,transcribed from the #afig ,walter ,kettilby edition by ,david ,price1 email ccx#jgdpglaf4org4 ,many thanks to ,kensington and ,chelsea local studies for finding this in their archive and allowing it to be transcribed4 ,picture3 ,front page of pamphlet ,a ,funeral ,sermon ,,preach',d ,,on ,,the ,decease of the ,right ,honourable ,the ,,lady ,elizabeth ,cutts1 ,late ,wife of the ,right ,honourable ,the ,,lord ,cutts1 ,on the #eth of ,december1 #afig4 at ,kensington ,church4 99 99 99 99 99 ,by ,william ,wigan1 ,chaplain in ,ordinary to ,his ,majesty1 and ,vicar of ,kensington4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,london1 ,printed for ,walter ,kettilby1 at the ,bishop's- ,head in ,s4 ,pauls ,church-yard1 #afig4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,funeral ,sermon ,preached on the ,decease of the ,right ,honourable ,the ,lady ,elizabeth ,cutts4 99 99 99 99 99 ,numb4 xxiii4 v4 #aj4 latter part4 ,let me die the death of the ,righteous1 and let my latter end be like his4 ,,this ,lord's ,day being one of the ,sundays in ,advent1 wherein1 by ,order of the ,church1 we are put in mind of ,christ's second coming to ,judgment3 ,and it being also a day on which we are to partake of the ,holy ,sacrament1 shewing forth ,christ's ,death till ,he come again2 it might not be unseasonable on it to meditate also on our latter ends1 if so be we had not this special ,mournful occasion from the ,death of the ,honourable1 the ,vertuous1 and the ,religious ,lady ,cutts4 ,there is not indeed before your ,eyes one part of the outward doleful appearance usual at such ,solemn ,services3 ,to the ,monuments of her ,lord's ,ancestors1 to the place of their ,burial1 are removed the last earthly remains of that ,excellent ,person4 ,but tho that spectacle of ,mortality that object of ,true ,sorrow1 be not here present2 the want of it1 in order to create attention1 or the want of ,expressions suitable to her ,worth1 will 7it is hoped7 be supplied by your ,remembrance1 or rather ,view 7as it were7 of her so late presence in this ,congregation3 ,and by your knowledge of her ,religious ,deportment1 her ,exemplary ,devotion1 and ,holy ,life1 truly imitable by any who prepare for a better ,world4 ,and therefore1 as none1 who have the hope of ,christians1 but may wish they may pass their appointed ,time in the same regular1 modest1 and pious ,manner3 ,so1 tho ,her days were few 7in regard of what might have been expected1 and was by all who knew ,her1 earnestly pray'd for7 yet no ,christians but may wish that they may die the death of the ,righteous1 and that their latter end1 tho so sudden1 may be like ,hers4 ,therefore1 since these ,discourses are intended for the ,edification of the ,living1 and not for comfort1 or any advantage to the ,deceased1 vouchsafe seriously to consider1 how just an ,occasion1 and how lively an ,admonition all here have1 in this deplorable instance of the frailty of all ,humane ,satisfactions1 to mind their own latter end1 and to ,pray1 and provide that1 at any warning1 or without any1 they may be ready to obey ,god's summons1 and depart hence4 ,for1 ,who is there in this ,assembly1 of what ,condition1 or ,age soever1 that1 not ,weeks since1 might have expected survivance to this ,honourable ,person3 ,to whom1 as none but would have wisht1 so none but would have been ready to promise1 very many1 and very happy days4 ,but1 7so vain and brittle are all our confidences67 ,behold6 ,how soon is all the expectation of ,honourable ,families defeated8 ,how soon by a sudden stroke1 is ,health chang'd into ,sickness1 ,sickness into ,death1 and the hopes and joy for an ,heir1 into a double ,funeral8 ,how little have availed the respects of ,friends1 the ,honours and ,titles of the ,great1 the ,skill of the ,learned1 and the most unfeigned ,prayers of the nearest1 and most dear ,relations8 ,in the midst of all the contents of a ,high and ,noble ,condition1 the near ,promises of ,posterity1 the ,vigour of ,youth1 with the ,lustre of ,beauty1 and the esteem of all that honour'd such ,vertue1 ,goodness and ,piety4 ,how without any warning by an immediate command1 dust is return'd to dust1 and the ,spirit return'd to ,god who gave it4 ,since then we are all made of the same ,clay1 and know not how near our appointed change may be1 may we all prepare to give an account for what we have done in the ,flesh4 ,what is it then that will afford us ,true ,consolation1 while we look on the frail estate of our ,bodies1 or the guilt of our ,souls8 ,what will support us when we behold the ,pit which may soon gape for us8 and when our selves shall stand on the brink of ,eternity8 ,what is it will enable us to endure the thoughts of having our ,bones crumbl'd to dust1 and of our ,souls appearing before the ,judgment ,seat of the ,great1 the ,living ,god8 ,we see how far all that is valued in this ,world1 can go1 ,the ,wealth1 the ,pomp1 the splendor of ,attendance1 the kind offices of ,friends1 and the ,tears of dearest ,relations1 accompany what is ,mortal but to the mouth of the ,grave2 and then1 the ,body once so cherisht1 adorn'd1 and honour'd is committed to the ,earth1 to silence and putrefaction4 ,but yet1 7blessed be ,god17 by whose just sentence all this comes to pass1 there have been in other ,ages1 and are in this1 very many ,christians1 who sensible of the weakness of their ,bodies1 and the stain of their ,natures1 of the terrors of ,death1 and the greater terrors of ,judgment after ,death2 have yet not only with ,patience waited for it2 but thro ,faith in the ,blessed ,jesus1 have earnestly long'd for their dissolution4 ,since then we cannot be so vain as to hope to live here for ever1 since we know1 that as ,generations have past3 so this ,generation shall pass away3 ,of all them who have gone before us1 whom would we chuse to be with8 with whole ,souls1 of all such whom we have read of1 or heard1 or knew1 would we venture to be in an ,eternal ,state8 ,we know that all the ,sons of ,men1 or all that profess the ,christian ,faith1 have not liv'd after the same manner3 ,as their ,faces1 their ,statures and ,conditions have differ'd2 so have their deeds been more unlike4 ,there have been such as have been1 and are yet1 ,children of disobedience1 have liv'd without ,god in the ,world1 as if they were sure to die as the ,beasts3 and there have been such1 who perswaded that their ,souls were ,immortal1 and that their ,bodies shall be raised again1 have serv'd and lov'd and prais'd ,god1 and persever'd faithful unto ,death4 ,into these two sorts all the sons of ,men are divided4 ,here they are not always to be distinguisht by us1 by what they act1 or by what they enjoy3 ,but wondrous will the difference be of their future conditions4 ,to all who are living1 and hear the ,word of ,truth1 ,god gives their choice which of these two sorts of ,men they will follow1 and hereafter be with them for ever4 ,which of these do we seriously think it wisdom to be in the number of8 whose ,lot would we covet8 would we be with them1 who have minded only temporal and sensual things3 or would we1 as this godly1 deceased ,person1 mind above all things a future ,eternal ,concern3 ,and wish each of us3 ,let me die the death of the ,righteous1 and let my latter end be like his4 ,these are the words of ,balaam1 a ,prophet1 hired by ,balak ,king of ,moab1 and brought up into the high places of ,baal1 that from thence he might curse the ,people of ,israel4 ,but ,god put different words into his mouth2 and by him pronounceth a ,blessing on them3 ,he foresees and foretels1 v4 #i4 ,that ,israel shall not dwell alone1 nor be reckoned among the ,nations3 ,that he shall increase in this ,world1 as the ,sand of the ,sea1 or the ,stars in ,heaven1 v4 #aj4 ,who can count the dust of ,jacob1 and the number of the fourth part of ,israel8 ,but1 ,however he is amazed at the prosperity of ,god's chosen ,people2 however he admires their multitudes1 or their strength1 beyond all that1 he sees somewhat that is far more desireable2 and wishes for himself a different ,blessing1 and such as is beyond all earthly advantages3 ,he prays not so much for the ,life1 as the ,death of a ,true ,israelite3 ,that is1 not only the easie and timely departure in a good old ,age1 which ,god promised to the ,sons of ,jacob1 if they kept his ,commandments2 but in a more mystical sence 7as some even ancient ,jewish ,interpreters explain it7 ,let me be as the ,righteous1 and where they are after ,life3 ,an ,heir of ,paradise1 and with them who shall not see the face of ,hell4 ,a very wise wish2 if that had been enough to make ,balaam happy3 ,but he loving the wages of ,unrighteousness1 forsook the right way1 and fell by the ,sword of the ,israelites1 ,numb4 #ca4 #h4 ,and may we not infer from ,s4 ,peter's warning us1 not to follow his way1 ,that he died not the death of the ,righteous4 ,the dumb beast rebuked the ,prophet3 ,and the ,prophet1 who possibly receiv'd no benefit from his inspired knowledge1 may yet by this wish1 instruct us3 we may therefore inquire why we may desire to die the death of the ,righteous1 and to have our latter end like his4 ,for death it self is far from being desirable3 ,and tho the rich will1 with the ,son of ,sirach1 cry out3 ,o death1 how bitter is the remembrance of thee1 to a man that liveth at ease1 and rest in his possessions2 to a man that hath nothing to vex him8 ,yet even the ,poor and the distressed1 and the most ,valiant cannot1 without some trembling in secret1 view it approaching2 even ,christ himself cryed out1 ,o my father1 if it be possible1 let this ,cup pass form me4 ,this dread is implanted in us 7among other reasons7 ,that we who groan under many ,evils and ,miseries1 7which make ,life often burdensom7 may indure to live1 till we are ordered to depart1 by him1 to whom alone belong the issues of ,life and ,death4 ,accordingly1 ,he who made1 hath past sentence on us4 ,it is appointed for all men to die3 ,no one hath been able to save himself1 or those whom he love2 tho he may have liv'd many years he shall see the ,grave1 and be gather'd to his ,fathers4 ,and yet tho this be most certainly known1 together with the uncertainty of the ,last ,hour3 yet few but are surpriz'd by it3 and if it give long warning1 it is fuller of ,terror1 the pains1 and the ruins of the ,body1 with the decay of the ,faculties of the ,mind1 together with the ,agonies that are long strugled with1 are more terrible than ,death it self4 ,and when the last moment is past1 how amazing is the change8 those ,persons who were so much courted1 or dreaded1 how must they say to ,corruption1 thou art my ,father1 and to the ,worm1 thou art my ,sister and ,mother1 when they go down to the bars of the pit1 when they rest together in the ,grave8 ,for our days are appointed1 beyond which we shall not go4 ,the ,light1 and whatever is joyous in it1 must be forsaken4 ,of all our ,furniture we shall take with us but a ,shrowd2 in all the ,world only for a while we shall have a few feet of ground3 ,our ,memory be forgotten1 and our ,place know us no more4 ,the ,righteous have no privilege or exemption4 ,original ,sin hath tainted all ,constitutions3 ,to it the best of ,men have added their own ,offences to make them more ,mortal3 ,their days are few1 and evil3 and they go to the house appointed for all the ,living4 ,for1 ,abraham is dead1 tho stiled the ,righteous ,man by ,god himself3 and the ,prophets where are they8 ,they are long since fallen asleep3 nay1 the ,son of ,god himself gave up the ,ghost3 ,he humbled himself to death1 even the death of the ,cross4 ,all his ,disciples have drunk of the same ,cup3 even the most beloved one1 the ,evangelist who lay in his bosom1 before his ,lords coming1 saw ,death4 ,and they of whom the ,world was not worthy1 were afflicted1 tormented1 slain with the ,sword4 ,since then the ,righteous die as the ,wicked3 since their days are few1 and often fewer3 since they even now suffer for righteousness sake3 and are1 many of them1 in the eye of the ,world1 most miserable3 since the same event happens to him that sacrificeth1 and to him that sacrificeth not1 why should we desire to die the death of the ,righteous1 and have our latter end like his8 ,the ,reasons for this ,wish are very weighty4 ,for1 ,i4 ,the ,righteous are best prepaid for death3 and1 ,,ii4 ,for what is to follow after ,death4 ,for1 ,however terrible the apprehensions of it may be to ,man1 as naturally as to other ,creatures3 ,yet1 ,he hath cause to be afraid of it for afarther reason4 ,for ,he dieth not as the ,beast4 ,death is not only a ,law of ,nature1 but it is the wages of sin4 ,and what we suffer is a part of that vengeance which is due to transgression1 and therefore it is a passage to a ,judgment that cannot be avoided1 and to a ,life that shall never end4 ,of this ,truth there are mighty presumptions3 from the great consent of ,nations 7who have been far from communicating their first notions to each other7 from the strength of ,evidence1 which in ,courts of ,justice relies on this ,belief1 from the appeals of oppress'd and injur'd ,persons to a future ,tribunal1 from the stings and remorse of ,conscience which they have felt and confest1 who have been guilty of heinous ,crimes1 and been above common ,justice3 and from the exceeding unwillingness to die1 which notorious sinners have exprest1 tho in pain and misery to others intolerable4 ,but since ,god hath in his holy ,word revealed the cause of our ,mortality3 and that there is another ,life1 and a second ,death1 as sure as there is a ,god that judgeth righteously2 so surely is the death of the ,righteous to be wisht1 and a latter end like his4 ,we know1 ,that the grace of ,god which bringeth ,salvation unto all men1 hath appeared in the world teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts1 we should live soberly1 righteously1 and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearance of the great ,god1 and our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,therefore1 since all must appear before his ,judgment ,seat1 to give an account for what they have done in the flesh3 ,what is the hope of the hypocrite1 and the unrighteous person1 tho he hath gained much1 when ,god taketh away his ,soul8 ,how is he prepared to meet his ,god8 ,the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed3 ,tho he may have sung rest often to his ,soul1 tho he may have eat1 and drunk and been exceeding merry1 yet when sadness1 usual in old age1 and the days draw on in which he finds no pleasure1 what comfort can he have1 if he look back on the time he hath past without ,god in the ,world1 or if he look forward on an incomprehensible ,eternity8 ,all his delights are vanisht away3 ,all for which he denyed ,god1 in his deeds1 hath forsaken him3 and then to mind him of his former joys1 is like to ,abraham's telling the ,rich ,man in ,hell1 across the ,gulf1 ,son1 ,remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things4 ,this ,admonition nearly resembles one of the ,torments of the fallen ,spirits1 the memory of whose former ,blessed ,estate inflames their anguish in the place of endless ,misery4 ,but if there be no comfort in looking back1 there is none for such a person1 when he shall hear the summons1 ,thou fool1 this night shall thy ,soul be required of thee8 ,then whose are all those things for which thou didst hazard thy ,eternal ,salvation8 ,then all that the impenitent ,soul can wish for1 is1 ,that1 7contrary to the misgivings of his ,heart1 and the ,word of ,god7 he may be blotted out of the ,book of ,life1 and he may sink into an ,abyss of ,oblivion4 ,who can express the astonishment of a ,soul1 which being on the confines of this and another ,world1 hovering on its trembling lips1 not able to stay1 and not daring to depart1 is yet sure to perish for ever1 if there be a ,register in ,heaven1 if there be a ,resurrection from the ,dead1 if there be a ,heaven and a ,hell8 ,surely when all the fruits and profits of ,sin are weigh'd against this extreme danger1 no ,christian will pray1 ,let me die the death of the wicked4 ,for1 7blessed be ,god7 tho he in the height of ,pride1 or during his eager pursuit of ,power and ,wealth1 may never think of his latter end1 or what is to follow it2 yet when by ,god's ,judgments on the ,earth1 or by his immediate ,visitation1 he sees he must die1 then without any ,hypocrisie1 he prays that he may be numbed with the children of ,god1 and that his lot may be among the ,saints4 ,some indeed of the ,heathens incourag'd themselves in their wicked ways1 by hearing that at their death a few worthy ,men among them question'd ,providence1 and counted ,vertue an empty name1 because they were overcome when they fought for a reputed good ,cause4 ,what would the insultings of sensual ,men over ,religion be1 if so many pious ,persons on their death-beds renounc'd as heartily their good ,works1 and ,faith in ,god1 as there have been1 and are wicked ,christians1 who abhor the remembrance of their past deeds of darkness8 of their rioting and drunkenness1 their chambering and wantonness1 their blasphemies1 and their enmity to the ,cross of ,christ8 ,how would the credulity of godly ,men be laugh'd at1 if as weighty and unsuspected ,witnesses1 deposed at their last gasp against the ,belief of the ,life to come1 and the ,joys of ,heaven2 as there are undeniable ,witnesses who depose against the ,lusts of the ,flesh1 the ,lusts of the ,eye1 and the ,pride of ,life8 assuring us that this world's ,pomp1 which so soon passeth away is not worth our utmost endeavours3 and that they are truly ,wise1 who mind the ,one thing that is necessary1 that which shall never be taken from them8 ,how often do we hear ungodly ,parents1 and others1 warn in their last ,sicknesses1 such as they love1 to avoid the reigning sins of the ,age1 as the road way to ,perdition2 and exhort them to follow ,holiness1 as they hope ever to see ,god3 ,for ,that will only bring ,peace at the last8 ,but they who are ,righteous before ,god1 when the time of their laying aside their ,tabernacles draws near1 they repent not of their past ,repentance1 nor adjure their ,children to abstain from like ,faith2 neither do they counsel them1 not to forego things present and temporal1 for those that are not seen1 for those that are ,eternal3 ,but on the contrary1 abounding in hope full of ,immortality1 they know it is best for them to be dissolved1 and to be with ,christ3 ,in those last moments 7so full of horror to others7 to the ,righteous their ,light increaseth3 ,they have ,peace which passeth all ,understanding1 and such ,joys1 as are foretasts of the bliss of ,eternity4 ,for1 ,who in that extremity can be animated with so well grounded a ,courage1 as he who is taught1 ,that being called by the ,grace of ,god to the ,knowledge of his ,will2 being confirmed in it by the operations of the ,spirit1 he is united by ,faith1 and participation in his ,holy ,sacrament1 to ,christ our ,head1 and knows therefore1 that through ,death his ,saviour hath destroyed him who had the power of death1 and deliver'd them1 who through fear of death1 were subject to bondage8 ,what other reasonings of seriousest minds have ever suggested such consolation as the ,scripture hath afforded to thousands1 in all ,ages1 whose ,love stronger than ,death1 relying on these precious ,promises1 hath made them more than ,conquerors1 through him that loved them8 ,are the ,arguments drawn from ,philosophy of equal force8 or have they had a like blessed effect8 ,such as these2 ,that what we suffer is the lot of all ,mankind3 ,that it is a ,decree that must be obeyed2 it is a debt1 a tribute due to ,nature2 an ,eternal ,sleep4 ,that therefore it is to no purpose to afflict our selves for what cannot be avoided3 ,that since all things must come to an end1 as the greatest ,persons1 so the noblest ,cities1 the best founded ,empires1 and even the ,world it self2 therefore ,men ought not to wonder that they are so frail1 nor murmur because they are so ,mortal8 ,how weak are these ,arguments in respect of such as we have from ,revelation1 which sheweth us1 ,that tho for our sins1 and our ,forefathers1 we are subject to ,pain1 ,misery and dissolution1 yet we are still under the ,eye of ,god1 who by sending his ,son to die for our sins1 and rise again for our justification1 hath declared1 ,that to them who are in ,christ ,jesus1 who walk not after the flesh1 but after the spirit1 there is no condemnation1 and that nothing shall be able to separate them from the love of ,god in ,christ ,jesus4 ,what also are the duties wherein a ,righteous ,man is to exercise himself1 and in doing of which he desires to end his days8 ,are they1 that are enjoyned by our ,holy ,faith1 such as he needs to be ashamed of1 whoever believeth his ,soul is ,immortal1 and that he must appear before a ,god infinitely ,just1 ,holy and ,almighty8 ,would any ,rational ,man wish that he may die1 denying the ,existence1 or the ,providence of a ,supreme ,being3 ,blaspheming his ,name1 or scoffing at his ,worship1 dishonouring his own ,parents1 or murdering his ,brethren1 defiling their ,bed1 or injuring their good ,name1 or their substance2 or will any one blush1 and have his ,heart reproach him in his last ,sickness1 for not having walkt in ,lasciviousness1 ,lusts1 excess of ,wine1 ,revellings1 ,banquetings and abominable ,idolatries8 ,will his ,conscience then upbraid him for not having devour'd the ,fatherless1 and ,widows ,houses1 which then are to be left behind1 to an ungrateful ,heir or a stranger8 or will he then ,pray1 ,may my ,soul be with them who have despised the ,preachers of ,righteousness1 and who are undone for ever1 if there be a ,judge of the ,living and the ,dead8 or rather will any one who is ,wise1 when his ,eyes are to be closed1 when his ,breath is departing1 and he must never more see this ,light2 then be exceeding glad1 if through ,god's ,grace1 his past ,life hath been a constant course of ,honest dealings towards all ,men1 7possessing his ,vessel in ,sanctification1 and his ,portion with content7 and of acts of ,humanity and ,charity to his ,brethren1 of ,reverence to his ,superiors1 and unfeigned ,devotion to his ,god8 ,and will he not then ,pray1 ,that he may be found not having his own ,righteousness which is of the ,law1 but that which is through ,faith of ,christ3 ,having the ,saviour of the ,world to intercede for him1 and to offer up the ,merit of his infinitely satisfactory ,death2 and so give up the ,ghost1 crying1 ,come ,lord ,jesus1 come quickly8 ,is not such a ,christian best prepar'd to leave this ,world8 ,who would not with ,balaam wish this end8 ,who would not die the death of the ,righteous8 ,,ii4 ,for the ,righteous are best prepar'd for what is to follow after death4 ,precious in the sight of the ,lord is the death of his ,saints3 ,it is but a passage to a far more desirable state4 ,they who depart hence disappear1 but are not lost2 ,they sleep1 but are not dead forever4 ,their ,spirits vanish not into soft ,air1 but are committed into his hands1 who is able to keep1 and will restore them faithfully to their ,bodies at the last day4 ,blessed then are they1 who having seen an end of their sufferings1 having laid aside their earthly ,houses1 in which being burden'd they groan'd1 shall then receive the end of their ,faith1 the ,salvation of their ,souls4 ,then they1 arriv'd in a safe ,haven1 in a place of ,everlasting ,rest1 shall with ,joy look back on what they have been deliver'd from1 and with amazement on what they are admitted to4 ,they shall bless the ,god and ,father of our ,lord ,jesus1 for freeing them from the ,tribulations and ,persecutions1 which they either long endur'd1 justly fear'd1 or from their ,heart pitied in their ,brethren3 then they shall no more tremble under the ,chastisements of a ,father1 or the ,judgments of an offended ,god3 ,then all ,tears will be wip'd away1 and all possibility of ,grief will cease4 ,then they shall no more labour under the burden of ,years1 or more grievous weight of ,sins3 ,they shall not cry out1 ,wo is me1 that my soul hath long dwelt with them that hate peace4 ,or1 ,o wretched man that ,i am1 who shall deliver me from the body of this death8 ,but then they shall see that their light ,afflictions which were but for a moment1 shall work for them1 a far more exceeding1 eternal weight of glory3 ,when the ,sun of ,righteousness shining on them1 shall make them shine as ,suns in the ,kingdom3 ,when they shall always be with ,christ1 and not see darkly as in a ,glass1 but face to face see ,god as he is1 who then will be all in all4 ,for the accomplishment of this hope1 the ,righteous wait1 looking into the ,grave without astonishment1 as seeing beyond that ,gulf1 the place where ,mortality shall be swallowed up of ,life3 ,and therefore when others tremble hearing of the ,worm that shall never die1 the ,fire that never shall be extinguisht1 and the dying that shall never end1 the true ,disciples of our ,lord incourage themselves with the assurance of their going into their ,countrey above1 and entring into a ,building1 not made with hands1 everlasting in the ,heavens3 ,that they shall be admitted into ,paradise1 where no tempter shall come1 no ,sin shall endanger their ,blessedness2 but they shall be with ,christ1 that they may behold and enjoy the ,glory to which ,god hath exalted him4 ,in this perswasion the ,primitive ,christians used at the ,funerals of ,martyrs and ,confessors1 with great joy to sing ,psalms and ,hymns of ,thanksgiving1 thereby shewing that they firmly believed that those ,servants of ,christ had received the ,reward of their ,sufferings3 ,they carried also ,lights burning before their ,corps1 as before ,conquerors1 blessing ,god for crowning departed ,saints with rays of the same ,glory wherein their ,redeemer shin'd2 and hoping that following the same steps1 they should partake of the same ,happiness4 ,but it is not only the blessed state of the ,souls of the ,righteous which makes their latter end to be desirable2 but that also of their ,bodies3 ,they1 tho committed to the ,earth1 tho laid in the ,dust1 rest in ,hope3 ,they do but wait for the sound of the ,trumpet of the ,archangel of ,god2 and then they shall be raised never more to see ,corruption2 when the hour shall come1 in which the ,grave shall give up its ,dead1 and the ,sea shall very faithfully give up its ,dead4 ,as certain as ,christ our first-fruits is risen1 as ,he the ,first-born from the ,dead1 7however once despised1 crucified1 committed to the ,sepulchre7 in his ,humanity is at the ,right ,hand of the ,father1 so certain will be the ,resurrection of all ,mankind3 ,the hour is coming in which all that are in their ,graves1 shall hear his voice1 and shall come forth3 ,they that have done evil to the ,resurrection of ,damnation1 and they that have done well to the ,resurrection of ,life4 ,this is the blessed conclusion of their ,days1 who for the ,merits of their ,saviour are accepted as ,righteous before ,god3 ,this ,death is surely to be desired1 and everyone from his heart may pray1 ,may my latter end be like his4 ,but if we would not have this prove a meer fruitless ,wish1 as it was to ,balaam2 if we would not have our desire1 like that of the sluggards1 kill us2 whoever long for the death of the ,righteous1 must live his ,life4 ,you have heard that his diseases1 or griefs1 or agonies in departure1 are not usually less1 or easier1 than those of other ,men3 ,but his ,peace of ,mind1 his ,joy in ,conscience1 his resignation to ,god's ,will1 and above all1 his ,faith in the blessed ,jesus1 7that by it being justified1 he shall also be glorified7 ,these make his latter end desirable4 ,imitate we then their ,conversation1 whose ,death we covet2 exercise we our selves to have a ,conscience void of ,offence towards ,god1 and towards ,man2 mortifying our ,corruptions1 and dying to the ,world before we leave it3 ,and then when our race is finish'd1 when we have fought the good fight1 doubt we not but the righteous ,judge will give us the crown of life1 which he hath prepar'd for all that love his appearance4 ,in ,belief that this ,honourable ,person liv'd the ,life1 and died the ,death of the ,righteous1 we pay this respect1 and give this ,testimony to her ,pious ,memory3 ,mourning as they who have hope1 and assur'd that such as sleep in the ,lord shall be partakers of the inheritance of the ,saints in ,light4 ,for such our charitable ,hope1 we have here very ,christian grounds1 and would to ,god1 ,that for all to whom we perform the like last ,offices1 we had the like comfortable ,prospect4 ,give me leave1 for the glory of ,god's ,grace1 and the ,edification 7as it is design'd7 of such as hear1 especially of the same ,sex1 to give some short account why she may justly be proposed for an example1 and the conclusion of her days be wish'd for4 ,as the outward advantages which this ,noble ,lady enjoy'd1 were visibly eminent1 and in the eye of the ,world valuable1 as ,birth1 ,youth1 ,beauty and ,honourable ,relation3 ,so the endowments of her ,soul are represented as far more to be esteem'd1 and accordingly would have shin'd forth if her modesty had not veil'd them4 ,they who knew her from her infancy1 assure us1 that she had the early blessing of a ,religious ,education3 ,that she could not remember the time that she began to serve1 to pray to1 and to praise ,god2 ,that betimes there appear'd signs of a sanctified ,nature in her younger behaviour3 ,that she remember'd her ,creator in the days of her youth1 and even then laid a foundation for the life to come3 ,that a more beautiful mind shewing it self adorn'd with all the ,vertues of her ,sex1 added still ,lustre to outward comeliness2 and growing in stature she grew in favour with ,god and her ,parents4 ,that1 that fair ,morning was overcast with no ,clouds1 no ,tears were shed for any unhappy blemishes of heedless ,youth4 ,that the more she experienc'd and tasted in her ,soul how good the ways of ,god were1 and what peace of ,conscience and serenity of ,mind1 arose from them1 the more she delighted in ,god1 and in ,religious ,duties3 ,that this her practice of ,true ,piety influenc'd all her ,words and ,conversation3 ,so that as the ,vertuous ,woman1 ,she opened her mouth with wisdom1 and in her tongue was the law of kindness4 ,the ,rules of her ,life1 which she had written1 and ,i have read1 were confirm'd and approv'd by her constant observance of them3 ,in them how truly a ,christian course did she prescribe to her self8 ,how truly to be recommended from this place8 ,enjoyning her self to be sure to begin the day with the praises of ,god for his preservation of her in the night2 and with earnest ,prayers to be kept in his ,fear1 and under his ,protection all that ,day3 ,to read the ,psalms and portions of ,scripture appointed for the ,day2 by which she might be made wise to ,eternal ,salvation3 ,to meditate on it1 in order to improve in godliness and all respective duties to her ,maker1 and all others3 ,then not to suffer the remaining hours to be wasted in vain amusements1 or over-curious dressing2 but setting to such ,work as became her ,sex1 and was useful in her condition3 ,so her works 7as the wise ,womans7 praised her1 and the ways of her houshold they commended her4 ,and having past the ,morning in vertuous ,employment2 at a set time in the ,afternoon she retired to ,prayer1 and ,reading1 and ,meditating3 ,and in the ,evening1 surveyed her ,actions1 and examin'd them1 as strictly as any domestick accounts3 ,then offer'd her ,evening ,sacrifice of ,praise for the ,mercies of the day past1 and by ,prayer recommended her ,body1 ,soul1 and ,spirit to the same ,god1 for the safety and refreshments of the night1 and lay down to sleep1 as one who might wake in ,eternity4 ,moreover1 what was practised in secret1 and in the closet1 broke forth and manifested it self in the publick ,service of ,god4 ,for how remarkable was her very reverend deportment in his ,house8 ,how full of awe meet for the place of his more special ,presence1 and the celebration of his most ,holy ,mysteries and ,sacraments8 no straying looks1 no contrivances for utmost ease1 no sign of thoughts wandring far from his ,service3 ,but a seriousness sutable to the gravest of years1 and a devotion as might have become her1 if she had known how soon she was to appear in ,spirit before the ,living ,god4 ,such exemplariness in all ,vertue and ,piety1 as it appear'd betimes1 so it ended not but with her last4 ,what was so laudably begun1 was steadily and happily prosecuted2 insomuch1 ,that if we reckon her stay on ,earth by her proficiency in what was worthy of ,praise and of good report we shall scarce believe that her course was finisht at ,eighteen3 ,in years so subject to frailty1 wilfulness and folly2 and in an age so addicted to ,pride1 excess of ,vanity1 and indifference for ,religion4 ,but here we may be ready to expostulate1 ,why was so excellent a ,christian so soon1 why so suddenly snatcht away8 ,why only shew'd1 and begun to be known here1 and then hastily remov'd8 ,altho it be sufficient in general1 to answer1 ,it is the ,lord's doing1 and therefore it is as it ought to be3 ,yet hath ,god in his ,word revealed very satisfactory reasons for such his dealings3 ,he hath let us know that the ,righteous are often taken away1 7not in wrath1 but in mercy7 from the evil to come3 ,that they are recalled from a place of danger2 ,that they are thereby secured from any hazard of their future ,blessedness3 ,above all we are sure that no departed ,soul will complain of being too soon removed hence into ,heaven4 ,that ,abel the first of ,adam's ,sons who pleased ,god1 died by a hidden stroke1 tho the youngest3 and that that ,patriarch who walkt with ,god was translated hence1 before he had seen half the days of some of them who lived before the ,flood3 ,and that the ,son of ,jeroboam1 ,abijah1 died a ,child1 because in him was found some good toward the ,lord ,god of ,israel4 ,therefore the ,righteous are never prevented with ,death1 for they are in rest4 ,for1 ,honourable ,age is not that which standeth in length of time1 nor that is measur'd by number of years1 but ,wisdom is the grey head1 and an unspotted ,life is old ,age4 ,so that in this occasion may we not apply what is said of ,enoch8 ,she pleased ,god1 and was beloved of him1 so that living among sinners she was translated3 yea speedily was she taken away1 lest that ,wickedness should alter her ,understanding1 or deceit beguile her ,soul4 ,therefore being soon consummated1 she fulfilled a long time2 and ,youth being soon perfected1 riseth up in judgment against the many years and old ,age of the ,unrighteous4 ,whoever then have lived so well1 may be reputed old2 since they have lived to a blessed purpose3 ,if many of #gj1 or #hj years1 are to count no more of their time1 than what they have spent according to their ,duty1 they will prove much younger than this ,pious ,person2 many grey heads will be found ,infants of days4 ,therefore this deceased ,christian having answered the end for which ,god sent her into the ,world1 having been faithful in the talent of ,time1 however little1 that was intruded with her2 she is as truly ,blessed1 as any devout ,woman1 who may have waited longest in the ,temple of ,god1 for the redemption of ,israel3 ,for1 surely those ,persons die not untimely who expire into ,happiness1 and they have lived to the truest ,old ,age1 who live with ,god to all ,eternity4 ,neither will the suddenness her death 7by ,convulsions which seized her ,intellectuals and ,vitals at once7 cause her latter end not to be wisht for4 ,indeed in the ,litany of our ,church we pray against sudden death2 not that the ,salvation of all who so die1 is therefore questionable2 but because such a ,death is too often liable to rash and uncharitable censures3 and because a leasurable dissolution affords time to perfect ,repentance1 to pass an uncorrupt ,judgment on the pleasures of ,sin and the ,vanities of the ,world2 and by disingaging the ,soul from sensible ,objects1 dissposeth it for entrance into a ,blessed ,eternity4 ,however1 ,they who order their ,conversation every day as if it were their last1 are never surprised2 their future condition is not doubtful4 ,quick riddance out of ,life may be requested by such ,christians1 and be bestowed on them as a benefit4 ,since then the sentence was to be underwent1 the speedy execution of it was desirable1 in behalf of a person provided against it2 and it may be reputed a favour that she was hastily taken away4 ,thereby she was excused from the apprehensions which fore-run ,death1 and make it more dreadful2 she indur'd not the languishings1 their irksom ,days1 and worse ,nights1 that by slow degrees wast such as are ,consumptive3 nor did she tremble at the violent assaults1 and racking ,torments of tedious1 often returning ,diseases4 ,she was spar'd the grief1 which would have pierc'd her ,soul1 of beholding the tears1 the unfeigned sorrow1 and distraction1 of an afflicted1 disconsolate ,father1 for his beloved1 for his only ,child1 in that very moment wherein he expected the happy increase of his ,posterity4 ,and more especially1 in parting from her ,noble ,lord1 she was excused ,agonies1 which only could exceed those which she lately felt1 7which were almost mortal7 when he for a few months was obliged to leave her4 ,but hereby how doth ,god warn all1 ,young no less than aged ,christians1 what a necessity there is of a daily watchfulness1 and how blessed it is to be constantly serious and devout8 ,what a condition are they in1 who by a like stroke are hurried away in the prime of their strength1 and the heighth of their sins8 ,what had the danger of her ,eternal ,salvation been1 if at that time1 in that extremity1 she had been to begin to call upon ,god1 and to learn the practice of her ,duty to him1 just when she was summon'd to appear before his judgment ,seat8 ,how happy was it for her1 ,that the ,lord came at an hour1 that he was not lookt for2 she was found as a good and faithful servant3 and therefore might look to enter into the joy of her ,master4 ,to her then1 to live was ,christ1 and to die gain4 ,but the loss is to the survivors2 great cause had a ,father to desire that such a ,child should live to be a comfort to his ,age1 and pay her last duty to his ,memory3 ,he knew her worth1 and he blest ,god for her2 and hath as just cause1 as ever any ,parent had1 to lament her ,death3 and yet he declares that if he might by his wish1 he would not for his own advantage1 do her the wrong to recal her into ,life1 causing her to leave that place of happiness into which he firmly believes her ,spirit is receiv'd4 ,and as her ,noble ,lord still increas'd his esteem and ,love1 the more he observ'd her discreet1 ,vertuous and ,pious ,deportment3 ,so in that her surprising danger1 he shew'd an unfeign'd concern2 nothing was spar'd1 no cost1 no assistance that might relieve her ,pains1 or retrieve her ,health4 ,and when the last moments1 when the appointed ,change came1 that undaunted1 that approved ,valour was overcome2 he abandon'd himself to ,grief1 and confest that in this appearance ,death was1 even to him1 exceeding terrible3 ,and1 as her concern for his ,honour surmounted her ,affection1 and restrain'd her from desiring his stay at home last ,summer1 when his duty called him to the ,war abroad3 ,so1 his unquestionable ,resolution was not able to hold in his ,tears for this ,loss1 and to suppress any of the violences of ,grief1 by which in his ,death she would have been transported4 ,neither may only such as are ,relations be concern'd in so mournful an occasion3 ,humanity may engage us to lament so great worth in the flower of ,youth taken away1 without any ,branch or off-set left3 and ,christianity may teach us to bewail the removal of a ,light that began to shine so brightly in the midst of us1 promising to be an ornament and blessing to the place4 ,but1 as to her self1 7if the ,spirits of the ,just departed hence1 are allowed to know what is done here on earth1 and were permitted to speak to their surviving friends7 she would intreat them to moderate their ,lamentations3 shewing their respects to the deceased1 by honouring her in the imitation of what is well pleasing to ,god1 and tends to his ,glory and their own ,salvation4 ,and therefore whoever of the same ,sex1 value her character1 and desire the same in the like occasion1 may they let their adorning be1 not the outward one of plaiting the hair1 and of wearing of gold1 and putting on of apparel1 but let it be the hidden man of the heart1 the ornament of a quiet and meek spirit4 ,an abstinence from all appearance of ,evil1 a jealousie over all their behaviour1 and the beauty of holiness4 ,these ,graces will be always of great price1 7tho ,favour be deceitful1 ,comeliness soon blasted1 and ,portions flown away7 ,they who abound in these1 will be dear to their ,parents1 beloved by their ,husbands1 respected by all that value ,goodness1 blest in the ,children1 lamented in their ,deaths1 and above all1 together with the ,saints1 heirs of the ,grace of ,life ,eternal4 ,wherefore since we know that all things come to an end1 and that the time of our departure may be near1 it concerns all who have daily intimations of their ,mortality1 to consider what will stand them in stead after a very transitory ,life3 ,and therefore to work out their salvation with fear and trembling1 whilst it is called to day2 while they have the ,light4 ,for there is no device1 nor knowledge1 nor work1 nor wisdom in the grave1 whither we all go4 ,they then will be found wise1 who have lived1 as if they designed chiefly to save their ,souls2 setting their affections on things above1 and not on a world whose fashion so soon passeth away3 and who1 as this ,religious ,person1 are rich in ,faith1 and full of good works1 which will accompany them beyond the ,grave4 ,if we make this good use of the constant admonitions which are given to us1 who are yet in the land of the ,living1 or rather in the land of the ,dying3 ,if we bless him for the examples of such as have been ,lights in the midst of perverse generations3 ,if we chiefly bless him1 for begetting us to a lively hope of an inheritance incorruptible reserved in the ,heavens1 through the ,resurrection of ,jesus from the dead4 ,then shall we live1 ,then shall we also die1 unto the ,lord2 and as sure as ,jesus died1 and rose again1 even so them that sleep with ,jesus will ,god bring with him2 when the ,spirits of just men shall be made perfect1 and when with the ,general ,assembly1 and ,church of the ,first-born1 in ,heaven1 they stall ascribe to ,father1 ,son and ,holy ,ghost1 all ,honour1 and ,glory1 and ,salvation1 for ever4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,finis4