the servants had supped and then called them in to family duties together with singing of a Psalm after the same were ended and she discoursed sometime with the Lady her Mother she would go to her chamber where she would walk for some time and so to her closet where then she spent much time so long as at the soonest it would be one of the clock before she went to bed oftentimes would she be up till one of the clock in the morning and manytimes the Belman would cry in the streets two a clock in the morning and she no more then a bed and not a sleep asking her maid if that were the Belman I verily believe there was no shop keeper more diligent in keeping his shop then she her closet O what a trade did she drive for heaven she was one that made Religion her businesse indeed Upon the Lords dayes she would be up somewhat earlier then on other dayes though later up on the Saturday nights and if in London in the summertime she would go to the morning Sermons at seven of the clock if the weather were good and then to the rest She was full of heaven in all her discourses on the Lords dayes she was one as in Isa 58.13 that did turn away her foot from the Sabbath from doing her pleasure on Gods holy day and called the sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable honouring him not doing her own waies not finding her own pleasure nor speaking her own words all her discourse at table dinner and supper and every where those dayes should be heavenly and speaking of what was taught those dayes not a word would come from her unsuitable to the day I verily believe if one had been set to watch her all those days long he should not have trapp'd her in one word unsuitable to the day if any thing had displeased her she would not have been displeased on those dayes On Lords-dayes-nights when she was come from Church and undressing her self her children gave her an account of what they had heard at Church and what such had read as stay'd at home and could not go and those of her children she could not hear then she would call to account while the servants were at supper and afterward the family to duty and repeated amongst them what she had written at Church those dayes This last year she caused her eldest daughter Mrs. Frances Scot to repeat in the family being able also to write After repetition a Psalm they sung and then she her self prayed in which duty as she was heavenly so longer then other nights the Lord did not onely give her the grace and spirit of prayer but also a great gift in prayer And as she was one of great gifts and parts so very humble her parts did no way puff her up or cause her to go out of her sphere in the least one of her Chaplaines did much urge her in the Country where she commonly had one in her house to hear her pray but at no hand would she do it this by the way After duty done in the family she went againe to her chamber and so to her closet would be there somewhat longer then other nights and take her bed-time the monday mornings indeed it would be morning before she went to bed Her usuall Lecture dayes at London every week were Tuesday's at Clements Wednesdays Mr. Jenkins at Black-Friars in the forenoon and if she could have time in the afternoon Mr. Calamy's at Aldermanbury before Mr. Jenkins Lecture was at Black-Friars she was constantly at Aldermanbury Thursdayes at Dunstones in Fleetstreet to hear Mr. Manton or at Mr. Case's Lecture at Martines in the fields and Saturdayes at Gregories in the afternoons besides the morning exercises when they were neer VI. As she did lay out her self and time in the service of God so also the greatest part of her estate laying up little here her layings out were more then her layings up she was heaping up her treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust consume nor thief break through and steal how did she scatter her benevolence every day and so as her left hand knew not what her right hand did Much money did she cast into the poors bason at Fasts and at those fasts once a moneth at the morning exercise the keeping of which she omitted not though many times not well at other private fasts she gave very much there was seldome a week in the winter time but she was called to a private fast for particular persons in some great affliction many weeks she hath bin known to have been twice a week at those extraordinary dutys to the performance of which she would be sure to make all ordinary businesses and visits of friends give place some weeks it hath bin known she hath bin at 3 fasts a week at which fasts she gave the more knowing it would be given to the godly poor and being winter time and the harder with them which scatterings would arise to no small summe in a year if they could be known how much they were Sometimes it hath bin observed and sometimes could not at the least it hath been observed to have bin 2 shillings a time at the more private fasts she would give more In her going to those fasts if she thought the farness of the way would weaken her strength which she kept for the dutys she would send for a Coach at nights if fair she would often come home on foot both for her healths sake and to give the more to the poor saying many might think she went on foot out of covetousnesse but they would be much mistaken and when she came home from those fasts what shift would she make to steal up to her chamber by the door of the room where such as came to visit were that she might not be detained from her closet duty 's But to return to her charity every day how did she scatter her bounty among the poor not to such as made a trade of begging though they used never so moving expressions knowing they were prophane and would take no other course of life from such she would receive many a hard word when they saw her give to others and not to them and her servant hath been fain to defend her sometimes from their affronting her by not giving her way enough to passe Now as she walked London streets she would carefully observe if she could see any poor old people whom she would call to her or command her servant to go and call them to her and would ask them if they were very poor and if they were carefull to serve God and did go to Church and what hopes they had to be saved to which they would answer as they were able and some would say I blesse God Mistresse I am not so poor but the Lord doth provide for me that I am not driven to beg nor extreamly want to whom she
THE Excellent Woman A SERMON Preached at the Funeral of Mrs. Elizabeth Scott Relict to Humphry Scott of Conghurst in Kent Esq And daughter unto Sir Mathew Howland Knight late of Giles in the Fields On the 16. of Decemb. 1658. By Tho. Case M. A. sometimes Student of Ch. Ch. Oxon. Now Rector of St. Giles in the Fields Heb. 13.7 8. Whose faith follow confidering the end of their conversation Jesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for ever London printed for Robert Gibs in Chancery-lane at the sign of the Golden Ball near Serjeants Inn. 1659. To the truly Honourable and much honoured The Lady Frances Howland Relict to the worthy Sir Mathew Howland late of Giles in the Fields Madam I Shall not need to fear the reviving of your sorrowes by this late address I finde them still fresh upon your spirit and I dare not accuse you for it I had almost said you cannot be guilty of an excesse in your mourning over the losse of such a childe A child not only of the severest obedience but of the sweetest and tenderest respect to your spiritual and eternal good that most Mothers ever had the happinesse to bring forth Surely it was her pious care to pay in grace the debt which he owed you by nature and to compensate her natural being received from you with your spirituall Your Ladiship hath often acknowledged to myself and others what a soul-help she was to you ever since God was pleased to call her by his grace and to reveale his sonne in her Surely as seldome have children lost a better mother so seldome did mother lose a better childe And as such a losse can hardly be overwept so I am afraid our times are little guilty of such a sin Our sin is rather that we bury our sorrows together in the same grave with our godly praying soul friends as if we were no losers by their death truly would Christians put on their mourning affections but as long as they wear their mourning garments for their godly dead there were lesse cause of mourning It is true their voice to us is that of our Lord Weep not for me there is no cause as to themselves to sorrow even as others that have no hope Yea but weep for your selves and for your children not for their gaines but for your loss losse of Counsel loss of their quickning edifying Converse their prayers comforts losse of their holy jealousie and watchfulnesse over us their tender compassions to our souls Alas a great part of Christians understand not their loss and the most do not lay it to heart and so though they quit the sence yet they aggravate their misery while they adde sin to their affliction even the sin of insensiblenesse Isa 26.11 Lord when thine hand is lifted up they will not see Jer. 5.3 Thou hast smitten them but they have not grieved I am glad therefore Madam on your behalf to finde that these tears are not yet dried up blessed are those mourners that prevent not the Consolations of the holy Ghost but do patiently wait till God himselfe come to wipe off the teares from their eyes of which this will be a comfortable pledge if by the sadnesse of the countenance the heart be made better Eccl. 7.3 Which that it may be your Ladiships portion as mine own shall be the earnest prayer of Madam Your Ladyships deeply obliged and most faithful servant in the Gospel The Case To the Honourable Sir Howland Roberts of Glassenbury in the County of Kent Baronet Noble Sir IT is no small priviledge to be born of godly parents The blessings of the Covenant run most kindly in the channell of the Covenant there is more to be presumed of such children then others not only as they are under the blessing of their parents prayers Bathsheba called Solomon the sonne of her Vowes and Monica St. Augustine the childe of her prayers and tears but also as they themselves have a greater holdfast upon God by vertue of his holy Covenant Lord I am thy servant Ps 116.16 and the sonne of thy handmaid was Davids plea. What a right you may claime to Gods family by your mother the just character here delivered of her will sufficiently evidence Her example Counsels prayers are a better portion then your Fathers inheritance She travelled the second time with your spiritual birth and was in paine till she could see Christ formed in you and the rest of the fruit of her loynes and that all her children by nature might be the adopted sons and daughters of God by grace that you might be good rather then great serviceable rather then honourable that she might go out of the world with that joy of our Lord My seed shall serve him Ps 22.30 it shall be counted to the Lord for a generation this was the travel of her soul Solomon recounteth the Prophecy Prov. 31.1 which his Mother taught him and surely as by the example of your pious mother so by the gracious counsels and instructions which from the very cradle she was perpetually instilling into your minde she being dead yet speaketh the module whereof is indelibly engraven upon your heart The greatnesse of your losse is not easie to be told and it is not yours onely but the whole Churches she was a Christian indeed in all the capacities which she susteined and filled them all with singular wisdom and fidelity The providence of God in taking her away in the fulnesse of her strength and activity for Jesus Christ is to me very stupendious and compared with the premature death of divers others of the Lords choice ones seemeth to intimate some approaching judgement The righteous perisheth and man layeth it to heart Isa 57.1 and merciful men are taken away none considering that the righteous is taken away from THE EVIL TO COME When the corn is reaped and gathered into the barne the bruit Cattel are turned into the field Such a general sudden and to us untimely death of the godly calleth upon survivours to sit down and consider how they may either prevent or prepare for approaching evils at least how they may fill up the vacant roomes of those worthies that are gone to rest with a greater activity of grace and a more diffusive service As for your selfe Honoured Sir the remaining hopes and honour of your Fathers house go on to doe worthily for God and let the world know that your Mothers Blessing is not yet worne out of your familie and that power of Religion which she fought to stablish there did not expire with her Which as it is the hope so it shall be the prayer of him who is Sir Yours in all Christian Observance Tho. Case To the Reader Reader I Do easily foresee the large commendation which I have given to that truly Honourable person whose memory is continued in these papers may incur censure from strangers or else those who though not altogether
the Lord and to feare him A Fever in her Spiâ—its to take heed of sinning against God as they desired God should take care of them From the time she kept her bed she would be often speaking with holy admiration how infinitely good God had bin unto her evere since he had bin pleased to reveal his Son in her Gal 1.16 She did often express St Paul his holy indifference to life or death I am willing to die and yet contented to live if I may doe more service for God Phil. 1.22.22 My selfe standing by her once I said to her you would be glad to be gone from us would ye not she turned her head and with a sweet smile replyed I desire not to leave you but I would be glad to be with Iesus Christ If she were askt how she did she would sometimes answer I am the Lords Prisoner sometimes An admirour of free graces and so I desire to be She was very willing to take whatsoever was advised and would often heavenlize earth-refreshings with spirituall contemplation Oh this is very good and pleasant would she say and if this be so good oh how sweet is my good God how pleasant is Jesus Christ Her expressions were but short but very sweet an heavenly ejaculation or two and then silence for a considerable time Her daughters standing by her beds side she bespake them after this manner Oh children how sweet and precious is Christ but oh how bitter a thing is sin and after a little breathing Be sure to get an interest in Christ and try your faith To the Nurses and servants that came to turn her in her bed for the Fever that had accended her spirits and exhausted her strength so fast in a few dayes that she was not able to turn or help her selfe in the least measure she would say I am very weak but my God is very sâ—rong and there is my comfort he will lift me up Her elder daughter out of a childe-like desire of her life would Sometime say Mother I hope the Lord in much mercy will restore you to us againe To which she retuned what God pleaseth if ho have no more work for me to doe then I am exceeding willing to dye and to be with Christ which is best of all but if God doe recover me the Lorâ— give me more grace that I may walk answerably to his mercies Upon the Sabbath morning it being Sacrament day her eldest daughter came to take her leave of her saying Mother I am going to Church and to the Sacrament That is well said she but I cannot go only be sure to go in the sâ—rength of Christ and doe all your duties in his strength knowing that we have none of our own to doe any thing that is good the Lord goe with you with many other gracious words which dropt like hony from her lips The younger daughter staying at home she askt her according to her constant use childe what do you remember of what you have read and when the childe repeated some portion of it she answered It is well but be sure to practise it And then she would break out again Oh how sweet is Jesus Christ but what an ougly thing is sin When the evening came she called to her elder daughter to go and repeate the Sermons she had heard in the Family as she used to doe On the next day coming to visit her I found her very weake yet I presumed on so much liberty as to hint a word or two to this purpose I hope ye have found no want of a Sabbath the last day though God tye us to means he doth not tye himself to means the presence of Jesus Christ I hope hath abundantly compensated the absence of the Ordinances Yea she replyed I I sate under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet unto my taste She was from thence for some houres under a kinde of delirium but it was very calm and gracious for that night the Curtains being drawn and all attendants enjoyned silence by the Physitians she lay praying the greatest part of the night with as much sweetness and savor as in her health And when the Maids and Nurses came about her she worâ—â— speak most sensibly to them Oh labour to make your calling and election sure get an interest in Christ while you are in health and strength After this the distemper working more in her head occasioned her to speake somewhat erratickly though blessed bee God never uncomely Yea and if any good notion were hinted she would close with it very sweetly and chiding her self would say in a very sensible manner My foolish fancy runs upon abundance of other things that I cannot stay my thoughts upon God as I would And so continued speaking much to her self and her God though not very distinctly yet all very spiritually From the time she kept her Chamber which was from Wednesday till Monday she never spake of any wordly affairs and if her servant had come to ask her any question in order to her temporal affairs she would say to him oh do not trouble me with any of these things on the Sabbath day During the greatest part of her sicknesse For that was one of her happy mistakes she thought all the whole time was Sabbath And truly so it was to her The Law of the Sabbath was was engâ—aven upon her heart what others wickedly pretend indeed to the â—â—â—lishing of the Sabbath not to the spirituallizing of then conversations was real in this holy servant of Christ Every day was a Sabbath with her especially upon her death-bed as she drew nearer and nearer to that rest which remaines for the children of God she was wrought into a more sutable frame of heart to that everlasting Sabbath her motion heaven-ward was natural motions are stronger swifter towards the center after which she aspired and into which she expired And in which she now triumpheth with Him whom her soule loved and with the Spirits of just men made perfect and all the Elect Angels of God to all Eternity Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift FINIS Several Letters from divers Ministers concerning the Life and Death of Mistresse ELIZABETH SCOTT with a Narrative under her own hand of remarkable experiences and the gracious dealings of God towards her Mr. Naltons Letter to Mr. Case Dear Brother AMong many sad signes and symptoms of Gods displeasure towards the land I look on this as not the least viz. Gods removing so many of his precious Saints and servants from among us who while they were in the land of the Living helped to keep off the storm of Gods anger and to turn away his indignation from a God-provoking people Oh that our hearts were more deeply affected with it that we might feelingly say with the Prophet Isaiah chap. 16. vers 11. My bowels shall sound like a harp for England Yea we will sigh with the