The Honor and Happiness of the Virtuous Woman, Title page – Dedication
THE Honour and Happineſs OF THE VERTUOUS WOMAN; More eſpecially Conſidered in the two Relations Of a Wife and Mother. Meditated upon the lamented Death OF Mrs. Elizabeth Hirſt, the Vertuous Conſort of Grove Hirſt, Eſq Who departed this Life, July 10. 1716. In the 35 Year of Her Age.
By BENJAMIN COLMAN, Paſtor of a Church of CHRIST in Boſton. N.E.
Boſton: Printed by B. Green. 1716.
To my Honoured Friend, GROVE HIRST, Eſq
SIR,
IN a tender Sympathy with You, as becomes my Paſtoral Relation and that particular Friendſhip you favour me with on the beſt Accounts, I was naturally led into the following MEDITATION, upon the Death of your Excellent & Gracious Conſort. As GOD has bleſs'd you with many Lovely Children by Her, ſo few MOTHERS have better anſwer'd the Character of Solomons rare & Invaluable Vertuous Woman, or more Merited that her Children ſhould riſe up & call Her Bleſſed I know how dear her Memory will ever be unto you, nor need you Praiſe her to them that know her. I wiſh your Children, who are too Young almoſt to know their loſs, may as they grow up Inherit & Exhibit a double Portion of Her Gracious Spirit.
Remember (Sir) how happily you have liv'd together, Her comfortable End, and how well She finiſh'd; and Support your Self on the Bleſſed Hope of a Joyful Meeting again, never to part more.
I wiſh you all that Increaſe of Wiſdom & Grace you need, (which is very much, and which only GOD the Father of Lights can Supply you with) whereby you may bear Exemplarily and improve Religiouſly the preſent Providence, do your double Duty to your tender Brood, who have loſt the other warm Wing they us'd to gather under, and ſtill go on to diſcharge Faithfully the Duties of your Publick Truſts, to the Honour of GOD and the Good of your Country.
Mrs. HIRST has made no ſmall Addition to the Honour of Her Family, and to the Name of SEW ALL; And now what living Pattern of profound Reſignation to the Will of GOD in Her Death, can I ſo Properly and Decently commend to You, or can You with equal Pleaſure and Reverence deſire to learn of, as that which Her own FATHER (the Honourable Judge SEW ALL) has been Enabled by the Grace of GOD to give You? I pray GOD to teach All that are Related that Difficult but Neceſſary and Reaſonable Leſſon, and to Sanctifie their Bereavement to their Spiritual and Everlaſting Advantage.
And may GOD pleaſe to add to the many Bright Examples of Sincerity and true Devotion, which are to be found thro' the Town both of Elder and Younger Women, and make them more in Behaviour as becometh Holineſs: Particularly may He pleaſe ſo to Adorn that Church whereof the DECEASED was ſo great an Ornament.
I am SIR, Your moſt Obliged Friend and Unworthy Paſtor, BENJAMIN COLMAN. Boſton, July 16. 1716.