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<DATE>2012-11-21</DATE>
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<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<VID>172826</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A Commemoration SERMON: OR, A DISCOURSE On II COR. V. I. Occa&s;ioned by the Death of a mo&s;t Religious young Lady <HI>MARY HAMPSON</HI> The Onely Daughter of Sir <HI>Thomas Hamp&s;on,</HI> of <HI>Tapplow,</HI> In <HI>Bucks,</HI> K^t. and Bar. Who died <HI>August</HI> the 14. 1677. Together with a RELATION of her Incom|parable and Exemplary LIFE.</P>
<P><FLOATEXT LANG="eng" TYPE="license">
<OPENER><DATE><HI>October</HI> 3. 1677.</DATE></OPENER>
<P>Imprimatur,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>G. Jane.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</FLOATEXT></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>T. D.</HI> for <HI>Henry Brome,</HI> at the Gun at the We&s;t-end of St. <HI>Paul</HI>'s. 1678.</P>
<PB REF="2">
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE Honorable and mo&s;t worthy Lady, THE Lady HAMPSON:</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>IT is &s;aid of <HI>Jacob</HI> that when he came to be per&s;waded that his lo&s;t <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> was alive, and a great man in the Land of <HI>Egypt,</HI> his &s;pirit revived, he bani&s;ht his Sad|ne&s;s and dried up his Tears, and joyfully re&s;olv'd to go down to &s;ee his Dear Son. Madam, you have lo&s;t a Daughter, de&s;ervedly as dear, and your grief is too much propor|tion'd to your lo&s;s: But I hope</P>
<PB REF="3">
<P>you will al&s;o be comforted when you Con&s;ider that &s;he is alive, and in a Happy Condition, that &s;he dwells in place much better than <HI>Egypt,</HI> and is the Favorite of a greater Monarch than ever was <HI>Pha|roh.</HI> I know you have re&s;olv'd to go up and &s;ee her: and if &s;he were here, I am well a&s;&s;ur'd you could freely leave her to a&s;cend to that ble&s;&s;ed Place where &s;he now expects you. Your Affliction therefore is now reduc'd only to this, That &s;he is gone to Re&s;t and Glory fir&s;t, whereas you thought She mu&s;t have followed you. This, Madam, is no great Evill, you had &s;hew'd her the way to God, and &s;he hath out-run you: but you will &s;oon overtake her, and then forever you rejoyce and dwell together.</P>
<PB REF="3">
<P> I have writ, and &s;ent your Ladi|&s;hip the inclo&s;ed Papers, not &s;o much to honor the Memory of your mo&s;t ble&s;&s;ed Child, as to mini&s;ter what comfort I could again&s;t the grief of her Ab&s;ence, both to you and to your Honorable and mo&s;t pi|ous Mother: Not but that both your good Meditations do far exceed mine: but becau&s;e in the ca&s;e of Sorrow we generally want a Remembrancer, and, even our own Bal&s;om applied by another hand is more healing and effectual.</P>
<P>Why I have herein clo&s;ed a Ser|mon which was never preached, nor never intended to be, was partly to divert your thoughts from your Grief by a comfortable Text of
<PB REF="4"> Holy Scripture; and partly to coun|tenance the Method of the Oration that follows. I believe a plain Rela|tion of the Life of your Excellent Daughter might have been better: The Rehear&s;al of her vertuous Acti|ons was the be&s;t Prai&s;e &s;he could re|ceive: But I wanted particulars to compleat a full Hi&s;tory: and the defects of my Memory and Infor|mation were be&s;t &s;upplyed and con|cealed by the Rhetorical &s;tyle of an Encomium.</P>
<P>What I have done, I wi&s;h it may be acceptable and &s;omeways &s;ervice|able to your Ladi&s;hip: and that you may not take it ill, if an un|known hand indeavours to wipe the Tears from your eyes: for though
<PB REF="4"> unknown, yet the Author truly is, and accordingly de&s;ires to &s;ub&s;cribe him&s;elf</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Ladi&s;hips mo&s;t humble, and mo&s;t affectionate Servant</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<PB REF="5">
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD>To the READER.</HEAD>
<P>IF thou art plea&s;ed to be cen&s;ori|ous upon the en&s;uing Relation, do but mend the matter with thy Life, and then I am &s;ure, thou wilt &s;oon excu&s;e, and I &s;hall freely ac|knowledg the faults of its Form and Method. 'Tis not my part I am in love withal, or would have made publick; but Hers who is the Occa|&s;ion and the Subject of this Di&s;cour&s;e. I admir'd Her much, while living, for Her great and &s;ingular Goodne&s;s, but yet more &s;ince She dyed, and I learnt what before I knew not, and what here I could not duly expre&s;s. 'Tis not unu&s;ual to write the Lives of Per&s;ons of great worth: and 'twould be very u&s;efull, if they were all as ex|emplary
<PB REF="6"> as this, and as faithfully rela|ted.</P>
<P>I need not therefore find Apologies for having printed this: it was to &s;pare the unea&s;y trouble of reading an ill hand, to that worthy Lady I offer it to, and for whom I chiefly de&s;igned it. I intended al&s;o to di&s;per&s;e &s;ome Copies among my friends to whom I thought it might be acceptable and beneficial too: but de&s;ired to avoid the labor and tediou&s;ne&s;s of Tran&s;cri|bing: and withall the thing may do good, and I am not accountable to thee to whom I am not known. I need &s;ay the le&s;s upon this, for that I would have but a few Copies come out of the Pre&s;s; if the Printer exceeds his Commi&s;&s;ion to oblige the Publick, let him an&s;wer for it.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB REF="6">
<HEAD>A Commemoration SERMON: OR, A Di&s;cour&s;e on 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. 1. Occa&s;ioned by the Death of a mo&s;t Religious young Lady <HI>MARY HAMPSON.</HI> Together with a RELATION of her Incom|parable and Exemplary LIFE.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><HI>For we know that if our Earthly hou&s;e of this tabernacle were di&s;|&s;olved, we have a building of God, an hou&s;e not made with hands, eternal in the heavens;</HI> <BIBL>2 Cor. 5. 1.</BIBL></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>AS in Navigation, Geography is no le&s;s u&s;e|ful than A&s;trology, in that all the mea|&s;ures and Dimen&s;ions of Heaven are pro|portion'd and related to the Earth: So likewi&s;e, in our Spiritual Voiage through this Life, the tempe&s;tuous Sea of this World, it is as
<PB N="2" REF="7"> nece&s;&s;ary we &s;hould &s;tudy the Map of our own Earth which we carry about us, as that we &s;hould look up to that heavenly Globe, whereto we are &s;tearing our Cour&s;e: We mu&s;t under&s;tand the Meanne&s;s and Infirmity of this our pre&s;ent con|dition, as well as the Glory and the Perpetuity of our future E&s;tate; The fir&s;t will make us holy in our Lives, the &s;econd confident in our Deaths: the Con&s;ideration of the Mi&s;eries and Uncertainties of this pre&s;ent Life, will make us long for a better; and the knowledg of a better life will teach us to de&s;pi&s;e the Vanities of this: when we are fully per&s;waded that <HI>when this our earthly Tabernacle is di&s;&s;olved, we &s;hall have a building of God, an hou&s;e not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.</HI></P>
<P>In the&s;e words, three things are included, and may be con&s;ider'd.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The di&s;&s;olution of our Bodies; <HI>if our earthly Hou&s;e of this Tabernacle were di&s;&s;olved.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The Comfort we have again&s;t it; then <HI>we have a building of God, an Hou&s;e not made with hands, Eternal in the Heavens.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>And 3ly. The Certainty of this Comfort, in the word <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> <HI>we know;</HI> how far this our knowledge excludes all kind of doubting.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Of the fir&s;t St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;eems here to make a Que|&s;tion, as if it were a doubtful matter: <HI>If our earth|ly hou&s;e be di&s;&s;olved,</HI> (&s;aith he.) But this he &s;peaks by way of Conce&s;&s;ion, which is a &s;trong Affirma|tive,
<PB N="3" REF="7"> and not as a doubtful Po&s;ition: 'Tis as if he &s;hould &s;ay, As we are certain that this our earth|ly Tabernacle mu&s;t be Di&s;&s;olved, &s;o do we know with the &s;ame A&s;&s;urance, that we have a better and more induring Building in Heaven.</P>
<P>And indeed, there is nothing &s;o certain as the fir&s;t, That we mu&s;t all die; we are oblig'd to it by the very Con&s;titution of our Nature: our Bo|dies are Hou&s;es of Clay, continually batter'd by Rain and rough Weather. Our Souls dwell in a Tabernacle, an earthly Tabernacle, and &s;ure &s;uch an Abode cannot be of long continuance. A Tabernacle hath a Roof, but it hath no Foun|dation, it is an Ambulatory hou&s;e which may be remov'd at plea&s;ure: Ju&s;t &s;o are our Bodies, they have a roof, they are overlaid with a thin skin, but they have no Foundation, they &s;tand up on the &s;and, any forcible thru&s;t, any Accident may overthrow them.</P>
<P>We are not only certain that the time of our Di&s;&s;olution will come, but we are uncertain of every moment. Our earthly hou&s;e is very weak, we are &s;ure it mu&s;t fall, but if it were never thrown down till it fell of it &s;elf, we might hope to fore&s;ee its approaching Ruine: But every bla&s;t of Winde, every hail-&s;tone, or bigger drop of Rain, may cru&s;h it into the flatne&s;s of a Grave.</P>
<P><HI>Tres &s;unt Mortis nuncii,</HI> Death is &s;aid to have Three Me&s;&s;engers, either of which may come, and tell us every moment, That we mu&s;t leave
<PB N="4" REF="8"> all, and remove from hence: Accidents, Infir|mities, and Old Age. There is no man, in what|ever condition he be, but may at any time be cal|led or forc'd away by &s;ome one or other of the&s;e <HI>Senectus prae&s;entem,</HI> Old-Age &s;ets us on the brink of our Grave, and makes our Death pre&s;ent to us. <HI>Infirmitas apparentem;</HI> Sickne&s;s and Infirmi|ties are the Prelude of our Mortality, and the Fore-runner of a likely approaching Death. <HI>Ca|&s;us latentem,</HI> but Accidents threaten us continu|ally with an un&s;een and unexpected End; and the number of the ca&s;ual Deaths is great, and we know not how it &s;hall be with us.</P>
<P><HI>Christians,</HI> This &s;hould be &s;eriou&s;ly thought on, for 'twould be of great u&s;e in the whole man|nagement of our Lives. <HI>Meditatio mortis e&s;t vita perfecta,</HI> Greg. Mag. The frequent Meditation of Death is the be&s;t In&s;trument of Holy-Living. It would prevent and cure very many Sins and Follies, if we had it oftner in our minds, That our Earthly hou&s;e of this Tabernacle mu&s;t be di&s;&s;olved, that our Strength and Beauty mu&s;t be laid in the Du&s;t, and that our long dwel|ling mu&s;t be in the dark Chambers of the Grave.</P>
<P>Who would be&s;tow their Cares and Revenues in the beautifying of a ruinous hou&s;e, who&s;e rot|ten foundation doth &s;ink continually? and were it not that men will not be &s;erious, how could they &s;pend their whole Time and E&s;tates in ador|ring and plea&s;ing their Bodies, who&s;e origine is
<PB N="5" REF="8"> from the Earth, who&s;e matter is but Clay, who&s;e End is Corruption, which &s;ink and decay every day, and cannot be kept from Di&s;&s;olution.</P>
<P>It is writen of <HI>John</HI> the Charitable Patriarch of <HI>Alexandria,</HI> that he built to him&s;elf a fine Monu|ment, but left it unfini&s;h't, and commanded that his Servants &s;hould daily put him in mind to fi|ni&s;h what he had began: that &s;o being frequent|ly remembred of perfecting his Tomb, he might think to fit him&s;elf for it, and always have Death in his thoughts. Happy were it if we al&s;o could find out &s;ome Art daily to put us in mind of our latter end. We cannot all build a Sepul|cher, as the Patriarch; no, but we all carry the Corps that mu&s;t be laid in. This our earthly hou&s;e mu&s;t be di&s;&s;olved, and every thing where|by 'tis now pre&s;erv'd is near a kin to Death. We have many Remembrancers of our frailty, if we would li&s;ten to their voice and mind their moti|ons: and truly 'tis more a wonder that our bodies, weak as they are, &s;hould indure &s;o long, than that they &s;hould at la&s;t be di&s;&s;olved: for being made of &s;o many various parts, and joyned together with &s;o &s;mall Ligaments, and the whole being but dirt, 'tis next to a Miracle they &s;hould tumble up and down &s;o long and not fall to pieces. <HI>Eliphas</HI> in <HI>Job</HI> 4. 19. gives us this De&s;cription of mens frailne&s;s and their &s;tupidity; that <HI>they dwell in hou&s;es of clay; who&s;e foundation is in the du&s;t, and are cru&s;hed before the Moth; they are de&s;troyed</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>from morning to evening, they peri&s;h for ever without</HI>
<PB N="6" REF="9"> <HI>any regarding it; doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they dye even without wi&s;dom.</HI></P>
<P>Sure if &s;uch men as are &s;en&s;ual, proud and co|vetuous, would now and then walk in a charnel|hou&s;e, and there take an account of tho&s;e gran|deurs and plea&s;ures, which are the wor&s;hipped Idols of the world, it is not to be thought but that it would alay the heat of their unruly pa&s;&s;i|ons, abate their &s;inful de&s;ires, and reduce them to &s;ome Sobriety.</P>
<P>There is much to be learn't from that voice, which the Prophet was bid to cry a loud, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 40. 6. <HI>All fle&s;h is gra&s;s, and all the goodline&s;s thereof is as the flower of the field.</HI> For as the &s;tronge&s;t &s;talk, and faire&s;t colour of flowers, keeps them not from fa|ding, and being &s;oon dried up and withered: &s;o the &s;trength and beauty, and all the accompli&s;h|ments of men, are no &s;ecurity again&s;t the di&s;mal change of Death; &s;till they return to their fir&s;t du&s;t, <HI>we mu&s;t be as water &s;pilt on the ground, which is not gather'd up again.</HI></P>
<P>Nay, that our hearts might not be lifted up, by any of tho&s;e outward ornaments, we ob&s;erve in Scripture, that &s;everal per&s;ons who had been allow'd the large&s;t Portion of tho&s;e natural en|dowments, died &s;oone&s;t, and in the wor&s;t manner: The &s;tronge&s;t <HI>Samp&s;on,</HI> the fair <HI>Ab&s;alom,</HI> the &s;wift <HI>A&s;ael,</HI> the wi&s;e <HI>Achitophel,</HI> they all came to an un|natural end; they were thrown in the du&s;t, by violence and force. So true it is of all men, even the &s;tronge&s;t, what we read <HI>Job.</HI> 14. 1. <HI>Man that</HI>
<PB N="7" REF="9"> <HI>is born of a Woman, is of few days and full of trouble, he cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down, he flees al&s;o as a &s;hadow, and continueth not.</HI></P>
<P>I conclude this fir&s;t point, by applying to this matter the di&s;&s;olution of our bodies, St. <HI>Peters</HI> ex|hortation, in another ca&s;e. 2. <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 11. <HI>Seeing then that all the&s;e things mu&s;t be di&s;&s;olved,</HI> all the&s;e members and comely parts of our bodies, <HI>what manner of per&s;ons ought we to be, in all holy conver&s;a|tion and Godline&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>Having now con&s;ider'd the &s;ad Ruin and Fall of this our earthly Hou&s;e, let us &s;ee in the &s;econd place, what comfort we have again&s;t it.</P>
<P>How will it be with us after the Di&s;&s;olution of our fle&s;hly Tabernacle? when this our pri&s;on, our ve&s;&s;el of clay is fallen to peices, then <HI>evadit intus reclu&s;a columba:</HI> our Soul flies away and goeth to re&s;t; there is a building of God, a ble&s;&s;ed recep|tacle fitted to receive it.</P>
<P>We are not left to the uncertainties of the Em|peror, <HI>animula vagula blandula,</HI> &amp;c. Dear &s;oul, where art thou a going to wander in unknown places. No, our Ble&s;&s;ed Lord Chri&s;t by the Go&s;pel, hath brought to light, both life and immortality, and prai&s;ed be his goodne&s;s; <HI>We know that when our earthly hou&s;e of this Tabernacle is di&s;&s;olved, we have a building of God, an hou&s;e not made with hands, Eternal in the Heavens.</HI></P>
<P>There cannot be a greater comfort for a man forc't out of a poor Cottage, than to be promis'd
<PB N="8" REF="10"> he &s;hall be receiv'd in a glorious Palace; For one that is driven out of an earthly hou&s;e, to be a&s;|&s;ur'd he &s;hall dwell in heavenly Man&s;ions.</P>
<P>'Tis true the hou&s;e mu&s;t fall, <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> it &s;hall be di&s;&s;olved: but then the in-dweller &s;hall e&s;cape, and in&s;tead of a Tabernacle of clay, &s;hall enter a City of Gold and Saphirs; <HI>a building of God, an hou&s;e not made with hands eternal in the heavens.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e la&s;t words are capable of a twofold in|terpretation, and may &s;ignify, either the Man&s;i|ons of heaven, or el&s;e our own Bodies, after our glorification. For as &s;ure as our Creed is true, &s;o true it is there will be a Re&s;urrection; God hath plainly revealed it, and we firmly believe it. And &s;o by faith we know, that our Bodies &s;own in di&s;honour, &s;hall be rai&s;ed in glory; they are &s;own in weakne&s;s, but &s;hall be rai&s;ed in power; they are &s;own natural Bodies, but &s;hall be rai&s;ed &s;piri|tual bodies; This corruptable &s;hall put on incor|ruption, and this mortal &s;hall put on immortality, and Death &s;hall be &s;wallowed up in Victory. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15. Out of the du&s;t of the&s;e our vile Bodies God will rai&s;e a new habitation for our Souls, beautiful and glorious, beyond what we can think. And &s;o the Text &s;aith, not that our Bodies &s;hall peri&s;h for ever, and be reduced to nothing, but, only they &s;hall be di&s;&s;olved, they &s;hall crum|ble into du&s;t, but God knows and takes care of the lea&s;t part of it: and when it is refin'd and clean&s;ed from the infection of &s;ins, God will re|unite
<PB N="9" REF="10"> it into a body, glorious and bright, as the light of Heaven; <HI>the Righteous &s;hall &s;hine forth as the Sun, in the glory of their Heavenly Father.</HI></P>
<P>If this be the &s;ence of the words, That this buil|ding of God be meant of our glorified Bodies, then this is a great and &s;pecial comfort, which we Chri&s;tians have; that God doth with our Bodies in our Death, as with our Souls in our Conver&s;i|on: When in our &s;incere return to God, we yield our minds and affections to him, he renews and &s;anctifies them, and makes them holy and capable of his favour, and ble&s;&s;ed enjoyment: And &s;o when we &s;ubmit to our portion of du&s;t, and com|mit our Bodies to God, he de&s;troys their blemi&s;hes and imperfections, he beautifies them, and makes them impa&s;&s;ible, glorious and immortal, fit to dwell in Heaven, in the Society of Saints and Angells.</P>
<P>But then, this building of God, this Eternal hou&s;e in the Heavens, may be under&s;tood al&s;o of the ble&s;&s;ed Man&s;ions of Glory, wherein holy Souls are received, after their departure out of this mortal life. For though it be controverted whe|ther the Souls of the Faithful be admitted into the &s;ame glory wherein they &s;hall enter after the great day of Judgment: or whether there be other receptacles for them, till the Re&s;urrection? yet it is generally agreed on by all, but the late inventors of <HI>Purgatory,</HI> that they are in a &s;tate of Re&s;t, in <HI>Abraham</HI>'s bo&s;om, full of comfort, and ho|ly hopes, and pa&s;&s;ionate longings for the time of
<PB N="10" REF="11"> their reunion, and their con&s;ummation. And we are warranted to &s;ay by the Scripture, and by the Church, the be&s;t interpreter of it, That the Souls of the Faithful, after they are delivered from the burthen of the Fle&s;h, are in joy and fe|licity. And &s;o &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>v. 8th. We are confident and willings, rather to be ab&s;ent from the Bo|dy, and to be pre&s;ent with the Lord.</HI> whether in the outward Courts, or in the inner Sanctuary, it matters not to know. Happy are they who are pre&s;ent with the Lord, in whatever part of his Hou&s;e it be.</P>
<P>There they &s;ee, hear and injoy, what, in this World, Eye hath not &s;een, nor Ear heard, nor Heart conceived. They begin to drink and to plunge them&s;elves in that Ocean of Bli&s;s, which is called <HI>Eternal Life;</HI> which I cannot de&s;cribe, and which you could not comprehend.</P>
<P>But O ble&s;&s;ed Man&s;ions of the Ble&s;&s;ed! Eter|nal hou&s;e in the Heavens! Glorious building of God! how &s;hall we under&s;tand whil&s;t in this vale of mi&s;ery, the exceeding great &s;tateline&s;s, the won|derful glories, and the mo&s;t plea&s;ant deliciou&s;ne&s;s of thy plea&s;ures and beauties?</P>
<P>There are &s;everal words in the Text, which lead us very far in this ble&s;&s;ed enquiry, if our thoughts, and our time were not too much con|fin'd. But if we ca&s;t an Eye upon our dwellings here below, we &s;hall &s;oon under&s;tand how much we &s;hould value and de&s;ire everla&s;ting habitations above.</P>
<PB N="11" REF="11">
<P> There be three places wherein we &s;ojourn before we come to our Eternal home, the fir&s;t is appointed by Nature, the Womb, wherein we live like plants, without either &s;en&s;e or rea&s;on. The &s;econd is ordered by Providence, the World, wherein we live in trouble and mi&s;ery, expo&s;ed to many dangers and &s;orrows. The third was built by Sin, the Grave, Chambers of Death and Dark|ne&s;s, wherein we dwell with Worms, Corruption, the ruin and di&s;honour of our own Nature. I &s;ay, view the&s;e, which are <HI>domus incolatus,</HI> the hou&s;e of our Pilgrimage and &s;ojourning, and compare them with that Eternal hou&s;e in the Heavens, wherein God dwells, and whereof he is Maker: then you &s;hall in &s;ome manner under&s;tand how much Hea|ven excells all the&s;e earthly Pri&s;ons, and &s;hall be mov'd to &s;ay with the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>How amiable are thy Dwellings, thou Lord of Ho&s;t! My Soul long|eth,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>O! how great is the difference betwixt the place of our Conception, and the immen&s;ity of Heavenly regions! betwixt our hou&s;es of clay, and the Hou&s;e of God! betwixt the Pri&s;ons of Death, and the Land of everla&s;ting Life!</P>
<P>But I need &s;ay no more upon this Subject, here is comfort enough to them that believe the Pro|mi&s;e of Chri&s;t, when he a&s;cended to glory, <HI>John</HI> 14. 1. <HI>I go to prepare a place for you.</HI> Here is, I &s;ay, comfort enough again&s;t all our &s;orrows, that when we leave the unea&s;y abode of this our earthly
<PB N="12" REF="12"> Tabernacle, we &s;hall be recieved into heavenly Palaces, here are inducements enough to de&s;pi&s;e this wretched World, and &s;igh after our better Country, where we are promis'd re&s;t and joys that &s;hall have no End.</P>
<P>I conclude this &s;econd Point with the exhorta|tion of St. <HI>Peter, Therefore beloved &s;eeing that ye look for &s;uch things,</HI> for &s;uch a glorious hou&s;e, &s;uch hea|venly Man&s;ions, <HI>be diligent that</HI> whenever God calls for you, <HI>you may be found of him in peace, with|out &s;pot and blamele&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>The la&s;t thing to be con&s;idered, is the certainty of this comfort, in the word <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, <HI>we know,</HI> how far this our Knowledge excludes all kind of doubting.</P>
<P>We know indeed, that there is a re&s;t, and glo|rious things prepared for the people of God; we know it by the certitude of Faith; all tho&s;e many convincing arguments that prove the Go&s;pel to be true, and JESUS to be the Son of God, makes it indubitable. For this is the great Reve|lation, which God &s;ent his own Son to Preach, proportioning the Me&s;&s;age to the Me&s;&s;enger, <HI>This is the redord,</HI> &s;aith St John, <HI>that God hath given us E|ternal Life, and this life is in his Son.</HI></P>
<P>This, God hath &s;ufficiently atte&s;ted, to &s;atisfy all men that &s;o it is: and St. <HI>Paul</HI> in the Text is very confident, <HI>we have a building of God</HI> (&s;aith he) and <HI>we know it;</HI> we know that if our earthly Ta|bernacle be di&s;&s;olved, we have an Eternal hou&s;e in the heavens. He is altogether po&s;itive, and
<PB N="13" REF="12"> makes no doubt of the matter; and we may rely upon his credit: for it was by the &s;tronge&s;t con|victions that he was made to credit this truth; and afterwards he &s;uffer'd the greate&s;t of Per&s;ecu|tions to propagate it. Many other Witne&s;&s;es al&s;o have &s;ealed the &s;ame with their own blood: but wherever the Go&s;pel is imbrac't, this is likewi&s;e received without objection.</P>
<P>The Que&s;tion therefore, is not whether or no the thing be true; though the arguments be but morally demon&s;trative, as being a matter of Fact, yet generally Chri&s;tians do all a&s;&s;ent to it: I am &s;ure all good Chri&s;tians do, and to them I now wholy addre&s;s my Di&s;cour&s;e.</P>
<P>The doubt with them is not about the certain|ty of any Promi&s;e, or of this Scripture in particu|lar: but about the particular application of it; &s;hall I my &s;elf enter into tho&s;e glorious Man&s;i|ons? many that have a good and tender Con&s;ci|ence, and as to the real event, are undoubtedly &s;afe, yet have fears upon them: and &s;ometimes from tho&s;e fears, draw &s;ad inferences.</P>
<P>They doubt not of Gods truth, whether or no there be &s;uch a glorious Man&s;ion and happine&s;s for us, as he hath revealed: but they que&s;tion them&s;elves, whether they are fitted for't; whether they have done, or &s;hall do, what &s;hould qualify them for Heaven. And in this ca&s;e, I &s;ay, that that fear may be an allay to our joys: but except it be very ill manag'd (which a &s;piritual Guide could ea&s;ily prevent) it cannot be a prejudice to
<PB N="14" REF="13"> our finall &s;afety. I &s;ay more, that timerou&s;ne&s;s in them that have mo&s;t rea&s;on to be confident, many &s;ometimes do much good, be an incentive to care, and greater watchfulne&s;s: and yet beyond this I may add, that it is even a duty.</P>
<P>I am &s;ure St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peakes of him&s;elf, as being afraid of becomming a ca&s;t-away, after he had Preach't to others: and he gives us this general command, Heb. 4. 1. <HI>Let us fear, lea&s;t a Promi&s;e being left us of entring into his re&s;t, any of you &s;hould &s;eem to come &s;hort of it.</HI> So that, mo&s;t certainly, fear is not de&s;tructive of our better hopes: but is ra|ther a motive to work out our Salvation with the greater care and humility, <HI>and to give all diligence,</HI> as St. <HI>Peter</HI> exhorts, <HI>to make our calling and election &s;ure.</HI></P>
<P>This is not a place to di&s;pute with them that teach men to pre&s;ume, or that plunge them into doubts, and perpetual &s;cruples: but to be brief, I lay this of St. <HI>Aug.</HI> As a Po&s;ition not to be deni|ed, <HI>nunquam mala mors putanda e&s;t quam bona prece&s;|&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> vita,</HI> a good Life can never end but in a happy Death; &s;ecure the fir&s;t, and then undoubtedly the &s;econd will follow: as for &s;uch fears and &s;or|rows, as may a&s;&s;ault us, whil&s;t we are in the &s;tate of mi&s;ery and imperfection, we mu&s;t let them pa&s;s by, and go on minding our duty. For &s;ure it is that &s;o it was with others before us, even with the deare&s;t of Gods Children. They have not always been equally &s;en&s;ible of &s;piritual comforts; &s;ometimes they were under the cloud, full of
<PB N="15" REF="13"> grief and &s;ad apprehen&s;ions. It was &s;o once with <HI>David,</HI> P&s;al. 77. And likely it hath been &s;o with all good men, &s;ome one time or other, or perhaps often.</P>
<P>For indeed, we are for the mo&s;t part in this life, as St. <HI>Peter</HI> in the Pri&s;on, <HI>Act</HI> 12. 9. when God &s;ent his Angel to deliver him from a great and imminent Danger, <HI>he thought he &s;aw but a Vi&s;ion, and wi&s;t not that it was true, what was done by the An|gel,</HI> till he came to him&s;elf, after he was pa&s;t the Iron gate, and then he under&s;tood Gods gracious purpo&s;e to his own &s;afety. And &s;o, we generally are not &s;en&s;ible of what God hath already done, and is further doing to make us happy: and we &s;hall have but imperfect notices of it, and &s;hall be but as in a Dream, till we are al&s;o pa&s;t the I|ron gate of Death: but then we &s;hall wonder at our dulne&s;s, and &s;hall be tran&s;ported with ravi&s;h|ments of joy, when we come to under&s;tand the de&s;ign of God's Providences towards us, and are admitted to &s;ee face to face, that which we now behold but darkly, and in a Mi&s;tery. Let us therefore at pre&s;ent take no further care, but to obey and follow, as St. <HI>Peter</HI> did, and though we go trembling, and heavily, yet at la&s;t we &s;hall come to joy and &s;afety, as he did.</P>
<P>The fearful Pa&s;&s;enger in the Ship, is drowned never the &s;ooner becau&s;e he fears it: and the ti|merous Chri&s;tian in the Church, will be &s;afe enough, thou he be not &s;ecure.</P>
<P>We have all the rea&s;on, and all the encourage|ments
<PB N="16" REF="14"> in the World, intirely to ca&s;t our &s;elves up|on God; into the Arms of the holy JESUS, who will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t out any that humbly comes to him: and who requires no more of us, than what we &s;incerely can do. God is infinitely good, and he hath done &s;o much to a&s;&s;ure us of his mercy and loving kindne&s;s, that we cannot but admire his Conde&s;cention, and rejoyce that we depend upon him, who <HI>would have all men to be &s;aved;</HI> and hath therefore purchas'd Salvati|on for all, at a mighty rate; and hath ingag'd all ways po&s;&s;ible, that if we heartily de&s;ire and in|deavour after Salvation, we &s;hall without fail ob|tain it.</P>
<P>Let us not then attend to our Fears, and the perplexed thoughts of our own minds, let us but take care to &s;ecure our duty, by a hearty love and obedience, do all we can to &s;erve and to plea&s;e God, and we are certainly happy: and he will refre&s;h us with as much comfort as we need, to carry us through this vale of Tears.</P>
<P>A Marchant ventures his E&s;tate, becau&s;e there|by &s;ome are grown rich; A Souldier will hazard his Life, becau&s;e &s;ome have e&s;capt the edge of the Sword, and reaped a &s;prig of Laurel: and &s;hall we be afraid to tru&s;t our Souls with God, our faithful Creator, and gracious Redeemer, when from &s;uch a tru&s;t, we expect the greate&s;t glory and happine&s;s.</P>
<P>The time was when we were nothing, and he made us; the time was when we were as though
<PB N="17" REF="14"> we had not been, living without &s;ence or know|ledge in our Mothers Bowels, and God brought us to this light. Every change hath been for our advantage; fir&s;t nothing, and then a being, and then a more perfect being: and why &s;hould we doubt but that after our next change, our di&s;&s;olution, we &s;hall be yet better.</P>
<P>God hath now over us as much power, as in the State of Separation: but then he will &s;hew him|&s;elf more gratious, confirming the Pardon of eve|ry repented Sin, and a&s;&s;igning a recompence to every good work. And then what can we fear? not the &s;trangene&s;s of the change, for 'tis imper|ceptible; <HI>Mors e&s;t depo&s;itis &s;arcine gravis,</HI> Death is onely the laying down of a heavy burthen, the returning of each part of man to its own princi|ple; the Body to the Earth whence it was, and the &s;pirit to God who gave it. There is no ill in this.</P>
<P>Neither yet can we fear the &s;trangene&s;s of the unknown Regions of Spirits, for we are in God as an Atome in the Air, as a drop of water in the Sea; the immen&s;ity of his Divine E&s;&s;ence doth o|verflow us; we can be no where but in God, <HI>Though I &s;hould pa&s;s through the vally of the &s;hadow of Death, I will fear no evill,</HI> (&s;aith <HI>David) for thou art with me.</HI> Be&s;ides Death is <HI>via tria,</HI> a beaten path, all mankind have pa&s;&s;ed through it, yea, and the Saints of God, and the Ble&s;&s;ed JESUS him&s;elf, who hath made the pa&s;&s;age &s;afe and ea&s;y for all his followers.</P>
<PB N="18" REF="15">
<P> But I'le tell you Chri&s;tians, what you mu&s;t do, that you may not be afraid of Death, and the di&s;&s;olution of your earthly Tabernacle. You know that the day-labourer looks with joy upon thr Sun-&s;etting, becau&s;e then he receives his hire: The Traveller is glad when his journy draws to an end, for then he comes to home &amp; re&s;t. Do for Eternity what the&s;e do for things temporal; labor for heavenly re&s;t, advance towards it in the ways of Vertue and Godline&s;s: and when you come near the end of your race and of your labours, and come to have a near pro&s;pect of your Crown and your happine&s;s, then your hopes &s;hall be &s;trong, and your Comforts great, and the Text that lays before us &s;hall be to you a &s;pring of joys, you &s;hall then be able to &s;ay with great a&s;|&s;urance, <HI>We know, that when our earthly hou&s;e, of this Tabernacle is di&s;&s;olved, we have a building of God, an hou&s;e not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.</HI></P>
<CLOSER>Amen.</CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="account">
<P>I Long'd to have done with the Text, that I might turn mine eyes upon that ble&s;&s;ed Saint, who&s;e Vertuous Life, I now come to Commemo|rate. The Text indeed abounds in Con&s;olations, but her Example is full of In&s;truction, and her ex|cellent Life declares the Comfortable Doctrines of the Text, far better than my Di&s;cour&s;e could do.</P>
<P>That there &s;hall be a Di&s;&s;olution of our earthly Tabernacle, &s;he preach'd by her Mortification,
<PB N="19" REF="15"> Self denyal, and Contempt of the World.</P>
<P>That there are heavenly Man&s;ions prepar'd to entertain pious Souls after their departure, her Devotion and Heavenly-mindedne&s;s are &s;trong Arguments.</P>
<P>And how to get this joyful knowledg, the A&s;|&s;urance of a place for our &s;elves in the Hou&s;e of God, &s;he hath taught us by her Goodne&s;s and Hu|mility, and all tho&s;e her Chri&s;tian Vertues, for which &s;he is now ble&s;&s;ed and rewarded above, and de&s;erves here to be prai&s;ed and admired, re|membred and imitated.</P>
<P><HI>MARY HAMPSON,</HI> of who&s;e Noble De|&s;cent I might &s;peak great things; For &s;he might have &s;aid with St. <HI>Paul,</HI> that &s;he had whereof to glory according to the fle&s;h, as much as any could boa&s;t of, but &s;he rather cho&s;e, as that great A|po&s;tle, to value none of tho&s;e outward advanta|ges, in compari&s;on of the excellency of the &s;a|ving Knowledge of Chri&s;t. She valued her Chri&s;tian-name, though it were common, much above her honorable Sir-name, which in the World would have brought her more re&s;pect.</P>
<P>And indeed, the Noble&s;t Title of a Chri&s;tian is deriv'd from his Second Birth, and Hers was &s;o: For in the Sacrament of Regeneration &s;he really pa&s;t into Gods Family, and in Truth did become his Child, and an Inheritre&s;s of his Heavenly Kingdom. She made this appear afterwards as <HI>Mary</HI> in the Go&s;pel, <HI>by chu&s;ing the be&s;t part,</HI> the
<PB N="20" REF="16"> Word and Favor of JESUS above all the Plea|&s;ures and imployments in the World. And, like <HI>Mary Magdalen, &s;he al&s;o loved much,</HI> and gave great demon&s;trations of it: And though we cannot &s;ay, That &s;o much was forgiven her as the Penitent <HI>Magdalen,</HI> becau&s;e God had pre&s;erv'd her in great Innocence; yet we may &s;ay, That as &s;he loved much, &s;o, much was given her, for God betimes ble&s;t her with a mighty Grace, and from her In|fancy &s;he a&s;pir'd, and fitted her&s;elf for Glory.</P>
<P>This appears not only by her Vertuous Di&s;po|&s;ition and Towardline&s;s, and her Proficiency in the Chri&s;tian Knowledg, when &s;he could only, as St. <HI>Hierom</HI> &s;peaks, <HI>balbutire Chri&s;tum,</HI> &s;tammer out the name and the things of Chri&s;t: but al&s;o by &s;everal Que&s;tions about Heaven and the Glories thereof, and &s;uch Reflections upon them, as exceeded as much the capacity of her tender Age, as they came &s;hort of that higher knowledge which &s;he hath now attain'd.</P>
<P>'Tis true &s;he had great Advantages in the Ex|ample and be&s;t of In&s;tructions, &s;he had from her excellent Parents, from who&s;e pious Care &s;he re|ceiv'd tho&s;e Seeds of Vertue which afterwards did &s;o much fructify; The Pains and Prayers of tho&s;e mo&s;t Religious per&s;ons could not but have a good effect in the Education of a Child born to God and Goodne&s;s: but it mu&s;t be granted that it was the work of a &s;pecial Grace made tho&s;e Means ef|fectual; <HI>Paul may plant, and Apollo may water, but God gives the Increa&s;e:</HI> And an Increa&s;e here was &s;o
<PB N="21" REF="16"> great that I know not where to begin to tell the fruits of it.</P>
<P>When I look into the time of her riper years, I &s;ee &s;o large a field open before me, that I lo&s;e my thoughts in its &s;paciou&s;ne&s;s; and though all things in it look amiable and plea&s;ant, yet I can|not but enter it trembling, knowing, that to men|tion every thing therein remarkable and worthy our Ob&s;ervation, exceeds as much my poor Abi|lity, as to expre&s;s, according to the dignity of the matter, what I &s;hall note and repre&s;ent.</P>
<P>Such were the Fears of St. <HI>Gregory Nazianzene,</HI> when he was compo&s;ing the funeral Oration of his own Si&s;ter, <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, &amp;c. <HI>I am not afraid</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>of exceeding, but of maiming the Truth, left a lame and imperfect Commendation, reflect di&s;grace upon her, who ju&s;tly, de&s;erves the greate&s;t honour.</HI> This is my ca&s;e. I know that my undertaking is above my &s;trength: but yet pitty it is that &s;o great, &s;o fair a Vertue &s;hould be buried in an ob&s;cure Silence. If I can|not draw her to the Life, whom God made &s;o lovely, and &s;o inimitable, yet I hope that my ru|der draught will reflect &s;ome Glory to God, who him&s;elf made the Original &s;o perfect: Thereby al&s;o I de&s;ign to provoke others to Imitation, to coppy this &s;o fair and &s;o attractive an Example: And however, <HI>The Righteous &s;hall be had in everla&s;t|ing Remembrance,</HI> Prai&s;e and a Memorial is ju&s;t|ly due to him: and if I cannot pay the debt, yet I own it, and here offer my poor acknowledg|ment.</P>
<PB N="22" REF="17">
<P> To proceed with &s;ome order in the &s;hort defe|ctive Account I &s;hall give of the life of this Noble and Vertuous Lady; I mu&s;t, as it were break the golden Chain, and divide tho&s;e Vertues of hers, which were &s;o clo&s;ely link't together, into three &s;everal Orders, according to the Partition of St. <HI>Paul</HI> him&s;elf.</P>
<P>In the fir&s;t, put tho&s;e that regard our &s;elves, under the name of <HI>Sobriety.</HI></P>
<P>In the Second I &s;hall place tho&s;e Vertues which are exercis'd towards our Neighbour, which the Apo&s;tle calls <HI>Righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>And tho&s;e in the la&s;t, which more particularly do belong to God and are therefore called <HI>Godline&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>I begin with the fir&s;t, which St. <HI>Paul</HI> de&s;erved|ly makes &s;o, for except we learn to deny, and in many things overcome, our &s;elves, we can neither be ju&s;t to our Neighbour, nor di&s;charge our Duty to God.</P>
<P>This therefore our dear Saint laid as the foun|dation of her high and heavenly Virtues, &s;he was very eminent in all the Duties which are reduc'd to this head.</P>
<P>It was not with her as 'tis generally with young People; they commonly live many years by Sen&s;e, before they be &s;o much as capable of &s;ober Coun|&s;els, <HI>fir&s;t, that which is natural, and afterwards that which is &s;piritual,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle him&s;elf, Cor. 15. The ebulition of the youthful blood and the bri|sker &s;pirits mu&s;t be a little over, before Rea&s;on and Religion can enter and rule the Pa&s;&s;ions, and the Natural Appetites. But of her I may &s;ay, That
<PB N="23" REF="17"> &s;he had more of the Angel than of the Fle&s;h in her: For &s;he was grown a &s;trong Chri&s;tian before &s;he came to the &s;trength of Nature: She had ma&s;te|red and brought under &s;inful Motions, and all &s;en|&s;ual de&s;ires, before her joynts were fully knit or her grouth compleated.</P>
<P>A woman in our vicious age is called Vertuous if &s;he hath not pro&s;tituted her&s;elf to the ba&s;e&s;t Lu&s;ts. But, Lord, at how great a di|&s;tance did This young and &s;potle&s;s Virgin &s;tand from them! &s;uch foul Temptation could not have dar'd to look upon a face of &s;o much Mode&s;ty: &s;he had too many excellent Vertues, like &s;o many Tutelar Angels, to keep her from &s;uch deadly &s;ins; her Soul was pure and heavenly, and her body ble&s;t with &s;uch a gue&s;s, could not but be cha&s;t and Sanctifyed; and indeed, &s;he not only ab&s;tained from unlawful plea&s;ures: but &s;he al&s;o refrained her &s;elf from many permitted enjoyments.</P>
<P>That <HI>Mundus Mulibris,</HI> that vain and tire&s;om attire, which is now the Study and the Plea&s;ure of Per&s;ons of her Age and Birth, was neither her employment, nor le&s;s her delight; what her qua|lity did require &s;he wore for decency: but &s;he had better Ornaments than could be borrowed from her outward Apparel.</P>
<P>The affectation of any &s;ingularity was far from her meek and humble Spirit, therefore &s;he &s;ubmitted to what was fit for her: but &s;he re|deem'd the time of her dre&s;&s;ing by Reading and Meditation, and while&s;t others were employed
<PB N="24" REF="18"> about her body, her Soul was waiting upon God.</P>
<P>The Tyrant Laws of Cu&s;toms and Fa&s;hions, &s;he could not altogether neglect, and &s;he had where|with to exceed them, had it been her de&s;ire: but &s;he had a better Lord than the World: and it was her choi&s;e and pa&s;&s;ion to do his work, and to &s;pend upon him her time and her money, as much as was po&s;&s;ible.</P>
<P>This was not out of Di&s;content nor Melancho|ly, nor that &s;he had any rea&s;on to fall out with the Gayties of the World, there was nothing of humour in it: it was her free choi&s;e and &s;erious con&s;ideration, and therefore it was her con&s;tant cour&s;e; &s;he pre&s;erved a cheerful and contented Spirit, being well plea&s;ed with her Condition, and having great rea&s;on to be &s;o: only her Joy con&s;i&s;ted not in gaudy toys, or a loo&s;er laughter.</P>
<P>God had made her Body well &s;hap'd, her face comely, without any defect of proportion or complexion, with a &s;weet, and yet re&s;erved and grave Countenance; she needed not envy others, nor any ways endeavour to mend or alter what God had made her: and she was far enough from it; she much abhorr'd tho&s;e Arts and Inventi|ons found out for to palliate defects, and Mini|&s;ter to vanity.</P>
<P>It might be &s;aid of her as of St. <HI>Gorgonia,</HI> <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, her red paint was a graceful mode&s;ty: and her white her ab&s;temiou&s;ne&s;s.</P>
<P>For indeed, ab&s;temious she was in a high De|gree,
<PB N="25" REF="18"> &s;he kept under her Appetites, as well as her Pa&s;&s;ions: her mind and her body were equally &s;ubdued to Rea&s;on and to Religion, to the &s;trict|e&s;t temperance and mortifyedne&s;s.</P>
<P>Tho&s;e fa&s;ting-days the Church appoints, and which devouter Chri&s;tians &s;pend in Penitential Devotions, &s;he without fail Religiou&s;ly ob&s;erv'd, with great &s;everity to her &s;elf, and yet endea|vouring what &s;he could, not to be noted. Self|denial was more plea&s;ing to her than the gratify|ing of &s;en&s;e can be to Voluptuous Per&s;ons, if &s;he were free from outward Afflictions, yet &s;he would prove her&s;elf a lover of the Cro&s;s, if that may be called a Cro&s;s which was her Delight, to deprive her &s;elf upon Religious accounts, of Lawful Liber|ties; to offer to God her natural de&s;ires and Ap|petites as a Sacrifice.</P>
<P>Lord, where &s;hall we find &s;uch Chri&s;tians! how few are they who thus, by wi&s;e and pious Con|&s;iderations, can guide their affections, and de&s;pi&s;e all Worldly Vanityes, and reject Bodily plea&s;ures, and no otherwi&s;e exceed the due bounds of &s;obri|ety, than by being too &s;trickt and too Mortify'd?</P>
<P>Ble&s;&s;ed Soul, thou wert here Dead and Cruci|fied to the World! thou did&s;t feed upon Heaven|ly Manna, and the thoughts of Eternity! thou wert Covetous of nothing but Grace and Vertue! thine ambition was to be dear to God, and fair in the eyes of Heaven! thy delight was to bear the yoke of Chri&s;t, and to follow his &s;teps! Thou wert here a way-faring Pa&s;&s;enger, u&s;ing what ab|&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity required, as &s;till going forward,
<PB N="26" REF="19"> advancing towards that Ble&s;&s;ed home, whether now thou art happily come!</P>
<P>And now Chri&s;tians, &s;uppo&s;e &s;he had indulg'd her &s;elf, in tho&s;e fond enjoyments, generally do|ted on by young People; &s;uppo&s;e &s;he had had all the Fineries and all the Dainties in the World; where would now the advantage of it be? Mu&s;t not tho&s;e mean tran&s;itory plea&s;ures have ended with her life, If not before it? doubtle&s;s they mu&s;t: but the rewards of her &s;ober Virtues are great, and la&s;ting for ever For her moderation and her &s;elf denial in Temporal plea&s;ures, &s;he now takes her full of tho&s;e Diviner Joys, which are Eternal but they are Secret.</P>
<P>O Truly Wi&s;e and Happy Child! thou did&s;t betimes Learn the harde&s;t Le&s;&s;ons of the Chri&s;ti|an Philo&s;ophy! Thou wert per&s;waded there are better things in Heaven for the followers of JESUS, than this Earth can afford! and thou did&s;t chu&s;e and act accordingly. Thou wert made Wi&s;e unto Salvation, before the inticements and follies of the World could deprave their under|&s;tanding, or &s;eize upon thine affections! and now Ble&s;&s;ed art thou, and Ble&s;&s;ed al&s;o &s;hould we be, if we could, or would follow thine Example.</P>
<P>But I can not di&s;play all the Beauties of it. I mu&s;t every where omit and ha&s;ten and now pa&s;s to the &s;econd head, to &s;peak of tho&s;e Virtues which are comprehended under the name of Righteou&s;ne&s;s. They are &s;uch as are exerci&s;ed towards our Neighbors, in their &s;everal Relati|ons to us: and in the&s;e, &s;he was al&s;o very exem|plary, and very eminent.</P>
<PB N="27" REF="19">
<P> Self-Love and Intere&s;t are things that make men partial again&s;t others, where them&s;elves are concern'd, but the having &s;o intirely &s;ubdued tho&s;e evil Affections (as I have &s;hewed before) there was nothing in her to ob&s;truct her Ju&s;tice and her Charity,</P>
<P>To her Parents therefore &s;he was a dutyful and loving Child; &s;he was tender of all that concern|ed them, and &s;ought nothing but to bring them as much Comfort and Joy as a truly good Child can bring to good Parents: &s;he exceeded what they de&s;ired in ob&s;ervance to them: and the on|ly thing they could chide her for, was this, That &s;he was not kind enough to her &s;elf.</P>
<P>To her other Relations she was dear al&s;o, and she paid to them all, all that Re&s;pect and Affe|ction which they could any ways challenge or de&s;ire; she was much concern'd for their good, and where otherwi&s;e she could not by Prayers, she expre&s;t her true kindne&s;s to them; having learnt as St. <HI>Paul</HI> taught Chri&s;tians, <HI>to &s;hew fir&s;t Piety at home.</HI> 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 5. 4.</P>
<P>Many there are who when they come abroad, &s;eem very meek and obliging; they put the be&s;t &s;ide outward, and are very courteous to Strangers: but at home they are churlish and ungentle, angry and froward; There they are plea&s;ed with nothing, and they plea&s;e no Body; their Language and their Behavior are harsh and vexatious, and this is a fault as great and com|mon, as it was far from the temper of this Ble&s;&s;ed Chri&s;tian.</P>
<PB N="28" REF="20">
<P> She had learnt of her Ble&s;&s;ed Ma&s;ter, to <HI>be meek and lowly:</HI> and of the great Apo&s;tle, <HI>to be gentle, ea&s;y to be intreated full of Mercy and good Fruits,</HI> and &s;he therefore was mo&s;t e&s;teemed where &s;he con|ver&s;ed mo&s;t: &s;he was be&s;t Beloved where &s;he was be&s;t known.</P>
<P>She not only made no breaches her &s;elf in the Family where &s;he lived, but &s;he endeavour'd to clo&s;e them up, as fa&s;t as others did make them, &s;he was not only Peaceable, but a Peace-maker; and in this &s;he &s;hewed her Wi&s;dom and her Di&s;|cretion, as much as her good will: for &s;he had not only the Innocence and Meekne&s;s of a Dove, but the Prudence of the Serpent al&s;o.</P>
<P>She had al&s;o learnt and practic'd another great and difficult le&s;&s;on, <HI>to take heed to her ways that &s;he might not offend in her tongue;</HI> a le&s;&s;on as u&s;eful and nece&s;&s;ary, as it is generally neglected. That Tongue wherewith &s;he &s;o often Ble&s;t God, &s;he would not abu&s;e to his di&s;honour, to vain babling, or to her Brothers prejudice: that made her keep &s;ilence, when many were talkative and loud. She could have &s;poke as much as they, with as much grace, and to better purpo&s;e: but &s;he would have di&s;cours'd upon better Subjects than impertinent News, or uncharitable Stories.</P>
<P>But it was not only her care to hurt no Body: She could al&s;o &s;eek and joyfully embrace all Op|portunities to do good to others: she would vi|&s;it the &s;ick; exhort and comfort them; pray with them and for them: and many ways make it appear that her Charity reach'd the Soul al&s;o, though it was not confin'd to it.</P>
<PB N="29" REF="20">
<P> Not confin'd to the Soul, I &s;ay: for &s;he was as forward to relieve the outward wants of needy per&s;ons, as to promote the Spiritual Intere&s;t of any; whereas many of all ranks and ages, op|pre&s;s others and di&s;able them&s;elves by their Lux|uries and their Vanities: &s;he contrariwi&s;e &s;par'd from her &s;elf, that she might have the more to give to the nece&s;&s;itous, she did &s;tudy the Art of Alms-giving, and avoided idle expences, to be rich in good works.</P>
<P>Her &s;weet and mild Di&s;po&s;ition, her Charity to all the World, her readine&s;s to do good where she could, were the features of that Divine I|mage, whereby she re&s;embled her Heavenly Fa|ther. By the&s;e she indear'd her&s;elf to tho&s;e that were ble&s;t with her conver&s;e, she was Righteous in the full and be&s;t &s;en&s;e, innocent and beneficient.</P>
<P>Rejoyce now Ble&s;&s;ed Soul, with the good An|gels in Heaven, thou that wert a good Angel here below! Let Charity, which upon Earth was thy delight and employment, be thy reward above! enjoy now there that Infinite Goodne&s;s which here made thee &s;o good.</P>
<P>I run as a man that hath yet a great way to go, and but a short time, you may &s;ee that I take but here and there a drop out of the full &s;tream: But now I a&s;cend up to the head Spring of it, her Godline&s;s, whence i&s;&s;ued all tho&s;e Vertues and all that Goodne&s;s I have mentioned: It was her Love to God, and her de&s;ire to be with him, that made her Live Soberly and Righteou&s;ly, in a manner &s;o excellent and &s;o exemplary.</P>
<PB N="30" REF="21">
<P> She was well Principled betimes, and upon a good Foundation she erected an excellent Fa|brick, increa&s;ing in knowledg much fa&s;ter than in years; but no Wonder, the Divine Ble&s;&s;ing could not be wanting where there was great applica|tion and a per&s;evering diligence to know God and his holy ways, she was doubtle&s;s a great profi|cient in the Chri&s;tian School; she read much and with good ob&s;ervation: and though being whol|ly intent upon practice, she delighted not in Controver&s;ies, yet she could not only give a good account of the Hope that was in her, but al&s;o in many things convince gain-&s;ayers.</P>
<P>How unprofitably young people &s;pend their time, and how much the Study of Religion is neglected in this irreligious Age, is &s;ufficiently known, though not &s;ufficiently lamented: but we have here before us an example able to Cure this great Evil, if well attended to. She was al|ways employ'd in that which was u&s;eful to her|&s;elf or others; in learning or in practi&s;ing the be&s;t of Chri&s;tian In&s;tructions.</P>
<P>Books were her great delight and recreation; upon them and the poor she could freely be&s;tow what she &s;eemed to grudg to her &s;elf, that tho&s;e Books were not Plays and Romances needs no telling, her Excellent Life declares it. No, they were an&s;werable to the great Piety of her conver|&s;ation, they were Books of Religion, and the be&s;t of that kind; &s;uch as grounded her in that Holy Faith she profe&s;t in the be&s;t of Churches, &s;uch as taught and incited her to di&s;charge to|wards
<PB N="31" REF="21"> God and man, all the Dutys of a Chri&s;tian; &s;uch as Mini&s;tred to her Secret and Fervent De|votions.</P>
<P>As for the Books of Di&s;&s;enters, which might have mi&s;lead or intangled her, she was neither willing nor at lei&s;ure to &s;pend any time upon them, she knew she was right, and that the Church is the &s;afe&s;t Guide: therefore her only care was to follow its directions, and to &s;ee that her works might be an&s;werable to her Profe&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>The hour of publick Prayer, she expected with longing and great impatience, and she as much Rejoiced when it came: and heartily join'd with the Mini&s;ter who Morning and Evening, did offer the appointed Sacrifice in the Family: and, whe|ther in the Church or at home, &s;he was always careful to be pre&s;ent and praying at the begin|ning, That having (as &s;he &s;aid) made her Peni|tent Confe&s;&s;ion, the general Ab&s;olution might be particularly applyed to her Soul.</P>
<P>She was not of tho&s;e that count the Church-Offices to be long and tedious, &s;he rather thought they were too &s;oon ended, and &s;he would have been griev'd had any of them been omitted. 'Twas her delight to &s;ee God Wor&s;hipp'd, and to joyn with others in that Ble&s;&s;ed Imployment; and as if her Heart had not been big enough to entertain tho&s;e Holy Publick Devotions, which &s;he &s;o dear|ly lov'd, she had often a Book of them in her hand, and one to be &s;ure always about her.</P>
<P>How Pa&s;&s;ionately did &s;he wi&s;h al&s;o for frequent opportunities of receiving the Ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament,
<PB N="32" REF="22"> and uniting her &s;elf in Heart and My&s;tery to her deare&s;t Saviour, as much as is po&s;&s;ible for us in this life; great was her gladne&s;s and comfort when tho&s;e happy &s;ea&s;ons return'd, great was her care to put on the wedding-garment, for that Heavenly Marriage-Fea&s;t. Fa&s;ting, Tears and Prayers were the Preparatives; a mo&s;t Humble, Edifying and Devout Behavior were the concomi|tants; and a great Love, fervour and gratitude were the &s;ub&s;equent Effects of that mo&s;t Solemn Act of Religion.</P>
<P>If from the Church and the Lords Table, we follow her to her private Clo&s;et, there we &s;hall find her every day &s;pend much time in Reading and Meditation, and much more yet upon her knees. No wonder, Ble&s;&s;ed Soul, if thou wert &s;o good, when thou did&s;t keep &s;uch Divine Compa|ny! being always with God, either hearing him &s;peak, or &s;peaking to him; always conver&s;ing with Heaven, either in thoughts or words!</P>
<P>We may yet advance farther to her Bed-cham|ber. There we &s;hall &s;ee her al&s;o much upon her Knees, her Cheeks bedewed with Tears, her mouth filled with the Prai&s;es of God, and her Heart with his Love, This is the fir&s;t and the la&s;t thing &s;he doth every day, Nay, days thus Religiou&s;ly &s;pent, cannot &s;ufficiently expre&s;s that devout affection which her Soul is po&s;&s;e&s;t withal; &s;he defalks as much as &s;he can from the nece&s;&s;ary refre&s;hment of Nature; her re&s;t is in|terrupted with acts of adoration, and at mid-night you may find her pro&s;trate upon the ground,
<PB N="33" REF="22"> watching to God while others &s;leep, and antici|pating, as much as may be, the State of Immorta|lity, and the Ble&s;&s;ed imployment of Saints in Hea|ven.</P>
<P>No wonder now, if &s;o much Grace in&s;pired that Soul which &s;o much dwelt with God! No wonder if her life and example be bright and lu|minous, as was <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>'s face, when &s;he like him, &s;o long convers'd with God! and no wonder if God took her to him&s;elf betimes, when &s;he like <HI>Enoch</HI> walkt &s;o clo&s;e with him, and with &s;o Zealous an a&s;&s;iduity.</P>
<P>Would you think it Chri&s;tians, if I had not di&s;cover'd it before, that I have been reading the Life of a young per&s;on, of one that died under twenty? would you not rather think that I have been making a Collection of all that might be prai&s;e-worthy in the Lives of many aged good Chri&s;tians?</P>
<P>I profe&s;s I have read the lives of the long Liv'd Fathers of the De&s;ert; there are in them &s;ome things very extraordinary, and rather to be won|dred at than imitated, but the Life and example of this our younger Saint, is far more in&s;tructive and edifying than all theirs. She liv'd under no other ingagement than her Bapti&s;mal Vows, &s;he conver&s;t freely with others, and as to the actions of a civil Life, &s;he willingly complyed with Inno|cent Cu&s;toms, there was in her nothing extraor|dinary but an extraordinary goodne&s;s and piety.</P>
<P>And yet it may pa&s;s for a thing very &s;ingular and hardly to be match't, that where there was
<PB N="34" REF="23"> &s;o great a Vertue, &s;uch an elevation of mind, there &s;hould be no contempt of others, no Pride, no de&s;ire to be ob&s;erv'd; nothing but lowline&s;s and the greate&s;t &s;incerity, &s;he did as St. <HI>Gregory</HI> tells of his Si&s;ter, <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">. Seek to approve her&s;elf only to him who &s;ees in Secret, and &s;he could have wi&s;h'd no man had took notice of what &s;he did for God a|lone. <HI>Euge bone &s;erve,</HI> well done good and faith|ful Servant, was all the commendation &s;he aim|ed at, and if, notwith&s;tanding her Light did &s;hine before men, it was that only God might be glorified.</P>
<P>Great things have been written of the zeal of retutning Penitents, but &s;o much fervour with &s;o little Guilt, &s;uch an active Piety with &s;o much innocence hath &s;eldom been &s;een, her Vertue might have been a rich Ornament for gray hairs: but that &s;he &s;hould thus intirely devote her&s;elf to God in the prime of her age, when &s;he might have injoy'd all Humane plea&s;ures, and was as likely to live long as any one alive: is much to be ad|mir'd and remembred.</P>
<P>But as &s;he was &s;oon ripe and come to perfecti|on, &s;o God &s;oon took her from among the chaff, <HI>Mat.</HI> 3. 12. <HI>and gather'd her with his wheat into his garner.</HI> She went out into her Lords Vinyard, and there began to work from break a day, there|fore he would not &s;uffer her after &s;uch early dili|gence, to bear al&s;o the brunt and the heat of the day, he paid her her wages before Noon, and di&s;mi&s;t her to re&s;t, &s;he &s;tarted for the Race, as &s;oon as &s;he had enter'd it, and &s;he ran with great &s;peed,
<PB N="35" REF="23"> and therefore &s;oon ended her cour&s;e, and betimes received the Crown.</P>
<P>How &s;he fini&s;ht her Chri&s;tian Cour&s;e will ea&s;ily be gue&s;t by what I have already &s;aid of its begin|ning and progre&s;s: it could not be with her, as with many remi&s;s Chri&s;tians, who, when they approach the confines of Death, begin to mend their pace, and to be very &s;erious and active: but &s;he that had liv'd always as if &s;he had been dying, could not but die as &s;he had liv'd.</P>
<P>Her Body being much a &s;tranger to her, and her Soul familiar with God, and always deligh|ted with Spiritual Plea&s;ures: she therefore took little Notice of her natural pains and decays: and her infirmities could not oblige her to omit any thing of her wonted Devotions, in&s;omuch that but little before her la&s;t Agony, she was two hours upon her knees, taking her farewel of the World, and making her approaches to God in that Devout, Humble po&s;ture, she went an even con&s;tant pace, and died to God as she had liv'd to him.</P>
<P>And now, to her I may apply <HI>Philo's</HI> Ob&s;erva|tion, he finds that <HI>Abraham</HI> is the fir&s;t in Scrip|ture called an old man, <HI>Gen.</HI> 25. 8. not but that the Patriarchs before him lived much longer, but becau&s;e (&s;aith he) Age should be reckon'd by Wi&s;dom and Piety, not by years, by this account we may find al&s;o that this yong Lady lived long and died full of years, as the Patriach did, her time which she did &s;pend &s;o Religiou&s;ly to gain
<PB N="36" REF="24"> bli&s;sful Eternity cannot be &s;aid to have been short.</P>
<P>And what? shall we now mourn becau&s;e she is gone from us, or shall we Joy becau&s;e she is with God? shall we mourn becau&s;e her Ab&s;ence is a grievous lo&s;s: or rejoyce becau&s;e her Pre&s;ence hath been a great and plea&s;ant advantage? doubt|le&s;s a mixture of tho&s;e two pa&s;&s;ions may here find a place. <HI>Sed &s;alva pietate, fidei gaudia praefe|ramus</HI> (&s;aid St. <HI>Paulinus)</HI> but without prejudice to Human affection, the joys of Religion should prevail over the Sorrows of Nature, P&s;. 116. 15. <HI>precious in the Sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints:</HI> that which God is delighted with, should not be altogether afflictive to us.</P>
<P>St. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, we should not pro&s;ecute with &s;adne&s;s and tears the death of Holy Per&s;ons, but rather with Hymns and Acclamations, <HI>cum Canticis &amp; P&s;allen|tium vocibus</HI> as it was the manner of ancient Chri&s;tians, and even the Decree of a great Coun|cil, 3<HI>d. Toled.</HI> Rejoycing with them that Rejoyce, congratuling their great Happine&s;s, becau&s;e if we follow their Examples; we shall with them be numbred with the Saints of God in Glory Ever|la&s;ting.</P>
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