Faith and Experience, Approbation – To the reader
Decemb. 2. 1648.
I Have peruſed the precedent Diſcourſe of the Life and Death of a vertuous and godly Chriſtian, entitled Faith and Experience, and a Pious and profitable Sermon preached at the ſolemnizing of her Funerall, and approve them both very worthy the Printing and Publiſhing,
Iohn Downame.
FAITH & EXPERIENCE: OR, A ſhort Narration of the holy Life and Death of Mary Simpſon, late of Gregories Pariſh in the City of NORVVICH: Who dyed, Anno 1647. In or about the thirtieth yeare of her age, after 3 yeares ſickneſſe and upwards.
CONTAINING A Confeſſion of her Faith, and Relation of her Experience, taken from her owne mouth.
To which is added, A Sermon preached at her Funerall, upon Rom. 14. 6, 7.
By John Collings, M. A.
Phil. 1. 23.
For I am in a ſtrait betwixt two, having a deſire to depart, and to be with Chriſt, which is far better.
Ver. 21.
For to me, to live is Chriſt, and to dye is gaine.
LONDON, Printed for Richard Tomlins, and are to be ſold at his houſe at the Signe of the Sun and Bible in Pye-corner 1649.
To the Glory of her Sex, AND Excellency of her AGE, The truly Noble and Vertuous Gentlewoman, Mrs Philip Hobart, daughter to Sir John Hobart, Knight and Baronet, late of NORFFOLKE.
Nobleſt Lady,
IF it were nothing but the daily Engagement I ſtand in to that root of which you are a branch, and to your ſelfe as a Member of this Family, It were enough I truſt, to claime a pardon for this Dedication, and I might rather ſeeme to deſerve a check for my ſo long negligence, than my preſent preſumption: But the ſutableneſſe of the ſubject in theſe ſheets, is ſuch, that I dare be confident, you will be pleaſed not only to patronize but alſo practiſe it, in what you ſee it yet leading you further to perfection. It holds out unto you a precious Example of one that began ſo ſoone to live to God, that ſhe is already living with him. (Lady) It is a record of the life and death of one (not unknown in her latter dayes unto you) one far below you in reſpect of birth, and greatneſſe, while ſhe was here, but infinitely more above you now: And of one, who (I dare ſay) thirſted not ſo much afrer your greatneſſe then, as you doe after her grace and glory now. What vanities are the excelling things of this life? They have a ſcantneſſe in their fulneſſe, a glut in their enjoyment, and a ſhort time to live. The greateſt riches is in the trueſt poverty, and to be nothing is to be moſt. I am confident (Nobleſt Lady) that you have in ſome meaſure learned, not to call the Proud, Bleſſed; nor think that true happineſſe conſiſts in worldly greatneſſe. It were ſweet if we could learne to eye the creatures as God eyes them, and judge them greateſt that are moſt gracious. How the world valued this deceaſed Saint, I know not: Sure I am it was done unto her, as God uſeth to do to them whom he delighteth to honour. Why ſhould not we look as God looketh? and not judge the Peacocke better meat than the Partridge becauſe he hath gayer feathers. Read here (Noble Lady,) the love Chriſt beares to his Lambs, and learne from hence, what it is to ſeeke the Lord early. How many of Gods precious ones, attaine not ſo much peace in threeſcore, as ſhe had in thirty yeares? We uſe to ſay, more worke is done in two houres in the morning, than in the reſt of the day; She ſet out early to ſeek him, and ſhe quickly found him whom her ſoule loved. She quickly redeemed her loſt time, becauſe ſhe had not loſt much. A young Saint, and an old Devill, is Satans ſlander of the way of the Lord, which (the Wiſe man ſaith) is ſtrength to the upright. Learne hence alſo (Nobleſt Lady) the benefit which you will in time reap from your begun practice of ſeeking the Lord in ſecret. How often did this removed Saint meet with God, when ſhe was alone in the Mount? God ſpeaks his mind more freely to us, and ſo we may alſo do to him, when he and we are alone. Let thoſe whoſe God is their pleaſure, or belly, ſpend the time in painting and dreſsing, which you are better ſpending in ſeeking the face of him who will be found of them that ſeek him. You will find your face will ſhine more than theirs; and what but this hath made it already to doe it? I cannot but thankfully admire the goodneſſe of God, which hath already ſo taken off your Infant-yeares from the Vanities of youth, and I truſt fully perſwaded you of the truth of that which the world cals Hereſie, That thoſe are most excellent, who are moſt holy. The follies of dreſſes and paints, and dances, are ſo far under Religion, that they are below a ſpirit that is but truly Noble: And I (rejoyce to ſay it) below yours. (Lady) we are not ſent hither to eat and drinke, and riſe up to play; we needed not a rationall ſoule for ſuch ſenſuall emploiments. You will (yea I dare ſay you have) found more ſweetneſſe in an houre ſpent with God, than in many ſpent in ſuch company as doe no good, and ſuch diſcourſes as adminiſter no grace to the hearers. Purſue Intereſts and deſignes, as Noble as your ſpirit is: remember alwayes that it is a deſigne too baſe for a divine ſoule to purſue Creature-Contentments. Why ſhould we court the world that is made for our ſervant? and wait upon a vanity, that will Weary us to ſerve it, but never ſatisfie the expectation of them that purſue it? Goe on (Rarest Jewell) to make Religion your buſineſſe, and above all, be much in ſeeking God: You have the key of Heaven if you have but the gift and grace of praying. Let it be your deſigne now as much to excell the Saints as it hath been hitherto to excell the companions of your age; purſue it as your worke to get as much love from Chriſt, as you have honour from the witneſſes of your accompliſhments. Let not your ambition reſt in indearing your ſelfe to creatures; but as you are already the crowne of your noble Parents, and the honour of thoſe that labour for your ſoule: ſo ſtill goe on, and reſt not till you be a jewell ſet in Chriſts diademe. As you have been a Noble Example to this Family, in teaching them, it is no diſhonour to learne the Principles of Religion, (by which as I dare ſay your humilitie hath excelled the moſt of your Equals (if not in age yet in greatneſſe) who too uſually can be content to be ignorant ſo no body knowes it) So you have alſo diſcovered more perfection of Knowledge at thirteen, than the moſt can boaſt of at threeſcore. So now haſte on to perfection, and labour to excell as gloriouſly in a ſtrict walking with God. Remember (Nobleſt Lady) thoſe that walke neareſt the Sun have moſt light and heate: Perfect the joy of your Noble ſurviving Parent. And to this end, Let me humbly crave that you would continue to make the word a light unto your feet, and a lanthorne to your paths. Let your eyes be often upon it, and let it be Sit tibi vel oratio aſſidua, vel lectio, nunc cum deo loquere nunc deus tecum, ille te praeceptis ſuis inſtruat, ille diſponat, quem ille divitem fecerit, nemo pauperem faciet. Cypr. in Ep. 1. ad Donatum. p. 9.your Eye. Saint Hierome praiſeth Marcella (a godly woman of his age) that he could never come to her, but ſhe was asking him ſomewhat about the Scripture, and had ſo high an opinion of her, that he ſayes if himſelfe had any doubt, he would aske her judgement. O let not much reading there be a wearineſſe to your fleſh! They are Gods Counſels, and may well be our Counſellors. Walke with God in their light, write your lines by that rule. Read often, and with judgement, alwayes carrying your heart with your eye: You will find a glory, a majeſty, a myſtery, a depth in thoſe lines, which you will never be weary of fadoming, though you ſhall never be able to find the bottome. I here preſume to offer to your hands an Example, which I am ſure your goodneſſe cannot deſpiſe for the meanneſſe of it; She is now more Noble than you, and in this happier, that ſhe hath alreadie been in Heaven a yeare before you. (Nobleſt Lady,) your opportunities are more; your talents of Time, and Parts, are greater. Outſtrip all Examples, and goe on to be as unparallel'd a preſident of holineſſe to others, as you are of other Excellencies. Now the God of Grace fill you with his fulneſſe, and be unto you both in life and death advantage, and preſerve you, the crowne of your ſurviving Noble Parent, the Glory of your Sex, the Comfort of your Noble friends, the continuer of the Religious name of your Family, and the joy of his Saints: Which is and ſhall be the continued prayer of him, who is ambitious to be accounted,
Nobleſt Lady, Your moſt humbly obliged. and devoted ſervant in the Lord Jeſus, JOHN COLLINGS.
TO THE Chriſtian READER.
Reader,
THeſe ſheets are partly my owne, and partly anothers: For that part of them that is not my owne, it is a Relation of the precious Life, and Death, of one that was lately Ours, but both then, and much more now Chriſts. The Relation was brought to my hands many Moneths ſince, but my crowd of occaſions hindred me from peruſing of it. I ſhall now give thee a true account of it: The Relation was penn'd from her mouth by a faithfull friend, nor have I injured her or thee in the tranſcribing of it, having only rank'd the Articles of Confeſsion in ſuch order as I conceived moſt ſutable, and made a ſupply ſometimes both there and in the Relation, of a word or two, where was ſome defect through the neglect, or miſtake (poſsibly) of the first Pen-man; and in ſome places where her phraſe (though ſafe if ſafely underſtood) was more dark & ſubject to ambiguitie, I have given thee her ſenſe in a clearer and leſſe ambiguous terme. I will aſſure thee, I have neither added nor ſubſtracted any …hing (which I conceive) materiall. For what is mine in theſe ſheets, It is a ſhort Copy of a Sermon at her Buriall, it was compoſed in a ſhort time, and tranſcribed with as much haste. I had rather profit thee by plainneſſe than tickle thee with exactneſſe: I am ſure the Sermon hath rather loſt than got by keeping in my Study. I was willing for thy good to let it wait upon her memorie, who while ſhe lived, we were all ſo much beholden to. The plainneſs and meanneſſe of the Sermon will tell thee (I hope) I ſend it not to thee to beg Honour, but to ſerve thy ſoule in the meaneſt place. Reader, thou haſt here a Sermon proved by a freſh Experience. O adde another Proofe, requite my paines by letting the truth delivered have a witneſse in thy boſome. Beleeve it Reader, thou haſt before thy eyes, in theſe ſheets, a Rule, and a Preſident. It is Gods word to thy ſoule, Goe thou and doe likewiſe. If thou readeſt the Relation, thou wilt ſee what is got by ſeeking God early, to what a pitch of grace a Saint may reach; the right frame of a ſober Goſpellſpirit, the picture of a Saint. If thou readeſt and gaineſt nothing, thank thy owne baſe heart. Here's a deſcription of a true Chriſtian, a ſight of him, in a Copy, and a Picture. Certainly ſomething may be got for thy and my ſouls profit from either. If thou gaineſt any thing, bleſſe thy God, and pray for him, who is,
Norwich, Nov. 20. 1648. Thine in the Lord Ieſus, JOHN COLLINGS.
Faith and Experience.
A ſhort Explanation of her ſelfe, concerning divers Articles of Faith; eſpecially ſuch as are moſt fundamentally neceſſarie to ſalvation: Taken from her owne mouth.