The Praise of a Godly Woman

Knowing therefore (as Saint Paul concludes[347 - 2 Cor. 5. 10, 11.]) the terrour of the Lord, we perſwade you (Bleſſed Brethren) to feare God Greatly, and to Giue Glory vnto Him[348 - Reuel. 14. 7.]; then you ſhall haue praiſe of Him, then hee will glorifie you; and to ſay no more than this (with the Prophet Ieremie[349 - Ier. 10. 7.],) which will make the Fearleſſe Sinner inexcuſable: Who would not feare thee O Lord, thou King of Nations, thou King of Saints? 1. For thou onely art Holy: 2. For all Nations ſhall come vnto thee, and worſhip thee: 3. For thy iudgements are made manifest[350 - Reuel. 15. 4.]: 4. For there is none like vnto thee, that pardoneth Iniquitie, and paſſeth by the Tranſgreſſion of the remnant of thy Heritage[351 - Mic. 7. 18.]? Who would not Feare Thee ſuch an Almightie, All-ſeeing, Iuſt, Mercifull Lord God? Put thy feare therefore in our Hearts (as thou haſt promiſed[352 - Ier. 32. 39.]) that wee may neuer depart from thee; but clinging inſeparably by a liuely faith, vnto the bleeding wounds of our Bleſſed Redeemer, may without all ſlauiſh Feare[353 - Si enim amamus Chriſtum, vtiq aduentum eius deſiderare debemus. Peruerſum enim eſt, & neſcio vtrum verū, quem diligis, timere ne veniat, orare, Veniat regnū tuū, & timere, ne exaudiaris. Vnde autem timor? … Quisquis ergò futurū iudicē times, præsentē cōscientiā tuā corrige.S. Aug. in Pſal. 147. tom 3.] of Death and Iudgement, Louingly[354 - 2 Tim. 4. 8.] appeare before thy Iudgement-ſeat, and without deſperate Crying to the mountains and rocks Fall on vs[355 - Reuel. 6. 16.], may ioyfully heare Thee ſay vnto vs: Come ye Bleſſed of my Father, Inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world[356 - Matth. 25. 34.].

Which God grants vnto vs all, for the All-ſufficient Merits of his Deareſt Sonne, the Sweet Lord Ieſus: To whom with Himſelfe and the Holy Spirit be aſcribed All Praiſe, Honour, Glory, Power, Dominion and Maieſtie, now and euer. Amen. Amen.

FINIS

notes

1

Mr. Bolter Diſc. of true Happineſſe, p. 61.

2

Pſalm. 37. 37.Deut. 34. 7, 10, 11,12. Hebr. 3. 2. & 11. cap.

3

2 Chron. 32. 33.

4

S. Ambr. tom. 3.

5

Greg. Nazian.Orat. 30.Orat. 28.Orat. 25.

6

S. Ierom.Ad Heliod.Ad Euſtoch.Ad Princip.Ad Ocean.

7

Teſtor Iesum cui illa ſeruiuit & ego ſeruire cupio, me utramq, in partē nihil fingere; ſed quaſi Chriſtianū de Chriſtianâ quæ ſunt vera proferre, id eſt, Hiſtoriam ſcribere non Panegyricum. S. Ierom, Epitaph. Paulæ.

8

Poppæa cuncta alia fuêre præter Honeſtum animum. Tacit. Annal. l. 13.

9

Laudauit ipſe Nero apud roſtra formam eius & quòd diuinæ formæ parens fuiſſet, aliaque fortunæ munera pro Virtutibus. Id. Annal. l. 16.

10

Eſai. 61. 3.

11

Eccleſ. 15. 10.

12

Prou. 9. 10.

13

Epiſt. 125. where S. Auguſtine refuſeth to commend vnto a wicked Husbād his godly wife that was dead, not onely becauſe ſhe deſired not his praiſe, ſaying: Laudem ab hominibus iam illa non quærit, imitationem verò tuā tantum quærit etiam defuncta, quantum te dilexit etiam diſſimilem viua; but alſo becauſe her Husband loued Her not, which he proueth thus: Nam utiq ſi amares, cum illa eſſe poſt mortem deſiderares, quod profectò non eris, ſi quàlis es, talis eris.

14

Ier. 23. 22, 28.1 Pet. 4. 11. Tit. 2. 8.2 Tim. 2. 15.1 Tim. 4. 13. & 6. 3.

15

– Ingenuo pudore qui ornabat ætatem, quid cuius eſſet, confiteri … Illud (aiebat) Tertulliani, iſtud Cypriani, hoc Lactantij, illud Hilarij eſt. Sic Minutius Fœlix, ita Victorinus, in hunc modum eſt locutus Arnobius. S. Ierom. ad Heliodor de Nepotian.

16

2 Theſſ. 3. 6. 2 Tim. 2. 19. Prou. 4. 14. 1 Cor. 5. 11. Epheſ. 5. 11. Pſalm. 26. 4, 5. & 119. 32, 36, 128. 2 Chron. 19. 2. & 20. 37.

17

1 Tim. 4. 8.

18

Pſal. 18. 23.

19

S. Ierom. ad Caſtorin. Materteram.

20

Orat. 25. fol. 439. Rom. 13. 7, 8.

21

Non poſſumus reprehendere diuini artificis opus; ſed quem delectat corporis pulchritudo, multo magis illa delectet venustas, quæ ad imaginem, Dei eſt intus, non foris comptior. S. Ambr. Inſtit. Virg. c. 4. Prou. 11. 22. Eccle. 11. 2. … Homo igitur mihi non tam vultu quam affectu admirands emineat atque excellat: vt in his laudatur, in quibus etiam Deus prophetico iudicio laudatur de quo ſcriptum eſt Pſal. 66. 5. Terribilis in conſiliis ſuper filios hominum; cuius opera coram Deo luceant, qui bona iugibus operibus facta contexat. Id. ib. cap. 3.

22

Naturale vocabulū eſt Fœmina. naturalis vocabuli generale, Mulier. – Tert. de Virg. Veland. cap 4.

23

Aliud eſt Timere ſimpliciter, aliud Timere Deum – quippe timere & amare ſimpliciter prolata, affectione: cum additamento aute virtutes ſignificāt. Simplices nempe affectiones inſunt naturaliter nobis tanquam ex nobis, Additamenta ex Gratiâ. S. Bern. de Grat. & lib. Arb.