live only to be warned and to take the warning to consider that we are determined to death by God's Decree and we should be fitted for it by our Holiness and so our Death like that of the Best may seem to be only a Debt of Nature the Payment whereof makes us Free and Easie and a sudden one which is to them a Favour may not be to us a Punishment I would not My Lord so much condole Your Calamity as congratulate Your Improvement of it I would not speak so much to Your Lordship upon the Loss because instead of Your being swallow'd up in St. Paul's Phrase with intemperate Grief I would have that swallow'd up the best way and sunk in the Advantage by the Blessing of him who said I will heal him I will lead him and will restore comforts to him and to his Mourners In the mean time I am to tell the World Your Loss which Your Lordship is too sensible of to want the being told of it Your self and my own Imperfections in the following Pages wherein the Excellent Lady has her self a Loss and as you were always Partners in the Goods and Evils of Life Your Lordship too suffers here not only by the Death but by the Description of it in this Vnworthy and Artless Discourse For all the Injuries whereof Pardon now it ask'd from Your Lordship and from that truly Pious Memory which now we Celebrate by My Lord Your Lordship 's Most Obedient and Most Humble Servant JOHN PROVOSTE A SERMON On the DEATH of the RIGHT HONOVRABLE ELIZABETH Lady CUTTS Psal 37.37 Mark the perfect Man and behold the upright for the end of that Man is Peace THis Psalm and the 73d speak more together in one continued Discourse than any other part of Scripture upon that great and lofty Subject The Justice of Providence in the Sufferings of the Righteous and the Goodness of it in the advantages of their better Condition which follows and Crowns their Sufferings The end is indeed a full satisfaction for all the hardships this a large reward to him who bears them this a decisive Answer to the Questions rising from them And so God's Providence will not suffer in our Thoughts when the Righteous do from his Hands the Goodness explains the Justice and the Event enlightens the Mystery that which is so bright spreads a Light over this which is so gloomy The Honourable the Pious and I had almost said the never too much lamented Person of whom every thing around us here does give us mournful notices for whom we now perform much more than a Ceremony of Mourning had Peace for her End and not a train of Sufferings to conduct her to it we alone now seem to suffer and more in the end of her Life than in the misfortunes of our own and O let all our Evils become the Sufferings of the Righteous when they are ours Indeed she was Righteous without them as if there had been no place for severer methods upon a Spirit so gentle in its Frame and so good in its Inclination and thus a Father does never use the Discipline of Force upon the ingenuous and willing Child where he cannot be too kind and where the kindness cannot be abused Give me leave to remember her who must not who cannot be forgotten and who is so much rather to be remembred now when we are performing that Worship to God which she made as much her pleasure as God made it her Duty And surely that always Devout and now Blessed Soul if I may so say would at this time hasten in all the swiftest Motions of a Spirit would come down presently to joyn in Worship with us were she not engaged already in another Communion with them who fall down before him that sits on the Throne and worship him who liveth for ever and ever Rev. 4.10.11 and cast their Crowns before the Throne saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive Glory and Honour and Power I would set before you an Image of her or a part of that Image for it can only be a part at last where the Work is not skilful yet the Figure must be comely or it can have no relation to her and then it is such as should only please and charm not fright and disturb you So much I shall speak upon Conviction that whereas a Pagan might say he had built a Temple and offered a Sacrifice to Virtue a Christian may Declare that he thinks himself to erect a Statue or build a Monument to it if there were so far a Death of it among us as to want a Monument or if any thing I can do could deserve the being called its Statue The Integrity of the Speaker upon such occasions is asserted by the choice of the Subject where this surmounts the praise as high as it seems to be and still as it rises higher this appears much above it and again by the knowledge of those to whom we speak as you think it almost your misfortune that once you knew and perhaps too well and too much but not too long The Veracity is yet more secured by the knowledge of him that speaks as I had the honour to know from Childhood and now to have the large and delightful prospect before my Eyes of such a Glorious course of Goodness I could wish as much the recalling of her past Years as some do that of their own It has been always a part of my Caution to speak little seldom any thing of the Dead in Funeral Discourses and as they according to David Praise not the Lord so I have thought they were scarce to be praised themselves and we were rather to be silent upon those who as he at the same time says Go down into silence But still I distinguisht and it was always no less my Rule that Men eminent in Quality and more in good Actions were not to go out of the World without something like that splendor they appeared in there and that speaking then in Justice to them and for encouragement to others of the same exalted Rank and for Example to All was one part of the needful Decencies of their Funeral And this which was ever my Rule I think I have a Lawful and a great occasion for the Practice of I know the Disadvantages to which these Praises are liable in the present opinion of Mankind and therefore my first business shall be this to defend them whenever there is so much reason as I am sure now I have I shall consider these Three things in my Discourse 1. That we are to mark and behold the Perfect and Upright in this Sense when they die in the Lord we are to remember them in their Works which follow them 2. That we now have one Perfect and Upright to mark thus and to behold 3. That her End was Peace 1. That we are to Mark and Behold the Perfect and Upright in this Sense When they die we are to
They dyed upon the strength of God's Word as they before had acted by the directions of it and therefore the demanding of their Bible was to them the worst sort of persecution as the delivering of it was a worse degree of Apostacy they were ready to surrender their neglected Lives but never would resign their Sacred Books The abovesaid Chapter goes on thus But I would not have you to be ignorant brethren concerning them who are asleep that you sorrow not even as others who have no hope She had all the hope for her self should then others grieve as if they had none For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again for us even so them also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with him v. 14. And v. 18. Wherefore comfort one another with these words These were the last words she read in her beloved Book that of Scripture and they were you hear words of Comfort but they were directed to others she had less need of comfort her self then others and we are to comfort one another with these words I would not imagine that as some have thought upon the opening of a Page in Hâ—mer and Virgil there were any presages Divine and Extraordinary in the thing but there may be intimations of comfort in the Accident and so however there was only Chance it was at least a good one Thus her End was Peace It s being so is the Third thing to be considered It was this Peace which spoke those Words Nothâ—ng has frighted me nothing troubles me I trust in God I do I do and these words spoke again and declared this Peace the gracious words which proceeded out of her mouth and very few afterwards proceeded out of it which yet could not speak too many nor could we be too much hearers of them Her End must be Peace when every thing before was so her Life was Peace with her self in the Innocence and Calmness of her Mind with God in the Purity and Sincerity of her Actions with Mankind in all the lovely Meekness of her Behaviour Peace must be the End where living as She lived was the Business So Prudent she was in the Management of the Things of this World that she had therefore a new Title to the Bliss of another as he who shews all the Conduct in a Lower Office deserves the Advancement to an Higher one Luke 16.10 11. So He who was faithful in that which is least was to be faithful also in much and the true Riches were committed only to his trust who had been faithful in the unrighteous Mammon And Mat. 25. The mighty Lord of the Family profess'd to him who had improved the fewer Talents by the Skill and the Industry of the Use Well done thou good and faithful Servant thou hast been faithful over few things v. 21. I will make thee ruler over many things enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord. That the Perfect and Upright Person for whom we mourn for whom we cannot indeed do otherwise should keep Accounts so even and strict with Men was in her a Part of Religion as well as of Wisdom at the same time a lower Resemblance and a true Effect of her keeping all things even and strict with God in the Impartial Account of her daily Actions To be Just was but a mean Thing to her whom Sweetness of Soul joyned to the Tenderness of Religion disposed so much to be Charitable and how much in her the Best Principles of Nature and the Highest of Religion prevailed her Charity was an Evidence and the Poor are Witnesses Her wise Government of her Family prepared her for that Heaven where all things are done in Order and according to the Methods of true Reason and steady judgment and her Government of her self within that of the Mildest Spirit prepared her for the Place above the Scat of Love and Musick Her so Pious keeping of the Day which at this time we keep for the enjoying of the Rest which remains to the people of God and for the Celebrating of the Sabbath which she has now begun and which shall never end Her being Innocent Unspotted and White made her fit to converse with the Elders who are cloathed in white Robes Rev. 7.9 with the Virgins in whose mouth is found no guile Rev. 14.5 Eph. 5.27 and with that glorious Church which has not spot or wrinkle or any such thing Her Zeal her Constancy in Worship disposed her to be of one Quire with them Rev. 7.15 who are before the Throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple As no Priest can be more dedicated to God by his Order then she was by her Inclination so her daily reading of one part of the Office of the Church and being thus a Priest to her self recommended her to a Place with them Rev 5. 9 10. who sing a new Song saying Thou hast made us to our God Kings and Priests and they have every one of them Harps and golden Vials full of Odours which are the Prayers of the Saints I might thus go on and at the same time shew what her Actions were and what in a natural Course they tended to and that was Heaven Ps 5.8 and so in David's Phrase Her way thither was made strait before her face This attempt may well be a Part of my Undertaking because I cannot think of a Person eminently righteous when Dead but I must in that instant think of Heaven as when I remember one that is absent whom I have great regard for I cannot but think of the Place which has the Presence that I want and sigh for Indeed Heaven was to be the end of her Actions which was the Object of her Thoughts for Actions rife from Thoughts and then must have a likeness to them as waters have to the Fountain from whence they flow and how good must her Actions be which flowed from such Thoughts as those of her Mind always were She was not to have the Pleasure of Knowing before that she was to die it was enough to have that of enjoying afterwards what should follow Death She must not have the Pleasure that others might not have the trouble the lengthened pain of the notice and she was not apt to think her self happy in any thing which others thought troublesome to themselves She was no otherwise surprized with Death then as we often are with something Joyful and Great which is not less welcome because less expected She was not to leave a Child behind her in pity to us that we who had so many other occasions might not have this to bleed anew in our wounds to remember the First Self in the Second There was less need of any Child from her who has left Pledges of her self yet more Noble a whole race of multiplied Virtues and there was more glory to her that in this as in other respects she might be now more like the
fell asleep calling upon God but in the lowest Submission to the Stroke as her Saviour bowed his head and gave up the Ghost Joh. 19.30 She died if that be a Thing so pleasant as to be repeated and then her Soul went upwards and took its boundless slight not as that of the Emperor from the Funeral Pile on the Wings of an Eagle but on those of Angels And we may well imagine there was joy in Heaven when she came Luke 1.5 7. though like the ninety and nine just persons she had before less need of repentance May we not pass now from her who was never before an unpleasant Subject And yet why must she now begin to be so Why should the Subject when She is named be Unpleasant now seeing the Condition which she is enstalled in is Glorious for ever And then should we shed our tears over her and not over our selves alone who are not in the same blissful State which she in and yet envy it not to her who wishes it to us to all As our dying Lord declared to the relenting Sex Luke 23.28 Ye Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me but weep for your selves He from whom the Dead have all their Bliss and from whom alone we are to expect it That we may be fitted and in a just Capacity for it We will pass from her to our selves 1. Seeing we are to Mark and Behold her as Perfect and Upright I would by the pleasing View of this Beautiful Pattern raise a Spirit of Piety in others who want it and raise it higher in those who have it And seeing Life in the Best is a thing so uncertain and so short I would have that glorious hope of moving those who are not good to consider with what hazard they are not and those who are to remember with what present advantage they are such in their having longer time for all the most enlarged improvements The Lamp which the Philosopher used in his Studies the effects whereof had been so great in his Writings was purchased after his Death at the highest price But now there is the same Light for others without Price and Expence to read and to walk by which this Holy Person used to read good Books by in her Closet and to direct all her motions in the World there is more Light then she had a new one for there is that of her Example and if they do not use it their guilt is greater it began to be so from the day that they had such an Example this I am unwilling to say for it is a much more pleasing Office not only to him to whom it is done but to him who does it to congratulate a Reformation than to reprove a Fault as it is more delightful to see the recovery from a danger than to give notice of it there is no such matter of Joy in representing the Fault greater by its aggravations as in the Sinner's making it less by his change When the Jewish Writer had bewailed the end of an unhappy and vitious Woman for such there were among the Jews he comes at last to this practical Conclusion and then directs it to all who survived her They who remain shall know that there is nothing better than the fear of the Lord Ecclus. 23 27. and that there is nothing sweeter than to take heed to the Commandment of the Lord. May not we make use of the same Conclusion and with the same Address but with greater satisfaction because upon the death of one who was the Reverse of that careless daughter of Zion who was severely and bravely good in the midst of all the disadvantages indeed of things which seldom have so ill a name as that and should never deserve it I mean Youth and Beauty Wit and Honour and that Enchanting Prospect of a very wealthy Fortune which being in our view does often so fill out Eye that we see nothing besides it 2. Seeing her End was Peace shall we then bewail it with that excess which is to be reserved for those alone whose End is not such When her Death was Peace Shall our Life be otherwise Her End was Peace and her Condition will be so for ever We have joyful Reasons in the midst of all this Grief for that assurance You have heard the last Chapter she read Sorry I am that I must call any thing she did the last and you know the instructions thereof But was she indeed to resign her unstained and lovely Soul that there might be a present want of this Relief to our own that we might thus not so much at her cost as ours begin the too early execution of the advice which that Chapter gives us 3. Let Peace not only be her End in possession but ours in Reversion Let our Life be perfect and upright that our going out of it may be joyful and assured and that in the mean time our Prayer may be so too And then we may pray as in the Funeral Office that we with all those who are departed in the true Faith of God's Holy Name may have our perfect consummation and bliss both in body and Soul in his everlasting Glory Let us all pray as the once living Saint always did most devoutly and as in the Prayer which now presently follows in the Service of the Church being reconciled at last to our Loss and bowing down to the black Decrees of Providence let us in a change of Language and of Passions Bless God's Holy Name for all his Servants departed this Life in his Faith and Fear beseeching Him to give us Grace so to follow their good Examples that with them we may be partakers of His Heavenly Kingdom Grant this O Father for Jesus Christ's sake our only Mediator and Advocate Now the God of Peace Heb. 13.20 21. who brought again from the Dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the Sheep through the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good Work to do His will working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ to whom with thee O Father and thee O Holy Ghost be Glory for ever And ever Amen FINIS