liues were in outward shew could not be righteous before God because as Paul testifieth of them they being ignorant of the righteousnes of God and going about to stablish their owne righteousnes haue not submitted themselues to the righteousnes of God And likewise in regard hereof it is hard to finde in the Church of Rome a man that is truely righteous before God For the papists hold that we are made righteous by infusion of grace and practise of good workes and that we can be no more righteous by the righteousnes of Christ imputed vnto vs then we may bee wise by another mans wisdome or learned by another mans learning But if they would duely consider either the perfection of the Lords iustice or the imperfection of our inherent grace and good workes they would not imagine that the one could be satisfied by the other Augustine said that which the law of workes commaunded by threatning the law of faith doth obtaine by beleeuing Christ Iesus as he is mediator is as truly giuen vnto vs of God as any land can be giuen by one to another and therefore we may as wel be made righteous by his righteousnes as one man may be made rich by another mans riches giuen vnto him And it is strange to see the partialitie of Papists in the matter of impuratiō for they teach that the fastings and satisfactory deeds of one man be auaileable to others yea and that holy saincts or other vertuous persons may in measure and proportion of other mens necessities and deseruings allot vnto them as well the supererogation of their spirituall works as those that abound in worldly goods may giue almes of their superfluities to them which are in necessitie and yet they deny that the righteousnes of Christ may be imputed vnto vs for iustification as if the Lord would accept the works of men to satisfie for vs and not the righteousnes of his owne Sonne 2. Secondly men are made righteous by sanctification when by the spirit of God the mind is enlightened the heart is mollified the will is rectified the affections are changed and the whole course of the life is reformed so that whereas before they liked and loued and liued in sinne now they abhorre it and auoyde it and therefore it is said he that doth righteousnes is righteous as he is righteous and whosoeuer doth not righteousnes is not of God Yet this doth not make vs perfectly righteous but imperfectly and not before God but before men and of this Iames speaketh saying Was not Abraham our father iustified through workes when he offered his sonne on the altar Yee see then how that of workes a man is iustified and not of faith onely That is a man is declared manifested tryed to be iust by the works of the law and so doe diuers of the Schoolemen expound that place And indeede vnlesse wee did so vnderstand it the Apostle Iames would contradict the Apostle Paul who saith that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the law so that there is one righteousnes imputed another righteousnes exercised and declared Whosoeuer are iustified by Christs merits they are at the same instant sanctified by his spirit and made able to practise righteousnes in their conuersation Herein God excelleth all Princes in the world for they may vpon good consideration receiue againe into fauour those which haue offended them as Dauid did Absolom yea they may restore them to the former dignities which they had taken from them yet they cannot alter their nature and disposition to make them more dutifull then they were before But God thus dealeth with his subiects that haue offended him he doth not only forgiue them their sinnes and receiue them into fauour for Christs sake but also sanctifieth them by his spirit to keepe them in obedience afterward Now the markes whereby a righteous man may be knowne are to be learned for many would be reckoned in this number which are vnrighteous There is a generation which are pure in their owne conceit and yet are not washed from their filthines Although the best and surest knowledge ariseth from the causes of a thing and therefore we might best learne who is a righteous man by that which was spoken before yet because those things are inward and secret I will teach you foure outward markes whereby a righteous man may be discerned First a righteous man may be knowne by the generalitie of his obedience if it extend it selfe to the whole course of his life and to all the commaundements of God If he doe not take libertie in any one sinne but striueth to auoyd all nor omitteth any one good dutie but indeuoureth to performe all being like to Zacharias and Elizabeth who were iust before God and walked in all the commaundements and ordinances of the Lord without reproofe Considering that God will not dispense with any of his seruants for the breach of any one of his lawes as Princes sometimes vpon speciall occasions dispence with some of their subiects for penall Statutes and seeing that hee who binds vs to all in generall bindeth vs to euery one in particular and that whosoeuer keepeth the whole lawe and yet faileth in one point is guiltie of all a true righteous man will be as carefull to keepe one as another Some men are like to Naaman for he professed the true God of Israel and promised to serue and worship him alone yet desired to be borne withall for one speciall sin herein saith he to the Prophet the Lord be mercifull vnto thy seruant that when my maister goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there and leaneth on my hand and I bow my selfe in the house of Rimmon the Lord bee mercifull vnto thy seruant in this point So they are willing to auoyde all other sinnes saue onely one which serueth most for their pleasure or profit they desire to be pardoned for it These are little better then Herod was for he feared Iohn Baptist and reuerenced him heard him gladly and did many things after him but when Iohn told him that it was not lawfull for him to haue his brothers wife he would not obey him because that sinne serued most for his pleasure Although a Ship bee sound in all parts but one and leaketh in no place saue onely one yet it may bee drowned by meanes of that one Though the walls of a besieged Citie bee strong and well fortified in all places saue one and haue no breaches saue onely one the enemies may enter in at that one and spoyle the Citie Our soule is as a Ship on the sea if it haue but one hole where it leaketh it may make shipwracke of faith and a good conscience it is as a Citie besieged by the Diuel and his angels if there be but one breach in the walls of it the diuel may there enter and spoyle it A birde is
way he hath trode the wine-presse alone and there was none is helpe The cup of bitter affliction whereof he tasted agonizing in the garden for no intreatie with his Father could passe from him to any other Oye Papists at last in the name of God be wise and warned leaue off your mixtures away with your medleys and if you desire either peace to your soules or rest to your bodies only walke before him Meddle with no merit of man pardon of Pope meede of Martyrs or pride of your owne workes vnwisely wrought Make no mixtures of the sacred water and bloud which flowed froÌ„ the side of Christ with the bloud of Hales and Becket or with the inchanted holy water of an vnhallowed Priest Neuer match your triple crowne of gold and diamonds glittering with the single crowne of thorne piercing And neuer thinke the puriâ—ie of the word will abide the mixtures of your traditions the text your glosses the Church your Idols the arke of God your Dagon nor the poore priesthood of Christ your papall pride and Popedome Looke for none other but that the bodie and soule of your religion like the image Nebuchadnezzar saw pâ—tcht together of gold siluer brasse iron and clay will and shall â—inner when the stone cut out without hands shall smite the same Your coate is of â—iâ—â—ie woolâ—ie not for our wearing Your familie like Micha of mount Ephraim and not for our dwelling for as he had so haue you an house of gods an Ephod and a Teraphim he would serue both God and Idols and so doe you And as for vs who beleeue and looke after better things we say with the poore Paralyticke in disclaime of all others helpe it is Iesus that made vs whole And we say with Abraham when we go to sacrifice thou seruant stay here I and the childe will walke alone And now for conclusion by the Lords commaund that wee are for Bethel we haue with Iacobs familie put away the strange gods that were among vs we haue clensed our selues and chaunged our garmeÌ„ts pluckt off our earings and put all into the hand of our Iacob our Elizabeth who faithfully for her God and graciously for her people hath buryed Popâ—rie with it execrable things vnder an oke at Shechem neuer to be reuiued neuer to be found out Amen Amen Lastly for an end sith the time is past and I feare much I haue wearied your patience ouer-long From the proper obiect of our faith walking come we to the progresse and increase of both contayned in this word walketh Where you may see as in a glasse chrystaline that a christian life is not a standing still but a walking on and growth in the doctrine of faith and practice of godlines The first blessing that euer God gaue after the creation was increase and multiplie which tooke it effect not only in the creatures by propagation of kinde but also in his gifts graces by renouation of minds new birth growth in knowledge true faith and godlines All the trees in Paradise did grow and all the floods in Paradise did flow to teach vs that we must not staÌ„d still at a stay lest either wee be fruitles and so accursed or become puddle water and so vnprofitable The finest cloath will weare if it be not vsed the purest gold will rust if it be not handled the sweetest balme will corrupt if it be not broken and the cleerest fountaine will stincke if it runne not So are the graces of God and doctrines of the beginnings of Christ though of themselues pure as gold sweete as balme cleere as a fountaine yet in respect of vs vnprofitable if we proceed not further but there stand still Foundations they are I graunt for the scripture hath said it Hebr. 6. 1. But what of that and what is the foundation be it of Beryll Topaze or Chrisolite if you build not vpon it proceed no further in the work In the first of Ezechiel where the vision of gifts and graces are described it is said that the beasts winds and wheeles went as the spirit lead them and they returned not when they went foorth and if at any time they stood they let downe their wings as vnprofitable then vntill the Lord had put power in them of further proceeding And in the same Prophet againe where the like gifts are described by another vision you may finde that from vnder the threshold of Gods sanctuary the waters issue out and they runne East West North and South Theâ—maÌ„ with the line measured a thousand â—ubiâ—s and the waters were to the anckles Againe he measured a thousand and they were to the knâ—os he measured againe and they were to the loynes after he measured againe and it was a riuer impossible signifying that the graces of God should neuer decrease but euer abound in his Church The fishers should spread out their nets froÌ„ En-gedi to En-eglâ—um The trees shuld grow vpon the brinke of the riuer on this side and on that side with leaues not fading fruit not failing leaues for medicine fruite for meate and fruite euer new according to his moueths As for the miry places thereof saith the Prophet and the marisâ—ies which stand still they shall not be holesome but they shall be made â—alt pits You may remember when Aarons Priesthood should be confirmed all the tribes with their names cast their rods into the mercie-â—eate and none blossomed but Aarons You are a kingly people and a royall Priesthood ò bud bloome blossome and bring foorth fruit worthy amendment and newnes of life Dauid said of his Saints Ibant de virtute in virtutem they went from strength to strength and from faith to faith as it is written from the faith of the promise to the faith of the performance from the faith of the letter that killeth to the faith of the spirit that giueth life from the faith of Christ his humiliation in misery to the faith of his exaltation in glorie from the faith of the first resurrection from sinne to the faith of the second resurrectioÌ„ from death from the faith of the law wounding to the faith of the Gospell curing from the faith of the Prophets â—owing to that faith of the Apostles reaping from the faith of the old sacrifice giuing to God to the faith of the new sacraments receiuing from God in a word from the faith of the old couenant wherein God speaketh to the faith of the new restament wherein Christ bleedeth Of al which I may conclude with Haymo Ex side qua coÌ„cipitur corde profertur ore exhibetur opere iustus viuit By faith conceiued in the hart professed with the mouth practised with the hand the righteous man liueth Paul is plentifull in this doctrine and hauing once laid the ground of faith hee vrgeth nothing more then the increase of faith He tels the Romanes That by the Gospell
the Scriptures speaking haue not I said ye are Gods As and if the authour should say out of the familiaritie we haue with God wee are made partakers of the diuine nature according as his diuine power hath giuen vnto vs all things that pertaine vnto life and godlinesse thorough the knowledge of him that hath called vs vnto glorie and vertue Good Ignatius confirmed this doctrine as in life so in death for qualis vita finis ita Of whom it is reported that being opened they found in his heart the fruit of his faith and daylie meditation written in letters of gold to this effect Amor mens crucifixus est my loue is crucified Learned Cruciger confirmed the same when dying he said Inuoco tâ— Deus fiducia filii tui licet languida tamen aliqua fide Oh God I call vpoÌ„ thee in confideÌ„ce of thy son thogh with a faint faith yet with some faith and I am encouraged so to doe for I see him in glorie whom I haue followed in grace Nor can I passe in silence what fel out in experience not long sithence at the memorable death of a memorable Saint in this our countrie a Gentleman Scholler and Preacher rarelie qualified both in life and death Oxford will witnes the one and Heaton hall the other where it pleased God to call to his mercie that worthie man and powerfull preacher maister Iohn Holland batchelor of diuinitie a burning lampe consuming it selfe to lighten others for God in mercie called him by a lingring sicknes which staid till hee was readie and pared him to such an end as seldome I haue heard but yet neuer saw the like in any To passe the course of his sicknes in much patience yet with great passion and to come to his end when he put in practise the fruit of his godly life It pleased him the day before he dyed as formerly often so then more egerly to call for the holy Bible with these very words Come O come death approcheth let vs gather some flowres to comfort this howre and turning with his owne hands to the 8. Chapter of Paules Epistle to the Romaines he gaue me the booke and bade me reade at the end of euery verse he made a Selah or pause and gaue the sence in such sort and feeling as was much wee saw to his owne comfort but more to our ioy wonder Pity it were those speeches with other his writings should bee buried with him and kept in priuate from the publicke good of many Hauing thus continued his meditation exposition for the space of two howres or more on the sodain hee sayd O stay your reading what brightnes is this I see Haue you light vp any candles To which I answered no it is the Sunne-shine for it was about 5. a clock in a cleere Summers euening Sunne-shine sayth he nay my Sauior shine now farewell world welcome heauen the day-starre from an high hath visited my hart O speake it when I am gone and preach it at my Funerall God dealeth familiarly with man I feele his mercy I see his maiesty whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell God he knoweth but I see things that are vnutterable So rainshed in spirit he roamed towards heauen with a chearefull looke and soft sweete voice but what he said we could not conceiue At last shrinking downe againe he gaue a sigh with these words Ah yet it wil not be my sins keepe me from my God Thus that euening twise rising and twise falling with the Sunne in the morning following he rise then neuer to fall when againe raysing himselfe as Iacob did vpon his staffe hee shut vp his blessed life with these blessed words O what an happy change shall I make from night to day from darkenes to light from death to life from sorrow to solace from a factious world to a heauenly being O my deare brethren sisters friends it pitteth me to leaue you behinde yet remember my death when I am gone and what I now feele I hope you shall â—â—idâ—ere you dye that God doth and will do â—â—â— familiarly with men And now thou firy Chariot that came donne to fetch vp Eliah carry me to my happy hold and all ye blessed Angels who attended the soule of Lazarus to bring it vp to heauen beare me O beare me into the bosonâ— of my best beloued Amen Amen come Lord Iesus come quickly and so he fell a slâ—ope I say the truth my brethren I lie not my conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost with an appeale from my own credit to the right worshipfull his brother and all the standers by to iustifie what I haue sayd in comfort of their owne soules and warrantie of the doctrine â—ayme at which is to proue That God neuer suffereth his elect to depart this life comfortlesse nor wil I am perswaded call them hence till they haue seene with Simeon the Lords Christ either in soule spirit body or both The life of this perswasion is the death of sinne and such hope of eternity is the reuenge of iniquity Fie vpon sinne whilst I behold my Sauiour fie vpon shame whilst I behold my glory Heauen is my hope the visions of my hart are the imprâ—â—sions of my ioy and reuelations are expâ—ations to all Gods children they haue bin they are and they will be neuer wanting in supplementum fidei to helpe faith And for conclusion of this point remember Lots wife was Christ his aduertisement to inure vs with a forgetfulnes of our owne people and our fathers house that the Lord might haue pleasure in our beawty But so to looke vpon Zoar and flee thither was Lots sanctuary O it is but a little one and my soule shall liue What is Sodome other then this sinfull world And what is Zoar other then that heauenly being O let me take you by the hand bring you out and say with the Angell Escape for thy life looke not behind thee neither tarry thou in all the plaine escape into the mountaine least thou be destroyed And let this suffice for the first circumstance of my text as balme from heauen to sweeten our miseries in this life and to bury our iniquities in the graue Now passe we from the peace of the soule to the rest of the bodie and quiet of both vrged by the spirit in the second place as an Antidote to preuent a poyson much infecting all flesh who without all comfort of future blessednes do to the hazard of their soules stand doubtfull of the resurrection as also of the rest of their soules after they be departed The one sort are the Atheists the other are the Papists of these dayes times But the text is powrefull to put back both Iordans that the Israel of God may enter Canaan without crosse or feare For if the Lords elect shal rest in their beds they shal rise from their beds Rest implyeth
professors In Sionis gaudium Anglo-Papistarum luctum Amen Amen FINIS A BRIEF DISCOVRSE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE and death of Mistris Katherin Brettergh late wife of Master William Brettergh of Bretterghoult in the Countie of Lancaster Gentleman who departed this world the last of May. 1601. With the manner of a bitter conflict she had with Satan and blessed conquest by Christ before her death to the great glorie of God and comfort of all beholders Micha 7. 8. Reiovce not against me O mine enemies though I fall I shall rise againe And when I sit in darkenes the Lord shall be a ligâ—â— vnto me Psalm 37. 37. Marke the vpright man and behold the iust for the end of that man is peace LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston 1602. TO THE CHRISTIAN Reader grace and peace in Iesus Christ. WHen Achimaaz the sonne of Zadoc requested that he might be the messenger to bring Dauid word of Absoloms death Ioab would not suffer him Thou shalt not saith he be the messenger to day but thou shalt cary newes another time but to day thou shalt cary none for the Kings sonne is dead He knew Dauids affection was such that the newes of his childs death would be most heauie to him and the messenger himselfe not welcome for his message sake This is all our infirmity no tidings more grieuous to vs then when wee heare of the death of those whom wee loue The Parent bewayles his Child the Husband his Wife the Friend laments the death of his Friend and we thinke it the losse of another friend to depart with this our griefe Iacob mourned for Ioseph his son that he would not be comforted of a long season but thought he would weepe for him as long as he liued When the Amalekites had burned Ziklag and led away captiue the mens wiues and their children Dauid and his company wept till they could weepe no more When Lazarus dred his sisters Martha and Mary were much discomforted for him Gâ—egory Nazianzen reports that when Basil the great died euen the wisest men in the city stroue to exceede one another in weeping and complaining for his death And as for my selfe saith he now I am bereaued of the fellowship of such a man what shall I do but either dye or liue in miserie Which way shall I turne me What shall I do What counsell shall I take now I haue lost him that was my comfort So heauy a thing we see it is to be seuered for a time from those that are deere vnto vs. One only thing there is which is able in this case much to temper our affections when we see our friend to die in the Lord that is in comfort of conscience assurance of saluatioÌ„ through Christ. And this his comfort he expresseth outwardly vnto vs by performing those duties which are required of a man when he dyes and so he makes a ioyfull and a holy end When our friend departeth this life in this maner we haue iust cause to take his death the more comfortably And thus it pleaseth God many times to stirre vp some especiallie such as in their life time haue a care to pursue Religion and to keep themselues vndesiled of the world at their death to expresse wonderfull comfort of spirit and to shew forth such fruit of Religion that we wonder at it and acknowledge the extraordinary worke of Gods spirit in them They wrastle against temptations they confesse their faith feele the assurance of their saluation condemne their sinnes exhort the beholders praise God sing Psalmes wish to dye that in their death they are better Christians then euer they were in their life This blessed departure God giues to many for diuers good purposes 1. That the world may know that peace is the end of the iust and comfort in death is the portion of the righteous 2. That his eternall truth in our holy profession may appeare to be able to comfort vs not onely in our life but in our death also when all other comforts forsake vs. 3. That our enemies may see our faith is not in vaine 4. That the weake by their example may be incouraged to a holy life when they see it bring with it so happie a death and that they may be strengthened against the feare of death seeing it is alwaies comfortable to those that leade a godly life 5. and finally that the friends of the departed by their heaueÌ„ly departure may be admonished not to mourne so much for their death as to reioyce for their life and to thanke God that euer it was their lot in any degree to be ioined or matched with so blessed seruants of God This Gentlewoman Mistresse Katherine Brettergh was one of this number her life as long as God continued it was deere to those among whom she was as the life of a friend might be Her husband friends kinsfolks brethren sisters and all the godly that knew her inioyed a great blessing of God of her and her death no doubt was grieuous to her husband as the death of a vertuous yoke-fellow And if worldly affection would haue holpen it it was the same in him that Dauids was to Absolom his sonne when he mourned for his death O my sonne Absolom my sonne my sonne Absolom would to God I had dyed for thee ô Absolom my sonne my sonne But sure her death was such her behauiour in her sicknes so religious her heart so possessed with comfort her mouth so filled with the praises of God her spirit so strengthened against the feare of death her conquest so happy ouer her infirmities that such as loued her most haue greatest cause to reioyce in her death and by seeing the wonderfull worke of God in her to learne to renounce their owne affections This is the thing I thought with profit might be presenâ—â—d to the view of others also that knew her not for when I had for my own priuate vse and the vse of my friends faithfully collected out of the fresh memories of those that were present and eye-witnesses as wel as my selfe and set downe the manner of her sicknes and death I considered that the knowledge thereof could not but be welcome to al those that desire to die the death of the righteous And so the same causes that moued me to collect it gaue me also occasion to publish it I remembred the saying of one That it is great pietie to set foorth the vertues of the departed if they haue excelled therein yea it is a meanes to increase grace in our selues I thought so great mercie of God shewed to one among vs ought not to be forgotten but should remaine to vs our childre an example to teach vs how good God is to them that loue him and to assure vs that he will neuer forsake vs but in like manner as he did her helpe and comfort vs when we shall by death be called vnto him I considered the vngodly
As for sodaine death it is euill to them which lead an euill life because it findes them vnprepared it carries them away â—odainelie vnto torment but it is not euill to them which liue well because it finds them prepared it frees them from much paine which others endure through long sicknes and carries them forth-with to the place where they desire to be The righteous doe so dispose of themselues in the morning as if they might dy before night and at night as if they might die before morning and therefore whensoeuer death comes it finds them prepared and is a benefit vnto them 2 Againe if the righteous a little before death be dangerouslie tempted by Sathan and shew their infirmitie by vttering some speeches which tend to doubting or desperation though after ward they get victory and triumph ouer the diuell carnall people think there is no peace of conscience and therefore no saluation to bee had by that religion and so speake euill of it Let such consider the estate of Iob in his miserie who cursed the day of his birth saide that the arrowes of the almightie did sticke in him the venome whereof had drunke vp his spirit that the terrours of God did fight against him that the Lord was his enimie did write bitter things against him and did set him as a butte to shoote at As also the estate of Dauid through terrour of conscience while hee concealed his sinne His bones consumed he rored all the day long his moysture was turned into the drought of sommer Againe let him know that the diuell doth most tempt the best He then tempted Christ when he was baptized and filled with the holie Ghost so will hee most tempt Christians when they haue receiued greatest gifts of Gods spirit As theeues labour to breakedowne and rob those houses onlie where great store of treasure or wealth is laid vp and as Pyrats desire to take that ship which is best loden with the dearest merchandise so the diuell doth most seeke to make a pray of them which are endued with the greatest measure of spirituall graces When the strong man armed keepeth the house the things that he possesseth are in peace but when a stronger then he ouercommeth him then hee gathereth greater forces and makes a new assault to enter againe In any commotion whom doe rebels kill and spoile not those which submit themselues vnto them and ioyne with them in their rebellion but those which are faithfull to their Prince fight for their Prince against them as hath appeared of late in the rebell of Ireland Now the diuell is as a rebell in the Lords kingdome whome then will he most trouble and assault not the wicked which submit themselues vnto him and ioyne with him in rebellion against God but the godlie which abide faithfull and fight vnder the Lords banners against him Whosoeuer would raigne with Christ in heauen must ouercome the diuell on earth for he promiseth To him that ouercommeth will I graunt to sit with mee in my throne euen as I ouercame and sit with my father in his throne How can there be a victorie wherothere is no battaile And how can there be any battaile where there is not assaulting and resisting And no meruaile though the diuell do most assault the righteous at their death for hee taketh the opportunitie of the time his wrath is theÌ„ great knowing that he hath but a short time He must either ouercome theÌ„ at that instant or els not at all yea hee takes the aduantage of their present weakenesse and those sinnes which before hee perswaded people to bee small and light at the time of death he maketh great and heauie Euen as a tree or peece of wood while it swims in a riuer seemeth to bee light and one may easilie draw it but when it comes to the shore and is laid vpon drie ground can scarcelie be drawne by ten men so sin is made light by the diuell so long as men liue that so hee may still encourage them to practise it but when it comes to the shore of death then he makes it heauie and begins most to trouble their consciences with it that if it were possible they might by it bee brought to desperation In the midst of the temptation when the godlie seeme most to be ouercome they are but like to a man in a traunce who lies as though he were dead yet he hath life in him and therfore as Paul saw that life was in Eutiches embraced him and deliuered him aliue when the people tooke him vp for dead so God seeth life in the righteous being tempted when men take them for dead and hee will at last so restore them as that they shall liue for euer with him 3 Lastlie others beholding them which were reputed righteous to die very stranglie to raue to blaspheme to vtter many idle and impious speeches to be vnrulie and behaue themselues verie foolishlieâ— they begin to suspect their profession but let them know that these things may arise from the extremitie of their disease For in hote feuers and burning agues the choler ascending into the braine will hinder the vse of their vnderstanding and so cause theÌ„ thus to misbehaue themselues rather like madmen then Christians And therefore as Paule said of himselfe after regeneration it is no more I that doe it but the sinne that dwelleth in me so may I say of them it is not they which doe it but the disease which is vpon them All sinnes committed by the righteous in those extremities are but sins of ignorance because they want the vse of reason to iudge of sinne they are also sins of infirmitie arising from the frailtie of their flesh and for them they will afterward repent if they recouer the vse of reason and be able to know them to be sins or if they doe not they are freelie pardoned in the death of Christ as well as other such sins be Wherefore I say to those which censure them vncharitablie for that their end as Christ said to the Iewes fontheir carnall censure of him Iudge not according to the appearante but iudge righteous iudgment yea iudge not that yee be not iudged 5 In the last place the finall cause and end of their death is to bee considered They be taken away from euill to come The speciall euils from which these righteous persons were taken are mentioned in the former Chapter to be deuoured in a cruell manner by the wilde beasts of the forrest But we must further vnderstand that the euils from which the righteous are taken are either ordinarie or extraordinarie The ordinarie euils are those which eyther all men or most men doe suffer And these are eyther corporall or spirituall corporall as sicknes and diseases aches and paines in their bodies griefe and sorrow toyle and labour crosses and losses outward troubles and persecution Gods children so long as they
is some euill for the righteous to dwell among ill neighbours It greatly greeueth them to see others commit sinne and dishonour God Lot being righteous and dwelling among the Sodomites in seeing hearing their vnlawfull deeds vexed his righteous soule from day to day And Dauid said Mine eyes gush out with riuers of water because they keep not thy law And also woe is me that I remaine in Meshech and dwell in the tents of Keaar Hee which is truelie grieued for sin in himselfe wil also be grieued for sinne in others Now the world is so fraught with sinners that if a man would not keepe companie with fornicators or with the couetous or with extortioners or with idolaters then as Paul saith he must go out of the world Death therefore frees men from this euill because it taketh them out of the world and suffereth them not to behold eyther the sinnes which men commit against God or the euils which God doth bring vpon them yea death doth carrie them into heauen to the holie angels and spirits of iust and perfect men which sinne not at all but fulfill the will of God in all perfection They shall haue cause to reioyce for them and not to be grieued at them There be also extraordinarie euils from which the righteous are deliuered by death and those are extraordinarie iudgements which the Lord bringeth vpon the people and countrie where they dwelt for some late and grieuous sins Thus was a young child of Ieroboam dealt withall The Lord threatned to bring euill vpon the house of Ieroboam and to sweepe off the remnant of his house as a man sweepeth away dung til it be all gone Yea the dogs should eate him of Ieroboams stocke that died in the Citie and the foules of the aire should eate him that died in the field yet that childe should die in his bed and all Israel as it is said shall mourne for him for he onlie of Ieroboam shall come to the graue because in him there is found some goodnes toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Ieroboam Thus also was good king Iosiah dealt withall The Lord told him before hand because thine heart melted and they hast humbled thy selfe hast rent thy clothes and wept before mee behold therefore I will gather thee to thy fathers and thou shalt be put in thy graue in peace and thine eyes shall not see all the euill which I will bring vpon this place And thus was Luther dealt withall as some haue obserued who was taken away in peace not long before the Lord brought that miserable calamitie vpon Germanie which he had often foretold would come vpon that people for the contempt of the Gospel Who also desired that hee might be called out of the world before he saw those grieuous punishments which hee greatly feared Though this be no perpetuall law for sometime the righteous perish in the common destruction among the wicked as Ionathan did with Saul other Israelites in battell against the Philistims And in the Pestilence Christians haue dyed with the Infidels Sometime God spareth the wicked for the righteous mens sake which liue among them The Lord promised Abraham that if he could finde ten righteous men â—n Sodome hee would not destroy the citie for those tennes sake And Iob sayd The innocent shall deliuer the yland and it shall be preserued by the purenes of his hands Yea wheate and tares must grow together till the haruest that is good and bad must liue together in the world vntil the end of the world Yet oftentimes God pluckes his children out of fire which shall consume the wicked and prouides a place of safety for them in heauen before he powre forth his iudgements vpon the earth Lot was commaunded to make haste vnto the citie of Zoar to saue him there because the Lord could doe nothing vnto Sodom till hee was come thither And when the Lord would destroy Ierusalem for the abominations committed in it he shewed to the Prophet in a vision the destroyers comming forth with their weapoÌ„s to destroy yet they must not touch any vntill they were all marked in their fore heads which mourned for all the abominations done in the midst of it And the destroying Angels must not hurt the earth neither the sea nor the trees till the seruants of God were sealed in their foreheads As the righteous are carefull to serue the Lord so is he carefull to preserue them As they haue not bin partakers with the common sort in the practise of sin so shall they not bee partakers with them in suffering punishment He takes them from among the wicked and then executeth his iudgements vpon the wicked alone The Egyptians did vse to gather their corne out of the fields and laid it vp in their barnes and then caused the Israelites to gather the stubble to make bricke withall and in some Countreys Farmers first carry the corne into their barnes and then burne the stubble in the field where it growes so the Lord first gathereth the righteous into the kingdome of heauen and then consumeth the wicked on the earth It is farre from the iudge of all the world to slay the righteous with the wicked 1. In this respect those which suruiue the righteous haue iust cause to feare some present euils and labour by vnfained repentance if it be possible to preueÌ„t them Their death is a plaine prognostication of some euils to come and should be as a trumpet to awaken others out of the sleepe of sinne Many of the wicked reioyce when the godly are taken away froÌ„ them they loue their roomes better then their company they hated them and their profession in their life time because as they say they are not for our profit and they are contrary to our doings they checke vs for offending against the law it grieueth vs to looke vpon them for their liues are not like other men and therefore at their death they are glad that they are rid of them when indeede they haue greater cause to howle and weepe for the miseries that shall come vpon them The righteous need not to imitate the vngodly practise of Herod who being ready to dye thinking that his death would be a great ioy to many shut vp in prison some noble men of euery towne and required his sister Salome her husband Alexa that so soone as he was dead they should kil those noble men and then all Iudaea would lament his death The Lord himselfe doth often make the death of the righteous to be lamented by sending of extraordinary iudgements immediatly after their death When Noah enters into the Arke the world is drowned with the floud when Lot departs out of Sedome it is burnt with fire 2 In this respect also yâ— righteous haue no cause to feare death but rather to desire it for what is it
consecrate it glorious to the Lord. And as it is said of Iosiah his heart melted when he heard the law so may it be said of her her heart was so tender and full of compassion that oftentimes she was seene to heare Sermons reade pray and meditate with teares She made conscience of all sinne yea of the least sinne such as worldlings count no sinne she neuer vsed to sweare o th great nor small nor yet to abuse her tongue with vaine or vnseemely speeches no not so much as a iest-lye or immodest word neither durst she name the name of God or take his titles in her mouth without great reuerence In priuate speech where shee might speake with profit she did it so well that her speeches might haue been deliuered by a stronger vessell then her selfe her words being so well seasoned and proceeding from such a sanctified heart did alwaies minister grace to the hearers To reade to pray to sing to meditate was her daily exercise and her chiefest delight was in the holie societie of the Saints vpon earth which I say not for any cause but only to shew the fountaine froÌ„ whence her godly end flowed and that the world may see some there be which chuse rather to be ioyned with the people of God then to enioy the pleasures of sinne for a season and these I doubt not haue chosen the better part Finally the precepts of the Lord were precious vnto her for from her childhood she feared God and walked before him both knowledge and sanctification did ioyne in her the fruits effects whereof did appeare in her life and was seene at her death to the glorie of God and comfort of all beholders She was not like the simple Popish women of our daies which are euer learning and neuer able to come to the knowledge of the truth but rather like the noble men and women of Berâ—a which receiued the word of God with readines and were able to discerne of Paul and Silas preaching But why doe I speake of Popish women whose vnderstandings are darker then the darkenes of Aegypt Let vs come and examine many other which seeme to detest Poperie and aske them a reason of their faith they can tell you a tale of their ruffes and their pride and their vanitie but for Religion it is the least thing they regard or seeke to know which I speake not so much to solace my selfe in the sinnes and simplicitie of others as earnestly desiring all Gentlewomen that either knew this holy saint of God or hereafter shall heare of her insteed of your glasses at home wherein you prick and prune and pin your selues to looke into this glasse before your eyes that so her life and death may be an example for you to follow When she was about twentie yeeres old by the consent of her selfe her friends shee was married to a young Lancashire Gentleman Master William Brettergh of Bretterghoult neere Liuerpoole one that likewise embraced Religion sincerely and for the same indured many grieuances at the hands of Papists Two yeeres and more she liued after she was married and had issue only one daughter during which time this couple liued together in such mutuall ioy and comfort as well beseemed the children of God which make profession of his trueth And although this Gentlewoman came from the habitations of Abraham to dwell in Sodome amidst the tents of Kedar that is to say among inhumane bands of brutish Papists induring many temporal grieuancos from them yet her knowledge patieâ—nâ—â— mild inclination and constancie for the trueth was such as that her husband was farther builded vp in Religion by her meanes and his face daily more and more hardened against the diuell and all his plaguâ—â— agents the Popish Recusants Church Pâ—pists prophane Atheists and carnall Protestants which swarmed together like Hornets in those parts It is not vnknowne to Lancashire what horses and cattell of her husbands were killed vpon his grounds in the night most barbarously at two seuerall times by Seminarie Priests no question and Recusants that lurked thereabouts And what a losse and hinderance it was vnto him being all the stocke hee had on his grounds to any purpose This fell out not long after shee was married to him yet this was so farre from disâ—laying her or working such passion in her as are common to her sex that she rather reioyced then sorrowed turning it into matter of praising God and submitting her selfe to his good prouidence Oft she would haue 〈…〉 It is good that such things be but wâ—â— be to them that doe them It is good in God there by to chasten his children and preuent some sinne which he sawe vs like to fall into It is good in respect of Gods Church that the weake may be confirmed in the trueth and that Papistrie may be disgraced when the world shall see such wickednesse flow from it It is good in God that so the wicked may bee without excuse at the day of iudgement when their consciâ—ncâ— shall tell them that howsoeuer God suffers them to doe such villaniâ— for some iust cause knowne to himselfe yet they commit it onely of malice and reuenge Oftentimes also in these vexations she would haue said the mercies of God are infinite who doth not only by his word but also by his iustice make vs fit for his kingdome Little doe our enemies know what good by these things they doe vnto vs and what wrack they bring to their owne kingdome while they set foorth the wickednesse thereof Many times she would pray that God would forgiue them which had done them this hurt and send them repentance and she would call vpon her husband that he would doe the like and blesse them that cursed him And for feare least her husband should faile in that poynt through infirmitie and weakenes as it is said of Iob who offered sacrifice for his sonnes least peraduenture they should sinne and blaspheme God in their hearts so she neuer failed but daily prayed vnto the Lord to sanctific her husbands thoughts and direct his heart aright only to seeke Gods glorie without either desire of reuenge or satisfying his owne affections So humble was her spirit so carefull to auoyde and preuent sinne both in her selfe and others and so mild of nature that as Iacob with his mildnes softened the malicious heart of Esau his brother and Dauid by his kindnes in the caue chaunged the furie of Saul into weeping and confessing that Dauid was more righteous then heâ—so she by her meeknesse humilitie and vnspotted carriage in the world forced some of the aduersaries to Religion to speake well of her For her life she was well reported of all that knew her Pitifull and bountifull was she to the poore and slacked no opportunitie to doe good wherein she could but constantly held her course and kept her times of praying reading and meditating wherein she