more darke then the leaving the soule destitute in divine respects doth make the soule sad and miserable 'T is misery to be under misery but in times of misery to be left unto misery by Gods withdrawing of himselfe from a man makes the misery overmiserable For a lame man to fall it's misery but when hee is downe to have his crutches taken from him and all to forsake him it 's the leaving of him in misery It is a mercy to finde divine succour in misery Obser 3 Thirdly That it is a great mercy to bee followed with spirituall succours and divine supplies in times of misery this is easing to the spirit and the burthen will be the better borne and endured this is chearing and reviving the spirit will not soone sinke and faint under any trouble whilst God is with it and all its comforts are about it the woe is to him that is alone Obser 4 Fourthly that the instant and constant desire of a Christian Divine assistance presence is to be sought should bee after divine assistance in troubles 1. A man shall never need a God more in company and comfort then when he is in and under trouble if all the creatures leave us as they may yet till God leave us wee shall never be destitute for God is all in all for the reliefe of that soule with whom hee is present besides 2. the soule hath many pretious promises for divine supply and succour in evills and therefore hee may be the more bold to put up his request to God Leave not my soule destitute To conclude the whole Vse 1 First I pitty such men who are forsaken and destitute men such whom Sathan hath bereaved of their comforts God denies his grace unto or withdrawes the influence of his comfort from A desolate Widdow forsaken of friends a brave Commander destitute of men and munition and a soule left by God in misery are equally miserable Vse 2 Secondly We learne that men destitute of God are the most helpelesse creatures under Heaven such shall doe God the King and the Country little good service that have Feathers in their hatts Armour on their backs and Weapons in their hands wanting Grace in their hearts though their oathes may be many and violence great yet their strength is small for they are destitute and deserted persons Vse 3 Thirdly In the middest of our dangers let us labour to keepe God with us and about us if we make him our friend wee need not feare who is our enemy and God supplying us wee have strength enough and shall finde comfort enough in the midst of dangers and death it selfe * ⎠* The Narration of the vertuous Life and happy Death of Mistrisse Iulian Blackwell WEE are this day The Application to the occasion met according to the practise of the Saints in Scripture to performe a duty and pay a debt to the remainder of our Christian Sister Mistrisse Iulian Blackwell which is now to be laid with honour in her grave as into a house of safe custody and bed of rest to remaine there untill the resurrection And finding this to be the practise of venerable Cent. Mag. 4. c. 6. p. 45 5. antiquity to celebrate the Funerals of Christians with the mentioning of their just praises you must give mee leave treading in Testimonium dabo veritati non amicitiae Ber. their paths to give testimony unto the truth in speaking of her gratious disposition and vertuous conversation onely take two things along Securius sinceerius visa solent quam audita narrari Goff vit Bern. lib 1. pre ces with you First that I intend to speake no more of her then what mine owne knowledge and observation doth leade mee unto Secondly that my aime in this Worke is to moderate the grieving spirits of those that were neere unto her whose losse is great and to yeeld unto you all matter of good instruction and Christian imitation seeing you know not how soone her condition may be yours And here passing over her descent leaving that to the Heralds I might begin with her curtesie modestie and gravity in her outward course and carriage in which shee did so shine that shee wonne much love from all such who well knew her and were themselves lovers of a courteous and sober conversation Next I might lay downe before you her fidelity and love to her loving Husband with whom shee lived in an unspotted way avoiding that lightnesse and loosenesse which is too too notorious and shamefull in many of her Sexe I might also further discourse of her tendernesse and love unto her children to whom shee shewed her selfe a Mother indeed by seeking their good in the best things and furthering them to her power in the waies of holinesse But leaving these there 10. Things in her are ten things which I observe as notable in her and worthy all our imitation First God had made her 1. Tendernesse of heart seene in foure things a Christian of a very tender heart and sensible spirit as her naturall disposition was softly so shee had a spirituall disposition of softnesse there were foure waies by which her tendernesse of Spirit did appeare 1. Shee was apprehensive 1. Sense of sin and feeling of sins working and burden the body of sinne which shee did beare about her as a body within her body shee made such a body of death unto her that with teares shee would often complaine to my selfe and others of her wretchednesse and wearisomenesse under the same a blessed temper and arguing spirituall life to find and feele the contrary workings of sinfull corruption unto the workings of grace within the soule 2. Shee was sensible of Satans 2. Acquaintance with tēptations temptations and his strong workings against her graces and her comforts Satan was her adversary and shee knew what it was to have Satan to be her adversary surely if God be a mans friend Satan will be his enemy and who so have tender and gratious spirits they cannot but be more or lesse sensible of Satans workings against them Satan did so often and sensibly disquiet her that shee feared least shee should at the last be overcome by him 3. Shee had a sympathizing 3. Sympathy spirit feeling the present conditions of the members of the mysticall body whether in misery or in comfort if the Church and Christians did rejoyce shee rejoyced also if they were in sadnesse shee was in heavinesse in which practise shee shewed her selfe a right living member and I could wish that there were not the failing of bowels this way amongst too too many of us What a shame is it unto us that Churches abroad are bleeding and many Christians at home in misery and dying and yet none in comparison do regard or feele the same 4. Shee had an undigesting 4 Risings against sinfull vanities spirit I meane a spirit that was full of painefull gratings at the
before shee died it is a glorious conquest to get victory over the world and the creatures before a man dies Seventhly Shee was publique 7. Publikenes of spirit hearted having her spirit set upon the times both in the sins and sorrowes thereof being so sensible of both that she could bewaile both and would be often in stirring up others to pray for Sions peace and glory Oh how did shee rejoyce when she saw any hopes of good towards the Church of God revived and shee would be much cast downe under the feares of nationall calamities fearing that her sinnes were the procurers of the same Eightly She was bearing 8. Patience hearted God put her pietie to proofe laying his hand heavily upon her in much weakenesse which kept her long under the Phisitians hands yet under all gods dealings she was a patterne of patience quietly resigning her selfe so to the good will and wisedome of God that shee did not checke or dislike God in the course of his providence but did acquit the Lord as righteous and just in his way and did let him alone in his workes being troubled at the rising of impatiency within her desiring chieflly that God would be pleased to make her able to beare his hand and to give her a sanctified use of his hand which she knew would be for good unto her Ninethly Shee was stout 9. Stoutnesse hearted which appeared in this that she did not feare the king of feare death it selfe I know that shee was very sensible that the time of her departure was at hand for shee apprehended more in her selfe then the many skillfull Physitions could in her body she would tell mee that they were all mistaken in her disease for she should not escape this sicknesse which was now upon her and though she did thinke much and talke often of it yet it was not death it selfe that could daunt or dampe her spirits she did no feare to die having the knowledge of this that it was only death which could bring her unto her desired home Tenthly and lastly Shee 10. Confidence in death was confident hearted her experience of God and faith in God had raised up her soule to such a trust in Gods mercy that finding death approaching shee left of disputings with Satan and fixing her eyes with much stedfastnesse on Heaven about the beginning of the Sabboth which was the day of her delight whilst she lived and I make no doubt a token unto her of an eternall rest in Heaven she concluded her life with this saying Death Death O Lord in thee is my trust which wordes of hers gave occasion to her loving Husband to give unto mee that Text of Scripture to preach on at her funerall And now leaving her Application to the Auditory whose soule is made perfect in Heaven and free from all sinne and sorrow give me your patience from the whole Narration to lesson you in these things that so you may 4. Duties depart hence with profit First see the joyntnes of women with men in the common salvation of Christians God hath given unto them soules as well as men and he is pleased to make them as eminent in graces and gracious practises as he doth men and therefore their sex should not be despised nor their holy courses scorned whilst they doe but endeavour to save their poore soules Secondly know That the more gracious men and women are in their lives the more comfortable shall they be in their deathes and the more honourable after their deathes such seeke for comfort and credit in a wrong way that doe not seeke it in a gracious way Thirdly Learne that wee must improove all the holy examples of Gods Saints by following their courses and Exempla maxime movent Cic de Orat lib. 3. actions the Heathen man telles us that good examples are of great force and sure I am that among Christians this is a truth that good examples are of speciall use and profit and such as we must be accountable for to God as well as for precepts we cannot doe greater honour to our religious Ancestors deceased then to endeavour to resemble them in goodnesse and godlinesse Oh that you would all resolve to go home being such as shee was and doing that which shee did of whom we have spoken Lastly Draw your owne deaths out of this occasion let it put you into dying thoughts remember that you must all follow her that is gone before you and how soone you know not and that every step of your life degrees you into the Chamber of death you being here sayling down times streame into that gulph of death which enters you into Heavens or hels eternity My beloved upon this short and shortning time of yours which is uncertaine and irrevocable depends eternity and if ever you will be wise for your soules bee wise in this to make your life the only providing time for Heavens eternity And so much for the Text and the occasion * ⎠* FINIS Imprimatur THO WYKES Iuly 30. 1640.
THE EYE OF FAITH open to GOD. Vnfolded in a Sermon Preached at the Funerall of that vertuous and Religious Gentlewoman Mrs JVLIAN BLACKVVELL together with a Narration of her vertuous Life and happy Death By JOHN SEDGVVICK Batchelor of Divinity and Preacher of GODS Word in London Prov 31. 30. Favour is deceitfull and beauty is vaine but a woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised LONDON Printed by GEORGE MILLER MDCXL TO THE WORSHIPFVLL IOHN BLACKVVELL Esquire his Majesties Grocer comfort and happy imitation of the deceased Sir WHilst Ministers preach Funerall Sermons they find the wind setting in their faces from their auditors some thinke that too little others that too much and most that what is spoken concerning the dead is but formality or flattery They report that the Aethiopians doe picture Angels black and Divels white and I thinke that they Amandus Polanus Syntag. Theol lib. 20 c. 17. justly suffer censure who doe knowingly call evill good and good evill yet I deeme that meete and just praise is a due to Gods Saints departed and Salatia vivorum non suffragia mortuorum Orationes Aug. though they add not to their honour and happinesse being in Heaven yet they may proove both comforts and instructions to the living left upon earth especially to such who forgoe those with griefe whom they for a time enjoyed with love I doe not send the living to the dead with Papists yet let mee tell you that there are these things comfortable to the living from the dead 1. Their holinesse of life and comfort in death grounded evidences for our hope of their future happinesse And 2. That there shall be a time of meeting and enjoying each other againe at the last day such being not lost but gone before us add to this the good of their examples which are of great force for the teaching of posterity who may take them for their patterne and so resemble them in their religious courses that they may seeme to survive in them both these ends are my aime in publishing this Sermon and with it the just testimony which I gave unto your late loving and beloved Wife whom death hath freed from all sinfull and sorrowfull evils and brought to the enjoyment of her God in Heavens happinesse shee well knew that the world could never make her fully happy and that Christians are never in their best condition till that they are in their heavenly condition I desire not to renew your griefe but to shew that I had a share in your losse of that Iewell laid up by God in the highest Heavens whom all your care and cost which did demonstrate you to be a loving Husband could not longer continue on earth whilst shee was yours you did I confesse what could be done for her credit comfort and continuance and thereby deserved from her that praise which often shee gave of you to my selfe and others but being gone there remaines a double monument of her one of her owne for shee hath left with you those in whom shee liveth whom I need not say to you you must love as a Father and a little the more for the Mothers sake another of mine in this Publication wherein her memory is made pretious among the Saints and perpetuated unto all posterity a Worke done by mee upon your owne earnest intreaty and therefore cannot but be welcome unto you You have your desire let mee have mine Thinke of your losse and remember your selfe and place in which God hath set you doing things so that your comfort within and credit without may still be upheld in the Churches of God amongst whom you have obtain'd an excellent name I need to say no more to you but that I am Your much obliged friend Io Sedgvvick From my house in S. Dunstances in the East London To the Reader and in speciall to my worthy good Friends in and a-about the City of London Peace and setling of mind THe shaking of A double temper of men in tâ—mes of danger the water doth not more discover the mudd that 's at the bottome nor the beating of the pulse the distemper of the body then Times of Danger doe bewray men in point of defect or excesse now men appeare 1. To be carelesse either to be carelesse and gracelesly secure having their eyes bound up and their consciences so seared that they neither see or feare any danger or to be over-fearing having their 2. To be over fearefull eyes too open upon or their hearts too much affected with the sadnesse and miseries of the times the first sort I leave to the vanity of their minde and sinfullnesse of their courses assuring them that their continuance in carnall security is to them an evident forerunner of their future misery the latter sort I shall advise to consider of these two things First that the The Springs of over-much fearing over-much fearing of mans heart in evill times doth arise from a false eye or a wrong foundation I meane the eye and the Arme of flesh he that at such time hath no other eye to see withall then that by which he seeth every thing or being able to pierce no deeper or looke no higher then naturall reason or outward objects can helpe him shall be sure to finde that his senses will faile him and his troubles sinke him Besides the Arme of Flesh trusted unto and relied upon will make him to ebb and flow and shall hold his spirit in a course of such constant agitation that in the end he shall flagg and faint Flesh at the best is too weake a prop to stay the soule a certaine impeacher and empairer of mans confidence and comfort and who so doe put it into the place of a god shall undoubtedly find from it the deceivings of a creature Secondly that the best way to quit our selves of an over-fearing heart in the daies of trouble is to get an eye of Faith which alone shuts up the eye of sense and getteth such views of Gods Love Power and providence that God is knowne to be and also made the sole stay and staffe of the soule upon whom whosoever truly trusteth he is in such safety that no malice of men or divels can endanger him My Brethren had we the Angelicall eyes of faith we should feare lesse though times vnto sense are distressefull and almost desperate this alone can see a better issue then carnall reason can apprehend and an higher power to protect and guard then humane helpes are either liekly or able to affoord this will make a man waite till the fifth Scene of the Tragedy is acted knowing that troubles have their turnings as spring-tides have their ebbings This eye David had in his troubles as the following Discourse will shew you and this eye I wish unto you all that your confidences and comforts may abound and though I hope that many of you have this eye yet beholding your dimnesse and weaknesse I