1. Hom. 66. in Gen. 48. Ne dicat quis miserum in alieno solo vitam finientem neque cum qui insolitudine ex h c vita decedit Neque enin ille dignus ut miser dicatur sed qui in peccatis mortuus est etiam super lectum etiam si praesentibus amicis omnibus spiritum exbalet Et ne mihi frigida illa verba dicat aliquis Quod ille cane vilius est mortuus nullo famil arium praesente neque sepulturae funus ei contigerunt c. Preciosa mors Sanctorum Psal 116.15 mors peccatorum pessima Psal 34 21. Atque etiam sidmi suae moriatur muliere filiis praesentibus c. The profitable vses we are to make are First if the like happen to any other that the Lord vouchsafe them not to die in their own country or among their owne nearest and dearest friends wanting them to close vp their dying eyes and performe the duties and offices of loue let it not be imputed as any signe of Gods heauy and fearfull wrath for though friends be absent yet the best friends God and his Christ to the faithfull are euer present And when all forsake yet they neuer forsake Psal 27.10 and heauen is no more remote from one place then from another Againe the consideration of that which hath bin deliuered may be vnto all a continuall memoriall of sin It thrust Adam our first parent out of Paradise and made him a pilgrime and hath made vs all liable vnto wauering and wandring That the cause of affliction is sin originall and actuall Psal 51.5.14 occasioned and increased by meanes of the world the diuell and the flesh Ephes 2.2.3 appeareth not onely by many places of the Scripture a Leuit 26 14.15.16 Deut 28.58.59 Psal 32 1.2.39.11 1 Cor. 11.30 But by many examples as of Adam b Gen. 3.14 ad 20. of Ioab c 2 Sam 3.28.29 of Dauid d 2 Sam. 24.15 of Miriam e Num 12 10 of Gehezi f 2 Reg 5 27 of Iehoram g 2 Chron 21 12 14 15. of Assa h 2 Chron. 16 12 of the man sicke of the palfie i Math 9.2 as also of him that was sicke thirty eight yeares lying at the poole Bethesda Iohn 5.2.5.14 and many others Moreouer the consideration of the premises may serue fitly to stirre vp in vs all a longing desire of heauen where all ioy is euen riches of pleasure for euermore Psal 36.8.9 seeing here wee haue no happinesse no rest no quietnesse Here is onely the valley of teares and weeping else-where wee must looke for the happy place of reioycing where there shall be no more death neyther sorrow neither crying neither shall there be any more paine Apoc. 21.4 The same is Hebron in the Land of Canaan Where is Hebron situated Not in Egypt but in Canaan Now Canaan is a type and shadow of the Kingdome of heauen which Abraham and his Sarah longed and looked to enioy Heb. 11.9.10 Moreouer at Salem a City of Canaan Melchisedek the Priest of the most high God blessed Abraham reigned and ruled Gen. 14.18.19 This Melchisedek was a figure of Christ the true King of peace Heb. 7.2 Though Sarah dyed out of the sight of her Abraham yet she dyed in the sight fauour and grace of her good God and in the Land of peace vnder the protection of the Lord Iesus Christ the Prince of peace who liued at Salem preached at Salem and dyed at Salem So therefore this worthy and blessed Lady dyed there and was buried there where she might rest not far from the promised Seed and might rise againe with the promised Seed Math. 27.53 But left my beloued the streame of discourse carrie me beyond the compasse of the time and I should tire out both my weake spirits sickly diseased body and your christian patience I will come briefly to some short application concerning this present dolefull occasion and sigh out rather then speake out some few words esteeming my selfe in some sort happy the case thus standing that I haue the opportunity to shew Officia postremi muneris as Augustine speaketh de Verbis Apost But as I wish all honour bounded within sobriety to my honorable Lord and his house and so likewise to the name and blessed memory of my most honoured Lady and mistrisse who was no small glory to that house So from my heart I wish that in the performance of this last duty she might haue beene honoured with the paines of some graue godly Augustine some powerfull preaching Ambrose or some golden tongued Chrysostome that as shee was honourable and honoured in her life she might haue had an honorable person to haue honoured her death O that it had beene the pleasure of the Almightie that time and place might so haue fitted that the worthy Seruant of God The B. of London who visited her in her sicknesse might also haue performed this last office of loue for her The Lord grant vnto him and his mercy at the great last day Remember him O my God wipe not out his kindnesse that he hath shewed on the house of God to this Honorable Lady the seruant of God As it was said of Othniel a good Iudge in Israel Iudg. 3.11 That hee died because saith the glosse Indignus erat populus habere talem principem Such a sinfull and vnthankfull people were vnworthy to haue so worthy a prince So may I truely say we haue lost a worthy peere Heb. 11.38 Dorothy the world was vnworthy of her her nature was answereable to her name giuen by God as a great gift vnto the world it is no small blessing to be both honourable and holy to be great and good Taken away she is for a great punishment especially of her seruants Isay 57.1 who suruiue her in this world Such was her conuersation in this slippery and vnwoman-like age wherein many fall and most doe slide that I am of cleare opinion that malice it selfe must needs acknowledge her to be no lesse then an earthly angell and a Phoenix of this world Thousand thousands better know it then I am able to tell it They are either blinde and cannot see or too far transported with malice and will not see the many noble vertues of this noble Lady She was pulchra prudens pudica pia she was of comely personage of discreet and wise carriage she was loyall to her Lords bed and louing to his friends And for her piety I know most certainely that shee had more holinesse inwardly then she euer shewed outwardly her diet was moderate her apparell modest and onely needfull for her estate comely it was rather then costly all yee of that sexe reade Tit. 2.3.4.5 and when ye haue read it once let me intreat you to reade it ouer againe there you shall see what vertues the Apostle requireth at your hands and if you desire to haue an example to illustrate the
of this life when his minde was not in quiet when he was oppressed with inward and outward sorrow Mortem iustorum vocat pacem quoniam à mundi pugna liberati coelestem pa em cosequuntur Hector Pintus in Isay 57.2 but giues him a comfortable deliuerance Psal 116.6 O the infinite goodnesse of a gracious God! Hitherto of the time now of the place And Sarah died in Kiriath-arba the same is Hebron the land of Canaan Sarahs daies yeres before were numbred and found to be full of labour and sorrow And now at Hebron those dayes of misery haue an end now she is at rest from her manifold troubles Apoc. 14.13 now peace is come and shee resteth in the bed of peace Isay 57.2 ô praeclarum diem ô blessed and happy houre Horat. lib. 2. Car. ad Lycinium Ode 10. Our Latine Pindarus could say Non si malè nunc olim sic erit It is a strange storm that lasteth euer Nocte pluit tota redeunt spectacula manè which I english by a better Poet Psal 30.5 Weeping may endure for a night but ioy commeth in the morning Many are the troubles of the Righteous Psal 34.50 These words Many troubles are able to amaze many a man but what followeth The Lord deliuereth out of all This is able to comfort and raise vp any man In the Gospell of Saint Iohn we haue the promise of our Sauiour Iohn 16.20 Verily verily I say vnto you Christi iuramentum Christianorum sit fundamentum saith Augustine Christs oath and strong asseueration may be to christians the stay and staffe of consolation And what is Christs asseueration Ye shall weepe and lament and the world shall reioyce and yee shall sorrow but your sorrow shall bee turned to ioy Gen. 8.4 Long was righteous Noah tossed with a tempest but at the last hee and his Arke rested vpon the mountains of Ararat from whence the sweet Singer of Israel tooke the originall of the Bibles briefe a sentence full of consolation Psal 55.22 Cast thy burden vpon the LORD and hee shall nourish thee Non dabit in aeternum fluctuationem iusto The iust shall not alwaies be floating There is neuer a Go my people into Aegypt but there is Come againe my people out of Egypt There is no leading of them into captiuity but there is a bringing backe out of captiuity There is not Enter Noah into the Arke but there is Come forth againe Noah out of the Arke Non dabit in aeternum fluctuationem iusto At Hebron the dayes of misery haue an end And to take a suruey of this Hebron This City had three names At the first it was called Mamree of the name of the first founder and builder of it Gen. 13.18 Afterwards it was called Kiriath-arba of one Arba a great man among the Anakims who repaired the same Iosh 14.14 and 15.14 Lastly it was called Hebron of the nephew of faithfull Caleb 1 Chro. 2.4.2 It is most certaine that at this time it was the Metropolitan and Lady City of the whole land hauing vnder it many other Cities Iosh 10.37 As it is said of Sion Psal 87.3 So it may in some sort be said of Hebron glorious things are spoken of it First Antiquity Num. 13.23 it was an ancient City seauen yeares ancienter then Zoan in Aegypt Secondly it was a Princely City euen a mansion for a King Io. 10.3 Thirdly it was for Calebs worthy seruice giuen to him for an inheritance Iosh 14.14 Fourthly it was appointed for one of the Cities of refuge and giuen for the Leuites to dwell in Iosh 20.7 Iosh 21.11.12 Fiftly in it Dauid first reigned ouer Gods people 2 Sam. 2.1.11 Sixtly to this came the blessed Virgin the mother of our Lord Iesus Christ to visit Elizabeth Luke 1.39 Lastly it became a place of buriall for many worthy persons 2 Sam. 4.12 Here was buried Abraham and his Sarah Gen. 23.2 Isaac and his Rebecca Iacob and his Leah Gen. 49.31 The first letters of the principall of all their names who were buried in one graue are contained in that one name of Israel And in this place some affirme was buried great Adam the first Father of vs all Hierom The obseruation which I collect is that sinne and sinners staine pollute and defile all things Gen. 6.7 Rom. 8.20 yea maketh each place where they come a hell Fulk in locum Apoc. 2.13 Ibi thronus Satanae vbi pietas profligata impietas verò summa regnat There is a hell where grace and goodnesse is shoued out and where sinne and iniquity beareth the sway So on the other side wheresoeuer grace and goodnesse is whersoeuer a good man treadeth he giueth a dignity and a kind of sanctity vnto it he imprinteth on it and into it a kinde of eminency and inuesteth it with firme and constant stabilitie To goe no further then my Text Kiriath-arba is made excellent by Abraham and Sarah and from their time is made a sanctuary and refuge and a seat for a godly king to sit vpon What hath the spirit of God obserued concerning the death of this worthy personage Here is neuer a word of the disease whereof she dyed not a word of the last words which she spake which questionlesse were comfortable holy and heauenly But the holy Ghost windeth vp all in three or foure words Mortua est in Hebron leauing the rest to our further consideration These words Mortua est shee died in Hebron wisheth vs to meditate vpon the precedent history It is well knowne to all such as are conuersant and exercised in the holy Story the blessed Bible and booke of God that the mother of the faithful Sarah bare her sonne Isaac at Beersheba thirty seauen yeares before her death Gen. 17.17 compared with Gen. 21.2 As also that at Beersheba Abimelech made a league with Abraham the tenure whereof was That the one should not hurt the other Gen. 21.23 Hereupon Abraham supposing hee should set vp his staffe rest for euer and lay his bones did there plant a groue Gen. 21.33.4 And when the Lord by especiall commandement sent him to mount Moriah to offer his sonne for tryall of his faith and obedience Gen. 22.2 he returned backe to Beersheba and there dwelt Gen. 22.19 Yet for all this Sarah dyeth not there but dyeth at Hebron certaine miles distant from it It is very probable that after the death of Abimelech that good and moderate King the inhabitants brake the league before made troubled Abraham in so much that now in his old age when more then one foot was in the graue this godly aged gray-headed man with his aged wife are constrained to seeke a new seate Luthar and in this their remouall religious Sarah dyeth Dyeth I say Paulus ab Eitzen lib. 1. pag. 6â—1 in absence of her yoake-fellow Abraham and happily without the presence of her sonne and other acquaintance dyeth in a strange place and among strangers Chr. Tom.
any will follow me tollat crucem suam let him take vp his crosse ego meam ille suam I haue taken vp mine and hee must take vp his Luc. 9.23 A Christian must be a daily Crosse-bearer For Aug Tom. 6. de Pastoribus exceptus à passione flagellorum exceptus à numero filiorum This is good Catholique doctrine Heb. 12.6 The Lord scourgeth euery sonne that he receiueth It is a shrewd signe that he shall neuer receiue the crowne who did not first taste of the crosse Heb. 12.8 In the Booke of Iob there is made this inquision Iob. 28.12.13 Sapientia verò ubi inuenitur Et quit est locus intelligentiae the answere is Non invenitur in terra suaviter viventium as the vulgar latine readeth So may I say concerning Piety the feare of God grace and goodnesse where are they to bee found Non in terra suaviter viventium Not in the Land which liueth in pleasure Iam. 5.5 If you find a land of good fellowes if you seeke for grace and goodnesse you must seeke some where else for you shall not finde them there But to returne vnto this worthy Lady though she were afflicta yet was she not derelicta Psal 37.26 She had her many comforts Oliue plants about her table Psal 128.3 not one but many dutifull children children tractable to piety and goodnesse children free from the common staine of this sinfull age Moreouer shee died in good time for her selfe though too soone for me and many moe Sibi maturè aut mihi citò she came to the graue in a good age to the graue often before wished often before desired Phil. 1.23 Often haue I heard her vtter the effect of these following verses Vita diu mihi poena fuit me nulla voluptas Incitat ut cupiam longius esse super Mors melior vita certa mihi mente videtur Quae ridimit cunctis pectora fessa malis But my spirits faile my passions will not suffer me speake the fountaine is full therefore well may it ouerflow we therefore that doe remaine haue this for our comfort and it is no small comfort that she liued and died in a Land where vnder a gracious Prince of peace the word of life is published and in this vale of misery she tooke vp Christs crosse she passed the burning Seraphins therefore hath she entred into Paradise * Habent omnes animae cum de seculo exierint diversas receptiones suas habent gaudium boni mali tormenta Aug. in Ioh 11. Tract 49. pag 442. shee did drinke many a deepe draught of the bitter waters of Marah therefore she hath set foote into the Land of promise the true Canaan she hath climbed vp mount Caluarie and waded many a wet footstep through the vallie of weeping therefore she is ascended mount Sion and come to the City of the liuing God the Coelestiall Hierusalem and to the company of innumerable Angels and to the Assembly and Congregation of the first borne and to God the Iudge of all and to the Spirits of iust and perfect men Heb. 12.22 where with Christ Iesus she liueth for euermore a Fideles etiam defuncti membra Christi sunt quamvis ergo cum suis corporibus nondū sunt iam tamen eorū animae regnant cum illo Aug. But I must leaue thee Noble Lady thy body to rest in thy graue of peace vntill the great Resurrection when you shall receiue full blessednesse b Quum verò ab hoc somno evigilabunt simul omnes quod promissum est accepturi sunt Promissa enim est fidelibus resurrectio carnis mortis consumptio vita aeterna cum Angelis Aug. Tom 9. Tract 49. in Euang. Ioh. pag. 442. and thy Soule to bee with the God of peace and with the blessed Angels and all the congregation of the first borne where you sing the song of Moses a song of victory and thanksgiuing Reu. 15.3 And as for you my Christian auditorie take this by the way and thinke vpon it This place and this Country is Terra suaviter viventium a Land that liueth too much in pleasure too much giuen to the common sinne of this age Hor epist lib. 1. ad Albium Tibullum that is too many are Epicuri de grege porci to english it in the Apostles phrase 1 Cor. 15.32 Beasts of Ephesus giuen to eating and drinking c To remedy this great euill which hath bin the ruine of many of his Maiesties Subiects the wasting of their goods and losse of their liues in these parts I wish the worshipfull Iustices would be pleased to giue eare to these my requests First That no Ale-house be suffered vpon the edge of Commons and in obscure places where Rogues and Theeues may resort Secondly not to licence any in a village when the Minister thereof and all the whole Parish shall think it vnfit Thirdly not to licence any who hath iustly stood for misdemeanours excommunicated a yeare or two Fourthly when the abuse shall grow so great that poore women out of the anguish of their soules shall craue ayde that their husbands may not spend all at the pot and they statue that then there be made some redresse Lastly that painfull Preachers or other Officers may be heard and not checked when they iustly complain at your Benches against such places as suffer drinking carding and fighting vpon the Sabbath dayes in the time of Diuine Seruice If these requests be iust and good I request you harken vnto them Consider that here lyeth a Saint therefore bee not so grosse sinners Here God hath erected the standard of his Word to his people Isay 49.22 His banner is displayed and whosoeuer are guided hereby to them appertaine peace and mercy Galath 6.16 Here the great Trumpe is blowne Isay 27.13 O foelicem populum qui agnoscit clangorem Psalm 89.15 O blessed is the people that know the ioyfull sound giuing eare vnto this voice for they O Lord shall walke in the light of thy countenance Iob. 14.23 And I pray you is not this his word or voice Luke 21.34 Take heed to your selues lest at any time your hearts bee oppressed with surfetting and drunkennesse But at this time I will presse this point no more here I will abruptly end and that portion of Scripture which was lately my text for a Sermon I will make now the conclusion of this my Sermon Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Iesus that great Shepheard of the Sheep through the bloud of the euerlasting Couenant make you perfect in euery good worke to do his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Iesus Christ to whom be glory for euer and euer Amen FINIS