a Nobleman bring an argument if thou canst but out of the Topicks of feee favour he that made thee a Nobleman might have made thee a Drudgeman he that made thee a Cedar might have made thee one of the under-trees which grow about thee why dost thou flourish in thy palace when others have not a cottage to hide their heads in why doth thy Rent-taille come to many thousands by the year when many have not mony enough to pay their house-rent O! God might have made those strong shoulders of thine to have born burthens and those lusty arms of thine to have wrought for thy living yea and with that diligence and strictness that If those hands of thine out of idleness had kept one day an Holy-day the next day might have been a Fasting-day Si manus câ—ssaret panis desiceret Cassiod There are a company of Egenoes in the land an host of needy people which wander up and down the Nation to beg necessary sustenance God might have listed thee into this tattered Regiment and made thee to have crouched for a piece of silver and to have sought thy bread out of desolate places but God hath so well provided for thee that thy Table is continually spread thy Coffers filled and thy Wardrobe furnished whatsoever the wants of others are for meat money rayment thou canst eat dainties according to thy appetite take out gold and silver by the handful put on changeable suits of apparel according to thy delight others cannot sleep enough in the night-time nor keep their houses in the day time nor chuse their work but do any thing whereby they may get a livelyhood but thou canst lie in bed as long as thou listest and rise when thou pleasest thou canst either sit at home at ease or ride abroad at pleasure and thou canst chuse thy work even chuse whether thou wilt work at all for what is thy labour to wash thy hands rather than to work with thy hands to stretch thy self in idleness rather than to stretch thy joynts in industry to sprinkle thy head with perfuming powders rather than to oyle thine hair with thine own sweat alas when others are enforced to look to herds and flocks tilling seeding reaping c. thou lookst onely to thy cuts and curles thy knots and fancies thy half-arms and half-wastes thy chapfallen boots and neckerchief knees O then hath God freed thee from the aking limbs the warded hands and surbaten feet of other men and hast not leisure enough to magnifie thy God yes God hath given thee all this liberty opulency and affluency meerly that thou mightst praise the name of him that hath done wonderously for thee If three should not be an oblation kindled in private cottages yet the Altar should flame with sacrifices in Noblemens families God hath pricked out such a song for thee that it might be called the Noblemans Magnificat yea every member about thee might be a Querister to sing in consort Glory be to God God hath separated that house of thine from all other imployment meerly to make it a chantry to himself what then wilt thou not yet say Awake Lute and Harp I my self will awake right early wilt thou not cause thy glory to awaken praise God with the best member thou hast praise him in the highest that he hath given thee cedar-height yes blazon Gods Coat of mercies better than thy progenitors Arms and sing in a louder tone for Gods rich blessings than thou wouldst if a triumphant chariot were prepared for thee such mercies deserve a song of degrees yea the song might be appointed to the chief singer on Neginothai or to him that excelled upon Hajjaleth Halshahar no ordinary Instrument is fit for this ditty but even that which David calleth the Hind of the morning If a poor man ought to praise God for a being how much more the Nobleman for a well-being if a poor man ought to praise God uppon a wel-tuned Cymbal the Nobleman ought to praise him upon a loud-sounding Cymbal if a poor man ought to bring a Turtle Dove and two young Pigeons a Nobleman ought to bring a whole burnt Offering an Hecatombe if the height of a Noblemans praises ought to be according to the height of his greatness then let him consider that God hath given him Cedar-height The Cedar 3. Thirdly a Nobleman is from hence exhorted to be the better man for as the Cedar is the excellent tree in the forrest so a Nobleman should be the excellent Professor in the Church The Star of the great Magnitude should yield the brighter light the better plant should bring forth the sweeter fruit God doth expect great duty from men of great dignity and high service from them upon whom he hath bestowed high honour Optimates optimi mens graces and places should carry a correspondency for these have a price in their hands and they are called fools to their faces if their hearts be not answerable to their abilities it is a sin against Gods favours if these should be the inferiour Saints howsoever if they should be the worst of sinners A great man to be a great Libertine or great Oppressor is no more honour then to be a great Swine or a great Tiger The fall of that house saith our Saviour is great so the fall of that noble person is great then Jeconiah is but Coniah and no more in effect but a broken Idol Who honour Nimrod the great hunter or Haman the great persecutor or Achitophel the great traytor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Menâ—n Nobile malum Sen. Gâ—nus dâ—â—icitur Arist 2. Rher 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Menaud one Abraham which was the Father of the faithfull one Job which was so righteous that there was not the like unto him upon earth one Obadiah which feared the Lord greatly is to be preferred before a thousand of these Monsters and Miscreants Noblemen if they be wicked are but the greater Stains for there is no Nobility in impiety there is nothing noble there but a noble villany The stock is there decayed such an one hath lost his Arms though he were born of a better Father then ever was Jupiter saith Menander It was an heavy thing when Ieremy went unto the great men thinking that they had known the way of the Lord and the judgements of their God but these altogether had broken the yoke and burst the bonds in sunder Jer. 5.5 How is God offended when he had planted a noble Vine and it turned into a degenerate plant As God is served in Heaven by the best Spirits so he would be served upon Earth by the best men Bring unto the Lord O ye Sons of the Mighty whosoever do hold back do ye bring these to be good precedents to others should have sanctity seen in every thing that belongs to them they should have written upon their very horse-bridles Holinesse to the Lord Zack 14.20 Why should they promote Gods honour most yes he hath
crossed he is quite confounded his Counsel being but despised he doth defie himself and in an impatient humour doth ease his troubled heart with an halter So that a meer worldling doth sink under all trials But is a Saint no more magnanimous yes such an one can bear more weight then the shoulders of Sampson the puissant There is the invincible Spirit and the invulnerable brest There is not such an Heroe upon Earth as a gracious Creature My grace is sufficient for thee 2 Cor. 12.9 sufficient it is against all the pressures of nature and buffets of Satan Such neither fret nor faint at the saddest events It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good 1 Sam. 3.18 I became dumb and opened not my mouth because thou didst it Psal 39.9 Tribulation doth bring forth patience Rom. 5.3 I take pleasure in infirmities reproches necessities 2 Cor. 12.10 O rare creatures that can make Miseries Medicins Afflictions Affections Exigents Exercises Ruthes Recreations Distresses Delights How can this thing be by Gods power being made perfect through weakness 2 Cor. 12.9 As the Apostle saith of himself when I am weak then am I strong v. 10. no Chymist can draw out such an Elixar no it is the secret of regeneration or the miracle of grace And is it not noble Lady grace that hath perfected and preserved you in your trial yes nature made you look downward and grace made you look upward nature made you to stagger and grace did stablish you nature set you on weeping and grace dried the tears on your cheeks nature made you look mournfully on your dying and dead Lord and grace made you patiently resign him up to your God Grace is our revenew remedy and refuge in all extremities preserve your grace and you are fitted for all future casualties and that I trust shall never fail you for as I know few of your Sex which do excell you in wisdom so do I know none Superiour to you in grace Gracious Lady wait upon your gracious God and he doth offer yet more grace James 4.6 Yea he is able to make all grace to abound towards you that you having all-sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work 2 Cor. 9.8 for there is the unsearchable riches of his grace Eph. 2.7 Well be wanting in no grace that you may count it your spiritual subsistence and say with the blessed Apostle by the grace of God I am what I am not I but the grace of God which is with me 1 Cor. 15.10 seems to be created to the praise of the glory of his grace that you may be accepted in the beloved Eph. 1.6 value this life no further then to have the grace of life 1 Pet. 3.7 have grace whereby you may serve God acceptably with Reverence and Godly fear 12 Heb. 28. Let grace reign in your heart by righteousnesse unto eternall life Rom. 5.21 The richest Jewel is the white stone the most gorgeous habiliment is the wedding garment to be the Elect Lady is better then with Queen Cleopatra to be able to drink a bowl-full of dissolved pearls the Paragon of the Earth is she that hath the amiableness of vertue Favour is deceitful and beauty is vanity but a woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised Prov. 31.30 Dear and Illustrious Lady I honour your Person reverence your Perfections rejoyce in your Affections admire your Graces prize your Exercises magnifie your Fruits for you do not onely profess Christ but endeavour that the life of Christ might be made manifest in this mortal flesh therefore I wish that that Christ which is the Consolation of Israel may be your Consolation and that he which hath shed his blood for you may shed his spirit into you to comfort you in the midst of your sorrows and to strengthen you under all trials I confess this is a very sad affliction especially to quench so much love in a brest when the heart was in a burning flame and were it not for Gods irresistible will and your own Chistian obedience to his divine pleasure I should not know how to settle your spirit but you see from what hand the chastisement came therefore hear the rod and who hath appointed it Mich. 6.9 you know whom you have believed fix your heart upon that God humbly yielding to the stroke and in that God of recompences you may find this losse repaired and perhaps a double blessing for this present sad accident He is Shaddai God all-sufficient That God of patience and all consolation strengthen and support you and give you an ample supply of all necessary satisfactions you can be no loser in your dependence upon God for he can give you a firmer right then the nuptial interest even an union and communion with himself the band of the spirit is better then the bands of wedlock and the joy of Gods chosen doth exceed the joyes of marriage To comfort you throughly I should carry you up to heaven and shew you that there is variety of comforts and blessings to counterpoise this loss but I know your translated spirit that you are ready there without a conduct and indeed you are fitter to be a leader then to make use of a guide That heaven then where your conversation vows hopes tears prayers faith fruits contemplations are satisfie you that measure pressed down shaken together and running over will be poured into your bosom for humbling your self under the mighty hand of God So long as you are upon earth I can comfort you up no otherwise then by telling you and assuring you that your noble Consort is still upon earth though not in Person yet in Memory and for that end have I provided this impress His living Image you much delighted in my desire is that you might still have a sight of him in this dead picture For want of time it was but half drawn in the Pulpit I now present it to you as I had pensilled it out by my self stretch out your honourable hand to accept of the piece and bear with the mean Artist Thus with thanks for your first choice and your firm affection and all Terrestrial and Celestial Benedictions wished to your Honour submissively I take leave and rest Madam Your Honours Chaplain the humble Observer of your person and the high admirer of your graces Waltham Abbey THOMAS REEVE II ZACH. 2. Howle Fine-tree for the Cedar is fallen ARma Virumque cano My Discourse must be this day of a man at Arms Virgil. an ancient Colonel the Commander of the Tower of Lebanon Well what need Lebanon with such a Tower and such a Commander fear Yes very much for pateant Carthaginis arces Open thy doors O Lebanon Virgil. that is thy Castle-gates for the Commander in chief is to be fetched out What is he what is he Quis facta Drovini nescit Claudius who know not the noble Governour an eminent man he was for he hath his
a cedar shall he fall by you with so little sorrow or astonishment no ye should know what the losse of one sublime beneficial man is there should be nothing but shrill cries heard in that forrest where such a Cedar doth fall not onely the Firre-tree should grieve but it should howle Howle firre-tree the cedar is fallen Now let us consider a little what there hath hapned amongst us hath there not been a fall yes and a very sad one so sad that it might make you drop and droop sigh and sob rend and roar he that hath a breast methink should groan and he that hath a tongue methink should howle Here are many clad in black before you and ye had need to be as black within as they are without Never was there a greater occasion amongst you for a mournful meeting a doleful congregation the forrest it self may be afflicted and they without the forrest may lament If ye should hold your peace the stones would speak so if ye should be silent the dumb would open their lips even strangers and forreigners as Germanicus at his death was lamented by the Barbarians and Baldwin the Third was bewayled by Noradine and the very Turks far and nigh What Inhabitant will be so unworthy or what neighbour so unkind as not to bestow a few drops and mones at the fall of such an ornament of his Countrey and without offence I hope it may be spoken a lustre to his Nation Had he such fame by his life-time and shall he have no honour at his death yes as Socrates said Frankincense doth belong to the gods and praise to men Thus di is laus hominibus debetur Give unto God his true worship and unto this worthy Peer his due praise If the fruitlesse or saplesse the inferiour and vulgar trees should not be sensible of the accident yet let the nobler trees have an anxious apprehension of such a fall yea let all the firre-trees howle Howle firre-tree for the Cedar is falle And I say the Cedar for was he not a lofty tree in his time yes noble he was by birth altis inclytum titulis genus Clara domus satis haec nobilitate tuâ est Sentea in Here. sur Look upon his crest Ovid op 16. and there ye shall see the soaring Falcon which brought as much Land to his Predecessors as that could with her swift wings measure out with one flight the story is known and therefore I shall not need to beautifie it with language But stemmata quid faciunt had he had never a noble Ancestor as he had many both by the Fathers and Mothers side yet he was worthy to have been created a Noble for his noble heart and his honourable qualifications Arist l. 2. â—her Nobilitas est quaedam lous veniens de meritis parentum Boer l. 3. Pros 6 de Colis Phil. I sid Pelus l. 2. Ep. 126. which adorned him more then lineage and pedigree for though Nobility be Majorum claritas the brightnesse of anancient family and it is a kind of praise when a man can derive a stock from deserving parents yet vera nobilitas à probis moribus nata est as Isidor Pelusota saith nobility of good dispositions is better then nobility of a good descent for what is the honour of blood to the honour of vertue no they which want the last it may be said of them as it was of the two Gracchi that whosoever could say that they were Great yet no man could say that they were Good but mine was not only the Great but the Good Nobleman there was in him not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To let pass then the Cedar for his height and to come to his properties Had he not in him every thing that is requisite for a Cedar yes 1. For first was he not smooth who can call him a knotty tree no Quo non alter amabilior as it was said of Augustus then whom there was none more friendly I may say of him as Agistrata said of Agis nimia tua bonitas nimia mansuetudo thy courtesie might seem too great thy mildnesse too great the very Idea of humanity and gemme of affability it did appear to all 1. First where there was the nearest conjunction I mean betwixt him and his honourable Lady Were there ever Espousals with more inviolable affection was the yoke of Wed-lock ever worn with more delight was not he to her the covering of her eyes Gen. 20.16 was not she to him the very desire of his eyes Ezech. 24.16 Eadem erat illis mens simillimi affe â—tus Ludov. Vives de Christ sem l. 2. may I not say of them as Ludovicus saith of his Father and Mother that there was ever between them the same mind and the same affections as if they had been born under one Constellation or had but onely two faces and one will Match me such noble paires which spent out so many years in dear and reciprocal affection 2. Secondly for his servants was there ever a great Lord that treated servants with more gentlenesse no they lived with him rather as with a Father then a Lord or as with a Friend then a Master under some others servants might be called as they were in Lacedemonia Helot slaves but under him they might be called as they were in Creet Chrysonetae the golden servants he preferred many loved all now where was there more freedom and freeness 3. Thirdly for his neighbours was he not most affable yes another Adrian the great Emperour who was as Dion saith humilimorum amicus a friend to the most humble so was he a companion to the meanest a Lord amongst Lords but familiar amongst his neighbours yea he had rather lose his life than his humanity as the same Adrian said when her was taxed for using too much civility as they thought towards his Inferiours I never remember any which knew better how to reserve state and preserve friendship to be both a Lord and a neighbour together His courtefie then is evident a great heart that carried in it a most heroick spirit and yet was the soft bosome of kindnesse 2. Was he not useful yes what did he study more than the good of the Common-wealth one of a most publick spirit he honoured his Countrey as his Mother as Pythagoras advised his scholars and he was not onely born in a Famous Countrey but he was dignus patriâ worthy of his Countrey as Aristotle said of a friend how many good offices and noble favours could I reckon up to confirme this 3. Thirdly was he not fragrant yes 1. First for his faith as he was well-gifted so he was well-principled he had a singular judgment and a sincere heart apprehensive and steddy that whereas some travel into far Countries to bring home an outlandish faith as well as outlandish manners which think they are never witty
A CEDARS SAD and SOLEMN FALL Delivered in a SERMON at the Parish-Church of Waltham Abbey in Essex By THOMAS REEVE D. D. Preacher of Gods Word there At the Funeral of JAMES late Earl of Carlisle 4 JAMES 14. What is our life it is but a vapour which appeared for a little season and afterwards it vanisheth away 2 SAM 14.14 We must all needs die and are as water spilt upon the ground which cannot be gathered up again neither doth God respect any Person LONDON Printed for William Grantham at the black Bear in St. Pauls Church-yard near the little North-door 1661. To the Right Honourable Margaret Countess-Dowager of Carlisle my very noble Patroness c. Length of dayes Dayes of gladness the holy Calling the holy Annointing Light in the Lord the Light of Gods countenance the Spirit of the fear of the Lord the Spirit of comfort the height of Honour and eternity of Bliss Right Honorable and graciously-accomplish'd Lady MArriage is an image of heaven for the celestial state is compared to espousals This mystery is great Ephes 5.32 because union of hearts in wedlock doth much resemble the glorious union Then you have had in this kind the heaven upon earth as much as Marriage can afford it you for the dear and entire mutual and reciprocal love which passed between you and your noble Bridegroom was so eminent that it seemed not onely to be affection but passion it was expressed to admiration and it might be presented to the world for imitation But all earthly comforts have their stints and limits They that rejoyce must be as if they rejoyced not 1 Cor. 7.30 There is nothing here so transcendent but it is transitory the sweetest fruit doth corrupt the brightest gemms do lose their lustre that which doth most delight us doth leave us with an heart-gripe we must turn away our eyes from our most enamouring objects with a storm of tears So hath it happened to Your Honour He which lay nearest to Your heart it taken out of Your bosom and the want of him hath caused You to be a true mourner Thus heavenly providence doth order all things concerning our temporary comforts he will have nothing here permanent that we might rely upon him which is unchangeable it is not the wedding-ring that can endow any with lasting felicity constant joy is not to be found in the Bride-bed they are not our embraces that can keep fast our desired delights nor our eager eyes that can fix a face long for us to look upon No death doth pluck many a dear pledge out of our hands and extinguish many a lamp when it is shining before us with the greatest brightness This moth doth fret in pieces our costliest robes this thunderbolt doth cleave asunder our most admired monuments there is no armour of proof against this dart when this blow is given adamantine chains break when death doth give the knock there is no keeping within doors when death doth come with the ground-spade who must not be buried under ground we had need not to fancy any thing too much for the best is but a perishing delight we had need to provide something that is immortal for every thing that we do here enjoy is mortall The wisest head at last will be but a deaths-skull and the kindest husband we may at last take him up in an handful of dust or go lye by him in a bed of clay Death doth but smile when we do call any thing here our own and deride us that we laugh in that face which with a stroke can be made pale and grisly Your Honour therefore hath done well to furnish Your self with that which might comfort You beyond Nature and give You engagements when all the privileges of Nature do fail and indeed Godliness is profitable to all things and hath the promises of this life and of that which is to come 1 Tim. 4.8 these are the great and precious promises 2 Pet. 1.4 How would You have done if You had had nothing above this world to strengthen You against this trial You did but a little if You remember leave Your self to Your self and Your footsteps were well nigh gone You did but conceive Your Husband to be dead when he was not dead and yielding to Natures sad apprehensions what a sad fit did it bring upon You Your own life was in danger but You no sooner left consulting with flesh and bloud and began to take up Religion to be Your director but You were able with more patience and prudence moderation and Christian submission to undergo what God in his high and over-ruling wisdom should appoint and determine You could then speak to the honour of God and conform to the will of God saying Why should You try masteries with God when You knew that A sparrow doth not fall to the ground but by Gods appointment So that noble Lady there is no light like to a beam of Gods Spirit nor no counsellor like to a sanctified heart all the Preachers upon earth all the Angels of heaven can hardly so well informe us as our own regenerate consciences They which fear not God fear all things they which have learned God are taught against all exigents therefore the fear of the Lord is the treasure Es 33.6 I know that it shall be well with them that fear the Lord and do reverence before him Eccles 8.13 Natural perfections are a scant and fickle livelyhood therefore the Saints fee-simple is free-grace then have we something to rejoyce in and rely upon when he in heaven according to his godly power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness 2 Pet. 1.3 This is the stock that is to be preferred before Rubies yea of greater value than all the treasures of Aegypt The Carbuncle of high birth is nothing like to the jewel of new-birth all Academical Arts are nothing like to the eye-salve of the Spirit There is a spirit in man but the inspiration of the Almighty giveth understanding Job 32.8 Here is the mind which hath understanding Rev. 17.9 The most solid judgment is that where there is a quick understanding in the fear of the Lord Es 11.3 Through Christ I can do all things saith the Apostle but without Christ we can do nothing or very little The heart of the wicked is little worth There is not such a faint-heart as an unregenerate person he doth flee when none doth pursue the least trial doth cause in him astonishment of heart yea the sound of a shaken leaf doth chase him Lev. 26.37 he is like a silly Dove without heart Hos 7.11 We see it in Haman who wanted nothing for outward pomp and potency and yet the least check of neglect doth make all that he was worth a burthen yea a very loathing to him for What doth all this availe me And the like is to be seen in Achitophel who had greatness enough and pusillanimity dastardlinesse enough for being
pleased you highly to hear the Grandees menaced throughly but rejoyce not too much for I have threats for the infimates also Come on then Mechanicks Tradesmen yea the poorest Abjects here which are half-naked and perhaps halfe-starved look to your selves I hold up deaths arrow and shew you that it will strike in the breasts of you all for ye in the galleries and ye upon the pavements ye that sit and ye that stand ye that have the vast Ware-houses and ye that have scarce a shop or shud of your own are all going into the strait passage the narrow hole Your lusty leggs will fail you your quick breath will draw short in your lung-pipes ye are all fainting and failing the Cedar is fallen and the Firre-tree must fall I see none but mortal faces amongst you I behold none but dying men Death doth sway an equal scepter to all mankind impartial death doth spare no man Communia toti genti sceptra tenens Maphreus Vegius in append Virg. Nullum saeva coput Proserpina sugit Many of you have gotten a pardon for all your exorbitances but death will seal no Act of Indemnity ye have escaped the halter of many your fellow-miscreants but death hath set up her gibbet for you Free your selves from this and I will say that ye have more wit then the cunning Secretary the crafty Judge wily Gaol-keeper and the politick Fanatick but I see death ready to apprehend you condemn you and lead you forth to execution what therefore have ye any wet eyes ye will else ere long have dry eyes Do ye bend your knees if not ye shall bend them lower have ye held up your hands for mercy if not ye shall not have an hand to stir have ye found the plague of your own hearts if not ye will die with the deadly marke upon you have ye stilled the cries of the poor have ye made satisfaction for your minglings adulteratings false-weights slippery bargaines usuries perjuries spoiles spights if not they will meet you at Gods judgement-seat Think not that ye because ye can out-brave the pulpit that there is nothing can tame you yes death is coming to right all the injuries that ye have done to the Ordinances Who hath heard our voice to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed no the Prophet is ye say a fool the spirituall man is mad But behold ye despisers and wonder Ye shall answer for every Sermon which ye have disdained defied vilified or neglected He that hath dashed his foot against this stone shall be broken in pieces it had been better for him that a mil-stone had been hung about his neck and that he had been thrown into the midst of the Sea We are Messengers but death is the powerful Preacher it is the Church-mans pleader or if ye will Gods Herald at Armes it will force you to make reparation for all your contempts and revenge them with fury Here is a thundering teacher indeed it doth preach the Funerall Sermon of the whole world the last Sermon that every man shall hear or if ye will the Repetition-Sermon Thou shalt have but one Lecture and if thou beest not converted by that it will send thee away to the deep pit the scalding furnace the worm that will never die the utter darknesse to lament thy hard-heartedness O therefore search for thou wilt be tried to the height humble thy self or else there will be no place found for repentance cleanse or else thou wilt remain spotted for ever shine for thou must be extinguished turn a living Saint for thou wilt turn a dead corpse The Cedar is fallen and Firre-tree thou must fall I know that ye of the Inferiour rank have Superiour spirits but for all your roughness and perversenesse your obstinacy will not prevail against this prophet of the Sepulchre Death is a sharp preacher indeed for it doth preach with a dart in the lips and this preacher you must hear and this dart ye must feel Quit your selves of your sins for ye cannot quit your selves from the grave leap out of hell for ye cannot leap from death Ye must all have grisly faces fallen chaps bloodless cheeks breathless lungs staring eyes and stark limbs ye will be fit for nothing at last but the land of darknesse and the pit of corruption Potent and impotent noble and base rich and poor Cedars and Firre-trees must all fall Firre-tree the Cedar is fallen But why did the Prophet call upon the Firre-tree to consider the fall of the Cedar could he not have called upon the shrubs or myrtles or thorn-trees to lament the loss of a Cedar no these had ill sap in them or a rough bark and so fruitless and useless many of them that they were fit for nothing but the fire therefore he doth reject these and apply himself to the firre-tree For the firre-tree is a most beautiful tree as Pliny saith and purely white and therefore it is called by some Gallica it is full of delightfull strakes within and admirable for beams and to bear the weight of buildings and both the pars sapina fusterna as Authors call them are of rare use for several employments Cato would have his curious Presses made of them and Solomon next to the Cedar doth call to Hiram for the Firre-tree to build his Temple with as ye may see in 1 Kings 5.8 10. Verses a very singular tree it was and though not so excellent as the Cedar yet little inferiour to it The Firre-tree then was the fittest judge of the worth of the Cedar and well chosen out by the Prophet as the most proper tree to lament the fall of the Cedar Firre-tree the Cedar is fallen From hence then further observe That they must be men of prime affections which must be selected to prise the perfections of others Desert will want its honour if worthless men pass sentence upon it what need have 1 of madmen so what have we of low-gifted or bad and base-minded men Sus Minervam shall the injudicious or profligate set out the fame of meriting men no what taste is there in the white of an eggs the heart of the wicked is little worth Vertue will never have due commendation from the contemptible Wisdom is justified of her children Indignitas laus non habent concordiam Seneca They which have no dignity in themselves leave the most laudable things with an indignity honey is not sweet to a distempered palate Hercules shall be held but an half-man if Lycus give his opinion of him who knew not how to handle either sword bow or spear Cicero shall be counted a man of no wit if Cestius may pass sentence upon him Varro shall have no other name but that of Swine out of the mouth of Palaemon So that as the Hircanians were wont to cast their dead bodies to dogs to be devoured so we had as good have Mastiffs as men to be judges of worthy mens qualities if they have
enough till they be skilled in the Magick of Religion he though he had been amongst the Inchanters yet would he learn none of their sorceries Few Noblemen had been in more European Countries than he himself and there where the Crafts-masters dwelt yet none of these could corrupt him or seduce him he returning home a true English Protestant when his Mother-Church had given him his grounds he hated that a Step-mother should be his new Mistriss he ever hated errour and novelty and was sound both in doctrine and discipline It is true the jewel was his own yet he came often hither to have it filed for as he stored the Church with the ablest men he could find so he was a diligent frequenter of the Sanctuary and a reverent hearer and those which he found to be intelligent and invariable he both countenanced and honoured them that as it was said of Pertinax that he was pater Senatus pater omnium bonorum The father of the Senate and the father of all good men so he was the Patrone of Orthodox Doctrine and Orthodox Teachers And as he lived so he dyed for a little before his departure he made a solemne profession of his faith and then said that he died a profest adversary to all Romish doctrine and a true Son of the Church of England according to the 39. Articles And thus ye find him fragrant concerning his faith 2. Secondly was he not fragrant towards his King yes name me a more loyal Peer He was lapis quadratus a squared sone neither Sequestrations nor Imprisonments Basil Compositions Taxations or Decimations could make him fickle or false he had rather have been sick of any disease then have had the Leprosie of disloyalty to have appeared in his forehead He was as it were one of the stedfast Angels which remained firm when Lucifer and his train rebelled His fidelity in this kind was so eminent that it was Gods high mercy that it did not once cost him his life at home and it drew him when he got free often to hazard his life abroad and when he returned how was his Estate drained till it almost fell into an Epilepsie So then for his Loyalty he is come to his grave with this honour that he lived and died an unblemished and an unstained Royalist fragrant he was to his Prince 3. Thirdly was he not fragrant towards his neighbours yes 1. First in patience I hope there is not here or elsewhere the most impatient or pacified man that can accuse him to have been an irefull man It is true he had an high magnanimity of spirit to defend his just Rights and Royalties but for common injuries he regarded them no more then Northern blasts Suidat he did not with the Athenians set up a spear to run that man to the heart which had injured him or offered him an abuse But when he was provoked divers times to compell satisfaction for high affronts and contempts he thought it was beyond his Religion and his noblenesse to right himself for every trivial distast no dart would stick in this water Telum in aqua non remanet Chrysost Non mâ—m ni me percussum yea when he had been highly irritated he was ready to say with the Philosopher I do not remember that I was stricken He had learned that of Solomon say not I will do to him as he hath done to me and that of St. Paul why do ye not rather suffer wrong who of his degree and quality lived more peaceably amongst his neighbours or had a more relenting heart or troubled the Age lesse with vexatious suits 2. Secondly was he not fragrant in his Justice yes he might be set up for the Standard The Lamb can as soon bite as he could gripe or oppresse another Pericles that never caused any man to go in a sad garment for his rapines He might have said with Samuel whose oxe have I taken whose asse have I taken or to whom have I done any wrong bring me that man that can say truly that he hath a Tenement belonging to him that he hath gotten by the wrest or one furrow of Land in his whole Estate which doth cry out against him for injustice 3. Thirdly was he not fragrant in Charity yes Town and Country can testifie that odoriferous sent His house was a kind of Hospital a Store-house to haile and sick his White Wood-stacks and his black pots can never be forgotten Those which came went not away empty and those which did not come he would seek them out and relieve them his heart was the poores Guardian and his hand was their Treasurer He had troops of poor attended upon him as it was said of Henry the third a German Emperour and wheresoever he met them either in streets high-waies or fields his sympathising spirit melted towards them and his communicating hand dropped bounty to them thus every way his fragrancy was felt A right Cedar he was in all respects and though he be fallen yet as the forrest will want him so it should not see him cast to the ground without an heart-stroke a lip-roar yea a passionate howling Howl Firee-tree for the Cedar is fallen But saith one when you have magnified your Cedar to the height I see a spot in him dost thou so did he in himself and I hope that his repentance hath prevented thy censure and his remorse thy rancor To me to others he often lamented his errours and with fervent prayers and bitter tears begged pardon at the hands of God Almighty And is God reconciled to him and wilt thou be inexorable But what was his spot hast not thou the same hast not thou more hast not thou worse He was no Persecutor he was no Traitor he was no Temporizer he was no Hypocrite There are many spots and the Leper may be apt to cry out of anothers foul skin It is good for every one to sttitch up his own rents before he do complain of a seam-rent place in anothers garment or to wash his own face clean before he do find fault with a spray in anothers checks Who can say my heart is clean I am clean from sin in many things we offend all If thou Lord shouldst be extreme to mark what is done amisse who is able to stand But let his spot be what it will I trust he hath prayed it away and we have prayed it away that by the vertue of his tears and his friends tears for God was reconciled to Jobs friends for his prayers and sacrifices or howsoever by the infallibility of Gods Covenant and efficacy of Christs blood it is rinsed away To give thee all the assurance that by the judgement of Charity is requisite that be died a true Penitent Consider what I am now to propound unto thee A little before his departure like a man that had his deaths stroke in his bosom and a yearning for divine favour in his conscience he fought for nothing but mercy and thirsted for nothing but reconciliation he abounded in tears was frequent in supplications forced himself beyond his strength to the prayers of the family had often the prayers of divers Church-men in his Chamber and would lift up his hands devoutly at those things which moved him he wanted no Counsel and embraced Counsel delighted to have the Bible read to him even eight Chapters at a time he called for mercy whilst he had freedom of speech and when for four dayes together he lay in a manner speechlesse yet God gave him liberty to utter these words Lord Lord have mercy Lord Lord have mercy and these were the onely words it that long space which came from him distinctly to the hour of his death God taught him I trust the language with which he should breathe out his last gasp or God himself which is very likely spake for him But if he had never shed tear nor uttered prayer the tears and prayer of his friends if there be any power in Christian intercession I hope have beaten out a way to Heaven for him for his friends were seldom without watery eyes we were seldom off from our knees so that God I trust hath received our prayers and received his soul he went like Elias with a whirl-wind and a fiery Chariot into Heaven Come on then ye Firre-trees will ye suffer such a Cedar to be carried off from the ground without a forrest-clashing and beating your tops one against another no let the wilding-tree the aspe-tree the sloe-tree the beech-tree and wicl ree be silent if they will but let all the Firre-trees joyn together in a generall mourning for when shall we see his equall when shall we behold his Superiour do ye bury him with thrilling spirits and torn hearts make all the wood to ring and rend and roar at his fall yea do ye break out into an absolute howling Howle Firre-tree the Cedar is fallen Well since he is fallen let us leave him to the Lord Paramount of the Forrest onely let his Memory be precious and his fragrancy sweet in our nostrills let us for a farewell to him call him the Mirrour of worth and the Monument of honour Let us hope that God hath but taken him away because he hath use of some Cedar above for his own building and that he that planted him hath disposed of him for the honour of his own Court yea that he sent special Messengers even the blessed Angels to carry him from hence upon their shoulders and to lay him within the Court-gate to be made a Pillar in the Temple of God There lie thou thou noble Cedar and remain to thy everlasting honour and blisse Onely he being gone God give us grace to think on our own fall that we that howl for his fall may not howl at or after our own fall but fall with comfort and be carried away at last to the building of God an house not made with hands but eternall in the Heavens FINIS