The saints privilege, or, Gain by dying

To my Worthy and much Ho∣noured Friends. Captain John Bradman, and Mrs. Sarah Bradman his Wife. Friends & Relations to

• Captain Richard Haddock
• Mr. Isaack Heath.
• Mr. Richard Fisher

Brothers in Law to Mrs. Elizabeth Fisher. Daughter in Law to Mrs. Marjory Fisher, late VVife to Captain Robert Fisher, together with the rest of her Pious Relations and Friends, whether to Me Known or Unknown.

My Christian and Worthy Friends,

UNderstanding it was the great desire of your dear Kins∣woman and my loving friend Mrs. Fisher, that (if it might have been) I should have preached Her Funerall Sermon; and hearing by some after your comming down, that your design was, that rather then her desire should not be an∣swered, to have had it done in private, Though for my own part, I thought it not convenient by reason of the multitude of people, which could not have received benefit, and the offence that might have been taken; yet had it not been otherwise resolved, but her request had been insisted upon, I must have submitted to any inconvenien∣cies,

rather then not have answered her and your desires. In or∣der to which, after I heard of it, I applyed my self that little time I had to the work: but very glad that it was at last performed by another in publick, where no offence could be given, or danger incurred.

And now because I could not serve her and your desires in that last office, yet in the Testification of my great respects I owe to her memory and your selves her dear relations; I have thought good to copy out my then prepared Meditations; and in these few sheets of Paper to present you with them, as to serve, for an acknowledge∣ment of my thankfulness to you all, for your respects shewed to me, a Stranger to you, and undeserving from you, so to testify my great esteem of that precious Saint of Christ, and to let all that shall read them see, that such losses are deeply to be lamented. I cannot say they are word for word the same, but as near as possible the same, they should have been if I had then preached them, perhaps although not for any worth in them, yet for her respect, whose death hath occasioned them, you may at some spare hours, cast an eye upon them, and if they may be matter of advantage to your selves, or any other, I should be glad, being joyfull I might serve or do good to any that belonged to her, though unknown to me. I believe you all affectionately loved her and delighted in her, truly the best and now the only way left to testify your respect of her, is to set before your eyes, and keep in your memoryes the Pious example of her holy life, and to be followers of her so far as she was of Christ Jesus, a Copy with fewer blots, a rule less crooked, I know not where you will find on this side heaven.

The work that she hath done, I know you expect to do, leave her, and prepare for your own; that when Christ comes he may find you no worse prepared, then I hope he found her; to this end let matters of soul-concernment, which are the only business of life, have more, and matters of the world have less of your hours then ever they have had. Its strange to see how this vain world, where we can be but a very little time at longest, should so eat up our Affections, Thoughts, Desires, Dayes, and Years; that for the one thing needfull, we can find no leisure, as if our God, our Christ, our Souls, our Heaven, were nothing worth.

It was an excellent speech of Charles the fifth to the Duke of Venice, who when he had shewed him the glory of his Princely Pa∣lace, and earthly Paradise, instead of admiring it, or him for it,

he only returned him this grave and serious Answer haec sunt quae faciunt invitos mori; these are the things that make us unwilling to Dye; so truly this is the great cause, why Christians play loath to depart, when their times come, and make death such a Bug-bare, they have been, with Martha, combred with much serving, alwayes so busied about laying up Treasures that they must now leave behind them; that they are unprovided of that which should serve them for their great Journey; Oh my friends when you are Bees for Earth, but Drones for Heaven, what low thoughts have you of it?

Methinks is an Incongruous sight, if we could see in••o it, that a man who is animal brevis aevi, should be infinitae Sol icitudinis, a creature but of a dayes continuance in the world, yet of infinite cares about the world; and what is this world we pursue? as one sayes,(a) what is this life? what is the glory of this vast world? a Bubble, a Dream, a little Smoake, a flying Shadow.

And yet what Folly and Madness possesseth the hearts of men, Ec∣cles. 9.3. to do••e on this windy Bubble, to please themselves with this foolish Dream, to embrace this blacking Smoake, and ever to bee catching at this flying Shadow, till with Esops Dog the substance be lost and past recovery.

But I hope better things of you whom I write, you are not to Learn in point of knowledge, how to distinguish of things that dif∣fer; and I hope it need not be pressed in point of practise, to looke not at things seen but at things not seen; All I shall say to you, shall be but this, as you would not have your Sun set in a Cloud, I mean Dye uncheerfully, for your selves; as you would not sadden the hearts of your surviving Godly friends; as you would not bring up an evil report upon the Protestant Faith, which you profess, which teacheth Christians that assurance of Salvation may be had; as you would not open the mouths of the wicked to cast dirt upon holyness, when they see the professours of it go to death with Reluctancies; as you would prevent all this, make Religion your great business, that so when your dying hours come, your Souls may be full of sweet peace and comfort; live as strangers in this world, and persons belonging to another, that you may be willing and ready to remove and go home, when God shall send for you, which that you may be, shall be the earnest Desire and Prayer of him who is,

Your Soul Friend and Servant in CHRIST, Chr. Scott.

From My Study in Milton Hamlet, this 3d January, 1672.

Notes

• (a)

  Vita quid est homi∣num? vasti quid gloria mundi? Dulla est & somnus fumus & umbra fu∣gax.