or ten hours and now by the same mercy I am wholly freed from them I promise thee that in these great Feasts and Pastimes I will trouble none Once again Farewell Thy most loving Husband Chattillion About the same time their Counsels for the Massacre being not yet ripened the King with the greatest demonstrations of good will that might be thus accosts the Admirall My Father Remember what you have undertaken to me that you will be injurious to none of the Guises whilst you are in the Court they also have interchangeably given their faith that they will carry themselves honourably and modestly towards you And truly I put as great trust as may be in your words but I have not the same confidence in their promises For besides that I know that the Guises seek occasion of revenge I know their disposition to be bold and haughty and with what great favour and affection the people of Paris do follow them It would be a great grief to me if they who have brought into the City many men of Warre notably furnished with arms under colour of coming to the marriage solemnity should go about any thing for your destruction which would extreamly reflect upon me and therefore I think it fit if you be of the same minde to bring a Regiment of Praetorian Souldiers into the City under the command of such men meaning some that were least suspected who may not only be ready for the publique securiry but upon all emergencies if turbulent spirits should attempt any thing against you This friendly speech so prevailed with the Admirall that he gave his consent and so a Regiment was brought in without the suspition of the Protestants which afterwards helped to cut their throats Five daies after as the Admirall came from the Court where he had been all that morning accompanied with twelve or fifteen Gentlemen being on foot about a hundred paces from the Louure walking softly and reading a Petition just over-against the house of one Villemure a Canon and Tutor to the young Duke of Guise one shot with an Harquebush at him through a lattice window the Gun was laden with three brasse bullets one whereof brake his forefinger of his right hand the other two pierced his left arm He that shot it had a horse ready at the back door whereon being mounted he escaped through St. Anthonies gate where finding a Spanish Jennet held ready for him he posted away to the place appointed for his retreat The door of the house being burst open the Harquebush was found with a Lacquey and another servant who belonged to Challey Steward of the Kings house and a great dealer in the Duke of Guises affairs who also the day before had brought this Harquibushier to that house desiring that he might be well intertained the Lacquey also was sent that morning by this Harquebushier whose name was Maurevel to the Duke of Guises Groom of his Stable requiring that the Horse should be ready that was promised him The Admirall being brought to his lodging shewed singular piety and patience Chyrurgions were sent for and amongst the rest Ambrose Pareus the Kings Chyrurgion who began first with his finger which he cut off but his pincers not being keen he opened and pressed them three times before he could cut it off Then he lanced both those places in his arm which the bullets had pierced all which the Admirall bore not only with a couragious heart but with a constant countenance insomuch as seeing his Friends to weep which held his arm whilst the incisions were made he said unto them My Friends why do you weep I judge my self happy that bear these wounds for the cause of my God And withall looking upon Monsieur Merlin his Minister he said These wounds my Friends are Gods blessings the smart indeed of them is troublesome but I acknowledge the will of my Lord God therein and I bless his Majesty who hath been pleased thus to honour me and to lay any pain upon me for his holy name sake let us beg of him that he will enable me to presevere unto the end And seeing Monsieur Merlin to weep and lament he said to him My Merlin you should rather comfort me To whom he answered Indeed there can be no greater comfort then to think upon the honour which God hath done you in judging you worthy for his Name and Religions sake to suffer these pains My Merlin answered the Admirall if God should have dealt with me aâ—cording to my deserts or have used his power over me he must have deâ—â— far more severely with me but blessed be his Name who hath dealt so mildly and lovingly with me his unworthy Servant Then said another that stood by Go on with this your piety foâ— God ought to be praised by you who hath left the greatest part saâ— and untouched for which cause you have greater reason to admire hâ—â— mercy in these wounds then to complain of his justice especialâ—â— considering that neither your head nor your mind are wounded Thâ—â— said Merlin You do very well Sir that you turn your thoughts froâ— these murtherers to God for truly it was his hand that inflicted theiâ— wounds neither ought you at all to think upon the blâ—ody-mindednesse of your adversaries Truly said the Admirall I freely and from my heart forgive both him that shot at me and those also that set him on for I know assuredly that it is not in their power to hurt me no though they should kill me for my death is a most certain passage to eternal life Thâ— same words he shortly after spake to Marshall Danvill when he came to visit him And whereas Monsieur Merlin told him that the afflictions and calamities which happen to Gods Children use to quicken theâ— more in Prayer The Admirall thereupon with an audible voice and fervent soul poured out this Prayer unto God O Lord God and my heavenly Father have mercy upon me for thy tender mercies sake Remember not against me my former iniquities neither charge me with the sins of my youth If thou Lord shouldst strictly mark what is done amiss or shouldst impute to us our breach of Covenant what flesh could stand before thee or endure thine anger As for me disclaiming all false gods and worship I only call upon thee the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and worship thee alone for Christ his sake I beseech thee to bestow thy holy Spirit upon me and give me the grace of patience I only trust in thy mercies all my hope and confidence is placed on that alone whether thou pleasest to inflict present death upon me or to spare my life to do thee further service Behold Lord I am prepared to submit to thy will in either nothing doubting but if thou pleasest to inflict death upon me thou wilt presently admit me into thine everlasting Kingdom But if Lord thou sufferest me to live longer here grant O
Doctrine that calleth it heresie deserves no less lege Talionis then heresie which I speak not so much in regard of your weakness as in grace of the strength of the cause wherein though with the dim eye of mine own judgment I could see nothing yet I have cause to be confident in regard of their judgment whose shadows it would become you and me to give room unto yea and to run away from And I am verily perswaded that though some of your spirit may be found to judge it an Errour to hold That a bare Reading Minister is not a lawfull Minister before God yet that none that deserves the name of a man of judgment will push with such horns against it as you do that it is an heresie and that a gross and abominable one I would I might be worthy to know upon your better consideration of the point whether that heart of yours that set your tongue on fire so against this poor Heresie would serve to set fire to the pretended Heretick But blessed be God that Supream Authority keepeth the fire-brands from the hands of such furies else there were some cause to fear lest the Saints of God I give them no other title then your own conscience gives them nay then your own mouth in publick hath given them should find your hands as hot as they now feel your tongue for methinks in your Divinity to make but a question of any thing in Religion established by Law is no less then Treason and Heresie There must be some Mystery in it that every poor man must not presume to look into that one that is so full of charity towards Adulterers Drunkards Blasphemers and other sinners that swarm in the Church should be so fiery against these new Hereticks of your own making What Are they of all other past hope of repentance Or do not the mercies of God wherewith your mouth is so oft sugred of all other belong to them My self on the week-day am one of your Auditours and I hope none of the worst-minded and then you seem as oft as ever I heard you as if your soul did overflow with Charity towards us all You cannot be ignorant of the words that so often were in your lips That none that hear you but they are Gods faithfull Children That though they be foul grievous sinners yet they are repentant and Gods mercy belongs unto them That no man is without sinne but the best and holiest are unclean This hath been your tenor for this half year the Sermon is yet to come that ever with the least zeal you spake against lewdness of life And yet now how full of zeal are you against errours in Doctrine of this sort especially whereas considering the slanders that run of you for I call them so as I desire for the Gospels sake they may prove you could take no better course then to be most zealous in Doctrine against those sins that fame hath gone about to brand you withall and to condemn such with your own mouth to hell rather then to set open Heaven gates so wide unto them as you use to do as though your self were out of hope of Heaven except the lewdest of your Congregation go to Heaven I may be bold being the injured party and knowing you better then you me to take this leave to tell you thus much of your self who have so freely given leave to your self to speak to others worse things of me that if the Lords judgments should pursue me so fast that mine inward corruptions should break out into notorious crimes and yet should dare for all that to exercise an holy Ministry that then of all methods of teaching that ever I heard I would surely follow yours To keep you from advantage I acknowledge the Doctrine that you have taught in my hearing to be very sound and true But this is it that I affirm and you may keep it to your self if it please you that in dealing against sinne in all the Sermons I have ever heard you you have said no more in substance then what you shall have alwaies running in the wickedest mouthes That All men are sinners That the godliest do fall seven times a day That men must not despair of Gods mercy That they are sorry for it when they have done That it is their corruption of nature c. which are all very excellent and comfortable Doctrines to a broken heart but very poyson to an impenitent so that if a Minister should preach them to the stews he should have as many applauses and Amens there to them as any where else If therefore a foul life be as abominable in the eyes of God and man as false Doctrine if this zeal of yours against false Doctrine were of God you would blow as strong a blast against the other as you do against it and a stronger too considering that the other having borrowed the wings of fame is flying continually in your own face This if you could have let me alone would never have bitten you But to draw to an end if my bare deniall and the voices of them that with best understanding heard me and are best able to repeat the heads of that Sermon can perswade you that there was no such Doctrine then delivered I hope you will satisfie that Congregation whose ears you have abused with that report and especially the Gentleman to whom you related the particulars If you cannot be moved to this yet be contented sith you say the Law must proceed upon me to stay the proceeding of your tongue against me till you have tried me guilty or not If you tannot yield to this but have a purpose to pursue the matter let Religion over-rule you thus far to deal with me in the points by private writing But if you have resolved to go on in this indirect course openly thus to injure me do it I pray you in your weekly exercise that I may not trust to the report of others but may be a witnesse to my self of mine own abuses and then I shall know the better how to satisfie you It is the humour of most of your stamp under pretence of a zeal to her Majesties proceedings in matters of Religion to take your liberty of speech against some that are perswaded some things might and should be reformed if the State had leasure to look into them and you know it full well that such as you are shall find ears enough to receive your accusations against such else upon equall ground you would not be so confident thus hand over head to condem as good Subjects without any disgrace as your self of no less then Heresie and Treason As for my self I thank God I have had that care both of mine outward conversation and Doctrine that none of any civility I trust shall find a face to reproach me for the one nor any of any judgment in Religion will accuse me of the other And as for those Reports that are
When he was Bishop he was a constant Preacher and Performer of Family-duty both evening and morning and kept his Servants and Attendants in good order Being called to London in the beginning of the Parliament he made at Westminster a worthy and zealous Sermon wherein he inveighed against the corruptions that were crept into the Church especially in respect of Ceremonies so eagerly prest by sundry Bishops as bowing to the Altar and such like innovations His Sermon was well approved of by the best but he seeing the tumults that were then raised in London about the Parliament House and hearing that he himself was censured as Popish because a Bishop he took it grievously to heart sickned and died there about the great climactericall year of his age He was a great favourer of zealous Professors and Lecturers and therefore he was accounted by many a Puritanical Bishop and indeed some at the Court in King James his time said That Organs would blow him out of the Church He was well skilled in the Hebrew tongue and for his further Progresse therein disdained not to learn of one of the Fellows even when he was Provost He utterly disliked the Book of sports for Recreation on the Sabbath day and told a Minister with whom he was acquainted that if it were sent down to his Diocesse he would sleight it and urge none of his Jurisdiction to read it He was of a weak constitution of body melancholick and lean as being a hard Student and therefore to recreate his spirits he loved vocal musick and to this end he sent divers times for such Scholars in the Colledge as could sing well and he would bear a part with them in his lodgings after supper where they made most excellent melody He was the last Bishop that died as a Member of the Parliament and was Bishop of Carlisle some fourteen years The Life of Master Richard Sedgwick who died Anno Christi 1643. RIchard Sedgwick was born at East Deereham in the County of Norfolke Anno Cbristi 1574. His Father was a Clothier but by reason of a great losse by fire fell into decay He had an Uncle living in Yorkshire who was very rich and of large yearly revenues having no Children whereupon he took this Richard in his tender years home to himself and put him to School with an intent to make him his heir but God had laid up a better portion for him His Uncle and his Family were prophane hating the power of godlinesse and wedded to games and sports yet even in such a Family God visited him in mercy and awakened his soul by working in him hearty desires after himself While the rest of the Family were at their games and dancings he would be in a corner mourning His Uncle at first thought his retirednesse to have been bookishnesse and therefore rebuked him gently and called upon him to take more liberty but at last perceiving the truth of the thing he began to hate him and to deal roughly with him and not being able to bring him to his will cast him out of his Family saying that a Puritane should never inherit his land Before this his Father died and his Mother being industrious and sparing out of the little means she had left her maintained him at Peter-house in Cambridge where he profited greatly in all kind of learning He began the exercise of his Ministry in Kent where he being called to preach in the Cathedral at Canterbury in his Sermon touching the corruption of the Prebends and their Cathedral service he so far displeased them as that by threats they brought him to condescend through weaknesse to promise to recant and a day for this was appointed Upon his return home and his second thoughts he became very sad and in his perplexity took his Bible and opened it and at the first lighted on that encouraging Word of God to Jeremiah Jer. 1.7 8. Whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak be not afraid of their faces for I am with thee to deliver thee saith the Lord. By this he was so strengthened that he resolved to stand to what he had formerly delivered whatsoever dangers did attend him At the time appointed he preached again in the Cathedral having a very large Auditory both of the Countrey and City in which Sermon he confirmed what he had before delivered earnestly pressing the Prebends to reform the abuses amongst them By this they were so offended that they complained of him to the Bishop and so persecuted him that he was forced to forsake his place and to retire himself into private and was entertained for a time by Sir Edward Bois the elder a man eminent for Piety in those daies During this his retirement he came upon occasion to London and by the meanes of Master Egerton Pastor at Black-fryers was received into the Family of Sir Edward Anslow who lived in the City during the winter and in summer at Crawley in Surrey a place destitute of a preaching Ministry In this Family his encouragement was great but his labours aboundant Every day his usuall course was to pray in the morning at six a clock with the Husbandmen and at ten to pray with the rest of the Family and expound a Chapter in which course he went through the four first Books of Moses His course at night was after Prayer to catechize the Family by turns wherein he used no respect of Persons the meanest not being left out and the chiefest not forborn On the Lords day during his abode at Crawley he preached twice constantly and after publique exercise called the whole Family in private to render an account of what was delivered in publique In the winter when the greatest part of the Family was at London under an able Ministry he was ready to help others and by Providence was called to improve his talent at Battersey in Surrey Master Wybourne a Reverend Divine who constantly preached in that place having by a fall broke his legge and being disabled thereby to continue his labours desiring his assistance At this place the people were so affected with his Ministry that they requested him to continue to preach among them promising to strain themselves to provide him maintenance He had a fair call and opportunity denying himself to answer it for Sir Edward Anslow about this time had an estate befallen him in Hertfordshire whither he resolved to go to dwell in which place was an able and godly Minister Master Sedgwick seeing that by continuing in this Family he should not have occasion of exercising his publique Ministry relinquished fifty pounds annuity during his life assured to him by this worthy Knight and accepted of this call to preach at Battersey Before his departure out of this Family he married a Wife of an honest and Religious stock in the City of London He had not long exercised
have some portion of Scripture read amongst them or some other religious Treatise concerning the fundamentals of Religion if not both But especially he was carefull that all his Family should sanctifie the Sabbath-day And therefore would not suffer them to be imployed late the night before about their ordinary employments but caused them to conclude sooner then on other daies that they might not be indisposed for the duties of the day following And on the Sabbath-day it self he was carefull that they should not spend any part of it idly or vainly no not in any unnecessary preparations of diet or the like but only of such and so much as was necessary for their comfortable refreshment that day but would have them spend the whole day as much as might be in the exercises of some of Gods Ordinances publique or private insomuch that if he had known of any dish that had kept any of his Servants from attending on any of Gods Ordinances he would not at all eat of it And for better sanctifying of that day he was carefull not only to perform private duties in his Family as Prayer Reading Singing of Psalms c. but also when he went to the publique Ordinances he would call all his Family together to go along with him that so they might be present at the whole service of God And in the evening of the day he required of all his Servants and the young Gentlemen that sojourned with him an account of such portions of Scripture as had been read in publique and as they recited particular passages thereof he gave brief expositions of them and observations from them pressing them to meditate in private of what they read in publique Beside this great care of his Family joyntly he was also frequent in giving them personall counsell and direction in the waies of God exhorting them also to a daily constancy in the performance of secret duties between God and their own soul so that scarce any Family enjoyed the like measure of helps and encouragements in the waies of holinesse His exact walking in his own secret devotion was also exceedingly remarkable He was a man much in Communion with God Twice every day he was in secret a Suiter at the Throne of grace and oftener as any particular occasion was offered He would very seldome enter upon any businesse either by himself or with others without first seeking of God He did often set daies apart to humble himself in secret by Fasting and Prayer according as either publique or particular occasions did seem to call for it as also in solemn Thanksgivings for mercies received whether publique or private He was a great admirer of the holy Scriptures and much conversant in them Beside what he had read and heard read in his Family he did every day by himself read some part both of the Old and New Testament and constantly write short meditations and observations of what he so read whereof he hath left behind him many hundred sheets written in Characters He was so throughly acquainted with it that it was not easie to name a Chapter or Verse but he would presently tell the Contents of it nor to name any sentence of Scripture but he could presently tell in what Chapter or Verse it was to be found yea scarce any particular case could fall out in practice but that he would be able to shew what particular directions the Word of God afforded for it He was also a great observer of Providence and took special notice how the Providences of God and the Word of God did constantly agree together And from hence was able to give very near conjectures if not evident Predictions in many cases what God was about to do and what good or evil events were likely to come to passe by comparing present actions with such Precedents as he had before observed in the Providences and Word of God in like cases And as he was very carefull to order all his actions according to his constant rule of being subservient to the glory of God and the good of souls so that even his journeys visits discourses and familiar converses with any were not undertaken without a special eye hereunto so did he also keep an exact account of what had passed every night before his going to rest setting down in writing in his usuall Character the passages of that day what actions or discourses he had been employed in what successes or disappointments what mercies or crosses he met withall and what failings he observed in himself all which he surveyed again at the end of every week writing down the chief passages of that week and so from moneth to moneth and year to year By means whereof he was throughly acquainted with his own spiritual condition and did maintain a constant exactnesse and even walking with God which being so uniform might perhaps by some be the lesse observed Like as the Sunnes constant brightnesse produceth lesse admiration then some blazing Starre that appeareth but for a while men usually more admiring things rare then excellent In the year 1632. he was by the University of Cambridge made one of the University-Preachers having proceeded Batchelor of Divinity about two years before A matter of honour and repute rather then of profit or employment Yet also a matter of some advantage in some cases as times then went being in the nature of a general License whereby he was authorized to preach as he should have occasion in any part of England At the beginning of the Parliament he with Doctor Tuckny were chosen Clarks of the Convocation for the Diocesse of Lincoln wherein he might have been of good use in case it had been thought fit to have kept up that kind of Assembly to have acted in concurrence with the Parliament as in former times In the year 1643. he was by authority of Parliament called to be a Member of the Assembly of Divines at Westminster And after some time he was chosen one of the Assessors appointed to assist the Prolocutor in case of absence or in infirmity He was in that Assembly an eminent and very usefull Member exceeding diligent and industrious being very rarely absent and that not but upon urget unavoidable occasions For as he accounted it an honour to be employed by God in so publique a service for the good of his Church so he did conscientiously attend upon that service prefering it before all other more particular employments which though in themselves excellent yet ought in his judgment to give way to this And he was exceeding well fitted for this employment having a clear and ready apprehension and firm and vast memory a solid and steady judgement and a good ability freely to expresse himself In matters of deliberation he manifested much Integrity and Christian wisdome In matters of debate whether about Doctrine or Discipline he discovered a great sagacity in searching out the true sense
of all your sins by the shedding of his blood for you Yea said she I do believing that he is my only Saviour and Mediatour and I look for salvation from none other knowing that he hath abundantly satisfied for the sins of all his people and therefore I am assured that God for his sake according to his gracious promise in him will have mercy upon me During all the time of her sicknesse she ceased not to continue in such fruitfull and comfortable communications sometimes intermixing them with most affectionate sighs to God as a testimony of that hope and desire she had of enjoying his presence often uttering these words O my God in thy good time deliver me from this body of death and from the miseries of this present life that I may no more offend thee and that I may attain to the felicity which thou in thy Word hast promised to bestow upon me Neither did she manifest her pious affection by words only but by her constant and cheerfull countenance so farre forth as the vehemency of her disease would suffer thereby giving a clear testimony to all that beheld her that the fear of death could not drive her from the stedfastnesse of her Faith The Minister also went often to prayer with her the usual tenor whereof was this which follows O Lord our God We confesse here before thy Divine Majesty that we are altogether unworthy of thine infinite mercies by reason of our manifold iniquities and that we are so farre from deserving to be heard of thee in our requests that we are rather worthy that thou shouldst reject both our persons and our prayers But seeing it hath pleased thee to make us a gracious promise of hearing and granting our requests we humbly beseech thee freely to forgive all our offences and to cover them under the obedience and righteousness of thy dear Son that through him our selves and our services may be well pleasing unto thee For Lord we acknowledge that all our afflictions are measured out to us by thine hand who art a most just Judge in regard that we have every way provoked thee to wrath by our infinite sinnings against thee yea by our rebellions which now testifie against us For alas Lord our life hath been no way answerable to that perfect obedience which thou by thy holy Law dost justly require at our hands which we from day to day do transgress and therefore do here cast down our selves at this time before thy glorious presence unfeignedly acknowledging our misery and wretchedness from the very bottom of our hearts Yet Lord mercy is with thee and because thou art our Father therefore thou desirest not the death of sinners but rather that they should convert and live For this cause we now fall down before the throne of thy grace with confidence of obtaining thy wonted mercy which thou hast promised to such as call upon thee in truth beseeching thee who art the Father of mercies to have compassion on all such as thou hast humbled under thy mighty hand but more especially on this thy Servant the Queen who lieth here before thee sick of a dangerous disease that as thou hast righteously afflicted her for her sinnes which she also doth with us acknowledge so it would please thee in pardoning them all to her for thy beloved Sons sake to grant that she may profit by this thy correcting hand for the time to come Above all O Lord give her a sweet sense yea full assurance of thy eternal joys that so she may with the greater patience take down this bitter potion ministred unto her from thy hand and that the sole desire of enjoying thy presence may cause her to forget all worldly greatness and magnificence knowing that they are nothing in respect of the glory which is now set before her Endue her also with meekness of minde to bear the tediousnesse of her affliction for though the spirit be willing yet the flesh is weak yea full of resisting and unbelief that so receiving all things from thee as from a Father she may the more willingly submit her will to thine And because O good God thou hast made her hitherto an happy Instrument for the advancement of thy glory and defence of thy poor afflicted people we pray thee if it may stand with thy good pleasure restore her to health again that so the excellent work that thou hast by her means begun may not be left unperfected but by vertue of this her deliverance she may with renewed strength undertake the same in better sort then ever heretofore especially for the well educating and training up the Children that thou hast given her But Lord if thou hast a purpose now to call her home to thy self who are we that we should contradict thy holy will Only we pray thee that thou wouldst confirm her more and more in the knowledge of thy blessed Gospel and thereby also in the certainty of her salvation which thou hast given her by Faith in thy Son Jesus Christ that thus she may not cease to sanctifie and call upon thy holy Name to her last breath And as touching our selves who are here by thy good providence gathered together about her being in bodily health give us to know the uncertainty and brevity of our life that so according to our duty we may behold the same in this mirror that thou hast set before us as knowing that even the greatest in the world are subject to the same calamities as well as the small that so our chief care may be to employ the remainder of our time to thine honour and service All which we crave of thee in the Name of Jesus Christ thy Son our only Mediatour and Advocate Amen During the time of prayer she ceased not with hands and eyes lift up to Heaven to fetch many deep sighs especially when mention was made of the mercy of God in Christ which he extendeth to poor sinners so that all present might evidently see that her heart and affections were joyned to the Prayer that was made by and for her And whilst she thus lay she still continued in her holy desires to depart hence that she might be with Christ taking great delight in the holy and Christian exhortations which were made to her by many godly and learned men who came to visit her to whom also she manifested no small testimonies of that faith and hope which she had in God touching the salvation of her soul by her holy and savory speeches which for brevity sake are omitted Yea although the Lord exercised her much with the sense of her inward disease yet could you not at any time discern any speech favouring of discontentment or impatience to proceed out of her mouth nay scarcely so much as a groan But if at any time she found any refreshings from the violence of her disease there being no malady so vehement which hath not some intermissions and breathing times
then to linger here below in this world where I see nothing but vanity Then he asked her if they should go to prayer with her which she desiring they performed it by her whilst this pious Lady manifested her ardent affection in calling upon God Prayer being ended the Minister discerning in her the undoubted testimonies of unfeigned Repentance and of the sorrow that she conceived for the offences which she had committed against God together with the assured confidence which she had in his mercies as a Minister of the Gospel and Ambassadour of the Son of God by the authority given to him having the word of reconciliation committed to him he assured her in the Name of Christ that all her sinnes were forgiven by God and that they should never come in account against her at his judgment seat yea that she should no more doubt thereof then if the Son of God from Heaven should say unto her Daughter be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee And to the end that troubled consciences might the better be quieted Christ hath used these words speaking to his Ministers saying Whose sins ye remit they are remitted c. And the reason is because the Word which they pronounce is not the word of a mortall man but of the immortall God being of no lesse weight then if himself uttered the same Then he asked her Majesty if she accepted of so gracious a message which assured her of the free pardon of all her sins Yes saith she with all my heart and make no doubt thereof Not long after came in the Admirall Coligni and with him another Minister to whom she gave ear a good space together his speech tending to prepare her for death and when he had finished his speech he also prayed with her which she attended to with great affection Then she requested that those two Ministers might stay all night with her in her chamber and that they would in no wise leave her The greatest part of this night was spent in holy admonitions which these Ministers gave to this gracious Lady one after another besides which she required them to read to her some Chapters of the holy Scriptures which were pertinent to her condition and so they read out of St. Johns Gospel from the fourteenth to the end of the seventeenth Chapter After which they went to prayer with her which being ended the Queen desired to take some rest but it was not long ere she commanded them to read again Whereupon one of them made choice of certain of David's Psalms full of ardent and affectionate prayers suting to this Princesse present condition by reason of her affliction and for a conclusion read Psal. 31. wherein the Prophet amongst other things doth commend his spirit into the hands of God Because saith he thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth Then the Queen willed them to pray with her again and thus was the most part of that night spent in such holy exercises during all which time the Ministers never discerned in her the least sign of impatience notwithstanding the violence of her affliction Yea whereas immediately before her sickness she had shewed how affectionately she was bent to provide things most magnificent for the day of her Sons Marriage according as the State of so great an alliance required yet it was admirable to observe that after this sicknesse had seized on her God wrought in her such a neglect and forgetfulnesse of all such matters that she never shewed to have so much as a thought thereof This night being thus spent and past by this Noble Queen she persevering in the expressions of such like affections and ardency of faith the next morning between eight and nine of the clock she departed this life to take possession of a far better sweetly yielding up her spirit into the hands of God June 9. Anno Christi 1572. being the sixth day after she fell sick and of her age 44. She had her perfect speech and memory even to the hour of her death shewing not only that staidnesse and soundnesse of judgement which ever in times past she had in the care about the salvation of her soul but also in the well settlement of her worldly affairs The King made as if he had conceived great grief for her death putting on mourning attire wherein also the whole Court followed his example lest by this suddain accident their Counsels and futurh desperate designs might be prevented Also to avoid all jealousies and suspitions of her being poisoned by reason of her suddain sicknesse and death her body was opened by sundry expert and learned Doctors of Physick and Chyrurgery who found her Heart and Liver very sound only some scirrousnesse on one side of her Lungs but her Head they might not open where the malady lay by which means the discovery of it was prevented Anonymus Soli Deo Gloria FINIS A TABLE OF The Principal things contained in this Part OF THE LIVES A. AFflictions profitable to Gods children p. 202 Antinomians practice 52 Apostacy plagued by God 25 Assurance to be sought 211 Astrologers are lyers 99 B. BIble is translated into English 4 Bishops enemies to godly Ministers and to the power of Godlinesse 1 2 20 21 28 29 30 41 46 48 53 58 61 63 89 106 109 146 148 149 162 163 185 189 191 201 223 A Bishop enjoyned to ask a Minister forgivenesse in his own Congregation 163 C. CHarity eminent 88 151 155 168 174 191 202 225 Charity of good Ministers 2 13 14 24 76 186 237 240 Comfort at death 142 Comforting afflicted consciences 16 173 202 204 Constancy 151 171 297 Contentation 55 177 171 Conversion 27 86 99 144 184 199 Conversion of a Jaylor 9 Courage 245 270 283 Courage of Gods Ministers 9 43 109 163 186 214 222 239 D. DEath desired 203 Death not feared 208 Devil dispossessed by Prayer 91 216 E. ENvy 46 Examples prevalent 294 F. FAith 86 180 205 207 267 285 Family cared for and well instructed 5 72 164 169 190 226 248 262 267 295 Fasting and Prayer 171 174 200 203 228 Fidelity 27 246 Flight refused in time of persecution 9 10 Flight embraced 12 Friendship sincere 391 221 Frugality 174 G. GRatitude 27 39 176 H. DAnger of unprofitable Hearers 81 Heretick burned 147 Hospitality 200 202 Humility 249 Humility of Gods Ministers 25 39 55 151 174 179 180 182 187 191 206 209 210 222 224 I. INgratitude 56 Joy unspeakable 25 202 L. Life exemplary 81 Long life why a blessing 303 M. WHat makes a compleat Man 81 What makes a compleat Minister 82 Meeknesse of Gods Ministers 25 174 207 Ministers cared for by God 5 6 10 11 Ministers dearly loved 195 Ministers falsly accused 52 Ministry of the Word successefull 21 25 30 67 79 87 89 147 158 164 167 186 201 213 217 231 P. PArents honoured 219 Painfulnesse in Preaching 1 5 14 22 41 46 56 157 164 173