of other things to the hand of Providence Iudgement did master opinion and by earely accustoming his taste to the truth of spirituall pleasure hee contemned the false and abhorred the filthy pleasures of the worlde lust or pride could not fasten vpon him a desire to spend nor avarice a thirst to spare feare or favour could not cause him to preferre shaddowes or neglect draw him from rewarding the meanest deservers Ambition drew him not to hasty adventures nor daunger ever put him to distrust the sunne beames of his morning were most radian yet his thoughts calme and a heavenly peace in all his passions his blessed minde was never racked with desire or feare nor ever troubled with the sad burthens and consuming CANKERS of this life never afflicted with the surbate of cares or surfet of riots froathy praise he avoided as infectious goodnesse was his aime which being the cause led him on in the course of all those most honourable actions he entended in all which he was free from the taint much more from the staine or sting of ill Sophocles his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sophoc Xenoph. or Xenophon in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nay with al reverence to holy records Salomō or Iosias so soone did not so much the later and the better of these began but in the 16th yeare of his age in the 8 yeare of his raigne 2. Chron. 1.3 but blessed PRINCE HENRY as if he had beene consecrated from the wombe in the morning watch of his life was a morning starre in his lustre and considered that the Feare of God which the preacher made to bee the ende of all things in the end of his Ecclesiastes the same is the beginning of wisdome in the beginning of his Proverbs Eccles 12.13 Prov. 1.7 Neither differring nor dissembling had place in him or power over him no excuses no refulals staid him he Remembred his Creator in the daies of his youth he thought it good for him to beare the Lordes yoake in his youth Lam 3.27 he studied wherewith a young man might cleanse his waies louely Isaac loving Ioseph Princely Iosiah true harted David beloved Daniel holy Samuel faithful Timothy were his patternes Psal 119.9 to consecrat his first best endeavours to God Not only his Martiall Scholastical exercises did honour him with that title which Livy gaue to M. Cato Si arma sumpsisset in armis natū crederes T. Livius Dec. 4. lib. 1. si se ad studia convertisset inter liter as educatum but his dayly holy conversing with God in the path of goodnesse his spirituall progresse in grace and favour testified that from his youth vp his conversation was in heaven this was the grace of his childe hood and garland of his youth this blessed his life cōforted him at death and shall commende him to all posterity 4 Learne hence yee young Gallants that put farre from you the day of the Lord yee that neither in the morning nor meridian of your liues Prepare your selues to meete the Lord or care that when he commeth he may finde you watching and working To die well is a long art of a short life and a speedy beginning is the shortest method to this longest art Salomon telleth of a time Eccl. 3.2 2. Cor. 6.2 Eccless 3.2 Tempus mortis But as if that were too generall Paul confineth that time to a day 2. Cor. 6.2 dies salutis and Christ limiteth the time of that day to an howre Mat 25.13 Mat. 25.13 Hora acceptationis In the Revelation Babylon is lamented that in one howre her iudgement is come Rev. 18.10 that in one howre so great riches came to naught vers 17. and that in one howre shee was made de solate vers 19. But times daies howres are scantled yet shorter 1. Cor. 15.52 by the Apostle Iudgement shall be in a moment in the twinckling of an eie in the last trumpe that as God gaue his law with the sound of a trumpet Exod. 19.16 So hee shall call for account of it with the sound of the Trumphet Ex 19.16 1. Cor. 15. Hieron 1. Cor. 15.52 How shrill should this trumpe be still in our eares as S. Hierome witnessed of his owne ever sounding and ecchoing this that the surest way to a good life is to beginne betimes considering that though Gods mercies oftentimes affords vs many yeares to repent yet his Iustice affordeth not an howre to sinne Greg. Peccanti Crastinum non promisit saith Gregory hee promiseth not to morrow to the offendour who is alwaies ready to receiue the penitent How should this consideration draw vs on Trahit enim non cogit Deus Austin lead vs along by the waters of comfort and admonish vs all if hitherto we haue neglected to fasten vpon the first opportunity of seasoning our souls with that blessed spirit of Janctification while they be fit for impression and that by a gracious meditation we consider the race we are to run and the many encombrances which alwaies crosse vs That delay augmenteth difficulties and more do perish by this Temptation then by al the toiles guiles of Sathan the longer we persist in sin the more God plucketh his grace and assistance from vs our good inclinations are the weaker the vnder standing more darkned the will more perverted the appetite more disordered the passions are more strengthned that at length the stupid and benummed soule may loose the spirituall light of grace naturall light of reason and retaine only the sensuall twylight of affections common with bruit beasts so the the youth being il spent Sathan wil plead possession in age therefore the dawning springing morning time of life must bee consecrated to God it was not only the piety of Iob to rise vp earely in the morning of everie day to facrifice and sanctifie his sonne Iob. 1.5 Iob. 1.5 But his owne practise in his owne young yeares in the morning of his life in the daies of his youth the secret of God was vpō his Tabernacle Iob. 29.29.4 For this is the time as S. Ambrose describeth it Iob. 29.4 Ambros wherein the elemēt of fier predominateth in the sonnes of men calore corporis feruente estu sanguinis vapor antis ignescente viribus invallida consilijs infirma vitio calens illecebrosa deliciis est Adolescentia This is the spring of life and how easily may a spring-tide drowne all the summer hopes of youth the time of strength and beauty both easily inflamed by heate of vanity the time of growth activity both soone nipped with the frost of mortality Aug. now visus acutior auditus promptior incessus rectior vultus iucundior now the sunne of the vnderstanding doth most appeare and the starres of the senses most gloriously shine then the 4. humors resembling the 4. Elements the liver as the sea the veines as the rivers are in their most
may be said to liue The life of mā is but a spā long nay lesse it is but instans tēporis a moment Number weigh the time past it is spent it weighs nothing Number and weigh the time to come it is vncertaine we cannot weigh it Number weigh the time present is is not a dram a graine a mite it is but a moment Eudaeus Villalpanda nor all the measurists haue waight or measure to expresse such a fragment a moment being not so much in proportion to eternity as the least moat in the aire to the body of the whole earth Wherefore if God even beyond the course of the natural compasse of life do vouchsafe those whō he hath chosen from the world called out of the world to endow them with the life of grace to the end they may seeke his glory and even in the frailtie of life to afford many so blessed gratious opportunities to seek him let vs gird vp our loines and seeing the day starre hath shined in our hearts and the day sprang from on high hath visited vs let vs runne with patience vnto the race that is set before vs Heb. 12.1 looking seeking striving earnestly endeavouring and pressing hard to the marke vnto Iesus the author and finisher of our faith whom if we seeke we shall finde and with him all things necessary for vs. To which glorious acquisition as this blessed Prince was faithfully addicted so now is he of it in soule fully possessed 7 Whose noble thoughts aymed at more then either his Royall birth could designe him or Regal succession assure him desiring to improue his Patrimonie * Regna extera Regna extera that is coelica Regna or * Pithagorei vocant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex adverso sitā Terram Clem. Alex. Strom. lib. 5. cap. vlt. Regna extera quaerere that is Regna ex terra or extra terram celestial kingdomes were his aime hope a kingdome that hath no end for termination no confines for limitation farre aboue principalities and powers wherein no man can resolue whether his sanctified ambitiō were more high or more happy For had his desires level'd at the regaining of a neighbour kingdome which either by match hath beene conioyned or by prowesse hath beene conquered the example had not wāted followers nor the enterprise honours Our Chronicles haue bequeathed a testimony vnto al posterity in this kinde of a * renowmed Prince of Wales whose honour shall not lie in the dust * The victorious Blacke Prince while the life and light of books shall remaine whose much honoured example no doubt did much adde valour to Great HENRIES disposition of warlike honor in the atchieving of some Princely adventure and giving life to that honourable though now lamentable estate of English Martialists Whose valiant service against Popish and Turkish enemies hath beene sealed with their blood and they had in high esteeme among al the military men in the world whose renowne had enioyed a resurrection had this Loadstarre of honour appeared longer But his designes being directed to a more spirituall marke heaven was his hope beginning his voiage to glory in the way of grace through which kingdome of grace he passed not as an alien or traveiler but as an inheritour not as a servant but as a Prince ly sonne an heire a coheire acquainted in his passage with the word and accompanied with the Angels of God Seeing al worldly things beneath him he esteemed them as sublunary neither altogither worthy of contempt nor any way as able to afford content to his spirit which like an Eagle fled vp into the spheare of divine contemplation and so farre was he aboue his nature by grace as hee was by Royall birth in nature aboue other men A kingdome he might haue affected for worldly honours sanctified may be sought by those whom God hath therevnto appointed Gen. 49.1 Iacob besides his legacie of spirituall blessing left temporall legacies to his sonnes the blessing of the Sea to Zabulon blessing of fruits of the land to Issachar Iudgement to Dan victory to Gad staffe of bread to Asher Eloquence to Nepthali fruitfulnesse to Ioseph the scepter to Iudah so of the rest And it was Davids acknowledgement The king shall reioice in thy strength O Lord exceeding glad shall he bee of thy salvation Thou hast given him his hearts desire hast not denyed him the request of his lips Psal 21.3 Thou hast prevented him with the blessings of goodnesse thou hast set a crowne of pure gold vpon his head Psal 21.3 When the kingly Prophet confesseth with much ioy the blessings he had received from the Lord generally here as in other places particularly hee nameth these blessings of good things how he was chosen before his brethrē wiser then his teachers worthyer then the ancients stronger then his enemies and not only expresseth God to be the author of his Royall power but also of his Martiall prowesse Blessed be the Lord my strength which teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight my goodnes my fortresse my tower my deliverer my shield Psal 140.1 Psal 140.1 Yea and the preservations of him in vtero ex vtero ab vtero to bring him to that dignity by covering him in his mothers wombe Psal 139.13 by receiving him from the wombe Psal 22.10 yea by taking him out of the wombe Psal 71.6 All religious Princes will acknowledge Tuum est regnum Potentia gloria his was the Practique well as the Theorique he put kingdomes in the scales of iudgement to examine as wel the weight of their worth Gods blessing in so great gifts as the weight of their labyrinths of cares feares and Maeanders of troubles he found the honours to be transcendent that good kings were the Dearlings of God his deputies stars in his hands signets on his finger the great lights of his firmament those to whom he not onlie partaked his scepter his power his honour but even of his owne omnipotent Titles not only as the woman of Tekoa gaue the attribute to David 2. Sam. 14.17 My Lorde the king is wise as an Angell of God but God bestowing his owne name Dixi quod Dij estis I haue said yee are Gods Psal 82. and his sons name Nolite tangere Christos meos Touch not my Christs Psal 105. and not only the name but the power and speech of his spirit as in David Spiritus Domini loquutus est per me the spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me 2. Sam. 23.2 and that they haue ever beene esteemed the chiefest of the sonnes of men the chariots of Israel Oracles of wisdome Chāpions of valour Guardians of Iustice the Gemmes Diadems of governments beauty Yet in al this Soveraignty they are subiect to more violence of storme then their subiects they are no more free from emptinesse wearynesse thirst heate cold sweat labour They are like the heavenly bodies
for Thee Mat. 17. one for Moses one for Elias Moses Tabernacle was dissolued hee must haue none hee had no commission to make a new one Elias was taken vp into heaven he rested on the holy hill more glorious thē to abide in a Tabernacle hee needed none Christ would not enioy so much as a hole to hide his head on earth much lesse a Tabernacle on a hill hee would haue none It had beene glorious to be present at the maiestie of that meeting where in body were represented Elias from heaven Moses from the graue Peter and others from the world nay where Pater in voce filius in carne spiritus sanctus in nube where the blessed Trinitie as at the Baptisme before so now againe at the Transfiguration were all present the Father in the voice the Sonne in the flesh the holy spirit in the cloud as the ancients haue collected Vpon this short shewe of the glorious presence of Christ Peter was in an extasie faciamus Tabernacula yet this felictie had bin but momentary if made Tabernacles had served though S. Peter had made them for Saint Paule telleth vs Non manufactum Tabernaculum it is not a Tabernacle made with handes will serue but the true Tabernacle which the Lord hath pitcht and not man Heb. 8.2 and which David asked of in his 15. Psalme Psal 15.1 Lord who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle who shall rest vpon thy holy hil The Monarches of the earth that shall enter hereinto may cast away their crownes as Elias left his cloake and repent of nothing saue that they came no sooner hither It was as it seemeth an honourables and a Commendable ambition in the Disciples that there was a strife among them who shoulde bee the greatest in the kingdome of heaven Mat. 18.1 Their other ambitious thoughts were not so law full It was I confesse a monstrous sight to see the Saviours servants who should not haue savoured of earthly things disputing who should be the greatest among them as in Marke 9.34 a much more prodigious spectacle to behold a contentiō among them in an ambitious manner at the Lords table in the time of the Passeover Luk. 22.24 nay of the last Passeover that ever Christ did eate with thē which he had desired with such a desire to eate with them it was much to dispute it more to striue for it much to question in the way contention for it at the Table much to doe it when their Lord heard them not as in Marke when no danger neere their Lord more now when their Lord heard them and they saw him in sorrow when it was but the day before his death bitter Passion then his comfort a quarrell of his Disciples this Passover was truely eaten with bitter hearbes Both these contentions were grievous in common men more grievous in the lights and fathers Chariots and horsemen of Israel But the question propounded in S. Mathew 18.1 may seeme tolerable Mat. 18.1 for our Saviour had taught them Primum quaerite Regnum Dei first seeke the kingdome of God and now they desire but to learne Quis primus in regno Dei who should be the first and greatest in the kingdome of God And in the answer to this seeming tolerable and Commendable question Christ not only teacheth but taxeth thē for the swelling ambition of that question and answereth thē that vnles they were converted would become as little children they could not enter into the kingdom of heaven Mat. 18.4 He instanceth in a little child thus Whosoever therfore shal humble himselfe as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdome of heaven teaching thereby that Humility is the gate to heaven that though the childrē of God must lead an inoffēsiue kind of life yet they thinke meanely of themselues and the more holy a man is the more hath he sense of his owne corruption Hee must walke with God yet humble himselfe vnder the mighty hand of God No opinion in his own wisdome no confidence in his owne power no hope in his owne works he must deny himselfe if he professe Christ And here by the consequence of the instance he reproveth his disciples that did confound the good motion by the swelling disposition of their minde not content to bee inheritours of the kingdome of heaven but tooke vpon them to striue for superiority in that kingdome where the meanest inhabitant shall be a king the meanest reward a Crowne and all shal be like the Angels of God Where our New-borne Prince now is and enioyeth a permanent triumph most glorious among them that follow the Lamb whither so ever he goeth among those which are redeemed from among men and are the first fruits vnto God and to the Lamb having there the Royalty of happynesse as he had here the right of inheritance 9 Ambition could not tempte him nor slaunder staine him that ever his thoughts did seeke that which was not lawful neither in his intentions did he approue nor in his actions did appeare any shew of vniust acquisition * Fas. Fas was the limitation of all his resolutions The ancient revenewes which his Royal progenitors had designed in his Principality and Dukedome he regained frō the vniust possessors for the Patrimony of Prince Priest hath been is intruded vpon but such Princely clemency herein appeared that law having restored their landes and revenevves vnto his Highnesse his gracious bounty restored the possessours vpon small considerations vnto that which without right they formerly had detayned Hereby giving a taste as well of Provident managing of his state as of his benigne regarde of any that had any tenure vnder him as if his lawe had beene rather Ius Praetorium then Ius Censorium and he had affected the rules of Chauncery more thē the kings bench what Equity did yeeld him his Clemency moderated and law in his breast was attended as Virgo in heaven as with Leo on the one side the power of a Prince so with libra on the other side scales to try the weight of right wherein as in the divine scales of omnipotency so in his weights the worth of mercy outweighed the right of Iustice. So farre was he from gathering the Treasures of wickednesse by the balance of deceit from countenancing Lawes to bee snares to good mindes or quirkes to mercenary wits from denying the Kings measure to any man or turning Iudgement into wormewood that in many things he desisted from acquiring his own right when the right hand of aequitie led him thereto though the heathen observed that Iustice is a vertue in nature so conioyning with the heart of man that there is no greater sympathy betweene the Loadstone Iron then betweene Iustice and the heart So that in a Prince especially absolute Iustice in its rigour cannot seeme deformed that of Heraclitus being most true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Prince the Image of God Heracl
the Law the worke of the Prince and Iustice the end of the Law yet such a sweet match was in the temper of the absolute Prince that as hee never passed over the Line of Iustice in wresting any thing from the true owner so did hee not neglect the exercise of much clemency even vnto those that vniustly some of them vnmanerly had intruded into and continued long in the Rights of Princely demaines As all that had occasions to negotiate with his Highnes worthie officers of Revenewes in the setling of estates cannot but confesse out of a due consideration if any sparke of truth and integritie be in them as I acknowledge much in many of them contemning the viperous tongues of malignant and mad Detractors Right was the levell and square that ruled him kingdomes or Empires were not forcible enough much lesse the possession of some small Cantons or Countries able to withdrawe his eye and heart and hand from a iust proposal or his foot from the path of lawfull proceeding His soule abhorred the speech of Polynices in the Tragedie Imperia precio quovis constant benè kingdomes in his opinion were not to be bought at any rate Sen. Trag. He esteemed Power without Iustice our of course as a Lion broke from his cage furious vnsatiable vniust suits he held blots of the Courts and enimies of Conscience vniust warres abuse of force the vsurie of fraud vniust claymes Contentions fire and Opinions falshood vniust possessions as Ahabs vinyard though the acts of power yet the dwellings of horror Iniustice in any case was not only distasted but detested by him hee yeelded no countenance no encouragement to such acquisitions Rapine durst never fly for shelter vnder his shadow it feared nay it fled his countenance neither his practise nor protection yeelded favour to that horrid Pyoner Monster of the Palace Iniustice Fas est was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Aristotle calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as S. Iames tearmeth it an vnwritten yet a Royall law to him The Portion of the Levite hee esteemed sacred sacriledge he accounted as neighbour to blasphemie the Church was as happy by him as he by it holy he wisht the Arke and Aaron their dignitie and dues not the meanest of that tribe but had from him vpoÌ„ any occasioÌ„ more respect then from the most of that time and for their maintenance by his Religious Arithmetique hee intended rather addition to it then substraction froÌ„ it whatsoever to the contrary was thought by some hot spirits Herostratus heires who thinke to get honour by setting fire on the Temple No place complained of any Iniustice in him much lesse Gods house or the maintenance thereof The Temple was his high way to heaven and righteousnesse his guid felicitie the Patrimonie he expected and yet violence the meanes by which he sought it Was violence the meanes Sacred Prince he was another Moses the meekest that ever his name stiled great Anger was a stranger and Passion an exile with him his pulses equall speeches temperat his countenance as the sunne in it selfe alwaies faire his entendments iust and actions iuditious Where then had violence either dwelling or lodging in him Nec irritabilis nec implacabilis hee was not easily angred yet easily pleased a storme could not smite him nor the violence which shipwrackt others shake him Coelum non patitur this celestiall creature was not subiect to the passiue motions of distempers the change of the moone had not power nor the violence of Planets predominancy in his Nativitie In all his sayling hee was in a calme hee had learnt the lesson which was taught to Traian Nec minus se hominem esse quà m hominibus praeesse Pliny His practise was as much in the Politikes to obey as in his Oeconomicks to rule and how then was violence the meanes of his acquisition I say again Violence was the meanes to obtaine his felicitie even that holy sanctified violence which our Saviour exhorteth vnto Mat. 11.22 Mat. 11.12 The kingdome of heaven must suffer violence and the violent take it by force The Saints of God shall drinke of the Flood of life Ps 36.9 The holy spirit descended in a fire Acts 2. And what more violent then a flood or fire In what is so much earnestnesse shewed as in a race or a Combat yet these be the tearmes of Scripture to incite to a more vrgent violent pace in our passage towardes heaven Which Course as this Peerelesse Creature knew so did he with his best affections bend towards it Spirituall pride and carnall securitie were rockes on either hand him which hee avoided a continuall remembrance of his Creator the Lord that directed him and as if his vessel had beene more speedy then ordinary hee happily passed through the waues of this troublesome world and ankor in the haven of heaven vnto which hee had the heigth of inheritance 10 Learne from this Holy patterne all yee that torture Iustice and extend the limits of right to your own ends vsing the Law as a Law of libertie blaÌ„ching of bad darkning of good courses changing the face speech of Iustice making her pronounce as the heathen Oracles often ambiguitie if not falsities Behold a Prince whose power might haue betrayed his will and his will corrupted the Law but hee walketh vpright before his maker violence or crueltie had no place in his habitations all his intentions were weighed with how lawfull not how gainefull they were the kingdome of heaven to which he had right by adoption is his ayme is his desire to seeke other things if this were any hindrance to this atchieument he forbore hereby teaching the vnrighteous Ahabs of this time who seeke for all things else but heaven by all means else but right how great their offence is who in the placing of their officers be like Nero Eras Apoth whose speech was to his servaÌ„ts scitis quibus mihi opus hoc agamus ne quis quid habeat as if his treasures should haue beene the Ocean into which the rivers of privat mens states should haue emptied themselues Vox praedone quaÌ„ principe dignior a speech fitter for a Pyrat Lang loc Com. then a Prince as one censureth him Where if such would bee content to prey onely on the great ones the fault were lesse as Tibullus telleth the great theeues of his time At vos exiguo peeori furesque lupÃque Tibull Farcite de magno praeda petenda grege It caused Davids anger to be greatly kindled against the rich man in Nathans parable who tooke away from the poore man 2. Sam. 12. the one and onely little ewe Lambe which he had bought and nourished vp and David sentenceth it thus As the Lord liueth the man that hath done this thing shall surely die and he shall restore the Lambe fourefold because he did this thing and because he had no pity 2. Sam. 12.6 And not to heape
bee thy anger for it was fierce and thy wrath it was cruell Didst thou mistake Iehoshaphat for Ahab 1 King 22.32 this holy Prince for some Idolatrous Pagan or was thy aime onely at this beautie of the world Why hadst thou not gorged thy hollow hellish appetite with some blasphemous Rabshaked or cursed Sanballat with some aspiring Haman or Church-robbing Nebuchadnezzar Ioseph lib. 1. Antiq. cap. 5. Hosp de Grig fist pag 48. Novemb 12 November was the dismall time death fitted for this Tragedy a time noted by the Orator dysastrous It would rather fill a Library then a volume to descend to particulars It was the Month of the Flood as Iosephus among the ancient Hospinian among the moderne doe affirme and if ever a second Cataclysme fell vpon the earth the Teares shed in the sorrow of this losse may deserue a Chronicle many expectations were sunke and some Gallants went to heave thy water sorrow killed them What hopes were shipwrackt in this storme and what a generall deluge over streamed all honest hearts will never be forgotten while that blacke day the 6th of November shall appeare in our Kalender Quintus intendit Sextus intulit The 5. day was by the Sonnes of Beliall a day dedicated to our destructiō a day by Hesiod and Virgil and all the heathens as Hospinian collecteth most ominous but the Lord was more carefull in the prevention then wee thankfull for preservation herein therefore what was but threatned on the fift day was showred downe the 6th day at which time the storme fell vpon vs. It was a strange prodigie that on the fift day at night about the houre of 8. a Rainebow appeared seeming as it were by the sight and Iudgement of some to cōpasse the house of S. Iames. I referre the Learned to those that haue written of prodigies for my own part I haue learned that lesson In pluribus Domini operibus non esse curiosum Eccl. 3.22 not to be over curious and inquisitiue in many workes of the Almightie Lactantius much inveigheth against those De fals sap lib. 2. c. 20. whose chiefe delight was Inconcessa crutari to search for vnlawfull things and I knowe that Iacob striving with an Angell got the shrinking of a sinew yet that the covenāt of the flood sould so dysastrously appeare in the month of the flood in the night beyōd the rules of Nature and course of custome did certainely portend somewhat Indeed after the flood God hung vp his bowe in the Clowd in token of reconciliation vnto men and the bend and arch of the bowe is turned from vs Lib. de operibus creat cap. 3. as Zanchius observeth But he hung vp his bow saith Ambrose Arcus habet vulneris indicium non vulneris effectum the bowe maketh a shewe of hurting but it doth not hurt it is the arrow that woundeth But now God seemeth for our sinnes to haue taken downe his bow againe it was an arrow he shot with the fervency of his furie the Court was wounded the Commōwealth the Church the whole Protestant world receaved a wound in the death of Gods deareling the Renowned Prince now in heaven 13 Let all the world stand in awe of their pow erfull commander that shooteth his arrowes of desolation among the Children of men All the trees of the Forest must know that the Lord hath brought down the high tree hath exalted the lowe tree hath dried vp the greene tree and hath made the dry tree to flourish as he threatneth Ezek. 17.24 and that all the sonnes of men are vnder one common conditiō Our liues are short in all things except miseries and troubles our continuance is only certaine in vncertaintie God hath reserved our times vnknowne because wee should bee alwaies ready Quò propior quisque est servitque fideliùsaegro In partem laethi citiùs venit By how much the neerer men come about dying persons by so much the sooner should they consider their owne deaths Wherefore Noble and worthy Gentlemen who were sad spectators of the blessed passage of his Princely soul sequester all humane wisdome and policy all Court vanitie or glory looke vpon the Glasse of mortalitie the more yee are intangled either in the delights or affaires of this life the more grievous death will bee to you It will be vnseasonable when the paines and perplexities of the soules departing from two friends of so long familiarity the body and the world shal draw your powers from true repentance Seeke therefore the Lord while he may bee found blowe the dying fire of your devotion Looke backe and esteeme the whole race which yee haue runne as a short steppe looke foreward and behold the infinit space of eternitie wherein by grace yee may continue here yee haue no abiding city your service is no inheritance Lift therefore your mindes to heaven and discover the most bright and beautifull glory your life is your candle wast it not in idle play it was allowed you only to light you to ed. Finally whosoever of you beholdeth the present Princely family and saw it in her first glory doubt not but God will make good his word to this house which he promised in Haggci The glory of this later house shall be greater then the former Hag. 2.9 saith the Lord of hosts Lord make this promise good Blesse our most hopefull Charlemaine with all thy choise graces Let the enimie haue none advantage of him nor the wieked approach to hurt him but for ever let thy mercies compasse him giue vnto him the doubled spirit of his now blessed and immortall brother indue him with the hand of Gedeon the heart of David and the head of Solomon Grant him in health and wealth long to liue that at the length hee may attaine everlasting ioy and felicitie through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen FINIS