Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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B08424
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Apanthismata. memorials of worthy persons lights and ornaments of the Church of England, two new decads.; Memorials of worthy persons. Decades 1-2
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Barksdale, Clement, 1609-1687.
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1664
(1664)
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Wing B790A; ESTC R172266
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45,520
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133
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satisfied in the Truth and Purity thereof All which did so endear her to the King that he took great delight in her Conversation 5. Thus lived she in these sweet Contentments till she came unto the years of Marriage when she that never found in her self the leâ—st spark of Ambition was made the most unhappy Instrument of another Mans. The proud and aspiring Duke of Northumberland treats with the Duke of Suffolk about a Marriage between the Lord Guilford Dudly his fourth Son and the Lady Jane The Marriage is concluded and by Northumberland's policy the Crown is transferred from K. Edward to his Cosin the Lady Jane his two Sisters the Lady Mary and Lady Elizabeth being passed by Memorable is the Speech she made to the two Dukes when they owned her for Queen to this effect That the Laws of the Kingdom and natural Right standing for the Kings Sisters she would beware of burthening her weak Conscience with a yoke which did beloâ—g to them That she understood the Infamy of those who had permitted the violation of Right to gain a Scepter That it were to mock God and deride Justice to scruple at the stealing of a shilling and not at the usurpation of a Crown Besides said she I am not so yong nor so little read in the guiles of fortune to suffer my self to be taken by them If she enrich any it is but to make them the subject of her spoil If she raise others it is but to pleasure her self with their Ruins What she adored but yesterday is to day her pastime And if I now permit her to adorn and Crown Me I must to morrow suffer her to crush and tear me in pieces c. But the Ambition of the two Dukes was too strong and violent to be kept down by any such prudent Considerations So that being wearied at last with their Importunities and overcome by the intreaties of her husband whom she dearly loved She submitted unto that necessity which she could not vanquish yielding her head with more unwillingnesse to the ravishing Glories of a Crown then afterward she did to the stroke of the Ax. 6. The Acclamations at the proclaiming of Queen Mary were heard by the Lady Jane now no longer Queen with such Tranquillity of mind and composednesse of countenance as if she had not been concerned in the Alteration She had before received the offer of a Crown with â—s even a Temper as if it had been nothing but a Garland of flowers and now she layes aside the thought thereof with as much contentedness as she could have thrown away that Garland when the sent was gone The time of her Glory was so short but a nine Daies wonder that it seemed nothing but a Dream out of which she was not sorry to be awakened The Towr had been to her a prison rather than a Court and interrupted the Delights of her former life by so many Terrours that no Day passed without some new Alarm to disturb her Quiet She doth now know the worst that fortune can do unto her and having alwaies feared that there stood a Scaffold secretly behind the Throne She was as readily prepared to act her part upon the one as upon the other 7. Her Death is resolved upon but first She must be practiced with to change her Religion To which end Fecknam is employed a Man whose great parts ptomised him an easie victory over a poor Lady of a broken and dejected Spirit But it proved the contrary For so well had She studyed the Concernments of her own Religion and managed the Conference with him with such a readinesse of wit such Constancie of Resolution and a Judgement so well grounded in all helps of Learning that she was able to make Answer to the strongest Arguments as well to her great Honour as his Admiration So that not able to prevail with her in the change of Religion he made offer of his service to prepare her for death Which though she thankfully accepted of as finding it to proceed from a good affection yet soon he found that she was also aforehand with him in those preparations which are fit and necessary for a Dying-Christian 8. Friday 9. Febr. was first designed for the day of the Execution but the Desire of gaining her to the Church of Rome procured her the short respite of three dayes more On Sunday night being the Eve unto the day of her Translation she wrote a Letter in the Greek tongue at the end of a Testament which she bequeathed as a Legacy to her Sister the Lady Katharine which being such a lively Picture of the excellent Lady some lines thereof are worthy to be presented here I have sent you a Book dear Sister which although it be not outwardly trimmed with Gold yet inwardly it is more worth then pretious stones If you with a good mind read it and with an earnest desire to follow it it shall bring you to an immortal and everlasting life it shall teach you to live and learn you to dy it shall win you more then you should have gained by your wofull Fathers Lands You shall be an Inheritor of such Riches as neither the Covetous shall withdraw from you neither Thief shall steal neither yet the Moths corrupt Desire with David good Sister to understand the Law of the Lord God Live still to dy that you by death may purchase eternal life Defie the world Deny the Devil Despise the Flesh and delight your self only in the Lord. Be penitent for your sins and yet despair not Be strong in Faith and yet presume not And desire with Saint Paul to be dissolved and to be with Christ with whom even in death there is life And as touching my death rejoyce as I do Good Sister that I shall be deliver'd of this Corruption and put on Incorruption For I am assured that I shall for losing a mortal life win an immortal one The which I pray God to grant you and send you of his Grace to live in his fear and to dy in the true Christian Faith from the which in Gods name I exhort you that you never swerve neither for hope of life nor for fear of death 9. The fatal Morning being come the Lord Guilford earnestly desired the officers that he might take his Farewell of her Which though they willingly permitted yet upon notice of it she advised the contrary assuring him That such a Meeting would rather add to his Afflictions and her presence rather weaken then strengthen him That he ought to take courage from his Reason and derive constancy from his own heart That he should do well to remit this Interview to the other World that there indeed Friendships were happy and unions indissoluble and that theirs would be eternal if their souls carried nothing with them of Terrestrial which might hinder them from rejoycing All she could do was to give him a Farewell out of a window as he passed toward the place of his
abode 10. And as he thus laboured in the spiritual building up of Souls he was not negligent of the material Fabrick committed to his trust but repair'd with a very great expence the annual charge of 100 l. his Parsonage house til from an incommodious ruin he had renderd it a fair and pleasant dwelling with the adherent conveniences of Gardens and Orchards 11. While he was thus busie on his Charge c. But I earnestly desire the Reader to peruse the whole story of this excellent Divine excellently written by the Venerable Dean Only I will take leave to adde here some of his Rules and Sayings 12. He scarcely recommended any thing in his advices with that concern and vigor as To be furnished alwaies with somewhat to do This he propos'd as the best expedient both for innocence and pleasure assuring That no burthen is more heavy or temptation more dangerous then to have Time ly on ones hand adding The idle mans brain is the Divels shop 13. He profest He had no such way of enjoying any thing as by reflection from the person whom he loved so that his friends being happy was the readiest way to make him so 14. The principal thing he contracted for in Friendship was a free use of mutual Admonition which he extended even to undecencies saying It was a poor design of Friendship to keep the Person he admitted to his breast only from being scandalous as if the Physician should endeavour only to secure his patient from the plague And this he gave as a general rule and enforc'd by his Example Never to reprove in Anger or the least appearance of it 15. He would say He delighted to be loved not reverenced thinking that where there was much of the later there could not be enough of the former somewhat of restraint and distance attending on the one which was not well consistent with the perfect freedom requisite to the other 16. To the performances of friendship he haâ—ed all mercenary returns whereof he was so jealous as hardly to leave place for gratitude Love he said was built upon the union and similitude of minds and not the bribery of gifts and benefits So generous was he herein that he has oft profest He admitted retributions of good turns yet not so much on any score as that his friend might have the pleasure of being kind 17. When any one had sent him a slight present of Apples or the like his Reward would usually much exceed the value and he would be so well pleas'd to have such an occasion of giving to a servant saying Alas poor Soul I warrant he is glad of this little matter that this seem'd a part of the senders courtesy 18. He was us'd to say That 't was a most unreasonable and unchristian thing to despise any one for his poverty And That 't was one of the greatest sensualities in the world to Give Upon which consideration he often took occasion to magnify the exceeding Indulgence of God that had annext future rewards to that which was so amply its own Recompence 19. He gave this for a Rule to those of his friends that were of estate and quality To treat their poor Neighbours with such a chearfulnesse that they may be glad to have met with them 20. To shew how high a value he put on the Souls of men he often broke out into words of this effect which had with them still in the delivery an extraordinary vehemence O what a glorious thing how rich a prize for the expence of a mans whole life were it to be the instrument of rescuing any one Soul 20. His Motto of instruction to young persons was Principiis obsta and Hoc age to withstand the overtures of ill and be intent and serious in good to which he joyn'd a third advice To be furnisht with a Friend 21. For serenity and calm of Mind he layd this Rule before him which prov'd of great use Never to trouble himself with the foresight of future events being resolv'd of our Saviours Maxime Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof 21. If he saw any perplext about the manage of their difficult affairs he was wont to ask them When they would begin to trust God or permit him to govern the World And to himself and friends he was wont solemnly to give this mandate Quod sis esse velis nihilque malis in his English to rather nothing Not only to be content or acquiesce but be resolv'd the present estate to be the very best that could be wisht or phansied 22. He lookt upon the Kings return with pity and compassion as bringing him to that uneasy if not insuperable Task of ruling and reforming a licentious people It will be a blessing to his people but unto him can not be so but only on this score by having opportunities through glorious self-denyals to do good 23. When the Change approached discoursing of occurrents he broke forth into these words I must confesse I never saw that time in all my life wherein I could so cheerfully say my Nunc dimittis as now Indeed I do dread prosperity I do really dread it For the little good I am now able to do I can do it with deliberation and advice but if it please God I should live and be call'd to any higher office in the Church I must then do many things in a hurry and shall not have time to consult with others and I sufficiently apprehend the danger of relying on my own judgment 24. In his last sicknesse he comforted his sad friends saying He should leave them in God's hands who could supply abundantly all the assistance they could either expect or desire from him and who would so provide that they should not find his removal any losse 25. When in his sharp agonies his friends betook themselves to their extemporary ejaculations he compos'd those irregularities by saying Let us call on God in the Voice of his Church 26. At the Communion hearing those words of the Apostle Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners he pathetically rejoyn'd Of whom I am chief 23. To the good Lady of the house who asked him what he would chiefly commend to her he briefly answer'd Vniform Obedience 28. A few minutes before his death he breathed out those words which best became his Christian life Lord make hast Ob. Apr. 25. 1660. X. Dr MILES SMITH Bishop of Gloc. Out of the Preface before his Sermons published by Mr Jo. Stephens 1. FOr the manner of his life and the constant tenour of it this I can affirm that therein he shewed forth the fruits of the Spirit such as the Apostle speaks of Love Joy Peace c. Adde hereunto that sincerity and godly purenesse that appeared in all his actions striving not so much to seem as verily and indeed to be a pattern of gracious deportment and it may be said of him as our Saviour testifieth of Nathaniel Behold an Israelite in whom was