The excellent woman a sermon preached at the funeral of Mrs. Elizabeth Scott ...…

Sir,

I Am persuaded that not only we the friends and acquaintance of this lately deceased Gentlewoman Mrs. Scot, the Paragon of Piety and Christian wisdom, but even strangers that never before heard of her, yea those ⟨p. 84⟩of the generation to come will con you much thanks, for that your labour, you intend (as by a Letter from Mr. Thorowgood I understand) to hold up her remembrance among the living, though she be dead, that the glory of Gods grace (which was in her eminently conspicuous) may thereby be magnified, and she set forth as a lively pattern of piety, by Christian Gentlewomen to be imitated. It will indeed conduce nothing to the advancement of her happy condition, who without sense of what is here done below touching her, to her full satisfaction enjoyeth the beatifical vision of her most dear Saviour Jesus Christ. But it were pity, that such a mirror of Gods grace in her, and the splendour of it shining from her, should lie in obscurity, the knowledge whereof might cause many thanksgivings to God for her, and happily kindle ⟨p. 85⟩in some breast a kindly flame of a godly imitation of her ways. Touching the occasion of her conversion what it was, I perceive that Mr. Thorowgood hath informed you, which I think he could do better than my self, as who living a good while in her family, might hear her often relate it, so that touching that I need to say nothing, save only that so it was, as he writeth, occasioned by a fall from a horse, and the putting of her leg out of joint. The danger whereof put her upon the reading of Books that concerned piety and Religion, whereby it pleased the Lord to work in her some serious sense and care of Religion. But she did no sooner begin to mind matters of Religion, but that some two of that way of the rigid separation called Brownism, and disciples of John Turner, the name of one of which was Scotchford, both ⟨p. 86⟩living in Cranebrook; by the means of a Tenant unto Glastonbury, living in the Gate-house took notice of it, and together got access to her, and began to instill into her some of their principles of the separation, and it seems had much shaken her, so that she began to be scrupulous of holding communion with our then Churches, viz. England.