnes of her parents and the common parents of all the eaters of the forbidden fruit as if that had made her vnworthy of God and were then laid to her charge Many times shee accused her selfe of impatience bewailing the want of feeling Gods Spirit and making doubt of her election and such like infirmities She wis●●d that she had neuer been borne or that shee had been made any other creature rather than a woman She cried out oftentimes Woe woe woe c. a weake a wofull 〈◊〉

them and the terrors of the almighty have fought against them They haue had no peace in their soules nor comfort in their consciences their prayers have beene shut from God their sinnes haue beene terrible vnto them crying that their iniquities had gone ouer their heads and were a burden too heavy for them to beare And they have thought themselues spectacles of shame and reproch and as monsters vnto men They were grieved for the sinnes of their parents and complained that they were desolate forsaken and most miserable and wretched in the world yet for all this were they still the deare children of God as you are this day Nay saith hee I pray you consider what corments God inflicted vpon his deare Sonne on the Crosse did hee not cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me He complained that his soule was heavie vnto death yet was he heard in that which he feared and God deliuered him After this hee read vnto her the 22. Psalme wherein Dauid complained partly of his owne but principally of the most bitter anguish which our Sauiour Christ endured and suffered in body and soule putting her in minde that her case was not so bad as Davids not much vnlike our Sauiours who endured all that and more for her and therefore she had no cause to feare seeing Christ had obtained victory and would vndoubtedly bee with her deliuer her and eternally glorifie her with himselfe for euermore and so continually hee propounded to her such comfortable places of Scripture as might meete with her infirmities This greatly refreshed her and gaue her occasion many times to call vpon God for increase of grace and deliuerance from her grieuous temptations The which God of his accustomed goodnesse vouchsafed on Tuesday about three a clocke in the afternoone what time shee felt her selfe in very good measure deliuered from all her former feares and afflictions But on Saturday next after which was the day before her death shee was wholly released and filled with such inward comfort that it greatly affected vs that saw it This is the summe of that temptation which she had wherein what can any man see that might giue iust occasion to report our religion comfortlesse or the Gentlewoman died despairing This we are sure of that to be without temptation is the greatest temptation as also that nothing ●esell her which hath not befallen the holiest of the children of God And shee that considered her owne corruption which how great it is in the best of Gods Saints I need not say and bethought her selfe of the punishment due thereunto if God in iustice should reward her no maruell if she brake out sometime into heauie complaints I make no question it was the worke of God in her to suffer Satan to accuse her and afflict her for her sinnes that so shee might the better see them and consider the ha●nousnesse of them and before her departure repent her of them and betake her wholly to Christ for the sauing of her soule And if it pleased God thus to make her possesse her sins before she died let those which neuer yet knew the weight of their sinnes 〈…〉 e wise in time and remember that hee shall neuer haue his sinne forgiuen which first or last doth not vndergoe a holy despaire for it and acknowledge nothing to remaine in himselfe but matter of iudgement and condemnation and comfort and eternall life to flow alone from Iesus Christ. And as for those which haue learned to scoffe at the terrors of Gods children and to censure such as are at sometimes cast downe with feeling the anger of God against sinne let them consider the blessed issue that God gaue to the troubles of this Gentlewoman and let them acknowledge his worke in her And if they will not doe this but proceed to traduce the dead then let them call to minde those of the Popish crue and persons of greater note among them than this Gentlewoman was which haue died most fearefully indeed Cardinall Sadelot Iacobus Latomus the Diuinity Reader at Louaine Ho●mester the Frier Guarlacus Bom●lius Crescentius the Cardinall Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester and diuers the bloudy persecutors in Queene Maries time and some of the Popes themselues as namely Pope Six●us Quintus of late yeeres all which died most fearefully and miserably and shewed manifest signes at their death that their popish superstition was the condemnation of their soules And if they will iudge of my religion by my death let them acknowledge their religion is the doctrine of desperation and that the truth and faith which was able to fill the heart and to●●ue of this blessed Gentlewoman at her death with such heauenly comforts is the doctrine of Christ reuealed from heauen that wee might liue and dye in it From Tuesday till Whitson euen her comfort still increased and temptations banished away Shee would th●● very chearefully ioyne with the company in prayer and singing Psalmes as occasion offered and performed all such duties as was meet fo● her in that estate One day her brother Master Iohn Breuen of Breuenstapleford came from his house in Cheshire to visit her and after some kinde salutation passed betweene them hee said vnto her Sister be not dismaied at your troubles but remember what the Apostle saith that iudgement must begin at the house of God To whom shee answered as one that was also very readie in the Scriptures with the very next words following True it is and if it begin at us and the righteous shall scarce be saued where shall the sinners and vngodly appeare After that she prayed with him and sung a Psalme with him as one that receiued great comfort by him and acknowledged in him a heart set to seeke the things belonging to the Kingdome of Christ. During this time in the night with such as waked with her shee would pray and rehearse for her comfort many texts of Scripture and namely the 8. to the Romans many times concluding and closing vp that she read or repeated with prayer and most comfortable bles and applications thereof to her selfe with shew of such ioy and comfort that the hearers reioyced at it When she receiued any meate shee prayed God not onely to sanctifie those creatures for her bodily sustenance but also to fill her soule with the waters of life often repeating that of the Reuelation To him that thirsteth will I giue of the waters of life freely One time she tooke her Bible in her hand and ioyfully kissing it and looking vp toward Heauen she said that of the Psalme O Lord it is good for mee that I haue beene afflicted that I may learne thy statutes The law of thy mouth is better to mee than thousands of gold and siluer Another time shee called her husband to her and said O Husband beware of Papistry keepe your selfe holy before the Lord Yeeld not to the abomination of the wicked lest they reioyce and