A Pattern for Women, Title page – Dedication 2
A PATTERNE For WOMEN: Setting forth the moſt Chriſtian life, & moſt comfortable death of Mrs. LVCY late wife to the worſhipfull Roger Thornton Eſquire, of Little Wratting in Suffolke.
Whereunto is annexed a moſt pithy and perſwaſiue diſcourſe of that moſt learned & holy Father IEROM, being his laſt ſpeech before his death, which is able to rouze vp the moſt drowzy and dead in ſinne.
And finally, the laſt moſt heauenly prayer of the ſayd IEROM, a ſingular help for a poore ſoule, wreſtling with the pangs of death, to addreſſe herſelfe towards her SAVIOVR.
By I. M. Bachelour of Diuinity.
LONDON, Printed by Edw. Griffin for Iohn Marriot, and are to be ſold at his ſhop in S. Dunſtanes Church-yard in Fleet-ſtreet, 1619.
TO THE ETERNAL MEMORIE OF THAT MOST RENOWMED AND BEST DESERVING GENTLE-WOMAN LVCY, LATE WIFE TO ROGER THORNTON ESQVIRE, WHO DYED IN WRATTING PARVA IN SVFFOLK, DECEMB: 21. ANNO SALVTIS HVMANAE 1618 BVT EVER LIVETH WITH GOD.
IOHN MAYER THE MOST VNWORTHY PASTOR OF THAT CHVRCH, AS HIS LAST BOVNDEN DVTY TOWARDS HER, HIS LOVING PATRONESSE CONSECRATETH THIS SLENDER PAPER MONVMENT.
TO THE WORSHIPFVL and ſingularly religious ROGER THORNTON Eſquire, my very good Friend and Patron, and to the hopefull branches of his late cut-off Vine, the comfortable fellowſhip of God the Holy GHOST.
IT is a ſaying: Dies dolorē minuit: Time leſſeneth griefe: which if it bee true, I may ſeeme to miſſe of my marke, by bringing again to remembrance your ineſtimable loſſe: ſeeing to remember a grieuous accident, is to rub euer a ſore, and to increaſe patne, when time had well nigh worne it away. But to ſet fourth the praiſes of the dead, & to arect monuments to their memory, are (I know not how) though no ſubſidia mortuorum ſalues vntounto the dead, yet ſolamina viuorū, by the practiſe of all ages, comforts of friends ſuruiuing. And not without cauſe, ſeeing it is promiſed, that the memory of the inſt ſhall be bleſſed, & the name of the wicked ſhall rot, Pro. 10-17. Wherefore in all ages, men hauehave been carried, as it were, by a ſecret inſtinct thus to ſeek the continuance of the good memory of their deceaſed deare ones, and ſo hauehave had ſome ſolace by the remaining ſhadow which they could not hauehave by the fading ſubſtance. Thus laakob ſet vp a piller to his beſt beloued Rachel, and Abſalom being conſcious to himſelfe of his ill deſerts,Gen. 35.20. for which it was likely, that his memory ſhould not without a Monument, ſet vp a noted piller in his life time, to continue his name after death, 2 Sam. 18.18. The Man ſolemn built by Artemiſia to her decre husband deceaſed, hath beene, for the ſtatclineſſe, one of the ſeuen wonders of the world: And it is incredible to recoum what coſtly Pyramides Turkiſh Emperours hauehave built for the continuance of name. And ſome hauehave doted ſo far, not content to hauehave the memories of their friends thus continued, as of excelient men and women they hauehave delighted, in procuring diuine honours vntounto them, as vntounto he and ſhe gods. But the witty ſcoffe of Ageſilaus King of the Lacedemonians may well bee applied vntounto ſuch, who when the Thraceans would needs put diuine honors upon him for his good deſerts towards them, ſayd: Deos vosipſos priùs facite, rùm deiſicandorum hominum poteſtatem vobis eſſe credam. Firſt make your ſelues gods, and then I will beleeue that yeo hauehave power to make other men gods. Wee are not of thoſe Chriſtians, that doe thus, robbing God of his honour, honour the Saints of God departed, or ſuch as by exceſſine coſt robbing the poore, ſeeke to inrich the tombs of the dead. As rom ſaith of the coſtly Churches and Monaſteries built to the honour of Saints, ſo may we iuſtly ſay heere. Quis tam inſipiens eſt, vt non intelligat, quod talia aedificia non cedunt ad Deigloriam, ſed ad mundi pompam? Who is ſo fooliſh, that he doth not vnderſtand that ſuch buildings tend not to the glory of God, but to wordly pomp? And againe, Qualis poteſt eſſe iuſtitia munerare mortuos, & ſpoliare viuos? What righteouſneſſe can this be to honour the dead, and to ſpoyle the liuing? we print and paint, carue and graue, enely for their iuſt commendation, that we may remember, that as their memory liueth vponupon earth amongst men, ſo their ſoulos liue alwayes amongst Angells in heauen; and that hauing them ſtill, as patternes before our eyes, we may be whetted on to an imitation of their vertues, who hauehave ſo happily runne their race, finiſht their courſe; and already receiued the crowne of righteouſneſſe. This Worthy, whom I heere deſcribe, deſerued more coſt then I hauehave, or was able to beſtow, and I confeſſe that her excellency compared with the ſimplicity of this rapſody, or haſtened labour of mine, hath hither to deterred me from making it publique. But now, becauſe I ſee it is expected, and I might otherwiſe bee blamed at many hands, for neglect of ſo great good deſerts, I hauehave aduentured it forth, and if I hauehave not ſo fully diſplayed her colours, as I might, the fault was in your too great ſecreſie, through which, her ſingular, pious, and charitable acts done by her in ſo great cloſenes, were hidden from my knowledge, ſo that I could not inſert them. And becauſe it is for her memory, that I have done this, I hauehave diuided it, deuoting to her as is moſt proper, the dedication, and to you the conſolation. Wherfore take that which is yours, and whereof yee hauehave inſt cauſe, hauing a wife, a mother already ſo highly aduanced in heauen: of who I may without flattery, to my knowledge,Pro. 31.29. vſe the words of Lemuels mother, Many daughters hauehave done vertuouſly, but thou furmounteſt them all. It is not, if it bee duly conſidered, your loſſe, and but her gaine, though I confeſſe it a great loſſe to vsus all, for with the loſſe gaine redounds vntounto vsus. Whilſt ſhee liucd, wee could hauehave onelyonly the comfort of one in the iourney with vsus, now ſhe is dead, we may hauehave the comfort of one, our iourney-fellow ſafely come to the end of the way. And this is a double comfort, the one for that one of our neere fellow-members is gone from miſerie to glory, the other for that in her wee hauehave beene more confirmed, who ſaw her ioyfull end, ſo many as walke after him. For wee ought to reioyce with thoſe that reioyce, and it was the ancient enstome of the Church of God, and now is to giuegive God thankes for the happy departure of good Chriſtians, in regard of their breaking the ice before vsus, to the confirming of our hope, when wee ſhall follow after. VntoUnto this monument, for the further garniſhing, I hauehave added a diſcourſe of another Saint dying long agoe, which deſerueth to be engrauen in marble with a pen of iron. And this I hauehave done to ſupply my wants, through defect of memory, in ſetting downe her ſpeeches and prayers: For looke what is heere ſpoken in exhorting, in comforting, in reforming, and in praying, was all in effect ſpoken by her, if a regiſter heer of had beene made. And I hauehave made this addition the rather, that all the world may know, that in what faith, and hope, and affections, and iudgements, good Chriſtians amongst vsus dye now a dayes in the ſame faith and affections the moſt learned and holy ſeruants of God died twelue hundred yeeres agoe. For let who ſo will look with a ſingle eye into this Treatiſe, and he ſhall plainly ſee, that Ierom held a particular faith, prayed only to God, profeſſing great boldneſſe, for that Chriſt was his brother, renounced all merit of his owne workes, and beleeued to paſſe immediately to be auen, being ſhaken with no feare of purgatory fire, with many poynts more, which may eaſily bee gathered. But I forget my ſelf, I write too long an Epiſtle before ſo briefe a worke. I conclude therefore, and pray the God of comfort to fill you with true heauenly comfort to the end. Amen.
Your Worſhips in all duty to be commanded in the Lord. I. M.