The Monument, Title page – To the reader
THE MONVMENT OR TOMBE-STONE: OR, A SERMON PREACHED at Laurence Pountnies Church in London, Nouemb. 21. 16 19. at the funerall of Mrs. Elizabeth Iuxon, the late wife of Mr. Iohn Iuxon.
By STEPHEN DENISON Miniſter of Gods word, at Kree-Church in the honourable Citie of London.
Pro. 10. 7. The memoriall of the iuſt ſhall be bleſſed, but the name of the wicked ſhall rot.
Math. 26. 13. Whereſoeuer this Goſpell ſhall be preached in the whole world, there ſhall alſo this that this woman hath done, be told for a memoriall of her.
The third impreſſion.
LONDON, Printed by Richard Field dwelling in Great Wood-ſtreete. 1620.
TO Mr. IOHN IVXON, CITIZEN OF THE FAMOVS CITIE OF London, and his fiue children, whom I louelove in the truth.
STEPHEN DENISON wiſheth increaſe of all true happineſſe and proſperitie.
DEare friend, it hath bene my purpoſe a long time, to giuegive ſome publicke teſtimonie before I die, of your louelove and kindneſſe ſhewed vntounto me: and conſidering that God hath offered ſuch an opportunitie as this, I thought I could not do leſſe, …hen to teſtifie my thankfulneſſe vntounto you, and to▪ …iue Gods Church an occaſion, both to bleſſe God for you, and to remember you & yours in their prayers. I do acknowledge that you hauehave bene, and ſo vntounto this day you do remaine, the moſt faithfull friend, and bountifull benefactor, which hitherto I hauehave found vponupon the earth. You and your worthie wife now deceaſſed were the good Shunemites, which gaue me the firſt conſtant entertainement in this Citie. Your care ouer me hath bene great, your ſaithfulneſſe true, and your bountie to me not little. I am perſwaded God will bleſſe you for it, and that Gods deare people, will louelove you for it; and for mine owne part I ſhall ſtill remaine in your debt, to pray for you, and to do you the beſt ſpirituall good that I can. God hath depriued you of a vertuous wife, and me of a deare friend; but the will of the Lord is good and he knoweth what is beſt. Comfort your ſelfe concerning her death, by the ſound experience which you had of her godly and vertuous life: and remember with ioy, that which drew teares from you at her death, to wit, what a great care ſhe had of your ſoule whileſt ſhe liued. Remember alſo with comfort thoſe excellent marks which were in her, which you ſaw in her, and knew in her, as well as my ſelfe. I confeſſe you hauehave a great miſſe of her many wayes, but the conſideration of her vndoubted happineſſe, muſt comfort you concerning that miſſe. Labour you to make a good vſe of her viſitation and death; let it moue you to renew your couenant with God, and to be mindfull of your owne mortalitie, to prepare for it in due time, to worke out your owne ſaluation with feare and trembling. Get oyle into your veſſell whileſt you hauehave time, that ſo you may be ready when the Bridegroome cometh, to enter in with him. And now giuegive me leaue to ſpeake a word or two to your beloued children.
You M. Iohn Iuxon the firſt borne, let me exhort you to flie the luſts and vanities of youth, and giuegive your mind vntounto goodneſſe: remember your Creator now in the dayes of your youth. Learne with Timothy to know the Scriptures of a child: as you are the firſt borne in age, ſo be you the firſt borne in grace; be an example vntounto the reſt of the children in vertue and ſtayedneſſe: fulfill the propheſies which go of you. Your tender father reioyceth in you, and hopeth that grace is in ſome meaſure begunne in you; and for my owne part I hope good of you, therefore be you good.
A…d you M. Thomas Iuxon, let me admoniſh you, not to turne the grace of God into wantonneſſe: vſe that capacity which God hath giuen vntounto you, for the glory of God: be carefull to giuegive your minde vntounto learning, and to know God: be obedient to your parents; feare God and keepe his commandements, for this is the whole duty of man, as Salomon ſaith, Eccleſ. 12. And otherwiſe, if you will not hearken vntounto this, then muſt I ſay with the ſame Salomon: Reiòyce … yong man in thy youth, and let thine beart cheere thee in the dayes of thy youth, and walke in the wayes of thine heart, and in the ſight of thine eyes. But know thou, that for all theſe things God will bring thee into iudgement. Eccleſ. 11. 9.
And you Miſtris Elizabeth Iuxon, let me put you in mind, that as you beare the name of your vertuous mother, ſo you would be carefull to follow her godly ſteps: be you diligent to heare Gods word preached, and to reade the ſame in priuate eueryevery day; meditate that which you heare and reade, and be carefull to practiſe that which you learne, both in your generall and particular calling. For theſe were the ſtops of your worthy mother.
And you Miſtris Sarah Iuxon, remember alſo after whom you are named, to wit, after Sarah the wife of Abraham. Be diligent to reade the ſtory of Sarah in the booke of Geneſis, and follow her in all things that are good and imitable. And remember the words of the Apoſtle, that women are the daughters of Sarah ſo long as they do well, 1. Pet. 3.
And laſtly, you miſtris Marie Iuxon, if God ſhall giuegive you life to liue to come to yeares of diſcretion and vnderſtanding, conſider what I ſay vntounto you. You are named after the bleſſed virgine Marie. As ſhe therefore conceiued Christ in her wombe, ſo do you conceiue him in your heart. As ſhe pondered the words of the ſh epheards in her heart, ſo do you meditate of the word of God day and night. Yea conſider what graces were in her, and labour for the ſame. Yea let me ſay vntounto all you three pure virgins, beware you of the ſinnes of the times, take heed of following the vaine faſhions of the world, take heed of pride, take heed of whoredome and all manner of vncleanneſſe: hauehave a care with whom you conſort your ſelues: marrie not without the conſent of your parents or gouernours, and be ſure that you marrie in the Lord. In a word, be carefull to reade and conſider the marks which were in your mother, and labour to find the like in your ſelues. And thus you ſhall leade a bleſſed life, and accompliſh a happie death, and at the laſt ſhall come to that heauenly kingdome, whither your deare mother is gone before. VntoUnto the which heauenly kingdome, the Lord of his merciemercy bring vsus all for Ieſus Christ his ſake, Amen.
Yours in all Chriſtian dutie, STEPHEN DENISON.
TO THE READER.
COurteous Reader, I hauehave bene exceedingly importuned, and that by many worthy Chriſtians, for the markes which our worthy ſiſter deceaſſed left behind her. I could not tell how ſo well to ſatisfie the religious requeſt of my brethren in this thing, as by making publike for the common good both the Sermon and the Markes. Here therefore I offer them to thy Chriſtian conſideratio…; reade them with a ſingle eye: weigh them well; and if thou reape any benefite, giuegive the whole glory to God, and remember the vnworthy writer in thy prayers.
Thine in the Lord, S. D.