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<DATE>2014-09-24</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>TCP Staff (Michigan)</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140518.apex.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B26763">
<STC T="W">M1702A</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">[ocm]14956240</BIBNO>
<VID>206140</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="poem">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<HEAD><FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>lionesque skull crowned by a winged time-turner</FIGDESC>
<P>MEMENTO MORI</P>
</FIGURE> <Q><HI>The Memory of the Ju&s;t is ble&s;&s;ed, and is to be had in everlasting remembrance.</HI></Q></HEAD>
<HEAD>A mo&s;t U&s;eful (Pithy and De&s;erved) Commendation of (that Pious and Reverend Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel) Mr. Thomas Wad&s;worth.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Who changed this Life for a better, <HI>October</HI> 29. 1676. Printed in Meeter to perfume his Name, and keep alive his Memory to future Po&s;terity.</HEAD>
<P><FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>poem is framed by images of skeletons, skulls, time-turners, and graveyard implements, as well as two more banners reading MEMENTO MORI</FIGDESC>
</FIGURE></P>
<LG>
<L>IS <HI>Wad&s;worth</HI> Dead! how can this be re&s;olv'd!</L>
<L>Wee'll grant you the <HI>Compo&s;itum</HI> that's di&s;&s;olv'd;</L>
<L>But for his Soul, it Lives among the Ble&s;t,</L>
<L>His Body's but A&s;leep and gone to Re&s;t.</L>
<L>He Preacht and Wrote, o'th Souls Immortality,</L>
<L>Which Doctrine he finds True, now in Glory.</L>
<L>If Soul-&s;leepers, could into Heaven peep,</L>
<L>They would convinc'd be, the Soul goes not to &s;leep.</L>
<L>For then and there, they quickly would behold</L>
<L>Holy <HI>Wad&s;worth</HI>'s Soul, &s;hine more bright than Gold.</L>
<L>Acting its Part 'mong&s;t that Heavenly Quire,</L>
<L>With lively vig'rous Zeal as hot as Fire:</L>
<L>Where Living, He &s;hall Live and never Dye,</L>
<L>No more to Sin, nor Groan through Pain and Cry;</L>
<L>Of <HI>Kidney &V;lcer,</HI> and <HI>Stone</HI> in <HI>Bladder,</HI></L>
<L>Which to him prov'd a Happy <HI>Jacob's</HI> Ladder.</L>
<L>For though 'twas painful for him to a&s;cend,</L>
<L>Yet come to Top, it did in Glory end.</L>
<L>So Death to him, &s;ave One, proved his be&s;t Friend.</L>
<L>Which one is <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> through who&s;e Blood and Merit,</L>
<L>Alone 'tis that, He's with God in Spirit.</L>
<L>Which Truth believed, proves Soul Immortality;</L>
<L>Likewi&s;e di&s;proves blind Popes Purgatory.</L>
<L>And what a joyful Meeting may one think</L>
<L>Had this Ble&s;t Soul upon an Eye-lids wink,</L>
<L>With that Ble&s;t Company which is above,</L>
<L>With Patriarch's, Martyrs, and Holy <HI>Love;</HI></L>
<L>Al&s;o with others of a later Date,</L>
<L>Who went to Heaven at a cheaper rate.</L>
<L>As Golden <HI>Havilah</HI> and Holy <HI>Je&s;&s;e,</HI></L>
<L>Reverend <HI>Caryl, Venning,</HI> and Ble&s;t <HI>Janeway,</HI></L>
<L>With Learned <HI>Wilki&s;on,</HI> and <HI>Whitaker,</HI></L>
<L>Who&s;e Names on Earth, &s;till perfumed are;</L>
<L>With their great Learning, Labour and Holy Life,</L>
<L>Which whil'&s;t they lived, was in them mo&s;t Rife.</L>
<L>Their Learning now's ended, their Labour's done;</L>
<L>They have run their Race, and the Prize have won.</L>
<L>So Reverend <HI>We&s;t, Pledger,</HI> and Sweet Mr. <HI>Well.</HI></L>
<L>Who &s;pent them&s;elves, to &s;ave poor Souls from Hell.</L>
<L>But now are all, to Heaven gone from Earth,</L>
<L>And Ble&s;t <HI>Wad&s;worth</HI> la&s;t, hath yielded up his Breath.</L>
<L>And with them all, had a joyful Greeting,</L>
<L>Where Per&s;ecutor can't di&s;turb their Meeting.</L>
<L>But what was <HI>Wad&s;worth,</HI> that thus much is &s;aid,</L>
<L>Of him, who&s;e body, now in grave is laid?</L>
<L>Was he a man, who in his life, de&s;erv'd?</L>
<L>To be at's death, &s;o honourably &s;erv'd:</L>
<L>Yea he was, a man, who&s;e life, de&s;erv'd it:</L>
<L>Let none, therefore, envy his death hath it.</L>
<L>For th'honour, which to him's given at's death,</L>
<L>He well de&s;erv'd, in &s;pending, of his breath:</L>
<L><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">or welf<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">re, and th'good of mens immortal &s;ouls,</L>
<L>To fit, and them prepare, 'gain&s;t the bell touls.</L>
<L>When fir&s;t, he came from Univer&s;ity,</L>
<L>At <HI>New<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ngton Butts,</HI> he lift up his cry:</L>
<L>To make dead &s;ouls, to hear, his Ma&s;ters voice,</L>
<L>And &s;o, leave Sin, and &s;erve God out of choice.</L>
<L>And &s;o loud cry'd, to &s;inners, gone a&s;tray:</L>
<L>That many, he brought back, to Heavens way.</L>
<L>Two Sermons, he did preach, on each Lords day:</L>
<L>Each Morn, i'th' Week, he did expound and pray.</L>
<L>Be&s;ides, he often vi&s;ited his Flock,</L>
<L>And at their doors, mo&s;t frequently did knock.</L>
<L>To &s;ee, and know, each &s;ouls &s;tate and condition,</L>
<L>In which, he &s;hew'd him&s;elf a good Phy&s;ician.</L>
<L>And 'cordingly, his remedy, apply'd:</L>
<L>The weak, with &s;trength, the &s;ad, with joy, &s;upply'd.</L>
<L>And's hungry &s;ouls, by him, was fed with food:</L>
<L>So's hungry bodies, with that which was good.</L>
<L>He &s;ought the flock, more than he did the fleece:</L>
<L>To do them good, was both his joy and peace.</L>
<L>To Rich and Poor, he preacht impartially:</L>
<L>With great conver&s;ion, God &s;eal'd his Mini&s;try.</L>
<L>And when, for Con&s;cience &s;ake, he was turn'd out;</L>
<L>In Countrey, Town, and City, preach'd about.</L>
<L>As he preach'd, in Pulpit, frequent and rife:</L>
<L>So he preach'd, in practice, by his holy life.</L>
<L>His life was perfect, and his death was peace:</L>
<L>He fed his Flock, but never took the Fleece;</L>
<L>Therefore let's Brethren, him for pattern take:</L>
<L>And thence learn, to do more, for th' Lord Chri&s;t's &s;ake.</L>
<L>For though, God gave him great ability:</L>
<L>Yet &s;till he &s;hew'd forth as great Humility.</L>
<L>At length God's Providence, which ruleth well,</L>
<L>At <HI>Tibbals</HI> plac'd him, to &s;ave &s;ome from Hell:</L>
<L>And there he did not preach nor run in vain,</L>
<L>Some fruit God gave him, to reward his pain.</L>
<L>For many, there by him was converted;</L>
<L>Who from th' Faith of Chri&s;t, had much departed.</L>
<L>Keeping &s;till his Flock he had at <HI>London:</HI></L>
<L>Though for it he was like to be undone.</L>
<L>Keeping Pluralities, but not for gain:</L>
<L>But to &s;ave more &s;ouls from eternal pain.</L>
<L>And when th' Per&s;ecution was mo&s;t hot,</L>
<L>Did not neglect to feed his Flocks a jot.</L>
<L>But preach he would, by day, or by the night:</L>
<L>Though &s;ometimes rude Souldiers did much him fright.</L>
<L>And thus he &s;erv'd both places, though by &s;tealth,</L>
<L>Until he found it did impair his health:</L>
<L>And then, with coun&s;el, did him&s;elf advi&s;e,</L>
<L>That he might not be th' Peoples Sacrifice.</L>
<L><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 words"> m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eave, yet <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ot<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ov<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d him well;</L>
<L>He lov'd them again, therefore could not tell</L>
<L>Which to for&s;ake, both were to him &s;o dear.</L>
<L>This thing, to decide, co&s;t him many a tear.</L>
<L>Likewi&s;e, each Flock, a claim to him did lay,</L>
<L>Who&s;e Shepherd to be, t'guid them Heavens way.</L>
<L>From whence, &s;ome &s;mall contention did ari&s;e</L>
<L>Between both Flocks, yet both, were godly wi&s;e.</L>
<L>At length, by coun&s;el, he did come to dwell</L>
<L>At <HI>Pickleherring,</HI> a place known full well.</L>
<L>But when preach'd two Sermons had at <HI>Dead-place,</HI></L>
<L>His Ma&s;ter &s;ent grim death to look him i'th' face.</L>
<L>Preaching th' la&s;t, he made the people wonder,</L>
<L>He did, &s;o long and loud, 'gain&s;t Sin thunder.</L>
<L>And before he ended and went his way,</L>
<L>Did &s;ummon the World to meet him at Judge day.</L>
<L>And &s;o that prov'd, for him they'l &s;ee no more,</L>
<L>Till they meet to &s;ee him the Lord before.</L>
<L>For 'th Twenty ninth <HI>October</HI> the Lords one day,</L>
<L>'Bout two o'th Clock his Lord took him away.</L>
<L>He hath fought his Fight, and run throughout's Race,</L>
<L>And now to Heaven's gone to take his place.</L>
<L>Thus God him&s;elf hath ended two Flocks &s;trife,</L>
<L>By taking from them their dear Shepherds life.</L>
<L>But what a great lo&s;s this is, who can tell?</L>
<L>(None) till experience to us it &s;pell:</L>
<L>Great lo&s;s to th' Church, no le&s;s to his Relations,</L>
<L>Yea, a great lo&s;s toth' whole Engli&s;h Nation.</L>
<L>He was a man with whom few could compare,</L>
<L>To find the like, would any man out-ware.</L>
<L>Therefore let all that doth this &s;ad News hear,</L>
<L>Endeavour to bedew it with a tear.</L>
<L>Let all Gods Children in Love unit'd be,</L>
<L>That he may not from them take their Mini&s;try&punc;</L>
<L>Let Sinners all, them of their Sinnes repent,</L>
<L>Which hath provoked God to make this rent.</L>
<L>Let Magi&s;try, Mini&s;try, and People all,</L>
<L>Turn from their &s;in and upon the Lord call:</L>
<L>For mercy to be &s;hewn to this Nation,</L>
<L>That we become not a De&s;olation.</L>
<L>Let all that go to hear at <HI>D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ad mans place,</HI></L>
<L>Mourning Remember Ble&s;s'd <HI>Wad&s;wort<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI>'s Face;</L>
<L>And pray his D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ath may Preach now he is Dead,</L>
<L>That Sinners dying ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> find the Grave a B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d:</L>
<L>To lodge their Bodies till the Re&s;urrection,</L>
<L>And then Awake with a good Complexion.</L>
<L>Let <HI>Tibbals</HI> Flock improve this lo&s;s &s;o well,</L>
<L>As to come to Heaven and e&s;cape Hell.</L>
</LG>
<DIV2 TYPE="epitaph">
<HEAD>HIS EPITAPH.</HEAD>
<LG>
<L><HI>HEre &s;leeps the Body of Holy</HI> Wad&s;worth <HI>Ble&s;t,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Di&s;turb him not, his Soul is gone to R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t.</HI></L>
<L><HI>And this his Du&s;t &s;hall have a Glorious Ri&s;ing,</HI></L>
<L><HI>W<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">en</HI> Chir&s;t <HI>comes <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t Re&s;urrection Morning:</HI></L>
<L><HI>He Preach'd in Life, and Dead he Preacheth &s;till,</HI></L>
<L><HI>To Sinners, to keep and ob<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y Gods will,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Holy lives to live, all Sin to for&s;ak<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI></L>
<L><HI>That they with him in Glory may partake.</HI></L>
</LG>
<CLOSER>Memento Mortis.</CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
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