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	time_n	10,018	5	3.6095	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04495	The mothers legacie, to her vnborne childe. By Elizabeth Iocelin; Mothers legacie to her unborne childe	Jocelin, Elizabeth, 1596-1622.; Goad, Thomas, 1576-1638. aut	1624 (1624)	STC 14624.5; ESTC S105581	25,697	155

THE MOTHERS Legacie To her vnborne CHILDE By ELIZABETH IOCELIN The second Impression LONDON Printed by Iohn Hauiland for William Barret 1624. The Approbation OVr lawes disable those that are vnder Couert-baron from disposing by Will and Testament any temporall estate But no law prohibiteth any possessor of morall and spirituall riches to impart them vnto others either in life by communicating or in death by bequeathing The reason is for that corruptible riches euen to those who haue capacity of alienating them bring onely a ciuill propriety but no morall vertous influence for the wel dispensing or bestowing them whereas vertue and grace haue power beyond all empeachment of sex or other debility to enable and instruct the possessor to employ the same vnquestionably for the inward inriching of others This truly rich bequeather taking that care for the prouiding an euerlasting portion for her hoped issue which too many parents bend wholly vpon earthly inheritance by her death already hath giuen vnto her Testament that life and strength whereof the Scripture speaketh A Testament is of force after death Now remained the other validitie priuilege of a Testament that it be enacted in perpetuall and inuiolable Record Which in this was necessary not so much for the security of the chiefe and immediate Legatary as for the benefit of all those who by the common kindred of Christianity may claime their portion in this Legacy left in pios vsus whereout whosoeuer taketh yet leaueth no whit the lesse for others in remainder Wherefore vpon the very first view I willingly not onely subscribed my Approbat for the registering this Will among the most publique Monuments the rather worthy because proceeding from the weaker sex but also as bound to do right vnto knowne vertue vndertooke the care of the publication thereof my selfe hauing heretofore bin no stranger to the Testators education and eminent vertues Whereof I here beheld reflection cleere enough though perhaps not so particularly euident to those that take knowledge of them onely by this Abstract In her zealous affection to the holy Ministry thereto dedicating if by sex capable her yet scarce budding first fruits I saw the lineaments of her owne parentage She being the onely off-spring deriued from a reuerend Grandfather Doctor Chaderton sometime Master of Queens Colledge in Cambridge and publique Professor of Diuinity in that Vniuersitie afterward Lord Bishop first of Chester and thence of Lincolne by and vnder whom shee was from her tender yeeres carefully nurtured as in those accomplishments of knowledge in Languages History and some Arts so principally in studies of piety And thus hauing from a childe knowne the holy Scriptures which made her wife vnto saluation through faith in Christ how well she continued in those things which shee had learned appeareth as otherwise to those that knew her so here to all by the frequent and pertinent application of them in these instructions In her prosecution of the duty of obedience vnto Parents I view the deepe impression long since when shee was not aboue six yeeres old made in her minde by the last words of her owne Mother charging her vpon her blessing to shew all obedience and reuerence to her Father Sir Richard Brooke and to her reuerend Grandfather In the whole course of her pen I obserue her piety and humility these her lines scarce shewing one sparke of the elementary fire of her secular learning this her candle being rather lighted from the lampe of the Sanctuary In her commission of the office of an Ouerseer to her husband what eies cannot behold the flames of her true and vnspotted loue toward her dearest who enioyed her about the space of six yeeres and a halfe being all that while both an impartiall witnesse of her vertues and an happy partner of those blessings both transitory and spirituall wherewith shee was endowed Beside the domestique cares pertaining to a wife the former part of those yeeres were imployed by her in the studies of morality and history the better by the helpe of forraine languages not without a taste and faculty in Poetry Wherein some essay shee hath left ingenious but chaste and modest like the Author Of all which knowledge shee was very sparing in her discourses as possessing it rather to hide than to boast of Among those her eminencies deseruing our memory was her owne most ready memory enabling her vpon the first rehearsall to repeat aboue forty lines in English or Latine a gift the more happy by her imployment of it in carrying away an entire Sermon so that shee could almost following the steps of the words or phrase write it downe in her Chamber The latter yeeres of her life shee addicted to no other studies than Diuinity whereof some imperfect notes remaine but principally this small Treatise found in her Deske vnfinished by reason either of some troubles befalling her about a moneth before her end or of preuention by mis-reckoning the time of her going with this her first now also last Childe which Treatise intended for her childe shee so leaving recommended the same to her husband by her letter to him written and subscribed by her owne hand as hereafter followeth The many blessings shee enioyed were not without some seasoning of afflictions which by the good vse shee made of them bred in her a constant temper of patience and more than womanly fortitude especially in her latter time when as the course of her life was a perpetuall meditation of death amounting almost to a propheticall sense of her dissolution euen then when she had not finished the 27. yeere of her age nor was oppressed by any disease or danger other than the common lot of child-birth within some moneths approaching Accordingly when she first felt her selfe quicke with childe as then trauelling with death it selfe shee secretly tooke order for the buying a new winding sheet thus preparing and consecrating her selfe to him who rested in a new Sepulcher wherein was neuer man yet layd And about that time vndauntedly looking death in the face priuatly in her Closet betweene God and her shee wrote these pious Meditations whereof her selfe strangely speaketh to her owne bowels in this manner It may seeme strange to thee to receiue these lines from a mother that died when thou wert borne October 12. 1622. In Cambridge-shire shee was made a mother of a daughter whom shortly after being baptized and brought vnto her shee blessed and gaue God thankes that her selfe had liued to see it a Christian and then instantly called for her winding sheet to bee brought forth and laied vpon her So hauing patiently borne for some nine daies a violent feuer giuing a comfortable testimony of her godly resolution she ended her prayers speech and life together rendring her soule into the hand of her Redeemer and leauing behinde her vnto the world a sweet perfume of good name and to her onely childe besides a competent inheritance this Manuell being a deputed

Mother for instruction and for solace a twinne-like sister issuing from the same Parent and seeing the light about the same time Which composure because it commeth forth imperfect from the pen doth the more expect to bee supplied and made vp by practise and execution Sic approbauit Tho. Goad TO MY TRVLY louing and most dearly loued Husband Tourell Iocelin MINE owne deare loue I no sooner conceiued an hope that I should bee made a mother by thee but with it entred the consideration of a mothers duty and shortly after followed the apprehension of danger that might preuent mee from executing that care I so exceedingly desired I meane in religious training our Childe And in truth death appearing in this shape was doubly terrible vnto mee First in respect of the painfulnesse of that kinde of death and next of the losse my little one should have in wanting me But I thanke God these feares were cured with the remembrance that all things worke together for the best to those that loue God and a certaine assurance that hee will giue me patience according to my paine Yet still I thought there was some good office I might doe for my Childe more than only to bring it forth though it should please God to take mee when I considered our frailty our apt inclination to sin the Deuils subtiltie and the worlds deceitfulnesse against these how much desired I to admonish it But still it came into my minde that death might depriue me of time if I should neglect the present I knew not what to doe I thought of writing but then mine owne weaknes appeared so manifestly that I was ashamed and durst not vndertake it But when I could find no other means to expresse my motherly zeale I encouraged my selfe with these reasons First that I wrote to a Childe and though I were but a woman yet to a childs iudgement what I vnderstood might serue for a foundation to a better learning Againe I considered it was to my owne and in priuate sort and my loue to my owne might excuse my errours And lastly but chiefly I comforted my selfe that my intent was good and that I was well assured God is the prosperer of good purposes Thus resolued I writ this ensuing Letter to our little one to whom I could not finde a fitter hand to conuey it than thine owne which maist with authority see the performance of this my little legacy of which my Childe is Executor And deare loue as thou must be the ouerseer for Gods sake when it shal faile in duty to God or to the world let not thy indulgence winke at such folly but seuerely correct it and that thy trouble may bee little when it comes to yeeres take the more care when it is young First in prouiding it a nurse O make choise not so much for her complexion as for her milde and honest disposition Likewise if the child be to remain long abroad after waining as neere as may be chuse a house where it may not learne to sweare or speak scurrilous words I know I may be thought too scrupulous in this but I am sure thou shalt finde it a hard matter to breake a childe of that it learnes so young It will be a great while ere it will bee thought old enough to bee beaten for euill words and by that time it will bee so perfect in imperfections that blowes will not mend it And when some charitable body reproues or corrects it for these faults let no body pitty it with the losse of the mother Next good sweet heart keepe it not from schoole but let it learne betimes if it be a son I doubt not but thou wilt dedicate it to the Lord as his Minister if he wil please of his mercy to giue him grace and capacity for that great work If it be a daughter I hope my mother Brook if thou desirest her will take it among hers and let them all learne one lesson I desire her bringing vp may bee learning the Bible as my sisters doe good houswifery writing and good workes other learning a woman needs not though I admire it in those whom God hath blest with discretion yet I desired not much in my owne hauing seene that sometimes women haue greater portions of learning than wisdome which is of no better vse to them than a maine saile to a flye-boat which runs in vnder water But where learning and wisdome meet in a vertuous disposed woman she is the fittest closet for all goodness Shee is like a well-ballanced ship that may beare all her saile Shee is-Indeed I should but shame my selfe if I should goe about to praise her more But my deare though she have all this in her she will hardly make a poore mans wife Yet I leave it to thy will If thou desirest a learned daughter I pray God giue her a wife and religious heart that she may vse it to his glory thy comfort and her owne saluation But how soeuer thou disposest of her education I pray thee labour by all meanes to teach her true humility though I much desire it may be as humble if it bee a son as a daughter yet in a daughter I more feare that vice Pride being now rather accounted a vertue in our sex worthy praise than a vice fit for reproofe Many Parents reade lectures of it to their children how necessary it is and they haue principles that must not bee disputed against As first looke how much you esteeme your selfe others wil esteeme of you Again what you giue to others you derogate from your selfe And many more of these kinds I haue heard men accounted wise that haue maintained this kinde of pride vnder the name of generous knowing or vnderstanding themselues But I am sure that hee that truly knowes himself shall know so much euill by himselfe that hee shall haue small reason to think himselfe better than another man Dearest I am so feareful to bring thee a proud high minded child that though I know thy care will need no spur yet I cannot but desire thee to double thy watchfulnesse ouer this vice it is such a crafty insinuating deuill it will enter little children in the likenesse of wit with which their parents are delighted and that is sweet nourishment to it I pray thee deare heart delight not to haue a bold childe modesty humilitie are the sweetest ground-works of all vertue Let not thy seruants giue it any other title than the Christen-name till it haue discretion to vnderstand how to respect others And I pray thee be not profuse in the expence of clothes vpon it Mee thinkes it is a vaine delight in parents to bestow that cost vpon one childe which would serue two or three If they haue not children enow of their owne to imploy so much cost vpon Pauper vbiqueiacet Thus Deare thou seest my beleefe if thou canst teach thy little one humility it must needs make thee a glad father But