The Churchs Lamentation for the Loss of the Godly, Title page – Errata 2
THE CHVRCHES LAMENTATION FOR the loſſe of the GODLY: Deliuered in a Sermon, at the funerals of that truly noble, and moſt hopefull young Gentleman, IOHN Lord HARINGTON, Baron of Exton, Knight of the noble order of the Bath and his Maieſties Lieutenaunt of the County of Rutland, at Exton in Rutland, the laſt day of March 1614. Together with a patterne of Piety, and the power of godlineſſe expreſſed in his life and death, who yeelded to Nature the 27. of February, 1613. when he wanted two moneths of 22. yeeres of his age.
By RICHARD STOCK, Paſtor of Alhallowes-Breadſtreet in London.
LONDON, Printed by IOHN BEALE. 1614.
NODO FIRMO
Virtutem antiquam haec ſpirant inſignia multam:
Et Nodo Firmo gloria firma manet.
Sanguinis en quanto fueras dignatus honore?
Maior Auis meritis gloria facta tuis.
This ample Coate ſpeaks auntient vertues praiſe,
Vnited with th'indoſſoluble knot;
His greater merits nobler trophe's raiſe,
To houſe and name, which neuer be forgot.
SINGVLVM MILLITARE HONORIS
Ecce detus dant prima decennia principe dignum:
…n coelis illum proxima pene locant.
This honour was he grac't with at tenne yeares;
Before twelue more he climbes beyond the Spheares.
I. P.
DOMINVS IOHANNES HARINGTONVS BARO DE EXTON &c.
Aſpicis Herois vultum, graphicamque figuram:
Ingenium, Mores, pingere nemo poteſt.
Effigiem verae virtutis, Nobilitatis,
Candoris niuei, Relligionis habes.
F. H. D. M.
In this dead picture, onelyonly doth appeare
A Lord, and Lords ſole heire, to Country deare;
If his ſoules portrait 'twere, it would thee tell,
That here great Arts, vertues and grace did dwell
I. P. Cant. Col. Syd. Suſs.
In the Epiſtle Dedicatory, in the margent at the letter r read exonerans.
TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE THE vertuous and worthy Ladies, the Lady LVCIE, Counteſſe of Bedford, vvith her Right Honourable Mother, the Lady ANNE HARINGTON. Baroneſſe, together with her Honourable Siſter the Lady FRANCIS CHICHISTER: All increaſe of true Honour and pietie.
THe holy ſpirit of God by his Penman St. Paul, tels vsus, and teaches vsus, thata1. Tim. 4 8 Godlineſſe hath the promiſes both of this life preſent, and of that which is to come. Among which, this is none of the leaſt,bPſal▪ 112.6 The righteous ſhalbe had in euerlaſting remembrance. Namely, ſuch a remembrance as the wiſe man ſpeaketh of;cProu. 10.7 The memoriall of the iuſt ſhall be bleſſed. Such a bleſſing it is, as isdPro. 22.…. Aboue great riches, aboue ſiluer and gold. For no man of any ingenious diſpoſition, but if hee had theſe two propounded to him, riches with ſhame, and pouerty and penury with true honour and good reputation, and free choiſe giuen him; but he would freely chuſe the latter before the former: yea ſuch a bleſſing it is, that men who were able to iudge, thought it not inferior but aboue their naturall life. As that learned Rabbi, broght vp at the feete of Gamaliel, ſpeaking of his good reputation ſaith;e1. Cor. 9.15 It were better for me to die, then that any man ſhould make my reioycing vaine And Tertullian by a ſpeech of his to the perſecuting tyrants ſheweth, that thus they eſteemed it, and profeſſed no leſſe to the world.fAd Lenorem proxime damnando Chriſtianum, quam ad …eonem, confeſsieſtis labem pudi…itae apud nos omni atrociorem poena, & omni morte reputari. Tertull Apoll. VVhile you condemne, ſaith he, a Chriſtian matron to a baud, rather then to a Lyon, you openly confeſſe for vsus, that we abhor the blot of Chaſtitie and honeſtie, more thē all other puniſhmēts; yea then death. And this is that which the light of Reaſon teacheth men; that for a man to die honourably, is no death; for a man to liue diſhonourably, is worſe then death. And as it is a curſe for a man, to ſuruiue his good name, ſo is it a bleſſing his good name ſhould ſuruiue him. So that, he which helps to keep the righteous in a bleſſed memoriall or remembrance, hee doth but bring the promiſed bleſſing of God vponupon the head of the righteous, help…ng to honour thoſe whom God would hauehave honoured, and who hauehave honoured God; yea, as I may ſo ſpeake, he helps to pay Gods debt to the righteous; hee hauing made himſelfe agDebitorem ſe fecit promittendo. Auguſt. debter to them by promiſe. A thing that all ought to doe, and not vnbefitting any, no not the Miniſters of the Goſpell; when as our Sauiour Chriſt ſaith, concerning Mary; hMark 14.9Whereſoeuer this Goſpel ſhall be preached throughout the whole world, this alſo that ſhee hath done, ſhall be ſpoken of in remembrance of her. And by whom more then by the Miniſters of the Goſpell? who if they muſt honour her, by reporting what ſhe had done, being but one act of pietie performed to Chriſt, how much more may they do it for thoſe, who hauehave performed many and manifold workes of pietie and charitie to Chriſt and his members? VponUpon which ground, I tooke my ſelfe warranted to expreſſe the louelove and honour I bore towards your deceaſed honourable ſonne and brother, in ſpeaking thoſe things I did at his funerals concerning his truely religious life and right bleſſed death, wherein I laboured to make euident to others for imitation, that grace which God had made ſo eminent in him. The whole Auditorie were much affected with it, and many both godly and learned, both Miniſters and others deſired much to hauehave it publiſhed to the world, whereof diuers the ſame day ſet vponupon, and ſince by letters hauehave importuned mee much, beſides others in the name of many (who hauehave but heard a flying report of the excellent graces and moſt worthy parts that was in him, and deliuered by me) hauehave ſtill preſſed me to imprint it, to make that common to others, which was ſo louely in the eares of thoſe that heard it. After all this I began to thinke, that this proceeded from the Lord, and to ſay with my ſelfe, as the Apoſtle Peter to others,iAct. 11.17 VVho was I, that I could let God. So, who am I, that I ſhould let God, thinking alſo with my ſelfe, that that which was ſo deſired of many, might be by the grace of God profitable to many mo; knowing that God hath not onelyonly, appointed his word to beget faith, and teach godlines, but by the ſame word, hath ſanctified the examples of godly men, to prouoke to godlines: as is manifeſt in holy writ; yea examples are of that force, that men are often won by them to the liking of the word, who before had either a hatred or diſtaſte of it; and after, by the word are wonne vntounto God. Many men muſt ſee the Goſpell in the liues of the profeſſors of the Goſpell, before they will beleeue it in the mouthes of the Preachers of it. And as Chryſoſtome ſaith of the Gentiles:kHis quae dicuntur a no… non intenduni Gentiles, ſed his quae geruntur a nobis Ho. 70. ad Pop. A…t. They doe not regard what things are vttered by vsus, but what are acted of vsus. So may I ſay of many who liue amongſt vsus, and beare the name of Chriſtians, they little regard either what we preach, or profeſſe, but what wee practiſe.l2. Pet. 3.1. And if the huſbands may be wonne without the word by the ſubmiſſe and meek conuerſation of their wiues; thē may others with the word by the holy conuerſation of thoſe who profeſſe the word, be wonne vntounto godlines. And as by others, ſo I am perſwaded by the life and conuerſation of this holy young Saint (ſo was he in earth, ſo is he in heauen) of whom I will not heere ſpeake much, leſt any ſhould taxe mee with flattery. Yet this I will ſay (glorifying God that I can truely ſay it of him, not to honour him ſo much by it, as the Goſpell of Ieſus Chriſt:) that I challenge the whole armie of the vncircumciſed Philiſtimes of Rome, to bring me forth the greateſt Goliath, I ſay not of the like age, honour and rancke, but almoſt of what age or degree ſoeuer, that euer ſhewed ſo much power of popery or the forme of ſeeming ſanctitie, as this young man Dauid did, the power of true pietie and godlines. Let them then ceaſe defying the hoſt of Jſraell, when they came hardly paralell our younglings with men of the beſt grouth they hauehave or formerly hauehave had. But if I ſhold follow this matter I ſhold hardly keepe meaſure, and therfore I will content my ſelfe with this.
Why I hauehave dedicated this to your name cānot be ſtrange to any which know the great & nie intreſt you had in the ſubiect, and ſo moſt right to the Sermon. To ſay nothing of my owne bond who hauehave receiued ſuch louelove from him, for which I muſt and will honour all his; yea who hauehave ſo deepely taſted of the bountie of you his honourable mother. Accept it I pray you as a ſmale teſtimonie of my thankefull minde, & as a true teſtimonie of that louelove and reuerence that I hauehave borne to that grace of God which was manifeſt in him. The Lord hath greatly honoured you with the worty being and the bleſſed memory of ſuch a gratious Sonne, ſuch a godly brother, yea ſo honoured you as in all reſpects he hath hardly honoured any Mother, any Siſters; hauing giuen you, his honourable Mother, the fruit of all your great care, labour, and coſt you ſo naturally and religiouſly tooke, in tilling his young heart, wherein you not onelyonly laboured by your ſelfe in his infancie, as another mother ofmProu 31. the worthy Lemuel to inſtruct him, teaching your Timothie like another Eunice (renowned in holy writ)n2. Tim. 1.5. & 3.15 The holy Scriptures of a childe, and ſeeking to plant in him the vnfained faith which dwelleth in you his mother. But alſo prouiding for him a worthy Tutor, a man of no leſſe piety then learning (Oh that all of your ranke would doe the like, then might we hope for more religion and pietie among our Nobilitie) who might perfect that your ſex had begun, but could not thorowly performe; and after moſt plentifully rewarded him,oRuth. 2.20. Not ceaſing to doe good to the liuing and to the dead, for his ſake to his wife and children. Of which you reaped a plentifull and timely harueſt of ioy and comfort, though it is your griefe to liue to ſee his autumne and fall.pIob 2.…0. Muſt we receiue good at the hand of God, and not receiue euill? But yet giuegive leaue to adde (qIob 32.22. For I may not giuegive titles, leſt my maker ſhould take me away ſuddenly) as Bernard in another caſe;rDeus exhon…rans, on erat Ber. When God doth vnburden vsus, he doth burden vsus: So God hauing vnburdened you of that griefe and ſorrow, of that infamie & reproch which many mothers and ſiſters hauehave, & to to many of your rank, while theirs liue licētiouſly, reprobate to eueryevery good work, diſhonouring Chriſt Ieſus whom they profeſſe▪ and their kindered from which they did proceed. I ſay while God hath vnburdened you of this, and honored you with the contrary, he doth onerate and burden you with the dutie of thankefulnes, which among other duties is this, that you continue with a godly zeale and Chriſtian care to imitate and emulate the worthy graces and practiſe of godlines which were in this your honour & crowne, which is worthily eſteemed in him, and will be in you, the higheſt matter of your honour and praiſe. Diuines giuegive the reaſon of it to be this, becauſe by pietie and holines of life wee aſcend,ſAd primarium illud bonum vnde originem traximus Nazian. orat. 33. in land. Hiero. to the firſt and primary good whence we had our beginning. And in the Apoſtles phraſe it is tot2 Pet. 1.4. Be partakers of the godly nature. Seeing we are the generation of God, made to his image, what greater glory cā we hauehave thē to preſerue that image & be like vntounto him to whoſe ſimilitude wee were made, for as one ſaith,uVna nobilitas imitatio dei. There is no honour to the imitation of God: which is then performed when we imitate thoſe who hauehave walked with God. The Heathen man ſaith,xVt quiſe comunt adhibent ſpeculum, ſic geſturus negotium proponit ſibi laudatorum virorum exempla. Plutar. That as they who dreſſe themſelues vſe glaſſes, ſo thoſe who are to performe any thing, propound to themſelues the examples of praiſe-worthy men. You honourable Ladies hauehave a moſt true, and (as I may ſo ſpeake) a naturall glaſſe to ſee to addreſſe your ſelues to goodnes by, euen the life of your worthy, it is that which will ſooner checke you then any, as it ought to direct you more then any▪ nay it is that by which others will ſooner reprehend your ſtepping aſide and ſtraying. I humbly beſeech you therefore (giuegive me leaue to further your forwardnes) walke after his waies & runne with good reſolution the race of pietie and true godlines he hath finiſhed before you, of whom I may ſay as Ambroſe of Abraham, yMortuus eſt imbona ſenecture, eo quod in bonitate propoſiti permanſit.He died in a good age, for why? he perſeuerd in his good reſolutions euen vntounto the end, and now enioieth the crowne of life.
And ſo I humbly and hartily commend you all to the grace of God which is able to build you further, & giuegive an inheritance among them who are ſanctified by faith in Chriſt Ieſus and ſo I reſt.
Your in all humble manner, RICHARD STOCKE
¶ To the Chriſtian READER.
CHriſtiā reader whoſoeuer thou art, whether one that was an auditor of this ſermon, or one that otherwiſe knowes me and my practiſe in this kind of funerall duties, If thou he of the firſt ſort be informed, that in the ſermon thou ſhalt find ſome few things added not to the ſubſtance, but to the amplification of ſome vſe, which I could not for the ſtraightnes of time deliuer. In the commendations of this moſt commendable Noble thou ſhalt find ſome few things added, which ſlipped out of my memory at the time when I deliuered it, but not many; and the like number added which came to my knowledge ſince. At alſo one thing diſplaced, namely his meditations vponupon his ſermons in the morning, which he did after dinner. I aſſure thee I hauehave ſet downe nothing, as I deliuered nothing, but the true and generall grounds of eueryevery particular, I knew my ſelfe; diuers particulars I receiued of others who are iudicious, honeſt, & religious, agreeing al with the grounds of my own knowledge, & ſo as I had groūd to beleeue them, I knew nothing why I might not then, and now communicate them to thee, whereby I may profit thee by the bleſsing of God more, then my praiſe can honor him. But if thou art one of the ſecond ſort, knowing my vſe to he very ſparing in praiſing of the dead, and ſo may wonder I ſhould be ſo plentifull in the commendations of this honorable gentleman, know, I neuer had ſuch a ſubiect to ſpeake of, whether thou reſpect nature or grace, his earthly or heauenly condition.
For this cauſe I hauehave bin the more large, and ſpecially becauſe he was a publike perſon, more eies were vponupon him, and well they might be, for hee was not ſo eminent in place as he was in grace, for his gifts and graces & power of religion were ſo excellent and rare, as I neuer yet knew in any, whom I had occaſion to ſpeake of I wiſh I might hereafter meet with ſome like him, but I hauehave little hope, though I do not deſpaire. If I find any deſeruing as he did, I will not leſſen their worthineſſe nor darken their light, ſpecially if they be publike perſons. Yet mē muſt giuegive me leaue in all things, to goe vponupon my owne grounds, and not tie me to their conceits. Affection often blindeth thoſe who are ſpecially linked together, when it can not deceiue other;, who are a far of: often when friends highly thinke of their friends eſtate, the phyſition diſcerneth better of their condition, and finds both ſpirits and bloud tainted, when they thinke they are in good health. I would willingly ſet forth true golden veſsels to the view of the world, but I hauehave no affection to gild potſheards. If I know mens liues I can the better iudge of their deaths, if I knew they hauehave liued well, I ſhall be better perſwaded of their deaths: if euill, I ſhall be made to doubt much, of that, though it be ſeemingly good, yet I had rather thinke charitably then ſpeake confidently. In this kind if I ſpeake ſparingly I pray men … blame thoſe who giuegive me no more ground, and not to reproue me, that dare not be ſo bold as ſome others, I will adde no more, neither will I longer detaine thee, gentle reader, from Gods word of life and death, nor from the life and death of this worthy noble. I pray God giuegive thee as much good by them, as I intend to thee, to thy heart and life, and ſo farewell.
Thine in the Lord Ieſus, RICHARD STOCKE.
Faults eſcaped in Printing.
Pag. 19. line. 14. vrbilius, r. vrbicius p. 44. l. 1. County, r. country. p. 47. l. 14. take out he. p. 47. l. 15. r. he only. p. 54. l. 4. im. r. him. p. 85. l. 25 ſeruants r. ſermons. p. 86 l. 4 that vponupon. r. that as vponupon p. 93. l. 10. beauties r. beautie.
In the margent.
Pag. 3. Ier. r. ſerm p. 22. etiam r. Baſil. p. 33. voluiſſe, r. Dei voluiſſe. p 35. &c. r. ex. p. 42. vituticu, r. viaticu. p. 46. ledere, r. ludere. p. 53. trahence, r. trabente. ibid pretioſum. r. pretioſam. p. 90. vites. r. viles. p. 93 et fi, r. et ſi.