well Isaac sonne of the free woman as Ishmael sonne of the bond woman as well Iacob whom God loued as Esau whom God hated as well chast Ioseph as incestuous Ammon as well meeke Moses as rayling Rabshekah as well zealous Phineas as the luke-warme angell of Laodicea as well Dauid a man according to Gods owne heart as Saul from whom God tooke his spirit and mercy as well Salomon the wise as Nabal the foole as well tender hearted Iosiah as hard harted Pharaoh as well the humble Publican as the proude Pharisie as well poore Lazarus to bee caried into Abrahams bosome as the rich glutton to be caried into hell as well Iohn the beloued disciple as Iudas the traytour as well Simon Peter the Apostle as Simon Magus the sorcerer Mercilesse death doth exercise her crueltie vpon all alike Why should this be so Hath not Christ dyed for the righteous why then should they dye Death is the reward of sinne Christ hath satisfied for all their sinnes wherefore should they beare this penaltie of sinne The righteous must dye the first death though Christ haue died for them and suffered for their sinnes His death shall free them from the second death but not from the first death which is the separation of soule and body He hath onely altered the nature and vse of the first death but not quite taken it away Whereas at first it was ordained for a punishment of sinne he hath made it a passage into heauen it was threatned and inflicted as a curse but he hath turned it into a blessing It did at first depriue men of good but now it putteth them in possession of good Christ hath taken away the sting of it and therefore Paul saith O death where is thy sting So as it can no more hurt vs then a Bee which hath lost his sting It doth not hurt vs but help vs not hinder vs but further vs in obtaining of glory Iacob not long before his death pronounced this as a curse from the Lord vpon the tribe of Simeon and Leui for their crueltie I will diuide them in Iaakob and scatter them in Israel Yet when the children of Leui shewed their zeale and obedience in killing the idolaters at Moses commandement the Lord turned this curse into a blessing Their scattering was a furtherance vnto them to make them more fit to teach the people in euery citie and receiue the tythes of euery tribe So at the first the Lord threatned death at the punishment of sin but by faith in Christ it is made the end of sinne and beginning of glorie He who could at the beginning bring light out of darkenes could afterward bring a blessing out of a curse If Phisicians by their arte can extract an antidote or preseruatiue against poyson out of poysonfull things why may not God by his infinit power and wisdome drawe good out of euill a mercy out of iudgement and a blessing out of curse Yea and as Augustine teacheth death remaineth still for the righteous to exercise their faith withall If immediatly vpon remission of sin there should follow immortality of the body faith should be abolished which waiteth in hope for that which is not yet enioyed Yea the Martyrs could not testifie their faith their patience their courage their constancie and loue vnto Christ in suffering death for his sake But now let vs more particularly consider the titles giuen to the death of the righteous First it is said that he perisheth which must not so be vnderstood as if he were quite destroyed brought to nothing and had no more being as it befalleth bruite beasts at their death whose soules being traduced with their bodies are mortall and perish with their bodies the righteous hath a being euen after death yet may be said to perish in regard of outward appearance in the iudgement of flesh and blood he seemeth to perish Yet we must know that the righteous consists of soule and bodie his soule being immortall cannot perish by any meanes it can liue out of the bodie as well as in the bodie When it leaues the bodie it goes vnto the Lord. This Salomon taught Dust returnes to the earth as it was and the spirit returnes to God that gaue it This Paul wished desiring to bee loosed and to be with Christ. This Lazarus enioyed at his death being carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome And this Iohn in a vision saw performed to the Martvrs vnder the Altar hee sawe the soules of them which were killed for the word of God But the bodie of a righteous man may bee saide to perish because it loseth the forme the nature and propertie of an humane body It is within a short space eaten vp of wormes and turned into dust and ashes so as there can appeare no signes of a body Though wee make neuer so much of our bodies yet can wee not keepe them from perishing though we feed them most daintilie clothe them most costly and cherish them most carefullie yet at last they will become a thing of naught the beautie of them will fade they shall be deformed and most ougly to behold The strength of them will be taken away so as they shall not stirre an hand or a foote the agilitie of them will be lost they shall remaine stiffe and be nummed the parts and members of them shall perish and fall away one after another The flesh blood and bones shall be so strangely turned to dust and earth that there shall not remaine any propertie or qualitie of them and a man if he knew it not before would neuer iudge that dust and earth to haue been flesh and blood and bones of a liuing man yea so greatly shall our bodies be altered that men shall not be able to discerne which dust came of them and which came of the earth Yet one thing I must needs adde for the comfort of the righteous that although his body seeme thus to perish in the iudgement of men yet it still hath a being in the sight of God and doth euen at that time and in that case remaine a member of Christs mysticall body For the vnion betwixt Christ and the faithfull is not of soules only but also of bodies the body of euery faithfull man and woman is truely vnited to Christs bodie And this vnion cannot be broken death cannot dissolue it though death doth breake the vnion betwixt man and wife yet it cannot breake the vnion betwixt Christ and the faithfull As death did not make a separation betwixt the two natures of Christ at the time of his suffering but his soule and bodie being farre distant the one in heauen the other in the graue were at that time and in that case personally vnited to his godhead no more can death make a separation betwixt Christ and the faithfull though their bodies doe putrifie and lie rotting in their graues yet stil they remaine
the Scriptures speaking haue not I said ye are Gods As and if the authour should say out of the familiaritie we haue with God wee are made partakers of the diuine nature according as his diuine power hath giuen vnto vs all things that pertaine vnto life and godlinesse thorough the knowledge of him that hath called vs vnto glorie and vertue Good Ignatius confirmed this doctrine as in life so in death for qualis vita finis ita Of whom it is reported that being opened they found in his heart the fruit of his faith and daylie meditation written in letters of gold to this effect Amor mens crucifixus est my loue is crucified Learned Cruciger confirmed the same when dying he said Inuoco tâ— Deus fiducia filii tui licet languida tamen aliqua fide Oh God I call vpoÌ„ thee in confideÌ„ce of thy son thogh with a faint faith yet with some faith and I am encouraged so to doe for I see him in glorie whom I haue followed in grace Nor can I passe in silence what fel out in experience not long sithence at the memorable death of a memorable Saint in this our countrie a Gentleman Scholler and Preacher rarelie qualified both in life and death Oxford will witnes the one and Heaton hall the other where it pleased God to call to his mercie that worthie man and powerfull preacher maister Iohn Holland batchelor of diuinitie a burning lampe consuming it selfe to lighten others for God in mercie called him by a lingring sicknes which staid till hee was readie and pared him to such an end as seldome I haue heard but yet neuer saw the like in any To passe the course of his sicknes in much patience yet with great passion and to come to his end when he put in practise the fruit of his godly life It pleased him the day before he dyed as formerly often so then more egerly to call for the holy Bible with these very words Come O come death approcheth let vs gather some flowres to comfort this howre and turning with his owne hands to the 8. Chapter of Paules Epistle to the Romaines he gaue me the booke and bade me reade at the end of euery verse he made a Selah or pause and gaue the sence in such sort and feeling as was much wee saw to his owne comfort but more to our ioy wonder Pity it were those speeches with other his writings should bee buried with him and kept in priuate from the publicke good of many Hauing thus continued his meditation exposition for the space of two howres or more on the sodain hee sayd O stay your reading what brightnes is this I see Haue you light vp any candles To which I answered no it is the Sunne-shine for it was about 5. a clock in a cleere Summers euening Sunne-shine sayth he nay my Sauior shine now farewell world welcome heauen the day-starre from an high hath visited my hart O speake it when I am gone and preach it at my Funerall God dealeth familiarly with man I feele his mercy I see his maiesty whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell God he knoweth but I see things that are vnutterable So rainshed in spirit he roamed towards heauen with a chearefull looke and soft sweete voice but what he said we could not conceiue At last shrinking downe againe he gaue a sigh with these words Ah yet it wil not be my sins keepe me from my God Thus that euening twise rising and twise falling with the Sunne in the morning following he rise then neuer to fall when againe raysing himselfe as Iacob did vpon his staffe hee shut vp his blessed life with these blessed words O what an happy change shall I make from night to day from darkenes to light from death to life from sorrow to solace from a factious world to a heauenly being O my deare brethren sisters friends it pitteth me to leaue you behinde yet remember my death when I am gone and what I now feele I hope you shall â—â—idâ—ere you dye that God doth and will do â—â—â— familiarly with men And now thou firy Chariot that came donne to fetch vp Eliah carry me to my happy hold and all ye blessed Angels who attended the soule of Lazarus to bring it vp to heauen beare me O beare me into the bosonâ— of my best beloued Amen Amen come Lord Iesus come quickly and so he fell a slâ—ope I say the truth my brethren I lie not my conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost with an appeale from my own credit to the right worshipfull his brother and all the standers by to iustifie what I haue sayd in comfort of their owne soules and warrantie of the doctrine â—ayme at which is to proue That God neuer suffereth his elect to depart this life comfortlesse nor wil I am perswaded call them hence till they haue seene with Simeon the Lords Christ either in soule spirit body or both The life of this perswasion is the death of sinne and such hope of eternity is the reuenge of iniquity Fie vpon sinne whilst I behold my Sauiour fie vpon shame whilst I behold my glory Heauen is my hope the visions of my hart are the imprâ—â—sions of my ioy and reuelations are expâ—ations to all Gods children they haue bin they are and they will be neuer wanting in supplementum fidei to helpe faith And for conclusion of this point remember Lots wife was Christ his aduertisement to inure vs with a forgetfulnes of our owne people and our fathers house that the Lord might haue pleasure in our beawty But so to looke vpon Zoar and flee thither was Lots sanctuary O it is but a little one and my soule shall liue What is Sodome other then this sinfull world And what is Zoar other then that heauenly being O let me take you by the hand bring you out and say with the Angell Escape for thy life looke not behind thee neither tarry thou in all the plaine escape into the mountaine least thou be destroyed And let this suffice for the first circumstance of my text as balme from heauen to sweeten our miseries in this life and to bury our iniquities in the graue Now passe we from the peace of the soule to the rest of the bodie and quiet of both vrged by the spirit in the second place as an Antidote to preuent a poyson much infecting all flesh who without all comfort of future blessednes do to the hazard of their soules stand doubtfull of the resurrection as also of the rest of their soules after they be departed The one sort are the Atheists the other are the Papists of these dayes times But the text is powrefull to put back both Iordans that the Israel of God may enter Canaan without crosse or feare For if the Lords elect shal rest in their beds they shal rise from their beds Rest implyeth
heads burning the corn of the Philistims whilest Israels sheaues staÌ„d vpright I meane consuming themselues whilest they cauill with vs about a birth of no being for if they could but agree at home ere they warre abroade 1. where the place is 2. when it began 3. how long it shall continue 4. who is there punished 5. what is the paine 6. and lastly who be the tormentors happily it might make vs to sound a retreate and moue a parley But when in all or most of these they are at ods with themselues I trust by the grace of God they shall neuer be at euen with vs or with any that feare the Lord in truth It would require a longer discourse then now I can stand vpon to descend into each of these particulars beeing limited with the time mine owne weakenes and your wearines yet if any man doubt let him demurre with mee vpon a further tryall and conference when I shall if God will satisfie him to the full that in all these seuerall points they doe nothing else but agree to disagree in the meane time I dare auouch as first I did that purgatorie is not at all 1 That is was neuer knowne in the Church of Israel or a doctrine sprinkled vpon that people with the blood of the old couenant by Moses who was faithfull in Gods house and deliuered all hee saw vpon the mount 2 That purgatorie hath no foundation in the new testament and that the blood of Christ neuer taught it in that couenant but was of it selfe sufficient to purge and preserue tam à poena quam à culpa though our aduersaries say contrarie 3 That neither the Primitiue Church nor the Fathers of the same for the space of manie ages did euer acknowledge the purgatorie of the Church of Rome I say God neuer ordained Scripture neuer taught spirit neuer guided father neuer agreed vpon such a doctrine but as they that were conuerted to Christ at the first whether from Iudaisme or froÌ„ Paganisme did bring with them eyther their ceremonies or their opinions so in this errour as in others Plato taught it in his schooles Virgil in his rythmes both Pagans Papising Bonauenture at all aâ—enture and Durand not dangerous of the doctrine haue taken it vp both Papists Paganising To iustifie what hath bin said of old Pictoribus atque poetis quidlibet audendi semper fuit aequa potestas To Painters to Poâ—ts to Papists of skill Hath euer bâ—â— graunted to same what the will For the proofe of al these assertions I referre you to the worthie writings of that noble Berrean Lord Phillip of Mornay lumen Galliae maâ—tix Romae in his treatise of purgatorie laid downe in his third booke of the sacrifice pretended in the Masse And now for conclusion of this point in clearing of the truth pitifullie dearned with these clouds of errour let these few Scriptures and Fathers dispell the fogge so as the sunne of righteousnes may shine in your hearts and beget you to a better hope A voice from heauen hath said it you may beleeue it Blessed are the deaâ— that die in the Lord Amodo euen now for they rest from their labours In blessednes is no pain in rest is no toyle if this happinesse be Amodo Euen straight vpon the dissolution there is no daunger by the way there is no delay by purgatorie Paul hath said it you may beleeue it Christ is to me both in life and in death aduantage desiring to be loosed and to be with Christ which is best of al as if he should say neuer can I lose by Christ in life hee is my grace in death he is my glorie when I am gone I shall bee where he is not in paine but in blis where no fire shall purge nor water wash hauing alreadie dipt my stole in the blood of the lamb Christ hath said it you may beleeue it his word is a warrant to your wearie souls Father I will that they which thou hast giuen me be with me euen where I am that they may behold my glorie which thou hast giuen me It is his will and who dares wrest it the head will haue his members the bridegroome his spouse God his elect and Christ his redeemed and where will he haue them but where he is and that is in heauen Popish purgatory is no Palace for Christ his abode ergo no place for Christians to behold his glorie Nor hath Christ said it but sworne it to in supplementum fidei to help faith that by two immutable things wherein it is impossible that God should lie First promise and Secondlie oth wee might haue strong consolation His oth is this neuer to be reuersed Verilie verilie I say vnto you he that heareth my words and beleeueth in him that sent me hath euerlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but hath passed from death to life O happie hearers but thrise happie beleeuers for whose cause the Lord hath sworne in certaintie of your saluation and speedie passage from death to life without tuch of fire meede of merit or need of Popish indulgence One saith well velox est sermo dei velocem desiderat habere sequentem The word of God is swift and it requireth a speedie follower if speed in following much more in attaining if speed in the bodie much more when it hath put it off if vnder the crosse we grone and goe forward with how much more speede shall wee haste to the crowne when teares shall bee wiped from our eyes and wee shall be translated out of this world to raigne with God for euer And if it bee true of a glorified bodie that Augustine hath corpus est vbi volet animus The bodie is straight where the minde will how much rather shall a sanctified soule disburdened of the bodie passe with speed to him that gaue it Lazarus died and was straight waies caried into Abrahams bosome The theefe vpon the crosse died was that verie day in Paradise Stephen called and said Lord Iesus receiue my spirit and shall we doubt of his desire euen then answered Christ cryed vpon the tree father into thy hands I commend my spirit and gaue vp the Ghost not downe the ghost speedily and without delay yea and I am perswaded that it is with euerie Saint of God in his particular death as it shall be at the generall doome all shal be chaunged at the twinckling of an eye at the last trumpe for the trumpet shal blow and the dead shall rise so all shall be changed at the last gaspe euen in the twinkling of an eye shall the bodie turne to earth from whence it came and the soule to God that gaue it Nescit tarda moliâ—â—â—a spiritus dei gratia The gifts and graces of God are without delay no delay in the creation no delay in the redemtion no delay in
or seruant saint or sinner if he beleeue hee shall haue life if hee walke before him Peace shall come Nescit Religio nostra personas nec conditiones hominum respicit Our religioÌ„ taketh no knowledge of persons nor respecteth the coÌ„ditions of men Old Simeon in the temple yong Iohn in the wombe poore Bartimeus begging rich Zacheus climing the hard hearted Centurion standing by the tree the theefe hanging vpon the crosse confessing the trueth and walking in the sunneshine of their Christ all indifferentlie receiue his die gaine peace and finde rest This Peter sawe in vision from heauen and this he preached powerfully on earth when vpon the sight he opened his mouth and said of a truth I perceiue now that God is no respecter of persons but in euery nation he that seareth him and worketh righteousnes is accepted with him Againe I gather out of the text that as God is generall in his gifts so must we be particular in our receite Euery one shall be saued but by his owne faith Euery one shall haue peace and finde rest but by his owne walking Anothers faith though neuer so pretious is not sufficient anothers walking though neuer so righteous is not auaileable to my rest The iust man shall liue by his owne faith so saith Habacucke 2. 4. Euery one shall heare his owne burden and euery one shal haue his owne honour And as we sow so shall we reape not anothers mouth to kisse not anothers teares to wash not anothers haires to wipe the feete of thy Christ but thine owne mouth thine own teares thine own haires must kisse wash and wipe with Marie the feete of thy Sauiour All that thine hand shall finde to doe doc it with all thy power thine hand not anothers hand â—â—y prayers not anothers prayers thine hearing not anothers hearing thy feete not anothers feete shodde to the preparation of the Gospell of peace yea and thy communicating of Christ with all the benefits of his passion not anothers shall benefit thee to thine euerlasting saluation Quid tibi de alterius dono si tu non dederis why art thou proude of another mans gift and thou giue nothing Anothers clothes will not warme me anothers meate will not feede me anothers golde will not enrich me anothers heart will not cheere me no more say I can anothers faith saue me Onely my faith in my Christ whom I haue put on my walking mine obedience must warme me must feede me must cheere me must enrich me and therefore I say with Thomas vpon mine owne tuch My God my Lord. Not God in generall but my God in particular mine by promise mine by stipulation mine by oth mine by free gift mine by purchase mine by participation of giftes and graces my Shilo mine Emmanuel my Iesus Of this particular faith and application spake Isaiah the Prophet when he said Razili Razili Secretum meum mihi Secretum meum mihi My secret to my selfe my secret to my selfe And this is the spirit of application by which the children of God both can and doe applie the medicine to the maladie for what is the sweetest balme if it be not broken The best receite if it be not taken Or the soueraigndst plaister that can be deuised by arte or cunning if it bee not applied to the wound or sore From this spirit of application spake Dauid when he said O God thou art my God as Mary also in the garden when she said Rabboni my master yea and Iohn too whose head lay neere his masters heart euen the Disciple whom the Lord loued when hee sayd We know that wee are of God though all the world lie in wickednes But the sonnes of Beliall and the reprobate from God if you mark them well you shall find that they are seared with a brand and so as neither they caÌ„ nor do apply the mercies of God vnto themselues Caine could make no vse of it when he said My sinne is greater then can be pardoned Nay saith Augustine not so Mentiris Caine mentiris maior est dei misericordia quà m omnium peccatorum miseria Thou lyest Caine thou liest the mercies of God are aboue all mans miseries Pharoah was â—bdurate and could make no vse of God either in maiesty or mercie when he said Who is the Lord that I should heare his voyce let Israel goe I know not the Lord. Iudas that sonne of perdition when he cast in the â—0 pence a goodly price whereat he was valued though he mourned much yet had he no helpe for that he was hopelesse when he could not applie mercie vnto his miserie but said I haue sinned in betraying the innocent bloud The innocent bloud not mine as if he had no portion in his Christ. And for the Diuels they are so farre from challenging any good by Christ that they disclaime his mercies person all whilest they say Ah what haue wee to doe with thee thou Iesus of Nazareth art thou come to destroy vs Such disclaime be farre from you my brethren and from all the Saints of God both in life and death nay rather clamate prore vestra claime your due and say with blessed Paul Christ is become vnto vs wisedome righteousnes sanctification and redemption Yea and be bold to say yet more his bodie is in heauen there shall I finde it mine his diuinitie is on earth there do I feele it mine his word is in mine eares to beget him mine his sacrament is in mine eyes to confirme him mine his spirit is in my heart to assure him mine Angels mine to camp for me Prince mine to rule for me Church mine to pray for me Pastor mine to preach for me All mine whether it be Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death whether they be things present or things to come euen all are mine I am Christs and Christ is Gods Of all this I inferre and conclude with my text that euery one must walke if he wil haue peace and who wil be cured must care to apply his sweete Sauior vnto his sinfull soule Thine owne gaine must buy balme to bury thy Christ nor must thou send it but bring it with the deuout Maryes to the sepulcher The Queene of Saba though a Queene yet she sent not but came her selfe to heare the wisedome of Salomon And the wisemen of the East herein shewed their wit that after they had seene his starre they turned not but hasted to the place of the babes abode with this inquiry Where is he which is borne King of the Iewes vidimus stellam eius in oriente we haue seene his star in the East and are come to worship him venimus personaliter we come our selues we acknowledge our misery venimus adorare humiliter we adore him our selues we acknowledge his maiestie and we worship eum singulariter him alone
we subscribe to the Vnity and that there is no name vnder heauen wherby men must be saued other then by the glorious name of Iesus Christ. As and if they might say we haue seene in soule we are come in body there is the star O where is the babe Care is in our hearts and cost is in our hands here is our gold let him be crowned a King here is our frankencense let him be deified a God here is our mirth let him be buried a man all his by gift all ours by grace what he gaue vs we giue againe and here we haue it to bestow vpon our blessed Sauiour from a farre countrey haue wee followed him and walked before him and therefore now we feele peace we haue found rest to our weary soules From the generality of Gods gifts and particularity of our receipt come we now to the proper obiect of our faith and walking contayned in these words before him By which indefinit speech I hold the holy ghost hath reference to one Christ the way the truth and the life of all Christians No way but by him no light but from him no life but in him Him I say nor is he expressed in plainer termes for that his name is sâ—â—ret and till Gabriel came from heauen with his sauing name Iesus and statute of additions Luke 1. 31. from the first age to the latter daies I meane from Adam vntill Shilo came they but hacked at it God in Paradise lapt vp this secret in the seed of the woman Iacob in Shilo which by interpretation is sent Moses in this Mitte quem missâ—ruses Send him whom thou shouldest send Daniel thus One of the Saints said vnto a certain one Ieremy thus He that should call he is the lord our righteousnes The Lord in respect of his to deliuer his Church righteous in respect of his doome determinable vpon the world ours in respect of grace appeasing his father What should I say more sometime they call him by the name of Emmanuel sometime they call him wonderfull Counsellor the mightie God the euerlasting father the prince of peace Maher-shalal-hash-baz Make speede to the spoyle hast to the pray with this pregnant prophecy of him that a virgin should inuiron a man And neerer the daies of Christ they called him Israels expectation Israels consolation Israels redemption And now that I haue told thee and thou hast heard all these speake I aske with Salomon what is his name and what is his sonnes name if thou canst tell It is the gldrse of God to keepe a thing secret but the Kings heart will seeke it out And it is an honorable seede that feareth the Lord but a more honorable seede that findeth him Elder times saw him a farre off comming swadled in types figures shadowes ceremonies but we haue seene the truth bodie and substance of our Christ. We haue him comeâ— and the â—â—yle of the Temple is â—ent from the top to the bottome whereby we haue readie passage into the holâ—est of holies euen Christ Iesus the Lord whom the Angels desire to behold We heard of him at Ephrata and wee haue found him in the woods tied to the tree pierced through with his body crost and soule curst for the sinnes of all the world and now sitteth in heauen a mediator and pledge of our inheritance hauing leâ—t his spirit to liue by and his word to go by and this is he whom the Prophet meant in this word him the obiect of our faith and way to walke in No man can ascend but by him that did descend and that is Christ the ladder Iacob saw at Pinael the clowd by day piliâ—r of fire by night which guided Israel in the desert the kings high way to heauen blessed hold of happie dwelling No Paradise without this tree no perfume without this balme no building without this stone no sacrifice without this lambe I say no God without Christ in this wicked world The light of the day is conueyed vnto vs by thâ— Sunne in the firmament so is the brigâ—â—nes of heauen by that Sonne of righteousnes a Planet in the middest of Planets to lighten all aboue and all below as whom blessed Angels desire to behold and blessed men couet to adore Life is conueyed from the â—art through the veines to all the vitall parts so is saluation froÌ„ the Father through Christ to all his liuing members Out of Eden went a riuer to water the garden being deuided into foure heads it compassed the whole world Out of heauen flowed the streame of Gods mercy in and through our Christ whose graces deuided diuersly all the earth is filled with his glorie What should I say more Christ is a mutuall help to the Father one to vs another An hand to the Father by which hee reacheth vs an hand to vs by which we reach him The Fathers mouth by which he speaketh to vs our mouth to the Father by which we speake to him Our God is a consuming fire and without Christ the vayle we cannot abide the brightnes of his glory for what is our miserie to meete with his maiestie but in the temper of his mercie which mercy-seate all is Christ. As then our words are messengers of our mindes semblances of our soules to paâ—ley with our friends so is the Christ the sonne of God the image of the Father and mouth to instruct his deâ—rest Saints nor onely a mouth to speake by but an eye to see by and the foote way to goe by as it is mâ—ny text Peace shall come and rest shall â—e reserued for euery one that walketh before him So then I dare auouch boldly thinke what thou wilt and without Christ it is an euil thought say what thou wilt and without Christ it is an euill word do what thou wilt and without Christ it is an euill deed tread where thou wilt and without Christ it is an euill way Christ is the life of the world heire of al things without whom I can possesse nothing that good is either in grace or in glory He he is the salt Elisâ—â— did throw in to sweeten the waters of â—ericho with these words Thuâ— saith the Lord I haue healed this water death shall no more come thereof neither barrennes to the ground This faith my deare brethren is right for it hits the soueraigne good and thus to walke is to walke before him None but he careth none but he careth none but he guideth non but he saueth and he is but one as you heere see and will be alone in all his courses without mixture â—â—thout â—edley first last middest and all filling all yet â—ined from all in the glorious worke of our repaire None but he bare our sinnes none but he pleadeth our cause none but he purchased our place none but he traceth our
had plentifull gifts and continually vsed the same at such times as were fitting for her state sex and calling At the exercises of Religion as prayer and instruction in her familie she would not be wanting besides priuate prayer and meditation which she omitted not but vsed daily both in her chamber as also abroad secretly and solitarily in the orchard garden or fields as Isaacs manner was In reading the Scriptures she vsed euermore to taske her selfe eight chapters a day at the least and for the time which she saw euill or idlely spent without doing some good she vsed to call the time of temptation Many times also she would reade some godly writer or expositer of Scripture or in the booke of Martyrs and was seene to weepe most bitterly when either shee had read of that which touched her affections neere or of the cruell matyrdome which the deere children of God were put vnto by the cruell and wicked tyrants of former daiâ—s For Poperie she saâ— it â—o grosse and foolish that shee would not one name it except it were to argue against â—â— but neuer for it so zealous was she of Gods glorie and loued the truth so intirely that shee would not once open her mouth to pleade for Baal Sinne aboue all things was hatefull vnto her for there at she would haue grieued as well when shee had seene it in others as in her selfe O 〈…〉 or two examples I cannot omit wherein she bewrayed a worthie spirit sanctified by the spirit of God and prepared for all the assaults of Satan On a time as her husband and shee were riding toward the Church he was angry with his man Alas husband quoth she feare your heart is not right towards God that can bâ— thus angry for a trifle And weâ—ping she said further you must pray against this your affection and alwaies bee sure your anger be of God 〈…〉 else how dare you appeare this day before his minister And offer vp your prayers in the publike congregation of the saints of God Another time a tenant of her husbands being behinde with his rent she desired him to beare yet with him a quarter of a yeere which he did and when the man brought his money with teares she said to her husband I feare you doe not well to take it of him though it bee your right for I doubt he is not well able to pay it and then you oppresse the poore So great a compassion had she of other mens wants that all things being duly considered and rightly weighed mee thinkes I may say of her as Paul said of Timothie I know none like minded Thus after she was maried she continued in the things she had learned and held her profession with such sinceritie that the common enemies to our religion the verie Papists had nothing to say against her but confessed her life was vnreproouable And as for the godly that knew her they alwaies acknowledged that modestie and vertuous carriage in her ioyned with knowledge and practise of all the duties of religion that they had iust cause to report of her as of a sound and faithfull professor of the Gospell Two yeeres and something more she liued with her husband till about Whitâ—ontide it pleased God to send her that sicknes whereof on Whitsunday 1601 she died Her sicknes tooke her in the manner of a hot burning Ague which made her according to the nature of such diseases now and then to talke somewhat idly and through the tempters subtiltie which abused the infirmitie of her bodie to that end as he oftentimes vseth to do in many from idle words to descend into a heauie conflict with the infirmitie of her owne spirit from the which yet the Lord presently and wonderfully deliuered her giuing so ioyfull an issue to the temptation that shee might well vse the words of the Prophet as afterwards shee did For a moment O Lord thou diddest hide thy face from me for a little season but with euerlasting mercie thou hadst compassion on me On Saturday seuenight before Whitsunday what time she sickened she began to feele some little infirmitie and weaknes of faith more then she had wont to shew but shee soone ouercame it On Munday night it increased vpon her and the assault of the enemie began to be sharp and so continued till the next day at afternoone what time God deliuered her and sent her peace and comfort of conscience and so increased the same in her continually till she died The manner of her affliction was this First the seueritie of Gods iustice and the greatnes of her sinnes began to come into her minde which much afflicted her and she would often speake of it Then shee accused her selfe of pride that she had delighted too much in her selfe and her beautie Afterwards shee thought shee had no faith but was full of hypocrisie and had not imbraced religion so earnestly nor glorified God so worthily especially with her tongue which oft she repeated nor loued him so sincerely as she ought to haue done Sometime she would â—ast her Bible from her and say It was indeede the booke of life but she had read the same vnprofitably and therefore feared it was become to her the booke of death Sometime she would say her sinnes had made her a pray to Satan a spectacle to the world a disgrace to religion and a shame to her husband kinred and all true Christians and here shee would weep bitterly Sometime the originall corruption wherein shee was borne troubled her and the sinnes of her parents and the common parents of all the eaters of the forbidden fruite as if that had made her vnworthie of God and were then laid to her charge Many times she accused her selfe of impatience bewailing the want of feeling Gods spirit and making doubt of her election and such like infirmities She wished that she had neuer been borne or that shee had beene made any other creature rather then a woman She cried out oftentimes Woe woe woe c. a weake a wofull a wretched a forsaken woman and such like pitifull complaints against her selfe with teares continually trickling from her eyes She complained of grieuous thirst such as all the water in the sea could not quench and yet when drinke was giuen her sometimes refused it sometimes tooke a very little of it Sweate burst out vpon her exceedingly and sometime her bodie burned extreamely So it seemed the sorrowes of death hemmed her in and the griefes of hell laid hold vpon her Sometimes she was very dull in prayer and once when she should haue said Leade vs not into temptation shee made a stop saying I may not pray I may not pray being interrupted as she said by Satan so shewed much discoÌ„fort howbeit she was not left till she could both pray and make confession of her faith with speciall application to her self Besides these firie darts of Satan
she was once or twice troubled with vaine speeches as of her child the killing of her husbands cattell that she thought shee saw a fire by her c. But euery one saw that these things proceeded of weakenes emptines of her head and want of sleepe which her disease would not afâ—oord her These fits though they were for the time griouous to her selfe and discomfortable to her friends yet were they neither long nor continuall but in the very middest of theÌ„ would she oftentimes giue testimonie of her faith striuing and fighting against her temptations Many times when the standers by iudged her afflictions at the sharpest would she call vpon God lifting vp her eyes and hands to heauen and desire him to giue her strength against her temptations Many times with a cheerefull countenance she would desire those that were by not to faint or giue her ouer but constantly to pray and helpe her against the tempter Once in the middest of her temptation being demaunded by Master William Fox whether she did beleeue the promises of God nor no and whether she could pray she answered O that I could I would willingly but he will not let me Lord I beleeue helpe my vnbeliefe which shee pronounced with a still low voyce And when he replied that if she had a desire to pray and beleeue shee did pray and beleeue and that so effectually that hell gates should not ouercome her according to that of the Apostle God accepteth it according to that a man hath not according to that a man hath not shee was much comforted thereby Once after a great conflict with Satan she said Satan reason not with me I am but a weake woman if thou haue any thing to say say it to my Christ he is my aduocate my streâ—gth and my redeemer and he shall pleade for mee Sometimes when she was aâ—â—ucted with the accusation of her sinnes and want of feeling Gods mercie she would with many a pitifull â—ob and much weeping pray to the Lord Iesus Christ to helpe and comfort her a poore wofull distressed woman and request others to pray for her And when shee was moued to make confession of her â—ath she would doe it oftentimes saying the Apostles Creede and concluding the same with words of application to her selfe I beleeue the remission of my sinnes the resurrectioÌ„ of my bodie and eternall life to mee Amen And hauing done she would pray God to confirme her in that saith euer concluding with the Lords prayer as deuoutly and reuerently as any that were present A Christian friend who by his daily attendance on her discharged the dutie of a faithfull Christian standing by told her that no temptation had befallen her but that which appertained to the child of God and that God is faithfull and true and had promised to giue an issue with the temptation whereat she expressed great comfort Maister Edward aspinwall a faithfull professor of the truth and a true Israelite was much with her in the time of her sicknes and ministred much heauenly instruction vnto her and comforted her at all times with apt places of scripture meeting with her temptations and so put the sword of the spirit into her hand He propounded to her the most plentiful comforts of God vnto his Church in the 40. 41. 42. and 43. Chapters of Isaiah vttered in such speeches phrases as might most fitly answere her discomforts Also he directed her to consider the Passion and Prayer of our Sauiour Christ for all his Iohn 17. Math 26. Luke 22. 23. But specially did he often inculcate that sweet inuitation of our Sauiour Come vnto me all you that trauell be heauie laden I will ease you But the difficulty shee had somtimes to apply these generals vnto her owne soule in particular made the case more full of anguish to her selfe and fearefull and lamentable to the standers by Albeit she acknowledged Gods maiesty mercy faithfulnes and truth yet still complayned she of her owne weakenes and vnworthines and could hardly appropriate each thing to her selfe To helpe her somewhat herein for properly otherwise it is the peculiar worke of the holy spirit of God to perswade the heart and soule of her particular interest in these generall promises shee was told that the Almighty who was merciful as she had proued and faithfull as she confessed intended all these mercies to as many as he did call and make promise to And that hee called her she must needs confesse both because that then she not onely her selfe read but heard others reade those blessed words of God vnto her and also for that in former times she had been touched with the loue of God and that his truth and had well profited in the detestation of sinne and imitation of her Sauiour in a holy life And for yâ— proofe thereof she was wished to remember in former times her Baptisme her frequenting of Sermons and often receiuing the most comfortable repast of the holy Communion her daily and almost continuall exercise of reading meditating and praying c. Also he assured her that neither the present agony she was in nor the speeches then in that distresse tending to the signification of despaire extorted from her were any iust causes why either she or any that heard her should iudge fearefully of her because all might see the fault was not in her will as appeared by her prayers confessions plaints sighs teares and grones to God for mercie and full assurance in the bloud of Christ but in her iudgement not able at that time to discerne the wayes of the Almightie And therein he told her she was made comformable not only to many the holy Saints of God Iob Ieremy Dauid and others more but also to her head our Lord and Sauiour Christ Iesus of whom we reade that some haue cursed the day of their birth and called for their end and darknes to couer them They haue been as men without hope and swallowed vp in despaire They haue cryed how the wrath of God hath torne them and the terrors of the almightie haue fought against them They haue had no peace in their soules nor comfort in their consciences their prayers haue beene shut from God their sinnes haue been terrible vnto them crying that their iniquities had gone ouer their heads and were a burden too heaâ—â—e for them to heare And they haue thought themselues â—â—â—â—â—â—les of shame and reproch and â—s monsterr v 〈…〉 They were grieuâ—d for the sinnâ—s of their 〈…〉 nd complained that they â—ere 〈…〉 and most miserable and wretched â—n the world yet for all this were they still the d 〈…〉 ildren of God as you â—â—â— this day Nay saith he I pray you coâ—sider what â—orments God inflicted vpon his deare Sonne on the Crosse did he not cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me He complained that his soule was heaâ—y vnto death