Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A93339
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A sermon preached at the funeral oe [sic] the incomparably vertuous and truly pious gentlewoman Mrs. Dorothy Litster. By Edward Smith.
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Smith, Edward, 1620 or 21-1682.
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1660
(1660)
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Wing S4022; Thomason E1013_19; ESTC R208099
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15,181
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20
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her quick fancy her piercing wit her skill in the French Language the improvement she made of her liberal and religious education under the vertuous and pious Lady the Lady Denham Neither must I here call to mind that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 her sweet and gentle Disposition which very rarely accompanies such parts whereby she tyed the soules of all that knew her as well to love as admire her nor yet may I do more than barely mention her courteous and modest deportment her wise witty and pertinent Discourses that rendred her so beloved and desired while she lived so lamented now dead All this would but renew our sorrow be imminding us of our loss That therefore which I 'le speak to is What is yet more consideraable and worthy both praise and imitation such as may rather move our emulation of her Piety than afflict our memories with the sense of our loss and what I shall say concerning her life for the quickening of our dead and drowsie soules shall be such as wherein I am well assured neither my own heart nor any soul living shal be able to give me the lye She was constant diligent and Reverend in attending the publike exercises of Gods Worship And there are those here present who can witness and I hope will imitate her Christian course of private reading prayer and meditation those morning and evening sacrifices Though she was not careless of her body yet she spent not her time inter pectinem speculum her greatest care was to trim up her soul and whatever else she minded never forgot to put on those Ornaments of a meek and quiet spirit which in the sight of God and all good men is of great price She kept so strict a watch over her self that she lived in the world unspotted with the vanities of youth which time the generality look upon as priviledged from such serious entertainments of themselves and severities of Religion She remembred her Creator in the dayes of her youth and He did not forget her but took her into his own Teaching and learn't her so effectually those Great Lessons of self-denyal and mortification that contrary to those silly women mentioned by St. Paul whereas for her time she might have been a Learner for her learning in divine things she was fit to teach others the wayes of God I am sure I have thought so when I have been with her and that far greater abilities than I dare pretend to might have convers'd with her to their very great Advantage she kept such a mean between irreligion a phantastical superstitious niceness as that I have thought I never knew any so becomingly Religious She was exactly carefull of the Government of her inward man to keep her passions in subjection to her Reason and Religion wherein she was so happy as those who best knew her can witnesse she was of that even Temper that she was never known to exceed either in joy or sorrow for any outward things as if she had converted not only the nobler Principles of the best Philosophy but also the Rules of the Gospel and the best example of our blessed Saviour in succum sanguinem She had such a rare mixture of parts humility and goodnesse as will scarcely be found elswhere in these yeares and degrees that like the Kings Daughter she was glorious within and doubtlesse the Temple of the living God Her vertues were so admirably shining that I may say as truly of her as a learned man of a Lady in his Epistle Dedicatory That Plato if he had lived in her time might have found his timorous supposition brought into H. M. absolute Act and to the enravishment of his amazed soul might have beheld Vertue become visible to his outward sight I could be very well pleased to go on with this Discourse and might spend the whole time allotted me in it and neither exceed the bounds of Truth nor the patience of those who have had the happinesse of any intimate acquaintance and Converses with her She had attained which I had almost forgot that high pitch of Christianity patiently to bear and freely and readily to forgive injuries And that she had such an excellent soul that she was so good a Chrisâ—ian and her heart such a Treasure of good things he must be an arrant Sceâ—tâ—ck that should doubt of it who knew how able and ready she was to assist any sick persons whether kindred servants oâ— others with her prâ—yers reading consulting comforting by speaking a word in season And shall understand also in what a heavenly state both sickness Death found her which we may guesse at by the pulse of her soul which beat as it proceedeth lively to God out of the abundance of the heart sayes the Scripture The mouth speakâ—s and a corrupt fountain doth not send forth sweet waters She had at the beginning of her sickness so many so full pertinent Scriptures and other Ejaculations and heavenly expressions as if she had never acquainted her-tongue with any other Language as if she had been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a living Bible so careâ—ull had she been of the Apostles exhortation to let the Word of God dwell richly in her Doubtlesse her hâ—arâ— had been long in â—iâ—ing much good matter which made her tongue like the Pen of a ready Writer She spake so fully and clearly of heavenly things and was so sensibly pleased with them even when she had almost left to be sensible of any thing eâ—se that one would have thouâ—ht her soul not only in the suburbs or at the gate of Heaven but already entred into the joy of her Lord and taken into the bosom of her Heavenly Father Oh! how was her heart eâ—flamed with love to God and that love kept lively with assurances of his love to her I remember amongst other heavenly expressions I heâ—rd her say I have loved God and do love Him and God loves me Oh how thy comforts refresh my soul And that this was no meer melanchoâ—ick fancy we need no other Argument than her extream not to say Contentednesse but desire to dye How loath was she to think of living I am now saies she almost through my journey it 's a journey I must go and were I not better go thorow it now to God than come back again into the world But if any should say as Rebekah did I fit be so why was she then afflicted in such a manner I answer 1. That afflictions though unâ—outh and extraordinary are no more an argument of Gods displeasure than prosperity is of his love otherwise Job or David who while they suffâ—red Goâ—s terrors were distracted sâ—ou'd have been wicked Nero had been better than Saint Paul who was bâ—ffeâ—ed with a messenger of Satan our Saviour hath given us a rule to interpret providence by Luck 13. Think not that the â—alile â—s were â—râ—â—tâ—r â—â—nners because they sâ—ffered such things 2. What if God willing to
A SERMON Preached at the FUNERAL OE THE Incomparably vertuous and truly pious GENTLEWOMAN M RS. DOROTHY LITSTER By EDWARD SMITH The Righteous shall be had in everlasting Remembrance The Righteous hath hope in his Death None considereth that they are taken away from the evil to come Blâ—ssed arâ— the dead that dye in the Lord. For they rest from their labours and their works follow them VIRTUS Post FUNERA vivit LONDON Printed by T. R. for Will. Palmer at the Palm-Tree in Fleet-street over against St. Dunstan's Church 1660. Madam WHat I should have deem'd presumption flattery or self-conceit to have offered on my own accord I reckon my duty to tender upon your request being fully assured that where the quick eye of your Judgment shall find a fault the tender hand of your goodnesse will blot it out and if you find many you have Charity enough to cover them all I never yet thought any thing I could do either worthy the acceptance of such a person or able to abide the test of such a judicious hearer or reader if you should mind to be critical and therefore should rather have run the hazard of being reputed rude and unmannerly in denying to transcribe the notes you lately heard than to be convict of ignorance and weaknesse under my owne hand But being fully assured that out of a dear love to the memory of that precious Gentlewoman your late dear sister who being dead yet speakes to you in what was spoken at her Funeral and it may be also out of a desire to incourag me in the work of my Ministry you have condescended to signify your good liking of what was then deliverd I have taken upon me the confidence to give you the Sermon as it is my Notes not as it was then curtail'd by the shortness of the time sharpness of the weather which I here humbly present to you and which I beseech you to look upon as a testimany of my thankful resentment of those many obliging favours I have received from you For to a service of this nature no consideration but that of Duty and Gratitude could ever have moved me What I spake concerning the sweet and precious Mrs Litster you have to a word almost as it was then delivered where yet I find my self in a straight those who knew her not will condemne me of flattery and lavishnesse in my expressions those who knew her will blame me as to low and scant wronging both her and the auditory to which I can only say God and my own conscience acquit me from the first my weakness and unfitnesse for a work so much above me will begg if not from others yet from you my pardon for the last Madam How much of the comfort of my life and of cheerfulnesse in the work of my Ministry I owe to Mr. Hartop and yourselfe I have a deeper sense than I have either power or opportunity at this time to expresse only to what I have said I add this God forbid I should sin against him in ceasing to pray and praise God for you and yours I humbly take leave and remaine Madam Your poore and unworthy but many ways obliged servant Edward Smith Hoby this 30. of December 1659. AS undue praises is a piece of flattery that suits only with base and slavish spirits who dare sacrifice their Consciences to satisfy some persons vain glorious humour endeavouring by the vermilion of their sale-oratory to paint them at their death like Saints who in their life-life-time were no better than Devils So on the other side to deny Commendations where true worth claimes them as due is a superstitious niceness savouring either of ignorance to descern it or of malice not to acknowledg it or of injustice to render it And therefore I think he was not mistaken to whom it seemed as reall apoynt of Religion to honour the vertues as to reliâ—ve then cessito is For I am sure as this is commanded by the Apostle James c. 1. v. 27. so the other is allowed by Solomon who spendeth almost the 31th chapter of the Proverbs in the praise of the vertuous women and v. 30. saith A woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised I think such and none but such for according to Morall philosophy praise is a moral Consesequent of vertuous actions And as the wise man warrants our Commendation of the vertuous so the Knowledg that many here present had of the vertues of this deceased Gentlewoman will not only warrant but require it as a due satisfaction to their just expectation that as we are taught that we must die by this spectacle of mortality so how to live and die by setting before us though but in some darke and shaddowy representations the patteâ—n of her never dying vertues But I am given to understand that this is not regarded at any hands Yet I hope I may do my self that right as to pay some small tribute of that respect and honour which I do and shall owe to his precious Memory and you the service of quickning your graces by reminding you of hers which I doubt not wil be acceptable to some and I hope none here so squeamishly affected as to be offended at it And here I shall not mention her descent her being such a Knights Daughter this we owe to fortune if youâ— allow the woâ—d that often favous fooles or necessity such a discourse would be here but a troublesome impertinency which it may be if one were tied to speak of some great persons must be the principall argument for want of better But though many of our degenerate Nobility and Gentry think it honour and Dignity sufficient that they be known to be the Sons Daughters of such Parents such a Noble mans son such a Knights daughter and Glory worldly Nobility necessarily descending upon them need not endeavour to excel in any worthy or well-doing yet I am sure this deceased Gentlewoman was otherwise minded counting it a small thing that she was such a Great mans Daughter unless she was also Daughter to a Greater Father even to the Lord Almighty 1 Cor. 9. For where Vertue is wanting Great men as Sir W. Raleigh truly says are but like painted papers whom ignorant persons worship in stead of Christ our Lady or other Saints That therefore which will for ever endear her memory to us is her care to enoble her birth by Grace making honour which usually yea naturally descends to go up the Channel For it was not so much honour to her that Sir Mart. Litster was her Father as it was to him that he had such a Daughter Such a Daughter I say whose tender yeares were seasoned with Grace who as if she had foreseen how short her day was like a good Houswife got up in the morning of her life and finished her work before the night of Death could surprize her The time would fail me should I speak of her rare natural Endowments