She left behind her in her closet a paper book, wherein, with her own hand, she had collected divers general directions for a holy spending of the day, with several particular means for the faithful observance of those general rules.

She highly honoured holiness in the poorest and meanest person, and would frequently with some decent and modest excuse get off from unprofitable and impertinent discourse, that she might have her fill of more edifying conference with such, in whom she had learned of David, to place her delight.

For divers months before her death, she was wonderfully improved heavenward, as those about her observed, not regarding the world, nor letting any vain word drop from her : and her countenance, many times, after her coming out of her closet, seemed to have strange impressions of her conversing with God shining in it, as some conversant with her have professed to observe.

She was greatly adorned with meekness, modesty, and humility, which are graces, in the sight of God, of great price. When one wished her joy with the honour lately come to her, she answered, that there was a greater honour which she looked after, which should bring with it more solid joy.'

She always expressed much honour and reverence to her parents, in all comely and dutiful comportment towards them; which much endeared her unto them.

Full of conjugal affection to her dear husband, revoking with an ingenuous retraction any word which might fall from her, which she judged less becoming that honour and reverence, which she did bear to him. When he was engaged upon public concernment, and more particularly when he crossed the seas to wait on his sacred Majesty, she daily put up such ardent and heavenly petitions unto God for him, as caused those about her to conclude it impossible that the husband of so many prayers and tears should meet with any miscarriage. Wonderful watchful over his bodily health; and spying out distempers in him before he discovered them himself; earnestly desiring what is now come to pass, that he might survive her, that she might never know the wound of a deceased husband.

She had a more than ordinary care in the education of her children, holding them close to the reading, and committing

to memory both scripture and catechism; wherein by her diligence they made a very strange progress; a pregnant instance whereof (to speak nothing of her children yet living,) was her eldest son, who went to heaven in his childhood, about the age of five or six years; of whose wonderful proficiency in the knowledge of God, an exact account is given by a grave and godly divine in the printed sermon, which he preached at his funeral.

She was very affable and kind to her servants, especially encouraging them unto holy duties; who have professed themselves very much benefited in their spiritual concernment by the discourses which she had with them.

She was very charitable and ready to do good to poor distressed persons, especially those of the household of faith; visiting, edifying, and comforting them, and with her liberality relieving their necessities: acknowledging God's free and rich mercy, in allowing her a plentiful portion of outward blessings, and that she was not in the low condition of those whom her charity relieved.

In her sickness and extremities of travail and other pains, she earnestly pleaded God's promises of healing, of easing, of refreshing, those that were weak and heavy laden; acknowledging herself so to be, not in body only, but in soul too; and was full of holy and fervent ejaculations.

Yea, when the disease affected her head, and disturbed her expressions, yet even then her speeches had still a tincture of holiness, and savoured of that spirit wherewith her heart was seasoned.

She advised those about her to set about the great and one necessary work of their souls, while they were in health; assuring them that, in sickness, all the strength they had, would be taken up about that.

She desired her husband to read to her in her sickness Mistress Moor's evidences for salvation, set forth in a sermon preached by a reverend divine at her funeral, meditating with much satisfaction upon them.

And when some cloud overcast her soul, she desired her husband to pray with her, and seconded him with much enlargement of heart, and blessed God for the recovery of light again.

Thus lived and died this excellent lady, a worthy pattern

for the great ones of her sex to imitate. Such works will follow them into another world, where none of the vanities of this, no pleasures, no pomp, no luxury, no bravery, no balls, no interludes, no amorous or complimental discourses, or other like impertinencies of the world, will have any admittance. The more seriously you walk with God, and ply the concernments of your immortal souls, living as those that resolve to be saved, the greater will be your treasure of comfort in your death, and of glory in another life: whereas all your other delights and experiments for content will expire, and give up the ghost in Solomon's vanity and vexation of spirit.' The Lord make us all wise unto salvation.

THE

PASTORAL OFFICE:

Opened in a Visitation-Sermon, preached at Ipswich, October 10, 1662.

ZECH. xi. 7.

And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.

In this chapter, we have a prophecy of horrible and final judgements hanging over the nation of the Jews, for their rejection of Christ here foretold. The judgements are external, arising from enemies abroad, ver. 1, 2, 3; from shepherds at home, ver. 5; from intestine commotions, ver. 6; and spiritual, rejection by Christ's breaking the staves wherewith he had fed them, ver. 9-14; and tradition into the hands of cruel shepherds, ver. 15, 17; causes of these judgements, oppression, ver. 5; ingratitude against Christ their good Shepherd. Concerning whom we have, 1. His call to his pastoral office, ver. 4: 2. His obedience to that call, ver. 7: 3. The hatred and dis-estimation he received from the pastors and people, ver. viii. 12. Lastly, God's abhorring their so unworthy dealing with his Son, ver. 13.

The Lord, being willing to save his flock, set a Shepherd over them who should feed them. And a good Shepherd we are sure it is, who could call God 'my God,' ver. 4: and although we may take it for the prophet himself, representing by a synecdoche all faithful pastors whom the Lord from time to time sent to acquaint them with his counsel; yet it is evident by the ensuing parts of the chapter, that Christ is here meant, the chief and great Shepherd, of whom the prophet in these actions was but a type. He threateneth them, ver. 6; punisheth them, ver. 10; was sold by them. (ver. 12, compared with Matth. xxvii. 9) He principally, and other faithful pastors under him, are they, who here under

take the charge of this people to feed and govern them. Which care is further set forth by a metaphor of 'two shepherd's staves,' noting his double vigilancy and superinspection over them; by the names of which, I understand two special ends of Christ's pastoral service.

1. To restore beauty,' and to erect that collapsed order of doctrine and worship which had been corrupted: for verity of doctrine, purity of worship, and decency of order, are the special beauties of a church, which render it amiable: upon these accounts it is that Sion and the house of God therein are so often called the Beauty of the Lord, and the Beauty of holiness.' (Psalm xxvii. 4, and xlviii. 2, and 1. 2, and xcvi. 6, 9. Isa. lx. 13, and Ixiv. 11) Christ, in his ministry, did cleanse the doctrine of the church in his Sermon on the Mount, and the worship of the church in his purging of the temple; and so filled his house with glory, (Hag. ii. 7) and made beautiful the feet of his ministers. (Rom. x. 15) The magnificence of the temple, the glorious garments of the priests, the pure vessels of the sanctuary, the sweet incense and perfume, the admirable state, order, and government of Solomon's house, were all shadows and types of these spiritual and heavenly beauties, wherewith Christ adorneth his church.

2. To gather together into one' his scattered and divided people, (John xi. 52) that from him the whole body may be joined together and compacted, (Eph. iv. 16) in peace and love one unto another, according unto his prayer, John xvii. 21, 22, 23. This, I take it, is meant by the staff' called 'Bands', making of the stick of Joseph and Judah one. (Ezek. xxxvii. 19) In those eastern countries, such as entered into a covenant of peace were wont to twist a band, and, upon dissolving a covenant, to untwist it again; whence a society of men joining together in one employment are called ban (Psalm cxix. 61. 1 Sam. x. 5) and their possessions were divided unto them per oxovio para by measured lines, (Psalm xvi. 6, and lxxviii. 55) to note their dwelling together in unity. But now upon rejecting Christ, they who had been before in amoenitate Dei,' the Lord's peculiar people, and were knit together in the bands of a brotherly covenant, were at last loathed by God, ver. 8; no longer

a Fuller. Miscellan. i. 6, c. 17.