of it, yet she was so content with it, as not to go about to And as to the consideration of the house belongs the consideration of the furniture too, so in these personal circumstances, we consider her fortune, her estate, which was in a fair and noble proportion, derived from her first husband and family, and nobly dispensed, by herself, with the allowance of her second. In which she was one of God's true stewards, and almoners too. There are dispositions, which had rather give presents than pay debts; and rather do good to strangers, than to those that are nearer to them. But she always thought the care of her family a debt, and upon that, for the provision, for the order, for the proportions in a good largeness, she placed her first thoughts of that kind. For, for our families, we are God's stewards; for those without, we are his almoners. In which office, she gave not at some great days or some solemn goings abroad, but, as God's true almoners, the sun and moon, that pass on, in a continual doing of good, as she received her daily bread from God, so, daily, she distributed and imparted it to others. In which office, though she never turned her face from those who, in a strict inquisition, might be called idle and vagrant beggars; yet she ever looked first upon them who laboured, and whose labours could not overcome the difficulties, nor bring in the necessities of this life; and to the sweat of their brows, she contributed even her wine, and her oil, and anything that was, and anything that might be, if it were not, prepared for her own table. And as her house was a court, in the conversation of the best, and an alms-house, in feeding the poor; so was it also an hospital, in ministering relief to the sick. And truly, the love of doing good in this kind, of ministering to the sick, was the VOL. VI. T 235 honey that was spread over all her bread; the air, the perfume that breathed over all her house; the disposition that dwelt in those her children, and those her kindred which dwelt with her, so bending this way, that the studies and knowledge of one, the hand of another, and purse of all, and a joint-faculty and openness, and accessibleness to persons of the meanest quality, concurred in this blessed act of charity, to minister relief to the 4 sick. Of which, myself, who, at that time, had the favour to be admitted into that family, can, and must testify this, that when the late heavy visitation fell hotly upon this town, when every door was shut up, and lest death should enter into the house, every house was made a sepulchre of them that were in it, then, then, in that time of infection divers persons visited with that infection, hath their relief, and relief applicable to that very infection, from this house. Now when I have said thus much, (rather thus little) of her person, as of her house, that the ground upon which it was built, was the family where she was born, and then, where she was married, and then, the time of her widowhood, and lastly, her last marriage, and that the house itself, was those fair bodily endowments, which God had bestowed upon her, and the furniture of that house, the fortune, and the use of that fortune, of which God had made her steward and almoner, when I shall also have said, that the inhabitants of this house, (rather the servants, for they did but wait upon religion in her) were those married couples, of moral virtues, conversation married with a retiredness, facility married with a reservedness, alacrity married with a thoughtfulness, and largeness married with a providence, I may have leave to depart from this consideration of her person, and personal circumstances, lest by insisting longer upon them, I should seem to pretend, to say all the good, that might be said of her; but that is not in my purpose; yet, only therefore, because it is not in my power; for I would do her all right, and all you that good, if I could, to say all. But, I haste to an end, in consideration of some things, that appertain more expressly to me, than these personal, or civil, or moral things do. In these the next is, the secundum promissa, that she governed herself, according to his promises; his promises, laid down in his Scriptures. For, as the rule of all her civil actions, was religion, so, the rule of her religion, was the Scripture; and, her rule, for her particular understanding of the Scripture, was the church. She never diverted towards the papist, in undervaluing the Scripture; nor towards the separatist, in undervaluing the church. But in the doctrine, and discipline of that church, in which, God sealed her to himself in baptism, she brought up her children, she assisted her family, she dedicated her soul to God in her life, and surrendered it to him in her death; and, in that form of common prayer, which is ordained by that church, and to which she had accustomed herself, with her family, twice every day, she joined with that company, which was about her death-bed, in answering to every part thereof, which the congregation is directed to answer to, with a clear understanding, with a constant memory, with a distinct voice, not two hours before she died. According to this promise, that is, the will of God manifested in the Scriptures, she expected, she expected this, that she hath received, God's physic, and God's music; a Christianly death. For, death in the Old Testament was a communication; but in the New Testament, death is a promise. When there was a super-dying, a death upon the death, a morte upon the morieris, a spiritual death after the bodily, then we died according to God's threatening; now, when by the Gospel, that second death is taken off, though we die still, yet we die according to his promise, that is a part of his mercy, and his promise, which his apostle gives us from him, that we shall all be changed 3; for, after that promise, that change, follows that triumphant acclamation, O death where is thy sting, O grave where is thy victory? Consider us fallen in Adam, and we are miserable, that we must die; but consider us restored, and redintegrated in Christ, we were more miserable if we might not die; we lost the earthly paradise by death then; but we get not heaven but by death, now. This she expected till it came, and embraced it when it came. How may we think, she was joyed to see that face, that angels delight to look upon, the face of her Saviour, that did not abhor the face of her faithfulest messenger, death? She showed no fear of his face, in any change of her 63 631 Cor. xv. 51. 2 own; but died without any change of countenance, or posture; without any struggling, any disorder; but her death-bed was as quiet, as her grave. To another Magdalen, Christ said upon earth, Touch me not, for I am not ascended. Being ascended now, to his glory, and she being gone up to him, after she had awaited her leisure, so many years, as that more, would soon have grown to be vexation and sorrow, as her last words here, were, I submit my will to the will of God; so we doubt not, but the first word which she heard there, was that euge, from her Saviour, Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into thy Master's joy. 262 يا 263 She expected that; dissolution of body, and soul; and rest in both, from the incumbrances, and tentations of this world. But 3 yet, she is in expectation still; still a reversionary; and a reversionary upon a long life; the whole world must die, before she come to a possession of this reversion; which is a glorified body in the resurrection. In which expectation, she returns to her former charity; she will not have that, till all we shall have it, as well as she; she ate not her morsels alone, in her life, (as Job speaks") she looks not for the glory of the resurrection alone, after her death. But when all we shall have been mellowed in 15 the earth, many years, or changed in the air, in the twinkling of an eye, (God knows which) that body upon which you tread now, that body which now, whilst I speak, is mouldering, and crumbling into less, and less dust, and so hath some motion, though no life, that body, which was the tabernacle of a holy soul, and a temple of the Holy Ghost, that body that was eyes to the blind, and hands and feet to the lame, whilst it lived, and being dead, is so still, by having been so lively an example, to teach others, to be so, that body at last, shall have her last expectation satisfied, and dwell bodily, with that righteousness, in these new heavens, and new earth, for ever, and ever, and ever, and infinite, and super-infinite evers. We end all, with the valediction of the spouse to Christ: His left hand is under my head, and his right embraces me, was the spouse's valediction, and good night to Christ then, when she laid herself down to sleep in the strength of his mandrakes, and in the power of his 65 Cant. viii. 3. 64 Job xxxi. 17. spices, as it is expressed there; that is, in the influence of his mercies. Beloved, every good soul is the spouse of Christ. And this good soul, being thus laid down to sleep in his peace, his left hand under her head, gathering, and composing, and preserving her dust for future glory; his right hand embracing her, assuming, and establishing her soul in present glory, in his name, and in her behalf, I say that, to all you, which Christ says there, in the behalf of that spouse, Adjuro vos, I adjure you, I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye wake her not, till she please. The words are directed to the 7 daughters, rather than to the sons of Jerusalem, because for the most part, the aspersions that women receive, either in moral or religious actions, proceed from women themselves. Therefore, Adjuro vos, I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, wake her not, wake her not with any half calumnies, with any whisperings, but if you will wake her, wake her, and keep her awake with an active imitation of her moral, and her holy virtues. That i so her example working upon you, and the number of God's saints, being the sooner, by this blessed example, fulfilled, we may all meet, and meet quickly in that kingdom, which hers, and our Saviour's, hath purchased for us all, with the inestimable price, of his incorruptible blood. To which glorious Son of God 6. &c. 66 At the end of this sermon in the old edition, 12mo, 1627, follows a collection of verses on the death of his mother, by George Herbert. |