day will be your greatnesse And seeing that you haue receiued much already from the Lord and haue a further promise of a glorious crowne and scepter doth it not stand with equity that such as you aboue all should take heart to your selues and with more cheerefulnesse runne the wayes of Gods commands For will not you your selues expect from them the best and most worke to whom you giue the greatest wages Besides consider what will your callings or riches profit you one day Mat. 1â— â—â— if you should loose your own soules Is it or wil it be any benefit to haue large possessions on earth and not a foot in heauen high callings and not to be called of God a wise disputer in this world and be dumbe before Christ at his comming cloathed with purple and fine linnen and fare delicately euery day and yet be found naked in the great day of the Lord Therefore be friends to the word procure it's liberty to runne and doe you and yours runne after it too for this shall one day be your best portion and great reward And you that are of the tribe of Leui and my brethren Let me exhort you as one vnfit to instruct you that you would quit you like men and be strong Preach in season and out of season pull out all the arrowes of Gods mercy and iudgement forth of the Quiuers of the Law and Gospell draw them betwixt the armes of power and a sound minde loose them from the finger of affection let them flie with a will and then intreat the Lord so to guide them that like the sword of Saul and bow of Ionathan they may neuer returne to your hands empty Be heard aboue seene below let your liues shine before your doctrine as the lightning doth precede the Thunder so will your words pierce the deeper and cause your people quake and shudder amidst the Congregation Haue care of the flockes ouer which the Holy Ghost hath made you ouer-seers for this wil be your ioy at your iourneys end when you can truely say I haue coueted no mans siluer or gold I haue deliuered the whole counsell of God Act. 20.26.27.28.33 and am free from the blood of all men And when Christ shall come who after a little while will come be able to present your flocke as a pure Virgine to him spotlesse Ephes 5.27 blamelesse He that doth this shall shine as the Sunne for euer and euer Dan. 12.3 but hee that is carelesse must vndergoe a heauy account a fearefull reckoning And in conclusion that which I haue said to one I say to all Learne learne this lesson set before you the glory prepared for you and though you finde rubs in the way out-skip them all for your death shall be better then the day wherein you are borne Heb. 12 2. c. and the time of Christs second comming of more worth then all the world Trauellers must not conceiue what they for the present are being in a strange countrey but what they shall be when they come vnto their friends and eternall home for that will cheere the sad heart refresh the decayed spirits cause a man to trusse vp the loines of his minde and be trudging Remember then that thou cast thine eye forward peepe within the vaile and stedfastly thinke on the royall entertainment at thy iourneyes end Vse 4 And shall they that are guided by Gods counsell be receiued vnto glory May we not then gather a ground of comfort to stay vs from immoderate mourning for the faithfull departed 1 Thes 4.13 c. I will therefore apply it to the present occasion Be of good comfort for your friend deceased she is not dead but sleepeth and is at rest from her labours her fight is well fought and she is diuiding the spoile But because of all things immoderate affection vpon the like occasion hath too much accompanied Gods best children I will as much as in me is giue you some preseruatiues to preuent or expell a hopelesse and not to be endured heartlesse mourning Why what is she tooke from and what is the world and all therein but Vanity and vexation of spirit Is it not a Sodom where men burne in lust an Egypt where Israel is burthened by the vnmercifull Taske-masters a Babylon where the faithfull Iew hangs his Harpe vpon the Willowes and singeth his Hebrew songs in a strange land Whereto shall I further liken it Why to an Hospitall where be both deafe dumbe lame and blinde a very Pesthouse where be many sicke of euery soare die of each disease Doth not the purple red and scarlet tokens of sinne that presage a certaine and a second death breake out daily amongst the inhabitants Truely it 's a very Bedlem pestered with fooles filled with madde and franticke fellowes who know not either their owne misery or can endure to be cured by the bottomelesse depth of Gods mercy In a word it 's a sinke a whirle-poole and colluvies of all vncleannesse Shall wee then grieue sigh and torment our selues that our friends are remoued from so bad and no better an habitation Take a strict view of this world in her greatest beauty being cloathed with greene white red and scarlet with all variety of the choisest colours the Rabbets and Lambes skipping and leaping in the pleasant valleyes the fishes swimming and playing in the siluer-hewed streames of the purest waters the birds singing and pruning themselues on the sprigs and tops of the hills and mountaines euery branch bearing fruit each hearbe and flower sending forth her sweetest smell of perfume yet will not one pinching frost Northren blast or scorching heate rent her purple Robe wither her tender face wrinckle her smoothest brow and spoile her cleane of her well-tempered complexion so that her rich attire and comely glosse will but carry a cold report to the inhabitants heart as Iosephs party-coloured coate torne and all be-blouded did to old Iacob his father being represented before him and be a meane to bring amaine his gray or gay haires vnto the Graue But alas we consider not how the fashion of this world goeth away we iudge better of it then she deserues by farre and so through mis-apprehension we pierce our selues through with needlesse sorrowes We send our sonnes from countrey to Court from England to Ireland in the naked expectation of some better preferment and yet weepe mourne and bawle that our friends are gone from earth to heauen and from forreiners in a poore cottage to be the chiefest subiects in a glorious kingdome Againe is not Heauen a house where be many mansions and shall the Lord thereof want inhabitants must such seats be empty not replenished why then should he not loose the end and fruit of his creation Dauids roome must not be voyde for euer but at the time appointed by his own person supplied We must all of vs in our turnes vp to this Ierusalem for Christ our High Priest
all their proceedings why then should not we imitate them What man if he be to goe a long and vnknowne iourney will not hire a guide to conduct him or to vndertake a voyage by water to the East-Indies Guiana or the New-found-land but desireth the most skilfull Pilot to goe with him And shall not wee seeke vnto God desire his direction from earth to heauen from this old Egypt to the new Ierusalem If we doe not we may well wander out ot our way and split the ship of our soules vpon the rocke of condemnation And because men naturally are not prone to put this point in practise take these following motiues to further thee in thy duty 1. Who is it that thou art to depend vpon for direction Is it not he that formed thee at the first and whom thou doest confesse to be thy Father who then would offend so good a God so mercifull a Creatour Gouernour tread vnder-foote the Lord of life and haue no care to walke after his steps Shall we not follow the Sonnes example who learned obedience of his Father must the holy Ghost not be obeyed whose invitements are more worth then all the world Is it so that his motions must be resisted and the Spirit of all truth wearied grieued Take heede what thou doest for if we put this guide farre from vs he will not be fetcht againe as the prouerbe is with a weâ— finger 2. Againe is not mans life short vncertaine too why should wee then omit the season let slip the present oportunity Dayes will not be redeemed time recalled Miserable experience haue wee of some who putting off the occasion offred were neuer reclaimed Lots sonnes thought their father mocked and were they not suddenly destroyed Ierusalem would not attend the day of her visitation but what became of her Iezabel had a time to turne but would not was shee not suddenly cast into a be sorrow Therefore vp and trauell to little Zoar Come out of Babel and what thou hast to doe doe with all thy power least thou want time when thou maiest be willing The rich Glutton in hell then would haue had his brethren instructed possibly hee would had hee beene aliue againe haue hyred a Preacher But hee that may and will not when hee would hee shall not 3. In the third place let the example of others and their successe also moue thee to runne vnto the Lord. How did the lame blinde deafe and dumbe s eke to our Sauiour and was their labour lost Goe to God therefore and say Lord open mine eâ—e◠〈◊〉 sleepe not in death Heale me for I am sore wouâ—â—â—â— Conuert me and I shall be conuerted You that are Parents take your sonnes and daughters by the hand fâ—ll downe before God and cry Lord be mercifull to this my childe for he falleth often in the fire and is miserably seduced by the Diuell Let Masters imitate the good Centurion and desire God to recouer their seruants Shall they thus call and cry for the infirmities of the body and shall wee take no paines for the desperate diseases of our soules Weepe we pray we therefore for our selues and for our children and no doubt but the Lord will heare vs helpe vs And what a ioy will this be when they and we shall returne home againe seeing walking But alas our words take no impression because men thinke they haue no neede of the Physition 4. Moreouer doe but weigh well in thy minde what a misery it is to be out of the way we pitty a poore Traue ler that hath mist his path and seeme to take compassion on him And yet we by others harmes cannot learne to beware Christ I cannot tell what others mâ—y did account this a fearefull condition and makes it a reason to moue the people for to walke in the light these be his words Iob. 12.35 Least ye goe ye cannot tell whither If a man doe but set his face towards some steepe rocke or deepe draw well oh how will wee cry aloud that he might returne Is this so fearefull Then by earthly dangers learne to auoide Hels damnation 5. Besides consider where we shall arriue if we be not guided by God Is it at Samaria shall we finde a Prophet there that will feede vs with bread and water No we shall not haue one drop to refresh vs after our iourneyes end Wee count that mans condition wretched that fals amongst Theeues or that is cast into prison But whose eares will not tingle and heart tremble to consider at what a dolefull hauen wicked persons if they turne not shall one day be landed Neuer had any earthly Traueller so cold entertainment But wicked men are vnwise therefore they thinke not of their latter end Deut. 32.29 6. And in the last place adde to all this that they shall not depart thence till they haue paid the vttermost farthing and that will be neuer Was it a grieuous iudgement to be captiue 70. yeares in Babilon Did Dauid complaine and cry Woe is me that hee dwelt a few dayes in Mesâ—ek and Kedar What will it be then to be bound hand and foote cast into vtter darkenesse with the Diuell and his damned Angels If they that goe to this place of darkenesse might but hang their Harpes vpon the Willowes in sorrow of heart thinke on Ierusalem as many thousands of yeares as there be Sâ—arres in the heauen drops of water in the great Ocean or graines of sand in the earths whole Globe and then haue hope to returne it might be some mitigation of torment But their eyes shall faile with waiting to returne yet they shall neuer be returned Consider this therefore yee that forget God Psal 50.22 least hee teare you in peices and there be none to deliuer you And thus hauing finished this Point wee come to gather a third which is that Doct. 3 Those that be guided by God are guided by his word When the children of Israel obeyed not the Law are they not said to forsake the Lord Iudg. 10.6 and not to serue him and when they had no Priest to teach or Law to direct 2 Chron. 15.3 were they not all that season without the true God Acts 20.32 Paul at his last farewell commends his friends to God and the word of his grace Dauid often prayeth to be guided by his precepts Psal 5.8 Malac. 4.4 Doth not Malachi conclude Remember the Law of Moses with the statutes and iudgements Reason 1 First because Vrim and Thummim dreames visions miracâ—es and extraordinary motions and immediate irradiations of the spirit are ceased In old time Heb. 1.1 at seuerall times and in diuers manners the Lord spake to his children for then the word was not perfectly and fully written The Apostles too had dreames and visions in their dayes for they hauing their calling vpon the very border of the Law and commission too to preach to all Nations had neede of them otherwise
will not haue vs absent Heauen doth not admit a perpetuall vacuity Ionathan cannot excuse vs at the great feast day when our good King calleth for vs. Soone after the Creation men liued longer that the earth might be peopled Now towards the consummation they dye the sooner that the heauens may be with greater speede replenished Doe wee not see that a Father will sometimes part with his owne sonne to be his friends by adoption will not one kinde neighbour pull vp his tender plants to pleasure and supply the vaste ground of another and shall Eden lye waste the garden of our God shall he want sonnes when wee haue any that can content him or plants to replenish it What shall I more say Is not euery faithfull person a pillar or poste in that heauenly house that is aboue must they not then by death be cut downe out of the thicke forrest of this world hewne forth of the craggy Rocke here below and be carried and conuered from hence to heauen otherwise how should the Lords building and Christs misticall body be perfected When the materiall Temple was a making was not matter fetcht from farre And shall not the great Salomon aboue gather his spirituall stones and fetch his choifest timber from the foure ends of the world Hee that is about to build will hee not cut downe the most ancient Oke or Elmo what if they would keepe off the beames of the scorching Sunne shelter thee vnder their coole and much to be desired shade beate backe the blustring and bitter showres stormes Yet downe they must notwithstanding their profit pleasure or the which man naturally affects antiquity otherwise how should the building begun be perfected well edified Gods pleasant plants we grant on earth by their presence and prayers would yeelde the Church much comfort benefit but then the new Ierusalem would not at all be made perfect Mourne not therefore ouer-much for thy friends departed for this were to grieue ouer-much that Gods building goeth too fast forward And in conclusion yet something more may be added to take away immoderate passion Be not thy friends Trauellers sea-faring men are they not arriued and landed safe at the hauen of heauen Neuer did poore Mariner after hee had beene long absent in a strange land in danger of shipwracke amidst the terriblest storme pursued night and day by the cruell Pyrates reioyce more to step off the hatches to shore at his owne home then the faithfull soule hauing beene tossed in this world is to depart from the body to take possession in the highest heauens it 's naturall countrey And what can I more say Are not wee our selues come to the very brinke of lorden must wee not one day and that before long land at the Key of Canaan And shall not they and we then for euer in glory and peace remaine together Ponder this seriously beleeue it vnfainedly apply it particularly and then for thy friends departure if thou canst mourne immoderately NOw hauing spoke of the Text what I purposed I perswade my selfe it will be expected that I should say something in the praise of her whose Funerals at this present be celebrated the which I am vnwilling yet willing to doe vnwilling because it hath not beene my vsuall custome vpon the like occasion and therefore I may giue offence to some in the Congregation Againe it is to be feared that some Preachers imitate bad Lawyers let this be no preiudice to the best who for a fee will pleade and commend any cause speaking good of euill and euill of good making the heauens to lowre grow darke and shrowd themselues in a vaile of blackenesse more like to weedes of mourning then the persons attired with their suites of sorrow in the present assembly Yet I am willing to say somewhat first because I know for whom I am to speake it 's either God or his seruant departed God I assure my selfe as he would haue the name of the wicked to rot so would he that The memoriall of the righteous should remaine for euer And a true testimony is a good action vnto which he hath though not by way of merit annexed a reward why then should I in this thing be silent if my heart be vpright Now for the person departed I know in part with whom I haue to deale and all that I will say is either what I haue heard by the report of credible persons or haue knowne by my owne experience which is either concerning her publique carriage or priuate conuersation of both the which I haue not much though much might be said to vtter She in respect of her birth and pedigree shall of me receiue no praise though for any thing I know in that commendable we are all of one blood God little respects to commend that in any and they are most honourably as I perswade my selfe she was descended that are borne againe by the word and spirit and where the Lord is silent I wish to be silent also For her publique carriage I haue heard that which if I should at large relate would much returne to her commendation but it is so well to the most here present knowne that I omit all saue one thing which is that she was a Notary and tooke the Sermons which she heard by her owne penne I know not what some will iudge of this action but I hope the best cannot but giue it a Christian probation shee did this when as many by much meaner then shee come with their Fannes and Feathers whereas mee seemes a Goose-quill would farre better befit their fingers But a priuate life is least subiect to hypocrisie therefore I proceede to that I haue beene credibly informed that shee did in her Chamber repeate to her Maid-seruants the Sermons shee had heard and penned Catechise them in the principles of Religion and vpon euery fit occasion would labour to season them with the true feare of the Lord. Againe she spent hauing health three or foure houres in her priuate Closet euery day in Reading Meditating Praying and Writing But what was the subiect for otherwise to write is no great commendation Amongst other things all tending to good vses she hath left and that in no small volume diuers disputations that shee had with Separatists and Papists her answeres and what was her owne resolution in the controuerted opinions annexing her reasons Moreouer as one that expected the time of her change before it came she left vnder her owne hand what if it might stand with her husbands good pleasure she would haue performed as diuers gifts to seuerall persons both for cloath and coyne in value amounting to a large summe And her desire was that there might be no blacks worne for her at her Funerals except by her owne house at the most or in particular by her deare and especiall friend because she had rather haue them receiue some priuate gifts of remembrance and in that she would not follow the common custome of the world It was not couetousnesse I perswade my selfe but conscience that frustrated in that respect any mans expectation And thus hauing touched a few particulars I come in briefe to mention what my selfe can speak by experience And that is either in the time of her health or sickenesse In which former condition I not many times came into her presence because of the distance of our habitations But for her apparell it was so modest not with gold put about or broidered haire that a curious eye could not iustly picke a quarrell at it her speech was not much her words well composed and the matter such as to a iudicious Auditor might yeeld comfort and in some thing administer profitable edification In the time of her sickenesse I heard her neuer vtter one word that fauoured of impatience shee tooke all helpes willingly that might haue restored her if God had giuen the blessing to health and her former condition and in the receipt she would pray and desire others also that God would blesse it to her And she spake much in the commendation of the Gospell affirming that all things without that were worth nothing She left certaine Bibles to be deliuered to her daughters with this writ on them I haue said that my flesh shall perish and rot But the word of the Lord shall endure for euer And blessed shall you be if you constantly vnto the end delight to seeke and follow that with faithfull and true hearts She also gaue a gift to the Pastor of that place by which she said she would tye him to be as carefull ouer the poorest sheepe in his flocke as if he were the greatest Lord. Not long before her death she said that she hoped God would giue her power against the Enemie But alas we many of vs cannot tell what by Enemie is meant which phrase of hers stroke into me a deepe suspition that her change was neere at hand For I haue alwayes obserued that when Sathan most tempteth the truely-religious they seldome recouer of that sickenesse He hath great skill to discerne how Nature is weakened and therefore taketh the fittest time for his purpose She prayed with iudgement and affection not long before her desolution In the which petitions she vsed words and sentences worthy of admiration imitation She mentioned the King in particular remembred his kingdomes and subiects with others that for breuity I passe ouer as her friends kinsfolkes and children These things I my selfe saw and heard with many others that were worthy to be recorded and of the best practised At which time I absented my selfe out of the chamber neither after that heard I her voyce or saw her face for within a short space she departed From all which I wish we may for I am sure we ought to learne instruction Laus Deo FJNJS