Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n
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A26152
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A discourse occasion'd by the death of the Right Honourable the Lady Cutts by Francis Atterbury ...
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Atterbury, Francis, 1662-1732.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing A4149; ESTC R35288
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17,784
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48
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Passages of Holy Writ which She took notice of were indeed commonly such as related either to the Concerns of her Spiritual Estate or to Matters of Prudence but it appears also that She spent some time in mediating on those places where the sublimest Points of Christian Doctrine are contain'd and in possessing her self with a deep sense of the wonderful Love of God towards us manifested in the mysterious Work of our Redemption for She had something more than what in the Language of this Loose Age is call'd a Lady's Religion She endeavour'd to understand the great Articles of our holy Faith as well as to Practise the good Rules of it and She sensibly found that the best way to excite her self to the practise of the one was to endeavour to understand the other And this Book of God She was more particularly conversant in on God's day a Day ever sacred to Her and which therefore wore always in Her Family a Face of Devotion suitable to the Dignity of it It was truly a day of Rest to all under her Roof her Servants were then dismiss'd from a good part of their attendance upon Her that they might be at liberty to attend on their great Lord and Master whom both She and They were equally bound to obey There was such a Silence and Solemnity at that time observ'd by all about her as might have become the House of Mourning and yet so much Ease and Serenity visible in their Looks at least in Her Looks there was as shew'd that They who were in quick and sensible concern at any thing which She thought it did not become either Her to hear or others to say True Piety which in great measure consists in an Humility and Submission of mind towards God is attended always with Humility and Goodness also towards his Creatures and so it was in this Excellent Lady Never was there a more deep and unfeign'd and artless Lowliness of Mind seen in her Rank and Station as far as she was placed above the Most of the World yet She convers'd as it were upon the level with All of 'em and yet when She stoop'd the lowest towards them She took care even at that time to preserve the Respect that was due to her from them She had so much true Merit that She was not afraid of being look'd into and therefore durst be familiar and the worst effect of that familiarity was that She was better known by it and by consequence more lov'd and valu'd Not only No one of her Inferiors ever came uneasie from her as has been said of some Great ones but so assur'd were all before-hand of her sweetness of Temper and obliging reception that no one ever went uneasie to her When She open'd her Lips Gracious Words always proceeded from thence and in her Tongue was the Law of Kindness Her Reservedness and Love of Privacy might possibly be misinterpreted sometimes for an Overvalue of her self by those who did not know her but the least degree of Acquaintance made all those Suspicions vanish For tho' her Perfections both of Body and Mind were very extraordinary yet She was the only Person in the World that seem'd without any endeavour to seem insensible of ' em She was 't is true in as much danger of being Vain as great Beauty and a good natural Wit could make her but she had such an over-ballance of Discretion that She was never in pain to have the one seen or the other heard Indeed This was particular to her and a very distinguishing part of her Character that She never studied appearances nor made any advances towards the Opinion of the World being contented to be whatever was good or Deserving without endeavouring in the least to be thought so and this not out of any affected disregard to Publick Esteem but meerly from a Modesty and Easiness of Nature which made her give way to others who were more willing to be observ'd And yet She had also her Hours of Openness and Freedom when her Soul eas'd it self to Familiars and Friends and then out of the good Treasure of her Heart what good things did She bring forth Her Mouth was at such times in the Comparison of Solomon a Well of Life which ever sent forth such pure and sweet Streams as pleas'd the Senses and refresh'd the Hearts of all that drank at ' em So that a doubt it is which was most to be admir'd in her what She did or what She did not say It was wonderful that One who when She pleas'd could discourse so fitly and so freely should yet choose to be silent on so many occasions it was as wonderful that She who was so often silent should whenever She spake charm all that heard her We may be sure that She who had such a command over her Tongue kept no less strict and watchful a Guard upon her Passions those especially of the Rough and Troublesome kind with which She was scarce ever seen to be disquieted She knew not what the Disorders of Anger were even on occasions that might seem to justifie and to require it as much as She hated Vice She chose rather to look it out of countenance than to be severe against it and to win the Bad over to the side of Vertue by her Example than by her Rebukes Her sweet Deportment toward Those who had the happiness to be with her could be outdone by nothing but her tenderness in relation to the Absent whom She was sure to think and speak as well of as was possible and when their Character was plainly such as could have no good Colours put upon it yet She would shew her dislike of it no otherwise than by saying nothing of ' em Neither her Good-nature nor her Religion her Civility nor her Prudence would suffer her to censure any one She thought she had enough to do at home in that way without lookâ—ng much abroad and therefore turn'd the edge of all her reflections upon her self Indeed She spar'd others as much as if She had been afraid of 'em and her self as little as if She had had many Faults that wanted mending and yet 't was because She knew no great harm of her self that She could scarce be brought to suspect any in others Her Conversation might for this reason seem to want somewhat of that Salt and smartness which the ill-natur'd part of the World are so fond of a Want that She could easily have supply'd would her Principles have given her leave but her setled opinion was that the Good Name of any one was too nice and serious a thing to be play'd with and that it was a foolish kind of mirth which in order to divert some hurt others She could never bring her self to think that the only thing which gave Life and Spirit to discourse was to have some-body's Faults the subject of it or that the pleasure of a Visit lay in giving up the Company to one-another's Sport and
A DISCOURSE Occasion'd by the DEATH OF The Right Honourable THE Lady CUTTS By FRANCIS ATTERBURY Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty The Second Edition LONDON Printed for Tho. Bennet at the Half-moon in St. Paul's Church-yard 1698. TO The Right Honourable JOHN Lord CUTTS Baron of Gouran c. My Lord AT Your Command I preach'd this Discourse but upon so short a warning that nothing less than Your repeated Commands could have excus'd me for publishing it The Subject of it is Death a thing which You my Lord have very familiarly convers'd with and seen in all its Shapes but never I believe found it so truly terrible as in the Face of my Lady All that were about You were witnesses with how Sensible a Concern You bore the Loss of Her and indeed it was such a Loss as even all Your Courage was but little enough to bear I pray God it may turn to account to Your Lordship another way and may furnish You with such Reflections and inspire You with such Resolutions as if well pursu'd will make You amends for any Loss on this side Heaven Your Lordship has chosen to express some part of Your Grief this way by giving the World an Opportunity of grieving with You which it will certainly do wherever my Lady Cutts's Character is truly known and I have endeavour'd to make it known in the following Pages with all the Sincerity that becomes my Profession a Quality which I must own to Your Lordship I would not forfeit upon any account no not tho' I were sure of doing the greatest Good by it Some part of what is there written I know and the rest I do in my Conscience believe to be true after a very strict and particular Enquiry If I may be so happy in what I have said as to contribute any ways towards fixing a True Opinion of my Lady's merit and spreading the Interests of Vertue and Piety by the means of it I have all the Ends I propos'd to my self in this Discourse beside the Honour of publishing to the VVorld that I am Your Lordship's Most obedient and most humble Servant Francis Atterbury A DISCOURSE Occasion'd by the DEATH of the Right Honourable the Lady CUTTS ECCLES vii 2. It is better to go to the House of Mourning than to go to the House of Feasting for that is the End of all Men and the Living will lay it to heart THE first Step to Happiness is to correct our false Opinions and to learn to esteem every thing according to that Rate and Value not which the World or our own mistaken Imaginations may have plac'd upon it but which in it self and in the accounts of right Reason and Religion it really bears The Wise Hebrew therefore has in this Chapter lay'd together a Sett of Religious Paradoxes which however they may startle aud shock us a little upon the first hearing yet when closely examin'd will appear to be very serious and weighty Truths and such by which the whole course of our Lives ought to be steer'd and govern'd In the first Verse of this Chapter the Verse before the Text he tells us that a Good Name is better than precious Oyntment and the day of ones Death than the day of ones Birth A Good Name is better than precious Oyntment i. e. rich Oyls and sweet Odors in the use of which those Eastern Countries mightily delighted are not half so grateful or valuable as a good Reputation well founded This is more truly fragrant more diffusive of its influence more durable it gives a man greater comfort and refreshment while Living and preserves him better when Dead than the most precious Embalmings And agen The day of ones Death is better than the day of ones Birth i. e. the day of the Death of such an one as has and deserves a Good Name of such an one as has liv'd well and dy'd well is preferable by far to the day of his Birth for it enters him upon a State of perfect rest and tranquility of undisturb'd joy and happiness whereas the Day of his Birth was only an Inlet into a troublesome World and the beginning of sorrows And then it follows very naturally in the words of the Text that It is better also to go to the to House of Mourning than to go to the House of Feasting as Death to a Good man is more advantageous than Life so to a Wise man the Contemplation of the one is more desirable than all the Enjoyments of the other He had much rather be present at the sad Solemnities of a Funeral than partake of those Festival Rejoycings which are usual in all Nations but especially among the Iews at the Birth of a Child Hard Doctrine this to the Men of Liberty and Pleasure who have said to themselves Come on let us enjoy the things that are present let us fill our selves with costly Wine and Oyntments and let no Flower of the Spring pass by us let us crown our selves with Rosebuds before they be wither'd Hard Doctrine I say it is to such men as These and which will run the hazard of not being entertain'd by ' em The Wise man therefore has condescended to prove as well as assert it and to back the severe Rule he has lay'd down with very convincing Reasons for that says he is the End of all men and the Living will lay it to heart As if he had said This Dark and Melancholly State it will one day certainly come to our share to try and what must some time or other be undergone ought now and then to be consider'd beforehand this is the End of all men and all men therefore should have their Eye and their Thoughts upon it And then further We are most of us so immers'd in the Pleasures and taken up with the Follies of Life that we need all methods of reducing our straggling Thoughts and Desires and of giving our selves a Serious Frame and Composure of Mind and of all Methods this of repairing to the House of Mourning is best adapted to that Good End and will soonest and most effectually bring it about The Living will lay it to Heart I have largely explain'd the Connexion and Meaning of the Words which have been pitch'd upon to imploy Your Thoughts on this mournful Occasion The next thing should be to excite You to a Complyance with the Direction there given by the particular Arguments of the Text and by several other powerful and moving Considerations to prove to you the Folly and Emptiness of a Life led all in Mirth and Jollity and Pleasure the Wisdom and Reasonableness of shifting the Scene sometimes and of turning the Gloomy side of things towards us in a word of exchanging the House of Feasting for the House of Mourning and of making a discreet and decent use of those sad Opportunities of Reflection which God mercifully severe is pleas'd to put into our hands But I am prevented in this part of my Discourse by