troublesome The consideration of these things made me the more to prize Health To be very thankful for it and the more careful to imploy and improve Health and strength to Gods Glory and the furtherance of mine own Salvation In regard of Publick Dangers I have had a great deal of Experience of Gods goodness towards me and mine several wayes and at several times For First When in the beginning of our Civil Wars and distractions I was sometimes overwhelmed with base and distrustful Fears occasioned by my not acting Faith upon the Promises and not remembring my former Experiences nor considering Gods love power and fidelity to his Children in performing his so many gracious Promises made unto them in all estates and conditions and to me among the rest Here upon I resolved by Gods Grace and assistance not to give way to this distrust and diffidence praying God to assist me therein and found more courage then formerly so far as I know mine own Heart though truly the Heart is very deceitful as I have found by sad experience The Lord teach and enable me to rely upon him with more courage and constancy and more to live by Faith upon his Promises then formerly I have done Indeed I have been apt to fall into new fears upon approaching dangers Yet upon successes and glorious Deliverances I have oft resolved never to distrust God again and yet my naughty Heart hath deceived me and made me ready to faint But this I found by Experience to the Praise of my Gods Free Grace that as troubles have abounded my consolations have much more abounded For God brought seasonably into my mind many pretious Promises which were as so many sweet Cordials which much supported and comforted my Heart and upheld my Spirit when also new storms have arisen and unexpected Deliverances have followed I have and do resolve by Gods Grace not to distrust him any more Yea though more and greater dangers shall arise yet will I trust in and stay my self upon him though as Job said he should slay me The good Lord establish my Heart in this good and holy resolution who is able to keep us to the end and hath Promised that he will preserve us by his Power through Faith to the Salvation of our Souls In regard of Satans Temptations Especially concerning my coming to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper my Experiences have been these Finding often that I was very unable to fit and prepare my self for a comfortable approach to that Sacred Ordinance I used to desire the Prayers of the Congregation unto God in my behalf and I used the best endeavours I could in private as God enabled me though I came far short of what was required and of what I desired So that I did trust and hope through Gods mercy to find a comfortable Day of it and to have it a Sealing Ordinance to my Soul But on the contrary I found much deadness and little spiritual tast relish and comfort in the use of it So that my Spirit was oft much troubled and cast down in me fearing lest I had some secret Sin undiscovered and unrepented of which caused the Lord thus to hide his Face from me But then my gracious God brought this into my mind that the Lord doth sometimes afflict us for the exercise and improvement of our Graces as well as to humble us for our Sins I also considered that as the Lord doth tender great Mercies to us in this Sacrament renewing his Covenant of Grace and Sealing unto us the Pardon of our Sins in the Blood of Christ So he gives us leave to engage our selves by renewing our Covenant with him to believe in him and to trust upon Christ for Life and Salvation And it pleased God to give me Faith to apply this in perticular to my own Soul And a while after to shew me and to make good to my Soul that pretious and comfortable Promise That though he hide his Face from us for a little moment yet with Mercy and loving kindness he will return to us again This was a wonderful comfort and support to my dejected Heart Blessed be the Lord for ever I desire to treasure up these Experiences that for the future I may resolve in the like case to put my whole trust and confidence in him that so Satan may not entrap me in his Snares through unbelief but that I may resist him steadfast in the Faith for I am not altogether ignorant of his Devices Gods Promise is that in all these things we shall be more then Conquerour through him that hath loved us And hath said that this is the Victory which overcomes the World even our Faith 1. Joh. 5.4 In the year 1669 there came to us the sad news of the Death of my second Son Mr. John Clarke a godly faithful and painful Minister sometimes before ejected out of the Rectory of Cotgrave in Nottingham-Shire who died the 18th of September Thus as the Waves of the Sea follow one another so God is pleased to exercise his Children with one Affliction after another He sees that whilst we carry about with us this Body of Sin we have need of manifold Trials and Temptations as saith the Apostle 1. Pet. 1.6 now for a season ye are in heaviness if need be through manifold Temptations to keep us under and to make us the better to remember our selves Indeed it hath been the Lords course and dealing with me ever since he stopped me in the way as I was posting to Hell to raise up one Affliction or other either inward or outward either from Satan the World or from mine own corrupt Heart and nature not having Grace and Wisdom to behave and carry my self as I ought under his various Dispensations and Providences as appeared at this time by his laying so great and grievous an Affliction upon me in taking away so dear a Son from whom I had much Soul-comfort and ardent Affections which he manifested by his fervent Prayers for me and by his spiritual Letters and Writings to me wherein he applyed himself sutably to my Comfort in those inward troubles of Heart and Spirit which lay upon me This caused my Grief and Sorrows to take the greater hold on me upon the loss of one who was so useful to me Yet hereby I do not derogate from my Elder Son from whom I have the like help and Comfort Upon this sad occasion my Grief grew so great that I took no pleasure of any thing in the World But was so overwhelmed with Melancholy and my natural strength was so abated that little Food served my turn and I judged that I could not live long in such a condition Hereupon I began to examin my Heart why it should be so with me and whether carnal and imoderate Affections were not the great Cause of my trouble which I much feared And having used many Arguments and laid down many reasons to my self to quiet and moderate my Passions
Counsel and wholesome Instructions By Chatechising Enquiring what they remembred of the Sermons they heard Reading her Notes to them Encouraging them in what was good and with the Spirit of meekness blaming them for what was evil And for Huswifery and Houshold Affairs she instructed their Ignorance commended and incouraged what they did well and her self being of an active and stirring disposition and having her hand in most businesses set them a Pattern and gave them an Example how to order the same She was careful so far as possibly she could to prevent all spoil and to see that they did not eat the Bread of Idleness As a Friend Towards her friends and her own and her Husbands Relations she was courteous and amiable in her deportment free and hearty in their entertainment She would have plenty without want and competency without superfluity And also neatly and well ordered that none which came to her Table whereof some were Persons of Honor and Quality but commended her Cookery and were well pleased with their entertainment In her Houshold Furniture she loved not to want nor desired more then was needful It was Her Houswifery though not costly yet cleanly and she was frequent in repairing and mending decays and what was amiss both in Linnens and Woollens For her Apparrel Her Habit she was never willing to have that which was costly for the matter or gairish for the manner Rather under then above her Rank For the Fashion of it it was grave and Exemplary without Newfangledness and Levity She followed Peters directions which he gave to Christian Women in his time 1. Pet. 3.3 c. whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting their Hair and of wearing of Gold or of putting on of Apparel But let it be the hidden man of the Heart in that which is not corruptible even the Ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit which is in the sight of God of great price For after this manner in old time the holy Women who trusted in God adorned themselves being in subjection unto their own Husbands And whatsoever Apparel she had she was careful to keep it from stains and rends and so soon as any thing was amiss presently to amend it insomuch as she made it last long and yet it was always whole aad neat All her own and Husbands linnens she made her self and much of her other Apparel And at leisure times she imployed her self in knitting Stockings for her self and Grand-Children and was as careful and handy in mending her Husbands Cloaths as her own Her Charity She was very Charitable to the Poor where ever she lived according to that Estate wherewith God had entrusted her She was ready to relieve such as were Objects of Charity with Meat or Drink and to lend them Mony and to minister some Physical things whereof her Closet was never empty according as their necessities required She had a very melting Heart and truly Sympathized Her Sympathy with the Church and People of God whether at home or abroad in all their sufferings and rejoyced in their Prosperity She was much affected with and afflicted for that great loss which the Church of Christ had when so many able Godly faithful and painful Ministers were ejected not thrust forth into but thrust out from labouring in Gods Harvest wherein her Husband and two Sons were co-sufferers to the loss of their livelihoods yet the loss of their Liberty lay nearer to her Heart and was a far greater Grief to her then the outward wants they were exposed to Her Humility Her Humility was not inferior to her other Graces She had alwayes a very low esteem of her self and was ready to prefer others before her self and would not take it ill when her inferiors were set above her She well remembred the Apostle Peters charge All of you be subject one to another and be cloathed with Humility For God resisteth the Proud and giveth Grace to the Humble And that of St. Paul Rom. 12.10 In honour prefer one another Her Love to God Man Her Love to God to his Ordinances and to his Children was hearty and without Dissimulation She abhorred that which was evil and clave to that which was good She was of so sweet and meek a disposition that she never used to speak evil of any but was ever prone to forgive and forget wrongs She was very prudent in managing her Houshold affairs to the best advantage Her Prudence She would have diverse Dishes of Meat with little cost yet so dressed and ordered as made them grateful and pleasing unto all When they were alone she had such variety of Dishes and Dresses as prevented nauseousness She was careful to see that nothing was lost or spoiled By her wise and frugal managing her Houshold though her husband had never much coming in yet at the years end he could alwayes save something So that her price to him was far above Rubies His Heart trusted in her For she did him good and not evil all the Dayes of her Life Prov. 31.10.11 12. Her Activity In her Younger Dayes she was healthful Of a cheerful and active Spirit and abhorring Idleness She would have her Hand in every business In her Old Age though she was crazie yet whilst she could stand she would be about one kind of work or other Her Patience She bore her weakness and Afflictions with much Patience and holy submission to the will and good pleasure of God she was so uniform in the frame of her Spirit and so maintained her Peace with God through her Holy and humble walking that when Death many times in her sickness threatned to seize upon her She feared it not as knowing that it would be gain and advantage to her Concerning which hear what she her self left in writing which was found after her Decease In my younger Dayes saith she my spiritual Afflictions and inward troubles continued long before I could attain to any assurance of my Salvation But of late years it hath pleased God of his infinite Mercy and Free Grace to give me more Assurance of his unchangeable Love to me through Faith in his Rich and free Promises of Life Her Faith and Salvation through Jesus Christ who is pretious to my Soul and who is the Author and finisher of my Faith God blessed for evermore To whom be Praise and Glory World without end Amen Her amiableness In her converse with her Friends She opened her Mouth with Wisdom and in her Tongue was the Law of Kindness Prov. 31.26 which made her Company grateful unto all and burdensome or undervalued by none Divers years before her Death upon catching Cold she had many fits of Sickness and weakness and some of them were Violent as brought her neer unto Death Yet the Lord had mercy upon her Husband and Family in raising her up again almost beyond hopes and expectation And she was
God are without Repentance Rom. 11.29 These Texts of Scripture having been as so many Cordials unto her in Times of Temptation it is hoped that they may prove so to others and therefore for their sakes they are here set down And hereby it appears that she was not without some shakings but through Gods Mercy they were such as made her root the faster And by her prudent and seasonable holding forth the Shield of Faith and the Sword of the Spirit she became more than a Conquerour through him that had loved her In another little Book which was found after her Death she gives this account of herself and of Gods gracious dealing with her From the beginning writes she of Gods shewing me Mercy in my Conversion I here set down Gods gracious dealings with me Her Conversion not for mine own Praise but for the Glory of God and to stir up my Heart unto true Thankfulness for such invaluable Mercies And then she set down the time manner and means of her Conversion And afterwards proceeds thus What have been my Experiences of Gods gracious dealings with me at several times under Afflictions As First when Personal Afflictions have lain upon me in regard of Bodily Sickness or Spiritual Distempers Secondly Or Family Afflictions when God hath taken away my dear Children Thirdly Or when I have been under fears that God would take away my dear Husband by some dangerous Sickness which he lay under Fourthly Or when I have been under great fears in the time of our Civil Wars Fifthly Or when I have been under spiritual Desertion by Gods hiding his Face and Favour from me Or by reason of weakness and wants in Grace Or by reason of strong and prevailing Corruptions Or by reason of Satans Temptations In all which Cases she left a memorial of Gods gracious dispensations towards her I shall set down only a few of them It pleased God saith she for many years to keep me for the most part in a sad and disconsolate estate and condition not cleerly Evidencing the certain Assurance of his Love to my Soul So that many times I questioned whether I was a Child of God or no Whether I had part in Christ Jesus or no Whether I should ever attain to Life and Salvation or no And this made me walk with a drooping and disconsolate Spirit so that I could take no true comfort in any thing But though heaviness endured for a Night Yet joy came in the Morning when the Lord caused the Light of his Countenance to shine upon me which was better then Life It pleased God upon the Death of my youngest Child that it lay very heavy upon my Spirit insomuch as I was brought oft upon my Knees to beg support from God and to crave his Grace and assistance that I might not break out to speak or act any thing whereby Gods Name might be dishonoured or the Gospel discredited And that he would be pleased to make up this outward loss with some more durable and spiritual Comforts And I found a seasonable gracious and speedy answer to these my Requests For though I lay long under the burden of that loss yet in this time did the Lord sweetly manifest his special Love to my Soul assuring me that he was my gracious and reconciled Father in Christ whereby my Love to him was much encreased and even inflamed So that by his Grace it wrought in me more diligence and carefulness to maintain and preserve these Evidences of his Love and to yield a holy submission unto his Will as well in suffering as in doing As also by avoiding whatsoever might provoke him to withdraw the Evidences of his Love from me without the sense whereof I could take little or no comfort in any thing And furthermore I bless God for it and speak it to the Praise and Glory of his Rich and Free Grace My Prayers and earnest Desires have been answered by Gods giving me comfortable Assurance both from the Testimony of his Holy Word and the witness of his Blessed Spirit of my Eternal and Everlasting Salvation in and by Jesus Christ Yet have I not been without fears and doubtings many times through want of looking over my Evidences or by neglecting to keep a narrow watch over my Heart Or from weakness of my Faith and all through my own default and negligence The Lord pardon it and make me more circumspect for the time to come By all these I have gained this Experience First That God is true and faithful in making good all his Promises seasonably unto us As That all things shall work together for our Good And that God will never fail us nor forsake us c. Secondly That it is not in vain to wait upon God and to seek unto him in our Straits who is mote ready to hear then we are to ask Thirdly That I desire to see Yea and the Lord hath shewed me the vanity and incertainty of the most satisfying Comforts that this World can afford and what an emptiness there is in them that so I may and I desire so to do keep weaned affections towards them and to sit loose from them that I may be ready to part with them when God calls them from me or me from them Again in regard of Bodily weakness and Sickness my Experiences have been these First That as a broken Shoulder can bear no Burden So the least Distemper when the Heart is not in an holy frame and temper is a burden insupportable If God hides his Face from us and withdraws the Evidences of his Love and denies to assist us by his strength we can neither do nor suffer any thing And on the Contrary I found by Experience that I could with much cheerfulness holy submission and willingness bear great Distempers when I enjoyed the favour of God in them So that then I could readily say Good is the work of the Lord as well as his Word And I will bear the Indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him Mich. 7.9 And Though he slay me yet will I trust in him Job 13.15 Secondly I found by experience also that by my pains and Sickness I was the better able to Sympathize with and to pitty and pray for others in the like Case Thirdly Hereby I learned the more to prize Health And that First Because in Health we have liberty and opportunity to enjoy the Publick Ordinances with others of Gods People whereby the Graces of Gods People are quickned strengthened and encreased in us which otherwise by reason of our corrupt natures are apt to grow cold and languish as will our Bodies when they want food Secondly Because in Health we injoy the benefit and the comfort of sweet and quiet sleep which much refreshes and cheers and which commonly we want in Sickness Thirdly Because in Health we find sweet satisfying comfort in the use of Gods good Creatures whereas in Sickness the daintiest Food is lothsom and
and yet nothing prevailed to quiet and calm my Heart and to bow me to the Obedience of his revealed Will And withal considering that it was God only that could quiet the Heart and set our unruly and carnal Affections into an holy frame and order and That he was a present Help in times of trouble I often and earnestly sought unto the Lord with many Prayers and Tears beseeching him to quiet my Heart and to over power and tame my unruly Affections so as to be willing to submit unto him and to bear his Afflicting Hand patiently and fruitfully and to be ready and willing to submit either in doing or suffering to whatsoever he pleased to impose upon me And to be ready to part with the best outward Comfort I enjoyed whensoever he should please to call for the same And it pleased God seasonably to hear my Prayer to regard my Tears and to grant my Requests by calming and quieting my Heart and Spirit and by giving me much more contentedness to submit to his Holy Will and good Pleasure who is a God of judgment and knows the fittest times and seasons to come in with refreshing comforts and who waits to be gracious unto those that trust in him Yet surely I was not without many Temptations in this Hour of Darkness from that subtile Adversary who always stands at watch to insinuate and frame his Temptations answerable to our Conditions and like a Roaring Lyon walks about continually seeking to devour poor yet pretious Souls Then I called upon the Lord in my distress and he answered me and delivered me Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me Praise his Holy Name For he hath remembred me in my low and troubled estate because his Mercy endureth for ever Having thus had new experience of Gods readiness to hear and help when I called upon him And having found that it is not in vain to seek to and to depend upon God in all our Straits I could not but record these things that so Every one that is Godly may seek unto him in a time wherein he may be found who is a present help in times of trouble and who doth for us abundantly above what we can ask or think The Lord knows that I write these things for no other end but that God may have the Glory and that others especially my Relations may be encouraged to seek God in their Straits and to trust in him at all times Amen After her Decease there was also found in her Cabinet a Paper with this Superscrip My Will and desire is with the leave of my Husband to bestow upon my Children these things as tokens of my Motherly Affections and that I may be remembred by them She began with her Husband and what she gave to him and all the rest were all wrapped up in several Papers and each Name endorsed on the outside to whom it did belong And then concludes all thus But above all my Prayers unto God are that he would especially bestow upon you all needful Saving Graces whereby yâ—u may be enabled to Glorifie his Great Name in those several places and callings wherein he hath set you Amen Amen She left also Legacies to some Poor Neighbours As also ten shillings to Mr. W. the Minister of the place to buy him a mourning Ring Concluding thus If God shall please to bring me to my Grave in Peace let this be the Text at my Funeral Ephes 2.8 For by Grace ye are saved through Faith This Scripture I was oft put upon to have recourse to in times of Temptations and Desertion In an other little Book she had collected sundry Texts of Scripture which might minister grounds of great Comfort against Satans Temptations whereby he labours by setting before us a black Bill of our Sins and daily Infirmities and our great inabilities to every Good Duty to blot out our Evidences to stagger our Faith and to make us go heavily and drooping in our way to Heaven Isa 1.17.18 Cease to do Evil Learn to do well And then Though your Sins be as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow Though they be red as Crimson they shall be as Wool Isa 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy Transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy Sins Ezek. 16.6 When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thy Blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy Blood Live Yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy Blood Live V. 8. When I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold Thy time was the time of Love And I spread my Skirt over thee and covered thy Nakedness Yea I sware unto thee and entred into a Covenant with thee saith the Lord God and thou becamst mine V. 9. Then washed I thee with Water Yea I throughly washed away thy Blood from thee and anointed thee with Oyl Ezek. 36.26 27. A New Heart will I give you and a New Spirit will I put within you And I will take away the Stony Heart out of your Flesh and I will give you an Heart of Flesh And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Judgments and do them Lam. 3.31 The Lord will not cast off for ever Joel 3.16 The Lord will be the Hope of his People 1. Joh. 1 9. If we confess our Sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins and to cleanse us from all Unrighteousness He that believes shall be saved Rom. 8.33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that Justifies Who is he that Condemneth 2. Tim. 2.13 If we believe not that is If sometimes we are not able to act Faith yet God is faithful He cannot deny himself Ephe. 1.4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the Foundation of the World V. 5. Having Predestinated us to the Adoption of Children by Jesus Chrisi to himself according to the good pleasure of his Will V. 6. To the Praise of the Glory of his Grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved v. 7. In whom we have Redemption through his Blood the forgiveness of Sins through the riches of his Grace 2. Thes 5.9 For God hath not appointed us unto Wrath But to obtain Salvation by Jesus Christ our Lord. Joh. 10.28.29.30 I give unto them Eternal Life and they shall never perish neither shall any Man pluck them out of my Hand My Father which gave them me is greater then all and no Man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers Hand I and my Father are one Isa 50.10 Who is among you that searcheth the Lord that obeyeth the voice of his Servant That walketh in darkness and hath no Light Let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God Psa 32.1 2. Blessed is the Man whose iniquity is forgiven Whose Sin is covered Blessâ—d is the
Man to whom the Lord imputeth not Sin Ephe. 2.8 For by Grace you are saved through Faith and that not of your selves It is the Gift of God Rom. 6.14 Sin shall not have dominion over you For you are not under the Law but under Grace Rom. 8.1 There is therefore now no Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit Psa 73.26 Though our Hearts may fail us and our Flesh may fail us yet the Lord will never fail us Jer. 31.3 For he hath loved us with an everlasting Love Isa 26.3 4. Thou wilt keep him in perfect Peace whose mind is staid on thee because he trusteth in thee Trust in the Lord for ever For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting Strength Promises of Protection Assistance Comfort and deliverance whereby our Hearts may be upheld in the evil Day Ezek. 9.4 Go through the midst of Jerusalem and set a mark upon the Foreheads of them that sigh and cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof Psal 34.6 This Poor man cried and the Lord heard and saved him out of all his troubles v. 19. Many are the Afflictions of the Righteous But the Lord delivereth them ouâ— of them all Psal 46 1. God is our refuge and strength A very present help in trouble v. 2. Therefore will not we fear c. Psa 42.11 My Soul why art thou cast down and disquieted within me Hope thou in God for I shall yet Praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God Isa 3.10 Say ye unto the Righteous it shall be well with him Prov. 3.25 26. Be not afraid of sudden Fear neither of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh For the Lord shall be thy Confidence and shall keep thy Foot from being taken Psa 3.8 Salvation belongeth to the Lord Thy Blessing is upon thy People Psa 4.3 Know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself The Lord will hear when I call unto him v. 8. I will both lay me down in Peace and Sleep For thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety Nahum 1.7 The Lord is good A strong hold in the Day of trouble and he knoweth them that trust in him 2. Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have believed And I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that Day For Gen. 17.2 He is God Alsufficient Promises made to Gods People in the most dangerous Times What confidence we should have in God Psa 27.1 2 3. The Lord is my Light and my Salvation whom shall I fear The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid When the Wicked even mine Enemies and my Foes came upon me to eat up my Flesh they stumbled and fell Though an Host should encamp against me my Heart shall not fear Though War should rise against me in this will I be confidenr v. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after That I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the daies of my life v. 5. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his Pavilion In the secret of his Tabernacle shall he hide me He shall set me up upon a Rock Therefore v. 9. Hide not thy Face from me Put not away thy Servant in Anger Thou hast been my Help Leave me not neither forsake me O God of my Salvation v. 13. I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living v. 14. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen thy Heart Wait I say on the Lord. Psal 40.4 Blessed is the Man that maketh the Lord his trust and respecteth not the Proud nor such as turn aside to Lyes Psal 32.1 In thee O Lord do I put my trust Let me never be ashamed V 3. For thou art my Rock and my Fortress therefore for thy Name sake lead me and guide me v. 23. O love the Lord all ye Saints For the Lord preserveth the Faithful v. 24. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your Heart all ye that hope in the Lord. Psa 91.2 I will say of the Lord He is my Refuge and my Fortress My God in him will I trust Psa 94.14 For the Lord will not cast off his People neither will he forsake his Inheritance v. 19. In the multitude of my Thoughts within me thy Comforts delighted my Soul Psa 102.2 Hide not thy Face from me in the Day when I am ln trouble incline thine Ear unto me In the Day when I call answer me speedily Psa 115.11 Ye that fear the Lord trust in the Lord. He is their Help and their Shield Psa 112.7 He shall not be affraid of evil tidings His Heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. Psa 118.5 I called upon the Lord in distress The Lord answered me and set me in a large place v. 6. The Lord is on my side I will not fear what can man do unto me 1. Pet. 4.17 The time is come that Judgment must begin at the House of God And if it first begin at us what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God v. 19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the Will of God commit the keeping of their Souls to him in wel-doing as unto a faithfu Creator â— Thes 1.6 7. It is a Righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you And to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from Heaven c. 2. Thes 3.3 The Lord is faithful who shall stablish you and keep you from evil These I have thought fit to tâ—â—nscribe hoping that by Gods blessing they may prove Useful and Comfortable to many others as they were to her But besides she had collected many others whereof to prevent tediousness I shall only give you the Heads As Promises to strengthen our Faith For Deliverance from all evil For assistance in times of trouble For the Resurrection of our Bodies For Eternal Glory with Christ That God will preserve his Children from Afflictions so far as it is good for them That God will qualify and moderate their Afflictions when they do come And proportion them to their Strength That Afflictions are soveraign Medicines to kill Lusts and to cure spiritual Diseases Promises made to such as suffer in a Good Cause for the Truth Promises of Deliverances from the Evil World Of Comfort to such as fall through Infirmity Promises made to such as are Ignorant Comforts against doubts and fears of loosing the Love of God Comforts against forgetfulness of Good things Comforts against fears of falling from God Comforts against dismayedness under many and strong Corruptions Comforts against troubles arising fom the want of the means of Grace either in the whole or in the Power of
them Comforts to Gods Children in case of spiritual Disertion Promises of the continuance and Unchangeableness of Gods Love Promises of Gods special and gracious presence with his Children Promises of Gods Protection and Providence over his Promises of bestowing Christ and of many Blessings with him As of Redemption Effectual Calling Justification Reconciliation Adoption Of bestowing the Spirit for their Sanctification and all Spiritual Grace As Faith Confidence in God Hope Joy Love to God To Christ To our Brethren To Enemies Of Obedience Of Repentance Of Knowledge Of audience of their Prayers Of Mortification of Sin c. Promises of assistance in Holy Duties Promises of Gods acceptance of our spiritual Sacrifices Promises of a blessing upon Holy Ordinances Promises made to the conscientious performance of sundry Duties As to Prayer To a careful seeking of God To watchfulness To conscientious Sanctification of the Lords Dayes For the preservation of his Church c. In reading of Practical Authors she had collected and set down many things which she found useful and Comfortable to her Soul As Certain grounds of Comfort to build our Faith upon in times of Temptations Signs whereby we may know whether we be in Covenant with God or no. Reasons why God made this Covenant with faln Man What are the Gifts and priviledges of this Covenant She hath also set down mâ—ny Helps to provoke and enable us to wait Gods leisure for the accomplishment of his Rich and free Promises though his Providences seem to run cross tâ— them And how we may be enabled to apply Gods Promises And in the Conclusion of all she thus Writes It was the goodness of my God to remember me in my Youth that so I might not forget him neither in my Youth nor in my Old Age. By all this it may appear what were the Gifts and Graces wherewith the Lord had adorned her and what her inward Beauty was And as the Jewel was rare so was the Cabinet wherein it was lodged comly And the 〈◊〉 tels us â—â—â—tâ—er est pulchro veniens è â—â—â—pore Virtus That Virtue hath the greatest Grace That shineth through a Beauteous Face And such truly was hers in her younger Dayes and some Characters and Lineaments of it continued in her Old Age even to the last as sundry Persons observed Hallelujah What was long since said of Mrs Katherine Bretterg may be tâ—â—ly applied unto her Katherina Pura Christoquaâ— purgata Vita Christo pâ—eparata Morte Christo dedicata Coelis Christo conjugata Prov. 31.30 Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain but a Woman that feareth the Lord she shall be Praised ERRATA PAge 4. Line 6. for Isa read Isabel l. 7. r. Overton f. verton p. 6. l. 1â— r. words f. word p. 11. l 22. add to p. 12. l. 15. r. when f. wen p. 22. l. 9. 10. r. corrupt times f. corruptions p. 24. l. 9. r. â—ll so f. also p. 29. l. 19. r. Houshold affaiâ— p. 32. l. 14. add so p. 33. l. 1. add the p. 35. l. 3. r. ratling f. rutling l. 6. add it p. 39. l. 4. dele an i in Excessive p. 35. l. 6. add it p. 60. l. 3. r. conquerours l. 13. r. sometime p. 66. l. 25. r. Superscription p. 72. l. 22. r. feareth f. searcheth Courteous Reader THese Books following are Printed for and sold by William Miller at the Gilded Acorn in S. Paul's Church-Yard where also you may be furnished with most sorts of bound or Stiched Books as Acts of Parliament Proclamations Speeches Declarations Letters Orders Ordinances Remonstrances Commissions Articles As also Books of Divinity Catechisms Church government Sermons on all Occasions and most sorts of Histories Poetry Plays and such like c. Books in Folio ASsemblies Annotations Bakers Chronicle Gesners history of Beasts and Serpents Heylin's Cosmography Josephus History of the Jews Juvenal with Cuts by Sir Robert Stapylton Ambroses works Cradocks Harmony Churchil Divi Britanici Elson on Colossians Knowledge and Practice quaâ— Quartoâ— Principles oct Gunters works Barbers Sermon Isa 9.6 J. B. Sermon Survey of Man Job 14 10. Dod on the Lords Prayer Medice Cura Teipsum oâ— the Apothecaries plea againsâ— Doctor Christopher Meret William Lord Bishop of Glucester Entituled a plain and full Exposition of the Catechism of the Church of England Edward Lord Bishop of Norwich Entituled a Sermon preached before the Peers at Westminster the 7. Nov. being a day of solemn Humiliation for the continuing Pestilence Nat. Hardy Dr. Entituled Justice Triumphing c. a Sermon preached the 5 of Novem Entituled The pilgrims wish a Sermon preached at the Funeral of Mrs. Anne Dudson Entituled A loud Call to great Mourning a Sermon preached on the 30. Jan. 1661. before the Parliament Entituled Lamentation Mourning and Wo a Sermon preached the Lords day after the dismal Fire in the City of London Entituled the Royal Common-wealths Man c. a Sermon preached at the Funeral of Sir Thomas Adams Sam. Drake Dr. Entituled ΘΕΟΥ ΔΙΆΚΟÎΟΖ c. a Sermon preached at the Assizes at York 1669. Entit Totum Hominis c. a Sermon preached the 15 March at the Assizes in York Marriage of Arts a play Miser a play Bastard a play Cheats a play Faithful Shepherdess a play Horatius a play Polyencles a play Combat of love and friendship a play Spanish Gipsie a play Fettiplace the souls narrow search for sin oct Fertiplace Christian Monitor earnestly and compassionately perswading sinners unto true and timely repentance English Dictionary or expositor the 12 Edition Revised and enlarged by S.C. duod Compleat Bone-setter oct Templum Musicum or the Musical Synop. oct The famous game of Chess-play oct Shelton's Tachygraphia Lat. oct Clarks Looking-glass for persecutors oct Tillotson and Stillingfleets rule of faith oct Heathen Gods oct Clavis Homerica oct Beverley Great Soul of Man oct Death-bed Repentance quar Warren principles of Christian Doctrin oct Janua Janua Linguarum Novissima oct Commenii Vestibulum oct Owen of Love oct Savage Life oct Buttler's Life oct Syntaxis Erasmiana oct Johanne Betto M. D. Entituled De Ortu Natura Sanguinis oct Thomas Elborow Entit The famous Epistles of S. Polycarp and S. Ignatius Disciples to the holy Evangelist and Apostle S. John with the Epistle of S. Barnabas c. oct Martials Epigrams by Busby duod Tho. Mall Theoph. Pol. wheile Entit Holy Living a serious Exhortation thereunto and choice Directions therein c. duod Wit Revived duod Supplication of Saints duod Butlers Rhetorick duod Clark abour comfort which Gods children have or at he least earnestly desire and â—ong after whilst they are in this World together with the obstructions of comfort and the removal of them duod Jeofferies New years gift duod Divine Examples of Gods severe Judgements upon Sabbath breakers in their unlawful sports Collected out of several Divine subjects viz. Master H B. Master Beard and the Practice of Piety a fit monument for our present times c. A brief Remembrancer or the right Improvement of Christ's Birth day A second sheet of old Master Dod's sayings or another Posie gathered out of Master Dod's Garden The Hunting for Money the first part The Hunting Match for Money the 2. part Vennings Alarm Muses fire-works upon the fifth of November or the Protestant Remembrancer Perkin's whole Duty of Man FINIS