A relgious treatise upon Simeons song: or, instructions advertising how to live holily, and dye happily. / Composed at first for the use of the truly pious Sir Robert Harley, knight of the honourable order of the Bath but since published by Timothy Woodroffe, B.D. Pastor to the church at Kingsland, in Herefordshire.

TO THE Much Honoured Collonel Edward Harley, Son and Heir to THE Renowned S^r ROBERT HARLEY, Knight of the Honourable Order of the BATH.

Much Honoured Sir!

LEt my boldness crave your favourable acce∣ptance to Epistle you, and put your name in the frontispiece of this precursor to your Fathers happy departure, ••hose tendency was to be service∣able

unto his ce∣lestial transfigu∣ration,* 1.1 his name (but mentioned) was, and is, as a pretious ointmēt poured out: your religious fixedness in these changeable times, your discreet zeal for the advanceing of your Lord & Master's king∣dom, with your unfained love to the truth, more then all arguments besides, indigitated to me, that yours must be the patrociny; espe∣cially when I shal add the interest which you had, in such a Fathers heart, who is now departed from among the living; and yet still lives with the Lord; hee had great things in reversion, held

(in capite) from heavens mag∣na charta, and is now gone to take the plenary possession of them. Whil'st Sir ROBERT HAR∣LEY lived, I dare say, (his ene∣mies being Judges) he much stu∣died the art to live well, and as years and weaknesses (towards his dissolve) did approach, hee studied (as much) the art to dye well, for his aim and end was to live in Jesus, and to dye in Je∣sus: to whom to live was Christ, and to whom, to dye was gain. This blessed servant of the Lord, was much ashamed that hee had lived so long, before he lived to God; but this he did also (viz.) most religiously & sincerely bless God (in my hearing) that for

forty years or thereabouts before his death, his soul was fixedly re∣solved to live to God, (who I doubt not) but he is blessing God with SIMEON, that he depar∣ted in peace, in a good old age, and full of grace.

Ignobled greatness had no va∣lue in his heraldry; he well fore∣saw, that a Saint hath the rich∣est co••t, and that nothing in hea∣ven or earth, doth so honour and enoble a family, or person, as true Religion; as God in Cove∣nant, as Christ in chief; there∣fore saith Christ to his Church, since thou wast pretious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and so long shall an house stand before the Lord, and their Al∣mond

tree ••ud, and flourish; (observe O you Gent••y!) and the Lord Jesus will put the rod of power and authority into such hanas: for else, w••at is birth but a dunghill flower? or paren∣tage but a filthy cloth? and all the titles of honour, and em∣bellishments of the worlds glory, but sublunar, and stained vani∣ties; all whose tendency is to∣wards the dust. But to be a son of grace, and a true believer, is more true honour, then to bee Theodosius the Emperour; & this was the judgment of good old SIMEON in this Book.

Your religious Father (I hope none will call this flattery) was

eminently known to be a Worthy indeed, one of the Gospels great Worthies, heavens favorite, Christ's friend; and Christ his friend: for whose sake he cheer∣fully forsook all, and exposed himself, and all that he had on earth, to the fury and malice of his and Christ's enemies; and said oft (in evill times) hee would trust God with all: Se∣neca said wel to Polibius, Salvo Caesare, non est de fortuna conqueri. So this noble Patri∣ot, would not, did not murmur, and complain, when brought ve∣ry low, nor durst he implead, or pass an hard sentence against God, under any check of provi∣dence: but say, God is good, his

will is best, and blessed bee his name: thus he acts dependance on Jehovah, and his faith in the sure mercies of David; then hee prays, and looks up, looks up and prays, again he praies & waits, waits & praies, he hears & believe; then he humble his soul with fasting, renewes his co∣venant with his God; & so keeps up his confidence; mean while searcheth his soul after secret & lurking corruptions, if he could find any way of wickedness allow∣ed in him, that he might lay aside every weighty, & the sin which doth so easily beset us, and run with patience the race that was set before him, looking unto Jesus the author and fini∣sher

of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, & despised the shame, & is set down at the right hand of God, Heb. ••2 1, 2.

It's abundantly known he was of a publick spirit, and layd out himself beyond his strength, to bee doing good at every call of providence; not only in a Parla∣ment••ry way, wherein religious Sir ROBERT HARLEY was ever chosen by his country to be one, & in Gospel or Church-work (within his sphere and capacity) he had an inlarged and a pious heart, together with a liberall hand, however he did streighten himself, and his, and eng••g his credit, that hee might

shew bowell-kindness to the de∣spised, but faithfull ministry of the Gospel, and to the indigent members of our Lord Christ; not onely in his native country, but even to pereg••ines, & exiles; And since I have touched the Mi∣nistry, his love to all the worthy labourers in the Lord's Vine∣yard is much known, where∣ever himself was well known; and for his Country, Hereford City, and County must not bee si∣lent, to praise God for him, whose pious care for their spirituall good, hath excelled, since they do enjoy many faithfull, able, and painfull Ministers, mostly by his choice, bounty, and liberality; who else in all probability, had

layen waste, and old, as many o∣ther places do; or else had been under seducers, not teachers of sound Doctrine, under Idol shep∣herds, dumb doggs, and ignorant leaders, who are destroyers, not builders.

In his declining days, his Fa∣ther of mercies exercised him with sore afflictions, of bodily infirmi∣ties, spirituall combates, and conflicts, and soking, and grind∣ing distempers of the stone in the bladder, with Apoplexies, and Palsie, and other infirmities of age; but O the sweet and invince∣able patience! O the humility, the holiness, contentation, and wise moderation of himself, and sweet composedness of his spirit!

He was naturally of an hasty di∣spositon, but his conquest over such his infirmities, those who waited much on him, and others who much visited him, do, and must testifie, that the Lord gave him a great measure of Christian patience, meekness, and self-de∣niall; with that totall resigna∣tion of himself, unto the will of his heavenly Father, that indeed he was changed into another man, and was of another spirit, a good while before his change.

Near the Sun-set, when the shadow must be long, and his life short, his sences of seeing and hearing, seemed to have been re∣newed; especially his hearing, which had been much decaied for

many years; that surdity, or privation, was wonderfully re∣stored and quickened, to the great admiration, not only of friends and relations visiting him, but to the comfort of himself and all at∣tendants about him, reading and speaking to him, enjoyed the be∣nefit of another Patriarch, to hear his gracious words, which did daily improve to his dying day; the losse of whom is very great, and much bewailed, not onely in his family, and relations, but in the Church of God; yet so it plea∣sed God.

This servant of the Lord, had much of heaven on this side heaven, whereby his bitter por∣tion given him, under sore affli∣ctions,

and strong conflicts, had much sweetning in them: the various turns o•• provi∣dence, and the amaz••ng alte∣rations of Church and State, made him live more upon God and less upon the creature; when his Castle at Brampton was besieged, and taken, when his sweet and gracious con∣sort (yet of happy memory) was taken to mercy, and to rest from her labours; when his children were taken priso∣ners, his goods given to spoi∣lers, and robbers; his fami∣ly exposed to the cruell mer∣cies of exasperated enemies, and carried away captives, his lands sequestred, and all

his revenues extinct: yet e∣ven then, good Sir ROBERT HARLEY assured his believ∣ing soul, that nothing was slain, dead, lost, spoiled, and taken from him of all his pro∣prieties, which might have been better to him, then the gain which this pretious soul found without them: hee would long for nothing which hee found that the Lord thought good to deny him, still he found stronger arguments to ballast his religious soul, then to be overturned with such contrary winds: the just shall live by his faith, under dark and bloody providences. The little which himself &

his had left them at that time, he was very thankeful for, & he did want the rest with content, which made him very rich, whom the sword and cruell oppressor, had made very poor.

Now (much Honoured in the Lord) and happy Son to such a Father) after such a deliniation of so many specialls never to bee buried; our eyes and hearts are towards you, who do live to suc∣ceed such a president of grace and virtue: our daily prayers to the Lord are for you, and your poste∣rity, that the Lord (who gave you such a Father) will also give you to be always correcting and amending the copy and history, with a wise and understanding

heart, to walk in his godly foot∣steps, that you may as fair excell him in all wisedom, as Solomon did good old David, and will please to write on your heart, and on your life, in great capitall let∣ters, on a table of pure gold, Ho∣liness to the Lord: that you may ever see, and enjoy, the Lord's covenant-goodness, continued to sons and daughters of your own flesh and blood, from generation, to generation, which is, and shall be the daily prayer of,

Your most affectionate servant in the Lord, T. W.

From my house in Kingssland, June 13▪ 1658.

When at deaths Gate, my soul I do commend Into thy hands, Salvation be mine end.

Deo Gloria Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  This Epistle is an hi∣storicall Narrative of him, who was a worthy pattern of much good∣ness in life, and there∣fore said, to your self and others (of his own flesh and blood) Children, I have taught you how to live, and now I do teach you how to die.