mâ—st Orthodâ—x Divines They determine according to St. Austin against the Doctrine of the Pelagians Prove the Man of sin spoken of 1 Thess. 2. to be the Bishop of Rome and for the Morality of the Sabbath of both which this most learned Doctor was very confident and oft wished that some of our learned men of late had spared their pains when they went about to prove the contrary In defence of the last of these he wrote a most excellent and learned Letter to Dr. Twiss who had desired his judgement about it He wanted not enemies who sought to scandalize him to King James under the Title of a Puritan which was very odious to him in those dayes seeking hereby to prevent his further promotion but God so ordered it that it proved an occasion of his advancement for King James being jealous of him upon that score by reason of the eminency of his learning fell into serious discourse with him and therein received such abundance of satisfaction both of the soundness of his judgement and piety that notwithstanding the opposition made by some great ones without his seeking he made him Bishop of Meath in Ireland which just then fell void whilst he was in England and the King often boasted that he was a Bishop of his own making Whilst he was thus Bishop Elect he was chosen to preach before the House of Commons Feb. 18. 1620 in Margarets Westminster The Sermon by order of the House was printed and it is a most learned one Upon his return into Ireland he was consecrated Bishop of Meath at Droheda by Archbishop Hampton with the assistance of two Suffragan Bishops according to the custome at which time there was given him an Anagram of his Name as he was then to write himself which was this James Meath I am the same and he made it good ever afterwards His preferment did not cause him to grow slack in his constancy of preaching as it did too many who having caught the Fish laid aside the Net But as Possidonius saith of St. Austin he was still the same which he bound himself the rather unto by the Motto of his Episcopal Seal Ve mihi si non Evangelizavero Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel which he continued in the Seal of his Primacy also He had many Papists in his Diocess whom he endeavoured to reclaim by private conferences and at length they were willing to hear him preach so it were not in a Church which he condescended to and preached in the Sessions-house and his Sermon wrought so much upon some of them that their Priests forbad them hearing him in any place ever after Anno 1622 there were some Papists censured in the Star-chamber for refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy at which time he was called thither to inform them of it before the sentence passed which occasioned that learned Speech of his upon that subject since printed with his English works While he was Bishop of Meath he answered a challenge sent him by the Jesuite Malone and his going over into England to Print it occasioned another learned Tractate of the Universality of the Church of Christ and the Unity of the Catholick Faith in a Sermon preached before King James on Eph. 4. 13. Till we all come in the unity of the Faith c. And Gods providence so ordered it that whilst he was thus busied in England Archbishop Hampton dying he was made his successour Primate of Ireland Anno Christi 1624 and he was the hundreth Bishop of that See Being thus promoted to the highest preferment his Profession was capable of in his native Country he was so far from being puffed up with Pride that he was more humble and frequent in preaching and it so fell out that for some weeks together overtoyling himself in the work of the Ministry to the overwasting of his spirits whic he did at the request of some Essex Ministers who importuned him to preach on the week dayes because they could not come to hear him on the Sabbaths he fell into a Quartane Ague which held him three quarters of a year After his recovery the Lord Mordant afterwards Earle of Peterborough being a Papist and desirous to draw his Lady to the same Religion he was willing that there should be a meeting of two eminent persons of each party to dispute what might be in controversie between them The Lady made choice of our Lord Primate and prevailed with him though newly recovered from the aforesaid long sickness and scarce able to take such a journey The Jesuite chosen by the Earle went under the name of Beaumond but his true name was Rookwood brother to Ambrose Rookwood one of the Gunpowder Traitors The place of meeting was at Drayton in Northamptonshire where there was a great Library so that no Books of the ancient Fathers were wanting upon occasion for their view The points to be disputed on were concerning Transubstantiation Invocation of Saints worshipping of Images and the visibility of the Church Three dayes they were in this Disputation three hours in the forenoon and two hours in the afternoon each day and the conclusion was this After the third day of meeting the Lord Primate having been hitherto opponent now the Tables were to be turned and the Jesuit according to his desire was to oppose and the Lord Primate to answer But when the time came and the Jesuit was expected instead of coming he sent his excuse to the Lord Mordant which was that all the Arguments which he had framed in his head and premeditated so that he thought he had them as perfect as his Pater Noster were now slipt from him and he could not possibly recover them again and that he believed it was a just judgement of God upon him for undertaking of himself to dispute with a man of that eminency and learning without a licence from his Superiour The Lord Mordant seeing his tergiversation upon some further discourse with the Lord Primate was converted and became a Protestant and so continued to his death One Challoner a Secular Priest afterwards writing a book against this Beaumond by way of scorn bids him beware of coming any more to Drayton lest he meet with another Usher to foil him again to the dishonour of his profession and himself The Lord having made his labours so succesful the Countess of Peterborough had him alwayes in great respect and upon his losses in Ireland and other distresses here she took him home to her owne house with whom be lived about nine or ten years and then died there Anno Christi 16â—6 in August he went back into Ireland where he was entertained with all the expressions of love and joy that could be The discourses which daily fell from him at his Table in clearing difficulties in the Scripture and other subjects especially when learned men came to visit him tended exceedingly to the edification
instilling precious precepts exhortations instructions or consolations into those with whom he had occasion to converse A godly woman told his Son that she had been servant to a Religious Gentleman to whose house Mr. Carter did often resort and that she was won to Christ at first by hearing the Heavenly speeches and sweet principles that dropped from him as she was warming his Bed and as she waited upon him in his Chamber He was always most just and exact in his dealings He put a Clause in his Will for the faithfull and carefull payment of his Debts yet when his Son John and his daughter Eunice whom he made his Executors enquired what his Debts were he could finde nothing that he owed except to the Smith for shooing of an Horse or two His Son when he came to look over his Library found two or three Books not one of them worth a Groat upon which he had written This Book was borrowed of such an one Let it be restored or if the owner cannot be found allow something to the poor for it and that liberally Once being in a journey many miles from home in changing a piece of Gold at a Shop he took an half Crown piece instead of a shilling neither he nor the Shop-keeper knowing it but as soon as he came home he found the mistake whereupon he could not rest satisfied but the next day took a long journey back again on purpose to that Town to carry back the half Crown again He was of a sweet mild and gentle nature and of a gracious spirit A loving and faithfull Husband to his wife and a tender and indulgent Father to his children and if he failed in any thing it was in his carriage to his Servants for truly he carried not himself to them as a Master to his servants but as a familiar friend to his friends He would make them to sit down with him at his Table and would drink to them at his meals He and his Wife were married together almost threescore years and in all that time there was never heard any distastefull word to pass betwixt them Neither indeed could it be otherwise For he lived and walked with her as a man of knowledge he was to her a Prudent Faithfull and tender guide and she was humble and meek reverenced and highly esteemed him Every word he spake was an Oracle to her and her will ever closed with his Judgement He lived to the age of fourscore When his youngest son John was born who was the youngest of nine he called him the Son of his Age and yet he lived to see him fourty years old before he died himself being fourty years old when he was born He was much and frequent in secret Fastings and when he kept such a day he told none of his house of it save his wife only and she would not eat any thing that day on which he fasted but oft-times she was with him in his retiring chamber to joyn with him in prayer yet could it not be concealed from the rest of the Family because at night he supped not but only had a Toste and a draught of ordinary Beer to sustain nature On the Sabbath Days he never had any Roste meat at Dinner because he would have none thereby kept from the Publick Ordinances the Pot was hung on with a piece of Beef and a pudding in it and that was their constant Lords Days Dinner for well-nigh sixty years together His Church at Belsted stood in a very solitary place whereof he always kept a key and would often resort thither all alone A Gentleman once espying him as he went towards the Church on a private day hid himself till Mr. Carter was past and gone into the Church and then he came close up to the Church wall desiring to peep in at some window to see what he did and to listen if he said any thing and this Gentleman afterwards told his Son John that he first prayed then read a Chapter and after that prayed largely and very heavenly as if he had been in his Family or in the publick Congregation He vigorously held on the constant course of his Ministry to the last It may be said of him as of Caleb and Joshua he was as sit for service in Gods Harvest-field at fourscore as he was at fourty Indeed some abatement of bodily strength there was as old Age did steal upon him After his afternoon Sermon on the Sabbath days he would be something faint and commonly when he came home he would call for some comfortable draught and when he had lifted up his eyes to heaven and taken it he would say to them about him These are crutches to shore up a ruinous house but in his Intellectuals and spiritual strength there was no decay Old Mr. Benton of Wramplingham in Norfolk a holy man of God being upon occasion in Suffolk in those parts could not but give a visit to his old friend Mr. Carter of Belsted and being with him he heard him discourse with such holy gravity and a mixture of all kinde of Learning sollidity and wit that he stood amazed at it and said Mr. Carter I see you are like unto the Palm and Cedar Tree you bring forth more fruit in your Age. I thank you said Mr. Carter you tell me what I should be And now the time of his departure was at hand Some fortnight or three weeks before his Translation there appeared some decays in his body and memory which now began to fail him He would sometimes but rarely call to go to Sea and to his better Countrey Yet he sate up from morning till night and commonly walked up and down the room and never failed to perform Prayer and other Family exercises so that none could discern any considerable defect either in his spiritual or natural strength Only in this that when he had done he would presently call to begin again and say to his daughter Eunice who was now the stay of his house and the staff of his old age God having taken away his dear wife about two years before Daughter shall we not go to prayer and when she answered him Sir you have been at Prayer already and you are weary he would reply I fear we have not done what we should do It was one of his constant and ordinary Petitions in every Prayer that God would vouchsafe him a mercifull and easie passage out of this life and the Lord did most graciously answer him therein February the 21. Anno Christi 1634. being the day before the Sabbath in the evening he called very earnestly for Paper Ink and two Pens For saith he by Gods grace tomorrow I will preach twice But God knows he was not in a fit condition for study yet with that resolution he went to Bed and God gave him some rest that night In the morning upon the Sabbath day he did rise from his Bed as he
his Family he was very exemplary His house was another Bethel for he did not onely constantly upon conscientious principles use morning and evening Prayer and reading the sacred Scriptures in his Family but also he catechized his children and servants wherein God gave him a singular gift for their edification for in teaching them he used not any set form but so as that he brought them whom he instructed to express the principles taught them in their own words so that his children as Gregory Nazianzen saith of his Father found him as well a spiritual as a natural Father Yea never any servant came to his house but gained a great deal of knowledge therein So likewise did diverse others who at the request of their Parents were instructed by him He was in a special manner a strict and conscionable sanctifier of the Lords day and that not onely in the exercise of publick duties incumbent upon his Office but also in the private sanctification of it in the duties of piety in and with his Family and secret in his Closet and for this end as he did forbear providing of Suppers the Eve before the Sabbath that servants might not be occasioned thereby to sit up late so neither would he suffer any servant to stay at home for dressing any meat upon the Lords day for the entertainment of friends whether they were great or mean few or many On the Sabbaths after his publick labours were ended divers Neighbours wanting helps in their own Families came to his house where he repeated his Sermons after so familiar a manner that many have professed that they were much more benefited by them in that his repetition than they were in the first hearing of them for he did not use word by word to read out of Notes what he had preached but would by Questions and Answers draw from those of his own houshold such points as were delivered and this Exercise being ended his constant course was to visit such of his Parish as were sick or by pain and weakness were dis-inabled to go to the publick Ordinances with each of whom he would discourse of some spiritual and heavenly subject suitable to their condition and after that he prayed with them wherein he had a more than ordinary gift being able in apt words and expressions to commend their several cases unto God and to put up Petitions suitable to their several needs His usual course was to pray eight times in the publick Congregation on the Lords dayes for as he prayed before and after each Sermon so also before and after his reading and expounding the Scriptures which he performed both in the forenoon and afternoon And in his Family his constant course was to pray thrice every Lords day and that in a solemn manner viz. in the morning and evening and after his repetition of the Sermons He was ordained Minister in the two and thirtieth year of his age and about a year after which was in June 1608. he was called to the exercise of his Ministry in the Parish of Black-Friars London where he continued to his dying day which was about five and forty years and six months never accepting of any other Ministerial imployment though he had the proffers of many great places His manner of coming to Black-Friars was thus That Parish being destitute of a preaching Minister Mr. Hildersam a famous pious powerful Preacher being in company with some of the better sort of the Inhabitants of Black-Friars who complained of their want he told them that there was one living in Stratford-Bow who was out of imployment whom he judged very fit for them Hereupon divers of them went thither on the Lords day where he frequently preached gratis to help the Minister that then was there and upon hearing of him they liked him so well that making report thereof to their neighbours he was by an un animous consent nemine contradicente chosen to be their Minister which election being made known to him he accepted of it and ever after shewed a great respect to the Inhabitants of that place Before Mr. Gouge came to them they had not so much as a Church of their own to meet and hear the word of God in nor any place wherein to bury their dead but by such means as he used the Church and Church-porch together with the Ministers house and Church-yard all which they enjoyed before but upon curtesie were bought in so as now they all as their proper Inheritance do belong to the Parish of Black-Friars And five years after his coming thither the old Church being found too little to entertain those multitudes that flocked thither from all parts of the City to hear him he was an instrument of purchasing in certain rooms adjoyning whereby the Church was enlarged almost as big again as it was before The sum of purchasing new building and beautifying of which Church amounted to above one thousand five hundred pounds all which was procured partly by Collections at his Lectures and partly by the voluntaâ—y contributions of his Parishoners without any publick Collections in other places After this there being divers rooms under the said Church belonging to several Land-lords he used such means as to purchase them also for the benefit of the Parish which he did the rather to prevent all dangers that by wicked minded persons might have befaln Gods people in that Church by any contrivance in the rooms under the same Thus they who had nothing of their own at his first coming have now through his procurement the whole Church the Church-porch a Church-yard a Vault to bury their dead in a very fair Vestry with other adjacent rooms besides the house wherein he himself dwelt so long as he lived all which they hold as a perpetual Inheritance They have also a Lease of certain Tenements of a considerable value for three hundred years all which were procured by his Prudence Interest and Industry Such was his love and respect to this Parish as though he was oft proffered places of far greater value yet he refused them all oft saying That the height of his ambition was to go from Black-Friers to Heaven At his first coming to Black-Friers being in the thirty third year of his age he preached constantly besides twice every Lords day a weekly Lecture viz. on the Wednesdayes in the forenoon which for the space of about thirty five years was very much frequented and that not only by his Parishioners but by divers City Ministers and by sundry pious and judicious Gentlemen of the Innes of Court besides many other well-disposed Citizens who in multitudes flocked to hear his heavenly Doctrine yea such was the fame of Dr. Gouge his Ministry that when any Country Ministers and godly Christians came to London about their affairs they thought not their business fully ended unless they had been at Black-Friers Lecture And it pleased God to give such a
Erbery a Sectary and his associates Mr. Harris was unwilling that this challenge should be entertained having observed that disputes of that kinde send away each party more strengthened in their opinions than when they came thither yet his brethren being of another minde they desired his concurrence at least so far with them as to begin the work with prayer This he condescended unto and the Disputation proceeded and the issue was that all were censured some for speaking others for their silence in which latter rank he was willingly placed Not long after came the Chancellor of Oxon the Earle of Pembroke to visit the University who according to the custome bestowed Degrees upon some of the Schollars and amongst others Mr. Harris was admitted Doctor of Divinity who yet neither thought himself the better Schollar nor the better Preacher for this new honour and had it not been that he was loath to sleight the favour from his betters he had refused it having learned That an empty hand from a Prince and a naked title from his Chancellor must be counted an honour At this time many Headships of Colleges before made void were now to be supplied and Dr. Harris professed that seeing it was noised abroad that these Reforming Preachers came thither to play their own game viz. to thrust out others and to invest themselves with their places he therefore resolved to keep to his old course namely to stand silent without opening his mouth for any Headship at all and presently the best places were all disposed of neither was any thing spoken of for Dr. Harris till a Noble man of the other University made mention of him as not fit to be forgotten whereupon Trinity College was assigned to him This some of his Friends much wondered at considering that though he was the meanest in his own eyes yet was he the oldest man and one that had suffered more by the times than any if not than all the rest yet he himself said little to it onely he enquired who was the Head that was ejected and what was the nature of the place for he was unwilling to entertain the proffer if the former Head could finde favour to hold it and thereupon he forbore as long as he could be permitted and as for the place the smalness of the College and the scituation of it gave him great content who desired no more than what would keep him from distractions in his studies and the only thing that he stuck at was because there was a Parsonage annexed to the College But when he understood that its distance from Oxford was not great and the conditions easie viz. That he was required to preach but eight Sermons per annum at it he the more willingly inclined to it though after acceptance he could not satisfie himself under two Sermons a week and so at last there he sate down and took much content in the Fellows of that College betwixt whom and him there was ever a very fair correspondence At the Parsonage he found most of the people though they had been long taught very ignorant and much addicted to their old Customes and which he looked upon as a sad prognostick to the place no sooner did any there look Heaven-ward in any special manner but the Lord presently took him away some few and those very few excepted About this time a motion was made by the Committee at Oxford of removing him to New College which was now void but as the motion began without him so it was stifled by him the rather when he heard that some exception was taken above against him as being uncapable of that place because he was not a Winchester Schollar The truth is as he professed to some of his Friends he rather desired a little than a great College being one who was very much addicted to privacy and his Book which made him often say That if Trinity College were a competency without the Parsonage he would not leave it for any place except it were an Hospital So much had he seen into the vanity and troublesomenesse of the world In his latter dayes journies began to be tedious to him which occasioned some well affected Citizens in Oxford who were moved thereunto by a Sermon which Dr. Cheynell preached unto them to make some overtures to him of reading a Catechisme Lecture or of preaching upon the Principles of Religion which liked him best in one of their Churches in consideration whereof they would maintain him an assistant at his Parsonage The motion was good the exercise needful the onely question was how such a work would be accepted in such a place amongst the Wits and Schollars of the University yet because he had bemoaned himself to God in private bewayling that his comfort was little in the place where he preached and made it his humble sute that God would not lay him aside but finde some imployment for him whilst he had ability to perform it because I say he had prayed thus and this motion presently ensued he durst not reject it but set upon the work wherein the Lord assisted giving him strength even beyond what could be expected from a man of his age and caused his labours to finde great acceptance with his Auditors and thus he continued preaching once every Sabbath at his Parsonage and once in the week this Lecture besides which he preached when his turn came in the University and that both in English and in Latine also Yet we are not come to the end of his labours for having now freed himself from worldly affairs disposed of all his children and having left himself nothing else to do but to prepare himself and his wife for their graves who had lived about fifty years together it pleased God to exercise him in this strange manner His wife who was born of Parents eminently pious had been religiously educated and her self a constant worshipper of God all her time who seldome rose from her prayers with dry eyes was delivered up by God to Satans buffetings and to such hellish temptations and horrors of minde as struck a grief and terrour unto all the spectators which occasioned him often to say That God made appear to all beholders that the best man is no more than the Lord makes him hourly For as the receiving of Grace so the keeping using the comfort and enjoyment of it is all from him which is not onely true in supernatural Graces but in the gifts of Nature also our wits senses phantasies all are in Gods hand nor are the wisest men any thing longer than he pleases to continue them so This good woman was a sad instance of all this whose temptations were so violent so horrid and withall so subtil that they put the ablest and most experienced men to their wits end to answer them and her poor self even beyond her self whilst she was in this perplexed condition sundry eminent Preachers and Professors visited her
his Court when he came after divers good admonitions given him he told him that though he was never so great a Gentleman he could no more go to Heaven whilest he took such courses than he could eat that stone pointing to a great stone in his Court and then required him to pay five shillings for his Oaths which he did Then he told him that he must put in sureties for the good behaviour This the Gentleman refused to do alleadging that he was a stranger Whereupon Mr. Jurdainâ— commanded the Constables to carry him away to prison till he would find sureties which accordingly they did and as he was going into the prison door he desired that he might return back again and he would give Bail When he came to Mr. Jurdainâ— to do it he again gave him many good instructions and the Gentleman though he was a man of a very high spirit gave him many hearty thanks for his good counsell and promised amendment for the time to come The Master of Bridewell could witness how many disorderly persons were sent thither by Mr. Jurdains Warrants more than by any other Justices in his time The Stocks and Whipping-post could testifie what swearers drunkards unclean persons and such like notorious offendors were punished principally by his indifferent execution of justice And if any of the offenders that were liable to the censure and penalty of the Law desired to be spared he would tell them Here be my children whom I dearly love and yet if any of them should commit such offences they should suffer as you must do and therefore I cannot remit of the penalty of the Law What excuses or fair pretences soever they made he caused the Law to be executed upon them yea and that the more severely because of the greatness of the crime and the greater dishonour that redounded to the Name of the most high God thereby When some scandalous offenders for the gross sin of uncleanness were accused and questioned before the Court and some present for by-respects pleaded for them desiring to have them spared he wished the Watchmen that were at the Gates to keep out the Plague it being a time wherein some neighbour-Towns were infected should be called home For saith he the Plague is in the Guild-Hall of the City Adding further that if they did not execute the Law upon them he would complain of them to the Council Table And thereupon after much contest there was Order taken for their severe and just punishment He was ever very vigilant especially in the year of his Mayoralty when the government of the City lay upon him both to prevent and remove disorders Insomuch as he would go himself with the Constables to search for idle and disorderly persons on Sabbath dayes at night and at the end of the Assizes and Sessions and in Fair weeks c. Yea he did not only execute justice but he shewed himself zealous therein manifesting the greatest indignation against those evils whereby God was most highly dishonoured as swearing and Sabbath-breaking Indeed swearing was most odious unto him and had there been a greater penalty than was at that time appointed by the Law of the Land he would most readily have inflicted it But by his punishing as many as were brought before him it struck such an awe into the generality as that some that lived at that time in the City and near the place of the greatest concourse of people the Corn-market observed that they did not hear an Oath sworn for many years together He did not only maintain his zeal against swearing and swearers of the ordinary sort and rank of men but even of the highest that came within the verge of his authority As for example A Gentleman of great quality and much favoured at Court was heard to swear five or six times in the City Mr. Jurdaine having notice of it sent some Constables to demand the penalty for swearing The Gentleman was of an high spirit and at this time accompanied with the chiefest of the County of Devonshire and there were divers hot spirits about him The Constables pressed towards the room where he was saying that Mr. Jurdaine had sent them to demand the aforementioned penalty and it was like to have broken forth into a great and dangerous contest but a prudent Gentleman of a more moderate temper and one that feared an Oath stepped forth to them and told the Constables that this Gentleman was of an high and impatient spirit and had great company about him I fear therefore said he that the event may be of sad consequence if you pursue your intentions at this time yet the Constables seemed unwilling to depart till they had what they came for the Gentleman seeing this said I will now pay the six shillings to you for him and I promise you faithfully that I will take a convenient time to admonish the Knight when it shall do him more good than the rigorous exaction of the penalty of the Law can at this time and so they departed It is credibly related that Mr. Jurdaine being summoned to appear in the Star-chamber for an act of Justice wherein it was supposed that he went somewhat beyond the strict letter of the Law being there in the presence of some of his Judges who were Noble men and hearing them to swear divers Oaths he told them that they must pay for every oath that they had sworn or otherwise he would make it farther known When he was Mayor of Exeter he did much reform the open prophanation of the Sabbaths For whereas the Hullers had wont to set their Mills agoing on the Sabbaths he put a stop upon them for that whole day knowing that that whole day was to be dedicated to God and his worship and service and whereas it was usuall to sell fruit and herbs and other things on the Lords holy day as also Bowling Cudgel-playing and other prophane pastimes were then much used by his zeal and vigilancy and by the care of other Officers under him they were wholly left off though not without much reluctancy opposition and some danger at the first for there were commotions and tumults and great resistance made against him but by his constant zeal for God and his day and Gods blessing upon the same they were at last suppressed and quelled And not onely when he was Mayor but ever after being a Justice of Peace in which Office he continued for twenty and four years he was much taken up in the execution of Justice yea sometimes for the whole day from morning till night So that he did not onely execute Judgement in the morning as Jer. 21. 12. after he had been with God in the Mount of heavenly meditation but all the day long as Moses sate to judge the people and the people stood before Moses from the morning untill the evening Exod. 18. 13. And when he was out of power as a Justice he discovered his
his full and faithful testimony One thing was well observed by him and is very remarkable that notwithstanding the many opportunities she had to see Playes to which the neighbourhood and vicinity of the Play-house there and the frequent throngs of Gentlewomen which prest thither might have been forcible and prevailing invitations yet she could never whilst she lived there nor indeed all the time of her being in London be induced to see any of them and being sometimes advised by her dearest Friend to go thither as other Gentlewomen did to avoid too much retiredness she answered it is hard to say whether with more discretion or Religion that she liked it not and that next to Gods house she could best spend her time in her own In Gods House if I may with reverence use Tertullians expression she saw enough of the Scene Scenicae Doctrinae delectant Sat nobis sententiarum sat versuum sat etiam Canticorum c. Sentences Verses and Songs enough to delight her soul. Would she see a Tragedy There she could see before her eyes Jesus Christ evidently set forth crucified amongst them Gal. 3. 1. What a sight is Christs coming to Judgement Kings throwing down their Crowns and Scepters and themselves before him In her own house she could as Solomon describes the excellent Huswife Prov. 31. 27 28. imploy her self in looking well to the wayes of her Houshold and not eating the bread of idleness that so her children might rise up and call her blessed her Husband also and he might praise her She was so far from the gadding disposition of other talking walking women that she was for the most part as a Snail Domi porta within her own shell and family And as St. Jerom pourtaits his never enough admired and applauded Marcella Raro procedebat in publicum maximè Nobilium Matronarum domos vitabat ne cogeretur videre quod contempserat She went seldome abroad and especially chose to decline the houses of Noble and Honourable Ladies lest she should be tempted to see those vanities which she resolved to contemn and so be unwillingly wrought and brought to desire what she so willingly despised This retiredness as usually it doth drew on her a decrease of health which occasioned for the enjoyment of a better air and recovery of health her removal to Cheswick where she lived to her dying day exceedingly beloved and dyed extreamly lamented and desired of all While she enjoyed her health which yet was much interrupted her constant and unfailing practice was besides daily prayers in the Family to betake her self in the morning and at other convenient times to her constant private devotions in her Closet and then allotting some time for being a wise and prudent woman she made a little time reach far in the education and oversight of her children and disposing and dispensing the affairs of the Family the residue of the day she spent in reading books of Piety and Devotion and most willingly those of Dr. Gouge by which means she made her heart Bibliothecam Christi a Library of Christ and furnished her self with such a stock of Christian knowledge and devotion as carried her on with much comfort and cheerfulness through all her afflictions till she arrived at her long and much longed for home Both in her health and sickness she was of so meek and milde a comportment and behaviour towards all that she conquered by it as Ignatius advised Polycarp to do those that had if at least any had any venemous sting or spleen against her For her meekness she seemed indeed like that Dove in the Prophet Hosea chap. 7. 11. that had no heart none certainly to do any harm or injury to any And as Solomon saith Prov. 15. 1. A loft answer turns away wrath so without doubt her soft and milde disposition in these rough and blustering times kept off many an impetuous storm and shower from her This mildness was eminently conspicuous in her sickness One night her Husband perswaded her to use an Electuary that was sent her she refused it twice but in milde tearms yet the next morning she told him that she had been too blame it might be in her words the night before Often she desired all the world to forgive her if she had offended any as she heartily forgave them all that had offended her Her Husband told her that he thought she had no enemies Yea said she some have wronged me but I forgive them from my heart and desire God to forgive them In all the time of her sickness she was never heard to use any impatient word to any or of any Quis unquam ab hac muliere quod displiceret audivit That I may use St. Jeroms Question concerning another on her behalf Who ever heard any thing from this good woman that might displease him or believed any thing against her and condemned not himself of too much credulity or malignity in believing it Cheerful she was yet she tempered it with such a becoming severity severe she was yet she allayed it with such a decent cheerfulness that it may be truly said of her what was said by St. Jerom of a vertuous woman Nothing was more severe than her cheerfulness nor cheerfull than her severity Such a concurrence and constellation of vertues and sweetness such a Mirror of Charity such a Treasury and Magazine of Chastity and Sobriety was in her In short she had such an eminency in single vertues as if she had had no more and yet such a worthiness in all as if she had been singular in none Since the troubles of these bleeding times she suffered many afflictions with a Masculine patience though much imbittered to her by a long and tedious sickness and the necessary and indispensable absence of her dearest Consort which yet she professed that it never bred in her the least ill thought of him saying often that she did but desire to see him again and to speak with him and then she was ready if God so pleased the next day to sing old Simeons Nunc dimittis Luke 2. 29. Lord now lettest thy servant depart in peace And God heard her prayer and his also for in this they were joynt and mutual Orators and to her great comfort she saw him and spake with and for three weeks space they mutually enjoyed each other abroad in the house But then the first-born of Death began to devour her strength as Bildad speaks Job 1. 13 14. and threatned to bring her to the King of Terrours for so indeed Death is to them that have not made their peace with God But to her however in regard of the dissolution and parting of those dear friends body and soul which had been now for two and forty years sweet and loving inmates a valley of Achor Hos. 2. 15. that is bitterness as the word imports yet was it to her a door of hope to open her a passage
Plato satth St. Augustine Height of place ever addes two wings to sin Example and Scandal whereby it soars higher and flyes much farther Oh therefore how cautious should Rulers be lest they be partakers of other mens sins 1 Tim. 5. 22. They have enough of their own to answer for Potentes potentèr torquebuntur Let them take heed lest the iniquity of their heels of those that follow them at heels doth compass them about Psal. 49. 5. And as the evil examples of Great ones are very pernicious so are their good examples very profitable Such as were the Kings of Judah such were the subjects like Prince and like Priest like people Before Vespatians time the Romans were grown to great excess and profuseness in their apparrel houshold stuffe and attendants having by their Conquest of the East learned the Eastern vices and though many good Laws were made against it yet could they not be restrained But so soon as he came to the Empire being a sober moderate and temperate Prince himself all that former vanity grew out of fashion I am not ignorant how some of late have endeavoured to bespatter and to bring an Odium upon the Names of some of our former Worthies whose Lives I have formerly published as though they were Fanaticks Anabaptists because they would not have their children baptized by Popish Priests enemies to the State Traytors c. But the memory of them shall be blessed when the names of these their traducers shall not This is no new thing Indeed it s an old trick of the Devil and his instruments to belye Gods Children and to represent them in the ugliest hue they can devise thereby to make them the more odious Thus Doeg dealt by David The Priests and Prophets by Jeremy The Persian Courtiers by Daniel and his Companions Amaziah by Amos Hamon by the whole Nation of the Jews Tertullus by Paul And the Heathen Idolaters by the Primitive Christians whereof you may see many Examples in my Mirrour p. 44 45. But though the credit of the Saints may be Flyblown for a season and somewhat obscured yet as the Moon wades out from under a cloud so shall their innocency break forth as the light c. Psal. 37. 6. Buried it may be in the open Sepulchre of evill throats but surely it shall rise again A Resurrection there shall be of Names as well as of Bodies at the farthest at the last day But I fear to exceed the length of an Epistle and therefore I shall conclude with the words of the holy Apostle St. Paul The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all So begging your prayers I rest From my Study in Thredneedle-street Octob. 10. 1661. Yours to serve your Faith and further your Joy SA CLARKE Vpon this Book of Lives VVHo e're shall please to cast a glancing-eye On these unpolish't and rude lines which I Expose to publick view may chance t' admire A womans hand should dare so to aspire But why should man and wife divided be Who long have liv'd in love and unity For mine own part I do not know the reason Except a womans verse be out of season Indeed I almost blush thus to be seen Amongst so many Worthies as have been Famous for Learning give them but their right Yet let me dare 'mongst them to throw my mite Of these Examples sure I am there 's need To back our faith and strengthen us indeed Against such traps and nets as now are spread To catch Gods people in the wayes they tread Yet if these Worthies rather chose to dye Than known Truths to betray or once deny Then let us tread their path which path is blest That when we dye we may with them have râ—st And now to him that wrote this Book Due praise and thanks I give And pray that it may never dye But when he dyes may live To the Reverend c. Upon his Book of Lives VVIll not the rest of mankinde blush for shame When they shall read what under every name Is there related may not Ushers graces Raise conscious blood into our modern-faces He honour'd more his Dignity and See Then they did him God send more such as he May not Crook Whitaker and painfull Hill Shame Drone-vinedressers who want skill or will May not or rather will not every story Uâ—bâ—aid the present age and stain our glory When those that are not over-vicious shall Run hazard to be styl'd Fanatical And these much more whom you present to view May probably be call'd Fanaticks too For Moses and the Prophets are despised Apostles and Evangelists not prized What wonder then if those whom here you raise Even from the dead to guide in holy wayes Shall be reproached scorned and neglected And that example which they gave rejected Yet Sir your piâ—us labours sober men Will prize and praise God for your happy Pen Whereby that prâ—cious treasure once contain'd In earthen vâ—ssels now broke by deaths hand Is for our use preserved iâ— good part And we therewith enriched by your Art Let them who would your labours rightly prize Endeavour to untwine these mysteries Candles put out yet shining bright and fair Cities demolished yet standing are Salt turned into dust yet seasons much Uncanonized Saints yet truely such J. C. The Names of those Divines and Others whose Lives are contained in this Volume MR. John Carter who dyed Anno Christi 1634. Mr. Samuel Crook who dyed Anno Christi 1649. Mr. John Cotton who dyed Anno Christi 1652. Dr. Thomas Hill who dyed Anno Christi 1653. Dr. William Gouge who dyed Anno Christi 1653. Mr. Thomas Gataker who dyed Anno Christi 1654. Mr. Jeremy Whitaker who dyed Anno Christi 1654. Dr. James Usher Primate of all Ireland who dyed Anno Christi 1655. Mr. Richard Capel who dyed Anno Christi 1656. Dr. Robert Harris who dyed Anno Christi 1658. In the second Part. Gustavus Ericson King of Sueden who dyed Anno Christi 1562. Mrs. Jane Ratcliffe who dyed Anno Christi 1638. Mr. Ignatius Jurdaine who dyed Anno Christi 1640. Mrs. Margaret Duck who dyed Anno Christi 1646. Mrs. Margaret Corbet who dyed Anno Christi 1656. Mrs. Elizabeth Wilkinson who dyed Anno Christi 1654. Being sometimes occasionally absent from the City these faults have escaped the Corrector which I pray thee mend with thy Pen before reading of the Book PAge 29. line 4. read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 33. l. 8. r. strenuous for pervous p. 77. l. 1. put in when so ne c. p 87. l. 1. r. conscionably for conscionable p. 91. l. 4. put out an p. 129. l. 15. put out was p. 140. l. 1. put in of l. 20. r. her for his p 144. l. 22. put in occasion p. 149. l. 20. r. familiarly for familiarity p. 150. l. 29 r Bishops for Bishop p. 156. l. 23. r. strange for strong
leave a sweet savour and relish upon their spirits and whole converse To give you a true and full Character of his whole deportment in few words He was a good and a faithfull Steward in his Masters house alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord a Pillar in the house of his God never weary of his Lords work but best pleased when he had done most service His conversation was immaculate and unblameable His behaviour uniform and universally pious He was grave without austerity pleasant without levity Courteous without dissembling Free in discourse where he might profit yet reserved where he saw cause He was seldom the first speaker although he was best able to speak He loved usefull discourse but abhorred froth and babling He was witty without vanity facetious without girding or grieving of others He knew his place yet was not insolent Resolute he was but not wilfull He maintained his authority but was not haughty A great Master he was of his own Passions and Affections and thereby abundantly furnished with the more abilities and embellishments that most attract and maintain the dearest love the deepest reverence and highest respect He was a great admirer of Learning and Piety in others though they were far below himself in both His affections were above though he were below He conversed more with Heaven than with earth while he remained on it and is now a Crown of Glory in the hand of the Lord and a Royall Diadem in the hand of his God as being an ornament unto Heaven it self He lived in the world seventy five years within one moneth in which long race he saw many sad changes and sore storms beating hard upon the Church tossed with tempests and not yet at Anchor But never was David more distressed for his dearest Jonathan than this man of Bowels was for the calamities of the dear Spouse of Christ. He was most incessantly inquisitive after the Churches estate in all Countries A sad lamenter of all her afflictions A daily Orator and mighty Advocate for her at the Throne of Grace and never enjoyed himself but when he descried her under sail towards some Creek or Haven wherein she might find comfort and rest being much in Prayer and Fasting for her full reformation and perfect deliverance Some good hopes whereof he conceived in the prosperous atchievements of the Great Gustavus Adolphus late King of Sweden semper Augustus But when he by the sad and unsearchable providence of the only wise God suddenly and untimely fell in the full carier of his victories and of the Churches hopes and that the Christian world was by his fall hurled from the height of so great expectation he continually mourned over the unhappy setting of that glorious Northern Starre as a sad presage of all the inundations of miseries since befallen and that still are rising higher and higher upon the Church of Christ the quick and deep sence whereof lay close upon his heart to his dying day Neither was he without his sufferings and dangers in our uncivil Civil Wars He was affronted by rude Ruffians and bloody minded Souldiers who tyranized over him in his own house not permitting him quietly to enjoy himself and his God in his private study to which he often retired not only from their insolencies but from their Blasphemies Even thither would they pursue him with drawn swords vowing his instant Death for not complying with them in their bloody engagements Yet it pleased that gracious God whom he had so faithfully served to preserve him for further service and to make that an hiding place for his preservation which they intended for his slaughter house and after all to bring him to his end in peace When he had faithfully served his Generation by the will of God in the Gospel of his Son for above forty seven years he was gathered to his Fathers in a good old Age full of Days and Honour by a blessed and happy Death the certain result of an holy life Decemb. 25. Anno Christi 1649. the day formerly used for celebrating the Nativity of his great Lord and Master the Lord Jesus Christ. The last Testimony of the Peoples great love to him must not be forgotten by any that desire to preserve his precious memory in their hearts with honour This amply appeared by their great lamentation and mourning for him in his sickness and at his Death and sad Exequies His Funeral was extraordinarily celebrated not only by the voluntary confluence of the greatest number of people that ever crouded into the spacious Fabrick of that Church and by many hundreds more there assembled about the door which were unable to get in But by multitudes of Gentlemen and Ministers all striving to out-mourn each other standing about his Hearse with tears recounting his excellent Labors his fruitfull Life their great profiting by him as sometimes the widows about Peter weeping and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made while she was with them every one aggravating their griefs and losses in his gain and striving who should honour him most in bearing his Body to the bed of Rest. The Testimony given him at his Interment by him who performed that last office of love with many tears and which he knowingly spake from his long and intimate acquaintance and conversing with him almost forty years together take with you for a close in that Ministers own words out of the Pulpit Although said he Funeral Orations are commonly either the vain flourishes of mercinary tongues or the weak supports of an emendicated fame and since good mens works shall praise them in the gates it is but to light a candle to the Sun and since bad mens works cannot be covered with so thin a daub It is but to paint arotten Post. Yet some Testimony is due to such as having obtained a more eminent place in Christs mystical Body the Church have also been instruments of more than ordinary good to his Members Samuel died a Judge a Prophet a Great man a Good man in Israel and all the Israelites were gathered together to honour his Obsequies and lamented him and buried him 1 Sam. 25. 1. To say nothing then of so rich a Cargazoon so full a Magazine so rare a subject of all commendable qualities and admirable endowments were a frustrating of your eager expectations To say little were a wrong to him that deserved so much to say much were both a derogation from his merits that may challenge and an imputation upon your Judgements and affections that will acknowledg more due than I can now deliver Nevertheless since the memorial of the Just is a sweet perfume give me leave to strew a few of his own flowers upon his Herse and I will discharge your Patience His holy Life and consciencious courses his constant Labors thrice a week in the Ministery of the Gospel unless in times of sickness or necessitated restraint for the space of
God he afterwards found not only to be beneficiall unto him in preparing his heart for his work but also that it became an effectual means of his more peaceable and comfortable settlement in that place where the people were divided amongst themselves by reason of a potent man in the Town who adhered to another Cambridge man whom he would faign have brought in But when he saw Mr. Cotton wholly taken up with his own exercises of spirit he was free from all suspition of his being Pragmatical or addicted to siding with this or that party and so both he and his party began to close more fully with him Secondly Whereas there was an Arminian party in that Town some of whom were witty and troubled others with Disputes about those points by Gods blessing upon his Labours in holding forth positively such truths as undermined the foundations of Arminianism those Disputes ceased and the Tenets of Arminianism were no more pleaded for Thus God disposeth of the hearts of hearers as that generally they are all open and loving to their Preachers at their first entrance For three or four years he lived and preached amongst them without opposition They accounted themselves happy as well they might in the enjoyment of him both the Town and Country thereabouts being much bettered and reformed by his Labours But after he was not able to bear the Ceremonies imposed his Non-Conformity occasioned his trouble in the Bishops Court at Lincoln from whence he was advised to appeal to an higher Court and imploying Mr. Leveret who afterwards was one of the Ruling Elders of the Church of Boston in New England to deal in that business and he like Jacob being a plain man yet piously subtile to get such a spiritual blessing so far insinuated himself into one of the Proctors of that high-Court that Mr. Cotton was treated by them as if he were a Conformable man and so was restored unto Boston After this time he was blessed with a successfull Ministry unto the end of twenty years In which space he on the Lords Dayes in the afternoons went over the whole Body of Divinity in a Catechistical way thrice and gave the heads of his Discourse to those that were yong Scholars others in the Town to answer his questions in publick in that great congregation and after their Answers he opened those heads of Divinity and finally applied all to the edification of his people and of such strangers as came to hear him In the morning of the Lords Dayes he preached over the first six Chapters of the Gospel of St. John the whole Book of Ecclesiastes the Prophesie of Zachariah and many other Scriptures and when the Lords Supper was administred which was usual every monâ—th he preached upon 1 Corinth 11. 2 Chron. 30. the whole Chapter besides some other Scriptures concerning that subject On his Lecture days he preached through the whole first and second Epistles of John the whole Book of Solomons Song the Parables of our Saviour set forth in Matthews Gospel to the end of Chapter the 16th comparing them with Mark and Luke He took much pains in private and read to sundry young Scholars that were in his House and to some that came out of Germany and had his house full of Auditors Afterwards seeing some inconvenience in the Peoples flocking to his House besides his ordinary Lecture on the Thursdays he preached thrice more in publick on the week days viz. on Wednesdays and Thursdays early in the morning and on Saturdays at three a clock in the afternoon Only these three last Lectures were performed by him but some few years before he had another famous Colleague He was frequent in Duties of Humiliation and Thanksgiving Sometimes he continued five or six hours in Prayer and opening the Word So indefatigable was he in the Lords Work so willing to spend and be spent therein Besides he answered many Letters that were sent him far and near wherein were handled many difficult Cases of Conscience and many doubts cleared to great satisfaction He was a man exceedingly beloved and admired of the best and reverenced of the worst of his Hearers He was in great favour with Dr. Williams the then Bishop of Lincoln who much esteemed him for his Learning and when he was Lord Keeper of the Great Seal he went to King James and speaking of Mr. Cottons great Learning and worth the King was willing notwithstanding his Non-conformity to give way that he should have his Liberty in his Ministry without interruption which was the more remarkable considering how that Kings Spirit was carried out against such wayes Also the Earl of Dorchester being at Old Boston and hearing Mr. Cotton preaching about Civil Government he was so affected with the wisdom of his words and spirit that he did ever after highly account of him and put himself forth what he could in the time of Mr. Cottons troubles to deliver him out of them that so his Boston might still enjoy him as formerly but his desires were too strongly opposed to be accomplished About this time he married his second Wife Mistriss Sarah Story then a Widow He was blessed above many in his Marriages both his Wives being pious Matâ—ons grave sober and faithfull By the first he had no children the last God made a fruitfull Vine unto him His first-born was brought forth far off upon the Sea in his passage to New England So that he being childless when he left Europe arrived a joyfull Father in America In memorial whereof he called his name Sea-born to keep alive said he in me and to teach my Son if he live a remembrance of Sea-mercies from the hand of a gracious God He is yet living and entred into the Work of the Ministry A Son of many Prayers and of great expectation The corruption of the times being now such that he could not continue in the exercise of his Ministery without sin and the envy of his maligners having now procured Letters Missive to convent him before the High Commission Court which Letters a debauched Inhabitant of that Town undertook to serve upon him who shortly after died of the Plague Mr. Cotton having intelligence thereof and well-knowing that nothing but scorns and imprisonment were to be expected from them according to the advice of many able heads and upright hearts amongst whom that holy man of God Mr. Dod of blessed memory had a singular influence he kept himself close for a time in and about London as Luther sometime did at Wittenberg and Paraeus since at Anvilla Yet was not that season of his recess unprofitable For addresses during that time were made unto him privately by divers persons of worth and piety who received satisfaction from him in their Cases of Conscience of greatest concernment And when he went into New England it was not a flight from duty but from evident danger and unto duty Not from the
profession of the truth but unto a more opportune place for the profession of it When Mr. Cotton arrived at New England his manner of entrance unto them was with much blessing For at his first coming he found them not free from troubles about setling the matters both of Church and Commonwealth At which time being requested he preached before the general Court His Text was Haggai 2. 4. Yet now be strong O Zerubbabel saith the Lord Be strong O Joshua the son of Josedek the High Priest and be strong all ye people of the Land saith the Lord and work For I am with you saith the Lord of Hosts And the Lord working mightily by this Sermon all obstructions were presently removed and the spirits of all sorts as one man were excited unanimously and vigorously in the work of the Lord from that very day In order whereunto the Court considering that all the Members of that Republick were also Church Members and therefore to be governed according to the Law of God they desired Mr. Cotton to draw an abstract of the Judicial Laws delivered from God to Moses so far forth as they were of Moral i. e. of perpetual and universal equity which accordingly he did advising them to persist in their purpose of establishing a Theocraty i. e. Gods Government over Gods people From this time it was a usual thing for the Magistrates to consult with the Ministers in hard and difficult cases especially about matters of Religion yet so as notwithstanding occasional conjunction Religious care was had of avoiding confusion of Councils After which time how usefull Master Cotton was to Old England to New England to Magistrates to Ministers to People in Publick in Private by Preaching by Counsel and resolving difficult questions all know that knew him and consequently saw the Grace of God so evidently manifested in him In the course of his Ministry in New Boston by way of Exposition he went over the Old Testament to Isaiah the 30. The whole New Testament once through and the second time to the middle of Hebrews the 7th Upon the Lords Days and Lecture Days he preached through the Acts of the Apostles the Prophesies of Haggai Zechariah Ezra the Revelations Ecclesiastes Canticles the second and third Epistles of John the Epistle to Titus both the Epistles to Timothy the Epistle to the Romans with other Scriptures The presence of the Lord being with him and Crowning his Labours with the Conversion of many Souls and the edification of thousands Besides these aforementioned Labors he hath many pieces in Print which being well known need not be here enumerated His youth was unstained whence he was so much the more capable of being an excellent Instrument in the Church in his elder days He that will do good in the Church must have a good report of them which are without lest he fall into the reproach and snare of the Devil 1 Tim. 3. 7. St. Augustine tels us that A good life is requisite in respect of our selves but a good name is requisite in respect of others We may be good men if we have a good Conscience but we are not like to do much good if we have not a good name He was a general Scholar studious to know all things the want whereof might in one of his Profession be denomitated ignorance and piously ignorant of those things the nescience whereof made him more Learned Deservedly therefore is his praise great in all the Churches that he not only gave himself to the acquiring of Learning but exceeded many that had done vertuously therein He excelled in the greater part of the Encuclopaidia Those which best knew his goings out and his coming in cannot but give a large testimony to his Piety He was a Saint above many of the Saints manifestly declared in the Consciences of the Godly amongst whom he walked to be the Epistle of Christ known and read of all men In his house he walked with a perfect heart He was an example to the Flock clothed with love and humility amongst his Brethren One of a thousand in respect of his worth But as it is reported of Dr. Whitaker as one of the multitude in respect of his facile and companion-like behaviour Both ability and modesty in such a degree are not ordinarily to be found in the same man Others with much affection beheld the beauty of his face whilest himself was as one who knew not that his face shined He was a Father Friend and Brother to his fellow-Elders and a shining Light before all men He well knew that a Bishop ought not to be defective in the well government of his Family He must be one that rules well his own house In conscience whereof he himself rising betimes in the morning as soon as he was ready he called his Family together which was also his practice in the evening to the solemn worship of God reading and expounding and occasionally also applying the Scriptures unto them alwayes beginning and ending with Prayer In case of sin committed by child or servant he would call them aside privately the matter so requiring laying the Scriptures before them and causing them to read that part which bore witness against such an offence Seldome or never correcting in anger that the dispensation of godly Discipline might not be impured or become less effectuall through the intermixing of humane passion He began the Sabbath on the Saturday evening and therefore then performed Family duties after Supper being larger then ordinary in Exposition after which he Catechized his children and Servants and then returned into his Study The morning following Family worship being ended he retired into his Study untill the Bell called him away Upon his return from the Congregation he returned again into his Study the place of his Labour and Prayer unto his private devotion where having a small repast carried him up for his dinner he continued till the toling of the Bell. The publick service being ended he withdrew for a space into his aforementioned Oratory for his sacred addresses unto God as in the forenoon Then came down repeated the Sermon in his Family prayed and after Supper sang a Psalm and towards bed time betaking himself again to his Study he closed the day with Prayer Thus he spent the Sabbath continually In his Study he neither sate down unto nor arose from his Meditations without Prayer Whilest his eyes were upon his Book his expectation was from God He had learned to Study because he had learned to Pray An able Student is a Gospel Student because unable to Study without Jesus Christ. The barrenness of his Meditation at some times yea though his endeavour was most intense upon a good matter convinced him whence it was that his heart musing upon the same Subject at another time his tongue became as the Pen of a ready writer As he was not comparatively wanting in parts
Pastor which suffered much extremity by reason of the persecution of their then prevailing adversaries forcing them from Bermudas into the Desart Continent The sound of whose distress was no sooner heard of but you might have heard the sounding of his bowels with many others applying themselves to a speedy Collection and sending it to them on purpose for their seasonable relief the sum was about seven hundred pounds two hundred whereof he gathered in the Church of Boston no man in the Contribution exceeding and but one equalling his bounty And it was remarkable that this Contribution arrived there the very day after those poor people were brought to a personal division of that little Meal then remaining in the Barrel and not seeing according to man but that after the eating thereof they must dye a lingring death for want of food and upon the same day their Pastor had preached unto them it being the Lords day upon that Text Psal. 23. The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want At such a time the good hand of the Lord brought this succour to them from afar Whilst he was in Old England his eminent piety the success of his labours and his interest in the hearts both of superiours inferiours equals drew upon him much envy and his Non-conformity added thereunto so that he was delivered in a great measure to the will of his Adversaries who gave him not over till they had bereaved him of much of his livelihood his liberty Country and therewithall of the sweet society of lovers friends and many wayes endeared acquaintance more precious to him than life it self Yet the measure of the afflictions of Christ appointed to be suffered by him was not so fulfilled but lo in the time of his exile some Brethren provoked by the censure of Authority though justly not without tears inflicted upon them singled out Mr. Cotton as the object of their displeasure who though above other men declining irregular and unnecessary interesting himself in the actions of the Magistrate and while opportunity lasted endeavouring their healing yet they requited him evil for good and they at least some of them who were formerly companions with him in the tribulations of that Patmos yea respecters of him had taken sweet counsel together and they had walked in the house of God as friends Hence was he with Tongue and pen blasphemed by them for whom he formerly intreated and for whom he both then and afterwards wept and put on sackcloth As touching any Tenet wherein he may seem singular remember that he was a man and therefore to be heard and read with judgement and happily sometimes with favour St. Hierom makes a difference between reading the writings of the Apostles and other men They saith he alwayes speak the truth these as men sometimes erre But no man did more placidly bear a Dissentient than he It contributes much towards the fuller discovery of truth when men of larger capacities and greater industry than others may be permitted to communicate their Notions onely they should use this liberty by way of disquisition not of Position rather as searchers after Scripture-light than as Dictators of private opinions But now this Western Sun hastens to his setting Being called to preach at a neighbour Church he took wet in his passage over the Ferry and not many hours after he felt the effect of it being seized upon with an extream ilness in his Sermon time This sad providence when others bewailed he comforted himself in that he was found so doing Decet Imperatorem stantem mori It is the honour of a Commander to dye standing St. Austins usual with was that when Christ came he might finde him Aut praecantem aut praedicantem either praying or preaching Calvin would not that when the Lord came he should finde him idle After a short time he complained of the inflamation of his lungs and thereupon found himself Asthmatical and afterward Scorbutical which both meeting in a complicated disease put an end to his dayes insomuch that he was forced to give over those comforting drinks which his stomack could not want If he still used them the inflamation grew unsufferable and threatned a more sharp and speedy death If he left them his stomack forthwith ceased to perform its office leaving him without hope of life By these Messengers he received the sentence of death yet in the use of means he attended the pleasure of him in whose hands our times are his labours continued whilst his strength failed November the 18. he took in course for his Text the four last verses of the second Epistle to Timothy Salute Prisca and Aquila c. Giving the reason why he spake of so many verses together because otherwise he said he should not live to make an end of that Epistle He chiefly insisted upon those words Grace be with you all so ending that Epistle and his Lectures together For upon the Lords day following he preached his last Sermon upon Joh. 1. 14. And the Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us and we â—eheld his Glory as of the onely begotten Son of the Father full of Grace and Peace Now he gave himself wholly to prepare for his dissolution making his Will and setting his house in order When he could no more be seen abroad all sorts Magistrates Ministers Neighbours and Friends afar off and those near at hand especially his own people resorted to him daily as to a publick Father When the neighbour Ministers visited him in which duty they were frequent he thanked them affectionately for their love exhorting them also as an Elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ to feed the Flock encouraging them that when the chief Shepherd shall appear they should receive a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away Finding himself to grow weak according to that of James he sent for the Elders of the Church of Boston to pray over him which last solemn duty being performed not without much affection and many tears Then as Polycarp a little before his death said That he had served Christ fourscore and six years neither had he ever offended him in any thing so he told them through Grace he had now served God forty years it being so long since his conversion throughout which time he had ever found him faithful to him and thereupon he took occasion to exhort them to the like effect that Paul sometime did the Elders of Ephesus a little before they were to see his face no more Take heed therefore to your selves and to all the Flock over wâ—ich the Lord hath made you overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood Particularly he lamented that the love of many yea and some of their own Congregation was grown cold towards the publick Ordinances calling upon them so much the more for their watchfulness in that respect which done he thanked them for their loving and brotherly assistance to
University being a means to set up Lectures in many of them and very often assisting in them and as our Savior is observed by some Divines to have preached more frequently the nearer he was to his departure so this his faithful servant as it were presaging that his day would be but short towards his evening he made the more haste and speed in his journy towards his end and yet more abounded in this work of the Lord and now findes That his labour is not in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15. 58. Thus of him as a Minister And lastly as he was a Christian he was active for God as his Saviour Act. 10. 38. Going up and down and doing good and though otherwise modest yet when the case required it bold in a good cause He was spiritual in communion and a quickner of those with whom he conversed Fruitful in discourse by which the frame of his spirit might easily be discovered Frequent in asking questions which was both his humility and Christian good husbandry thereby to improve himselfe his time and company Affable he was to others of much humility and low thoughts of himself and of great integrity and singleness of heart towards God his Truth Ordinances wayes and servants of a very publick spirit and much affected with the various conditions of the State but especially of the Church and people of God He was a most loving Husband to his wife and a dutiful son to his Parents and in his life time very helpful to his other Relations Many poor both of the University and Town do now feel the want of his bounty which they tasted of in his life time and both they and others had done more at his death as appeared by his intentions of it in the draught of his Will had not the suddenness of his change prevented it In a long continued Quartan God had knocked at his door which in the interim of his recovery awakened him to get all within ready against the coming of his Lord which though to his friends was unexpected yet found not him unprepared In his short sickness he expressed to an intimate Friend his great comfort and joy in Gods discriminating electing-love and to a Reverend Doctor about half an hour before his departure who enquired of him about the setling of his outward estate and inward peace he readily and without the least hesitancy answered that throâ—gh the mercy of God in Christ his peace was made and that he quietly rested in it whereby it seems as was said by one he had his Faith at his fingers ends and having before given all diligence to make his calling and election sure though he was somewhat suddenly called out of this life yet had he an abundant entrance set open to him into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ departing quietly in the Lord Decem. 18. 1653. As to himself he had lived a fruitful and gracious life and therefore as Clemens Romanus speaks of some of the first and best Bishops he closed up all with a happy and blessed death and as to others he lived approved and dyed desired and very much lamented He was a great Friend to the publication of the lives of godly and eminent Ministers and Christians and assisting to me in procuring information concerning the Lives of some of those Worthies whom I have formerly printed Dr. WILLIAM GOUGE The Life and Death of Dr. Gouge who dyed Anno Christi 1653. WIlliam Gouge was born in Stratford-Bow in the County of Middlesex Novem. 1. Anno 1575. His Father Mr. Thomas Gouge was a godly Gentleman His Mother was the vertuous and pious Daughter of Mr. Nicholas Culverel a Merchant in London and she was sister to those two famous Preachers Mr. Samuel and Mr. Ezekiel Culverel she had also two sisters who were married to those two famous and learned Divines Dr. Chaderton the Master of Emanuel College in Cambridge and Dr. Whitaker the Regius Professor of Divinity in the same University so that by the Mothers side he came of a stock of eminent Preachers Our William Gouge in his younger years was first trained up in Pauls School London and was afterwards sent to a Free-school at Felsted in Essex where he was trained up three years under the publick Ministry of his Uncle Mr. Ezekiel Culverel by whose labours he was much wrought upon and if not first begotten yet much built up in his holy Faith as himself often expressed From thence he was sent to Eaton where he was educated other six years during all which time he was more than ordinarily studious and industrious for when other boyes upon play-dayes took liverty for their sports and pastimes he would be at his book wherein he took more delight than others could finde in their Recreations whereby he profited beyond many his equals At this time whilst he was a Schollar at Eaton he was possessed with an holy fear of God was conscionable in secret prayer and in sanctifying the Sabbaths and was much grieved at the ordinary prophanation thereof by sports and pastimes which were then and there too much allowed as he did oft-times in his life with much thankfulness unto God express From the School at Eaton he was chosen to Kings College in Cambridge whither he went Anno Christi 1595. and at the first entrance of his studies he applied himself to P. Ramus his Logick and grew so expert therein that in the publick Schools he maintained and defended him insomuch as when on a time divers Sophisters set themselves to vilifie Ramus for which end the Respondent had given this question Nunquam erit magnus cui Ramus est magnus which some of the Sophisters hearing and knowing the said William Gouge to be an accute disputant and a stiff defender of Ramus they went to the Divinity Schools where he was then hearing an Act and told him how in the other Schools they were abusing Ramus he thereupon went into the Sophisters Schooles and upon the Moderators calling for another Opponent he stepped up and brought such an argument as stumbled the Respondent whereupon the Moderator took upon him to answer it but could not satisfie the doubt This occasioned a Sophister that stood by to say with a loud voice Do you come to vilifie Ramus and cannot answer the Argument of a Ramist Whereupon the Moderator rose up and gave him a box on the ear then the School was all on an uproar but the said William Gouge was safely conveyed out from amongst them When he was Senior Sophister he was chosen Moderator of the Sophisters Acts in the publick Schools which was a place of great credit and he began every Act with a solemn speech in Latine which was not usual in those dayes and it added much grace to the Act. The said William Gouge took his degrees in order performing for every one of them all those
blessing to his Ministry that many of his Auditors though living in other Parishes upon Trial before sundry Elderships have confessed that the first seeds of Grace sown in their hearts were by the blessing upon Dr. Gouges Ministry And indeed herein God wonderfully honoured his labours by making him an aged Father in Christ to beget many Sons and Daughters unto God and to nourish up others in the wayes of righteousnesse thousands having been converted and built up by his Ministry He used also every month to preach a preparation Sermon before the Communion on the Eve before each monthly Sacrament He was eminently laborious and faithful in the work of his Ministry even to his dying day preaching so long as he was able to creep up into the Pulpit As a tree planted in the House of the Lord he was fruitful even in his old age Psal. 92. 13 14. He often used to say in his latter dayes that he could preach with more ease than he could get up into the Pulpit the reason whereof doubtlesse was this because as the encrease of his Asthma dis-inabled him to go so the encrease of his Intellectuals enabled him to preach with more ease than in his younger dayes His preacing was alwaes very distinct First he opened his Text giving the true and proper sense of it then gave he the Logical Analysis of it and then gathered such proper observations as naturally flowed from it and properly and pertinently improved and applied the same by which method his Ministry proved very profitable to his hearers Many have acknowledged that in regard of the Logical resolution of his Text he went beyond all that ever they heard as also in clearing difficult and doubtful places of Scripture as they came in his way And as his method was clear so were his expressions plain alwayes delivering the solid points of Divinity in a familiar stile to the capacity of the meanest As for his life and conversation it was holy and exemplary himself practising what he preached unto others and living over his own Sermons his Doctrine and his practice concurred and went hand in hand together Before these times of Examination of persons before their admission to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper he used to go to the houses of the better sort in his Parish where he appointed a time for them and their whole Families to meet together that he might examine how fit they were to be admitted to that Ordinance yea he appointed sundry small Families to meet together on a certain day that he might make trial of their fitness also and then his manner was not to admit any of the younger sort to the Sacrament till in his judgement he found them fitted for it Though he addicted himself much to his studies and carried himself peaceably yet wanted he not those that did envy and malign him and that took all occasions to do him what mischief they could As in the case of Serjeant Finch his book about the Calling of the Jews which Dr. Gouge only published and the author himself owned it yet for his publication of it he was committed to prison and kept there for the space of nine weeks together King James being informed that the Serjeant had in that Book declared and endeavoured to prove that the Jews should have a visible Kingdome which should be above all other Kingdoms which Doctrin he abhorred he thereupon grew extream impatient Bishop Neal also with others provoked him against the publisher of the Book which so incensed him that he would admit of no Apology Yet after a while Dr. Gouge was moved distinctly to declare his judgement and opinion about that point of the calling and conversion of the Jews which he did in these ensuing Propositions All that I can gather out of the holy Scriptures about this point is 1. That the Calling of the Jews importeth more than a spiritual Calling to beleeve in Jesus Christ and to imbrace the Gospel 2. This their spiritual Calling may be called an outward glorious Calling in regard of the visibility and generallity of it to put a difference betwixt the promised Calling of the Nation and the continual Calling of some few persons For in all ages since the rejection of the Jews some few here and there have been called Thus the Calling of the Gentiles in the Apostles time when Christians had no pompous Civil Government was an outward glorious Calling by reason of the visible famous Church which they had 3. It is probable that at or after their Calling they shall not be scattered as now they are but shall be gathered together into Churches and be freed from the bondage and slavery wherein they have been many years together 4. To give them a Soveraignty over all the whole Church seemeth to me to be derogatory to that absolute Sovereignty which Christ the head of his Church hath in whom the promises of the perpetuity of Davids Scepter of the extent of his Dominion of the subjection of all Nations are accomplished 5. To set down the distinct time place and other like circumstances of their Calling needeth more than an ordinary spirit and implies too much curiosity 6. The point of the Calling of the Jews being no fundamental point of Christian Religion to be over stiff in holding one thing or other therein to the disturbance of the peace of the Church comes near to Schisme Upon which being examined by Archbishop Abbot and his answer approved he was released from his imprisonment Ordinarily in the Summer Vacation he was with his Family in the Country but not so much for his own ease as for the further service of Gods Church for besides his preaching every Lords day in the place where he resided he improved his time for the publication of those his Treatises which are now in Print viz. The whole Armour of God Domestical duties An Explanation of the Lords Prayer Gods three Arrows of the Plaâ—ue Famine Sword upon occasion of those Judgments then raging The Saints Sacrifice of Thanksgiving upon his recovery from a dangerous sickness To which is now added his Commentary upon the whole Epistle to the Hebrews which was the subject of his Wednesdayes Lectures for many years While he was setled at Black-Friers he Commenced Batchelour of Divinity Anno Christi 1611. which was the eighth year after he had taken the Degree of Master of Arts. Anno Christi 1628 he proceeded Dr. of Divinity at which time eight London Ministers proceeded Doctors upon which occasion Dr. Collins the then Regius Professor put up Mr. Gouges Degree and procured it to pass in the Regent-house before he had any notice thereof and without his consent whereby he did in a manner force him to take his Degree yet so as when he heard what was done he readily went to Cambridge and performed all his Acts according to the Statutes of the University as he had done at the taking of
Prophesies of Isaiah Jeremiah and the Lamentations and we should have gained more by his later industry if the malicious slanders of the enemies of the truth had not diverted his time and studies to some necessary Apologies Neither did he when he was by the hand of God disabled to preach betray his Flock into the hands of Wolves that would make a prey of precious souls nor desert it For being troubled lest the foundation that he had laid after the example of the wise Master-builder St. Paul should either not be built upon or destroyed he retained the title of Rector with a charge beyond the Revenue as it was sometimes proved till provision might be made of a faithfull and Orthodox Minister to whom he might comfortably devolve both the burden and the benefit To his care of feeding his Flock in publick very agreeable was his diligence in instructing his Family in private for on Friday nights weekly after supper he used to expound that short Catechisme which he had published for the use of his Parishioners in which course he so laid forth the Nature and Attributes of God the state of man both intire and corrupt the means of his Fall and Recovery the nature of Faith and Repentance with the Doctrine of the Sacraments that his Parlour was one of the best Schooles for a young Student to learn Divinity in and indeed his house was a private Seminary for divers young Gentlemen of this Nation and far more Forreigners who did resort to and sojourn with him to receive from him direction and advancement in their studies and many who afterwards were eminent in the Churches both here and abroad were brought up under his eye at least as Paul was at the feet of Gamaliel Persons of note that had been his assistants were Mr. Young Mr. Goodal Mr. Symonds of whom yet in these later times of Division Mr. Gataker hath been heard to say It was pity that our Church had lost him intimating his turning aside to wayes of separation Mr. Grayle and others who are yet living labourers in Gods Vineyard Of Forreigners that sojourned with him and were as ambitious of being entertained by him as if they had been admitted into a University these were some Mr. Thylein who was afterwards a Reverend Pastor of the Dutch Church in London whose son was brought by his mother but a fortnight before Mr. Gatakers decease intreating the same good office in the behalf of him which the Father had with much comfort enjoyed Mr. Peters Mr. And. Demetrius Mr. Hornbeck Mr. Rich Mr. Swerd Mr. Wittefrangel Mr. Severinuâ— Benzon Mr. Georg de Mey Dr. Treschovius c. The strength of Mr. Gatakers memory was extraordinary as may appear by this that though he used no Common-place book yet had he in readiness whatsoever he had read as is manifested by his manifold Quotations in all his works His Gifts for edification may be conjectured by his works which are extant in which he hath shewed himself like the ingenuous and industrious Bee for his rare extraction of all manner of knowledge from almost all Authors and the solid digestion of it first and then storing it up for the publick good His Polite Literature was admired by the great Lights of Learning abroad as the excellent Salmasius and others with whom he held correspondence And the exercise of it with condescention to children hath been enjoyed with wonder and pleasure at his Visitation at Tunbridge School with the Right Worshipful Company of Skinners the worthy Patrons thereof and that which made all his knowledge both usefull and gratefull was that he was neither vain in ostentation nor morose or illiberal in reservation of it But beyond all he sacrificed his Talents to God while he made Hagar serve Sarah and contributed the Egyptian spoyls all his forreign learning towards the building of the Tabernacle For with a strange felicity he made his Humane Literature both his Moral and Critical studies to become subservient to Religion and instrumental to the explication of heavenly Truths His Graces of sanctification were very eminent in every condition to all purposes and towards all his Relations In the private course of his life his Piety Humility and Charity were very remarkable His Piety appeared not only by his diligence in preaching but also by his own frequenting Gods Ordinances dispensed by others in order whereunto he did once a week at least repair to some Lecture in London so long as he had liberty to look beyond the bounds of his own Parish He manifested his Piety also by his strict careful and conscientious observation of the Lords dayes which he wholly consecrated except the seasons of repast unto holy duties and imployments and besides he was free in his Contributions upon divers occasions to the maintaing of the Lords house of Prayer And because there is a connexion between sacred persons and things his love to godly and faithfull Ministers may be looked upon as an act of Piety as well as of Charity Another evident instance of his Zeal for Gods Glory was his constant consideration of the state of Gods Churches abroad with a diligent enquiry how it fared with them and a tender sense of their affliction which begat his meditation on Amos 6. 6. entituled Sorrow for Sion As also his earnest desire of a Reformation of things amiss amongst our selves was doubtless acceptable unto God though this sinful Nation is yet unworthy to have it accomplshed One special effect and property of his Piety was that holiness of life expressed in a constant tenor of good duties with the abridgement of his liberty in things indifferent especially of Recreations for he understood no Recreations besides study and made the pleasanter part of his study the sawce to the more severe that he might give no scandal to the good nor encouragement to the bad alledging often those two golden Rules of St Paul All things are lawfull but all things are not convenient or expedient and all things are lawfull but all things edifie not 1 Cor. 9. 6. 10. 23. His Humility appeared 1. In that low esteem he had of his own gifts which yet all others that knew him admired He was a true Moses that took not any notice of that shining lustre of his own countenance Like a fair ear of Corn loaden with grain he bended his head downwards For he had nothing of the Pharisaical temper either to advance himself or to vilifie his Brethren of meaner gifts 2. In his freedome from ambition of outward advantages For he declined not only large means in the Country but also both Ecclesiastical Dignities and Courtly preferments For he studiously waved the counsel of some who had given notice of him to that hopeful Prince Henry whom God only shewed to this Land and then snatched him away to himself and had it in their design to make way for his being admitted Chaplain to his
Sir your head doth not lye right he answered It will lye right in my Coffin July the 25 at one a clock in the morning Death began to seize on his left foot from which the spirits retiring he felt the deadness of that part and a very sharp pain in the part of the leg adjoyning to it Hereupon he called for his Son and told him He feared that he should have a difficult death He then commanded two Surgeons to be sent for to look upon his leg whom he required to tell him whether or no his Foot were any whit discoloured It seems he had conceived some fear of a Gangrene but being satisfied by them that there could not be any ground for such an apprehension he rested with patience In the evening of that day being visited by Mr. Santhil and lying in great anguish by reason of the violence of his heat he prayed for pity and patience support here and a comfortable issue July 26. Early in the morning being full of pain gasping and panting he cryed out How long Lord How long Come speedily But though Death had made an encroachment upon his outward perishing part yet his inward man felt no decay For with a full use of reason he that morning ordered the continuance of a weekly relief to certain poor persons as also ofâ—some small monethly Pensions to some widows for a season He also caused his Physitian to be consulted with about taking something that might procure rest and was erected to a more cheerful disposition He also enquired after News and dicoursed freely yet confessed himself to be in pain About three a clock that afternoon feeling some great change after the putting forth of Nature he called his Sister Son and Daughter to receive his last charge and when they were come he thus spake unto them My heart fails and my strength fails but God is my Fortress and the strong Rock of my salvation Into thy hands therefore I commend my soul for thou hast redeemed me O God of truth Then turning his discourse to his Son he said Son you have a great charge look to it Instruct your wife and family in the fear of God and discharge your Ministry conscientiously To his Sister a Gentlewoman two years elder than himself he said Sister I thought you might have gone before me but God calls for me first I hope we shall meet in Heaven I pray God to bless you His Daughter he admonished to minde the worldless and God more for that all things without Piety and the true fear of God are nothing worth He advised also that his Son Draper being a man of means should entertain some godly Minister into his house to teach his children and instruct his family He exhorted them all to love and concord which he said he hoped the rather because he had cleerly settled his estate so as to prevent differences He inlarged himself in each of these a little wishing them all to lay to heart the words of a dying man After this he desired that all should withdraw and leave him to his rest which he hoped was at hand But all his conflicts were not yet accomplished July the 27 His voice began to be less intelligible the putrid preternatural heat having furred up his mouth as is usual in Feavors yet both his understanding and senses were very quick and active About six of the clock in the evening he called for his Son to recommend his soul unto God by prayer and endeavoured to express what he desired but could not do it so clearly as to be well understood yet by his gestures he gave assurance that he understood perfectly and concurred fervently with the devotions used on his behalf Within an hour after Nature being quite spent he gave up the ghost and was translated into that Rest which he so often and earnestly had desired to finde in another World because he could obtain none in this Thus after forty three years inspection of this pious and diligent Pastor of Redrith he left his Flock returning to the great and chief Shepherd of our souls from his gracious hands to receive an incorruptible Crown of glory having almost compleated fourscore years For his Person the express whereof though he was often importuned by dear Friends he would never allow to be taken either by pencel or sculpture He was of a middle stature of a thin body and of a lively countenance of a fresh complexion that looked young when he came to preach at â—incolns Inne and yet was grey betimes which made him to be thought elder than he was because he had long appeared ancient in the eyes of the world of a choicely temperate diet of a free and cheerful conversation addicted much to study yet not secluding himself from fit company He was of a quick apprehension sharp reason solid judgement vast memory which through Gods mercy continued fresh to the last of his dayes He was Helluo librorum one that did not vainly encrease his Liberary for ostentation but chose books for use which also he made of them so happily that he had conquered a strong portion of learning which he made to serve him upon all occasions He was not so great a treasurer as a free dispenser of those riches of the minde which he did communicate readily expeditely and cleerly He was an ornament to the University and of that Society designed for the study of the Law a Light of the Church the salt of the place where he abode a loving Husband a discreet Parent a faithful Friend a kinde Neighbour a courteous entertainer of strangers a candid encourager of Students a stout Champion for the Truth yet a lover of peace preserving the unity of Charity even where there was difference of judgement an Adversary to novel fancies as well as to antiquated superstitons in Religion of a Christian Magnanimity in despising the world and therefore resolute through bad report as well as good to maintain a clear conscience In brief he was a faithful Shepherd and a fit mirrour for Pastors as well as an exact patern for people who having almost compleated eighty years departed full of 〈◊〉 but being dead yet speaks in his living Monuments of sound Learning His Printed Works are these Of the Nature and use of Lots in 4o. A Just Defence of the same against Mr. Jo. Balmford in 4o. Tho. Gatakeri Londinatis Antithesis partim Guilielmi Amesii partim Gisberti voetii de sorte Thesibus reposita in 4o. A Discourse of Transubstantiation with a Defence thereof in 4o. Davids Instructer The Christian mans care The Spiritual Watch. The gain of Godliness with Self-sufficiency The Just mans joy with signs of Sincerity Jacobs Thankfulness Davids Remembrancer Noahs Obedience A Memorial of Englands Deliverance in 88. Sorrow for Sion Gods Parley with Princes with an appeal from them to him Eleazers Prayer being a Marriage Sermon A good Wife Gods gift A Wife indeed Marriage
Duties Deaths Advantage The benefit of a good Name and a good end Abrahams Decease Jeroboams Sons Decease Christian Constancy crowned by Christ. All these are Printed in one Volume in Folio The Decease of Lazarus in 4o. St. Stevens last Will and Testament in 4o. A Defence of Mr. Bradshaw against Jo. Cann in 4o. Gods eye on his Israel in 4o. A mistake removed and Free-Grace c. in answer to J. Saltmarsh in 4o. Shadows without Substance a Rejoinder adversus â—undem in 4o. Mysterious Clouds and Mists c. an Answer to J. Simpson in 4o. Mr. Ant. Wottons Defence in 8o. A true Relation of Passages between Mr. Wotton and Mr. Walker in 4o. An Answer to Mr. Geor. Walkers Vindication in 4o. A Vindication of the Annotations on Jer. 10. 2. in 4o. A Discourse Apologetical in 4o. Marcus Antoninus Imp. cum Commentario in 4o. De Novi Instrumenti Stylo Dissertatio adversus Psochenii Diatribam in 4o. Cinn us sive Adversaria Miscellania Lib. 6. in 4o. De Baptismatis Infantilis vi efficatiâ Disceptatio inter D. S. Wardum Tho. Gatakerum in 8o. T. G. Stricturae in D. Davenantii Epistolam in 8o. De Tetragammato in 8o. Ejusdem vindicatio adversus Capellum in 8o. De Bivocalibus Dissertatio Philologica in 8o. Animadversiones in J. Piscatoris L. Lucii scripta adversaria de causa meritoria Justificationis cum responsione ad L. Lucii Vindicias in 12o. Fran. Gomari Disputationes Elencticae de Justificationis materiâ formâ Elenchus in 8o. Stricturae in Barth Wigelini Sangallensis de Obedientia Christi disputationem Theologicam in 8o. The Annotations upon Isaiah Jeremy and the Lamentations which was his work in the great Notes upon the Bible Adversaria Miscellanea in qibus Sacrae Scripturae aliorum Scriptorum lux redditur Edente Carolo Thome Gatakeri filio Fol. The Life and Death of Mr. Jeremy Whitaker who dyed Anno Christi 1654. JEremy Whitaker was born at Wakefield in Yorkshire Anno Christi 1599 In which place also he was trained up in the Grammar School and it seems that the Lord betimes did draw forth his love towards himself for even whilst he was a School boy his affections did flow out towards those who were most religiously disposed in whose company he used frequently to go eight or ten miles to hear a wakening-soul-warming Sermon he used also to joyn with them in Prayers and other holy exercises and duties and being able to take Sermon Notes both understandingly and largely he was very helpful to those private Christians in repeating what they had publickly heard being from his child-hood full of affections in whatsoever business he undertook Thus this Plant of Gods own setting did both blossome and put forth fruit quickly which Providence did afterwards make a very fruitful Tree Whilst he was at the Grammar School though his Father endeavoured often and earnestly to divert his thoughts from the Office of the Ministry yet was he unmoveable in his desires to be a Minister and he never afterwards repented of this his choice but would all his life long upon all occasions magnifie that his Office insomuch as he hath often been heard to utter this speech I had much rather be a preacher of the Gospel than an Emperour and when a motion was once made to him to be the Head of a College in the University he readily returned this answer My heart doth more desire to be a constant Preacher than to be the Master of any College in the world When he was sixteen years old being well grounded at the Grammar School he was sent to the University of Cambridge and admitted a Sizar in Sydney-Sussex College where he soon discovered and was taken notice of and much valued for his pregnant parts and Scholarship At twenty years of age he Commenced Bachelor of Arts and a while after he was sent to Okeham the chiefest Town in Rutlandshire there to teach the Free-School At that time there was one Mr. William Peachy the Minister at Okeham a godly man and a painful Preacher of the Gospel and eminent for his skill in the sacred Languages who dearly loved and highly valued our Mr. Whitaker from his first acquaintance with him which he manifested by proffering to him his Daughter in Marriage as Mr. Whitaker hath since told some of his Friends he was the rather inclined to accept of the motion because she was the Daughter of a pious painful and learned Minister of the Gospel and occasionally hath told his Friends that he was the better pleased with his choice because of that relation About four years after his coming to Okeham he married Chephtzibah the Daughter of the said Mr. Peachy by whom God gave him four Sons and three Daughters All his Sons he designed for the Ministry but it pleased God in his life time to take one of them away whilst he was a Student in Cambridge the other three survived and he lived to see two of them Ordained and set apart for the work of the Ministry the third he appointed to be educated for the same work Having staid about seven years at Okeham he was removed to a Pastoral charge at Stretton in the same County where he continued about the space of thirteen years Whilst he continued School-master at Okeham he undertook and preached a weekly Lecture there besides many Sermons which he preached occasionally in neghbouring Congregations And during his abode at Stretton besides his Pastoral imployment wherein he preached twice every Lords day he also constantly preached his weekly Lecture at Okeham and was a principal prop to hold up some other Lectures in the Neighbourhood His manner also was to set apart every Holy-day if there were but one in the week as a day of seeking God in reference to the necessities of the times and no man was more free and frequent in assisting in dayes of Humiliation in private both in Rutlandshire and in the adjacent Counties whensoever he was called and invited thereunto Such was his love to Christ that his publick imployments though many and great did not take him off from attending his Family duties nor from more private exercises of communion with God his ordinary course in his Family was together with Prayers to expound some part of the holy Scriptures and that twice every day besides other parts of Scripture which he daily read in secret so that usually he read all the Epistles in the Greek Testament twice every fortnight yea when by reason of extremity of pain and weakness he could not read himself he herein imployed others for his help Hence it came to pass that he was a man mighty in the Scriptures like unto Apollos Act. 18. 24. as was observed by all that conversed with him or that heard him preach or pray and this course he earnestly commended to the practice of his dearly beloved eldest Son as an excellent
means to make him both a ready and a profitable Preacher Whilst he lived in Rutlandshire came forth the Book allowing Sports on the Sabbath which he refused to read though it was with commands and threatning pressed upon him And afterwards when he was called to give in his answer about a contribution amongst Ministers to maintain the War against the Scots he openly told the Bishop or his Chancellor that his conscience would not permit him to do it This his answer exposed him to the hazard of losing both his Living and Ministry as the times then were whereupon one of his neighbours through misguided love compassionating him and his Family payed the money required and subscribed Mr. Whitakers name without his knowledge This was long concealed from him but when he came to the knowledge of it he expressed his dislike with many complaints and much grief of heart As he had early so he had constant vigorous workings of heart towards the calling and work of the Ministry and that upon this ground because he alwayes wayes conceived that therein a Christian might enjoy most fellowship with Christ and have opportunities of doing him the best service and he often considered Christs speech to Peter If thou lovest me feed my Sheep feed my Lambs Joh. 21. 15 17. He was never so well pleased with any imployment as when he was about the works of his Ministry In the Pulpit he was as it were in his own element like a Fish in the water or a Bird in the air Though many times he went thither halting and full of pain yet did he not manifest any sense of distemper whilst he was in the Pulpit When an Assembly of Divines was to be chosen to consult and advise the Parliament about Ecclesiastical affairs he was for his eminent piety and learning nominated for one and how usefull and advantagious he was to those affairs is well known to all that were Members of that Assembly and when Providence had thus brought him to London he was as Paul 2 Cor. 11. 23. In labours more abundant than many yea than most others Not long after his coming to London he was called and chosen to the Pastoral charge of Mary Magdalen Bermondsey in Southwark about which he consulted with many godly and judicious Ministers and with their consent and approbation accepted of it after which for the most part his task was to preach constantly four Sermons every week two in his own Charge one at Westminster and one at Christ Church London and after he had laid down his Christ Church Lecture at the importunity of the Inhabitants he took up one at Stepney besides his preaching two Lectures quarterly at Michaels Cornhill Adde to these his preaching monethly at the morning Exercises or else he assisted on the Fast dayes in the conclusion of those Exercises besides his many occasional Sermons as for preparation to the Sacrament in his own Church and at Funerals both at home and abroad yea it is truly reported of him that he would never deny any request for preaching and praying if Godgave him bodily ability or other unavoidable occasions did not necessarily hinder him Many week dayes he preached twice even then when he attended the work of the Assembly of Divines to wit the morning Exercise either at Westminster or elsewhere and upon some other occasion in the afternoon of the same day This may minde us of the commendation which St. Paul gave of Epaphroditus Phil. 2. 30. For the work of the Lord he was nigh unto death not regarding his life So it s well known to multitudes that this might fitly be applied to painfull Mr. Whitaker yea many conceived that his painfull diseases which hastened his removal from us were occasioned and encreased by his many constant and indefatigable labours in this kinde And though he preached so often yet were not his Sermons jâ—june wordy empty Sermons but alwayes full of Scripture strength savoury and affectionate as his Auditors can well testfie Neither is this to be wondred at if we consider that he was a universal Scholar both in the Arts and original Languages By much study he had digested the whole body of Divinity he was well acquainted both with the Fathers and School-men An acute and solid Disputant excellently versed in Cases of Conscience and second unto none in his acquaintance with the sacred Scriptures Since our times of wofull desertion and Apostasie both from Gospel Truths and practices he would undauntedly both in private Conferences and in his publick Ministry express his dislike yea his detestation thereof to the faces of them how great soever who too much favoured Heresies Errours and Ranting courses though he knew that thereby he did run the hazard of procuring many frowns to himself He refused to sign and subscribe the late Engagement though thereby he was in danger of losing his Lecture at Westminster and if his Sermons preached there upon Eph. 2. 2 3. concerning mens walking according to the course of this world c. Fulfilling the lusts of the flesh c. could be collected and published it would thereby appear that Mr. Whitaker out of his zeal for Gods glory and love to his Lord Christ was of an undaunted courage and full of Christian magnanimity One further testimony whereof we have in this following Story Since these stormy times began wherein the liberty and livelyhood of Ministers hath been so much maligned and struck at as he was riding with one of his intimate friends by Tiburn which he had not seen or not observed before he asked what that was and being answered that it was Tiburn where so many Malefactors had lost their lives he stopped his Horse and uttered these words with much aflection Oh what a shame is it that so many thousands should dye for the satisfaction of their lusts and so few be found willing to lay down their lives for Christ why should not we in a good cause and upon a good call be ready to be hanged for Jesus Christ It would be an everlasting honour and it is a thousand times better to dye for Christ to be hanged or to be burnt for Christ than to dye in our beds He did often and zealously defend the Office of a Gospel Ministry both in publick and in private and that especially amongst those persons and in those places where as he conceived there was most need In one of his morning Lectures at Westminster this passage came from him with much affection Though said he I have read and heard of some good men who unadvisedly in their passion have persecuted the persons of some godly Ministers as Asa was angry with the Prophet and cast him into prison yet I never knew I never read nor heard of any godly person who durst oppose the Office and Calling of the Ministry And whereas at the end of his Sermon a Souldier expressing himself to be dissatisfied with what he had
of Faith Patience Contentment and spiritualness which he had formerly preached to and pressed upon others he was very profitable unto them who visited him and might also prove very advantagious unto others who might be acquainted therewith through Gods grace by Christ. So great was his tender respect to his friends that when his pains were coming with violence he would intreat them to withdraw from him that they might not be grieved with his roariâ—gs and he used often to bless God that his compassionate friends were not necessitated to abide within the reach of his doleful lamentation As his death drew more nigh so his fits of pain were more frequent either every half hour or many times every quarter yea two or three in a quarter of an hour which did exceedingly abate his strength The night before God took him out of this vale of tears Mr. Ash hearing that he was not likely to live another day went early in the morning to take his leave of him whom his soul loved at which time he found his bodily strength much decayed and perceiving that he could not speak without much difficulty Mr. Ash spake the more unto him in reference to the approach of his happy hoped for change and his discourse through Gods mercy was very refreshing his spirit He told him also that many of his friends intended to set apart that day in seeking the Lord for him and asked him in what things eâ—pecially he desired to be remembred before the Throne of Grace His answer was Do not complain but bless God for me and intreat him to open the prison door Then Mr. Ash laying his hand upon his cold hand covered with a clammy sweat took his last farewell of him with an aking heart and upon his departure from him the last words which Mr. Whitaker spake to him were these Brother I thank you I pray God bless you and I bless God for you That day was spent in addresses to God for him at Peters Cornhill where Mr. Newcomen quickned and guided our prayers in his Sermon upon Joh. 11. â— Lord Behold he whom thou lovest is sick and Mr. Jenkin endeavoured to moderate and regulate our sorrows from Luke 23. 28. Weep not for me Thus his friends having by prayers and praises on his behalf given him to God and having prepared their hearts for the loss of him the Lord was pleased that evening to take him to himself June 1654 being above Fifty five years old After his death Mr. Holiard opened his body in the presence of Dr. Cox Dr. Micklethwaite and Dr. Bevoir some other more ancient Doctors would have been there if either their being out of Town or present urgent occasions had not hindred being opened they found both his Kidnies full of ulcers and and one of them was swelled to an extraordinary bigness through the abundance of purulent matter in it Upon the neck of his Bladder they found a stone which was about an inch and an half long and one inch broad weighing about two ounces when it was first taken out and withall they found an ulcer which was gangrenized and this was judged to be the cause of his death All other parts of his body were found firm and sound He was so humble that he feared lest Gods people praying for him should speak too well of him before the Lord. He was a self-denying man never daring to look after great matters in this world whereby he condemned many whose self-seeking in earthly advantages renders them very offensive and unsavoury in the Church of Christ. Mr. Calamy speaking of him saith If I should enter upon his Commendations I might truly say what Nazanien doth of his Sister Gorgonia that I have more cause to fear lest I should speak below than above the truth For he was a burning and a shining light in this our Israel A Messenger and an Interpreter one amongst a thousand A Bazalâ—el in Gods Tabernacle A true Nathaniel that by his integrity humility constancy charity publickness and peaceableness of spirit and by his diligence and fâ—ithfulness in preaching the Gospel made his life both amiable and desirable I will say of him as it was said of Athanasius that he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Adamant and a Loadstone To all that conversed with him he was as a Loadstone to draw their hearts to love him But in the cause of God and in reference to the truths of Christ he was as an unconquerable Adamant He was a Jeremy both in mourning for and in witnessing against the sins of the times He was a second Whitaker though not so eminent in Learning as to be what is said o◠〈◊〉 Mundi miraculum Academiae Oraculum the miracle of the world and the Oracle of the University yet he was which is also said of him sound in the Faith one that had no private opinion that did not in veteri viâ novam semitam quaerere seek out new paths of his own but kept the old way and the old path That had a great wit without any mixture of madness He preached no less by the heavenliness of his Doctrine than by the holiness of hâ—s life yea he preached as effectually by his death as by his life or Doctrine for so great was the patience which God measured out to him that though in his extremity of torments he groaned yet he never grumbled Though he often mourned yet he never murmured nay though he often roared by reason of the greatness of his pain yet he alwayes justified and mâ—gnâ—fied God therein and this he did so constantly and in such a measure that as it is said of Job so it wiâ—l be said by the Saints that succeed us for their mutual consolation and encouragement Ye have heard of the Patience of Whitaker He had indeed an ulâ—â—rated flesh but a sound and whole spirit and that inabled him to bear his infirmity he had a stone in the Bladder but a very soft and tender heart he had a gangreene in his body but a sound soul unstained by sin I heard him often say with thankfulness that under all his bodily sufferings he had a blessed calmness and quietness in his spirit that God spâ—ke peace unto him that though he roared for pain yet the Devil was chained up from roaring upon him On the Death of my dear Friend Mr. JEREMIAH WHITAKER IF Death be but a servant sent to call The souls of Saints to their Originall Dear Saint thine was a Noble soul to whom Three Messengers were sent to call thee home A Stone an Ulcer and a Cangreene too Three Deaths to hasten that which one should do ' â—was not because thy soul was deeper set Than ours within its house of clay nor yet Because thou wert unwilling to depart Thither where long before had been thine heart They were not sent to hale by violence A soul that lingred when 't was called hence God shew'd how welcome one Death was to thee
acknowledged Having thus preached for a while as a Probationer he refused to continue it any longer having not as yet received Ordination He also scrupled to be as yet Ordained by reason of his defect of years the Canons requiring twenty four and he being yet but twenty one But by some grave and learned men he was told that the Lord had need of his labours and so upon their perswasions and importunity his age being dispensed with according to some former presidents he was ordained at the usual time the Sabbath before Christmas day Anno 1601 by his Uncle Henry Usher Archbishop of Armagh with the assistance of some other Ministers The first Text that he preached publickly upon before the State after his Ordination was Rev. 3. 1. Thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead which fell out to be the same day upon which was fought the Battel of Kinsale which being a day specially set apart by prayer to seek unto God for his blessing and assistance in that engagement and being his first fruits after his entrance into the Office of the Ministry God might in a more than ordinary manner make his labours efficatious and prevailing the rest of that Epistle to the Church of Sardis he finished afterwards It was well known that if the Spaniards had gotten the better that day the Irish Papists had designed to murther the English Protestants both in Dublin and other places but especially the Ministers Hence said he arose a tentation in me to have deferred my Ordination till the event of the Battel had been known that so I might the better have escaped their fury but I repelled that suggestion and resolved the rather upon it that dying a Minister and in that quarrel I might at least be the next door to a Martyr The Spaniards being as was said before overthrown at Kinsale and the hopes of the Irish as to that design being frustrated they began generally to subject themselves to the Statute which was now put in execution in their coming to Church and that it might tend the more to their profit the Lord Lieutenant and his Council desired the Ministers at Dublin so to divide themselves that in imitation of what he had already begun at Christ Church there might be a Sermon on the Lords dayes in the afternoon at every Church upon those Controversies St. Katherines a convenient Church was assigned for Mr. Usher who removed accordingly and duely observed it and his custome was that what he had delivered in one Sermon he drew it up into Questions and Answers and the next Lords day several persons of note voluntary offered themselves to repeat those Answers before the whole Congregation which made them more clear and perspicuous to the Popish party It pleased God by his and the labours of others of his Brethren in the Ministry not only in Dublin but in other parts of the Kingdome that the Papists came so diligently to Church that if they had any occasion to absent themselves they used to send in their excuses to the Church-wardens and there were great hopes in a short time to have reduced the whole Nation to Protestanisme But on a sudden the execution of the Statute was suspended and the power of the High Commission Court then erected and used onely against the Papists was taken away whereupon the Papists presently withdrew themselves from the publick Assembles the Ministry was discouraged all good mens hearts were grieved and Popery from that time forward encreased till like a great Deluge it had overflowed the whole Nation Upon this the spirit of this holy man like Pauls at Athens was exceedingly stirred in him insomuch as preaching before the State at Christ Church upon a special solemnity he did with as much prudence courage and boldness as became his young years give them his opinion of that abominable Toleration of Idolatry making a full and clear application of that passage in Ezekiels Vision Chap. 4. 6. where the Prophet by lying on his side was to bear the iniquity of Judah for forty dayes I have appointed thee saith the Lord each day for a year This said he by the consent of Interpreters signifies the time of forty years to the destruction of Jerusalem and of that Nation for their Idolatry and so said he will I reckon from this year the sin of Ireland and at the end of the time those whom you now imbrace shal be your ruine and you shall bear this iniquity wherein he proved a Prophet For this was delivered by him Anno Christi 1601 and Anno 1641 was the Irish Rebellion and Massacre and what a continued expectation he had of a great judgement upon that his Native Country I saith Dr. Bernard can witness from the year 1624 at which time I had the happiness first to be known to him and the nearer the time approached the more confident he was of the event though as yet nothing that tended towards it was visible to other men The Body of Divinity which is printed in his name is highly commended by Mr. Downam who set it forth and so it is by a stranger Ludovicus Crocius who much desired that some English man would turn it into Latine for the benefit of forreign Churches but it was not intended by him for the Press It was begun by him in publick but finished some years after in private in his Family constantly instructing them twice a week unto which persons of quality and learning resorted and divers of them took Notes whereby several Copies were dispersed abroad some imperfect and mistaken and many passages are in it which were not his neither is the whole so polished as his other Pieces which were published by himself and indeed he was displeased that it came forth without his knowledge yet understanding how much good it had done he connived at it Shortly after the aforementioned defeat given to the Spaniards at Kinsale the Officers of our English Army gave 1800 pounds to buy Books for the College Library at Dublin then Souldiers were advancers of Learning the ordering of which was committed to Dr. Challoner and this Lord Primate who made a journey into England on purpose to buy Books with it He then met with Sir Thomas Bodly who was buying Books for his Library at Oxford and they were very helpful each to other in procuring the rarest Pieces In his journey he visited Mr. Christopher Goodman who had been Professor of Divinity in Oxford in King Edward the sixths dayes then lying on his death-bed at Chester and he would often repeat some grave and wise speeches that he heard from him After this he constantly came over into England once in three years spending one moneth at Oxford another at Cambridge in searching the Books especially the Manuscripts in each University amongst which those of Corpus Christi College in Cambridge he most esteemed the third moneth he spent at London
he handsomely fish out the business from the Bishop wherefore he went another way to work and indeed the surest way by seeking counsel from God communicating the matter to Dean Hill a very godly man whom he requested that with some others they would seek unto God for his assistance for he believed that something was in brewing that he might not know of Herein imitating the practise of wise Daniel Chap. 2. 17 18. This done he studied the Rights of the Irish Church some fruits whereof we have in that Learned Piece of his called The Religion professed by the ancient Irish and Britains Yet he heard nothing till the Assembly was summoned and himself the next day was to be present at it then went he to the Lord Deputy to know the occasion of their meeting The Lord Deputy would not believe at first that he could be a stranger to it but afterwards when Mr. Usher had assured him that he had no information from the Bishops about it he was much displeased and told him that without him all the the rest were but Cyphers for that the King had referred the whole business to his judgement whether the power of the Hierarchy should be established there as it was in England The next day the Kings Commission and Letters were read in the Assembly and Speeches were made concerning the excellency of the Kings intention to reduce that Kingdome to one uniformity with England in Ecclesiastical Government they also told him what honour the King had put upon him whose esteem learning and judgement the King so much depended upon for the promoting so great and good a work Mr. Usher replied that he believed that in a business of so great concernment wherein he was so far interested the Kings intentions were that he should have convenient time to consider of it before he delivered his opinion which he also humbly desired The Bishops answered that his judgement was sufficiently known by his practise and that they expected no more from him but his consent and concurrence with them He replied that the matter concerned more than himself For said he if I had all mens consciences in my keeping I could in these disputable cases give Laws unto them as well as unto my self but it s one thing what I can do and another thing what all other men must do Then they asked of him if he had any thing to say why they should not satisfie the Kings desire He after a short pause wherein he lifted up his heart unto God for direction told them that if they would grant him no longer time he would as well as he was able give them his judgement if that Honourable Assembly would grant him three Requests 1. A free hearing without interruption 2. Liberty for him to answer any man that should be unsatisfied 3. That there might be a final determination of the business at that meeting These being all granted Mr. Usher undertook to prove that such a Jurisdiction could not be introduced into that Kingdome neither by the Laws of God nor by the Civil or Ecclesiastical Constitutions of that Kingdome nor yet without the violation of the Kings Prerogative in that Nation All which he performed to admiration But before he descended to particulars he shewed the difference between Conformity as it was set up in England and as it would be if it were set up in Ireland The Kings saith he and Queen of England imposed those Ceremonies that thereby they might decline the charge of Schismaticks wherewith the Church of Rome laboured to brand them seeing it did appear hereby that they left them only in such Doctrinal points wherein they left the truth Again hereby they would testifie how far they would willingly stoop to win and gain them by yeelding to meet them as far as they might in their own way But saith he the experience of many years hath shewed that this condescention hath rather hardened them in their errours than brought them to a liking of our Religion This being their usual saying If our Flesh be not good why doe you drinke of our Broth As for Ireland wherein the English Canons were never yet received and the generality of the Inabitans were Popish Recusants and even in Popish Kings times there was no receptions of the Popes Ecclesiastical Constitutions because he encroached upon their temporals if such Laws now should be set up under so Religious a Protestant King this would be to set the Pope on Horse-back amongst them which needed not The Lord Deputy when he had finished his Speech and answered what was objected against it told him that he was much affected with every part of his learned speech but that he was more especially concerned in that which touched upon the Kings Prerogative part wherein he had discovered such hidden flowers of the Crown as he thought the King himself knew not and therefore he said as he would endeavour to preserve his Majesties right therein whilst he was his Deputy so he would present them to the King and take care that it should be very hard for any that came after him to rob him of them By this we may easily see that he was then so far from a Prelatical spirit that on the contrary he was an Advocate for and Patione of godly and conscientious Non-Conformists Anno Christi 1612 he proceeded Dr. of Divinity being created by Archbishop Hampton his Predecessor one of his Lectures for his Degree was upon the seventy weeks to the slaying of the Messias mentioned Dan. 9. 24. the other out of Rev. 20. 4. concerning the meaning of the Prophesie that the Saints should reign with Crist a thousand years which in these times would be very seasonable but it s lost Dr. Hoyle who died Professor of Divinity in Oxford after he had many years been the like in Dublin said that when he went out Dr. of Divinity he thought Tully himself could not have excelled him in Eloquence had he been alive not only in his composed speeches but in those which occasionally fell from him upon the by Anno Christi 1613 He published his Book De Ecclesiaram Christianarum successione statu magnified so much by Causabon and Scultetus in their Greek and Latine verses before it It was solemnly presented by Archbishop Abbot to King James as the eminent first fruits of that College at Dublin Indeed its imperfect for about three hundred years from Gregory the 11 to Leo the 10 viz. from the year 1371 to 1513 and from thence to this last Century which he intended after the finishing of a Book which he was now about to have compleated But the Lord prevented him Anno Christi 1615 there was a Parliament in Dublin and consequently a Convocation of the Clergy at which time those learned Articles of Ireland were composed and published and Dr. Usher being a member of that Synod was appointed to draw them up they were highly approved of the
as well from remote parts of the world as near at hand He was the first that procured the Samaritan Bible which is onely the Pentateuch to the view of these Western parts of the world It was sent him from Syria by the way of Aâ—eppo Anno Christi 1625. He had four of them sent him by a Fâ—ctor whom he imployed to search for things of that nature and these were thought to be all that could there be had One of these he gave to the Library of Oxford A second to Leyden for which Ludevicus de Dieu returns him publick thanks in a Book that he dedicated to him A third he gave to Sir Robert Cottons Library And the fourth after he had compared it with the other he kept himself The Old Testament in Syriack an other Rarity also was sent him from those parts not long after It might happily seem incredible unto some to relate how many years agone he confidently foretold the changes which since are come to pass both in Ireland and England both in Church and State and of the poverty which himself should fall into which he oft spake of in his greatest plenty Some took much notice of that Text which he preached of in St. Maries in Cambridge Anno Christi 1625 upon the late Kings Coronation day and the first annual solemnity of it out of 1 Sam. 12. 25. If you still do wickedly you shall be consumed both you and your King Others of the last Text that he preached on at the Court immediately before his return into Ireland 1 Cor. 14. 33. God is not the Author of confusion but of peace as in all the Churches of the Saints In his application he spake of the confusions and divisions which he was confident were then at the doors In his Book called Ecclesiarum Britannicarum Antiquitates p. 556 â—he hath this remarkable passage after he had largely related the manner of the utter destruction of the British Church and State by the Saxons about the year 550 as he found it in Gildas he gives two reasons why he was so prolixe in setting it down 1. That the Divine Justice might the rather from thence appear to us the sins of persons of all sorts and degrees being then come to the heigth which occasioned not onely shaking of the foundations of the British Church and State but the very destruction and almost utterly overturning of them 2. That even we now might be in the greater fear that our turn also is coming and may be minded of that of the Apostle Rom. 11. 22. Behold the goodness and severity of God On them which fell severity but towards thee goodness if thou continue in his goodness Otherwise thou also shalt be cut off He often acknowledged that sometimes in his Sermons he hath resolved to forbear speaking of some things but it proved like Jeremiahs fire shut up in his bones that when he came to it he could not forbear unless he would have stood mute and proceeded no further He was very bold and free in the exercise of his Ministry sparing sin in none yea even before Kings he was not ashamed to do it He often to his utmost stood in the gap to oppose Errours and false Doctrines he withstood to the face any Toleration of Popery and Superstition by whomsoever attempted He was so fervent in his preaching that that of the Psalmist might be applied to him The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up Anno Christi 1624 he spake before many witnesses and often repeated it afterwards that he was perswaded that the greatest stroak to the Reformed Churches was yet to come and that the time of the utter ruine of the Roman Antichrist should be when he thought himself most secure according to that Text Revel 18. 7. When she shall say I sit as a Queen and shall see no sorrow c. His farewell Sermon in or very near the place where he had lived in England was then much observed upon Jam. 1. 25. Sin when it is finished brings forth death wherein he spake of the fulnes of the sins of this Nation which certainly would bring great destruction Adding that the Harvest of the earth was ripe and the Angel was putting in his sickle Rev. 14. 18. applying also that of the Epha in the Vision Zach. 5. when it was filled with wickedness and that of the Amorites who when their iniquities were come to the full were destroyed He often also hinted the same in his private discourses and many that heard them laid these his sayings up in their hearts and by what hath already fallen out do measure their expectations for the future At the last time of his being in London he much lamented with great thoughts of heart the wofull dis-unions and the deadly hatred which he saw kindled in the hearts of Christians one against another by reason of their several opinions in matters of Religion and observing how some opposed the Ministry both to Office and maintenance Others contemned the Sacraments Others raised and spread abroad Damnable Dectrines Heresies and Blasphemies Upon which considerations he was confident that the enemies which had sown these up and down the Nation were Priests Friers and Jesuits and such like Popish Agents sent out of their Seminaries from beyond the Seas in sundry disguises who increasing in number here in London and elsewhere do expect a great harvest of their labours and he was perswaded that if they were not timely prevented by a severe suppressing of them the issue would be either an inundation of Popery or a Massacre or both adding withall how willing he was if the Lord so pleased to be taken away from that evil to come which he confidently expected unless there were some speedy Reformation of these things An. Christi 1634 A little before the Parliament began in Ireland there was a Letter sent over from the late King to the Lord Deputy and Council for determining the question of the precedency between the Primate and Archbishop of Dublin the question was nothing as to their persons but in relation to their Sees This good man out of his great-humility was hardly drawn to speak to that Argument but being commanded he shewed in it a great deal of learning and rare observations in matters of Antiquity so that the business was deâ—ermined on his side who afterwards by another Letter procured without his seeking had the precedency given him of the Lord Chancellor These things took little with him but were rather burdens to him who was not in the least elated or puffed up thereby ' At that Parliament he preached the first day of it before the Lord Deputy and the Lords and Commons in St. Patricks Dublin His Text was Gen. 49. 10. The Scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a Law-giver from between his feet till Shiloh come and to him shall the gathering of the people be At the beginning also of the
improper in matters of Religion they savour of singularity breed rents and divisions between Preachers and people and take off the minde from things more essential Learned men have observed that Hereticks gat great advantage by the unwary speeches of the Fathers Some of Calvins expressions that were not so well pondered have done no great good to some in our times Nestorius fell into his Heresie by defending an improper speech of his and Eutyches thinking to mend it fell into the other extream Dr. Thomas Tailor speaks much to this point to very good purpose in his Progress to Holiness p. 134 135 154. and concludes that if we will keep the faith of our Fathers we must keep the words of our Fathers Our Mr. Capel was a man of a single heart He was with Jacob Gen. 25. 27. a plain man i. e. A downright honest man as the Original signifies A very Nathaniel an Isralite indeed Joh. 1. 47. in whom though there was some infirmity yet there was no guile He had much of the wisdome that is from above and was as far from Hypocrisie as most men living If all others were of his temper Momus had no need to complain of the want of a window into any mans breast He was what he was indeed and in truth without dissimulation He was very high in his conformity to those Primitive Christians Act. 2. 46. and left a brave President to all that would be what they should be in this particular We of this doubting and deceitful Generation had need to look about us and see what was here set before us in very legible Characters that we may learn to be more above board in our dealings We are faln into an age like that of the Prophets wherein every one hath too much of the Hypocrite We may well cry Help Lord for the faithful fail with a double Heart and double tongue do they speak The most be for all Tides and Times as mutable as the Weather-cock For any manner of Mode so as they can serve their own turns by it Some can be any thing but what they should be We have need to beware of men where every brother will supplant The Hypocrite with his mouth destroyes his Neighbour Prov. 11. 9. It is indeed good to be wise as Serpents but withall we should be innocent as Doves Though it be just with God that the deceiver shall be deceived and some like it well yet is it not just in those that do it They that turn aside to crooked wayes shall be led forth with the workers of iniquity Psal. 125. 5. Plain dealing is a Jewel yea though it be in sin as this acute man tells us in his â—entat Part. 3. It s a dainty fine thing in our confessions repentance and in all wherein we act He that useth it what ever men say or think shall neither live nor dye a beggar Downright honesty is the best policy It is delightful to God Prov. 12. 22. and it will be a comfort to us 2 Cor. 1. 12. This is our rejoycing and we never eat â—ur meat with more gladness than when we do all with singleness of heart Act. 2. 46. Mr. Capel was a very useful man in his life He was with Melancthon born for the common good and lived for the publick benefit of the whole Country Whilst he was at his Pastoral charge he gave himself fully and wholly to Reading to Exhortation and Doctrine and his profiting appeared unto all men so that he was generally and that justly reputed a man approved of God rightly dividing the word of truth It is well known what pains he took and to how good purpose during the whole time of his abode there which was about one and twenty years He preached constantly twice every Lords day and besides preached a Lecture constantly every week though he had but an infirm body till by reason of sickness he was taken off And then besides his Sabbath-dayes work he preached onely upon the Festival dayes His lips were touched with a coal from the Altar It may truly be said of him as it was of Musculus that his words pierced like a two-edged sword He could when he pleased be a Boanerges a son of Thunder but his bent was most to be a Barnabas a son of Consolation He was a true Evangelical Preacher and comforted many a drooping heart by his labours in publick and gave abundance of satisfaction in private to many troubled spirits that used to resort to him out of all Countries both far and near He also shewed himself to be a Tree of Gods own planting by bringing forth more fruit still in his age When the times were such some flying so extreamly high the Ceremonies being pressed with rigour and grievous penalties inflicted that he being tender in matters of Conformity must needs quit his Pastoral charge which was Novem. 27. 1634 he betook himself then to his little Cell as Samuel did to his Ramah that had never been looked upon if he had not come thither no more than Islebium and Bretta if not for Luther and Melancthon and there he had more health and cheerfulness of spirit than formerly which he improved well for the publick advantage For There he fell upon the Practice of Physick He indeed had bent his studies that way before hand foreseeing what would follow yet would he do nothing in that kinde it not being his Calling so long as that great work of the Ministry lay upon him But when he had quit the more special tye of the care of mens souls he then took himself to be at more freedome and having a License sent him by the Bishop of Gloucester to authorize him he fell upon the cure of mens bodies and being of great sufficiency his fame was quickly spread abroad He was looked upon as a very Trismegistus or a second Aesculapius He could do much at the diving into a disease and in applying such medicines as were proper and fit Not like some that will be tampering with that Profession and give their doses at adventure He was quick yet in cases of difficulty and danger he would weigh things well In desperate diseases he would adventure far according to the rules of Reason what he gave should be safe He mixed all with his own hands he would stoop to the meanest and serve all at an easie rate His Receits amounted not to the half nay not to one quarter of a common Apothecaries Bill He was blessed by God with great and good success and had resort especially towards his latter end out of his own and other Countries so that he had not leasure to sit at his own meals in quiet Yea many times he was quite tired out till God called him to rest His words were seasonable and savoury His tongue was a Tree of life His lips fed many Whosoever came near him should have something dropping if he did but
many places Read the Proverbs and remember him in this 1. Forsake not an old Friend 2. Be friendly and faithful to your Friends 3. Never trouble or trust Friends unless there be a necessity 4. Lastly be long in closing with Friends and loath to lose them upon experience of them For your Marriages In Marriage you lay the foundation of your present woe or weal therefore here be not rash go not alone yet remember Paul 1 Cor. 7. 2. First study whether you have a calling to Marry yea or no and advise well of that If none forbear if so advise with friends before your affections be engaged In your choice 1. Aim at Grace 2. Good nature and education the best woman is not ever the best wife 3. Good parts of understanding Huswifery c. As for Portion be it more or less be upon certainties and trust not words and for Parentage let not the distance be too great lest you despise or be despised However be sure that the person likes not your fancy but your judgement For your Children Make it your chiefest work to make them 1. Godly 2. Useful Bestow most of their Portions in good Education and if Grace make no difference do you make none in your affections countenances portions partiality this way ends in nothing else but envy strangeness c. For your selves within your selves My desire hath been to carry an even hand over you all and have laboured to reduce you as near as I could all circumstances considered to an equality and therefore my last request and charge is that you will live together in an undivided bond of love you are many of you and if you joyn together as one man you need not want any thing what counsel what comfort what money what friends may you not help your selves unto if you will contribute your aides wherefore my dear children I pray beseech command adjure you by all the Relations and dearness that hath ever been betwixt us that you know one another visite as you may each other comfort counsel relieve succour help admonish one another Whilst your Mother lives meet there if possible yearly When she is dead pitch upon some other place if it may be your eldest Brothers house or if you cannot meet yet send to and hear from one another yearly And when you have neither Father nor Mother be so many Fathers and Mothers each to other so you shall understand the blessing mentioned Psal. 133. For your Estates Be not troubled that you are below your kindred get more wisdome humility goodness and you are above them onely this do 1. Study work more than wages 2. Deal with your hearts to make them less 3. Begin below 4. Joyn together to help one another 5. Rest upon the Promises which are many and precious this way 6. Sow mercy Take of your Mother to this end a piece give that in works of mercy and if all other means fail you that shall maintain you I know I know I say and I am confident in it that if ye will be humbled for my barrenness and will trust God in his own way he will make comfortable provision for you Object no more but trust him For the Publick Bless God that you are born English men and bear your selves dutifully and conscionably towards Authority See God in the Magistrate and hold Order a precious things And for the Church neither set her above her Husband Christ nor below her Children give her that honour obedience and respect that is her due and if you will be my Children and heirs of my comfort in my dying age be neither Authors nor Fautors of any either faction or novelty It s true this is not a rising way but it is a free fair comfortable way for a man to follow his own judgement without warping to either hand Perhaps you may hear variety of judgements touching my walk when I sleep in silence some taxing me for too much some for too little Conformity but be not ye troubled I did what in my circumstances seemed best to me for the present howsoever the event hath not in some points answered expectation yet I have learned to measure things by another rule than events and satisfie my self in this that I did all for the best as I thought Sure I am my Saviour Christ is perfect and never failed so much as in circumstance To him I commit your Souls Bodies Estates Names Lifes Deaths All and my self waiting when he shall change my vile body and make it glorious like unto his own Amen Even so come Lord Jesus Amen On the Memory of that Famous and Godly Minister Dr. Robert Haris my late worthy Friend As once Elias in John Baptist came Back to the Jews in that Triumphant flame Of Light and Zeal wherein he did before Without Deaths help up into Glory soar And by this Transmigration of his Grace Prepared paths before his Masters face Even so in thee blest soul did breathe anew Great Chrysostom yea great Apollos too To thee those mighty Orators did give Their Tongues to speak to thee their life to live Nay thou thy self didst in thy self renew Thy Fort'ys vigour in Fourscore we knew When all thy strength decayd thy Gifts did thrive The man is dead the Preacher still alive Alive in his own Sermons in our love His Name alive below his Soul above And may the younger Prophets still inherit A double portion of their Fathers spirit That by a sacred Metempsychosis The gifts may now be theirs which once were his That every Sermon which we hear may be Rare Preacher a true Pourtracture of thee Yea may it of each following age be true The former are exceeded by the new Visions of young surpass old Prophets dreams The Fathers Light 's outshin'd by Childrens beams That in their measures we may more and more Th'unmeasur'd fulness of our Lord adore E. REYNER The Second Part Containing the LIVES OF GVSTAVUS ERICSON King of Sueden who was the first Reformer of RELIGION in that KINGDOM AS ALSO Of divers other Christians who were eminent for Prudence and Piety We desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end That ye be not slothful but followers of them who through Faith and Patience inherit the promises Heb. 6. 11 12. LONDON Printed for Will. Miller at the Gilded Acron near the Little North-door in St. Pauls Church-yard 1661. The Life of Gustavus Ericson King of Sueden who dyed Anno Christi 1562. IN the dayes of Christian the Second King of Denmark who also laid claim to the Crown of Sueden after the decease of Swanto the Lords of Sueden chose Steno Stur to be their Governor against whom Gustavus Archbishop of Upsal opposed himself loving his place more than his Country and being crossed in his expectation he promotes the interest of Christian of Denmark who to set forward his claim to the Crown of Sueden spent
Danish cruelty and oppessions he endeavoured to perswade and encourage the Citizens to stand out in defence of the Liberties of themselves their wives and children and not to trust to the fair words and glozing promises of the Danes but rather to endure a little hardship for a time assuring them that the face of affairs would be shortly changed The Citizens willingly hearkned to him but some mercenary Souldiers raising a muteny had thought to have slain him But the plot being discovered the muteny was suppressed and Gustavus advised for his safety to withdraw himself into his own Country and there to obscure himself till a more convenient time should enable him to carry on his design He knew this journey would be full of difficulty and danger For his Way lay through Smalland where the Danish Emissaries were very active to draw the Suedes to moderation and to submit to the Danish yoke yet through it he adventures but with much grief of heart to see the Country people so miserably deluded insomuch that he could not forbear but told them That they should consider the cases of many of their Country-men who had as fair promises from the Danes yet met with nothing but miserable bondage Adding that there was much less danger in standing the push of the Danish Pike than in committing themselves and all that was dear unto them to so broken a Reed as their fair words which had not only failed but mortally wounded the Liberties of their Country-men who had given credit to them Say what he could divers Suedes of the better rank in those parts being pre-ingaged to the Danes perswaded the people otherwise saying That the Danes aimed onely at the suppressing of such of the Suedish Nobility as combined themselves against the Kings Government But as for the people the King was resolved to win them and that they should never need to fear want so long as Salt and Herrings lasted But if they would not be prevailed with they were all but dead men except speedily they forsook their Country and fled Gustavus finding the people hereby so affrighted that they had rather be slaves with quiet than hazard themselves in War he found it not convenient for him to stay any longer there whereupon he secretly departed to Terno amongst his own Tenants and having there provided himself of necessaries he went thence to Refsnass his Fathers house where he concealed himself for the most part of that Summer yet at length he adventured to discover himself to one that had been a faithful Friend to him and once was Archbishop of Upsal but in those troublesome times had been laid aside and now was retired to a Monastery at Gripshâ—lm This man being now grown old was fearful and willing to be quiet though upon hard conditions wherefore he disswaded Gustavus from stirring alleadging the great advantage that the King had having an Army in the Field and the Towns generally under his command affirming that the King desired nothing more than to ingratiate himself with the people for whose assurance he had granted Letters of Grace and a general pardon and therein particularly mentioning Gustavus himself wherefore he advised him to give credit to the King and to submit to his Government And for my part said the old man I dare engage to procure from the King a special full and free pardon for you if you shall desire it Gustavus heard him with silence but liked not his undertaking For thought he this old man may hope hereby to screw himself into the Kings favour Neither indeed did he like to adventure himself upon the Kings promises wherefore he resolved to wave this old mans counsel and to retire himself back to Rafsnass All this while the King continued in the siege of Stockholme where we formerly left him endeavouring partly by force partly by messages of Grace to get possession of that City For which end he first confirmed the agreement which his General had made with the Lords in the Field and then granted a General pardon and Act of Oblivion for whatsoever former faults Then sent his hearty commendations and fair promises to the people in the Country by the Suedish Lords that were of his party yet in many places it met with little or no respect at all Nevertheless in continuance of time by the often droppings of his good words serious Proâ—â—ses Protestations Execrations Letters Patents and Declarations under the Kings hand and seal an entrance is made into the hearts of the men at Stockholm the Gates at length are opened and the King admitted entrance and acknowledged by all to be their lawful King and then was Crowned and solemn Feasts were held for all sorts of people both Suedes Danes and Germans This was a fair morning but who knows what a great-bellied day may bring forth The King all this while was contriving the ruine of the Suedish Nobility and now he hath them in one place within walls and a sufficient guard upon them But it must be done under the fairest pretence that may be for the thing it self was ugly and ill-favoured Hence it was first resolved that a Treason should be supposed to be plotted by the Suedes to massacre the Danes and therefore the Danes as in their own defence should assassinate the Suedes but this was thought dangerous and might in the event turn to the destruction of the Danes in so populous a City and who knows what men in despair may do Then another way was propounded viz. That the King must look upon the Suedish Lords as under the Popes curse and sentence of Excommunication and to draw forth the Kings justice with more colourable zeal the Archbishop of Upsal who had procured that sentence must openly accuse the Suedish Lords as excommunicated persons for Treason against the King robbery of the Church and as spoylers of the dignity and estate of the Archbishop and therefore he must demand Judgement against them And this was approved of And the better to draw these Suedish Lords together a Feast is appointed the third day after the Coronation at which also the Germans and Danes were present and then before them all the Arcbishop of Upsal though unwillingly when he saw what would be the event steps forth before the King and accuses the Suedish Lords of injury done by them to himself both in person and estate and demanded â—atisfaction for his damages The King liked not this charge as not being home enough and therefore told him that he forgat the Popes sentence the crime of Treason and his own place who ought in zeal to the Church to have demanded punishment upon the persons offending After which he commanded the Guards to seize upon the Suedish Lords and as some Writers say shewed them so much mercy as to let them live till the next day and in the interim he set Guards upon all the avenues to the City that none might be suffered to depart
Gal. 6. 10. Do good unto all but especially to the houshold of faith She indeed shut up her charity from none that had need of it but she enlarged it chiefly to such as were of the faithfull Her love and charity was very intire and great to her friends yet not so confined to them but that she reserved a competent measure for them that dealt unfriendly with her or that were enemies to her If there was any unkinde difference between her and any one though she enjoyed the freedome of her judgement to think as there was cause yet would she not suffer her affections to be estranged from them but was ready to do them good if power and opportunity did furnish her for it She requited love for hatred pity for spight â—riendly offices for offensive usages She bare ill will to none She hated nothing but that which is worse than nothing Sin and that she hated in all and most of all in her own soul. As her Charity was evidenced by doing so also by suffering If any tribulation were upon others or imminent over them she was like minded with her Lord and Master according to that of the Prophet Isa. 63. 9. In all their afflictions he was afflisted She did passionately sympatize in the sufferings of her fellow-members If it was ill with the Church or any particular Saints it was no better with her Charity made her suffer as much by inward affection as they did of their enemies by outward affliction Her Patience also was very remarkable For though her apprehensions were quick enough to conceive any thing tending to the disturbance of peace and patience yet she enjoyed such a calmness of spirit as could hardly be turned to a storm If any were injurious towards her her tongue could more readily pray and her eyes weep for them than with looks or words of indignation or disdain set upon them If she were angry at others which was very seldome it was sin their sin that was the cause of it If news came to her of any losses in her estate as sometimes there did of great ones yet was she never put out of temper with those ill tidings having these considerations ready at hand to quiet her heart It is that God that gave all that now taketh away some why should I take it ill He would not have me to be in love with nor to relye upon uncertain riches which were never true to any that trusted them but upon himself and I willingly renounce them to rest upon him He can if he see it good recompence the loss in the like or some better kinde If he take more there will yet be many poorer than my self and if he take away all my goods he can give me content without them for he is All-sufficient and so though I have nothing I may be as possessing all things 2 Cor. 6. 10. The world and I must part and whether we be unstiched by parcels or torn asunder by taking all at once all is one to me that which he chooseth is best for us both for his owne glory and my good if I grudge not against him but willingly as I pray give way to his will By bodily sufferings her patience was exceedingly tried both for the truth and strength of it For of some of her children she had long painful and very perilous labour but that which exceeded all was a long and sore sickness to which were applied very rough and irksome remedies so that she suffered not onely the anguish of her disease but many things also of the Physitians as that woman in the Gospel Mark 5. 28. and had it onely been pain and torment it had been more tolerable but it was accompanied with a strange infirmity and deformity Her jaw being faln she could not bring it up towards her upper jaw Her mouth was drawn awry towards her ears so that with much difficulty both to her self and others her food was conveyed through so crooked a passage to her throat which might have caused the greater discontent to her minde because it was the shipwrack of much beauty and comeliness which until then was seated in her countenance and whereof she kept remarkable impressions to her dying day yet shewed she admirable patience under this great affliction to which her heart was brought meekly to submit and concerning which she said that if it pleased the Lord still to continue her a spectacle of deformed misery she would not repine at his doing or her own suffering but would willingly abide it until he freed her body from the disease by health or her soul from her body by death Her Modesty also manifested it self by her shame-faced estrangement from sin and vanity concerning which vertue in her it may be said that it was rather sometimes too much than any time too little and it shewed it self divers wayes 1. In her look which was habitually composed to a modest and gracious gravity so that against any thing that was unseemly to be said or done she carried a severe rebuke in her very countenance or if any were so immodest as to speak or do any thing before her not becoming Christianity her modesty made some supply to their want of it she would blush for them 2. In her Speech whereas some would have vaunted themselves or made some vain-glorious shew of such sufficiency as was in her she rather shadowed her own light with a dark Lanthorn and therefore in that wherein she was a teacher she carried her self as in the person of a learner rather asking questions than making resolutions or giving rules and directions unto others 3. By her Silence For as St. Ambrose saith Thoughâ— silence be a rest to other vertues yet is it a chief act anâ— exercise of Modesty yea her pace her habit and he whole behaviour was a lesson of modesty which together with her other vertues wrought a kinde of awfulness in her person so that those that had not grace to do well in private were more afraid and ashamed of an appearance of evil in her presence than in the sight of many a Magistrate As for Humility she made great account of it she studied it seriously and got it so by heart that there was no need of Art to make profession or ostentation of it Solomon makes contention the proper effect of pride Prov. 13. 10. So peaceableness is a sure sign of Humility and this she shewed in that she could endure contradiction reproaches and other trials of Humility without a quarrel or breach of peace with any being still ready to deny her self and to yeeld to others so far as with a safe conscience she could Once a new Gown being brought her to put on and presented as a gift from he Husband wherein his kindness had put him to more cost than she wished to make her more fine than she desired to be she humbly besought with tears that it might not
of Mr. Thomas Manton who knew him well who speaks thus of him Mr. Ignatius Jurdaine may in some sense be stiled the wonder and Phoenix of his age and place of abode concerning whose piety and frequent communion with God his constant heavenliness his charity in giving lending and entertaining his doing justice with impartiality and diligence we have already heard and therefore give me leave only to suggest a few other passages and observations 1. That for his temper he was a man of a raised zeal and heroicall spirit one of those rare examples which the Lord giveth the world now and then and therefore his actions are not to be measured by an ordinary standard 2. Seldome or never did any come into his company but he would discourse with them about holy things asking the younger sort how they did hope to be saved The more grown if they professed Religion whether they had any assurance which if they denied he would tell them that he was even ashamed of them In good earnest would he say I would study the Promises and go into my Closet and lock the door and there plead them to God and say that I would not go forth till he gave me some sense of his love 3. His entertainment at his Table was free and sufficient but frugall and sober If his Wife at any time excused the slenderness of it he would say Brown bread and Kennel water is good fare with the Gospel I have oft heard him say so There is somewhat a like saying of Mr. Greenhams and possibly Mr. Jurdaine might borrow it thence it suiting so well with the temper of his spirit 4. A formall man had once preached a Sermon at the Cathedrall about Heaven the discourse was for the most part frothy and beneath the dignity and worth of such an Argument Mr. Jurdaine was present as well as my self After Sermon I went to his house being to receive a Letter from him to Oxford and after many good instructions he asked me if I had been at the Sermon that morning I told him yea And did you said he hear those wonderfull things which God hath provided for them that love him And so he readily picked out all those passages which were any way subservient to use and profit It was wonderfull to me to see how an holy heart could draw comfort out of any thing The Sermon as Mr. Jurdaine repeated to me was another kind of Sermon and seemed to be savoury and spirituall I remember with what warmth and vigour he spake of it even till this day and hope that I shall never forget it 5. This is not to be forgotten his sending a Letter to the late King and expostulating with him about setting forth the Book concerning sports and recreations on the Lords dayes which was inclosed in another to the Bishop of Exeter to desire him to convey it and notice being given to the Bishop that Copies of it were divulged possibly by the Transcriber he thought he could not conceal it with safety and therefore carried it to the King who when he had read it in a great anger said He would hang him But the Bishop a pious man fell upon his knees and besought his Majesties pardon alleadging That God had not a better servant nor his Majesty a better Subject in the whole Land When the Bishop returned from his moneths attendance Mr. Jurdaine went to visit him and after civilities past the Bishop said Ah Mr. Jurdaine would you put me upon so hot a service You know there are many eyes upon me meaning the Archbishops party who suspected him as a favourer of Puritans Yea my Lord said Mr. Jurdaine there are eyes upon you the eyes of God and his holy Angels to see how you discharge your duty and office as the Kings Chaplain and Bishop of the Church 6. Now and then when he had leasure he would usually go to his neighbours shops and admonish them to take heed that the cares of the world did not deaden their spirits to heavenly things telling them if they had many thousands it would not still the cry of conscience purchase the least favour from God nor so much as ease the pain of the teeth or keep off one fit of an Ague yea if money were thrown to the Dogs they would not so much as smell at it 7. He would often perswade his Fellow-Magistrates to a liberal provision for the poor and when they would ask him where they should have money He would answer God will provide rather than the poor shall want let us sell our Gowns 8. When he did distribute money to the poor with his own hands in a time of great infection and some asked him if he were not afraid of the Plague What said he afraid of Gods Visitation Let us fear rather the Plague-sore of our owne hearts 9. In his troubles in the Star-chamber when one told him he was sorry that the Lord Keeper was against him He answered I have a greater Lord Keeper than him The Lord is my Keeper I shall not be afraid 10. It is not amiss to set down what others thought of him I remember a godly man observed him that in every business though he advenfar the Lord carried him through with reputation and so compared him with another of great parts who though godly was alwayes toiled in every undertaking Drunkards and frequenters of Ale-houses were afraid of him He was their usual Bugbear their memento in the middle of their excess was Its time to be gone Mr. Jurdaine will come by and by The ordinary sort of men were convinced of his integrity insomuch as carnal and vicious men at a time of election of Burgesses for Parliament would say one to another If you choose any choose Jurdaine he will be right for the Commenwealth and will do the City service He was twice chosen Burgess for the Parliament and once Mayor of the City and once Deputy Mayor in a time of great Infection by the Pestilence The Reverend Minister that preached his Funeral Sermon amongst others had this expression Look upon his Will and you will think him the richest man in the City Though many exceeded him in estate but few or none in making provision for the poor Delinquents seldome went from him without conviction A Noble mans servant that had scorned him being brought before him and convicted for having sworn rashly three times Mr. Jurdaine demanded his Fine and shewed him the hainousness of the sin with which the man was calmed and though he came from his companions braving yet he returned with the acknowledgement that he was a good Justicer and when they asked him what Jurdaine did to him he answered He gave me good Law and fair words I have heard above thirty years ago that some godly persons in Exeter were convented before the Bishops Court for keeping some private dayes of Humiliation whereupon Mr. Jurdaine went to the Bishop who was a godly man to
into that better world which she so much longed after often professing that there was nothing that could tempt her to wish for life but the breeding up of her little ones which yet now she was the less solicitous about because she could leave them in the hands of their tender and careful Father not doubting as old dying Jacob said when he was blessing the two Sons of Joseph Gen. 48. 15. 16. That that God which had fed her all her life long untill that day and the Angel which had redeemed her from all evil would bless them And now finding her self arrested by the messenger of Death and her body like the house of Saul growing weaker and weaker but her soul like the house of David waxed stronger and stronger took higher flights and made nearer approaches to God that gave it When her Husband came to her as he did frequently he continually admonished and minded her of the gracious Promises of mercy in Christ and of faith in him and desired her to be strengthened and comforted in them Her answer was she was comforted in them she found the comfort of Gods Spirit in her and verily believed she should see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the living Psal. 45. 13. Ever and anon saying I am comforted Gods Spirit is in me which makes me endure my sickness and more pains than you can think of so comfortably as I do When she knew of none by her usual prayer was Lord look down upon me in thy mercy Lord forgive me my sins Lord assist me with thy holy Spirit Lord thou hast assured me of the forgiveness of my sins Lord assist me still with thy holy Spirit And many times passing the whole night without sleep she spent that time in these and the like heavenly prayers and ejaculations in which her Husband and those which attend her continually still found her when they came to her Never man had a more faithfull dear and loving Wife or more carefull of what concerned him than himself and more tender of any thing said or done against him than if it had been said or done against her self And when he seemed to lament the loss he should have if God took her from him She meekly answered We came not into the world together and therefore may not look to go out together When he replied that it would be much better for their children if he went first as by the course of nature was most likely she said that he could do much better for the children than she could and thanked God for that she could now leave them with him For the space of three weeks she kept her bed and about a fortnight before her death being surprized with a fainting fit in which she was like to depart and thereby perceiving that earth would suddenly return to the earth whence it came that her soul might be the better winged and prepared for a return to God that gave it she deâ—ired that all the Family might be called up and joyn in prayers with and for her At which time observing the grief and passion of her Husband and those that were present expressed plentifully by tears from their eyes she besought him and them not to grieve and lament for her happiness About that time a Reverend person coming to visit her Husband he solicited him to enlarge that great act of favour unto him by a greater act of charity to his wife by visiting her also whom God now visited with sickness as also to pray with and administer some comfort unto her which he most willingly condescended unto and having taken a strict account of her faith in Christ and hopes of a better life he left her with his Fatherly benediction top full of comfort and when she was afterwards told that he came out of respect and kindness to visit her Husband she said No but God had sent him for her comfort often acknowledging the consolations which she had found by him When any came to visit her in the time of her sickness at the parting she desired them to pray for her and often sent Messengers and caused Letters to be directed to her friends in London to pray for her for that she was now preparing for another world When she was sometimes desired for her childrens sake to chear up her self her answer was that to leave them did not trouble her because she was assured that God would provide for them adding that she would willingly leave Husband Children and all to go to Christ which was just the minde of that blessed Martyr Ignatius Befall me said he what will or can so I may enjoy Jesus Christ my Love my Life that was crucified for me or rather St. Pauls case expressed in that most elegant Barbarisme Phil. 1. 23. Desiring to be with Christ which is multo magis melius much more better And now finding the day of her life wasted to the evening and ready to dye into night on the Lords day before her death she desired the prayers of the Congregation in the Parish where she lived being well assured as she said that many good people would pray heartily for her After which some coming to visit her and exhorting her to patience and to remember the afflictions of Job she answered that she had had her part in his afflictions God having given her Luctuosam foecunditatem as St. Jerom said of Laeta a sad and sorrowfull fruitfulness taking away seven of her children in their minority so that she as Hanna spake in her song 1 Sam. 2. 5. that had born seven waxed feeble yet she comforted her self with this hope that they were in Heaven before her and hoped that they would be Lamps to lead her to heaven for she assured her self that they followed the Lamb whithersoever he goeth and for those two which were yet alive she thanked God for that she saw no ill qualities in them Besides she said that God had taken away her goods from her but had given her patience which to her was of more value and she esteemed it above them all knowing that God was able to restore all when he pleased She often acknowledged Gods goodness to her in sending her a milde sickness and not taking her away with some sudden stroke as he did the wife of Ezekiel Chap. 24. 16. or by some tormenting disease as he is pleased to visit some of his dear ones acknowledging the wonderful mercy of God to her therein A week before her death she called her eldest Daughter to her being to go from her to School at Putney and putting her hand on her shoulder she said to her I give you that blessing which my Mother gave me at her death The God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob bless you and then added the blessing which Aaron by Gods own appointment was to give the children of Israel The Lord bless thee and keep thee
was offered with strength of Argument against gain-sayers She was eminent for the grace of Humility and when I have said that she was of an humble spirit what can be said more This the Apostle would have us to be cloathed withall 1 Pet. 5. 7. Humility is the ornament of all Graces It s that Salt that seasons the best parts and graces So humble was the spirit of this excellent Gentlewoman that the poorest might have free access unto her and receive curteous language from her mouth and liberal almes from her heart and hand both being opened wide for their relief The observation of this humble deportment from her child-hood gained the heart of her dear Husband unto her long before she was ripe for her Marriage Her humble spirit evidently appeared by her condescending to them of low estate the servants in her Family the poorest and meanest in the Parish where she lived will bear witness to the truth of this particular She was of a meek and quiet spirit which as the Apostle saith 1. Pet. 3. 3. is in the sight of God of great price All her Relations will attest her meek deportment and how much she hated brawls and contentions Her very enemies if they would speak their consicences can testifie her readiness to pass by injuries So far she was from rendring reviling for revilings that she endeavoured to recâ—mpence â—vil with good and prayed for such as despitefully used her professing that it was the desire of her â—â—ul to do her very enemies all the Christian offices of love which lay in her power Special notice ought also to be taken of her Wisdome and Gravity in the ordering of her conversation Her discourses were savoury administring Grace to the hearers and tending to edification Her behaviour was modest and grave though she was of a cheerfull spirit yet it was without levity She was no tatler busie-body no medler in the affairs of others She was no gadder up and down from house to house hearing and telling of news as too many do to the wounding of the reputations of others The vain and frivolous discourse of some who came to visit her was an heavy burden and affliction to her spirit The dicourses of such as tended to the defaming and blasting others reputation were a great grief and trouble unto her and when she heard such discourses she would endeavour to turn the stream another way and move such discourse as might be profitable for the souâ—s good Her Love was very eminent towards all those that feared God she was with David a Companion to such a lover of their acquaintance who were the Saints the excellent ones Psal. 16. 3. Insomuch as when she apprehended any thing of God though in persons inclining to separation and of a contrary judgement from her she was so compassionate as to labour with much sweetness and candour to convince them of their errours and to wâ—n them to the truth imitating herein the holy practice of learned Musculus who gained some Anabaptists and Sectaries by kindness and benefits and 〈◊〉 them as much by love as by arguments Her holy Courage deserves special notice for though she was humble meek and loving yet she was stout and couragious in declaring her judgement upon just occasions before those whom she knew to be contrary minded hating compliance against conscience and doubting alwayes the soundness and sincerity of those who duâ—st not own their opinions She was much of her worthy Fathers temper in that particular who hath been often heard to say that a Coward can hardly be an honest man and much of Esters resolution desiring rather to suffer her self than sluggishly and silently to see the truths of God to suffer She was a praying Christian She was much in prayers and tears much in a sacred acquaintance and holy communion with God Her gift in prayer was very great She was much in her Closet alone and there much upon her knees An excellent patern for womens imitation which by no means should suffer that great duty to be omitted It was a Character of Paul when converted Act. 9. 11. Behold he prayes Praying Christians are the best Christians they are prevailing Christians and as Reverend and holy Mr. Dod was used to say Never dâ—spair of that person who can but pray She was â—ixed and 〈◊〉 in Religion having frequently read the Scriptures 〈◊〉 many â—ound orthodox and practical Divines she became settled rooted and grounded in the truth She was one that held fast her profession without wavâ—ing She was not 〈◊〉 about with every wind of Doctrine Eph. 4. 14. neither was she of their humours who for politick ends comply with all companies in their opinions She kept close to the publick Ministry where she lived there she heard the word faithfully dispensed She neither was of their opinion nor practice who out of I know not what kinde of singularity separate from the Ministry of a godly Pastor and Husband Her delight was very great in Gods Ordinances and she was glad when they said Let us go to the house of the Lord in company She had such an high esteem of and longing desire unto the house of God that when her strength failed her she would be carried thither by reason of lameness the feet of her body were weak but the feet of her soul her affections were strong nimble and vigorous Look upon her in her Relations as a Wife a Mother and Mistress and you shall see she was mindefull of her duty to God in them all Her great care and endeavour was to set up God in her Family in order whereunto she bestowed great pains in Catechising of her children and other near Relations committed unto her charge Her great design was to bring them all up in the fear and admonition of the Lord and to inculcate again and again that main and needfull lesson of Remembring their Creator in the dayes of their youth Much pains she took in Catechising and instructing her servants especially before they were to receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper She used to examine them of the Sermons they heard and she customarily read over those Sermon Notes to them which she had taken â—t Church that so they might be the better prepared to give an account thereof to her Husband God was pleased to give her several Olive branches round about her Table well bred well Catechised and well governed and of very great hopes As Eunice and Lois instructed young Timothy so she instructed those hopefull little ones in the holy Scriptures and acquainted them with the knowledge of God in their tender years Thus according to Solomons counsel they were trained up in the way wherein they should walk Prov. 21. 6. and that even from their childhood insomuch as one of them though very young hearing a neighbour using the name of the Lord upon a sleight occasion reproved him for it alleadging the Commandement
of God against it Thou shalt not take the Name of God in vain And another of them reasoning with his fellows about God and the Devil professed that he had rather be in hell with God than in heaven with the Devil And a third who by reason of her age could not speak distinctly said in some discourse with her Father that God Almighty would not bless them who tell Fibbs meaning Lies and that she had rather dye than tell a Fibb so far had their Mothers instructions prevailed with them She was eminent for a charitable and bountifull spirit she was another Dorcas full of good works and Alms-dâ—eds That high Elogium that Solomon gives a vertuous woman may properly be applied unto her Many Daughters have done vertuously but she excelled them all Prov. 31. 29. Many there are that come far short of her but very few that went beyond her in the acts of Charity God gave her a liberal and plentifull estate and that was a great mercy but it was a far greater mercy that he gave her a liberal heart to do good and to distribute To cast her bread on the waters and to honour God with her substance That protestation which Job makes for his own vindication may fitly be applied unto her Job 31. 16 19. He would not with-hold the poor from their desire nor cause the eyes of the widow to fail He would not see any to perish for want of cloathing nor any poor without covering The whole Country round about where she dwelt will bear her witness that she visited and relieved the sick and cloathed the naked fed the hungry and healed the wounded Her purse her hand her heart were all open for their relief She bought many precious Drugs and cordial waters She made several precious salves and gave them all away to such as were in need of them She spared not her best pains being never aweary of well doing insomuch that in the extremity of her greatest sickness such bowels of compassion yearned in her she compounded several Medicines with her own hands and applied them Thus will her works praise her in the Gate and being dead she yet speaketh Prov. 31. 31. Heb. 11. 4. For her precious name liveth The Lord will have the name of the Righteous to be in everlasting remembrance Psal. 112. 6. and the memory of the just is blessed Prov. 10. 7. And precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Psal. 116. 15. Now this rare Gentlewoman reaps the fruit of her serving of God and the whole harvest whereof she received onely the first fruits in this present world The usual saying is All is well that ends well Come we therefore to speak of her end Her life was holy and therefore her death must needs be happy It pleased the Lord to exercise her with a long and lingring sickness and amidst the weakness of the outward man God gave her great strength in her inward man though her limbs and outward strength failed her yet God was her strength and portion and he never failed her A few dayes before her distemper waxed high her Husband being from home she sent for all her Family both young and old to come in unto her chamber with whom she prayed near two hours with such pathetical heavenly Scripture-language as drew admiration and tears from those that were present She blessed her children counselled her servants heartily and affectionately commended her Husband unto God she wept and prayed and prayed and wept and could not easily part with the company nor yet leave off praying and weeping Upon the encrease of her distemper her spirit was much disturbed and some impertinent speeches did fall from her yet in the middest of all her impertinences Grace and the Spirit of God did eminently declare their Power and Sovereignty in her by many savoury and choice speeches and sweet breathings of her soul some of which are these that follow I was in the Devils claws but Jesus Christ the sweet Bridegroom of my soul the sweet Bridegroom of my soul these words she often reiterated the sweet Bridegroom of my soul hath delivered me At another time I am safe for Jesus Christ is at my heart and I would not part with him for ten thousand worlds Again Come Lord Jesus the Captain of my salvation ride on gloriously conquering and to conquer for me Satan Sin Hell Death and all mine enemies Afterwards again I was in Hell but now I am in Heaven I am in Heaven indeed indeed I am in Heaven I am in Heaven eternally I am in Heaven the habitation of Gods glory unto all eternity Much of this nature she did speak even when her understanding was so disturbed that she scarce did know her near Relations and those who did attend upon her in her Chamber And now all these things are worthy to be transmitted unto posterity and to be had in perpetual remembrance She was an eminently godly Gentlewoman being but little above Eight and twenty years of age when she dyed which was in the beginning of March Anno Christi 1656. But though she was young in years yet was she old in Grace She had lived long in a little time She was a mirror of her age and a renown of her sexe a pattern worthy of imitation She was the beloved faithfull wife of as an intirely loving and faithfull Husband She was a tender affectionate Mother to her own and no less carefull of those pledges committed to his charge She was a most dear Sister an affectionate Mistress carefull both of the bodies and souls of her servants that they should neither want corporal nor spiritual food Her profession was with Joshua Chap. 24. 15. Choose you this day whom you will serve But as for me I and my house we will serve the Lord. She was not onely a friend to her friends but a friend to her enemies even unto such as despitefully used her All the Country round about could not but look upon her whilst living as a publick gain and when dead as a publick loss She was very usefull whilst she lived and will be much missed now she is dead Two things were very eminent in her Setledness in Religion and holiness of conversation By her death the poor have lost a liberal Almoner the sick 〈…〉 a good Physitian the wounded have lost a 〈◊〉 Chirurgion the Husband hath lost a faithful Wife the children a tender Mother the servants a gracious Mistress and not any that knew her of all her neighbours and friends but they will finde a great loss and miss of her All that knew her loved her but onely such whose love is not worth the having She lived much desired and dyed much lamented For her to live was Christ and to die was gain Phil. 1. 21. She was honoured in her life and she was honoured at her death by a confluence of many persons of quality of the Gentry
the rest of the Chapter all those places the Lord often made a stay unto my soul And afterwards the Lord so blessed one means or other unto me insomuch as I was kept from sinking and falling into such horrour as many of the people of God sometimes fell into But yet my fears and doubts were so many as that my comfort never lasted long If the Lord did but hide his face I was troubled No longer could I beleeve then I found new strength given in that the Lord would ever have mercy upon my soul. The sense of Original sin and Actual transgressions in their filthiness and guiltiness caused my fears yet to remain upon my spirit my faith then seemed very small if I had any which I much questioned I durst not then say Lord encrease my faith but I could cry earnestly Lord work faith in me I found much dulness and deadness manifold distractions in duties so that God might justly have withdrawn himself from me for ever yet notwithstanding all my uneven walking with God he was graciously pleased to manifest his mercy unto my soul. When I was stricken with such weaknesses as I apprehended might quickly have ended my life I fell into a great fear At the first finding my heart to sink the Lord was pleased to gâ—ive me so much respite as to pour out my soul before him desiring strength and support from him to keep up my spirit and to make me willing to submit to his dispensations and the Lord graciously answered my prayers in that he removed all my former doubtings and fears all the time of that sickness which was long and so dangerous that neither I nor others expected my life The Lord then cleared up my evidences for Heaven and gave me in so much comfort against the apprehension of death as I never had in all my life before Other like trials of the Lords love I found still when I was in the greatest extremity and stood most in need of help from him insomuch as at such times I have hoped that I should never again have questioned the love of God to my soul But I have found it otherwise by sad experience For when these impressions were worn of I have been ready to call all in question again concerning my poor soul. It made me oft to think of that which was laid to Solomons charge that he forgat the Lord that had appeared to him twice I found it the hardest thing to believe that ever I went about But this wavering condition could not satisfie my soul for the Lord giving me sometimes a glimpse of his love made me long after fuller enjoyments of it so that I was carried out with a restless impatience to beg that the Lord would take away the heart of unbelief from me which did both dishonour him and hinder me from that peace which the Lord was willing that his people should enjoy My heart then being brought unto that frame I was more willing than ever I was before to impart my condition unto some spiritual Friends whom I desired to deal impartially with me acquainting them with the whole condition of my soul how far the Lord had carried me on and at what I stuck and still as new objections did arise I laboured to get satisfaction Being convinced that I had too much prejudiced my self in that I had not sooner made my condition known to some who were able to give me advice This way of communicating my condition I found the Lord blessed unto my soul insomuch that my hopes were more confirmed my fears more removed my faith more strengthned and by the hearing of such Sermons and reading such Books as came closest unto the conscience and were most for trial of ones spiritual condition I found the greatest benefit by and received the most comfort from them Formerly I had many fears that I was not one of them who had an interest in the Election of Grace But the Lord afterwards put into my heart to enquire whether I had those Graces of his Spirit wrought in me which none but his own elect people could have Upon the strictest searching into mine own heart the Lord was pleased after many years of fear at last to evidence unto my soul that there was a change wrought in my heart will and affections notwithstanding the remainders of sin and corruption which still encompassed me about being confident that he that had begun this good work would not leave it unfinished unto the day of Jesus Christ and the Lord was pleased to set home divers Promises for the strengthning of my faith to wit those which set down the Everlasting Covenant 2 Sam. 23. 5. The Everlasting love of God Jer. 31. 3. Joh. 11. 13. The certainty of the Foundation 2 Tim. 2. 19. The certainty of the Promises 2 Cor. 1. 20. They are all in Christ Yea and Amen and that the children of God have eternal life promised unto them and that none shall be ever able to pluck them out of Christs hands Joh. 10. 28. Then for divers years the Lord was pleased to stay me to lead and guide me till he had set my feet upon that Rock which is higher than I from whence I trust that I shall never be removed And now my hearts desire is to ascribe that measure of hope and comfort which the Lord hath given me at any time onely unto the praise of the glory of his Grace who hath made me accepted in his Beloved which is so great a mercy as I can never be thankfull enough for nor walk answerable thereunto I know when I look into my heart there is matter of fear that the Lord will withdraw the influences of his comforts from me But that which I rest upon is the free mercy of God in Christ expecting performance of his Promises made Rom. 6. 16. Sin shall not have dominion over you because you are not under the Law but under Grace And Ezek. 36. 25. that he will sprinkle clean water upon me and that he will give me a new heart and put a new spirit within me that he will take away my stony heart and give me an heart of flesh being perswaded that the Lord will keep me by his own Power through faith unto salvation And now that I may have all the Graces of the Spirit strengthened and encreased in me which I finde that I stand in continual need of It is the desire of my soul to be a partaker of the Lords Supper which through the blood of Christ onely I have right unto This is the particular account of Gods gracious dealing with this godly Gentlewoman considering there was no administration of the Sacrament in that Parochial Congregation where she lived and used formerly to receive it nor any Pastor at all to officiate there she being desirous to enjoy that great Ordinance and that after a pure way of administration sent this aforementioned Narrative
Harris had the happiness to live with and near this man of God and that in such a conjunction as greater could not be During the time of their converse they studied together and daily read a Chapter in the Original together And after Mr. Dod was restored to the liberty of his Ministry in another Diocess he would not expound a Text preach a Sermon answer a case of Conscience whereof many were daily brought to him without the concurrence of Mr. Harris with him so highly did that eminent Divine prize him and would often blame him for his reservedness and unwillingness to put forth himself Mr. Dod being as was said before removed into Northamptonshire to Fausley God was pleased to supply his want by the resort of sundry young Students from Oxford to Hanwell so that Mr. Harris his house was a little Academy and amongst others he took much comfort in Mr. Pemble who would do nothing especially in Divinity without his advice as also Mr. Capel who oft resorted to him in his grievous conflicts and temptations for advice and succour and also in his well known Treatise of Temptations Whilst he was at Hanwell he had frequent calls to London sometimes to Pauls Cross sometimes to preach before Parliaments and other sometimes at Country-Feasts which occasioned many invitations to places there But of all the Auditories that of Saviours in Southwark was most grateful to him and there he could have spent the remainder of his dayes if his voyce would have reached so great an Assembly From thence he was invited to some lesser Churches but God had not yet finished his work by him at Hanwell and therefore something or other still interposed Probably he had closed with Aldermanbury had not the then Bishop of London Land complemented him out of it commending his Conscio ad Clerum at Oxford and promising him better preferment than he thought he should merit Some other offers were made to him but still he met with some cross Providence which made him come to a resolution to end where he began At Hanwell he went over many Scriptures but his people found least good from that which cost him most pains viz. his Sermons upon the Colossians which Epistle he preached throughout Indeed at that time he thought he could not speak too highly to a people who had been so taught but upon further trial he found that he could not go too low so that as some of his hearers after told him his pains upon that Epistle was wholly lost as to them His Sermons upon Historical Scriptures best pleased most of his auditors but with himself and the more spiritual sort his labours upon the Book of the Canticles prevailed most the Notes whereof he was often pressed to make publick which he refused upon a double account 1. Because a great part of them were lost and dyed with Dr. Preston to whom he had lent them and whom he used to call A needlese engrosser of other mens Notes 2. He less satisfied himself in his elder years in divers passages of that mysterious Book Yet if the world were at leasure to hear old men speak it might be very useful to collect those dispersed Papers and it is hoped that some of his near Relations who best know his hand and method in writing may take some pains therein for the publick good At Hanwell Mr. Harris continued preaching for about forty years a constant painâ—ul and faithfull Preacher both upon the â—abbaths and other occasions which fell out often for when he came thither he found that there had been an accustomed course of preaching upon such Festival dayes then so called which might not enterâ—ere with the Lecture or Market at Banbury which he also kept up especially on Easter and Whitson Mundayes unto which multitudes of Christians resorted far and near as the Doves to the windows yet without any superstition And on the morrow they were entertained with the like Feast at Banbury by Mr. Wheatley O what a Faire of souls was then held at Hanwell and Banbury by these two Brothers How did Religion then flourish and Professors thrive like the Calves in their stalls The truth is these Preachers carved out sound and wholesome food and their hearers came with good stomacks expecting what they found viz. Milk for Babes and strong meat for strong men and accordingly did grow thereby In those dayes godly Preachers stuffed not their Sermons with aiery notions and curious speculations but sought out profitable matter which they delivered in sound words and in plain method of Doctrine Reason and Use accommodating themselves to every mans capacity and God gave them a plentifull Harvest in that Country These his imployments at home together with his natural Bookishness made him less forward to engage in Lectures abroad onely he was one in a combination at Dedington in Oxfordshire and for sometime he kept a Lecture alone at Stratford upon Avon in Warwickshire every other week unto which there was a great resort both of the chief Gentry and choisest Preachers and Professors in those parts and amongst them that Noble and Learned Knight Sir Thomas Lucy of Charlcot had alwayes a great respect for him About this time a great Living in the Country was offered him about which he was very indifferent and indeed was but very indifferently dealt with in it which occasioned him to say That he never bore any thing more impatiently than the abuse of Religion to base and private ends and that carnal policy would render Profession despicable at least whilst some men took such a liberty to themselves in equivocating and dawbing and the reason of such mens success was not because they had more wit than others but more boldness to say and do what others durst not All this while he continued at Hanwell in much prosperity and the Neighbours thereabouts frequented his Sermons amongst whom he received the greatest seals of his Ministry But though he found so much encouragement from abroad yet we must not forget his people at home who were so far brought into a conformity that at sometimes there was not a Family in the Town where Gods Name was not in some measure called upon nor a person that refused to be prepared by him for the Lords Supper And as the Lord was thus pleased to bless and succeed his labours so he caused him to thrive in his outward estate likewise which himself could not but take notice of for though his means was not great and his children many for whose sakes he kept a Schoolmaster and the resort of Friends to his house not small both on Sabbath dayes and Lecture dayes yet was he in a thriving condition which occasioned him to say That there was a secret blessing attending on house-keeping For said he I am not able to give an account of my expences and of Gods supplies But now began those cloudy times and his sadder dayes when Troops and Armies
marched into those Quarters about Edghil where was fought a bloody Battel Octob. 23. 1642 upon the Lords day in the Vale of the Red Horse being distant about four miles from him yet it pleased God so to order it which he took for a great mercy that he heard not the least noise of it the wind sitting contrary till the publick work of the day was over nor could he believe the report of a Battel til a Souldier besmeared with blood and powder came to witness it From this very time his troubles encreased Now was he threatned by this then by the other Garrison one while he was a Roundhead and then a Malignant frequently oppressed with Souldiers that were quartered upon him yet still he kept his station and some of his Guests would joyn with him in Family-duties which he intermitted not when others would scoffe at them because not mingled with Book-prayers Every Sabbath he held on the course of his Ministry and most of those which quartered with him being Commanders and Officers they shewed themselves civil to him and his onely at one time there was a company who were so outragious in swearing and blasphemy that he could not forbear preaching upon that Text James 5. 12. Above all things my Brethren swear not c. which so netled some of them that they damned themselves to Hell if they did not shoot him in case he preached again upon that Text which they judged to be purposely chosen against them the next Sabbath he proceeded purposely upon the same Text wherein he backed what he had said before and as he was preaching he saw a Souldier take his Carbine and fumble about the Cock as if he was preparing to shoot but Mr. Harris apprehending that he did it onely to disturb him went through his work and heard no more news of his Souldier Thus he continued his labours in those sad times and though he was chosen a member of the Assembly of Divines at Westminster yet because upon serious thoughts he judged his presence less needful there than in the Country he continued his station there till he saw his Tenements in the Neighbourhood fired wood and nurseries of wood destroyed himself threatned and at last enforced by a Scottish Commander to shift for himself yea some of his own Neighbours were now ready to betray him whereupon he went to London and by Gods good providence came thither in safety though a sad man When he came to London he went to the Assembly where he found much more undone than done Indeed he met there with many excellent and learned men but his thoughts were sollicitous for his people his wife and children whom he had left behinde and indeed he found little rest in his spirit till the same good hand of Providence had safely brought them unto him Then went he with more comfort to the Assembly where he did Antiqum obtinere hear all and say little Upon his remove from his house both his Books and his Notes some few only excepted which he had conveyed away beforehand together with all his remaining goods were seized upon and his Living given to another but that might soon have been supplied many offers being made to him from several places and Country Committees The first motion that he hearkened to was the Temple but upon trial he found that Church too large for his voyce and thereupon refused and at last he was sent to Buttolphs Bishopsgate where though the Congregation was too large for him yet being necessitated to do something for the maintenance of his Family he remained there during his attendance upon the Assembly After his continuance there for some time himself with four more Divines were commanded down to Oxford which was then under suspension by the Parliament which imployment he often professed that he did earnestly decline and that principally for two reasons 1. Because the Committee for Hampshire had given him a free call to Petersfield and thither he would willingly have gone 2. Having long discontinued from the University he looked upon himself as very unfit for such a service but in conclusion he was plainly told that such as would not be intreated must be commanded and so he was ordered to prepare for his journey This much troubled him and therefore he first goes to Petersfield and acquaints them how the case stood with him and because he could not come suddenly to them he desires them either to pitch upon some other Minister or else to take the care upon themselves to provide supplies for both the Churches for two they were and to pay the Preachers out of the Revenues of the place The people liked neither of the offers yet were content to wait a while in hopes that he might come to settle with them requesting him in the mean while to provide them such supply as himself should approve of This proved a troublsome work to him though for a time he sent them help from Oxford and thereabout for preachers were now hard to be gotten there being more want of Ministers than of places yet at last two were procured the one of whom gave no good content At last he was put upon it either to relinquish Oxon or Petersfield the former he could not decline and therefore he left the latter though with great regret because he could not seal up such respect and thanks as he conceived was due from him to that Country Neither had he less trouble in providing for Buttolphs Bishopsgate it being no easie matter to please Citizens yet at the last they were supplied to their content About this time many Libels were cast abroad in Oxford against other Preachers and one amongst the rest reflected upon Mr. Harris reckoning up his several Livings and great Revenues wherein they mentioned what was past present and to come and happily if they had heard of the rest which at several times were offered him they would have put them also into that Catalogue Mr. Harris being informed hereof he wrote to some Friends which Letters are already extant wherein he vindicated himself in the main yet withall he professed unto others that it would and should be to him matter of humbling and caution to him whilst he lived that he had given the least advantage to such as sought it for though he stood clear in his own and others consciences who best knew him that he was far from allowing non-residency and plurality of Livings yet to such as were ignorant of all circumstances there was some appearances of evil which also he took the more to heart because from that time forward he found the afflâ—cting hand of God both upon him and his The Preachers that were sent to Oxford found but ill entertainment on the one hand they were aspersed and libelled against by their own Mothers Sons and on the other hand they were challenged to a publick Disputation by one Mr.