A42350:96
The Christians labour and reward, or, A sermon, part of which was preached at…
The Christians labour and reward, or, A sermon, part of which was preached at the funeral of the Right Honourable the Lady Mary Vere, relict of Sir Horace Vere, Baron of Tilbury, on the 10th of January, 1671, at Castle Heviningham in Essex by William Gurnall ...
London: printed by J.M. for Ralph Smith, 1672
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock, and let the God of my Salvation be exalted.
It is expected, I know, that I should now speak something of that Noble (and without offence, I hope, I may say) Elect Lady; the Solemnization of whose Funeral, occasioned this our sorrowful meeting; which should I not do, without doubt, I should send you all away, very much dissatisfied. But far be it from me, that I should by my silence, put her light (now she is dead) under a Bushel, which shined, before all your eyes, so radiantly, while she was alive, even as a great Candle,1 on an high Candlestick. It was said of John Baptist, all men counted John, that he was a Prophet indeed. And I am persuaded, that all who knew her, esteemed the Lady Vere a Christian indeed. Truly, if we may not think so of her, we shall be at a great loss to find such Characters, by which we may judge any at all to be so. I shall begin to speak of her, where she her self began to be, her Birth, I mean, and Parentage, from which she had her Extraction. And this was High and Ancient ⟨p. 126⟩on both sides. For by her Mothers side, she sprang from the chief of the Throg-mortons Family; and by the Fathers side, was extracted of the Ancient Family of the Tracies, at Todington in Gloucester-shire. She was the youngest of Fifteen Children; born on the Eighteenth day of May, Anno 1581. being the 23. of Queen Elizabeth. Her Mother dyed three days after she was Born; and her Father, when she was but eight years old. Thus soon was she an Orphan; but, indeed, they only are Orphans, who have no Father in Heaven. When her Father and her Mother thus forsook her, the Lord took her up. The many Experiences she had all along her life, of Gods most tender care over her, occasioned her to choose this for her Motto (which is found written by her, in the front of most of her Books in her Closet) God will Provide. She took much delight in speaking of one of her Ancestors, as one of the greatest Honours to her Family. William Tracy of Toddington, Esquire, ⟨p. 127⟩