Hannibal Gamon - The Praise of a Godly Woman

Thus wee haue ſeene who ſhe is, who ſhall be praised , lest we ſhould praiſe Her vnawares, whom we ſhould not praiſe. And now it were good we did thinke a little better on the Reaſon, why ſhe ſhall be praiſed , euen becauſe ſhe is ſuch a woman fearing the Lord .

The Reaſon.

For if any thing, ſo rare and excellent a Grace as the Feare of the Lord is, ſhould moue vs to affect it, and labour for it, eſpecially being found in so weake a Veſſell as a Woman is 107 107 1 Pet, 3. 7. Vir itaq, nominatus eſt, quòd maior in eo Vis eſt quàm in fœmina, & hinc Virtus nomen accepit. Item Mulier à mollicie eſt dicta … velut Mollier. Lact. de Opſ. Dei. cap. 12. . For I could tell you, there are more Michals 108 108 1 Sam. 18. 21. & 25. 41. than Abigails 109 109 2 Sam. 6. 16, 20. , more Iezebels 110 110 1 King. 21. 7. 2 King. 9. 22, 30. than Sarah's 111 111 1 Pet. 3. 6. , more proud Vaſthy's 112 112 Eſth. 1. 12. , than humble Eſthers 113 113 Eſth. 8. 5. , more Fearefull women, than Women Fearing the Lord ; and therefore the rarer ſuch Phœnixes are (as S. Ierom calls them 114 114 Optima fœmina rarior eſt Phœnice. Malarum fœminarū tam copioſa ſunt examina &c. S. Ier. epiſt. ) not One to be found by wiſeſt Salomon 115 115 Eccleſ. 7. 28. Prou. 3. 10. , among a Thouſand , greater is her praiſe that feareth the Lord 116 116 Laus tantò maior deferri ſolet, quantò eſt bonum rarius quod exigit Laudem. S. Aug. lib. 1. de Ciuit. Dei. cap. 28. tom. 5. .

Then I muſt tell you, that euery Feare is not commendable. Not that Feare which is Hypocriticall, for this is Superſtition, when men feare the Feare of Idolaters 117 117 Eſai. 8. 12 Col. 2. 20. . Not that feare which is Worldly, for this is wicked ſelfe-Loue, when men feare Men 118 118 2 Tim. 3. 2. Mat. 10. 28. Quis animæ Dominator, niſi Deus ſolus? Quis iste, niſi ignium comminator? … Illi potius metum conſecandū &c. Tertul. aduerſ. Gnoſt. c. 9. tom. 3. , Loſſe of Goods, Fire and faggot, more than God the Onely Soueraigne Commander of the Soule, the Only Dreadfull Threatner of euerlaſting Burnings. Nor that feare which is Seruile 119 119 Timor Seruilis nō eſt Virtus, quialicet mala declinari ſaciat: non tamen hoc ſacit benè, id eſt ſaudibilitèr; immo ilitèr et brutalitèr, videlicet ſolo metæ feræ, ita enim occupat animum & intentionam timentis, oraculos cordis ad ſolam pœnæ euaſionem habeat &c. Paris. de Virtutibus, fol. 81. lit. H. & Paludan. l. 3. d. 34. q. 3. or adulterate 120 120 – Coniun quæ adulterinum animū gerit, etiam ſi timòre viri non adulterium perpetrat: tamen quod deeſt aperi, ineſt voluntati, Caſta verò alitèr timet: nam & ipſa times virum; ſed caſtè. Deniq, timet illa, no vir inſeſtus adueniat, ista ne offenſus abſcedat. S. Aug. epiſt. 120. c. 21. to. 2. , for this is no Vertue (proues Pariſ. ) when men feare the Euill of Puniſhment only; not the Euill of Sinne , as an Adultereſſe feares the Comming home of her Huſband; but feares not the Committing of Adultery. Nor is that feare commendable, which is Diſtruſtfull or Immoderate like Ruben (as Gerſon 121 121 Ruben violat Balamdum nimium grandis effectus eſt, quia timor ſi ſimius eſt, dum ſe cuſtodire nititur, format inutiles imaginationes, quibus ſe connoluens à ſalutaribus impeditur. Tract. 10. ſuper, Magnificat. part 3. alludes) growen great, and lying with Bilhah , for this is Infidelitie when men tie Gods Grace to preſent deliuerance out of danger, without a Beleeuing and waiting Spirit for his Mercie, Eſai. 28. 16.

But the Feare for which a Woman ſhall be praiſed , is informed by Wiſdome, inſtructed by Vnderſtanding, directed by Counſell, ſtrengthned by Might, gouerned by Knowledge, adorned with Pietie, as Saint Ambroſe collects out of the eleuenth of Eſay 122 122 Lege Eſaiam: vide quantia ſubiecerit timorem vt faceret irreprehenſibilam & bonum Timorem. Spiritus inquit Sapientia &c. Talle Timori Domini iſta & eſt irrationabilis & inſipiens Timor, vnus ex illis: Foris pugnæ, intus Timores. In Pſal. 118. Ser. 5. tom. 4. . It is a Faithfull feare truſting in God 123 123 Pſal. 115. 11. & 147. 11. Eſai. 50. 10. , and making Him her Feare , Eſai. 8. 13. and her Hope too in the Day of Euill, not without this feruent Prayer vnto Him then: Be not thou a Terrour vnto me, Ier. 17. 17. A chaſt and Cleane Feare 124 124 Pſal. 19. 9 , Cleanſing from all filthineſſe of the fleſh and Spirit . 125 125 2 Cor. 7. 1. A Reuerent and Godly Fear 126 126 Hebr. 12. 28. , Preparing the heart, Humbling the Soule in Gods ſight 127 127 Eccleſ. 2. 17. & 21. 6. , Trembling at his Word 128 128 Eſai. 66. 2. Eccle. 2. 15. , not Diſobeying it, Eſchewing 129 129 Iob 1. 1. euill, Working righteouſneſſe and Giuing much almes 130 130 Act. 10. 35, 2, 31. Eccleſ. 25. 1. . A Bleſſed Feare it is 131 131 Pſal. 112. 1. & 128. 1. , Bleſſing them that haue it, Bleſſing the Lord that giues it, Praiſing Him and ſaying: That his Mercy endureth for euer

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

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

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

2 Chron. 32. 33.

S. Ambr. tom. 3.

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

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

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.

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

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

Eſai. 61. 3.