Two Funeral Sermons, Title page – Dedication
PAVLS DESIRE OF Diſſolution, AND DEATHS ADVANTAGE.
A SERMON PREACHED at the Funerall of that right vertuous and religious Gentlewoman Mrs Rebekka Criſp, togither with the Teſtimonie then giuen vntounto her.
By T. G. B. of D.
LONDON, Printed by Edward Griffin for William Bladen, and are to be ſold at his ſhop at the ſigne of the Bible, neere the great North dore of Paules. 1620.
TO MY LOVING VNKLE Mr NICOLAS CRISP, AND TO MY KIND COSENS Mrs Rebekka Stroud, Mrs Anne Skelton, Mrs Eſter Whitaker his Daughters, with the reſt of that Familie; happy imitation of the holy deceaſed both in Life, and in Death.
MY right deere, and deſeruedly beloued Allies; finding among my looſe papers the notes of that Sermon that I made at the enterrement of that bleſſed Saint, lately wife to the one, and mother to the reſt of you, collected and transſcribed not long after at the requeſt of ſome of you for your owne priuate vſe and benefit: I thought it would not be amiſſe to make it more publike; (the rather for that diuers ſeemed to deſire it) and to adde vntounto it the teſtimonie then truly and vponupon good ground giuen vntounto her: partly for the propagating and perpetuating of the memory of ſo worthy a ſeruant of God, and partly alſo and more principally for the enciting and egging on of others, of that Sex eſpecially, to the imitation of her.aforeign Ariſto…. ethic. l. 10. c. 1. Exempla maximè mouent. Cic. de orat. lib. 3. Validiora ſunt exempla quàm verba, & plen…us opere d…cetur quàm vcce. Leo ſerm. de ieiun. Good Examples (as the Heathen man obſerueth) are of great force; and are therefore (not without cauſe) ſo frequently propoundedb1. Cor. 11. 1. Epheſ. 5. 1, 2. Phil. 3. 17. Hebr. 12. 1, 2. & 13. 7. Iam. 5. 10. in Gods word.cLongum eſt iter per praecepta: breue & …fficax per exempla. Sen. epiſt. 6. They preuaile oft more then precepts. Precepts ſhew vsus what we ſhould do: Examples goe further, and ſhew vsus how we may doe it; anddHoc plus valent exempla, quod fieri poſſe docent quod factum eſt. Sermo quidam vinus & efficax exemplum operis eſt, facilè perſuadens quod intendimus, deum factibile probat eſſe quod ſ…ademus. Bern. de reſurr. ſer. 2. Ex aliorum factis fieri poſſ… credunt, quod forte, dā putant non fieri poſſe, pigreſcunt. Aug. epiſt. 134. Adiuvari ſe exemplie exoptat humana infirmitas, quo facilius ipſa etiam nunc faciat, quae ali… feciſſe ante cognoſcat. Saluian. ad eccleſ. cath. l. 3. that the things enioyned vsus may be done of vsus, becauſe they hauehave been done by others*foreign Iam. 5. 17. Lege Bern. ſerm. de Martino. like our ſelues before vsus: and ſo they take away that obiection of impoſsibilitie, as if that were required of vsus, that could not be done, or that none before vsus euer did. Againe, as Examples in generall are vſefull; ſo Examples of this Sex are in ſome reſpect of the twaine the more needfull. That Popiſh conceit ſticketh ſtill in the mindes of many; that knowledge and booke-learning is for great Clarks onelyonly; meane men, and women much more then, hauehave no neede of it, neither indeed can attaine vntounto it. Yet God telleth vsus that they musteIerem. 31. 34. all know him from the higheſt to the loweſt, fIohn 17. 3.whom he ſheweth mercy vntounto in the remiſsion of their ſinnes. And ſurely, if to know God in Chriſt be life eternall; thengSi cognitio Dei vita aeterna, tum ignorantia Dei mors aeterna. Bern. in Cant. to be ignorant of him, cannot be, or bring but eternall deſtruction. Beſides thathGalat. 3. 28. foreign. Baſil. Sel. hom. 2. Chriſtianitie maketh no diſtinction of Sex. i1. Tim 2. 15. foreign Clem Alex. Paed…g l. 1. c. 4.The ſame common ſaluation is propounded to both Sexes:kforeign Baſil. the ſame meanes of attayning it are likewiſe common to either.lAct. 4. 12. 1. Cor. 11. 11. No ſaluation to man or woman but by Chriſt:mMark. 16. 16. John 3. 16. no intereſt in Christ but by Faith,n1. Tim. 2 15. Iohn 11. 27. 2. Tim. 1. 5. exacted therefore of either: andoRom. 10. 14, 17. foreign. Clem. Alex. ſtrom. l. 5. foreign. Marc. de lege ſpir. 102. Indiget fides cog…iti…ne, ſicut & cognitio indiget fide: neque enim eſſe poteſt ſides ſine cognitione, ne que eſt cognitio aliquid ſine fide. Theodor. de cur. Graec. aff. l. 1. no Faith without knowledge, the maine ground-worke of Faith. Now as there is a neceſsitie of knowledge, faith, feare of God, and other ſpirituall graces in either, ſo there is no impoſsibilitie of attaining them, and ſome good meaſure of them, vntounto either. Examples of the weaker Sex apparantly prouing this, are in that regard the more effectuall; for that, as they ſhame men, if they come ſhort of ſuch, ſo they giuegive women incouragement to contend, and good hope to attaine vntounto, what they ſee others of their Sex hauehave before them by like contending attained. But domeſticall examples are of all other the moſt powerfull. And therefore whatſoeuer effect this ſhall hauehave with others, it ought in ſpeciall manner to preuaile with you, who had ſo ſpeciall intereſt in her, whoſe memorie is ſo ſacred with all thoſe that here knew her, and who were continuall eye-witneſſes of thoſe her gratious parts and godly courſes, which most others had in part onelyonly by heare-ſay. And doubtles that is the greateſt honour we can doe to our religious Aunceſtors deceaſed, if we endeuour ſo to reſemble them in good…s and godlineſſe, that by our religious courſes and cariage we may be knowne to hauehave come of them, and they may ſeeme to ſurviue in vsus. The manner of her end, ſo ſweet, ſo cheerefull, ſo comfortable, ſhould the rather encite you hereunto, that, if you deſire to finde that comfort then that ſhe did, and to giuegive that comfort to others, that you had then in her, you take that courſe that you ſaw ſhee did, lay a ſure foundation in life for comfort in death, and be continually building vponupon it when it is once ſurely laid. Now that this weake worke may a litle at leaſt further you therein, he vouchſafe to grant, whoſe power appeares in our weakneſſe, and who by weake meanes is able to effect weighty matters: To his bleſsing, I commend both you and it, and ſo rest
Your louing Coſen Tho: Gataker.