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A27351 The legacy of a dying mother to her mourning children being the experiences of Mrs. Susanna Bell, who died March 13, 1672 : with an epistle dedicatory by Thomas Brooks ... Bell, Susanna, d. 1672.; Brooks, Thomas, 1608-1680. 1673 (1673) Wing B1801; ESTC R4336 27,041 66

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of men but was she not a secret and hidden Reliever of Gods distressed ones Did she not refresh the bowels of many with her hid treasures Will you all learn to write after this Copy Of Midus it is Fabled That whatever he torched he t●rned into Gol● 't is most sure That whatever the Hand of Charity toucheth it turneth it into Gold be it but a Cup of cold water nay Mat. 10.42 into Heaven it self cold water having not fuel to heat it cold water which costs not the charge of fire to warm it Salvian saith that Christ is Mendicorum maximus the greatest Beggar in the world as one that shareth in all his Saints necessities Heb. 6.10 and will never forget the charitable person the merciful person Cicero could say That to be rich is not to possess much but to use much And Seneca could rebuke them that so studied to increase their wealth that they forgot to use it I have read of one Euagrius a rich man that lying upon his Death-bed being importuned by Synesius a pious Bishop to give somthing to charitable uses he yielded at last to give three hundred Pounds but first took Bond of the Bishop that is should be repayed him in another world before he had been one day dead He is said to have appeared to the Bishop delivering in the Bond cancelled as thereby acknowledging what was promised was made good according to that promise Matth. 19.29 And every one that hath forsaken houses c. Fourthly imitate her in keeping off from the sins and pollutions of the day wherein you live was she not one of Gods mourning ones for the abominations of the time Ezek. 9.4 6. Jer. 9.1 2. 2 Pet. 2.7 8 Psal 119.53.136.158 did not mens abomination in worship and practice vex grieve and wound her poor soul was it not her great work to live by no Rule to walk by no Rule to worship God by no Rule but by that which she dared to die by and to stand by in the great day of our Lord Jesus she knew John 4.23 24. Phil 3.3 2. that worshipping of God in spirit and in truth was the great worship the only worship that God stood upon she did not she durst not worship God according to the Customes of the World or the Traditions of the Elders or the Examples of great men she knew that that Worship that is not according to the Word is 1. Worshipping of devils and not God Those that depart from the true Worship of God and set upon false worship forbidden by God do not serve God by it but the devil Re● 9.2 2 Chron. 11.15 Amos 5.25 26. 1 Cor. 10.20 1 Tim. 4.1 Ezek. 8.3 what boasting soever they make as you may evidently see by comparing the Scriptures in the Margent together She knew 2. That that worship that is not according to the Word is an Image of Idolatry which of all sins is most provoking to a holy jealous God The Devil saith Synesius is as glad to be worshipped in an Idol as he was by Israel in a Calf Exod. 32 4. there being nothing that provokes God to destroy poor sinners more then this The learned Jews have a saying That no punishment ever happened to them in which there was not an ounce of the golden Calf grounding it on Exod. 32.34 Nevertheless I will remember to visit this sin upon them The Egyptians worshipped a pide Bull and whereas some thought it strange that when one died they should have another of the same colour Austin thinks that the devil to keep them in idolatry might do with their Cowes as Jacob did with the Ewes present to them when they conceived the likeness of such a Bull. Certainly Satan will use all the Art he can to keep poor sinners in ways of false worship it being the most compendious way that can be to engage God to destroy them She knew 3. That that worship that is not according to the Word hath destroyed the most flourishing Churches and Nations witness the Church and Nation of the Jews See Hos 8.5 6.7 Rev. 9.20 Ezek. 10.2 2 Chron. 7.20 the seven Churches of Asia and the whole Eastern parts of the Empire She knew 4. That that worship that is not according to the Word is a cursed worship It is the observation of one well skill'd in the Jewish Learning that there is only one verse in the Prophecy of the Prophet Jeremy which is written in the Chaldee tongue all the rest being in Hebrew and that is Jer. 10.11 So shalt thou say Cursed be the gods who made neither Heaven nor Earth Weems Christ Synag and this so done by the Holy Ghost on purpose that the Jews when they were in captivity and solicited by the Chaldeans to worship false gods might be able to answer them in their own language Cursed be your gods we will not worship them for they made neither Heaven nor Earth That God that made Heaven and Earth is only to be worshipped according to his own Word for he will own no worship but what he will accept of no worship but that he will bless no worship but that nor he will reward no worship but that Your glorified Mother kept close to instituted worship when she had health and strength in this it will be your wisdom to write after her ●air Copy But Fifthly imitate her in justifying of the Lord under the sharpest bitterest and most afflictive Providences and ●ispensations how often have I heard her to justifie the Lord Joll 13.26 even whilst he has been a writing bitter things against her when Gall and Wormwood hath been put into her Cup hath she not said with Ezra Ezra 9.13 Neh 9.33 God hath punished us less then our iniquities deserve and with Nehemiah Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us for thou hast done right but we have done wickedly and with ob Job 1.21 The Lord gives and the Lord takes and blessed be the Name of the Lord. And with Daniel Dan. 9.14 The Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doth You know what afflictive Providences she has been under both in respect of her person and in the loss of her husband and in those variety of weaknesses that attended her body and in the great losses that some of you have met with in this world Besides several other exercises yet how has she commonly been taken up in blessing of God and in justifying of God and also in admiring the goodnesse of God that it has been no worse with her and here I am satisfied she would not have exchanged her gains by afflictions for all the gains of this world Stars shine brightest in the darkest night Torches are better for the beating Grapes come not to the proof till they come to the Press Spices smell sweetest when pounded Young Trees root the faster for shaking Vines are the better for bleeding
the sweetness the fulness the freeness the riches and the fai●hfulness of his Promises and with the riches of his mercy in Christ to her soul To draw to a close it is observable that even the holy Apostles in their Canonical Epistles have spent some good part of their holy lines in the ample Commendations of those eminent Saints to to whom they wrote as Paul in h● to Philemon and John in that of 〈◊〉 to an Honourable Lady and th● other to a meaner person viz. Gai●● and that they went not behind th● door as we say to whisper but 〈◊〉 on the House-top did proclaim t●● Religious and pious practices of tho● more choice Christians to the ●mi●ati●on of others And further when consider that which the Apostle speaketh of Demetrius a rare and no● ordinary Testimony 3 Ep. of John 12. Demetri●s ha●● a good report of all men and of t●● Truth it self and we also bear Record and we know that our Record 〈◊〉 true And yet further when I consider what is Recorded of Hezekia● Thus did Hezekiah throughout all J●dah 1 Chro. 31.20 21. and wrought what was good an● right and true before his God An● in every work that he began in th● service of the House of God an● in the Law and Commandments h● did it with all his heart and pro●●pered And when I consider wh●● high commendations the Apostle b●stows upon the Churches of Ma●●donia 2 Cor. 8.1 to the eleven verse And upon the Church of Thes●alonia 1 Thessal 1.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. And also 2 Thessal 1. ● 4 5 And when I consider that ●t was the Holy Ghost who writ ●●e●●ad●● Epitaph 2 Chron. 24.16 They buried him ●n the City of ●avid among the Kings ●ecause he had done good in Israel ●●oth towar●s God and towards his ho●se It is said also of ●osiah in ●his Commendations by the same Spirit Like unto him there was no King 2 King 23.25 Moses and Mord●●a● Sarah Debo●rah Esther E●● abeth and others after their deaths have had their due praises When I consider of these things I am very well satisfied in what I have said concerning this deceased Sister and friend I do no ways doubt but that we may v●ry safely say good of such when dead whose ordinary course and practice it was to do good while they lived but in this censorious Age No sooner is d●st cast upon some Christians head but there are those that will do what they can to throw dirt in their faces A●gustine doth very fitly compare these to Dives his dog● they lay licking and sucking Lazarus his sores but his sounder parts they never medled with To trample upon the Reputation and stain the glory of them that die in the Lord argues such Persons to be a kin to Fleas who bite most when men are asleep It was one of Solons Laws that none should dare to speak evil of the dead And Plutarch tells us that that was highly commended and duly observed But is it so now This I am sure that it well becomes Christians not to dare to speak evil if they could of those who for the main have lived holily and died graciously as this deceased friend hath done Let this satisfie us that she is above the Praises and envies of men 'T is the good the profit the advantage of all your souls and theirs into whose hands this little Piece may fall that has drawn me out to write so large an Epistle If I had had only the dead in my eye a few lines should have serv'd the turn I doubt not but that you will kindly accept of my endeavours to be serviceable to your immortal souls and who can tell what fruit may grow upon this Tree I shall improve all the interest I have in Heaven that both the Epistle and your glorified Mothers Experiences may be blest to the furtherance of the internal and eternal welfare of all your souls The good-will of him that dwelt in the Bush rest upon you and yours So I Rest Honoured friends Your Souls Servant THO BROOKS A TRUE RELATION OF Some of the EXPERIENCES of Mrs. SUSANNA BELL taken from her own Mouth by a near Relation of hers a little before her death Left as a LEGACY to her Mourning Children IT pleased the Lord to order it so that in my young days I was cast into a Family that feared the Lord. And going to hear Mr. White preaching from those words Prov. 15.15 But he that is of a merry heart hath a continual Feast From th●se words he did shew how happy a thing a good conscience was and what a sad thing it was with Judas to have a bad conscience and what a blessed thing it was to have a good conscience From that of Hezekiah Isa 38.3 And he said Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which i● good in thy sight This Sermon God made useful to me and after this it pleased the Lord to order it so that I changed my condition and the Lord provided for me a good Husband one that feared him And some troubles being here many of the people of God went for New England and among them my Husband desired to go but I and my friends were very a verse unto it I having one childe and being big with another thought it to be very difficult to cross the Seas with two small children some of my Neighbors advising me to the contrary living so well as I did But I told them that what the Lord would have me to do that I would willingly do and then it pleased the Lord to bring that Scripture to my mind Eph. 5.22 Wives submit your selves unto your own Husbands as unto the Lord. And then my heart was brought off to a quiet submission But after this I being well delivered and the Child well It pleased the Lord soon after to take my Child to himself Now upon this so far as it pleased the Lord to help a poor wretch I begged earnestly of him to know why he took away my Child and it was given in to me that it was because I would not go to New England Upon this the Lord took away all fears from my ●pirit and then I told my Husband I was willing to go with him For the Lord had made my way clear to me against any that should oppose And then my husband went presently upon the work to fit to go And the Lord was pl●ased to carry us as upon Eagles wings according to that Deut. 32 10 11. We were eight weeks in our passage and saw nothing but the Heavens and Waters I knew that the Lord was a great God upon the shore But when I was upon the Sea I did then see more of his glorious power then ever I had done before according to that of the Psalmist Psal 107.23 24. And when the Lord was pleased