3. It was an extensive love ; it extended to those that were remote in respect of place, as well as to those that were near, to those saints wbose faces she never saw, a° well as to those whose faces she daily beheld ; and all upon the serious reports of the grace of God that has been sparkling and shining in them, Rom. v. 26.
4. It was a fervent love, an active love, a love that put her upon doing, upon acting for them, and distributing to them according to her ability and their necessity, 1 Peter i. 22 ; Acts xi. 28-30 ; 1 Peter iv. 11. Her love was not a cold, idle, 1 izy love, like theirs in James ii. 14-17.
5. It was a constant love, a permanent love, 1 Cor. xiii. 8, Heb. xiii. 1 : ' Let brotherly love continue,' 1 John iv. 16, Prov. xvii. 17. It was a love like that of Christ, who loved his to the end, John xiii. 1, xv. 12. Look, as our love must be sincere without hypocrisy, so it must be constant without deficiency. That love was never true that is not constant. True love, like the pulse, will still be beating, it will still be working, and turning out to the person beloved.
6. She loved, honoured, and prized them most and best in whom the spiritual and supernatural causes of love did most shine and sparkle, Ps. xv. 4, xvi. 3, xlv. 13, cxix. 119. Such saints as were magnificent in grace, noble in grace, idorious in grace, wonderful in grace, had most of her heart, and were most honoured and prized by her ; she loved them best that were best.
Concerning the signal and blessed ])resence of God with her throughout her nine months' sickness. This divine presence with his sick and weak handmaid did manifest itself several ways ; at first by preserving her eminently from sinning under her sufferings, as she would often say, Though I groan, yet I bless God I do not grumble. I remember what Job, Jeremiah, and Jonah said and did in the days of their sore sufferings ; but God stood by his poor handmaid, and greatly armed her against those particular sins that an afflicted state lays the afflicted open to. Secondly, this glorious presence of God was manifested by keeping up in her daily exercise of those particular graces that was to be acted in an offiicted condition, as faith, hope, patience, self-denial, contentation and submission. Thirdly, this gracious presence of God did manifest itself by enabling his weak and sick handmaid in all her continued weakness to be still •i-justifying of God, and crying out, The Lord is righteous, the Lord is righteous ; he is holy and just, he can do me no wrong, he will do me no wrong. Though the cup be bitter to the flesh, yet it is a cup that my Father hath put into my band, and therefore I will drink it, and lay my hand upon my mouth, and be silent at my Father's foot, Lam. i. 18 ; Ps. cxix. 75 ; Gen. xviii. 25 ; John xviii. 11 ; Lam. iii. 26-28 ; Rev. xx. 2.
Fourthly, This gracious presence of God was signally manifested in the :ning up of Satan ; for the greatest part of her sickness, her body being very low, her spirits low, and her strength low, and by reason of her great and many weaknesses, she was cast unavoidably under great indispositions, both as to civil and sacred things ; the greater was the mercy in God's chaining up of Satan ; and if now and then Satan began to be busy, the Lord quickly rebuked him, and laid a law of restraint upon him. Fifthly, this gracious presence of God was signally manifested in keeping down and in keeping off the fears and terrors of death. She could all along cast the gauntlet to death, and say with the apostle, « 0 death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory?' &c,
APPENDIX TO MEMOIR. lxxxi
1 Cor. xv. 55-57. Death is the king of terrors, as Job speaks, Job xviii. 14, Heb. ii. 14, 15, and the terror of kings, as the philosopher speaks ; and yet the great and blessed God took away the dread and terror of death rrom her. If vqu ask those that lie under the fears and terrors of death, they will tell you that deliverance from those fears and terrors would be a heaven on this side heaven unto them. I could greatly enlarge, but that both the press and the bookseller calls aloud upon me to conclude.
The design of these few hints is to comfort and encourage relations and friends to write after this blessed copy and example of that dear servant of Christ who hath now exchanged earth for heaven, a wilderness for a paradise, a sick-bed for a royal throne, pains, strong and long pains, for everlasting pleasures, and the presence of poor, frail, sinful mortals for the presence of God, Christ, angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect, Ps. xvi. 11, Heb. xii. 22, 23.
E. — WILL. See ante page xxxv.
Extbacted from the Principal Registry of Her Majesty's Court of
(In the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.)
Death is a fall that came in by a Fall : that statute Law of Heaven ' Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt returne' will first or last take hold of all mortalls ; the core of that apple that Adam eat in Paradise will choke us all round one by one ; there is not one man living that shall not see death ; though all men shall not meete in Heaven, nor in Hell, yet all men shall meete in the grave whether wee and all a [re] going. To prevent ill consequences and the mis- chiefes that follow without making a Will and to sett my house in order I doo make this short following Will. First I bequeath unto my loveing Couson Mistress Elenor Crith, fifty pounds which 1 will that my Executrix pay within a twelve moneths after my death. I give to Vice Admirall Goodsons eldest daughters sonne that shee had by her husband, Captain Magger1 twenty five pounds but in case of his Mortallity to what child shee pleaseth. I will and bequeath unto her sister Maryes eldest child twenty five pounds both of which summes my Executrix is to pay within a yeare after my death. Item I give my studdy of bookes to be sold by my Couson Ford and my couson Henry Goodman and Master Crouch ; and the money thence ariseing to be equally divided into foure proportions, one for my couson Martha Wright, another for Mary Wright, the other two for Roger Timborland's two children which he had by my couson Joan, as soon as the sale is made2 my Will is that my Executrix pay it into my couson Martha and Mary Wright, and to Master Collins of New- bury I give for the use of the other two ; And should it soo happen that either of the Girls should dye before age or marriage, that then the surviving sister should have her sisters loss, and in case of both their Mortalities before age or Marriage that then Master Collins gives the money to Ministers and Ministers Widows that hee and Master Woodbridge the minister is acquainted with3 Item that one hundred pounds that I have upon Master John Juxon and
1 Query — the shipwright and purveyor of wood to the Navy frequently mentioned in the ' Calendar' of Charles II. [1660-1667], who was termed Robert Magore'?— G.