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
I know thou wonderest by this time what the cause should bee that we two continually vnclasping our hearts one to the other I should reserue this to writing Whē thou thinkest thus deare remember how grieuous it was to thee but to heare mee say I may die and thou wilt confesse this would haue beene an vnpleasant discourse to thee and thou knowest I neuer durst displease thee willingly so much I loue thee All I now desire is that the vnexpectednesse of it make it not more grieuous to thee But I know thou art a Christian and therefore will not doubt of thy patience And though I thus write to thee as heartily desiring to be religiously prepared to die yet my deare I despaire not of life nay I hope and daily pray for it if so God will be pleased Nor shall I thinke this labour lost though I doe liue for I will make it my owne looking-glasse wherein to see when I am too seuere when too remisse and in my childes fault through this glasse to discerne mine owne errors And I hope God will so giue me his grace that I shall more skilfully act than apprehend a mothers duty My deare thou knowest me so well I shall not need to tell thee I haue written honest thoughts in a disordered fashion not obseruing method For thou knowest how short I am of learning and naturall endowments to take such a course in writing Or if that strong affection of thine have hid my weaknesse from thy sight I now professe seriously my owne ignorance and though I did not this following Treatise would bewray it But I send it onely to the eies of a most louing Husband and of a childe exceedingly beloued to whom I hope it will not be altogether vnprofitable Thus humbly desiring God to giue thee all comfort in this life and happinesse in the life to come I leaue thee and thine to his most gracious protection Thine inuiolable Eliza. Iocelin THE MOTHERS LEGACIE to her vnborne CHILDE HAuing long often and earnestly desired of God that I might bee a mother to one of his children and the time now drawing on which I hope hee hath appointed to giue thee vnto mee It drew mee into a consideration both wherefore I so earnestly desired thee and hauing found that the true cause was to make thee happy how I might compasse this happinesse for thee I knew it consisted not in honour wealth strength of body or friends though all these are great blessings therefore it had beene a weake request to desire thee onely for an heire to my fortune No I neuer aimed at so poore an inheritance for thee as the whole world Neither would I haue begged of God so much paine as I know I must endure to haue only possest thee with earthly riches of which to day thou maist bee a great man tomorrow a poore begger Nor did an hope to dandle thy infancy moue mee to desire thee For I know all the delight a Parent can take in a childe is hony mingled with gall But the true reason that I haue so often kneeled to God for thee is that thou mightest bee an inheritour of the Kingdome of Heauen To which end I humbly beseech Almightie God thou maiest bend all thy actions and if it bee his blessed will giue thee so plentifull a measure of his grace that thou maiesty serue him as his Minister if he make thee a man It is true that this age holds it a most contemptible office fit only for poore mens children younger brothers and such as haue no other meanes to liue But for Gods sake bee not discouraged with these vaine speeches but fortifie your selfe with remembring of how great worth the winning of one soule is in Gods sight and you shall quickly finde how great a place it is to be a Priest vnto the liuing God If it will please him to moue your heart with his holy Spirit it will glow and burne with zeale to doe him seruice The Lord open thy lips that thy mouth may shew forth his praise If I had skill to write I would write all I apprehend of the happy estate of true labouring Ministers but I may plainly say that of all men they by their calling are the most truly happy they are familiar with God they labour in his Vineyard and they are so beloued of him that hee giues them abundance of knowledge Oh bee one of them let not the scorne of euill men hinderthee Look how GOD hath prouided for thee sufficient meanes thou needest not hinder thy study to looke out for liuing as the Israelites hindred their worke to looke for straw If thou beest not content with this thou wilt not bee with more GOD deliuer thee from couetousnesse I desire thee that though thou takest a spirituall calling thou wilt not seeke after the liuings of the Church nor promotions though I honour them as I haue great cause but I would haue thee so truly an humble and zealous Minister that thy onely end should bee to doe God seruice without desire of any thing to thy selfe saue the Kingdome of Heauen Yet as I would not haue thee seeke these things so I would haue thee as carefull not to neglect Gods blessings but with all thankfulnesse to receiue what hee bestowes and to bee a carefull steward distributing it to those that haue need I could not chuse but manifest this desire in writing lest it should please God to depriue mee of time to speake And if thou beest a daughter thou maist perhaps thinke I haue lost my labour but reade on and thou shalt see my loue and care of thee and thy saluation is as great as if thou wert a sonne and my feare greater It may peraduenture when thou comest to some discretion appeare strange to thee to receiue these lines from a Mother that died when thou wert borne but when thou seest men purchase land and store vp treasure for their vnborne babes wonder not at mee that I am carefull for thy saluation being such an eternall portion and not knowing whether I shall liue to instruct thee when thou art borne let mee not bee blamed though I write to thee before Who would not condemne mee if I should bee carelesse of thy body while it is within me Sure a farre greater care belongs to thy soule to both these cares I will endeuour my selfe so long as I liue Againe I may perhaps bee wondred at for writing in this kinde considering there are so many excellent bookes whose least note is worth all my meditations I confesse it and thus excuse my selfe I write not to the world but to mine own childe who it may be will more profit by a few weake instructions comming from a dead mother who cannot euery day praise or reproue it as it deserues than by farre better from much more learned These things considered neither the true knowledge of mine owne weaknesse nor the feare this may come to the worlds eie and
example He made the whole world in six dayes and hee rested the seuenth wherefore hee blessed it Seeing God thus commands thee by his power perswades thee in his mercy and teaches thee both by rule and his owne most gratious example how canst thou bee so deuoid of grace nay of reason as not to obey so iust a Master so mercifull a Father so gracious a Teacher If thou make not a conscience of keeping this day howsoeuer a dull security may possesse thee to flatter thy selfe thou indeed makest conscience of nothing For I am perswaded if thou canst dispence with thy selfe to prophane this day either for thy profit or pleasure thou wilt not sticke vpon the like occasion to breake all the rest of the Commandements one after another Therefore for Christs sake bee watchfull that the Deuill deceiue you not nor none of his instruments draw thee away from this dayes duty Hee is alwaies busie and ready at hand to draw thee away from God but this day without doubt hee doubles all his forces hee will prouoke thine eies to sleepe hee will send heauinesse and dulnesse to thy heart and perhaps paine to thy body if he can so much preuaile any sleight any tricke to stay thee from Gods house and from the Congregation of his people hee will surely vse nay hee will sometimes doe it with religious pretences as to pray at home reade a Sermon study the Scripture and to spend the time in such Christian exercises as are infinitely good at other times But I once heard a religious Preacher affirme and I beleeued him that those who had ability of body to goe to Church and yet out of any euill disposition for good it can hardly bee absented themselues though they prayed they were not heard It behoues thee by how much greater his practises are against thee that day so much the more to fortifie thy selfe against him at no hand let him stay thee from the Church there GOD hath promised to bee present and there hee is Darest thou then silly wretch absent thy selfe from him I know thou darest not Goe then with a heart prepared to pray by prayer and going meditate on Gods great mercies in the creation of the world his greater mercy in redeeming it and mingle with thy meditation prayers that may apply these great blessings to thy selfe So approach and enter with reuerent and feruent zeale the house of GOD and throwing away all thoughts but such as may further the good worke thou art about bend thy knees and heart to God desiring of him his holy Spirit that thou maist ioine with the Congregation in zealous prayer and earnest attention to his word preached And though perhaps thou hearest a Minister preach as thou thinkest weakly yet giue him thine attention and thou shalt finde that hee will deliuer something profitable to thy soule either that thou hast not heard before or not marked or forgotten or not well put in practise And it is fit thou shouldest bee often put in minde of those things concerning thy saluation Thus if thou spend thy time at Church thou wilt bee ready to giue thy selfe to meditate of the holy Word thou hast heard without which truly hearing profiteth little For it is with the soule as with the body though meat bee neuer so wholsome and the appetite neuer so great yet if any ill disposition in the stomacke hinder digestion it turnes not to nourishment but rather proues more dangerous So the Word if after hearing it bee not digested by meditation it is not nourishing to the soule Therefore let the time thou hast to bee absent from Church bee spent in praising God praying to God and applying to thy selfe what thou hast heard If thou hast heard a sinne reproued that thou art guilty of take it for a warning doe it no more If thou hearest of a good action which thou hast ouerslipt striue to recouer time and resolue to put it in act Thus by practising what thou hearest thou shalt binde it to thy memory and by making it thine owne make thy selfe most happy Learne of Isaiah the true obseruation of the Sabbath If thou turne away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy will on my holy day and call the Sabbath a delight to consecrate it as glorious to the Lord and shalt honour him not doing thy owne wayes nor seeking thine owne will nor speaking a vaine word Then shalt thou delight in the Lord and I will cause thee to mount vpon the high places of the earth and feed thee with the heritage of Iacob thy father for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Isaiah 58.13 It is a wonder to see how often God hath commanded this one Commandement and yet how slacke we are to keepe it Exod. 31. from the 12. verse is all commanding this againe in the 34.21 and diuers places more Learne then to prepare thy heart early for this day which if thou obseruest well God will blesse thee and thy labours all the weeke Thus farre I haue endeuoured to exhort thee to thy duty towards God 12 Of which the honour due to thy Parents is such a part as cannot bee separated for God commands it Honour thy father and thy mother it is the first Commandement of the second table as Thou shal haue none other Gods but mee is of the first Idolatry being the greatest sin against God and disobedience to parents being the ring-leader in sinnes against man wee are first warned of them as if in case we should fall into them it were too late to auoid the other For if wee once become in heart Idolaters it will be no hard matter to be a bower down to an Image to abuse Gods holy Name and to prophane his Sabbath So if wee dare disobey good Parents at that breach theft murther adultery falsenesse couetousnesse easily enter Nay I dare say if thou breakest either of these Commandements thou breakest all of the first and second Table for as thou canst not bee idolatrous without breaking all the rest so thou canst not bee a disobedient childe but thou art a murderer a double one first of nature in thy selfe which if thy wicked purposes doe not smother will of her selfe breake forth into that duty For an example the story of AEneas Ihewes how much it was obserued by them that receiued not the Commandement from Gods owne mouth as did the Iewes yet he exposed himselfe to all dangers rather than hee would forsake his father Secondly thou art a murtherer of thy father who hauing stored vp all his ioy in thee hath by thy disobedience his gray head brought with sorrow to the graue which God forbid And what difference shall I say is there betweene a disobedient childe and an adulterer the one forsakes her by whom he giueth being vnto others the other despiseth those from whom hee had his owne being Truly this is a fearefull adultery and sinne is a crafty strumpet she will allure thee