been a present of another nature from some greater personage Being wearied and weakened with speaking she sought some rest and haveing turned her to the wall she slumbered about a quarter of an houre and being awake her Father asked how she did and exprest somewhat of the great satisfaction and contentment he had in her reading and wryting and her religious profiting Yea Father said she in that ye hav been so carefull for me to get me to read and learne hath been better to me then if ye had provyded ten thousand gilders of portion for me for therby have I learned to comfort myselfe out of the word of God Her Father perceiving her groweing weake said to her my dear child I think thou becomes very weake Yea said she I feel it so more and more as also your grief for me I see doth increase which is a piece of my affliction be content I pray you it is the Lord who doth all this And let us with David 2 Sam. 24. 14. fall in the Lords hand for his mercies are great David while his childe was sick he fasted and ate not but when the childe was dead and God had declared his purpose in it then he did eat Yea why should I now fast said he can I bring him back from death I shall goe to him but he shall not returne to me 2. Sam. 12. 23. so ought ye to comfort yourself also after my death and say our childe is wel for we know that they who trusted in God are well My dear Mother who hath done so much for me ye must promise to me that after my death ye shall not sorrow so much for I am afraid for you when I consider your grief for me and for my other sister and brother who are gone through death before me And consider your neighbor who hath lost her two sonnes hath no more children Ye shall both of you promis me that yee will comfort one another Comfort yourselves with Job who haveing lost all his children said the Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord. Doe ye not think but it went very sadd with him Ye know well that Christ said to the Apostles Joh. 16. 33. In the world ye shall have tribulation But be of good comfort in me ye shall have peace I have overcome the world And must the Apostles suffer so great tribulations and shall not we endure some what Yea hath not Iesus Christ my only life and favior in the garden of Bethsemane swatt blood for my sake was he not mocked and spitted upon in Ierusalem and therafter nailed unto the cross and a speare thrust through his blessed side and all this for my sake for my stinking sinnes sake Yea there he cried with a loud voice my God my God wherefore hast thou forsaken me Now thus hath he purchased his church with his own blood Act. 20. 28. From the cross is that precious blood to be gotten which alone can cleanse us from all sinne 1. Joh. 4. 7. There did Iesus hang naked who hath purchased to me the garment of salvation and clothed me with the rob of righteousnes Isai 6. 10. And salvation is in none other besides him Yea there is no other name in heaven or earth among men by which to be saved Act. 4. 12. Oh deare F. and M. I waxe more and more feeble and weake oh that I may quyetly fall asleep in his bosome and till then he may strengthen me and take me in his armes as he did the litle children and said Mark 10. 14. suffer little children to come unto me for of such is the kingdome of God And it is said vers 16. he took them in his armes and laid his hands upon them and blessed them I lye heer as a childe o Lord I am a childe receiv me into thy gratious armes o Lord grace grace and not justice for if thou enter in judgement with me I can not stand Yea no living shall in thy sight be justified Psal 143. 2. for there is none who sinneth not 1. k. 8. 4. 6. Thus with continued speaking she became very faint and all her strength seemed quite gone yet she forced a cry more ah my dear mother ah how faint and feeble This did so pierce the heart of her mother that she could say nothing but ah my dear child Then began she again to comfort her mother so long as my life is in this body there is hope said she If it should pleas the Lord to recover me to life and health how carefull and earnest would I be to pleas you in my work and learning and what ye would require and lay upon me And here upon again being a litle more revived the Lord renued her strength wonderfully to speak as before and to comfort herselfe and her parents out of the scriptures sayeing with the Apostle Rom. 8. 28. we know that all things work together for good to those who love God even to these who are the called of God according to his purpose O God establish me with thy free spirit that I never fall from thy love Yea its said there who shall separat us from the love of Christ I am perswaded that neither life nor death nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor deepth nor any other creature shall separat us from the love of God which is toward us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Also Joh. 10. 27 28 29. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternall life and they shall never perish and no man shall plucke them out of my hand my Father who gave them me is greater then all and none shall pull them out of my Fathers hand But now let me rest a litle After some slumbering she spake to her Father again with much gladnes and joy of heart It is said sayth she 1. Cor 15. 54 55 56 57. death is swallowed up of victorie o death where is thy sting o Hell where is thy victorie the sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinn is the law but God be thanked who giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ There ey see that my dear savior hath overcome death and the sting of death who then would not be earnestly content to dye For we must all once dye We are from the earth and to the earth we must returne the dust is mother of us all Eccl. 12. 7. the dust shall turne to dust from whence it is and the spirit to God who gave it So that my spirit shall turne to God who is the giver of all things But oh what is mans life upon earth The dayes of man upon earth are as the grass as the flowre of the field so he floorisheth The wind passeth over it and it is no more And his place knoweth him no more Psal 103. 15 16. And
AN EDIFIEING WONDER OF Two children dyeing 100 yeares old OR A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE LAST HOURES OF SUSANNA BICKES In the 14 yeare of her age before her death Septemb. 1. 1664. ALSO OF JACOB BICKES her Brother of 7. yeares old Aug. 6. 1664. ESAI 65. 20. The childe shall dye an hundred yeares old bot the sinner being an hundreth yeares old shal be accursed MATTH 21. 16. Have ye never read Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfyted praise LUK. 18. 16 17. And Jesus called the litle children to him and said Suffer little children to come unto me for of such is the Kingdome of God Verilie I say unto you who so receiveth not the Kingdome of God as a litle childe he shall in nowise enter therein Printed in the Year 1666. READER THis was done at first in another language And albeit I knowe that ther is soe much sobriety in the most able who put pen to paper in those dayes as maketh them to find some scarring upon their owne spirits when they suppose how many of those who look upon a new book may happen to welcome it into the world with a word of snuffing disdaine Tush the world is too full of books already Yet I am some what above the feare of the hardest censure for this small and indirect accession to the adding of one poor sheet more that I am rather confident that Read who will these few pages his conscience within him such as it is will extort so much from him like a testimony to the wayes of God that he shall at least say O that I may dye the death of the righteous and that my latter end might be as his And that the Reader who is taught the feare of the Lord wil be farther enlightened and refreshed and perswaded of the wayes of holines And more particularly of these few things following First that ther is a Holy Ghost which dwelleth in and shal be with the saints for ever And 2. that he is the comforter who alone can and should comfort the soule And 3. that his consolations are not small by which ther is singing for joy of heart and glorifieing God even in the fires and by which beleivers are enabled to laugh at destruction and famine and dearth and pestilence and to lift up their heads and be able to stand before the Sonne of God though they should live to see the greatest distresses of nations and the shakeings of heaven and earth which make the hearts of the stoute to stoope and faile 4. That the pure ordinances of Christ are noe vayn things but ought to be much followed and cleaved unto and that there Christ giveth his loves 5. That the word is that sword of the Spirit and ther is none like it against that Goliah that red Dragon that Leviathan and the King of Terrors How mighty was this young Damsell in the Scriptures and the young one wanted not his own number of Scripture places by which through grace they did quit themselves like men and overcame and at their death declared themselves by the faith and consolation of the Scripturs to have attained to the stature of perfect men Christians know what houre it is of your day and what is your work Be faithfull in the lesser or greater things of opportunity and means of working out your salvation You do not know what evill may be upon the earth albeit we know that the Cup of trembling go round as it will from Nation to Nation from Church to Church from Citie to Citie from Family to Family yea often it beginneth at the house of God and his own sanctuary Ezek. 9. 2 Pet. 3. But yet a little while and it shal be taken out of the hand of the Lords people and the dregs therof shal be wrung out by all the wicked of the earth and that most Signally by Antichrist apostates seducers persecuters and others also who have a forme of Godlinesse and deny the power therof THE LAST HOURES OF SUSANNA BICKES in the 14th yeare of her age SUSANNA BICKES borne in Leyden Ianuarij 24. 1650. was visited from the hand of the Lord with the Pestilence upon the 30. of August 1664. being Saturnday betuixt 7. of 8. at night And after the beginning of her sicknesse there were considerable presages of her death And very speedily she betooke herself to the great Physician of soule and body The first night she exercised herself to earnest prayer by herself alone without many words or speech to others that God would furnish her with strength in her soule to beare out that great conflict which she did apprehend to be approaching with the waves of death that she might by faith and patience as becometh a dyeing Christian pertake of the victorie which Christ hath purchased over death to all these for whom he himselfe had tasted of death And as God had blest the preaching of the word abundantly to her and the exercises privat and publict upon the Cathechisme So that she had acquired a mervellous measure of knowledge and daily increasing in the same from the very day that she was in any capacity to learne So what instruction she received in the grounds of Religion it did soe take hold upon her that not only she retayned the notions therof in her understanding Bot the impressions of the trueth wer engraven upon her heart of which she gave remarkable proofes at this tyme of her death And that the word of God had dwelt plentifully in her wherby she was enabled to speak unto herselfe and to sing with grace in her heart making sweet medoly to the Lord while surrounded with the billowes of the King of Terrors marching in battell array against her with the terrible slaughter weapon of the Pestilence As abundanly is evident by the ensueing words uttered by her and faithfully collected and by the advyce and help of some iudicious and Religious persons published for the use of others both old and young The accompt whereof might have been much larger then heer it is done but that severall things did escape the memories of the bystanders and of the Penman being partlie through grief and partlie through wonder diverted from the exact noteing of the things which she uttered At the beginning of her sickness she was heard with much feeling and power breaking foorth to God with these words of Psalm 119. If thy law wer not my delyt I should perish in my affliction Wherupon her Father said to her be of good comfort my child the Lord wil be neer unto thee and us under this heavie and sore tryel and will not forsake us although now he chasten us David by these words belike meant of the Lords hand which had been heavie both upon his house and upon his person severall wayes Wherof we read in the Scripture Yea Father said she Our heavenlie Father doth chasten us for our profit that we may partake of his holinesse As we read
Hebr. 12. 10 11. And albeit as it is said there no chastening for the present time seemeth to be joyeous bot greivous neverthelesse afterwards it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse unto them who are exercised by it The Lord is now chastening me upon this sick-bed and I hope he will blesse it soe as to make it to yeeld unto me that same blessed fruit according to the riches of his mercy and compassions which faile not and then sighing to God with her eyes up to heaven she said be mercifull unto me o Father be mercifull unto me poore sinner according to thy word And looking upon her sorrowing parents who stood by her Father said she It is said in the 55. Psal vers 23. Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustaine thee for he will never suffer the righteous to be moved Therefore dear Father and Mother cast all your care and sorrow upon the Lord who shall make all things goe well that concerne you Oh said the Mother my deare child I have had noe small comfort from the Lord in thee and the fruits of his grace in thee wherby thow hast been so much exercised unto godlinesse in the word and prayer and religious and gracious discours unto thine owne and our comfort and edification The Lord himselfe who gave us thee make up our loss of thee If it be his pleasure that we must now parte one from another D. Mother said she albeit I leave yow yet God shall never forsake yow for it is said Isai 49. 15 16. Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the fruit of her wombe yea she may forget yet I wil not forget thee Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hand c. Oh comfortable words both for mothers and children Mark dear Mother how fast the Lord keepeth and holdeth his people that he hath them even graven on the palmes of his hand Therefore think with your self that albeit I must parte with yow or ye with mee yet the Lord shall never separat from you or me She being wearied through much speaking desired to rest a little and after a verie little tym she awaked Her Father asked how it was with her but she asked what day of the week it is now Her Father told her it was the Lords day Well said she have ye given up my name to be remembered in the publict prayers Her Father told her he had done soe I have learned said she that the effectuall fervent prayer of the Righteous doth availe much The two worthie Ministers who are aftermentioned she wold have much desired they should have been by her but from her love to them being much tender and carefull of their safetie she wold not have them desired to visite her but rather satisfied herselfe to be cast upon the Lords owne hand and to accept of and improve the visits of others whom the providence of God should send unto her or those who being judged by the Church sitt for the visiting of the sick in these caices of hazard arewont to come with more freedom Of whom their was one who used to come severall tymes to her and who was through the Lords blessing usefull to her to whom she gave heartie thanks for his visit And one tym after he was gone she began to weep bitterlie and her Father asked her the cause Have I not matter for weeping said she for what I have heard but just now by the visiter that Domine de Witte was to day taken sick in the pulpit and went home so unwell which is a sadd token for the people For when God is about to smyte a Land or a Citie often times he smyteth and removeth their Pastores and ought we not then to lay such a thing to heart altho for my part I know that I shall not long live to behold the evill which may come and which I have helped to procure al 's well as others And therefore I pray with David Psa 25. Remember not O Lord the sinnes of my youth nor my trespasses according to thy tender mercie remember thou me for thy goodnes sake O Lord. Oh how do I long even as the Hart panteth after the water brooks so panteth my thirstie soule after thee O God My soule thirsteth for God the living God Oh how doth my soule thirst all the day after thee O God Psa 42. And farther in the words of that 51. Psal Have mercy upon me O Lord according to thy loving kindnesse according to the multitud of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions And so forward to the 11. vers which she much insisted upon often repeating the same especially the 5. vers Behold I was shapen in iniquitie and in sinne did my mother conceive me Vpon which words she enlarged her meditation and speech according as she had learned from the Scriptures and the Catechisme and the books written thereupon for explication concerning that subject of originall sinne This is comed said she from the disobedience and fall of our first parents in paradise that our nature is soe corrupted that we are all altogider conceived and borne in sinne So we read also Gen. 5. 3. Thus Adam it is said begat a sonn after his owne liknesse Sinne is not of God for he hath formed man upright in the begining but he hath sought out many inventions Eccl. 7. 29. Therefore as by one man sinne entered into the world and death by sinne and soe death passed upon all men for that all have sinned but death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them who had not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression Rom. 5. She spoke also many things verie judiciouslie of the old man and the putting off the same and of the new man and of the putting on thereof from Eph. 4. and then she fell again upon the 51. Psa and these words The sacrifices of God are a broken heart a broken and a contrite Spirit O Lord thow wilt not despise that brokennesse of heart said she which is built upon and floweth from faith and that faith which is built upon Christ who is the propper and alone true sacrifice for sinne And heerupon she spoke of the offerings and sacrifices of Abel and of Cain Hebr. 11. 4. Thereafter she desired to rest and haveing slumbered a little she said ah dear F. and M. How weake doe I find my selfe My dear child said her Father God shall in his tender mercy strengthen you in your weakenesse Yea Father said she that is my confidence for it is said Isai 42. The bruised reed he will not break and the smoaking flax he will not quench Should I not then believe read Hebr. 11. How Abraham being proved of God did by faith offer up Isaac in sacrifice Oh what a stedfast loyall faith was that of Abraham which made him willing and readie to offer that his owne one sonne Oh what is