A Love-Token for Mourners, Sermon 2 – To the reader 2
ALl that I have said hath been (though not onelyonly) yet principally to you that are most … concerned, I desire …o take out my part in the lesson, who I am sure have as great a part in the stroke, as anyone that stands at such a distance. The losse of a true friend may very well be called an affliction; such an one I am sure I have lost in her. God knows, my heart …icks close to this place, …nd now he cals me ano…her way: seeing my di…emper, he hath made the brest bitter that I sucked upon, by the losse of divers friends, which did divide my spirit. The Lord teach me to be dumb and silent. And I hope you will all recollect your selves, and give God the Glory of your quiet submission, now he cal… you to it by this sharp affliction. Do not keep the wound too long open, le… you prejudice the Cure▪ It will be your glory to own the Soveraignty Wisdome, Justice and Faithfulnesse of God i… what he hath done, so to give him his glory.
Probably now it may be expected by some, tha… I should raise a Pillar to preserve her memory whom we have now …ought to her dust. But … do not use it, and she …oth not need it. God …ath undert…ken to pre…erve the memory of the …ust. And I think hers may very well be trusted with his undertaking. But …f I do say any thing, it …ust be this, I have known her some years since she … married, and been received into the room of a friend, which hath given me advantage to be better acquainted with her temper, disposition and beha…iour, then some others were.
She was but young, yet of very considerable natural parts. She had a pregnant and a ready wit, and in my opinion a good sobe… judgement, which enable… her to distinguish of person… and things, with commendable discretion.
She was of a cheerful… disposition, but inoffensively pleasant for ought … ever saw. And this was a great advantage to her self, and to her relations, both those that were below, and those that were above her. I think she seldom… caused sadnesse or …quietnesse to any in the family by her …ullennesse or peevishnesse. For my part, I scarce ever saw her discontent; this is more I am sure then a great many families can say, who labour sadly under the burthen of the wives or …stresses sting. There are …o many houses where the … drops through.
She was very affable and …tteous towards all sorts, … to those that were … inferiours, as well as …, and such as were … her degree, therein …serving the Apostles …, Rom. 12. 16. Conde…end to them that are of … estate. Not onelyonly …thers abroad, …ut her …ervants enjoyed the benefit of this; I have one in the family that will … his part, and I am confident will sadly lament …he losse. Though but a …oman, yet she was (which … more then is ordinarily …ound in her Sex) a woman …f a gallant spirit, …hat did not use to quitch o… grumble for a little, but would carry great burthe… with an high Courage. Ordinary things she mad… nothing of, and but a little of those that were more then ordinary. She hath been put upon that by reason of the indisposition of her body, for … the birth of her conception, which I believe few women have known. Three times with childe, and her childre… brought to the birth, bu… never delivered by th… ordinary helps that othe… women have; yet th… first did not discourage … for the second, nor th… second for the last. I believe her experience made her the more serious, but … think did not abate her Courage; when she was …nder the sharpest of her …ins, I have not heard that ever she was put beyond the glory of her p…tience. Her friends that were with her were more dispirited with her sufferings, then she was that bore all the pain of those sufferings, which did so shake her friends. And yet though she suffered so much, she was not apt to talk of her sufferings, or boast of her Courage, she was magnanimous, but modest with it.
For her relations, I have only known her since she was a wife, and therefore cannot so well speak of what she was when she was under the tuition of her Parents, yet I am sure I have heard him that survives, her Father, give her a very good testimony, and I have often heard her expresse her self with a great deal of reverence and affection towards her Parents.
But for her relation as a wife, she deserves to be a patern to others. If she erred not in the excess, … think few hu…bands do… enjoy wives more full of love and sweetnesse, then her husband did. I confesse it was many times a pleasure to me to see how fresh and green the affections of both parties did continue. And certainly it was a perfume to the family, and kept all sweet.
I may not forget that she was of a charitable disposition towards the poor, especially where she heard there was grace as well as poverty. I know one that hath for a long …me laboured under weaknesse, of whom this dear friend of ours hath taken constant care since she heard of her, and to whom she hath sent of the best at her Table, and that usually before she put meat into her own mouth; And yet I doe not make this one the limit of her charity, it had … dimensions. Not to hold you longer, …hough that which I have …aid was very amiable in her, yet I hope I may say one thing more (through the Grace, and to th… Glory of God) and that is it, which is above all, and doth set off all the rest, viz. That she did give good Incouragement to my self, and those that knew her, to judge her to have the truth of Grace in her soul, to b… a living member of Jesus Christ. She was of … sweet and tractable disposition, willing to imbrace Instruction, and her soul did cleave in affection to those that she had more familiarity with, and were wont to afford her any lifts in her way to heaven. I can speak it experimentally of some that lived not farre from her, who upon this ground, became very dear to her.
And though I never … reason enough to question it, yet of late, I think, I have seen more reason to perswade me, that there was grace working with all those other eminencies that I mentioned.
This last year I have observed her much more intense about the businesse of Religion, and of her soul, then I had formerly observed, as if by a secret Instinct God had put her on to prepare for this change. She was very much in the M…ket, and besides the Shep…erds Tents, I mean waiting upon the Ordinances of Christ, and would not be kept off from Lectures and Fasts, when indeed her Condition considered (being at length very great) her going into crouds, and great Assemblies, did seem to threaten with some prejudice. I my self have sometimes disswaded her when she would not hear; though in another case I think she would hardly have refused my Counsel, particularly, at the Funerall Solemnities of that reverend and holy servant of Christ, of honoured Memory Mr Whitakers, she would not be kept away from hearing him whom she dearly loved, thoug… I think those that were present will say, it was a plac… and time of as much danger to a woman in her condition, as is usually seen. I beleeve God had pointed her spirit heavenward, and she tasted somewhat more in the waters of the Sanctuary, then she bad done, and this made her delight to sit down by those fountains.
I am sure this is her, dear Husbands complaint, that he hath lost her that was tenderly carefull of his soul, one that still called upon him to minde the things of Eternity, as the greatest concernments to be looked after.
She is now gone, in the birth of her last childe, she gave up the ghost. And now I hope she with her three sons, which were all living souls till they came to the birth, are magnifying and praising the God of their salvations, and singing Halelujahs unto Je…us the Prince of the Kings of the Earth, who loved them, and washed them in his bloud.
And for my part I cannot but look upon it as an …ffliction tempered with a great deal of mercy, that God had thus disposed. Had she lived and conceived Children every year (as she was likely) it is apparent she could never have brought forth her birth: And how sad would it have been as to her self, so to her friends to have been so often the witnesses of her misery without remedy!
I reckon it as the return of prayers. Since in nature it was rendred so impossible to bear children, that God hath taken her to himself, from the possibility of conceiving▪ and the misery of bringing forth any more Children. The Decree is accomplished, and now she and her Children, I hope, do sit and sing together.
FINIS.
AN ANTIDOTE against the Fear of DEATH.
Being the MEDITATIONS OF SAMVEL FISHER in a Time and Place of great Mortality.
LONDON, Printed by A. M. for T. Underhill at the Anchor in Pauls Church-yard, 16…5.
TO THE READER.
Good Reader,
LEST thou shouldst think thy bargain too hard in the former part, I do here cast thee in a vantage to make thee a Saver. In that which thou hast read I have endeavoured to shew thee the Improvement of the Consideration (of Gods doing) to make thee quiet under all Afflictions. In this which follows, I give thee an account of mine own Practice, how I dealt with mine own Soul to perswade it into good thoughts of Death. Death will come to thee and me, to shut up all at last. It will be good for us now and then to talk with our own Souls about it before it comes, that it may not be too grea… a stranger when it comes. I have begunne to thee, and if when thou hast read these poor Thoughts of mine, thou wilt suggest thine to me, they shall be welcome, I will blesse God, and give thee thanks. Two or three Friends that have seen these, have desired me to print them: I am not like to trouble the Presse again, and therefore I pray thee bear the trouble of them here.
Thine in the Lord S. F.