ely morall |
excellencies, perfections, and |
endowments a woman may haue, nay |
(which is neerest the point) other |
kindes of Feare she may haue, and | [Note B: _2 Kings 9. 34. Act. 14.
yet be base, seruile, cursed as | 25. 1 Ioh. 4. 18._]
_Iezebel_[B], not praise-worthy, as |
namely, if she feare men[C], or | [Note C: _Matth. 10. 28. Es. 51.
what else besides more than God, or | 12._]
not for God (as Saint _Bernard_[s] |
limits) or if shee feare God as a | [Note s: _Convertatur ad ipsum
Iudge, in respect of his | etiam Timor tuus, quia peruersus
punishments only[t], & not as a | est timor omnis, quo metuis aliquid
Father for loue of his goodnesse, | praeter eum aut non propter eum. S.
and from an hatred of wickednesse, | Ber. in cap. Ieiun. ser. 2._]
or if she haue cast off the feare |
of the Lord, which shee hath seemed | [Note t: _Quid magn[=u] est,
to haue, or if shee puts off his | poen[=a] timere? Quis enim n[=o]
_Feare_ from time to time, and | timet? quis Latro, quis sceleratus,
continues not in it. | quis nefarius? &c. S. August. de
| Verb. Apost. ser. 15. fol. 332.
Looke we then first to the Obiect | tom. 10._]
of the _Laudable womans feare_, |
that he whom she feareth be the | [Note: I. _The Obiect of her
Lord, in respect of his Mercy and | feare._]
Iustice both; then to the |
continuall employment of her |
_Feare_, not one that hath feared |
him, or will feare him; but one |
that doth feare him for the |
present, and continueth therein, |
else shee is not a woman _Timens |
Dominum_, _Fearing the Lord_, and |
so not worthy to be _praised_. |
|
First then (that the Obiect may be |
right) the [u]_Lord is her feare_, | [Note u: _Deut. 10. 12. 2 King.
who shal be praised. For if He be | 17. 36. Luk. 12. 5. Es. 8. 13.
not, all exquisitenesses besides | Mal. 1. 6._]
are nothing in comparison; and if |
He be, all sufficiencies | [Note x: _Loquacitas in
(remarkable in that sex) are | aedificatione nulla turpis, si
improued, and all Duties | quando turpis. Itaque si de aliquo
(obserueable in the feare of the | bono sermo est, res postulat
Lord) are practised. To see this | contrari