theirs as Gods That 's not Rebellion against Rulers and Superiours vvherein not the will so much of the Inferiour gives sin a Negative vote as the Conscience and Conscience rightly informed by the word of God Yoke-fellows Love ye one another souls Love one another to heaven Let not the flesh go away with all your time and strength and affections nor the elder serve the younger Live together as heirs of the grace of life that your prayers be not hindred 1 Pet. 3.7 3. Look upon her as a Mistris in her Family 3. A Governess She was an excellent Governess her government was oâ— a Scripture constitution It was made up of sweetness and gravity sweetness without levity or remisness gravity without bitterness and severity There was no severity in her discipline save what was in the Pattern she proposed to them her own Conversation Indeed she was severely good her government was made up of Intreaties rather then Commands or Reproâ—fâ— She knew not how to be angry unless it were against sin and even that she exprest rather in grief then in passion Her great Care was that her family might know God and Jesus Christ Joh. 17.3 whom to know his life eternal She was of a Joshuah-like resolution Jos 24.13 As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. She thought it not enough to go to heaven alone but laboured to carry as many as she could with her especially them of her own Family To that end she was very exact and constant in Family-duties Her exactness in family-duties sc Reading the Scripture Prayer Catechising as deeply sensible how gainfull God had made that Domestick duty to her own soul in the Family of her education I say being conscious what good she had got by being diligently instructed in the principles of Religion she was conscientious in the discharge of that duty towards those whom God had committed to her trust not only in a way of exercising their memories in a bare verbal repetition of words but according to her faculty which verily was not ordinary in her sex in a way of helping them to understand the sence and meaning and by impressing upon conscience what was imprinted in their memeries In the absence of her dear Husband she constantly performed the duty of prayer in her own person save only when she could call in the assistance of her own pious Pastour or other faithful Ministers whom the present Providence had cast into her neighbourhood all which her Christian obliging converse had so marvellously endeared that she had as many Chaplains as if she had bin one of the greatest Ladies in the Land A true Gospel-Sabbatarian she was and thought it no Judaism to keep the Christian Sabbath as an holy Rest rather envying her body that it should have six dayes to her souls one then sacrilegiously filching out of that precious one any parcells of time for the uses and purposes of the flesh truth is she counted every moment of Sabbath-time too good for any time but Sabbath-work unless it were vvhere divine indulgence had made allowance for vvorks of Mercy and Necessity In reference to both vvhich notvvithstanding she vvell knevv how to spiritualize even them also into Sabbath-exercises Further then these two she durst not exact any of her servants labour As knovving 1. That the Sabbath vvas the servants priviledge as vvell as her ovvn Thou and thy servant c. 2. That her Servants souls were as precious to God as her own and cost Jesus Christ as much blood to redeem Therefore she vvas careful that every one in her Family should not only attend the publick Ordinances but that they should improve the whole overplus of Sabbath time in the holy exercises of Religion And as God had given her an excellent faculty in taking Sermons so she made it her vvork constantly to repeat both the former and latter Sermon to her Family vvhich she did vvith such a judicious accurateness that the hearer could hardly miss in the repetition vvhat he had heard from the Pulpit at least not any head or material enlargment of the Sermon The other void spaces of the day she commended to her Family as Gods and their own time for divine uses calling upon them to redeem it accordingly You that are Governours of Families imitate this blessed Saint herein also The Sabbath is exceedingly fallen amongst us not in our Publike Assemblies streets only but even vvithin our private vvalls The spirit of Ignatius dyed with him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let every one that loves the Lord sanctify the Lords-day Ignat. ep ad Magn. Hovv art thou fallen Thou Morning-Starr Thou Queen of days thou golden spot of the week Thou Map of Heaven Thou birth-day of immortality Hovv art thou fallen You that love the Lord Jesus and his Resurrection I charge you by all that right and interest you claim in either help to lift up the head of this glorious day of Jehovah for the love of God do not put avvay the Pillovv from under the head of this dying day as you vvould not be found guilty of the blood of Christ and of his Resurrection Christians stirr up your selves for the recovery of the life and honour of this Holy-day 4. As a Friend and Neighbour 4. As a Friend She vvas of a most sweet and obliging converse As many loved her as knew her as ambitious she vvas to do good offices to the poorest as others are to those that can requite them But that vvhich vvas eminent in her converse vvas her profitable improvement of it she was not one of those professors that with the holy could shew her self holy and with the prophane could shew her self prophane that could talk religiously in one company and vainely and frothily with others She was not one of them that could shape themselves into any form and garb of the present Company but she was gracious and uniform in every Company which providence cast her upon spending the time in Christian and profitable Communication alwayes either doing good or receiving good as opportunity served But if the Company were such as admitted neither her silence should argue her dissent and her withdrawment as far as might consist with civility should at once ease â—hem and her self of a burden Christians Oh that every one would herein become her followers Oh what a deal of pretious time is wasted in idle alk and foolish jestings which are not convenient how many precious hours are pent in vain and unprofitable complehents Yea in carnal mirth foolish talkâ—g and jesting which might be improved to spiritual soul-edifying conferences as if Christians had forgotten there were such a word in the Bible Let your speech be alwayes with grâ—ce seasoned with salt Col. 4.6 or that other Redeem the time for the dayes are evil Eph. 5.1 15 16. The Lord make you wise to salvation I might easily enlarge in these her Relative excellencies but I must
and Aâ—aâ—ice of the latter Pontificians hath prevailed with them to Canonize for Saints such as they knew to be the worst of men and to create them little Dâ—ities who by the justest Character which could be collected out of their Doctrine and lives are now amongst Reprobate Spirits suffering the vengeance of Eternal fire Surely thus to commend the dead is nothing less then to blaspheme God and to enrich the Devils Territories with Castawayes The true end of celebrating the Graces of the Saints is 1. That God may have the Glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 2.9 whilest the Saints shew forth the praises or vertues of him who hath called them out of darkness into his marvelous light 2. That the world may have the benefit and advantage of their worthy Patterns and Exemplars ut sup Thanks be to God for such excellent helps in our way to heaven 2. Use Use Repr It may serve to Reprove divers sorts of people 1 Such as account the Saints the worst of men 1. Such as account the Saints of God the most dangerous kind of men in the world not fit for humane society Surely there is not such a reviled persecuted defamed generation again under heaven The very filth and off-scouring of all things 1 Cor. 4.12 13. the dregs the sordes the scraping of the shoes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the superfluous froth and scum that is good for nothing but to be cast into the fire Yea the more holy the worse The Saints are look't upon as the Troublers of Israel the Pests of the places where they live the Deformities of humane society Mal. 3.17 Rev. 3.1 1 16. Surely these men are not of Gods mind God accounts them as his Jewels Phil. 2.15 Mat. 5.14 the Starrs in his right hand the Sons of God the lights the world to give light to a dark world Patterns and Exemplars worthy to be held forth to the observation and imitation of the Sons of men as here In a word men think the Saints not worthy of the world Act. 22.22 Heb. 11.38 2 Cor. 44. when in the mean time Gods thinks the world not worthy of them Oh how hath the God of the world blinded the eyes of them that believe not 2 Such as imitate the worst 2. It may serve to reprove such as do not care whom they follow or what Patterns in the world they do imitate none so vile so debaucht so prophane so great a derider and persecutor of holiness but is good enough to make a Copy for them to write after men do as they see the major part of men do they follow the multitude as thinking it not good to be singular and stricter then their neighbours though that be a rule upon which God hath set a special brand of infamy Fellow not a multitude to do evil Exod. 23.2 Especially the great and learned men of the world men are prone to look upon them as infallible Guides and do greedily follow their conduct Have any of the Rulers believed on him Joh. 7.48 Great men have followers of their vices as well as of their Persons Alas we should take our Patterns from Heaven Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven and the greatest of men do not care out of what filthy ditch Spiritus sunt insinceri vagi a coelesti vigori virtute destituti c. ad Solamen calamitatis suae nil dedesinum perditi prodere Min. Fel. 3. Them that imitate the best but in the worst or from what dunghill they take up their examples even from Hell it self people are not afraid to fetch their Patterns as proud as the Devil as malicious as the Devil as blasphemous as the damned Reprobates themselves as hating of God and goodness as the Angels that kept not their first estate as greedy and industrious to drag others with them into perdition This is a lamentation and shall be for a lamentation 3. It may reprove such as it may be will imitate the Saints but not in their Sanctity but in their sins Lot in his Incest Noah in his Drunkennesse and David in his Adultery and Peter in his denying his Master c. And when they have done can quote such instances for their Authority Oh the wonderful perversness that is in our Apostate natures that men should imitate the Saints only in their deformities Imitate Saints only in that wherein they are not Saints Is there any such thing in nature Are there any amongst men that desire to be like others in their natural defects and deformities be they persons never so great Do you observe any that take delight to imitate men under distraction or mad men Did it ever ease any that lay sick of the Gout Stone Strangurie Dropsie Fever c. to tell them that many Noble Rich learned Persons have been tormented with the like pains Surely Object you will say no wonder if not since these are the blemishes infelicities and destruction of the humane nature And are not mens lusts and corruptions so too Answer Even of the Saints themselves save only by interposition of divine grace Hos 14.4 Psal 23.3 healing and restoring them Yea and of so much worse nature and effect then either intellectual or bodily distempers by how much the soul is better then the body and Hell worse then Death Rom. 1.18 God himself testifying it from Heaven And the Saints themselves after they have recovered their lapses having confest it before all the world with greatest self-abhorrency and abasement Ps 73.22 So foolish was I and ignorant and like a beast before thee cries David when he came out of the Sanctuary he is so incenst against his sin that he cannot find a term vile enough to reproach himself withall And yet is sin the only imitable thing men can discover in the Saints Prov. 1.22 How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and Scorners delight in scorning and fools hate knowledge Lord who hath believed thy report or to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed 4. Reproof 4. That will follow the best but in the best But there is yet another sort of people that justly merit the lash of reproof and they are such who though they dare not be so bad as to imitate the Saints in their sins yet love not to be so good as to imitate the Saints in their strictness and holy severity in Religion They think it enough to follow them in their morality and civil deportment to be just and true in their dealings to be charitable to the poor and to keep their Church as they call it But their holiness their zeal mortification and close walking with God to be alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord Here they leave them as deeming these nothing else but the unnecessary strains of a fruitless precisenesse and that which may expose them to the
an Ecclipse of the light of his Fathers Countenance at what time He cried out to the astonishment of Heaven and Earth My God my God why hast thou forsaken me But much more in vouchsafing her some immediate irradiations of his face and favour on the evening before she died at what time a gracious intimate friend sitting at a little distance from her Bed-side forbearing to speak to her knowing her to be very much spent and supposing her to be in a slumber at length she opened her eyes as if it had bin out of a sleep and seeing her friend whom she loved sitting by she bespake her thus Oh my dear friend are you there I have had a full answer of all my prayers God hath not denyed me any of the requests of my soul but hath fully satisfied my desires Hathe he so said her friend Then I hope he hath heard you in that you feared meaning the fear of death To your God and my God to your Father my Father These Words she often used which formerly had held her in some bondage Heb. 2.14 She replyed He hath He hath I know whom I have believed and I am now going to him and I shall see him shortly with these very eyes You that have prayed to God for me I desire you would joyn with me in giving him praise for this gratious answer of peace vouchsafed me poor me She added moreover she did not desire prayer for the Continuance of life but that she might he resigned up to God in prayer Eph. 1.6 and might be accepted in the beloved And resigned up she was in a solemn manner first by several godly Ministers then present and last of all by that hand which by the power of the Holy Ghost had Midwived her into Christ in her Regeneration during all which time her spirit accompanied that solemn transaction with strong and vigorous affections to the extream expence of her natural spirits and when all was finished being asked whether she had gone along with the Petition which had bin lifted up to God for her She answered Yes I bless God I have they were very sweet and precious The Lord return your kindness and love into your bosom a thousand fold Whereupon leaving her to try what rest she could take being very much wasted in her spirits we had not bin long in our Beds ere we were call'd out in hast to take our last leave of her but her precious soul impatient of longer distance from her Beloved did upon her Lords day in the morning as early as the light might serve to denominate it day take its flight to the mountains of spices there to celebrate an eternal Sabbath in the bosom and embraces of her Heavenly-Bridegroom A Second thing she did upon her Dying-Bed was before the Lord Jesus Christ his Elect Angels and those Christians which were about her to make a full and clear Profession of her Faith Wherein though she took the Creed commonly called Apostolical for her Text Yet she did not content her self to do it in that steril verbal way of a literal repetion as the mode of most ignorant people is but upon evey Article and Clause as she went enlarged her self in so spiritual and savory a Paraphrase of her own as did marvelloufly affect the hearers in so much that they afterward accused themselves of robbery against their own souls that they had not taken the paines to make that legible to their eyes which she had made audible to their eares Her third and last dying work was to give Counsels and Instructions to her surviving Relations that were about her which were so full serious and suitable that she seemed as indeed she vvas to be acted above her self her spiritual and Heavenly self acting the weak Organ of her body as long as there was any passive capacity left in it In a word she hath left as many Mourners behind her as knew her whether good or bad The worst in the place where she lived have given her this Testimony That if she be not gone to Heaven never any went thither which puts us to find out a new exposition of our Lords Text Woe unto you Luk. 6.20 when all men shall speak well of you c. As for you Beloved remember the Text and make it your work to be her followers to imitate her in her Graces and gracious Conversation vvhose Faith follow Heb. 13.7 It is time to conclude But though I have given you divers Motives in the Grounds and Reasons of the Doctrine yet for your special provocation and encouragement who are of her Family and dear Relations give me leave to add some special Incentives and Considerations to quicken you to a vigorous imitation of so excellent a Pattern It were a fruitless sorrow to go to the Sepulchre with Mary to weep there Joh. 11.13 It is a more profitable work to enquire how vve may recruit our loss how we may expound Sampsons Riddle to get meat out of the Eater and out of the strong sweetness hovv to make a gain of our great affliction and that is the thing I would gladly press upon you in a fevv Motives and Considerations First Without a serious imitation of her pious example that which was our mercy and priviledge in the enjoying of her will turn to our sin and the aggravation of our loss Heb. 11.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is said of Noah He cocondemned the World c. How his Preaching and his Pattern being not followed should rise up in judgement against that Reprobaâ—e generation Mat. 12 21 22. and condemn them so likewise our Lord tells the impenitent Jews that the Men of Niniveh and the Queen of the South should rise up in judgement with that generation and condemn them i.e. The example of those poor Infidels not prevailing with them to move them to repentance and timely and serious diligence in the great concerments of salvation having Christ himself a greater then Jonas or Solomon to be their Preacher should in the day of judgement rise up as a witness and an aggravation of their obstinate impenitency Dear Sirs We have had the light of this most excellent pattern shining within our Walls for diverse years last past some of us more some fewer give me leave to tell you even weeping 〈…〉 it leave no bettering influence upon us 〈◊〉 will give in a judicial testimony against 〈◊〉 in the great day She hath bin a witness from God to us if by a practical improvement of what we have seen divine and excellent in her we receive not her testimony she will be a witness for God against us when our Lord shall come to call us to an account And O how terrible will that be What a dreadful addition to our misery when to the loss of such a blessing shall be added the Curse of our non-improvement of it Friends it had been better never to have been Mother to