deceased Gentlewoman she was a wise Rebecca and a faithful Sarah an amiable Rachel a fruitful Leah a discreet Abigal an obedient Hester a provident Martha and a prudent Mary a charitable Dorcas and a cheerfull Deborah in a word adevoute a pious Elizabeth endeavouring to walk in all the Commandements of God blameles and without reproofe Luke 1.6 The chiefe labour of her life was rightly to learne my Text So to number her dayes as to apply her heart unto wisedome and though she numbred but few to what she might have done in the ordinary course of nature had God so pleased yet she profited in this divine Arithmeticke so well that shee made up a mighty totall and attained to such a portion of heavenly Wisdome that the like is rarely to be found in either her sex or age But because we know it is the end which crownes the action and Vltima semper Expectanda dies homini diciq beatus Ante obitum nemo supremaq funera debet The last day is ever to be expected and happy can no man be said to be till death hath shewed how he departed saith the Philosopher Thereforefore I will leave you to judge more fully of the integrity and uprightnesse of her life by some remarkeable passages before her death the manner whereof I shall declare unto you more particularly She received the sentence of death within her selfe long before the execution thereof by meanes of a lingring Consumption sent from her heavenly Father with the same Message that the Prophet Isaiah brought to Hezekiah Set thy house in order 2 Kin. 20.1 for thou must dye whereby her strength daily decaying and notwithstanding the good use of all lawful meanes possible for prevention the glasse of her life being well nigh run out those motions of grace that were in her like those of nature became now In fine velociores more quicke and lively towards her end mounting up her soule on a swifter wing towards her happinesse the Spirit of God did now fill the sayles of her affections with more then an extraordinary desire of her wished-for heaven But Satan envying that so fure a vessell should arive at the Port without a storme raised a sudden tempest of doubts and distrustfull thoughts in her soule labouring thereby had it beene possible to wracke her faith upon the rocke of despaire and God willing to shew his strength in her weakenesse suffers for a time this Eclipse of his wonted presence being delighted to see her with the Disciples rowing and towing against the streames of Satans temptations whilst himselfe with our Saviour walkes by on the waves ready to succour her in the greatest necessity During which weakenesse both of mind and body her sorrowfull husband with other her choice friends who sincerely loved her being desirous to comply with any course which might be thought conducible to her welfare upon good advise her desire brought her on Tuesday the 14 day of Iuly last past from London towards Pluckley in Kent the residence of her husbands and truely also of her dearest and most tenderly affected kindred and friends Now as she was travelling upon the way there hapned unto her as to Iacob in his journey from Padan-Aram to Canaan a grievous wrestling Gen. 32.24 with a fore and heavy conflict which caused her for the time like him to halt very much not on her feet but in her affections beginning now extreamely to complaine of her want of faith and to doubt of the assurance of her salvation in both which before-time she lived fully confirmed and this tryall was so full of trouble to her selfe and griefe to her loving husband and friends then in company that they were necessitated for that to night lodge her and themselves short of that place whither they intended where having reposed her body with all sit accommodation their chiefe care was how to compose her doubts and to comfort her weake and feeble mind and to this end they requested my assistance the most unworthy pastor of that place where then she rested and considering the office required to be in it selfe both Christian and charitable and an essentiall part of my Ministeriall charge to support the weake And to bind up the broken hearted I was gladly entreated to assist with the best counsels that lay in me for the re-establishing of her peace Being come unto her she began to repeate unto me her former complaints accusing her selfe of a wonderfull dulnesse and deadnesse of heart of a marvellous want of faith that she could not apply the comsorts of God to her soule nor repent as she ought for her sins that she could not feele the comfortable presence of Gods Spirit as she was wont that she had no mind to sue unto him by prayer as before and thereupon concludes against her selfe that certainly the Lord had forsaken her and cast her off and would not restore her to the joy of his salvation which words she uttered with many sighs and groanes with strong cryings which argued truely the anguish and distresse of her soule Whereupon sorrowing to behold her in this extremity of affliction for as Solomon tells us the spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmity But a wounded spirit who can beare Proverb 18.14 I addrest my selfe to apply unto her what comfort God should enable meto Minister Assuring her that these spirituall desertions for a time are familiar to the dearest of Gods Children instancing in David in Iob and in S. Paul with other Saints whose particular tryals I dilated unto her adding moreover that God like a wise Father is not alwayes kissing his sons but many times correcting of them and that his love in their humiliation is as much magnifyed towards them by the saving effects of it as is his mercy in their exaltation I told her farther that the sense of her weakenesse which she complained of was not weakenesse but strength for it comes not from our corruption that we feele our corruption but from Gods grace and that the detestation of sin with a desire to repent is true repentance indeed and a manifest worke of the spirit and though God find many things in us that he likes not yet he ever loves and likes this in us that we doe dislike and loath our selves for God respects not so much our state as our purpose nor regards so much what we are as what we desire to be For a desire to be good is a good step to yea a good part of goodnesse it self I prayd her therefore not to wrong her selfe so much as to imagine she could not repent while she profest she hated sin and desired to repent nor to offer that indignity to Gods mercy as to feare he should be unwilling to forgive and pardon what she was so willing to forgoe and part withall I shewed her also concerning her want of faith and spirituall feeling how that though God might suffer her faith to faint yet
joy of his salvation to both your great rejoycings making her to say with the Prophet Psal 94.19 In the multitude of the sorrowes that I had in my heart thy comforts have refreshed my soule How many through the malignity of their diseases have beene dissolved on such distempered and distracted fits that Charity herselfe hath been faine to looke backe and take a view of their lives before she durst passe her verdit of their deaths When her dissolution was so cheerefull and Christian-like that whosoever had beheld it though unacquainted with her life yet must needs have given her that testimony which the Centurion gave our Saviour Math. 27.54 Surely this was the child of God How comfortably may you recount Gods goodnesse towards her at the very point of her departure both for the manner and the time of it not so much as faltering in her speech nor fayling in any of her intellectualls as many others have done but continuing all in their wonted vigour while she continued her life S. Iohn Revel 1.10 is said on the Lords day to be in the spirit and she on the Lords day resigned her spirit and that in a most memorable instant for no sooner were you your friends returned from commending your owne selves to God in the Church but you were immediatly called to recommend her soule to God from the Chamber so where you ended your Sabbath of temporall rest there she began her Sabbath of eternall rest And I may truly say Exod. 8.19 digitus Dei hic est the finger of God was in it or to speake in the Prophets phrase this was the Lords doing Ps 118.23 and it was marvailous in our eyes Suffer me then to comfort you as S. Hierome did Heliodorus Ne doleas quod talem amiseris sed gaudeas quod talem habueris sorrow not so much that you have now lost as give thanks to God that once you had so vertuous a companion who lived so piously and dyed so peaceably And you may also comfort your selfe in the absence of her your selfe united in the words of David for the death of his child himselfe divided You shall goe to her 2 Sam. 12.23 she shall not returne to you And that you may assuredly follow her to those joyes whither she is gone before and already entred Be it your care while you trafficke in this troublesome world to imitate that wise Merchant in the Gospell to pursue and purchase that one pearl of inestimable price Matth. 13.45.46 Math. 6.33 namely the Kingdome of Christ and the righteousnes thereof That so having fought the good fight kept the faith and finished your course 1 Tim. 6.19 2 Tim. 4.8 you may lay hold on eternall life and receive that Crowne which the Lord the righteous Iudge hath conferred on her and promised to you and all that love his appearing Now that both you and yours may constantly persevere in this course and bee everlastingly blest with this Crowne shall bee the dayly prayer of Your uncessant Orator ROBERT MARRIOT A FUNERALL SERMON FOR Mris ELIZABETH DERING PSALME 90.12 So teach us to number our dayes that wee may apply our hearts unto Wisdome IF we peruse the passages of holy Writ we shall there find that Christian Buriall is not onely commended but also commanded as a godly and charitable worke the Fathers of the Old and faithfull of the New Testament being our examples in the decent performance of this duty and comely payment of this debt thinking no care nor cost too much which they bestowed on the bodyes the vestments of the soules of their deceased friends while they safely reposed them as precious Relicks in the Wardrope of the Earth Nor was this care without good consideration This one Act of Christianity complying with many others of especiall note as First Iohn 11.25 Col. 1.18 with an act of Faith in Christ the Resurrection and the life who is primogenitus mortuorum borne tanquam ex utero sepulchri and rising the first fruits of them that sleepe to sanctify and assure us who bee the rest of the harvest Secondly with an act of Hope Ever since the Angell sat on the Grave-stone of our Saviour saying Resurrexit Matth. 28.6 non est hic He is risen he is not here we have been bold to write on the Tombe-stones of our friends Hic jacet spe resurgendi Here lyes such a one in hope of a glorious resurrection Hence it is observed that Christ from the grave appeared to Mary Iohn 20.15 in a Garden to teach us that he will one day turne all our graves into Garden-plots and so husband our very dust that by vertue of the dew of his Resurrection Esay 26.19 they shall spring out of the Earth like beautious flowers and be for ever planted in the Paradise of God Thirdly with an act of Charity and love to prosecute those bodyes being dead with honour to their graves whom wee nay whom God himselfe so much loved and honored being alive as to style them Members of Christ and Temples of the Holy Ghost Fourthly with an act of Necessity to separate the living from the contagion of the dead Abraham loved Sarah well but being departed hee besought the Hittits for a place to bury her out of his sight As there is nothing whiter then Snow of it selfe Gen. 23.4 yet being dissolved makes the fowlest water so the purest complexion the worst putrifaction according to the old Axiome corruptio optimi est pâ—ssima Lastly with an act of Mortification The Antients did use to take their leaves of their friends having brought them to their graves in these words Vale vale nos te sequemur Adue adue wee will follow thee and wee retaine this course still among us the dead corps are carryed before while the mourners follow after leading us the way in which we must all walke which should teach us to read our owne mortality in others Funeralls while we heare the Bell to tole for anothers passing to consider that if the Lord so please it may take in us also before it ring out when we walk over the graves of others to remember that they are our houses also in reversion and when wee see how suddenly the dayes of others are determined to learne so to number our dayes as to apply our hearts unto Wisdome So teach us c. It is the consent of the Fathers and the opinion of the best expositors that this Psalme was penned by Moses upon this occasion After the Israelits had passed the Red Sea and were entred into the wildernesse Moses sent spies before to discover the land of Canaan who returned with these sad tidings to the people that the inhabitants were Giants the sonnes of Anak in comparison of whom the Israelits were but as Grasse-hoppers and that their Citties were walled up to Heaven and so impregnable At which relation they forgetting the great wonders and mighty workes
which God had so lately shewed amongst them murmured against the Lord and against his servant Moses Whereupon the Lord sware in his wrath that they should not enter into his promised rest And from that time forth all of the age of twenty yeares and upwards except Caleb and Iosuah dyed in the wildernesse by the way During which mortality Moses composed this Psalme wherein having first layd downe the shortnesse and uncertainty of mans life he makes this application of it by way of prayer unto God on the behalfe of himselfe and the rest of Israel That though their dayes were few yet they might not bee evill since they could not live long yet that they might live well which to doe being impossible of themselves they beseech God to instruct them saying so teach us to number our dayes that c. This text is a prayer for instruction teach us First in this particular to number our dayes Secondly on this manner so to number our dayes Thirdly to this end that we may apply our hearts c. Now all sorts of prayers may bee reduced to these 4. heads First Petitory for mercies and blessings Secondly Deprecatory against sinnes and evills Thirdly Intercessory on the behalfe of others Fourthly Gratulatory in Thankfulnes for past received favors This prayer is of the first kind viz. a Petition wherein are considerable 4. things First Efficiens the teacher or instructor God O Lord teach us so some translators Secondly Materia the matter taught to number our dayes Thirdly Forma the manner how this numbering is to be done So Fourthly Finis the End why they would bee so taught to number c. viz. That they may apply their bearts c. Efficiens 1 I. To begin with the first Efficiens the teacher God to him Moses and Israel direct their prayers Object But here it may bee objected Moses was learned in all the wisdome of the Egyptians Acts 7. The Secretaryes of Nature the most experienced in human knowledge of any nation then in the world and the rest of Israel having lived so long amongst them could not but have learn'd so much Arithmeticke as to number a few dayes why then doe they make it so great a sute unto God To which it may well bee answered Humane knowledge of Arts and Sciences may goe farre in the information of the understanding Sol. but they are all ignorant in teaching reformation of life they may teach us scientiam capitis how to apply our heads to wisdome but that which Moses would learne here is scientiam Cordis how to apply his heart to wisdom which none but God can teach Acts 10.1.6 The Centurion by his his owne Art had learn'd so well in Military discipline that hee became a Captaine over the Italian band but he was so ignorant in Gods warre that hee knew not how to serve there as a common souldier till Peter instructed him The Ethiopian Eunuch was so well versed in Courtship Acts 8.27 that he was chiefe favorite to Candace Queene of Ethiopia but could not become Gods favorite till he sent Philip to baptize him Paul that spake so many languages yet was unskilled in the language of Canaan the knowledge of Christ Acts 9.5 till Christ himselfe converted him Acts 18.26 Apollos an Eloquent man yet a Novice in Christianity till Aquila and Priscilla tooke him and taught him the way of God more perfectly Here is a divine kinde of Arithmeticke that none but God can teach for the numbering of the people we have David for an example 2 Sam. 24.2 for the numbering of our money our sheepe our Cattell we can doe it our selves the Poet could say Mille mei teneris errant in montibus agni and againe pauperis est numerare pecus Nay man can number the latitude of the Earth the altitude of the starres c. but for the numbering of his dayes to make up his account with God aright to see what arrerages hee hath and to summe up exactly his time to serve him None but he that is God can teach us this It is not to vilify humane learning that I speake this No I know Wisdome hath enemyes enough though she be justified by her owne children But rather to magnify God teaching above others and to shew that it is his priviledge alone who does all things Wisd 11. Psal 147.4 Math. 10.30 by number waight and measure who numbers the stars and calls them all by their names who numbers the hayres of our head and suffers not one to fall to the ground without his providence to teach us so to number our dayes as to apply our hearts to wisdome Here let all Moralls bee mute and all sciences bee silent let other teachers lay their hands on their mouthes and learne themselves Or if they will speake let them confesse that 1. Hee is the best Grammarian that lives with fewest incongruities in his faith and manners that keepes the best Concordance in his life to the rules of the Word that walks aequis passibus in Gods wayes that with Zachary and Elizabeth endevoureth Luke 1.6 to walke in all the Commandements of God blamelesse and without reproofâ— Luke 1. 2. He is the best Logician that knits his fist against sinne and impiety that makes the strongest Syllogismes against the temptations of Satan allurements of the world and lusts of the flesh that backes himselfe with arguments out of Gods Word wherewith as with the shield of Faith Helmet of Salvation and sword of the Spirit hee is able to repell all the fiery darts of Satan that can best divide the Word of truth best define the mysteries of Godlinesse and best discourse unto edification 3. Hee is the best Rethorician that with Apollos is mighty and eloquent in the Scriptures Acts 18. that with Esay rents his Rethoricke in sermons of Repentance and with David shewes his Poesy in divine Hymnes that with Paul can perswade Agrippa not onely almost Acts 26.28 but altogether to become a Christian and make Faelix tremble with his discourse while hee preacheth of Temperance Acts 24.25 Righteousnesse and Iudgement to come that studyes to deliver himselfe not so much in fine as fit and significant words Acts 2.37 that with Peter may pricke the hearts of the auditory and drive them to confession of sinnes and amendment of life 4. Hee is the best Geometrician whose Rule is the Word whose square is the will and whose line and levell are the glory of God that hath learnt with all Saints to comprehend what is the height and depth and breadth and length of the love of Christ Ephes 3.18 and can resolve with Saint Paul that neither height nor depth Rom 8. â—9 nor any other creature shall be able to separate him from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 5. Hee is the best Astronomer that can picke out of the hoasts of Heaven viz. The Sunne Moone