invidious Death O why so soon Why must her Night come e're sh 'as ended Noon Well may those Wretches fear to die Whose ill-spent Life No Prospect but Eternal Wee does give Thou calmly didst surrender up thy Breath Unterrify'd at the Approach of Death Nor did emasculating Grons betray Thee emulous of any farther stay Or loth the gastly Summons to obey Thy Life was wondrous but its Exit is A Glorious Apotheosis Thus though with Splendor Phoebus gilds The Morning of his Race Yet are his brightest Beams reserv'd The setting Sun to grace Feb. 19. 1693 4. Sic moerens deflevit HEN. CUTTS The CONTENTS of the Papers Paper I. AN humble Avouchment of God to be her Portion pag. 34. Paper II. An earnest Expostulation with her self in reference to the great Concern of her Pretious and Immortal Soul p. 37. Paper III. Her most serious Thoughts on this Passage You will not come unto me that you may have Life p. 44. Paper IV. Her grave and godly Advice to her Children p. 47. Paper V. Her humble and chearful Deportment under Afflictions p. 53. Paper VI. A thankful recounting of many particular Mercies vouchsafed to her p. 55. Paper VII The Scriptures of great Use and Comfort p. 63. Paper VIII Serious Reflections on the late Earthquake p. 67. Paper IX X. An awful Sense of Death and her own approaching Dissolution p. 71 76. Paper XI A delightful Contemplation of the Blessedness of the Saints in Heaven p. 82. Paper XII Texts of Scripture that yielded great Comfort and Support under her desponding Thoughts p. 90. Paper XIII An earnest Desire to be fitted for and brought unto Heaven p. 99. A Funeral Sermon 1 COR. 7. 30. And they that weep as though they wept not I Shall insist upon that Clause at this time In it I shall observe 1. A Concession He grants them some kind of Sorrow and Grief 2. A Correction He moderateth it 1. He grants them some kind of Sorrow in that he puts Weeping for Adversity the Affection for the Condition the Effects for the Cause as allowing them an holy Sensibleness of their Misery they that weep Then he correcteth and moderateth this Sorrow as if they wept not because he will not trust such a dangerous Weapon in their own Hands and leave the Corinthians to the Vileness and Waywardness of their own Affections though I allow you to weep yet 't is as if you wept not The Points are two I. That God alloweth yea requireth of his People some Sorrow and Sensibleness of their Condition II. That the Heart must be so managed under this Sorrow that we may be said not to weep rather than to weep at the same time it must be with such Moderation Or thus Christians should so sorrow under the Sense of their Condition as if they did not sorrow I shall speak briefly of both these Doct. I. God requireth and alloweth some Sorrow They that weep I shall 1st shew you that God doth so 2dly Shew you what this Sorrow is 1. To prove that so it is I will not stand to instance Places of Scripture in a Point so familiar The Reasons are 1st This is the End why we have Affections that they may be exercised in their Season God hath planted in every Man Affections sutable to every Condition in which he placeth him It is said the Stars in their Order fought against Sisera so Affections We have Joy for Prosperity Sorrow for Adversity What did God mean to give us such contrary Affections if not that they should be acted in their Order and Time that these Affections should like the Spokes turn with the Wheel of Providence And therefore God complaineth much as if he were frustrated of his End when we do not answer Providence by an Exercise of those Affections that are sutable to it as Ier. 5. 3. I have smitten them and they have not grieved God wondereth they should be so unnatural as not to grieve when stricken by him So for Mercy Hos. 11. 3. I taught Ephraim to go taking them by their Arms but they knew not that I healed them that is they were not sensible of it did not take notice and were not sutably affected with the Love of God They are ranked among the rest of Men that are under their natural Condition who are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without natural Affection to be flinted hornyhearted such as have no Smartness no Quickness of Affection especially when the Misery is of such a Nature that near Friends are taken from us is very displeasing to God 2dly Because that due Exercise of Sorrow under Affliction is very serviceable and beneficial to the Soul 1. To help spiritual Duties Anima nunquam melius agit quam ex impetu insignis alicujus affectus The Soul works best when it hath the Advantage of an Affection When the Soul is made better by the Bitterness of Grief we feel and the Soul maketh the Affection of Sorrow to be Vehiculum a kind of a Chariot to carry on the Work of Repentance Ier. 2. 19. Know and see that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God When the Iron is hot if you strike in you may get good take the Advantage of your Hearts under your Sorrows 3dly To make it serious Sorrows gather the Soul together and make it more it self A Man cometh to himself in his Grief Usually God taketh this Course with his People though they begin in the Flesh they end in the Spirit Sorrow maketh Reason to stand still Solomon speaketh of bethinking themselves in the Land of their Afflictions 1 Kings 8. 57. Jolly Persons are slight never think upon any thing Those that wallowed in Pleasures did put far away the Day of the Lord Amos 6. 3. Till the Prodigal was tamed by outward Grief and Want he never had Thoughts of returning They that did not grieve when God struck them Ier. 5. 3. refused to receive Correction The more sorrowful the Mind is the more serious Sorrow drieth up all those swimming Thoughts and pleasing Imaginations by which Men drive away their Time and divert their Care and therefore there is a great deal of Benefit comes by it it puts the Soul in an advantagious way of receiving Good 4thly This would double the Affliction not to grieve for such things as nearly touch us To break the Bent and Course of Nature is dangerous Affections when strongly stirred must have their Exercise for fear of greater Harms It is an Ease sometimes to mourn Strangled Grief choaks the Heart 1 Sam. 25. 37. Nabal's Heart became as a Stone within him when he heard Tidings that mightily affected him it had been better he had wept and mourned As Chirurgeons first let the Sore soften before they begin to draw it Iob 2. 13. Iob's Friends said not a Word to him the first seven Days for they saw that his Grief was great They let Sorrow have its Course for a
Cains look with fallen Countenances Gen. 4. 6. Let the Pharisees please themselves in their sowr Looks Mat. 6. 16. A Christian's Countenance should shew him to be above his Misery sprightly and chearful though you take away their Coat as Ioseph's Mistress did you cannot take away their Comfort they are glad they can escape with their Conscience though they should leave their Coat behind them I remember Scaliger playeth the Critick with Homer because Champion Achilles is brought in weeping his beloved Briseis was taken from him So it is a Disgrace to our high Profession when a Christan is brought in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 weeping it is beneath you It is said in Acts 5. 41. They departed from the Presence of the Council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ. Philpot's Stocks in the Bishop of London's Coal-house was but a pair of Organs as he saith Nor is it true only in these honourable Sufferings for the Glory of our Religion but in the Strokes of Providence in this very Business of deceased Friends The Apostle makes it the Property of Pagans to mourn excessively 1 Thess. 4. 13. Sorrow not as those that have no Hope i. e. as Pagans they did abound in it as see Gen. 50. 3. compared with v. 10. Ioseph mourned for Iacob but seven Days the Egyptians seventy even ten times as much Nay Pagans err so much this way that if they could not find Grief they would force Grief and therefore at their Funerals if they had no Sympathy they would slash their Faces and cut their Flesh that they might be sorrowful And therefore God saith Deut. 14. 1. Ye shall not cut your selves and make Baldness in your Eyes for the Dead ye are the Children of the Lord your God that is you have higher Principles you know such Sorrow needless And hence was it that the Primitive Christians were wont to sing triumphant Psalms at Funerals as it appeareth out of many Places of Chrysostom to shew they had higher Hopes of their departed Friends 3. It is very prejudicial You have no Benefit but a great deal of Hurt by it 2 Cor. 7. 10. there it is summed up in one word Worldly Sorrow worketh Death that is chiefly Sorrow for worldly things that works Death temporal and eternal in its Desert temporal Death as it exhausteth the Spirits wasteth the Marrow Worldly Sorrow leaveth a very strong Impression upon the Body as Solomon saith Prov. 17. 22. A broken Spirit drieth the Bones it dulleth and deadens the Heart If a Man would not save his Tears yet he should reserve them keep them up for holy Uses God may give you many spiritual Occasions to empty your Bottle do not be over-free of them Affections over-exercised are usually restrained against the next Occasion And as they procure Death in respect of the Vigour of the Body and Soul so an eternal Death too it deserveth it And so the Apostle is to be understood for he opposeth it to Godly Sorrow which hereafter you shall see you have no cause to repent of as you have of Worldly Grief is a most serious Passion and though a Man may forget himself in his Joy he should not forget to think of the Danger Worldly Sorrow worketh Death 4. It is very unreasonable If Men would cite their Affections before the Tribunal of Reason and ask them what 's the matter why they are so violently stirr'd they might discern much of their Folly Psal. 42. 5. David calleth himself to an account Why art thou so disquieted O my Soul why art thou cast down within me Ask why it is and you will see either no reason or a corrupt one Iniqua lex est quae se examinari non patitur saith Tertullian And so it is an evil Heart that will not be called to an account Suspect those Passions that are loth to be examined Do but ask your selves why do I grieve now you shall see the Answer will be foolish unreasonable unthankful or savouring of Discontent Why it may be you will say Many dear Comforts are taken from me O Brethren that is an ill Expression no outward Comfort can be taken from a Christian We should live in such a continual waiting for God's Pleasure and in such a quiet Submission thereunto as not to look upon our Comforts as taken from us Iob indeed useth the word Iob 1. 23. The Lord hath given the Lord hath taken but he useth it so as if he would be understood as if the Lord had accepted of the Resignation for he blesses God for it Even our highest Comfort our Lives the Lives of the Saints are not taken from them God doth but as it were accept of the Resignation As Stephen Acts 7. 59. Lord Iesus receive my Spirit So Rev. 22. 20. Even so come Lord Iesus come quickly It is said of the Wicked indeed that their Lives are snatched or taken away as Iob 27. 8. What Hope hath the Hypocrite when God taketh away his Soul or snatcheth it away So Luke 12. 20. Thou Fool this Night shall thy Soul be required of thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall challenge and get away thy Soul from thee Therefore we should resign up our holy Friends to God as well as they do themselves But let us see how unreasonable this very Particular is of Mourning for the Dead Is it to do them good They are not the better for our Tears they are past Recovery by our Weeping Is it not to envy their Blessedness to wish them alive again 2 Sam. 12. 23. Wherefore should I fast can I bring him back again I shall go to him he shall not come to me Is it because they were so good that we mourn The better for God they are gone to their own home Is it because so bad 2 Sam. 13. 39. David was comforted concerning Anmon because dead though he died in Sin Or is it because they died so soon which heightens your Loss Consider who decreed it are you wiser than God Is it for your own Good you weep that is an holy Weeping Weep as if you wept not Thus if Men would expostulate with themselves they would see the Unreasonableness of their Sorrow it is to no purpose We express things to no purpose by Water spilt on the Ground certainly Tears in such Cases are but spilt Water Use 1. To instruct you to take home this Lesson so to sorrow under the Sense of your Afflictions as if you did not sorrow be it the Loss what it will though I shall chiefly speak to the present Occasion Do not let the Grief oppress your Heart Ay but how shall we do so I shall give you some Motives As 1st Be sure to get an Interest in spiritual Mercies The Doctrine saith Christians ought so to sorrow as if they sorrowed not We cannot speak to others in this Language unless we should perswade Men to slight the Hand of God We throw Bones to Dogs but Bread to Children
or less though with some Abatement to her dying Day by which her Life was many times a very Burden to her Her Doubts as to her Eternal State were sometimes very grievous but yet through the Goodness of God she still kept up this Resolution to venture her Soul in the Hands of her Redeemer Having one time ask'd very earnestly Will not Christ receive me if I come to him receiving some encouragement in this Matter she replied with Chearfulness Then will I come to him She took great Delight in reading her Father's Sermons especially those of the Life of Faith under our Affliction and very comfortable was the insuing Passage of one of them to her under her Doubts and Fears viz. The Question being propounded by poor doubting Souls thus How shall we know whether God be our God Answ. Why do you love him as your chiefest Good Do you seek his Glory as your utmost End Do you obey him as your highest Lord and Law-giver and do you depend on him as your Paymaster and Benefactor But if all this will not help you to judg your Hearts there are but two things will give you Comfort and those are your Choice and your Resignation Do you chuse God for your Portion Though you cannot say God has chosen you and that he is yours yet you will chuse him Do you by an Holy importunate Faith thus fasten your selves upon God and say Lord if thou wilt not honour me love me bless me as thine for I am resolved to be thine and if I perish one must perish that desires to be thine And this she would often repeat The Night before she died her Husband earnestly and humbly besought the Lord that he would graciously be pleased to give her some comfortable Manifestations of his Love to her poor Soul O let it never be forgotten the gracious Condescension of God to his unworthy Creature The next Morning her faithful and loving Servant who attended her in all her Ilness brought him Word that now the Case was altered with her Mistress she was now reconciled to the Thoughts of Death and was refreshed with the Sense of God's Love and desired to have no more Cordials given her she had better Comforts to refresh her Soul This was on the Lord's Day in the Morning She spake not much after but lay in a quiet composed Frame of Spirit softly groaning under the Pains of Death that made his nearer Approach to her every Hour but even then when she heard her Husband speak to her she would answer with a very pleasing and chearful Voice A dear Friend lay on the Bed by her a very little space of time before she expired and heard her utter distinctly though softly full of Comfort Soon after she ended her Life with the Sabbath and went to Rest on the 16th of March 1689. THE Person that succeeded her in this Relation was also the Daughter of that Reverend and worthy Divine Mr. Thomas Burroughs Minister at Cotsbrook in Northampton-shire till the Year 1662 when he with some hundreds more were turn'd out for Non-conformity After a convenient and decent Space of time of her continuing a Widow she chang'd her Condition into a married State though much against her own Inclination and Temper but purely out of her Respect and Kindness to Mr. Terry whom she knew intirely lov'd her But when once the Nuptial Knot was tied her Carriage as a Wife was with all imaginable Respect accompanied with most indearing Tenderness often expressing how much her Love was increased to her Husband much more than she thought it could have been though before as a Friend she equally preferr'd him to all others of that Rank Her Domestick Affairs she managed with great Prudence and in that Station she gain'd Love and Respect from all She had a most tender and compassionate Regard for the Souls of her dear Children She took great Care to instruct them in the Principles of Religion and incouraging them to read and learn the Holy Scriptures This her Care also did extend to her Servants whom she would on all occasions be ready either by her Advice or by reading some good Book to them her self when their Business would permit and endeavour to beget in them a true Sense of their Sin and Misery and the Worth of their precious Souls God who is the God of Nature as well as of Grace was pleased to endow her with a great Proportion both of Natural and Spiritual Excellencies She was a very beautiful and lovely Person in her younger Years few exceeding her and of most excellent Parts and of great Understanding yet of a very humble Spirit and very mean in her own Eyes though deservedly valued by those that knew her Such was the Sweetness of her Temper accompanied with true Godliness that she was an Ornament to her Profession To speak of her as a Christian would exceed the Limits of these Papers God had greatly adorn'd and beautified her Soul with the Graces of his Holy Spirit and agreable thereunto she lived in some Holy Proportion answerable to the Vows of her Consecration and to the Godly Education she received from her pious Relations She intirely devoted her self to God to be wholly his and at his Disposal She had a singular Value for the Holy Scriptures which she constantly made conscience of reading and would sometimes write them out with profitable Remarks on them for her own spiritual Use. Other good Books also had their due Esteem and Use but she would often say none of that kind yielded her more Comfort and Satisfaction than Dr. Manton's It was very usual in her own Bible and Books to give some little Mark at those Passages that were of particular Concern to her self under the Variety of the Dispensation that she passed through She had a most high Esteem for the Publick Worship and Service of God which she never or rarely omitted to frequent unless hindred by some unavoidable Occasion The Sabbath was a Day of Delight to her she made conscience as of seeing Religious Duties performed in the Family so also of redeeming Time for her private Converse with God and this was resolved and subscribed to under her own Hand many Years ago that she would spend some Time in Prayer and Meditation and herein followed the Method she received from the Directions of Worthy Mr. Daniel Burgess to help her in that Work viz. to go over the Creed the Lord's Prayer and Commandments all which she did perform with many other Portions of Scripture as appears from the many Papers left under her own Hand She was much pleased with what she heard a worthy Divine relate in pressing his Hearers to Private Prayer of a Holy Man that would never omit this Duty but when like to be hindred by any Company would make this honest Excuse I must take my leave of you for a while there 's a Friend above stays to speak with me meaning God that has commanded this
while Stop Floods in their full Career and they rage and swell When the Death of a near Friend hath opened the Sluces let the Waters play a little in the Channel till it be calmer Passions spend and tire themselves in their Exercise Grief is sometimes eased by the Expression of it There is Reason too for it if that of Cardan be true that an heavy Heart is eased by nothing so much as by Sighs and Tears because Tears empty the Head of some Vapours with which it is surcharged and Sighs lighten the Heart of some fuliginous Damps that oppress it These are Nature's Offers for Ease You see the Reasons 2. What Grief and Sorrow this is that God alloweth and approveth What is sinful Grief I shall shew you in the next Point here what is lawful and required I answer Not every Sorrow For there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a godly Sorrow and a worldly Sorrow 2 Cor. 7. 10. Godly Sorrow worketh Repentance to Salvation not to be repented of but the Sorrow of the World worketh Death In the general it must be a godly Sorrow In these Respects 1. You must see somewhat of God in the Affliction It is a Motive this on both Hands both to Sensibleness and Patience that it is from God Heb. 12. 5. My Son despise not thou the Chastening of the Lord because it is from God A Man slights every ordinary Chance but when it is from God then it worketh more effectual upon the Spirit As we see in the case of the Philistines 1 Sam. 6. 9. If that Stroke that happened upon them were a Chance they would trouble themselves no further about it but if it were from the God of Israel they would advise about sending home the Ark. 2. It must be serviceable Sorrow to set you the nearer to God Sorrow is of the Nature of those things that are required not for themselves but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for some farther thing You must not rest in your Sorrow but make use of it that it may work kindly employ it about the Work of the Sanctuary Do not cherish your Affections for their own sakes but so as they may be helpful to the Soul Do not go about to still the Affection to think that 's all that is required let it do the Soul Service and be glad you have your Hearts under such an Advantage You know how Ioshua served the Gibeonites he did not slay them but condemned them to be Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water for the Sanctuary Grief and Sorrow well managed will make a good Drawer of Water for the Sanctuary Make your Sorrow your Servant now to draw Water for you to make you smart and bleed for a good Use and Purpose There is a gracious Promise to them that sow in Tears Psal. 126. 5. They that sow in Tears shall reap in Ioy. Now we are in Tears but we do not sow Tears Tears are not Seed we have not the Crop But what shall we do to make them Seed spiritualize them make them spiritual Tears let the Water run in a holy Channel and then like the Waters of the Sanctuary they will be healing Waters The Death of a Friend though never so dear to us will never cause any but carnal Tears they minister a good occasion of Mourning but they do not minister a Cause and Ground of Mourning It is good to distinguish between the Cause and the Occasion At such a time God calleth for more than ordinary Sensibleness and Sorrow but not because he hath declared his Pleasure concerning our Friends that is Murmuring not Mourning We should take this occasion indeed but our Sorrow should work upon a spiritual Ground and Object 1st We should take this Occasion to mourn for our own Sins Miseries are but the Effects of Sin You should labour to make Sin bitter by your present Feeling There should be I say a special renewing of our Repentance by such Providences Experience teacheth best Now you see what Sorrow Sin bringeth If Men would but improve their Occasions of Sorrow thus their Hearts would be more keen against Sin It is a great Argument to make Men continue in a Course when it never proveth Evil to them Therefore God challengeth them Ier. 2. 5. What Iniquity have you found in me that you depart from me Just as a Martyr said I have served Jesus Christ thus many Years and should I deny him now But if Men would thus observe these Experiences Sin cannot make this Challenge We can say of Sin Thou hast killed my Husband or Wife at such a time my Daughter my Brother at such a time c. Consider and say Have not I provoked God to remove the Comfort of a Parent or near Relation from me It is said of Gideon Iudg. 8. 16. that with Briars and Thorns he taught the Men of Succoth So God many times teaches us 2dly We should take this Occasion to weep for the publick Abominations When Polus the Tragedian was to act a mournful Part he brought in the Urn or the Pot of Ashes of his own dead Son that drew real Tears from him We are all to act a mournful Part now even to mourn for our Abominations before the Lord. It may be your Grief is flat and low awaken it by these private Instances But take heed let it not stay there this is but to give the Occasion some other thing must be the Cause and the Object of it O pour out a little Water upon the publick Sins they are Sparks that we have kindled as the Prophet speaks Isa. 50. 11. Behold all ye that kindle a Fire and compass your selves about with Sparks It is meant of Sins not as it is wrongly expounded of walking in our own Duties Well pour out this Water upon these Sparks When a Town is on Fire every one will bring his Bucket Why when the whole Kingdom is compassed about with these Sparks God giveth you these private Occasions that you may bring your Bucket to quench the common Flame So Luke 23. 28. Weep not for me but weep for your selves and for your Children Alas who could choose but shed Tears to part with such a blessed Companion as our Saviour Yet not for me saith he but for the Survivors Weep for your Sins and Calamities that are coming upon you Let such an Occasion open the Flood-gates but then cut out a Passage for them that they may run this way 3dly For the publick Miseries Private Sorrows should be swallowed up in the publick Look as private Mercies are no Mercies unless it be well with Sion and therefore it is annexed as a special Blessing Psal. 128. 6. that they should see their Childrens Children and Peace upon Israel Descensive Love is strong always but in these times more strong because every one expected the Messiah to come of his Race but that is nothing without Peace upon Israel it is not a consummate Mercy