IT is said, that it is better to be in the house of mourning, than mirth; if ever, I trust now, you are in a house of mourning, and mourners; mourners, not so much with their doole, and mourning cloaths; as with mour­ning hearts and weeping eyes. I pray God this mourning caused by this more than mournfull ob­ject, may draw us to a mourning for our selves, and for our sins. And that this change may leade us to the practise of Iob his resolution here, All the dayes of my appointed time will I wait till my change come: I make it the ground of my speech; since of a mour­ner I must be a speaker. Loth was I to it; But how should I, how could I detrect it? this being the least dutie I can; the last I ever shall perform to the ne­ver-to-be-forgotten memory of this Honourable young Lady; Repressing therefore and smothering my own grief for a time; I will proceed having first called upon God, who onely can direct me, how to speak, you how to hear, and both to his glory.

THis change, to her als joyfull, as to us sorrow­full, cals upon us with Iob, all the dayes of our ap­pointed time to wait till our change come. Few words, yet large matter; which at this time, is rather a trou­ble, than an ease to the speaker: of whom you can­not expect Scholastick speculations, flowres of Fa­thers, broken sentences of Poets; such elaborate and painted discourses as they, are more for shew than profit, so to this time altogether unsutable. It shall suffice me, if tempering my speech with brevity & perspicuity, I can enforce upon you, the practise of what Iob resolved, All the dayes of your appointed time to wait till your change come. And thus I enter upon my text by way of, 1. explication. 2. application. 3. exhortation. For explication, as I will not detain you with the dependence and deduction of the text; so I will not be curious in cutting and dividing the words: onely, in generall, I take them as running on three points, 1. Life, 2. Death, 3. Preparation in life for death. Of life you have two things; one expres­sed; That the time thereof is appointed; the other implied; That it is short, rather to be measured by dayes than years. Death and the preparation there­to, are set down in two words of large extent; death is a change, and our preparation a waiting for this change.

☞ Our time is appointed, not by our selves, not by man, not by any other creature; but by the creator of all. His we are in our coming, staying, leaving this world: from him is our time here, and change hence: what ever besides, within us, without us, gets the name of prolonging our time, or hasting our [Page 3] change, it is subordinate to his appointment.

2. Our time is appointed: Some have years; some months; some dayes; some houres; all appointed, and measured forth by God. One comes to his change by a burning fever; another by a lingring con­sumption; one meets it in his bed, another in the street; thousands at once in the field, and all by ap­pointment. If the sparrows falling or flying, one haire of thy head it's growing or falling be appoin­ted; how not our time and change by appointment?

3. Our time is appointed by him who knowes what is best for him, what for us; our time is from him, and should be for him: As our coming is not by chance, so neither our going. We are all set here for some busines, which being done; then our appointed time leads to our change. Thus for the appointment of our time.

All the dayes of my appointed time: Here the next, the brevitie of this time; a point so cleare by the light of Scripture, reason, and daily experience; that it might seeme a vain expense of our appointed time to insist upon it. And surely if mens inward conceits, and outward practises did comply with their verball profession, I should wrong both you and my selfe, to make a pause here. But alasse, what ever be the con­fession of the daies of our appointed time, yet I am sure our carriage speaks, that we dream not of dayes but of years, yea many years of our appointed time. Whence I intreat you is the casting away of so much of our appointed time, in doing nothing, in do­ing evill? whence the tyring of our wits to finde out new wayes to the spending thereof? whence the too-long [Page 4]spun-web of our ambitious, avaritious thoughts? whence those many delayes, whereby we shift knowledge, repentance, faith? All grace and goodnesse, and this waiting for our approaching change? whence all those? but from our conceit not of dayes, but of years, not of short, but long life? Yet the truth is, howsoever we may deceive and are deceived, Iobs words must stand (All the dayes of my appointed time) spoken by a man of truth, and inspi­red by the spirit of truth.

Scripture is so copious in this argument, that hard­ly can you turn over many pages, but you will meet with one or other passage or word sounding this way. Neither onely will you finde positive spee­ches, but great varietie of resemblances, whereby Gods Spirit would set forth these daies, or shortnes of our appointed time. Hence these comparisons, of a flower, a shadow, a vapour appearing for a while, and then vanishing, a dream, an Eagles flight in the aire, a cloud blown away with the winde, or else dissolved; a span measured in an instant, with many such like: David cals it vanitie, which is nothing; yea not onely his time and dayes, but him selfe, be­cause of them; Every man in his best estate is altoge­ther vanitie, Psal. 39.5. where each word is empha­ticke, man, every man, every man in his best estate, is vanitie, is altogether vanitie: And Psal. 62.9. The children of men are vanitie, the chief men are lyes; to lay them upon a balance they are altogether lighter than vanitie: And how I pray you can we count that long, which is in continuall consumption; the more time we have, the nearer we are to our change; [Page 5]yea our change begins in a manner with our time; no sooner living than beginning to die: Yesterday is not to be recalled, what is past is perished; the shadow of our time is still in motion; this glasse still run­ning; this ship still sayling; while we are eating, drin­king, sleeping, walking, talking, we are still carried to this change; and to close this point; there is nothing makes our time seeme long, but the expectation of hope of long time; and the longest time, once passed, is but a dream, but vanitie.

Thus of life, as appointed by God; as measured by dayes; The other two points of our change, and wai­ting for this change, is matter for many sermons, and a task for our whole life; But within this short scantling of time, wherewith I am straitned, I shall absolve them in two words. The change we must wait for, is that which is begun by death, and is ac­complished at our resurrection; O how joyfull, how glorious a change to the godly; whose corruption puts on incorruption, whose mortality puts on im­mortality; who are changed and transchanged into the glory of God. This happy change we must wait for; First, by practise, living so as we may attain to it. Secondly, by meditation, thinking on it ere it come. Thirdly, by resolution embracing it when it comes; I hasten to the application.

Works move more than words, teaching by ex­emple is more effectuall than by discourse. If the ardent, and affectionat desires of her Honourable pa­rents, the hearty wishes of her many worthy friends; the many salt tears, sobs, sighes, groanes, of all her acquaintance, the prayers and supplications of us all; [Page 6]if gifts of body and minde surpassing ordinarie, and stirring almost admiration in the beholders; if all those could have delayed this change, neither should your eyes have seene, nor my tongue this day spoken of it; but it was appointed by God, blessed be his name; his will, not ours, be done.

Maximilian, the first of that name, commanded that his dead body should be exposed to publique view; adding this reason, ut vel meo discant exemplo. Behold we have this day proposed our Maxima, the choycest jewell we had, once the delight of our eyes, and the joy of our hearts; her we proposed a specta­cle, not to be gazed upon, but that in this change ye might read a lecture of your own coming change; It is I know expected I should speake somewhat of her; and why should I frustrat your expectation? for though these speeches should not be Panegyricks, onely for the praises of the dead; but rather instructi­ons for the living; yet I see not why their due com­mandations, because of their excellent vertues, should be suppressed; since God, in them, by them, is glorified, others edified. And hath not the holy Spi­rit told us, that, As the memorie of the wicked shall rot, so the memorie of the just shall be blessed. Prov. 10.7. The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance, Psal. 112.6. If with God, why not with man?

Having upon those grounds resolved to speake of her, yet so, as the truth of my love, should not pre­judge my love of truth; still for a time I remained irresolved what to speake, where to begin, when to end; inopem me copia fecit. In end I found that, as to speake nothing were intolerable, so to speak all were [Page 7]impossible: So that my course must be of many things to make choyce of some few; and that by confining my speech to my text, 1. of her dayes; 2. of her appointed time; 3. her change; 4. her wai­ting for her change. All the dayes of her appointed time did she wait till her change came.

All the dayes. Sometimes dayes are taken for years, and years for dayes; when I speake of her time, I doubt whether to say dayes, or years: Let me joyn them both; all the dayes, all the years: Her appointed time was dayes, her appointed time was years; it was short, it was long. Will we take time and dayes as they are ordinarily; alasse then I must say she had dayes, and but few dayes that was worthy of years, of many years; thousands who abuse their time to the dishonour of God, them­selves, the world, have many dayes; while she, who knew both what time was, and how to use time, had but few. Ah what pitty to behold such a blossome blasted in the spring? such a flower withered in the morning? such a bright and glancing starre over­clouded with a gloomie and tempestuous night. But if we shall call those onely dayes that are spent ho­nourably, vertuously, religiously, then I may boldly turn dayes into years, and say, all the years of her appointed time. Her time was not short, but long. Diu vixit, licet non diu fuit, She lived long in a short time; is one day of a mans life governed with knowledge and reason, to be prized above the many years of the unreasonable creature? why not her few dayes full of knowledge and grace to be valued beyond the longest time of too too many, who at [Page 8]foure times twenty come to their change emptie of both? if her few dayes breed sorrow, let her many years bring us comfort.

Her time was Appointed by God; here a ground of patience. Since this change, the affections and pas­sions of many have shown themselves, and still doth; The eyes of all who knew her, the tongues of all who heard of her do abundantly testifie, not a private but a publique sorrow: and shall we con­demn that, which God and Nature commands? Christ and his Saints practised it. We finde the Pa­triarches and holy men mourning over their dead: our blessed Saviour shedding teares over Lazarus; and shall it then be strange if we behold her worthy parents lifting up their voyces with cryes, being de­prived of such a divided peece of themselves? Her honourable friends to bedeaw their cheeks, being robbed of such a choyce flower of their garland? all her acquaintance, familiars, and followers, to fill heaven and earth with their lamentations? wanting her, whose injoying was a great part of their earthly joy? yea, and it is strange to see all those bounds wher she was known by eye or eare, to mourn; each family, as if they were mourning for their own first born, being frustrat of those great hopes, and common benefits, her few dayes did promise to all? Surely it is not strange, nor can be blamed. And to increase it by patheticke speeches, I neither can, be­ing already at such a hight; neither will, least we give too large reines to it. Not to mourn, is not onely gracelesse, but unnaturall; to be immoderate in our mourning is not Christian, but Heathenish. [Page 9]When Iacob came to his change, Ioseph mourned; so did the Egytians; he but 7. dayes, they 70. Gen. 50.3.10. He knew his time was appointed by God, they looked to fate, and necessity: he knew his death was but a change, they tooke it for a finall dissolution and destruction. Mourn then we may, we should, but to exceed in our mourning as those who have no hope, we may not, we should not. And here among many, one ground for the moderation of our sorrow, and perswading of patience, Her time was appointed of God: if it had been possible that another should have wrought this change; would we, think ye, have taken it patiently? no, rather would we have parted with our own eyes. But now, O Lord, thou hast done it, and therefore with thy servant David we must close our mouth, yea reverence, obey, glorifie thy appointment, just are all thy ordinances, upright are all thy wayes: Though before with David we did weep, and would not be comforted, yet now seeing the evidence of thy appointment, we must rise up and praise thee.

Ye see her appointed time: I come now to her wai­ting. Iob saith, he would wait for his change, and why may not I say, All her dayes she did wait till her change came. For if the waiting for our change be; first, the leading of such a life as doth shew, we know there will be a change; secondly, if it be in the confluence of worldly blessings, to minde more our change than them; thirdly, if it be, at the approaching thereof, to desire it, embrace it, welcome it, joy in it, then I may truly say, she did wait for her change. God is my witnesse, what I speak, it is not from partiall affecti­on, [Page 10]so it is not for particular ends. I follow not doubtfull rumours, uncertain and flying reports; but what I know to be truth from her birth to this her change, from her cradle to her grave; I speake and that for truths sake; setting her waiting for a pattern to our waiting.

First then, I say, her life was such as did testifie she knew there would be a change. Religion, piety, de­votion is that, which gives, as it were, another life to all morall vertues, and makes them Christian, with­out it they may be profitable to others, but little to our selves. It is true, onely God knowes the heart in it self, and by himself: but if pregnant presump­tions, and well nigh infallible signes may be a firme ground for passing censure; I may confidently af­firme and assevere, that the fear of God was placed, yea deeply rooted in her heart: and from this foun­tain did flow those streames of the exercise of reli­gion; Her hunger, and burning desire to hear Gods word, her attention in hearing, her knowledge by hearing, her sweet devout communication and practise after hearing; What? shall I name to you her frequent praying; daily reading; her writing al­most the whole New Testament with her own hand: and was all onely in hypocrisie, and for shew? No, I am assured her religion was not so much in her eares and tongue (as it is with many) as in her heart and life. Who knew her, knowes she was more in substance than in show. From this same fountain flowed also that rare, and scarce to be matched obe­dience, love, honour, and all due respect to her pa­rents; which as her whole life did witnesse, so her [Page 11] change: nothing more grieving her for her change, as that her change would bring grief to them. If I should enlarge her observance to her superiours in regard of age and state of life, her dutifull respect to her equals, her modest & moderat carriage to her in­feriors; her love to all, and love of all; I might easi­ly wearie my self in relating, and you in hearing. The mouths of many will speak what now I may not, onely two words: It is rare to finde so few years so full of nature, so full of grace: And next whereas such eminent parts and vertues, especially in young years, are usually accompanied, yea and darkned with more than conspicuous faults: I know many will bear witnesse with me, that not onely she was free of such as might any wayes obscure her more noble parts; but even of such as might bring upon her the least stain before man, being blamelesse (far be it from me to say before God) I am sure be­fore the world. Now judge yee if such a life was not a waiting for her change?

For the second, The confluence of worldly blessings; I confesse my ignorance in Herauldry, to describe her pedigree and descent, derived by many generati­ons from her well deserving ancestors. Onely this I can say (and let me say it to provoke their posteri­ty to imitation and emulation) they were truly ho­nourable, since both blood and vertue joyned to make them noble: noble not onely by inheritance, but by purchase: Their greatnesse from their blood, their goodnes was from their vertue. Such her birth. But what availes names, titles, armes, honours, if there be no more? her birth did not so much honour [Page 12]her, as she it; having in a beautifull body a more beautifull soule; such knowledge, wisedome, skill in all things befitting her sex, and far above her age [...] that scarse her equall, let be her superiour could be found. Why should I speak to you of her many noble friends, her meanes and worldly estate, and hopes, and such like. And those also are Gods bles­sings, not to be neglected, and by many too much respected: Now what could have been expected, but that this concurrence of earthly blessings of all sorts, within, without, of birth, body, soul, estate, friends, would have tied her heart to the world, and raised her thoughts to an applauding of her self, and contemning of others? But ah! who ever did see pride shine in those eyes? when did ever neglect and contempt shew it self, in that meek, loving, and lovly countenance? I have often wondered to be­hold such excellent parts followed with such admi­rable humility, humanity, modesty, curtisie: and that not onely towards the great (which may, and often­times dwels with pride) but even to those of the lower sort. Now what did all this shew? but that her heart was not in this world; that those worm-eaten and fading pleasures did not bewitch her; that she did thinke on her change; and that trampling un­der foot all the pompe and glory of this world, she did aspire to that glory, the eye never saw, the eare never heard?

Thirdly, when her weaknesse did threaten her change; with what spirituall courage did she wel­come it? Thousands dare not so much as once think on their change: The Athiest, the Epicure, the [Page 13]worldling are confounded with the apprehension thereof: Onely the child of God dareth encounter it. Her strength was from God, whom she did ply, and importune with ardent prayers to strengthen and confirm her in her last conflict. Her inward friends, a good conscience, and faith in Christ did sustain her; and made that as she was not ashamed to live, so not afraid to die.

The last word of my text, and of her, is her change; O bitter-sweet change! bitter to us, sweet to her. To us bitter, who shall see no more that face, nor hear that voyce, we never saw nor heard, but with plea­sure, and joy! bitter to us, who by this change have our joy changed into sorrow, our laughter into mour­ning! but ô sweet, ô joyfull change to her! who here­by hath changed earth for heaven, the place of her exile for her fathers house; where there be many mansions: the company of mortall men, with the happy fellowship of the immortall God, of Christ her Saviour, of the glorious Angels, and blessed spi­rits of the just! Her change like the furnace of fire to the three children, at the worst hath but loosed her bands; like Ionah's whale carried her through the storms of this tempestuous world to the port of her eternall rest; like the red Sea hath opened her a passage from this Egypt to that heavenly Caanan. Her then we neither do, nor can bewaile, whose change hath changed her to joy without change: but we may, we do bewaile our selves; we bewaile our owne lose; the dolefull memory whereof some of us I hope will ever carry about, aye untill our own change come.

I have done with my application, wherein if any shall think I have spoken too much, yet I will think too little; and I hope there is none, to whom she was known, but knows that I have keeped within bounds, and will blame perhaps my defect rather than excesse.

I come to the last thing I purposed: The exhorta­tion. Right honourable, right worthy, and dearely beloved; you have heard of Iob his change; and now see this: Let me tell you that ere long, there is not any of us, who are here, but he shall come to his own change. Here indeed we have distinctions of states, callings, persons, and that justly; but Pallida mors, this change doth equall all; you know the compari­son of the chesse-men, while the play lasteth, there is distinction of them; being esteemed as they may best serve our purpose; but the play ended, and chek­mete given, all promiscuously are hurled in the box; and often the least lies above the greatest: So here, though men be more or lesse regarded in respect of the foresaid differences; yet when this change comes, whereby the play of this life is ended, then we are equally hurled in the grave, and often the poore mans dust lies above the rich. When ye behold a heap of bones, who can say, here are the rich mans, there the poor's? Oh! if we could obtain so much liberty and leasure of our too too many restlesse and unprofitable thoughts, as to make this change a great part of our daily meditation! We need not Philip's monitor, nor a dead mans skull used by the Egypti­ans, to be our memento; each place, day, person will do it. And yet alasse, though nothing be more seene, [Page 15]and better known, nothing is lesse thought upon: such a change as this, may possibly enforce us to re­flect our thoughts upon our selves, and our own ap­proaching change; but ah! how short, how evanishing, how ineffectuall are those thoughts! one moment often giving them both life and death? But I may not trespasse too far upon your patience in pressing this argument. Let me with some brief collections resume my text and leave.

Is our time but dayes? First, how may we not be­wail the by-gone, that so much of so short time should have been so evil imployed? And secondly, why are we not carefull to manage that which is re­maining. Thirdly, you have tasted of all those fa­ding pleasures, the world doth either promise, or can give; experience hath made you see their vanity, be­ing but like yester-nights dream. Why then should our few dayes be taken up any longer with that, which we know in the end will bring us nothing, but late repentance? Fourthly, our time is short, and yet upon this day, this houre, this moment of our life, depends an eternity either of pleasure or pain. What madnesse to purchase eternall pain for a mo­ments seeming pleasure? Fiftly, Methushalem his dayes were too few either to expresse our sorrow for sinne, or thankfulnesse for Gods mercies: How then should we not be circumspect so to governe those few dayes of our appointed time, that not one day, not one houre may passe, without doing that we never can do sufficiently?

The dayes of our appointed time are uncertain? Iob saith, all the dayes, but he tels not how many; he [Page 16]professes, he will wait till his change come; but knew not, when it would come: And is not his case herein, ours also? Yes certainly. Who knowes but this day may end his daies; and your change may meet you ere you meet with your houses; how should this ha­sten our repentance? our amendment? We are al­wayes resolving and still unresolved; what projects, what purposes tending to reformation of our lives have vanished in the aire? O when shall we begin to do that, the not doing whereof will make us undone? Your time is uncertain here; and what if this change of your bodies preveen the change of your soules? Oh beloved, delay not longer; How many are in hell who had those fleeting and flying motions of repen­tance and reformation, that some of you now have? but postponing them, this change interveened, and brought a dolefull change upon them. Let not, I in­treat you, a matter of such consequence, as the eter­nall salvation of your soules be casten off to future time which is so uncertain.

Our change is certain and common. If with Abel we had no precedent examples thereof, our not wai­ting were in some sort tolerable; but now in this ge­nerall condition of all mankind, whereby they are lyable to this change, what can we pretend for our egregious slacknesse and remisnesse that will not thus change in our thoughts, before it seaze on our bodies. Doth the earth-worme take his change to heart? no: then he would not waste his body, minde, consci­ence, so excessively, for the heaping together the trash of this earth; since by this change he will be stripped of all? Doth the thought hereof bereave [Page 17]the aspiring spirit of its rest? no: then he would not so beat his braines, spend his wits, that he may raise himself though upon the ruine of his betters: since by this change he must once be troden under foot, and have all his earthly glory laid in the dust. But I must end. I pray God this change may teach us, all the dayes of our appointed time to wait, till our change come. (*⁎*)