Funeral Sermon for Elizabeth Foxcroft, Half title – Dedication
Mr. Foxcroft's Sermon On the DEATH of His MOTHER.
A SERMON Preach'd at Cambrige, After the Funeral OF Mrs. Elizabeth Foxcroft, Late Wife of Francis Foxcroft Eſq Who died there, July 4th. 1721. In the 57th Year of Her Age.
With an ADDITION, chiefly referring to Her Death: Alſo a Funeral POEM of the Reverend Mr. John Danforth.
By T. F. One of the bereaved SONS.
Ruth 3.11.
All the City of my People doth know, that Thou art a virtuous Woman.
Pſal 22.10.
Thou art my God from my Mother's Womb.
Pſal 86.16.
O give thy Strength to Thy Servant, and ſave the Son of Thine Handmaid.
2 Tim. 1.3, 5.
I thank God, — when I call to Remembrance the Unfeigned Faith, which dwelt firſt in thy Grand-mother, and in thy Mother.
Proh! Quales Foeminas habent Nov-Angli!
BOSTON in New-England: Printed by B. Green, for Samuel Gerriſh, at his Shop nigh the Firſt Brick Church. 1721.
ERRATA.
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TO The Honourable FRANCIS FOXCROFT Eſq
SIR,
I Have preſum'd, without Your Leave, to inſcribe to your Name the following DISCOURSE, (for the Subſtance preached in Your Hearing, but now publiſh'd with ſome Enlargements & Additions,) which I hope You will eaſily excuſe, when You conſider how naturally I was led into this Dedication. Notwithſtanding the Meanneſs of the Compoſure, yet (the Subject being ſo grateful to You) You were pleas'd to order it to the Preſs; herein imitating good Jacob, who erected a Monument on his beloved Rachels Grave, as a Teſtimony of His Reſpect to Her, and to be a ſtanding Memorial of Her Life and Death. And it is in obedience to Your Command, (as well as at the Requeſt of others, and (to ſpeak the Truth) in purſuance of my own Inclinations,) that this Sermon …. And ſince It comes abroad under Your Patronage, I need not make any manner of Apology for expoſing it to public View; altho' I imagine my ſelf not unfurniſht with ſufficient Excuſes both for Preaching and Printing on ſuch an Occaſion. It wou'd be Enough to ſay, I have good Example for it in many Inſtances, as well Ancient as Modern. Some Expoſitors (as one obſerves‖Dr. Mather's Ornaments for the Daughters of Zion. p. 6.7.) judge, that the Deſcription of a Virtuous Woman, in the laſt Chapter of the Proverbs, is Solomons Reciprocation in the praiſe of his incomparable Mother Bathſhebah: having firſt recorded ſome of her wiſe Sayings and godly Counſils, (The Prophecy which his Mother taught Him,) He proceeds, ('tis Thought,) in a grateful ſenſe of his Obligations to Her, and in Honour to her Memory, to draw her Character, and give an Encomium of Her, which wou'd remain on durable Record, after the moſt laſting Marble Statues ſhou'd be crumbl'd into Duſt. And You may have read how Nazianzen, and Auſtin have celebrated Their Mothers Names, and handed them down to Poſterity with great Honour. You may remember alſo that the noble Romans of old have ſometimes beſtow'd the Reſpect of a Funeral Oration on Their virtuous Mothers; & this under the favourable Umbrage of the Public Authority, which decree'd ſuch Honour to Them. And many worthy Examples of freſher Date (and ſome among our ſelves) might be produced; as well as other Arguments offer'd in Juſtification of what I have done to contribute a little towards embalming the Name of my ever honour'd and truly memorable Mother. But the Thing carries it's own Vindication: It being a juſt Tribute to her known Deſerts; a proper Expreſſion of Filial Duty; An Acknowlegement due to our aſcended LORD, who has given ſuch Grace, and ſo many Excellencies to a frail Woman; and a Service to the Church of CHRIST, as it may provoke a laudable Imitation in others, to conſider the Account that is given (thô very imperfectly) of her holy Life & Death; in both which She was ſo conſpicuous & eminent a Pattern, whereby, tho' dead, She ſpeaks to the Inſtruction of Survivors.
HER Memory, I know, SIR, needs not the Help of my Sermon, or any Thing elſe, to make it Perpetual with You. Her Perſon & Character were too pretious to You to be eaſily forgotten; and your Thoughts too deeply impreſt by her Death, to ſuffer the melancholy Reſentments of your afflictive Loſs to deſert You ſoon. You knew her Worth too well, and will feel your Want of Her too much, ever to need a Remembrancer. And thô I am abundantly ſenſible of the Greatneſs of your Loſs and the Deepneſs of your Wound; yet my Relation has made Me as unfit to offer any Lines of Comfort or Words of Counſil to You on this ſad Occaſion. Your own Meditations can furniſh You with ſufficient Matter both of Conſolation & Direction.
SIR, I can't but take a juſt Opportunity here to ſay, What Reaſon We have to adore the Divine Goodneſs in Prolonging to Us the Enjoyment of ſo valuable a Parent: and what a double Satisfaction 'tis to Me, that while I am dropping my Tributary Tears over a Deceaſed Mother, I can by this Addreſs make my public Acknowlegements to a living Father; who was by unweary'd Kindneſs, and great Care in our Education, laid us under all poſſible Bones of Love & Gratitude.
MAY GOD ſtill lengthen out your Life, reſtore & confirm your Health, comfort you and help you ſtill to glorify Him in all your Tribulation, increaſe your Uſefulneſs in the Poſt of Honour and publick Service you ſuſtain, and take you ſafe (thô late) to the Place of perfect Purity, Peace and Joy; whither our dear Mother (who was ſo much the Staff of your Hands, as well as the Deſire of your Eyes) is gone before you!
MAY the SPIRIT of Grace make Us (and our Children) Ornaments to your Name, and Heirs of Your & Her Wiſdom, Faith, Holineſs, and Uſefulneſs: that ſo We may all at laſt Meet again at the right Hand of CHRIST, and ſpend a bleſſed Eternity together in our Maſters Joy! And now I pray GOD bleſs the following Papers, devoted to His Glory, the Honour of the Dead, and the Uſe of the Living; and make them ſerviceable to the good Ends, for which They are ſincerely deſign'd by
Honored Sir, Your moſt Dutiful, Tho' Afflicted Son, THOMAS FOXCROFT Boſton, Aug. 23. 1721.