to him that we would suffer a man of so great merit who was yet strong and hearty to go out of the world without trying of any Remedies adding That he knew a person that was held with the same disease that was helped by Baths prescribed by a Chyrurgeon in the City who was indeed very skilful in his Art This person therefore was immediately sent for who when he came finding the sick man strong enough to abide the use of that Remedy without delay prepares a Bath by which he found himself much eased and his pains asswaged and that Monday Night he had a better Night of it than ordinary § 15. The next day in the Tuesday Jan. 3. Morning they repeated the Bath after which a Clyster was injected which seemed to have begun its work All that were about the sick man rejoyced and bad him be of good courage promising his recovery from his distemper And to say the truth himself began if not to hope yet at least to think it might be so In the following Evening the Bath was repeated again after which being had to bed he began to sleep sweetly but had scarcely rested half an hour before he was awaked by the pain of his side and a greater tention of his Belly than before and the access of a Feaver Nothing was left unattempted foâ— his relief by fomentations anâ— unctions but all was to â— purpose The complaint of thâ— sick man was increased anâ— he tired out and afflicted witâ— extraordinary restlesness Anâ— then his Niece perceived thaâ— there was something else troubled him more than the pain of his Body for he remaining silent groaned forth most bitter sighs whereas before the more he was tormented with pain the more ardently did he use to pour out his prayers to God It was Supper time when she was left with him alone and then with a mournful voice he asked Who is there is any Stranger present And when his Niece had told him No she asked him Whence doth this unusual disquietude proceed you seem to me to suffer something extraordinary what is become of that chearfulness through which you were wont to pass through your pains with the greatest Joy Alas said he He is departed from me that made glad my Heart I have grieved that Holy Spirit the Comforter who had filled my Soul with Peace and Joy I have been so wretched and unhappy as to give ear to those who spake unto me of my returning into this World I have been tickled with the desire of living And how could such a thing possibly be after the fruits of the Heavenly Canaan had been tasted by me and I had by faith taken hold of Supernatural good things What is now necessary to be done Whither shall I goâ— If I speak he answers not yeâ— he hath taken from me the power of speaking Ah sad change An holy fire had kindled my meditation but now vain thoughtâ— hurry me I cannot get out of my mind an old Satyr and sucâ— like trifles Thus while I am â— deaths door I go backwards And here casting his armâ— about her neck he thus proceeded My Dear Niece help â—e continue to discourse of Goâ—â— things with me Call upon thâ— Comforter to return and reneâ— that excellent work which hâ— had advanced in me O Return Return Confirm me witâ— thy strength before I go hence and be seen no more § 16. Then she suggested to him those places of Scripture which by the Divine aid were brought to her mind in answer to which every moment he interposed those words as made it evident that his Soul which before was sinking under its burthen began to gather strength Comfort again He had scarce been a quarter of an hour in that Conflict before he fell into a Swoon which occasioned the hasty calling in of his Son who was come to him but that Morning and when this sinking fit was over there appeared in him again the same Tranquility and Chearfulness of Countenance as formerly And seeing those of his own Houshold with some Friends that used to assist him and watch with him by turns in the next Room he attentively fixed his eyes upon each of them and first Addressing himself to his Wife Farewell said he my dearest Yoke-fellow We have lived together in Peace for thirty Years and I thank thee for thy help which hath been a great Comfort unto me for I did cast all Domestick cares upon thee Continue I beseech thee to †They were his Children by a former Wife for he had none by her love my Children with that Pious Affection which hitherto thou hast had for them Then turning his Speech to his Son he said And thou my Son Love and Honour this dearest Companion of my Life the Partner of all my Joys and Sorrows which hath done the Duty of a Mother toward thee this I desire of thee and this I command thee as thou expectest a blessing from God upon what I have gotten by my labour divide it between you without quarrelling or contention according to what is just and right Manage all thy Affairs with all Lenity and Christian Prudence especially pursue Peace O Frederick for that was his Sons Name to which he alluded Be rich in Peace Then taking hold of both their Hands and joyning them together Promise me saith he that you will maintain an holy and mutual friendship with each other Which when they had both most solemnly Promised to do I believe you said he for I have no cause to doubt of your Sincerity I know that you fear God and that my last Commands will be of great weight to you even as I pray God that he will make my Blessing effectual upon you Then turning to his Wife he said The Lord Bless thee my dear Love and strengthen thee he iâ— an Husband to the Widdow anâ— a Father of the Fatherless And to his Son The Almighty Father bless thee my Son guide thee in alâ— thy wayes enrich thee with all Christian Virtues and plentifully make thee to abound in all Spiritual and Temporal Blessings regard not thâ— world nor its deceitful hopes for the world passeth away and the Lust thereof place all thy Felicity in the Blessing of God be strong in Faith and prepared unto every good work Let the Peace of God dwell in thee and make thee Peaceable and kind Those Infants which I commend unto thee and commit to thy trust will be proper Subjects for thee to exercise thy Charity upon I appoint and set thee over not only that little Portion which I leave them but especially their Persons that thou mayest take care of their Instruction and Education in Piety and Virtue that they may be fitted for that Service of God which their Nature and Ingenie renders them capable of and especially may apply themselves to the Worship of God And then taking hold of the hand of the eldest of the Children he said Farewell dear Child the
Spirit is strong and enriched § 24. Then turning again to his Son he said My Son God blesse thee more and more How greatly do I rejoyce when I behold in thee the Grace of God! It was my great desire to see thee from the first day of my sickness Thou art the youngest of my Sons and thou only art left alive to me upon the Earth Thou shalt be my Benjamin and God will bless the Charge I have committed to thee and will be present with thee for thy help therein The Almighty God give unto thee and thy Nephews blessings in Israel and especially spiritual Blessings for temporal Blessings follow upon Spiritual Praised be God that hath made thee a Spectator of my last Conflict It is a Conflict but yet sweet because of the Consolations of the Spirit of God which abound in me Thou hast strove enough O my Soul rest in God who is thy Saviour Then hearing the Clock strike he asked what hour it was which when he knew he said The Time passeth away and we pass away with the time howbeit we are confirmed and strengthened by the Grace of God every hour Then smiting upon his Breast he said There is Joy within by the habitation of the Spirit of God in me O Good God! who am I that thou shouldst vouchsafe to come and dwell under my poor roof So it hath pleased thee O Lord that thy Spirit should dwell in me to the end and therefore I have cause of rejoycing in earnest § 25. Thus was the Thursday Fryday Jan. 6. night passed over The poor sick man was wearyed and exceeding thirsty yet durst not drink He seemed to be breathing out his Soul every moment and panted for deliverance but the end of his Conflict was not yet come there remained still above twenty four hours to be undergone and those very sharp His Son had betaken himself to some rest in the morning and after a while coming into the Chamber again his Father said to him A good day to you Son I am glad you have taken some rest Help me a little Which being done he added My Son this duty will be pleasing to God I should have reckoned my self happy if in any thing I could have helped my Father he was a good and a pious man I had also an holy Mother which deserved very well of the whole Family there was in her an holy Ambition and ardent Charity My Son how do I rejoyce to see thee I have yet many things to say to thee Remember that thou speak to the Illustrious Princesses Dowagers and tell them that I dye devoted to them in all dutiful affection and that I recommend unto them the utmost I can the Institution of the illustrious Colledge in this Town which is indeed the honour of the house of Orange and of his memory who founded it unto whom in my own particular I am laid under very great Obligations That great Prince who first called me to his service in his house heaped his benefits upon me and without vanity I speak it honoured me with his friendship of which he could give no greater Testimony than by committing to me the first education of his only Son who indeed was snatcht away from us in the flower of his age when both his Fathers house and the Common-wealth had most need of him Truly he was a Prince adorned with many gifts and disposed to receive good things and to Piety I believe that God was merciful to him and that his goodness is not wholly withdrawn from this noble house to which he hath raised up a Son that may supply his Fathers place The Almighty God bless and Preserve that Branch and Bless his Education and make him to grow in Age and in Gifts and Graces that he may be an Instrument of promoting his Glory and an instance of his Grace and Favour I beseech him also to bless the Princesses his Mother and Grandmother that their Concord may turn to the Good of the Child and of the State The Lord guide them in all things with the Spirit of his Fear strengthen them in the Faith and incourage them unto every good work I hope they will keep in mind my service and Zealous Affection for the good of their noble Family But if not my trust is in God § 26. After half an hours silence or thereabouts he thus continued his discourse Hear the prayers which thy Servant offers unto thee O God for that Child let him be blessed and sanctified from his tender years that the corruption of the Age. may not pervert him Let him live before thee Let Integrity and Righteousness preserve him He also prayed for the Lady Electress of Brandenburg and her Sisters That God would adorn them with all Christian and moral Virtues and b◠with them to the end of thei◠Lives But now his oppression was so much increased that we could not take the texture of his Meditations only by his countenance and gesture we might see that he prayed continually and sometimes he uttered some words whereby we understood that others had preceded in his Meditation a◠for instance Yea Lord I believe thi◠is my joy God will perfect his work above all ◠have no more part in thos◠things that are done unde◠the Sun but I desire th◠Peace of the Church every where Then he repeated in French Metre the 18. verse of Psal 51. which is in English Metre Lord unto Zion turn thy Face Pour out thy mercies on thy Hill And on Jerusalem thy Grace Build up the Walls and love it still I am of that Zion have pity on me and deal graciously with me I am suffocated I can hardly breath The Lord brings me down but he calls my Spirit to himself The greatest thing by farr is I have no doubt of my Salvation the Lord upholds me miraculously to the end that I may edifie others by my example in this last close of my life I am well pleased O my God Far be it from me that I should murmure How small are these pains in comparison of that Grace through which I bear with a quiet mind whatsoever it pleaseth God to lay upon me Thou allayest these short bitternesses with inexpressible consolations Thou speakest unto my Soul with that sweet voice which ◠understand because I am of thy Sheep My sheep saith the chief Shepherd hear my voice I know them and they follow me To this purpose he began to recite the 23 Psalm in Hebrew The Lor◠is my Shepherd I shall not want and desired one that stood by to rehearse the rest of the Psalm And the last clause he pronounced himself from the Original viz I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever And when he saw many attending him he said You have no cause to wonder I am able to do nothing of my self The Lord worketh all in all that we may be humbled This is the School of humility Look upon me
will rather open my sin before him in a most humble confession of it and pray that he will increase in me the Grace of true Repentance yea let him wear out this body with sorrow it matters not so he give to me a broken and a contrite Heart which is a sacrifice acceptable to himself As for my part I do most willingly offer up my self Accept O Lord this imperfect Sacrifice and supply the defects thereof by the perfect Righteousness of that great high Priest who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unto God without Spot Let me be accepted as a living Sacrifice holy and well-pleasing unto God which is our reasonable service Crucifie O Lord this old man that the body of sin may be utterly destroyed and I may rise again unto a new life The wages of Sin is death bu◠Rom. 6. ult the Gift of God is Eterna◠life by Jesus Christ our Lord Then repeating the word Gift he added It is meer Grace not of Works but of him that calleth Who shall la◠Rom. 8. 33. any thing to the charge of God elect It is God that justifieth Who is he that condemneth I◠is Christ that dyed yea rathe◠that is risen again who is eve◠at the right hand of God wh◠also maketh intercession for us Then after a little interruption of his discourse by a shor◠sleep he thus proceeded I am God's and he wil◠save me he hath honoure◠me with an holy Calling and hath not suffered his gif◠to be altogether useless in me as to the Edification of hi◠Church As to my self I can most truly affirm that I have not served him for filthy Lucre but with a sincere heart and that I was my self first perswaded of the truth of the Gospel and experienced the efficacy thereof before I preached it to others I tasted the good Word of God which by it's power pierceth even to the dividing asunder of Soul and Spirit and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Thou hast known my heart O Eternal God! thou knowest that I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ but have esteemed it my only honour to serve thee and that I have delighted my self in the pleasure of obeying thy will Such was thy goodness unto me I truly and humbly acknowledge that whatsoever good was in me flowed from thy Grace bu◠my defects ought to be ascribed to my inbred Corruption Alas I acknowledg◠this with humble and serious repentance how oft hav◠I sinned in so holy a Charge not only by omitting man◠things which I ought to hav◠done but also by doing many things amiss How of have I offended through negligence and slackness Long since had I been cast off wer◠it not that I had to do wit◠so good a Lord who hat◠born with me and hath bee◠so gracious to me as no◠to exact a severe account o◠my Words and Works Alas O Lord my God! Enter no◠into Judgment with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Let me be found not having mine own Righteousness but the Righteousness of thy Son for the sake of which I beg thy favour Pardon O my God Pardon the Iniquity of thy Servant who is devoted to thy Fear I refuse not thy discipline I know it is necessary only this I earnestly beg that it may turn to my Salvation Chasten me O Lord but in measure lest thou bring me to nothing Let not my tryal exceed my strength lest I Sin through Impatience and become a Scandal to those I should edifie O let me never break out into a murmuring complaint O how light is this chastisement if compared with my fault What are these temporal pains in comparison with those Eternal torments from which I am redeemed by him that poured out hi◠Soul upon the Cross for me For Me This is the languag◠of Faith which makes a particular application of General Promises This is a faithful saying and worthy of a◠1 Tim. 1. 15. acceptation That Jesus Chris◠came into the World to sav◠sinners of whom I am Chief Lord I believe help tho◠mine unbelief Turn tho◠me and I shall be turned indeed Seal all thy Promise in my Soul Cause in the inmost of my heart a lively perception of those sweet word◠My Son be of good comfor◠thy sins are forgiven the◠With such holy Meditatio◠and speeches as these was th◠Thursday night passed over § 7. On Friday morning Dec. 30. Mrs. Rivet his Wife put him in mind of sending one to the Hague for his Son By all means said he that ought to have been done sooner and then gave order himself concerning it About Nine of the Clock he was visited by Renessius a Doctor of Divinity and Pastor of a Dutch Church who in the Latine Tongue saluted him after this manner Most excellent man how do you To whom he answered in the same Language I am yet strong neither doth my Speech fail me but that passage in my bowels is not yet opened and unless that be opened I see I must make my passage another way even that which the Eternal God hath set before me from my Infancy I should be the most ungratefull of men if I should not acknowledge the mercy of God towards me who hath so wonderfully preserved me even from my Cradle Then rehearsing his deliverance from a very dangerous * Viz. A fall whereby his life was in graet hazard accident that befell him in his Infancy through the negligence of the Maid he added From that time my Mothe◠consecrated me unto God and he abundantly blessed me all my life-time and the whole Family And therefore I place all my hope in the goodness of God being ready either to live or to dye I have alwayes thought tha◠either this disease would be my death or else the Stone for I have scarce ever been afflicted with any other distemper I pray you to testifie unto all men that I dye in that Faith and Doctrine which I have alwayes delivered both in Preaching and Writing And if perhaps in some things I have erred I pray God that he will make perfect all my Imperfections The rest of the day was filled up with the Visits of Friends for he would have none hindred from coming to him Let all that will saith he have access to visit me I ought to give an Example of dying to other men With such sayings as these he filled the by standers both with Consolation and with Wonder while he thus proceeded Come see a man who is an Example of the Great Mercy of God What shall I render unto him All his Benefits overwhelm me He hath so disposed my Life that in my whole Course I have had an healthful Body he hath heaped upon me both temporal and spiritual Blessings And now before I am rendred feeble or morose thro' Old age he comes unto me and prevents me he both
his Son Stephen that he may be an useful Instrument for the promoting of Gods Glory a diligent workman that needs not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of Truth O Lord my God I pray not onely for my Brother but for all those in France to whom thou hast committed the conduct and Rule of the Churches Bless their Persons pardon their defects Sanctifie their Gifts Grant unto them that they may seriously return unto the simplicitly which is in Christ and that they detract not from the Glory of God to ascribe unto man what belongs to his Salvation He is strong and Jealous If in my writings I have seemed to deal a little warmly with some of my brethren about their new notions I protest before God I was never moved by envy or wrath against any one in particular but on the contrary alwayes accounted the men that favoured those novelties among my friends And the more I loved both their Persons and Gifts the more it grieved me that I could not reconcile their Maxims with the Word of God I do most earnestly beseech God that he will give them the Spirit of Peace that they may be of the same Judgment and speak the same things And that the love of God may constrain them and gather them into one in Christ â—ph 4. 13. Till we all come unto the unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ That following the Truth in love we may grow up into him in all things who is the head even Christ I would have thee without delay write unto thy Father he is my Brother in a double bond I have alwaies esteemed and loved him he hath been an useful Instrument for the Glory of God and I doubt not but he will throughly accomplish his work in him to the Glory of his own Name and his eternal Salvation I go before him in a little time he will follow after me he is almost come to the end of his course and there remains but a little time before God will Crown his labours with an Eternal Reward And here again in an extraordinary transport he brake out into these expressions O great and Immense Mercy who can but be rapt into admiration He gives both being and well-being He bestowes his gifts he supporteth he pardoneth he worketh in us both to will and to do according to his good pleasure and when himself hath given and wrought all this yet he gives to us an Eternal Reward Amen Amen Be it unto me according to thy word even according to the faithfulness and stability of thy Promises Then turning his discourse to his Niece again Write also said he to thy Brethren That I love them and that I pray for their Salvation And thou my dear Niece I love thee not because of that near affinity which thou hast to me but rather because we both have one God and one Hope Thou knowest the love and affection which I have had for thee which hath been a Paternal love indeed for a token of which take thou the Bible which thou shalt find in my Study In specicial I recommend to thee my Wife thy very good Aunt To thy power Comfort and assist her Be unto her instead of a Daughter and help her to digest the Sorrow she will have for my absence § 13. On Monday Morning Monday Jan. 2. he desired to arise out of his bed that he might write those Letters which he had made mention of in the Night and also that he might adde something to the Codicil which was annexed to his Will the Evening before His Strength was sufficient to admit the putting on of his cloaths and also his walking into his Study where he took the Bible designed for his Niece and gave it to her himself And to Mr Dauber who was then with him he gave an Arabick new Testament and laid by another Book for Mr. Hulsius and one for his Brother Rivet to be immediately sent unto him to Champuer non in France unto whom being returned into his Chamber he wrote this letter My Dear Brother I Now write my last to you with a trembling and dying hand After the preaching of a Sermon on Christmas day in perfect health it is now eight daies since I have been afflicted with a Stubborn Constipation and the expulsive faculty is wholly exstinct in me Wherefore I am determined by the Grace of God to dye with courage and constancy By the obstinate continuance and pains of my distemper I am quite worn out and the day of my dissolution draws near My Niece Mary Mouline shall write unto you an account of my last Hours and of that tranquility of mind which God affords to me I expect the coming of my Son to whom I may commit my Nephews and affairs He shall give you an account of all Farewel my dearest Brother But keep me in remembrance the residue of thy life who have loved thee and thine with a great Charity Love mine again as thou doest I pray God to blesse thee and all thine Once again Farewel Dated at Breda Jan. 2. 1651. He wrote also to Mr. Mouline his brother by Affinity in these words My Dearest Brother IT so pleaseth God that yoâ— should remain alive after me I now write being upon the borders between life and death after a Sermon preached on Christmas day which was followed with â— pertinacious retention faecium in alvo induratarum and of the retaining of that load the Dissolution of the body with grievous pains is the necessary consequent Your Daughter which ministreth to me in this agony hath undertaken to write to you of my constancy and the Grace which God affordeth to me Live unto the Glory of his Name remembring me and mine who dye Your most Affectionate c. § 14. When he had written these Letters he found himself exceedingly wearied and desired to be had to bed again All this day was spent in receiving his Friends especially the Pastors who were of divers Nations unto whom he discoursed largely of surrendring up himself into the hands of God and recited to them a Confession of his Faith and exhorted them to proceed chearfully in that work which the Lord had committed to them He gladly received those consolations whereby they endeavoured to asswage his pains and heard their Prayers for him with like joy alwaies adding That he was much refreshed by them All this day the time seemed very long to him while he expected the coming of his Son How fraid am I said he that I shall not see my Son It is the only thing I desire in this life When he was wholly given up by the Physitians and now for many daies had neither received nor voided any thing a little after Noon a good man that was touched with our Affliction said unto us That it seemed a very wonderful and strange thing