portion of mine inheritaâ—â—â— The place where I now am is sweet and pleasant oh how pleasant is the sweete perfume of the place where I lye It is sweeter then Aarons composed perfume of principall spices how comfortable is the sweetnes I feele It is like that odour that proceedes from the golden censor that delights my soule The taste is precious do you not feele it Oh so sweete it is yea sweeter then mirrh the hony or the hony combe Let me therefore sing againe and againe vnto my Lord and my God Then she did sing the 19. Psalme beginning at the 7. verse how perfect is the law of God c. and so on to the end of the same And after yâ— spirituall reioysing in singing of Psalmes she then prayed vnto God faithfully and praised the Lord againe ioyfully And being still full of these and such like heauenly consolations she did sing againe most hartily vnto the praise of God the 136. Psalm Praise ye the Lord for he is good for his mercy indureth for euer c. In which Psalme for his mercie indureth for euer is 26. times repeated A christian friend comming in at the same time which was about sixe of the clock in the euening marueiling to see her exceeding ioyes and heauenly harmonie wherein she continued with such words and phrases that were so spirituall prayed for the continuance of the same vnto the end whereupon she then burst out relating further of her ioyes saying Oh the ioyes the ioyes the ioyes that I feele in my soule oh they be wonderfull they be wonderfull they be wonderfull And after that she prayed for increase of faith and that God would strengtheÌ„ her against temptations with continuall crauing of remission of sinnes euer meditating of heauenly matters as by her sudden and often breaking out into heauenly speeches and praises did appeare for the same euening she lying still and silent for a while one prayed her to remember the Lord Iesus and that she would in her heart pray for constancie in her ioyfull course whereunto she answered with a delightsome cheerefull countenance and comfortable voyce Oh said she so I doe for the Lord is my light and my saluation whom then shall I feare Though an host pitch against me yet my heart shall not be afraid for the Lord hath said I will not leaue thee nor forsake thee Indeede I should verily haue fainted but that I beleeued to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the liuing And now my heart is readit my heart is readie and prepared yea it panteth after thee O God as the Hart brayeth after the riuers of water so panteth my soule after thee O God my soule thirsteth for God euen for the liuing God When Lord when shall I come and appeare before thy presence c. Saying then further Lord sith it hath pleased thee to prepare my heart whether to life or death thy will be done dispose of me to thine owne glory I am thine Lord worke thy blessed pleasure and good will vpon me And after this she fell into a short slumber awaking said as the spouse said vnto Christ in the Canticles Oh come kisse me with the kisses of thy mouth for thy loue is better then â—ine Oh how sweet the kisses of my Sauiour be Then one said vnto her alluding to that place of S. Iohn Reuel 3. 8. and praying that the Lord would annoint her with the eye-salue of his grace that she might see and behold his glorie To whom she answered Mine eyes are opened mine eyes are opened though for a while they were closed vp and shut yet now I thank my God mine eyes are opened and I do feele and see the euerliuing mercies of my Christ saying then further as it is in the 27. Psalme Thou saidst seeke my face my heart answered to thee O Lord I will seeke thy face O hide not therefore thy face from me nor cast thy seruant away in displeasure thou hast been my succour leaue me not nor forsake me O God of my saluation And being willed to commit her soule into the hands of Christ she said O Lord Iesus thou hast redeemed me pleade thou my cause for into thy hands alone doe I commit my spirit O thou God of truth And then feeling more ioy to abound one praising God with her for his great mercies shewed toward her she further said I giue thee thankes O father Lord of heauen and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and men of vnderstanding and hast opened them vnto me thy poore handmaid which am but dust and ashes O how mercifull and marueilous gracious arâ— thou vnto me yea Lord I feele thy mercie and I am assured of thy loue and so certaine am I thereof as thou art that God of truth euen so sure doe I know my selfe to be thine O Lord my God and this my soule knoweth right well and this my soule knoweth right well which speech of her assuraÌ„ce she ofteÌ„ repeated Presently after this sitting vp in her chaire she sung the fourth Psalme and then being laide downe againe in her bed she confidently spake these words I am sure that my redeemer liueth and that I shall see him at the last day whom I shall see and mine eyes shall behold and though after my skin wormes destroy this bodie yet shall I see God in my flesh with these eyes and none other Then came in to see her toward euening Master William Harrison the Preacher praising God for her continuance in that her ioyfull and most happy course and perswading her to an holie perseuerance in the same she thanked him and desired him to reioyce in Christ with her and to praise God for his mercies to her and said Oh Master Harrison my soule hath been compassed about with terrors of death feare within and feare without the sorrowes of hell were vpon me knots and knorres were vpon my soule which twice or thrice she repeated and a roring wildernesse of woe was within me but blessed blessed blessed be the Lord my God who hath not left me cofortles but like a good shepheard hath he brought me into a place of rest euen to the sweete running waters of life that flowe out of the sanctuarie of God and he hath lead me into the greene pastures where I am fed and exceedingly comforted yea he hath restored my soule and lead me into the plaine and easie paths of righteousnes The way that now I goe in is a sweete and easie way strowed with flowers and as a fine sandie way yea it is more easie and soft then the sand for I goe and tread vpon wheate euen vpon the finest flower of wheate Oh blessed be the Lord O blessed be the Lord that hath thus coforted me hath brought me now to a place more sweeter vnto
As for sodaine death it is euill to them which lead an euill life because it findes them vnprepared it carries them away â—odainelie vnto torment but it is not euill to them which liue well because it finds them prepared it frees them from much paine which others endure through long sicknes and carries them forth-with to the place where they desire to be The righteous doe so dispose of themselues in the morning as if they might dy before night and at night as if they might die before morning and therefore whensoeuer death comes it finds them prepared and is a benefit vnto them 2 Againe if the righteous a little before death be dangerouslie tempted by Sathan and shew their infirmitie by vttering some speeches which tend to doubting or desperation though after ward they get victory and triumph ouer the diuell carnall people think there is no peace of conscience and therefore no saluation to bee had by that religion and so speake euill of it Let such consider the estate of Iob in his miserie who cursed the day of his birth saide that the arrowes of the almightie did sticke in him the venome whereof had drunke vp his spirit that the terrours of God did fight against him that the Lord was his enimie did write bitter things against him and did set him as a butte to shoote at As also the estate of Dauid through terrour of conscience while hee concealed his sinne His bones consumed he rored all the day long his moysture was turned into the drought of sommer Againe let him know that the diuell doth most tempt the best He then tempted Christ when he was baptized and filled with the holie Ghost so will hee most tempt Christians when they haue receiued greatest gifts of Gods spirit As theeues labour to breakedowne and rob those houses onlie where great store of treasure or wealth is laid vp and as Pyrats desire to take that ship which is best loden with the dearest merchandise so the diuell doth most seeke to make a pray of them which are endued with the greatest measure of spirituall graces When the strong man armed keepeth the house the things that he possesseth are in peace but when a stronger then he ouercommeth him then hee gathereth greater forces and makes a new assault to enter againe In any commotion whom doe rebels kill and spoile not those which submit themselues vnto them and ioyne with them in their rebellion but those which are faithfull to their Prince fight for their Prince against them as hath appeared of late in the rebell of Ireland Now the diuell is as a rebell in the Lords kingdome whome then will he most trouble and assault not the wicked which submit themselues vnto him and ioyne with him in rebellion against God but the godlie which abide faithfull and fight vnder the Lords banners against him Whosoeuer would raigne with Christ in heauen must ouercome the diuell on earth for he promiseth To him that ouercommeth will I graunt to sit with mee in my throne euen as I ouercame and sit with my father in his throne How can there be a victorie wherothere is no battaile And how can there be any battaile where there is not assaulting and resisting And no meruaile though the diuell do most assault the righteous at their death for hee taketh the opportunitie of the time his wrath is theÌ„ great knowing that he hath but a short time He must either ouercome theÌ„ at that instant or els not at all yea hee takes the aduantage of their present weakenesse and those sinnes which before hee perswaded people to bee small and light at the time of death he maketh great and heauie Euen as a tree or peece of wood while it swims in a riuer seemeth to bee light and one may easilie draw it but when it comes to the shore and is laid vpon drie ground can scarcelie be drawne by ten men so sin is made light by the diuell so long as men liue that so hee may still encourage them to practise it but when it comes to the shore of death then he makes it heauie and begins most to trouble their consciences with it that if it were possible they might by it bee brought to desperation In the midst of the temptation when the godlie seeme most to be ouercome they are but like to a man in a traunce who lies as though he were dead yet he hath life in him and therfore as Paul saw that life was in Eutiches embraced him and deliuered him aliue when the people tooke him vp for dead so God seeth life in the righteous being tempted when men take them for dead and hee will at last so restore them as that they shall liue for euer with him 3 Lastlie others beholding them which were reputed righteous to die very stranglie to raue to blaspheme to vtter many idle and impious speeches to be vnrulie and behaue themselues verie foolishlieâ— they begin to suspect their profession but let them know that these things may arise from the extremitie of their disease For in hote feuers and burning agues the choler ascending into the braine will hinder the vse of their vnderstanding and so cause theÌ„ thus to misbehaue themselues rather like madmen then Christians And therefore as Paule said of himselfe after regeneration it is no more I that doe it but the sinne that dwelleth in me so may I say of them it is not they which doe it but the disease which is vpon them All sinnes committed by the righteous in those extremities are but sins of ignorance because they want the vse of reason to iudge of sinne they are also sins of infirmitie arising from the frailtie of their flesh and for them they will afterward repent if they recouer the vse of reason and be able to know them to be sins or if they doe not they are freelie pardoned in the death of Christ as well as other such sins be Wherefore I say to those which censure them vncharitablie for that their end as Christ said to the Iewes fontheir carnall censure of him Iudge not according to the appearante but iudge righteous iudgment yea iudge not that yee be not iudged 5 In the last place the finall cause and end of their death is to bee considered They be taken away from euill to come The speciall euils from which these righteous persons were taken are mentioned in the former Chapter to be deuoured in a cruell manner by the wilde beasts of the forrest But we must further vnderstand that the euils from which the righteous are taken are either ordinarie or extraordinarie The ordinarie euils are those which eyther all men or most men doe suffer And these are eyther corporall or spirituall corporall as sicknes and diseases aches and paines in their bodies griefe and sorrow toyle and labour crosses and losses outward troubles and persecution Gods children so long as they
is some euill for the righteous to dwell among ill neighbours It greatly greeueth them to see others commit sinne and dishonour God Lot being righteous and dwelling among the Sodomites in seeing hearing their vnlawfull deeds vexed his righteous soule from day to day And Dauid said Mine eyes gush out with riuers of water because they keep not thy law And also woe is me that I remaine in Meshech and dwell in the tents of Keaar Hee which is truelie grieued for sin in himselfe wil also be grieued for sinne in others Now the world is so fraught with sinners that if a man would not keepe companie with fornicators or with the couetous or with extortioners or with idolaters then as Paul saith he must go out of the world Death therefore frees men from this euill because it taketh them out of the world and suffereth them not to behold eyther the sinnes which men commit against God or the euils which God doth bring vpon them yea death doth carrie them into heauen to the holie angels and spirits of iust and perfect men which sinne not at all but fulfill the will of God in all perfection They shall haue cause to reioyce for them and not to be grieued at them There be also extraordinarie euils from which the righteous are deliuered by death and those are extraordinarie iudgements which the Lord bringeth vpon the people and countrie where they dwelt for some late and grieuous sins Thus was a young child of Ieroboam dealt withall The Lord threatned to bring euill vpon the house of Ieroboam and to sweepe off the remnant of his house as a man sweepeth away dung til it be all gone Yea the dogs should eate him of Ieroboams stocke that died in the Citie and the foules of the aire should eate him that died in the field yet that childe should die in his bed and all Israel as it is said shall mourne for him for he onlie of Ieroboam shall come to the graue because in him there is found some goodnes toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Ieroboam Thus also was good king Iosiah dealt withall The Lord told him before hand because thine heart melted and they hast humbled thy selfe hast rent thy clothes and wept before mee behold therefore I will gather thee to thy fathers and thou shalt be put in thy graue in peace and thine eyes shall not see all the euill which I will bring vpon this place And thus was Luther dealt withall as some haue obserued who was taken away in peace not long before the Lord brought that miserable calamitie vpon Germanie which he had often foretold would come vpon that people for the contempt of the Gospel Who also desired that hee might be called out of the world before he saw those grieuous punishments which hee greatly feared Though this be no perpetuall law for sometime the righteous perish in the common destruction among the wicked as Ionathan did with Saul other Israelites in battell against the Philistims And in the Pestilence Christians haue dyed with the Infidels Sometime God spareth the wicked for the righteous mens sake which liue among them The Lord promised Abraham that if he could finde ten righteous men â—n Sodome hee would not destroy the citie for those tennes sake And Iob sayd The innocent shall deliuer the yland and it shall be preserued by the purenes of his hands Yea wheate and tares must grow together till the haruest that is good and bad must liue together in the world vntil the end of the world Yet oftentimes God pluckes his children out of fire which shall consume the wicked and prouides a place of safety for them in heauen before he powre forth his iudgements vpon the earth Lot was commaunded to make haste vnto the citie of Zoar to saue him there because the Lord could doe nothing vnto Sodom till hee was come thither And when the Lord would destroy Ierusalem for the abominations committed in it he shewed to the Prophet in a vision the destroyers comming forth with their weapoÌ„s to destroy yet they must not touch any vntill they were all marked in their fore heads which mourned for all the abominations done in the midst of it And the destroying Angels must not hurt the earth neither the sea nor the trees till the seruants of God were sealed in their foreheads As the righteous are carefull to serue the Lord so is he carefull to preserue them As they haue not bin partakers with the common sort in the practise of sin so shall they not bee partakers with them in suffering punishment He takes them from among the wicked and then executeth his iudgements vpon the wicked alone The Egyptians did vse to gather their corne out of the fields and laid it vp in their barnes and then caused the Israelites to gather the stubble to make bricke withall and in some Countreys Farmers first carry the corne into their barnes and then burne the stubble in the field where it growes so the Lord first gathereth the righteous into the kingdome of heauen and then consumeth the wicked on the earth It is farre from the iudge of all the world to slay the righteous with the wicked 1. In this respect those which suruiue the righteous haue iust cause to feare some present euils and labour by vnfained repentance if it be possible to preueÌ„t them Their death is a plaine prognostication of some euils to come and should be as a trumpet to awaken others out of the sleepe of sinne Many of the wicked reioyce when the godly are taken away froÌ„ them they loue their roomes better then their company they hated them and their profession in their life time because as they say they are not for our profit and they are contrary to our doings they checke vs for offending against the law it grieueth vs to looke vpon them for their liues are not like other men and therefore at their death they are glad that they are rid of them when indeede they haue greater cause to howle and weepe for the miseries that shall come vpon them The righteous need not to imitate the vngodly practise of Herod who being ready to dye thinking that his death would be a great ioy to many shut vp in prison some noble men of euery towne and required his sister Salome her husband Alexa that so soone as he was dead they should kil those noble men and then all Iudaea would lament his death The Lord himselfe doth often make the death of the righteous to be lamented by sending of extraordinary iudgements immediatly after their death When Noah enters into the Arke the world is drowned with the floud when Lot departs out of Sedome it is burnt with fire 2 In this respect also yâ— righteous haue no cause to feare death but rather to desire it for what is it
our crosses but they feele not our comforts so said the Saints of olde and therefore to such as thinke it a straunge thing that the Saints of God should haue their fiâ—ie trial in this world by bickerings buffetings and winnowings of Satan They are fooles and slowe of heart to beleeue like the two disciples who went to Emmaus thinking still of their Christ crowned but neuer crossed till the Lord had rectified their thoughts and laide a necessitie of triall vpon all flesh beginning with himselfe thus Ought not Christ to haue suffered these things and to haue entred into his glorie Whereby I gather no peace without warre no rest without toyle no crowne without a crosse no entrance without suffering no glorie without shame and shaking in this wofull world But happely you will say some be neuer broken in heart nor yet haue any conflict with Satan sinne or death they are feared with no temptations nor doe they grieue because of him whom they pearced They haue made a couenant with the graue and a league with hell of such I say their case is desperate and their condition is no better then the beasts fatâ—ed vp in the best pastures reserued for the slaughter of whom Iob speaketh when hee saith The houses of the wicked are peaceable without feare and the rod of God is not vpon them they spend their daies in wealth and suddenly they droppe down to hell As also Dauid there are no bands in their death they haue no knots as it is in the originall they are nâ—t troubled like other men There be many in the world which would faine haue a Church of sugar or of veluet as one saith they would feede vpon manchet and tread vpon Roses I meane in seruing God they would be freed from afflictions they loue Canaan but they lothe the wildernesse they like the crowne but they loue not the crosse Shilo runneth sweetely but Iordan is to too turbulent all like Zebedeus his sonnes Iames and Iohn who sought to sit in the seate of honour but not to drinke of the cup of afflictions But the truth is you may beleeue it the way to heauen is not strowed with flowers but set with thornes and happily you shall finde it in your experience true that Whosoeuer will liue godly in Christ Iesus must suffer persecutioÌ„ Quater luctatus est Iacob in vtero cum Esau in via cum eodem in Mesopotamia cum Laban in Bethel cum Angelo Iacob wrestled foure times in the wombe with Esau in his iourney with Esau in Mesopotamia with Laban and at Bethel with the Angell To teach vs that if we wil be the Israel of God we must arme our selues for all trials at all times in all places and with all persons retaining no longer the name of Iacob as supplanting our troubles but the name of Israel as preuailing with God and neuer leauing him without a blessing Excellent things are spoken of thee thou Church of God A woman clothed with the Sunne crowned with the Starres and treading vpon the Moone yet trauailing in birth pursued with the dragon and readie to be deuoured both her selfe and her sillie babe But heauen sung her triumph against the accuser of the brethren and he was cast downe which accused them before God day and night To be accused before men is much but to be accused before our God is more Now and then to be accused is much but night and day is more And such are the persecutions of Gods children in this world they neuer haue an end nor euer shall till the world be without hatred the diuell without enuie and our nature without corruption Thinke it not straunge my deere brethren concerning the firie triall which did befall this Gentlewoman to prooue her at her end as though some strange thing had come vnto her but reioyce rather in as much as she hath been partaker of Christs sufferings that when his glory shall appeare she may be glad and reioyce Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed he fall not There hath no temptation taken her but such as appertaineth to man And God was faithfull who would not suffer her to be tempted aboue that she was able and euen gaue the issue with the temptation that she might be able to beare it When the beholders thought the Whale had swallowed vp Ionah to kill him hee swallowed him vp to saue him The Lord hid his face from her she was troubled But ye are witnesses who were present at her death that his wrath indured but the twinckling of an eye and though heauines continued for a night yet ioy came in the morning when you saw her fined like gold renewed like an Eagle soring high into the bosome of Christ with this powerfull speech and godly ouation at her end Heare O Lord haue mercie vpon me Lord be thou my helper Thou hast turned my mourning into ioy thou hast loosed my sacke and girded me with gladnesse therefore shall my tongue praise thee and not cease O Lord my God I will giue thankes vnto thee for euer-more Well she is gone and now behold her seate is emptie and her graue is full and me thinkes for the present wee feele her want on earth whom God hath found in Heauen Our prayers lesse powerfull our preaching lesse precious and our Psalmes lesse melodious on her behalfe For you all know that there she sate and there she sung there she read and there she prayed there she heard the word there she receiued the Sacraments there lately she liued and there now she is dead therefore may I say with the Prophet All flesh is grasse and all the grace thereof as the flower of the field But comfort your selues in hope of a ioyfull resurrection as also in respect of her holy life blessed end and most happie state in glorie and sith she is gone let it be remembred as a sacrament of her rest that she went vpon a day of rest one of the chiefest of Sabbaoths and high feast of Pentecost euen then that she should ascend when the holy Ghost did descend by which spirit she was sealed vp to the day of redemption Worshipfully was she descended but most honorably may I now say is she ascended yet behold the husband mourneth for that hee hath lost a wife the mother mourneth for that she hath lost a daughter the brother mourneth for that he hath lost a sister which is me thinks not much vnlike the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo And yet this is not all for wee Preachers may mourne most for that wee haue lost an auditor who heard with reuerence felt with passion and followed with perseuerance But beloued what we haue lost heauen hath found and the holy Angels reioyce at the gaine in the meane time the Lord of Heauen supplie the want vpon earth and increase the number of faithfull
me then the Garden of Eden Oh the ioy the ioy the delight some ioy that I feele Oh how wonderfull how wonderfull how wonderfull is this ioy O praise the Lord for his mercies and for this ioy which my soule feeleth sulwel praise his name for euermore And these praises of God she sounded forth like Dauids harmonie being indued with Dauids spirit to the praise of the eternall and mercifull God continuing all night in such like prayers and praises to God except some small time that she was silent and quiet Master Harrison praied twice with her that euening as also in the morning being Whit sunday After hee had prayed once with her going then toward his publike charge she sent for him to pray once more with her before he went which he did to the ioy and gladnes of heart both of her and all that were present and so he tooke leaue of her and departed Another faithfull man or two came presently in that morning and diuers other well affected who were with her at the time of her death and often prayed with her that forenoone she still abounding in spirituall comforts and consolations sometimes as one awaking out of sleepe shee would say the Lord was her keeper and deliuerer Againe one saying vnto her the Lord blesse you Yea said she and the Lord Iesus blesse vs all And so seeming to sleepe a little while and awaking againe she said Lord I trust in thee haue mercie vpon me giue me strength to praise thee defend and preserue me in the houre of temptation and lay no more vpon me then thou wilt enable me to beare Afterwards being asked if she would haue them ioyne in prayer together againe with her O yes said she for Christs sake I desire it saying thus to her selfe Heare O Lord and haue mercie vpon me Lord be thou my helper thou hast loosed my sacke and garded me with gladnes therefore will I praise thee O Lord my God I will giue thankes to thee for euermore With that all that were present did ioyne in prayer with her and in conclusion vsing the Lords Prayer which she said with them to thine is thy kingdome her strength then being gone her tongue failed her and so she lay silent for a while euery one iudging her then to be neere death her strength and speech failing her yet after a while lifting vp her eyes with a sweet countenance and still voyce said My warrefare is accomplished and my iniquities are pardoned Lord whoÌ„ haue I in heauen but thee and I haue none in earth but thee my flesh faileth and my heart also but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for euer He that preserueth Iacob and defendeth his Israel he is my God and will guide me vnto death guide me O Lord my God and suffer me not to faint but keepe my soule in safetie And with that she presently fell a sleepe in the Lord passing away in peace without any motion of body at all and so yeelded vp the Ghost a sweete Sabboaths sacrifice about foure of the clocke in the afternoone of Whit sunday being the last of May 1601. This was the death of that vertuous Gentlewoman happily dying in the Lord and reaping the benefit of a holie profession wherein we cannot but acknowledge and reuerence the mercie of God who in our greatest infirmitie makes his grace to shine most cleerely A sure testimonie of the truth of our profession seruing to incourage vs therein and to moue vs to a godly life It must needes be a diuine Religion and a truth comming from God that thus can fill the heart and mouth of a weake woman at the time of death with such admirable comfort And a wretched conceite and meere antichristian is that religion which so hateth and persecuteth this faith which is thus able to leade the true-hearted professors thereof with such vnspeakeable peace vnto their graues Her funerall was accomplished at Childwal Church on Wednesday following being the third of Iune 1601. And now for conclusion seeing this blessed Gentlewoman is taken from among vs and receiued into the holy habitations of the heauenly Ierusalem there to remaine in ioye glorie and blessednes for euermore let vs lament for our losse but reioyce for her gaine and let vs pray that in heart wee could as willingly wish to bee with her as she is now vnwilling to be with vs. Salomon saith The memoriall of the iust shall be blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot Prou. 10. 7. FINIS a Rernard epist. 314. b Euseb. eccles hist. lib. 3 cap. 39. c Habes nâ—scio quid latentis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viua vox in aures discipuli de authoriâ— ore transfusa fortius sonat Hier. Paulinâ— d Quid si ipsam audissetis bestiam sua verba resonantem Hier. ibid. Philip. 3. 1. e Bellarm. de not Eccles. 4 17. ex Cochleo Lindan c. f Bellarm. dâ— not Eccles. 4. 8. g Lindan de sug Idol cap. 11. h â—ox Act. mon. p. 520. ex Alan Cope dial i Alan Cope â—iaâ—og More dial Act. mon. sag 743. k More praefat contra Tindal l Harding reioynd against Iuel fol. 184. See Act. mon. p. 1766. Iude 9. 1 Isal. 646. Psal. 143. 2. 1. Cor. 4. 4. Phil. 3. 9. Rom. 5. 19. Sicut ille ex semesips nascentibus licès non man â—â—cauerint de ligno factus est causa mortis ita Christus qui ex ipso sunt tametsi nihil iusâ—e egerunt factus est proâ—isor iustitiae quâ— per crtiâ—em nobis omnibus condâ—naâ—is August cont â—ulian Pelag. lib. 1. cap. 2. ex Ioh. episcâ—p Delicta nostra sua delicta â—ecit vt iustitiam suam nostram iustitiam facâ—res August in Psal. 21. Bernard in Cant. ser. 71. lla est iustitâ—â— per quaÌ„ impâ—uâ—erigitur vt cadat in poenam â—ulgent de incar grat Chri. cap. 27. Rom. 10. 3. Quod lex operum minaâ—do inperat lex fidei credendo impeirat De spirit lit cap. 13. Rhem. Test. 2. Cor. 8. sect 3. 2 1. Ioh. 3. 7. Iam. 2. 21. Vers. 24. Th. Aquin. in hunc locum Ro. 3. 20 28. 2 Pro. 30. 1â— 1 Luk. 1. 6. Iam. 2. 10. 2. King 5. 18 Mar. 6. 20. Greg. mag moral 11. 19. cap 17. Eccles. 10. 1. 2 Matt. 5. 16. 1. Cor. 10. 31 Matth. 6. 3 Rom. 11. 29. Ezek. 18. 24 Hes. 6. 4. Phil. 3. 13. 4 Psal. 16. 3. Psal. 51. 13. Luk. 22. 32. 2 1. Tim. 1. 13 Rom. 9 23. Prou. 28. 13 Rom. 4. 6. Vers. 7. Prou. 11. 17. Matth. 5. 7. Math. 18. 33 Iam. 2. 13. Math. 9 36 37. Math. 15. 32 Tho. Aquin. secunda secunda qu. 32 arâ— 2. â— Heb. 9. 27. Iosh 23. 14. 1. King 2. 2. Eccles 7. 4. Eccles. 2. 15. Eccles. 3. 19. Question Answere Morâ— minimè quidem adhuc abesse cogitur sed cogitur non obesse Bernard in trans
members of his body And as the husbandman doth make as great reckoning of that corne which he hath sowne in his field and lies hid vnder the clods as he doth of that which he hath laid vp safely in his garner because he hopeth it will come vp againe and yeeld increase so Christ Iesus doth as highly esteeme of those bodies which are laid in their graues as of those which yet remaine aliue because he knowes that one day they shall rise againe vnto glory They are sowne in dishonour but they shall rise againe in honour Their life is but hid for a time and will be found out againe Christ is able to restore that which nature hath destroyed God doth herein deale no otherwise with the bodies of the righteous then a Goldsmith will deale with a picture of gold or a peece of plate that is brused and worne out of fashion he will cast it into the fire and melt it not to destroy it or suffer it alwaies to lie in the fire but to make it a better picture or peece of plate then it was before and therefore will take it out of the fire againe and fashion it according to his mind Wherefore let not the condition of our bodies after death make vs vnwilling to dye If any man entending to reedifie an old rotten house doe first put the inhabitants out of it and then pull down the house and prepare for the building of it againe haue the inhabitants of the old house any cause to be grieued Will they not rather be glad that it is pulled downe because they hope that it will be made better then euer it was before and they may dwell in it with more safty and delight Now our bodies are as old rotten houses for our soules to dwell in if God cause our soules to depart out of them for a time and then destroy them that afterward he may reedifie them and make them fitter habitations for our soules what cause haue we to lament Nay rather if we looke not so much on the present estate of our bodies after death as vpon the glorious estate which they shall haue after the resurrection wee may reioyce and praise God for this his worke towards vs. 2 But another phrase is here vsed to expresse the death of the righteous are taken away The Hebrue word doth sometime signifie to be gathered though as some obserue it be neuer spokē of things scattered and in that sense it is vsed for the death of the righteous whē the place whither they be gathered is mētioned As it is said of Abraham that he died in a good age and was gathered to his people and likewise of Isaac As also the generation which entred with Ioshua into the land of Canaan is said to be gathered vnto their fathers Sometime this word doth signifie to take away as when Rachel said God hath taken away my rebuke and the Lord saith by Ieremie I haue taken my peace from this people And so it is rather to be expounded in this place because it is set downe without any addition Wee may here obserue a seuerall doubling of the same things in this verse two words to set forth the persons which died two words to declare the manner of their death afterward two words also to shew the careles regard of their death among the wicked It was vsual with the Hebrues to repeate things diuers times together either in the selfe same or in the like words Yet we must not thinke that there be any vaine repetitions in the Scriptures seeing Christ forbiddeth vs to vse vaine repetitions in our praiers and will call men to account at the day of iudgement for euery idle word that they speake Wee may not imagine that the holie Ghost did vse any vaine repetitions or idle words in penning the bookes of Scripture These repetitions serue for good purposes In prayers they shew the seruencie of him that prayeth and his earnest desire of the thing which he asketh In Prophecies they declare the certainty speedines of the execution as appeareth by Pharaohs dreame which as Ioseph told him was doubled vnto him the second time because the thing is established of God and God hasteth to performe it In narrations they serue either for cōfirmation to assure the hearers that the matter is true of great importance and worthie to be heard and marked or els for explication the latter clause expounding the former For as nature hath giuen vnto mans bodie two members of the same kinde and vse as two eyes to see withall two eares to heare withall two hands to handle withall and two feete to walke withall that if the one should faile in his office the other might help it so the holy Ghost hath giuen two words of the same kind and signification to many sentences of Scripture that if the one shal faile in his office and not fully expresse the meaning the other might help it And this is the reason why the words are so often doubled in this verse least any should gather by the former phrase that the righteous so perisheth that he hath not any more being at all he now saith that he is but taken away And he may be said to be taken away both in respect of body and also in respect of soule In respect of body for although his body be not translated in such a manner as the body of Henoch was that he might not see death nor as the body of Moses which the Lord took and buried no man knowes in what Sepulcher nor as the bodie of Elias which was carried from the earth in firie Chariots nor as the bodies of them which shall be found aliue at the comming of Christ vnto iudgement which shall not die but be changed and presentlie ascend with Christ into heauen yet is the body of euery righteous man taken from amongst men to be laid amongst wormes from the liuing vnto the dead from aboue the earth to be laid vnder the earth from his house to his graue from a place of watching to a place of sleep frō a place of care labour and trouble to a place of ease and rest from a place of pleasure and pain of ioy and sorrow mingled together to a place where he shall be void of sense to feele any of them 2 In respect of his soule consider terminum à quo terminum ad quem whence and whither he is taken From his body to be brought vnto God from an house of clay to an house not made with hands but eternall in the heauens from men to Angels from sinners to them which be perfectly righteous from his greatest enimies to his best friends from the Church militant to the Church triumpliant from earth to heauen from a strange countrie to his own home from a prison to a place of libertie from bondage to freedome from miserie to happinesse from sorrow to ioy Whence
liue are subiect vnto these as wel as others yea oftentimes more then others He which will bee Christs Disciple must take vp his crosse daylie and follow him Through manie tribulations wee must enter into the kingdome of heauen Iudgement begins at the house of God The Lord doth chastise his children by his iudgements least they should be condemned with the world A father hath two sons the one offends and is corrected the other also offendeth is not corrected why is the one corrected and not the other because the father hath hope of his amendment and reserues the inheritance for him but he hath no hope of the other and therefore will not correct him but doth disinherite him and cast him off so doth God deale with men Those which hee seeth incorrigible hee letteth alone though they offend yet he seldome correcteth them but casts them off but others which may by correction bee brought to repentance and kept in awe he often correcteth and for them is reserued an inheritance immortall and vndefiled in heauen yea the world hateth them because they are not of the world yea among men they shall oftentimes suffer euill for righteousnes sake And God hereby will make triall of their faith of their patience constancie and herein make them examples vnto others so that they must looke for afflictions so long as life lasteth but death makes an end of them al. Life and miserie are two twins which were borne together must die together And therefore Iohn heard it from heauen was commaunded to write it for the comfort of men on the earth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord for they rest from their labours and their works follow them Then shall God wipe all teares from their eyes then shall there be no more sorrow nor crying nor paine Then shall they haue euerlasting rest and no labour continuall ioy and no sorrow perpetuall pleasure and no paine great plentie of all good things and no want all manner of happines and no miserie The spirituall euils from which they are freed by death are three First their combat with the diuell Here we are in continuall warfare this is the militant Church so long as wee liue and abide in it wee must fight as the Lords souldiers not against flesh and bloud but against principalities against powers and against worldlie gouernours the Princes of the darkenesse of this world and not for a naturall or temporall but for a spirituall and eternall life not for an earthlie but for an heauenlie kingdome And in this battell there is no time of truce If the diuell be ouercome at one time he will on a sodame and none knowes how soone giue a fresh assault againe but death ends tho battell not as if the diuell got the victorie by our death as it is commonly seene among warriours on the earth if the one die in fight the other getteth the vpper hand but the faithfull at their last end get a finall conquest and then ascend to heauen there to triumph The diuell cannot assault them there He may compasse the earth but he cannot enter within the lists of heauen He neuer came thither to assault any since he was first cast out though he tempted Adam in the earthly Paradice and got him thrust out of it yet can he not tempt any in the heauenly Paradice to cause them to be thrust thence And therefore as a souldier which hath endured an hard and dangerous battell a long time doth greatly reioyce when he hath gotten the victorie so may the faithfull reioyce at the houre of their death because then they make a finall end of their spirituall enemies and begin their triumph ouer them 2 Another miserie from which they are freed is the practise of sinne Who liueth and sinneth not as Salomon saith In many things we offend all Though we be â—ruely sanctified yet it is but in part and therefore we may say with S. Paul I allow not that which I doe for what I would that I doe not but what I hate that doe I. And further I delight in the law of God concerning the inner man but I see another law in my members rebelling against the law of my minde and leading me captiue vnto sinne And nothing is more grieuous vnto a true Christian heart then the practise of sinne and therefore euerie one in this case will cry out with the same Apostle O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death But death destroyes sinne Sinne brought in death and death driues out sinne After death all the righteous shall be perfectlie sanctified and made like the Angels to do the will of the Lord readilie willinglie and cheerefullie As herbs and flowers breed wormes in them yet those wormes at last will kill the hearbes and flowers so sinne bred death in it selfe but at last death will kill sinne And as Sampson could not kill the Philistims who were his greatest enimies but by his owne death no more can the righteous kil sin which is not their least enimie but by their own death At the first death was ordained as a punishment for sinne but now it is vsed as a meanes to stop the course of sin It was then said vnto man if thou sinne thou shalt die the death but now it is said thou must die least thou sinne that which theÌ„ was to be feared that men might not sin must now be suffered least they should sinne Sinne hath taken such deepe roote in our bodies that it cannot be destroyed vnlesse the bodie be as it were quite plucked vp by the roots least any roots remaining new buds of sinne doe sprout from the same If a wild figgetree doe grow in the walles of a faire temple and spread the roots of it al along ouer all the stones of the whole building it will not cease from springing till all be pulled downe if the stones be pulled downe they may afterward bee set vp a gaine in their owne places and the temple made as faire as euer it was and so the fig-tree may be pulled vp by the rootes will grow no more this comparison haue the learned vsed In the same manner the Lord a skilfull workeman hauing made man for his temple there sprung sinne in him like a wilde figtree which was spread wholie ouer all parts of man and it could not be destoryed vntill the bodie was destroyed by death and God hauing destroyed the bodie by death that so hee might quite roote out sin will build it vp againe to be a new temple vnto him yea mans bodie was in this respect like vnto a faire and beautifull picture of gold which an enuious and ill disposed person doth so mangle and disfignre as that it cannot be brought vnto the same forme and beautie vnlesse the owner doe melt it againe and fashion it all a new 3 Furthermore it
a resurrection when the time of refreshing shall come It is an improper speech to say hee resteth who neuer riseth It may be some go to bed who neuer rise strooken with a deadly sleepe or lâ—thargie but none to the graue but out he must at the generall sommons of all the world for the trumpet shal sound and the dead shall rise If a man dye shall he liue againe Then all the dayes of mine appointed time will I watch till my changing do come Againe for the second If after our death we rest in our beds and as it is in another place such blessednes accompanteth saints who dâ—e in the Lord that ther rest from their labours then after death no place of paine no punishment no Purgatory Is there light in darkenes is there truth in error Is there life in death Is there fire in water Is there ease in paine rest in labour good in euill sweete in sowre Is there a purging fire in hell must fyne vs for heauen Sweete Christ where then is thy bloud which alone say we nothing else and none other purgeth our sinne pleadeth our cause and purchaseth our place We neede no other sacrifice we neede no other aduocate wee neede no other key to open to vs the pâ—rt of the paradise of God And if the bloud of Iesus pleade better things then the bloud of Abel for the bloud of Abel cryed reuenge but the bloud of Christ cryed pardon pardon then stay your bulles and drops of your leaden diuinity downe with your Dagon and Babel of all confusion by shrift shrine merit or medall all too light to ballance with the bloud of the Lambe for what is chaffe to corne It pities my heart to see the desolations of Christendome of this my deare Country in many places where millions of souls are â—illily lead by bad and blinde guides factious Iesuits and seditious seedsmen lead I say from the bloud of Christ to the bloud of Hales and Becket from the fire vpon the Mount to the painted fire of Purgatory Poets sayes and heathenish helps Romish institutions decretals apostaticall lying oracles illusions and flattering diuinations This they doe and this they dare doe without care of conscience feare of God of faithfulnes to his cause which wittingly and willingly I verely thinke they do betray to make good their hellish Hierarchie and Babel of all confusion For what grosnes is this besides the impiety to thinke a people euer so foolish as should take out this lesson to carry to their graues from the liuing to the dead yea and that in plea of saluation to from the liuing God to dead idols from the liuing word to dead traditions from the liuing bread in heauen to a dead â—alfe or cake at Dan and Bethel from the bloud of Christ that giueth life to the fire of Purgatory that bringeth death When Christ bleeding vpon the tree had vttered this voyce consâ—mmatum est it is finished he gaue â—â— the ghost Thâ—n he said and 〈…〉 hee â—ustered not for himselfe is a priuate person but for vs his members a publicke good Shall he say it is finished and shal we say it is not finished The Lyon hath rored who will not be afrayd The Lord hath spoken who can but tremble O tremble for feare ye faithles generation who dare yet say it is not finished Pray saints in heauen help fire in hell Purgatory play thy part purge to the full and thou Pope president of this Limbo lake rule at thy pleasure help in help out and if vpon displeasure thou thrust Myriades of soules into hell yet let none be so bold as to aske Why doest thou so It is enough ò it is inough to make good with this all your doctrine Sic volo sic iubeo stet pro ratione voluntas Aske no questions search no scriptures seeke no reasons I haue sayd is inough my pleasure is a precept counsell a commaund and my will is a reason And now mee thinks whilest I heare them say without worde of God or warranty of reason Heare heauen help purgatory pardon pope that is to say pray saints purge fire speake indulgence for the rest and ease of soules departed a check to the bloud of my Christ to the truth of my text quiet of the saints that gone arâ— I cannot but say as Iob sayd of his friends Miserable comforters are ye all Suffer me a little to speake and when I haue spoken mocke on 1 I say the saints in heauen vpon whom you call to whom you pray and before whose images you so prostrate your selues I say they heare you not and for that they help you not they rest from their labours and their works follow them and not yours I say no such works of wickednes as your prayer to them is whereby you rob God to cloth a Saint To the proofe wherof for that you say our doctrine is new and of yesterdayes birth The dayes shall speake and the multitude of yeares shall teach wisedome Saints in heauen heare not Saints in heauen help not Saints in heauen haue no sense of our miseries it is no new doctrine it is ancient it is heauenly and hee that hath eares to heare let him heare Augustine in his booke de cura habenda pro mortuis teacheth Animas Sanctorum in coelis esse nec interesse nostris his terrents negotijs That the soules of the blessed are in heauen nor doe they respect our affaires here on earth as and if he should say cease your praying for no more doth their affection reach yours then your prayer doth reach them And this doth hee proue by these reasons sound and good vnanswerable if truth might preuaile when it pleadeath on earth as wheÌ„ it iudgeth in heaueÌ„ And first he beginneth with his mother Monicha dead and gone whose affection towards him in life was euer such as hee thought could not but reach him from heauen if Saints had feeling of our miseries here on earth Vt volet accipiat quisque quod dicam sayth the Father Let men iudge of my words as they please for that I may say nothing of others yet dare I say of her Si rebus viuentium interessent animae mortuoruÌ„ me ipsum pâ—a mater nulla nocte desereret quem terra marique sâ—cuta est vt mecum vineret If the soules of the dead did respect the affaires of the liuing then my deere mother would neuer faile me night or day who by sea and by land followed me in this life to liue with me Absit enim vt facta sit vita foeliciore crudelis c. Be it farre away that a blessed life should make her more vnkind or cruel so as in all yâ— anguish of my soule I neuer felt her solace who whilest shee liued could neuer abide to see me sad But without al doubt quod sacer
psalmus personat veruÌ„ est quoniaÌ„ pat 〈…〉 s mater mea dereliqueruÌ„t me Dominus â—â—tem assumpsit me because my father my mother haue forsaken me the Lord haue taken me vp If then our fathers do forsake vs how can they care for vs and if our fathers do not care for vs qui sunt illâ— mortuorum qui nor unt quid agamus quidue patiamur who are they amoÌ„g the dead that know what we do or care what we suffer 2 A second reason is taken out of Isaiah the Prophet who moued in misery after a deliuerance and greatly complayned of mercies with-holden and compassions restrayned gayned at no hand but at the hand of God nor was pitied of any but of himselfe and for that he â—â—ith doubtlesse thou art our father though Abraham be ignorant of vs and Israel know vs not yet thou Lord art our father and our redeemâ—r thy name is for euer Whereupon the father concludeth with an argument drawn froÌ„ the stronger Si tanti Patriarchae quid â—rga populum ex his procreatum ageretur ignorauerunt c. If two so great Patriarches were ignorant what should become of that people themselues had begotten and froÌ„ whose straine should spring by promise Christ the father of all the faithfull If Abraham being the friend of God yet could neuer enter into that secret nor Israel as preuayling with God yet neuer obtayned such a blessing as once dead either to know to ease or help their posteritie in life or death then hush to heauen and to all that therein is except God al are ignorant none can know none can help none can heare none can ease our plaint or paine either in earth or elswhere 3 His third argument is drawne from the memory of blessed Iosiah vnto whom Huldah the Prophetisse pronounced this blessing from God that he should dye and be gathered vnto his fathers before he saw the euils which the Lord had determined vpon that place and people Her words be these Thus saith the Lord because thine heart did melt and thou hast humbled thy self before the Lord when thou heardest what I spake against this place and against the inhabitants of the same to wit that it should be destroyed and accursed and hast rent thy clothes and wept before me I haue also heard it saith the Lord. Behold therefore I will gather thee to thy fathers and thou shalt bee put in thy graue in peace and thy eyes shall not see all the euil which I will bring vpon this place Hereupon I inferre with the father hos put amus quietos quos inquieta vita viuorum solicitat May we think them at quiet whom the troublesome sturs of this world may vexe I trow no for doe but suppose that the Saints in heauen did behold the miseries here on earth Princes the subuersion of their kingdomes Noblemen of their houses Gentlemen of their lands line and families did fathers see the sinnes of their sonnes and mothers the shame of their daughters clad with pride fed with idlenes and shod with bloud to the destruction both of their bodies and soules finally did heauen but heare see or feele with passion how Sion is wasted her stones lye buryed in the dust and there is none to pitie her desolations did they but see the grasse of the earth dieperd with the bloud of the saints by Antichrist in the east and Antichrist in the west banding themselues together against the Lord and against our Christ the one to destroy the honor of his person the other of his offices I say if Saints in heauen had a sense and feeling of these miseries woes and calamities small were their rest liâ—tle were their ease and heauen were no hold for happines If the presence of God were vpon hell as on saith infernus in amoenum conuerteretur Paradisum it would become the port of Paradise so contrarily it may be sayd if the presence of our sinnes woes and calamities should pâ—ster heauen if earthly miseries hellish horrors and as our aduersaries wil haue it Purgatories plaints should reach the saints then should heauen bee turned into hell rest into toyle peace into warre and blessednes into bane Iob saw this when hee sayd of the dead he changeth his face when thou castest him away and he knoweth not if his Sonnes shall bee honorable neither shall be vnderstand concerning them whether they shall be of low degree Whereunto accordeth Augustine in another place The sonnes of them that are dead are there where they do not see nor heare what things are done or chaunceth in this life such is their care for the liuing that they know not what we do euen as our care is for the dead that we know not what they do For conclusion of this point that I bee not tedious say no more eyther for your selues or ouer your dead Heare heauen help saints send peace giue rest they see you not they heare you not nor haue they feeling of your miseries Your ora pro nobis is out at doores and your Missa requiem is a pregnant idoll Popes pardons are bables for Pagans to sport withall and like the mad Gaderen you hunt the graues of the dead to grieue the liuing taking vp these and such like stones to wound your selues and build vp your Babel of all confusion But of you my brethren I am perswaded better things and such as accompany saluation though thus I speake for God is not vnrighteous that he should forget your worke and labour of loue which you shew towards his name giuing him alone the sacrifice of your prayers and praises saying with holy Iob my witnes is in heauen And with the sweete Psalmist Whome haue I in heauen but thee and whom haue I in earth besides thee As also with blessed Hester O my Lord thou only art our King helpe me desolate woman which haue no helper but thee And for the dead take this from Siracides for a memento Forget it not seeing he is at rest let his remembrance rest cease thy prayers thou shalt do him no good but hurt thy selfe 2 Now to come to the second support I meane our aduersaries bath to supple and ease their dead before they come to heauen and for that they cry help Purgatory purge fire heathenish in deuise hellish in practice and Romish for gaine That I may say no more I can say no lesse of that popish puddle if I say the truth but as the Apostle sayd of an idoll Idolum nihil est so say I of Purgatory Purgatorium nihil est it is none of Gods creatures it is none of Gods ordinances it was neuer in his counsell and for that it can neuer stand with his prouidence Nay if you reade the approuers of it who loue it most and like it best you shal finde theÌ„ like Sampsons foxes tyed by the tayles but deuided in the
or seruant saint or sinner if he beleeue hee shall haue life if hee walke before him Peace shall come Nescit Religio nostra personas nec conditiones hominum respicit Our religioÌ„ taketh no knowledge of persons nor respecteth the coÌ„ditions of men Old Simeon in the temple yong Iohn in the wombe poore Bartimeus begging rich Zacheus climing the hard hearted Centurion standing by the tree the theefe hanging vpon the crosse confessing the trueth and walking in the sunneshine of their Christ all indifferentlie receiue his die gaine peace and finde rest This Peter sawe in vision from heauen and this he preached powerfully on earth when vpon the sight he opened his mouth and said of a truth I perceiue now that God is no respecter of persons but in euery nation he that seareth him and worketh righteousnes is accepted with him Againe I gather out of the text that as God is generall in his gifts so must we be particular in our receite Euery one shall be saued but by his owne faith Euery one shall haue peace and finde rest but by his owne walking Anothers faith though neuer so pretious is not sufficient anothers walking though neuer so righteous is not auaileable to my rest The iust man shall liue by his owne faith so saith Habacucke 2. 4. Euery one shall heare his owne burden and euery one shal haue his owne honour And as we sow so shall we reape not anothers mouth to kisse not anothers teares to wash not anothers haires to wipe the feete of thy Christ but thine owne mouth thine own teares thine own haires must kisse wash and wipe with Marie the feete of thy Sauiour All that thine hand shall finde to doe doc it with all thy power thine hand not anothers hand â—â—y prayers not anothers prayers thine hearing not anothers hearing thy feete not anothers feete shodde to the preparation of the Gospell of peace yea and thy communicating of Christ with all the benefits of his passion not anothers shall benefit thee to thine euerlasting saluation Quid tibi de alterius dono si tu non dederis why art thou proude of another mans gift and thou giue nothing Anothers clothes will not warme me anothers meate will not feede me anothers golde will not enrich me anothers heart will not cheere me no more say I can anothers faith saue me Onely my faith in my Christ whom I haue put on my walking mine obedience must warme me must feede me must cheere me must enrich me and therefore I say with Thomas vpon mine owne tuch My God my Lord. Not God in generall but my God in particular mine by promise mine by stipulation mine by oth mine by free gift mine by purchase mine by participation of giftes and graces my Shilo mine Emmanuel my Iesus Of this particular faith and application spake Isaiah the Prophet when he said Razili Razili Secretum meum mihi Secretum meum mihi My secret to my selfe my secret to my selfe And this is the spirit of application by which the children of God both can and doe applie the medicine to the maladie for what is the sweetest balme if it be not broken The best receite if it be not taken Or the soueraigndst plaister that can be deuised by arte or cunning if it bee not applied to the wound or sore From this spirit of application spake Dauid when he said O God thou art my God as Mary also in the garden when she said Rabboni my master yea and Iohn too whose head lay neere his masters heart euen the Disciple whom the Lord loued when hee sayd We know that wee are of God though all the world lie in wickednes But the sonnes of Beliall and the reprobate from God if you mark them well you shall find that they are seared with a brand and so as neither they caÌ„ nor do apply the mercies of God vnto themselues Caine could make no vse of it when he said My sinne is greater then can be pardoned Nay saith Augustine not so Mentiris Caine mentiris maior est dei misericordia quà m omnium peccatorum miseria Thou lyest Caine thou liest the mercies of God are aboue all mans miseries Pharoah was â—bdurate and could make no vse of God either in maiesty or mercie when he said Who is the Lord that I should heare his voyce let Israel goe I know not the Lord. Iudas that sonne of perdition when he cast in the â—0 pence a goodly price whereat he was valued though he mourned much yet had he no helpe for that he was hopelesse when he could not applie mercie vnto his miserie but said I haue sinned in betraying the innocent bloud The innocent bloud not mine as if he had no portion in his Christ. And for the Diuels they are so farre from challenging any good by Christ that they disclaime his mercies person all whilest they say Ah what haue wee to doe with thee thou Iesus of Nazareth art thou come to destroy vs Such disclaime be farre from you my brethren and from all the Saints of God both in life and death nay rather clamate prore vestra claime your due and say with blessed Paul Christ is become vnto vs wisedome righteousnes sanctification and redemption Yea and be bold to say yet more his bodie is in heauen there shall I finde it mine his diuinitie is on earth there do I feele it mine his word is in mine eares to beget him mine his sacrament is in mine eyes to confirme him mine his spirit is in my heart to assure him mine Angels mine to camp for me Prince mine to rule for me Church mine to pray for me Pastor mine to preach for me All mine whether it be Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death whether they be things present or things to come euen all are mine I am Christs and Christ is Gods Of all this I inferre and conclude with my text that euery one must walke if he wil haue peace and who wil be cured must care to apply his sweete Sauior vnto his sinfull soule Thine owne gaine must buy balme to bury thy Christ nor must thou send it but bring it with the deuout Maryes to the sepulcher The Queene of Saba though a Queene yet she sent not but came her selfe to heare the wisedome of Salomon And the wisemen of the East herein shewed their wit that after they had seene his starre they turned not but hasted to the place of the babes abode with this inquiry Where is he which is borne King of the Iewes vidimus stellam eius in oriente we haue seene his star in the East and are come to worship him venimus personaliter we come our selues we acknowledge our misery venimus adorare humiliter we adore him our selues we acknowledge his maiestie and we worship eum singulariter him alone
we subscribe to the Vnity and that there is no name vnder heauen wherby men must be saued other then by the glorious name of Iesus Christ. As and if they might say we haue seene in soule we are come in body there is the star O where is the babe Care is in our hearts and cost is in our hands here is our gold let him be crowned a King here is our frankencense let him be deified a God here is our mirth let him be buried a man all his by gift all ours by grace what he gaue vs we giue againe and here we haue it to bestow vpon our blessed Sauiour from a farre countrey haue wee followed him and walked before him and therefore now we feele peace we haue found rest to our weary soules From the generality of Gods gifts and particularity of our receipt come we now to the proper obiect of our faith and walking contayned in these words before him By which indefinit speech I hold the holy ghost hath reference to one Christ the way the truth and the life of all Christians No way but by him no light but from him no life but in him Him I say nor is he expressed in plainer termes for that his name is sâ—â—ret and till Gabriel came from heauen with his sauing name Iesus and statute of additions Luke 1. 31. from the first age to the latter daies I meane from Adam vntill Shilo came they but hacked at it God in Paradise lapt vp this secret in the seed of the woman Iacob in Shilo which by interpretation is sent Moses in this Mitte quem missâ—ruses Send him whom thou shouldest send Daniel thus One of the Saints said vnto a certain one Ieremy thus He that should call he is the lord our righteousnes The Lord in respect of his to deliuer his Church righteous in respect of his doome determinable vpon the world ours in respect of grace appeasing his father What should I say more sometime they call him by the name of Emmanuel sometime they call him wonderfull Counsellor the mightie God the euerlasting father the prince of peace Maher-shalal-hash-baz Make speede to the spoyle hast to the pray with this pregnant prophecy of him that a virgin should inuiron a man And neerer the daies of Christ they called him Israels expectation Israels consolation Israels redemption And now that I haue told thee and thou hast heard all these speake I aske with Salomon what is his name and what is his sonnes name if thou canst tell It is the gldrse of God to keepe a thing secret but the Kings heart will seeke it out And it is an honorable seede that feareth the Lord but a more honorable seede that findeth him Elder times saw him a farre off comming swadled in types figures shadowes ceremonies but we haue seene the truth bodie and substance of our Christ. We haue him comeâ— and the â—â—yle of the Temple is â—ent from the top to the bottome whereby we haue readie passage into the holâ—est of holies euen Christ Iesus the Lord whom the Angels desire to behold We heard of him at Ephrata and wee haue found him in the woods tied to the tree pierced through with his body crost and soule curst for the sinnes of all the world and now sitteth in heauen a mediator and pledge of our inheritance hauing leâ—t his spirit to liue by and his word to go by and this is he whom the Prophet meant in this word him the obiect of our faith and way to walke in No man can ascend but by him that did descend and that is Christ the ladder Iacob saw at Pinael the clowd by day piliâ—r of fire by night which guided Israel in the desert the kings high way to heauen blessed hold of happie dwelling No Paradise without this tree no perfume without this balme no building without this stone no sacrifice without this lambe I say no God without Christ in this wicked world The light of the day is conueyed vnto vs by thâ— Sunne in the firmament so is the brigâ—â—nes of heauen by that Sonne of righteousnes a Planet in the middest of Planets to lighten all aboue and all below as whom blessed Angels desire to behold and blessed men couet to adore Life is conueyed from the â—art through the veines to all the vitall parts so is saluation froÌ„ the Father through Christ to all his liuing members Out of Eden went a riuer to water the garden being deuided into foure heads it compassed the whole world Out of heauen flowed the streame of Gods mercy in and through our Christ whose graces deuided diuersly all the earth is filled with his glorie What should I say more Christ is a mutuall help to the Father one to vs another An hand to the Father by which hee reacheth vs an hand to vs by which we reach him The Fathers mouth by which he speaketh to vs our mouth to the Father by which we speake to him Our God is a consuming fire and without Christ the vayle we cannot abide the brightnes of his glory for what is our miserie to meete with his maiestie but in the temper of his mercie which mercy-seate all is Christ. As then our words are messengers of our mindes semblances of our soules to paâ—ley with our friends so is the Christ the sonne of God the image of the Father and mouth to instruct his deâ—rest Saints nor onely a mouth to speake by but an eye to see by and the foote way to goe by as it is mâ—ny text Peace shall come and rest shall â—e reserued for euery one that walketh before him So then I dare auouch boldly thinke what thou wilt and without Christ it is an euil thought say what thou wilt and without Christ it is an euill word do what thou wilt and without Christ it is an euill deed tread where thou wilt and without Christ it is an euill way Christ is the life of the world heire of al things without whom I can possesse nothing that good is either in grace or in glory He he is the salt Elisâ—â— did throw in to sweeten the waters of â—ericho with these words Thuâ— saith the Lord I haue healed this water death shall no more come thereof neither barrennes to the ground This faith my deare brethren is right for it hits the soueraigne good and thus to walke is to walke before him None but he careth none but he careth none but he guideth non but he saueth and he is but one as you heere see and will be alone in all his courses without mixture â—â—thout â—edley first last middest and all filling all yet â—ined from all in the glorious worke of our repaire None but he bare our sinnes none but he pleadeth our cause none but he purchased our place none but he traceth our
yet was he heard in that which he feared God deliuered him After this he read vnto her the 22. Psalme wherein Dauid complained partly of his owne but principally of the most bitter anguith which our Sauiour Christ indured and suffered in bodie and soule putting her in minde that her case was not so bad as Dauids nor much vnlike our Sauiours who indured all that and more for her therefore she had no cause to feare seeing Christ had obtained victory and would vndoubtedly be with her deliuer her eternally glorifie her with himselfe for euermore and so continually hee propounded to her such comfortable places of scripture as might meete with her infirmities This greatly refreshed her and gaue her occasion many times to call vpon God for increase of grace and deliuerance from her grieuous temptations The which God of his accustomed goodnes vouchsafed on Tuesday about three a clock in the afternoone what time shee felt herselfe in very good measure deliuered from all her former feares and afflictions But on Saterday next after which was the day before her death she was wholy released and filled with such inward comfort that it greatly affected vs that saw it This is the summe of that temptation which she had wherein what can any man see that might giue iust occasion to report our religion comfortles or the Gentlewoman dyed despairing This wee are sure of that to bee without temptation is the greatest temptation as also that nothing befell her which hath not befallen the holyest of the children of God And she that considered her owne corruption which how great it is in the best of Gods Saints I neede not say and bethought her selfe of the punishment due thereto if God in iustice should reward her no maruell if shee brake out sometime into heauie complaints I make no question it was the worke of God in her to suffer Satan to accuse her and afflict her for her sinnes that so she might the better see them and consider the haynousnes of them and before her departure repent her of them and betake her wholy to Christ for the sauing of her soule And if it pleased God thus to make her possesse her sinnes before she dyed let those which neuer yet knew the waight of their sinnes be wise in time and remember that hee shall neuer haue his sinne forgiuen which first or last doth not vndergo a holy despaire for it and acknowledge nothing to remayne in himselfe but matter of iudgement and condemnation and comfort and eternall life to flow alone from Iesus Christ. And as for those which haue learned to scoffe at the terrors of Gods children to censure such as aâ—e at somtimes cast down with feeling the anger of God against sin let them consider the blessed â—sâ—ue that God gaue to the troubles of this Gentlewoman and let them acknowledge his worke in her And if they will not do this but proceede to traduce the dead then let them call to minde those of the Popish crue and persons of greater note among them then this Gentlewoman was which haue dyed most fearefully indeede Cardinall Sadelot Iacobus Latomus the Diuinitie Reader at Lâ—uâ—â—ne Hoâ—meâ—ler the Frier Guardacus Boâ—elius Crescentâ—â—â— the Cardinall Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester and diuers the bloudy persecutors in Queene Maries time and some of the Popes themselues as namely Pope Sixtus Quintus of late yeers all which died most fearefully miserably and shewed manifest signes at their death that their popish superstition was the condemnation of their soules And if they will iudge of my religion by my death let them acknowledge their religion is the doctrine of desperation and that the truth faith which was able to fill the heart and tongue of this blessed Gentlewoman at her death with such heaueÌ„ly comforts is the doctrine of Christ reuealed from heauen that wee might liue and dye in it From Tuesday till Whitson-eeuen her comfort still increased and temptations vanished away See would theÌ„ very cheerfully ioyne with the company in prayer and singing Psalmes as occasion offered and performed all such duties as was meete for her in that estate One day her brother Master Iohn Bruen of Bruenstapleford came from his house in Cheshyre to visit her and after some kind salutation passed betweene them he said vnto her Sister be not dismaid at your troubles but remember what the Apostle saith that iudgement must begin at the house of God To whom the answered as one that was also very ready in the scriptures with the very next words following True it is and if it begin at vs the righteous shall scarce be saued where shall the sinners and vngodly appeare After that she praied with him sung a Psalme with him as one that receiued great comfort by him acknowledged in him a hart set to seeke the things belonging to the kingdome of Christ. During this time in the night with such as waked with her she would pray and rehearse for her comfort many texts of Scripture and namely the 8. to the Romanes many times coÌ„cluding and closing vp yâ— she read or repeated with prayer and most comfortable vses and applications thereof to her selfe with shew of such ioy and comfort that the hearers reioyced at it When she receiued any meate she prayed God not only to sanctifie those creatures for her bodily sustenance but also to fill her soule with the waters of life often repeating that of the Reuelation To him that thirsâ—eth will I giue of the waters of life freely One true she tooke her bible in her hand and ioyfully kissing it and looking vp toward heauen she sayd that of the Psalme O Lord it is good for me that I haue beene afflicted that I may learne thy statutes The law of thy mouth is better to me then thousands of gold and siluer Another time she called her Husband to her and said O Husband beware of Papistry keepe your selfe holy before the Lord. Yeeld not to the abominations of the wicked least they reioyce and so you dishonor God and destroy your owne soule Againe she said Let my little child be brought vp among the children of God and in the true feare and knowledge of his Maiesty so shall I meete her in heauen whom now I must leaue behinde me on earth Againe sometime she would pray with a low voyce to her selfe and that saying of Paule We haue not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare any more but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba father was much in her mouth and the last words Abba father shee would double oftentimes ouer She would sing to herselfe the last verse of the 13. Psalme I will giue than â—â— unto the Lord and praises to him sing Because he hath heard my request graÌ„ted my wishing Finally in these and such like exercises and meditations did she spend the whole time