The Excellent Woman, Title page – To the reader
THE Excellent Woman. A SERMON Preached at the Funeral of Mrs. Elizabeth Scott, Relict to Humphry Scott of Conghurſt in Kent, Eſq; And daughter unto Sir Mathew Howland Knight, late of Giles in the Fields; On the 16. of Decemb. 1658. By Tho. Caſe, M. A. ſometimes Student of Ch. Ch. Oxon. Now Rector of St. Giles in the Fields.
Heb. 13.7, 8.
Whoſe faith follow, confidering the end of their converſation, Jeſus Chriſt the ſame yeſterday, and to day, and for ever.
London, printed for Robert Gibs in Chancery-lane at the ſign of the Golden Ball, near Serjeants Inn. 1659.
To the truly Honourable, and much honoured, The Lady Frances Howland, Relict to the worthy Sir Mathew Howland late of Giles in the Fields.
Madam,
I Shall not need to fear the reviving of your ſorrowes by this late addreſs; I finde them still freſh upon your ſpirit; and I dare not accuſe you for it: I had almoſt ſaid, you cannot be guilty of an exceſſe in your mourning over the loſſe of ſuch a childe; A child not only of the ſevereſt obedience, but of the ſweeteſt and tendereſt reſpect to your ſpiritual and eternal good, that moſt Mothers ever had the happineſſe to bring forth.
Surely it was her pious care to pay in grace, the debt which he owed you by nature: and to compenſate her natural being received from you, with your ſpirituall.
Your Ladiſhip hath often acknowledged to myſelf, and others what a ſoul-help ſhe was to you, ever ſince God was pleaſed to call her by his grace, and to reveale his ſonne in her. Surely as ſeldome have children loſt a better mother; ſo ſeldome did mother loſe a better childe. And as ſuch a loſſe can hardly be overwept, ſo I am afraid our times are little guilty of ſuch a ſin. Our ſin is rather that we bury our ſorrows together in the ſame grave with our godly, praying, ſoul-friends, as if we were no loſers by their death; truly would Chriſtians put on their mourning affections, but as long as they wear their mourning garments, for their godly dead, there were leſſe cauſe of mourning.
It is true, their voice to us is that of our Lord, Weep not for me; there is no cauſe (as to themſelves) to ſorrow even as others that have no hope; Yea, but weep for your ſelves, and for your children; not for their gaines, but for your loſs, loſſe of Counſel, loſs of their quickning edifying Converſe; their prayers, comforts, loſſe of their holy jealouſie and watchfulneſſe over us, their tender compaſſions to our ſouls. Alas, a great part of Chriſtians underſtand not their loſs, and the moſt do not lay it to heart; and ſo though they quit the ſence, yet they aggravate their miſery; while they adde ſin to their affliction; even the ſin of inſenſibleneſſe:Iſa. 26.11. Lord when thine hand is lifted up they will not ſee. Jer. 5.3.Thou haſt ſmitten them, but they have not grieved.
I am glad therefore Madam on your behalf to finde that theſe tears are not yet dried up; bleſſed are thoſe mourners that prevent not the Conſolations of the holy Ghoſt; but do patiently wait till God himſelfe come to wipe off the teares from their eyes; of which this will be a comfortable pledge, if by the ſadneſſe of the countenance the heart be made better. Eccl. 7.3.Which that it may be your Ladiſhips portion, as mine own, ſhall be the earneſt prayer of
Madam, Your Ladyſhips deeply obliged, and moſt faithful ſervant in the Goſpel. The Caſe.
To the Honourable Sir Howland Roberts of Glaſſenbury in the County of Kent Baronet.
Noble Sir,
IT is no ſmall priviledge to be born of godly parents; The bleſſings of the Covenant run moſt kindly in the channell of the Covenant; there is more to be preſumed of ſuch children then others; not only as they are under the bleſſing of their parents prayers, (Bathſheba called Solomon the ſonne of her Vowes; and Monica St. Auguſtine the childe of her prayers and tears;) but alſo as they themſelves have a greater holdfaſt upon God, by vertue of his holy Covenant; Lord, I am thy ſervant, Pſ. 116.16.and the ſonne of thy handmaid, was Davids plea.
What a right you may claime to Gods family by your mother, the juſt character here delivered of her, will ſufficiently evidence. Her example, Counſels, prayers, are a better portion then your Fathers inheritance: She travelled the ſecond time with your ſpiritual birth, and was in paine till ſhe could ſee Chriſt formed in you, and the reſt of the fruit of her loynes; and that all her children by nature might be the adopted ſons and daughters of God by grace; that you might be good rather then great, ſerviceable rather then honourable, that ſhe might go out of the world with that joy of our Lord, My ſeed ſhall ſerve him, Pſ. 22.30.it ſhall be counted to the Lord for a generation, this was the travel of her ſoul. Solomon recounteth the Prophecy, Prov. 31.1which his Mother taught him; and ſurely as by the example of your pious mother, ſo by the gracious counſels and inſtructions which from the very cradle, ſhe was perpetually inſtilling into your minde, ſhe being dead, yet ſpeaketh; the module whereof is indelibly engraven upon your heart.
The greatneſſe of your loſſe is not eaſie to be told; and it is not yours onelyonly but the whole Churches: ſhe was a Chriſtian indeed in all the capacities which ſhe ſuſteined, and filled them all with ſingular wiſdom and fidelity. The providence of God in taking her away in the fulneſſe of her ſtrength and activity for Jeſus Chriſt; is to me very ſtupendious, and compared with the premature death of divers others of the Lords choice ones, ſeemeth to intimate ſome approaching judgement; The righteous periſheth and man layeth it to heart, Iſa. 57.1.and merciful men are taken away, none conſidering that the righteous is taken away from THE EVIL TO COME. When the corn is reaped and gathered into the barne, the bruit Cattel are turned into the field: Such a general, ſudden, and (to us) untimely death of the godly, calleth upon ſurvivours to ſit down, and conſider, how they may either prevent, or prepare for approaching evils; at leaſt how they may fill up the vacant roomes of thoſe worthies that are gone to reſt, with a greater activity of grace, and a more diffuſive ſervice.
As for your ſelfe (Honoured Sir) the remaining hopes and honour of your Fathers houſe; go on to doe worthily for God; and let the world know that your Mothers Bleſſing is not yet worne out of your familie; and that power of Religion which ſhe fought to ſtabliſh there, did not expire with her. Which as it is the hope, ſo it ſhall be the prayer of him, who is,
Sir, Yours in all Chriſtian Obſervance, Tho. Caſe
To the Reader.
Reader,
I Do eaſily foreſee the large commendation which I have given to that truly Honourable perſon, whoſe memory is continued in theſe papers, may incur cenſure from ſtrangers: or elſe thoſe, who though not altogether ſtrangers, were not ſo intimately acquainted with her worth and excellency; (painted pieces look beſt at a diſtance, but real and living are not diſcovered but b… nearer approaches. An… therefore a word to avoi… prejudice will not be unneceſſary.
I muſt confeſs it is ver… ſad to obſerve how unab… many Profeſſors are to bea… the juſt commendation … thoſe who do excell in ver…tue: I am not willing … ſearch into the reaſons leſt I be thought to burde… others with cenſure, while▪ I ſeek to caſt it off from m… ſelf, I will onelyonly ſay th… much, It is as unworthy, Chriſtians to envy the glory o… …hem that are illuſtrious, as …t would be to detract from …hem: Eſpecially when their …minency is reported, not for the diſcouragement …nd reproach of them that are in a lower ſphere, but for their inſtruction, and to provoke to imitation. It …hould rather chear us to the …eart to ſee the beames of …he Lords grace breaking …ut with ſo much glory to …he Giver, and that God …s glorified by others, better then our ſelves; and that while we are at the bottome of the hill, others get …earer to the top & height of Chriſtian perfection.
My Apology is this; i… in this report I have exceeded the bounds of trut… and modeſty, bear witneſ… to the exceſſe; but if I hav… ſpoken the truth, why am … ſmitten?
As for the truth of wha… I have ſpoken, let the annexed Teſtimonies of ſo many Reverend and godly Divines, with other authentique witneſſes bear record: as alſo thoſe many others that might be produced both in City and Countrey, who had the happineſſe to be privy and conſcious to her walk and courſe I may truly ſay ſhe had a good report of all men, 3 Joh. 12.and of the truth it ſelfe. Now whether in this Character given of this worthy Christian, I have been acted by a ſpirit of flattery, or a deſire to do good; Yea, whither ſo much to honour the dead, as to provoke the living to an holy emulation of like ſtrictneſſe, and heavenly Converſation, the Searcher of hearts knoweth, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkneſs, 1 Cor. 4.5.and make manifeſt the Counſels of the hearts; and then ſhall every man have the praiſe of God.
Reader, how much more honour and comfort will it be in that day to be a follower of what thou readeſt then a Judge, I leave to thine own conſcience to determine: The Lord give thee to profit by this, and other the inſtances of his grace, which is the prayer of him, who is
Thine in the ſervice of the Goſpel. Tho. Caſe.