scholed by this vertuous woman and learne of her for our amendment in this behalfe these two lessons namely our selues vpon whome God hath powred foorth his blessings first to reioyce in thankfulnes and praise to his name and then to communicate and declare it to others that they with vs and wee with them may doe the same For thus wee see Elizabeth did her selfe she reioyced and certified her neighbours and Cosins how great mercie the Lord had shewed vpon ner for which cause they also when they heard tell thereof reioyced with her What this great mercy was which the Lord had shewed vpon Elizabeth may be vnderstood by that which hath been said to wit that whereas she had been a long time barren and thereby a reproach among women now the Lord had giuen her to conceaue to accomplish her full time to be deliuered and to bring foorth a Sonne Euery one of these is a great mercie as seuerally it hath been shewed how much more then when they come all together in their ful perfection as a reeke of Corne commeth in due season into the Barne This teacheth women especially and so al other generally what account they haue to make of the conception and bearing of their Children and from whence it doth proceede namely that they haue to account of it as of a great mercy and as proceeding from the great mercy of God Wretched therefore are they that account it as an ordinarie thing proceeding onely from the mutuall coniunction of man and woman for who hath so bewitched them that they sée not many to want this blessing to die without an heir and to leaue their possession to strangers if not to enemies though a long time begininng in the flower of their age they haue liued a married life Gen. 30.1.2 This opinion it seemeth Rahel had conceiued when she said to Iaacob giue me Children or else I die but Iaacob corrected her fondnes saying am I in Gods steed that I should giue thee Children Children therefore againe wee see come of God without whose blessing a woman remaineth barren not able to conceiue or conceiuing without strength to bring foorth her fruite Looke therefore and account howe many Children you haue borne and reckon that so many mercies yea great mercies whereof euerie one containeth a number of mercies ye haue receaued from the Lorde That wheras others haue remained as dry Chippes you haue beene as fruitfull Olyues in your husbands houses And this as you must account a mercie so you must acknowledge it to proceede from the free mercie of God without any desert or merit of yours it is from his mercie that you conceaue that you fulfill your time that you are deliuered of Children not of Monsters Were it not for his mercie your sinnes euen the best of the whole Sexe deserue that in some of these if not in al of these you should miscarrie Gen. 3.16 The multipliyng of your paines in the conception bringing foorth it proceeded of the cursse of God the deliuerance from those paines that therein you perish not it is of the great mercie of God This Elizabeth and her Cousins here confesse and this no doubt all such women as feare God do with thankesgiuing acknowledge And this cannot be but a great comfort vnto you to consider when as in other thinges so in your children especiallie you haue such notable pledges of the Lord his mercie towards you for thus may you say if the Lord in this and this child and so in all the rest had not shewed me contrarie to my deserts great mercie the curse of sorowes which iustlie I deserue had ouerwhelmed me that I should neuer haue liued to haue praised the Lord in the Land of the liuing As therefore to conclude you haue the greatest tokens of God his mercie towards you so you must labour that in you may appeare the greatest signes of all dutifull obedience vnto the Lord otherwise the Lord for your vnthankefulnesse will cut off his mercies from you whereby you shall die not onely in your sorrowes to the losse of your liues but in your sinnes to the losse of your soules But if according to the example of all holy Matrons and especially of this our Elizabeth you render thankes vnfaynedlie cause thanks by many to be rendred vnto the Lord for his great mercies vpon you then be you assured that his mercies shal neuer cease from following you in this life till you haue receaued the summe of all mercies in life euerlasting Thus we haue heard what blessings the Lord bestowed vpon Elizabeth and how she her neighbours and Cosins reioyced thereat in rendring praise and thankes for the same vnto the Lord. Now let vs pray vnto our good God and louing father in Iesus Christ yeelding vnto him all praises and thankes for his great mercie alreadie shewed as generally vpon vs all so particularlie for his great mercies towards her for whose cause especially we are assembled to reioyce in thankefulnes vnto him FINIS Errata In the 4 Pag. lin 1. for Lod read Lord. Pag. 11. lin 15. for deliuer to read to deliuer Pag. 15. lin 9. for serueth read feareth li. 16. for watching walking lin 28 for falleth faileth Pag. 18. li. 6 for his this Pag. 19. lin 14. for mutis cautes Pag. 20. lin 9. for spirituall speciall The thankes-giuing O Lord our God most gratious and most mercifull father in Iesus Christ wee thine humble seruants doo yeelde vnto thy diuine Maiestie through him in whō onlie thou art well pleased all possible thanks from the bottome of our heartes for all thy benefits and blessings both publique and priuate of bodie and of soule which from thy bountiful hands in great mercie we haue receiued And especiallie O Lord we praise and magnifie thy glorious name for thy great mercies bestowed vpon thine handmaide in giuing her to conceiue to accomplish her ful time and to bring foorth a man-childe into the world This mercie thou hast reuealed vnto vs out of thine holie word to bee a great mercie and from thy great mercie onelie to proceede so O Lorde we doo acknowledge it so wee accept it confessing no power to bee in any creature in Heauen or in earth to bring the same to passe nor worthines or merit to binde thee thereunto For this thy great mercie therefore towards her wee extoll and laude thy name reioycing with her in all thankfulnes and reuerence on her behalfe vnto thy maiestie and we further in Iesus Christ his name most humblie beseech thy fatherlie goodnes as thou hast thus mercifullie begun so to continue on thy louing fauour and kindenes towards her and the sweete infant which she hath brought foorth into the world O Lord strengthen her by thy power comfort her by thy spirit that howsoeuer now she be brought into a lowe and a weake estate that yet in due time shee may recouer her former strength and be able to come to giue thee praise for her gracious deliuerance and for all other thy blessings with the rest of thy Saints in the great congregation Blesse also O Lord her infant that as shee hath sustained sorrowe and paine in bearing it in her womb and in bringing it foorth so by thy blessings vpon it she may receaue comfort and ioyce when not onelie shee may see it to haue receaued the Sacrament of new birth but when comming to age of discretion it shall manifest by a godlie and an holy life that it is borne a new and regenerate in spirite and is of the number of them with whom thou hast made this pretious couenant I will be thy God and the God of thy seed For these graces O Lord our God as we pray thus particularly in regard of this present occasion so we beseech thee to enlarge thy selfe in al other necessarie mercies to vs and to thy whole Church generallie especiallie in the pardoning forgiuing of our sinnes according to thy promise in Iesus Christ in whose name with the same words which he hath taught vs we pray further vnto thee saying Our Father c. FINIS
THE Child-birth or Womans Lecture That is A Lecture vpon Chap. 1. ver 57 58. of the holie Gospell according to Luke very necessarie to bee read and knowne of all young married and teeming Women and not vnprofitable for men of all sortes By Chr. H. Esay 66.7 Before shee trauailed shee brought foorth and before her paine came shee was deliuered of a man Childe BY WISDOME PEACE BY PEACE PLENTY TO AT LONDON Printed by Thomas Orwin for Henry Hooke and are to be sold in Paules Churchyard by Raphe Iackson at the signe of the Swanne 1590. To the right Worshipfull and vertuous Gentlewoman Mistres Elizabeth Sauel grace mercie and peace from Iesus Christ the fountaine of all heauenlie graces be multiplied THis Lecture right Worshipfull whereof I presume to make you the Patronesse is compact of the notes obserued in my reading at the birthes of your two most sweet iewels Master Henry and Master Edward Sauels and now published as for the common good of all that please to reade it so to performe my promise made long since vnto you and to bee a testimonie of the godlie care which your Honorable Lady-mother the Lady Paget your selfe had to shew all thankfulnes vnto the Lord for his great mercie towards you For no sooner were you thorough the goodnes of God deliuered but that both the one time and the other I was sent vnto from her Ladyship and your selfe to giue thankes vnto the Lord on your behalfe so that the sunne had not shewed his beames before such time as the same mornings wherein you receaued those blessings We had the whole familie together the right Worshipfull your Father and your Husband being also present like as was her Ladiship her selfe with your Worshipfull sister Mistres Baeshe performed this exercise and sang Psalmes of thankesgiuing J wish as I nothing doubt of your good continuance in this so holy a course that all others who are partakers of the same mercies would also imitate follow your godly example and president herein which they should the rather do if they could or would consider aright how many singular blessings in this one thing doo concurre for nothing hindreth so much our thankefulnes vnto the Lod as the want of a right consideratiō of his great benefits wherewith he ladeth vs which either for lack of insight into them or for that they seeme ordinarie and befall vs euerie daie and others aswell as vs are therefore the lesse of the greater sorte regarded but were we affected as wee should the more ordinarie that they are the more thankefull we should be since our sinnes euerie day deserue to break the ordinarie course of them Dani. 4.24 for that we breake not off our sinnes by righteousnes nor our iniquities by mercie toward the poore And since we see dailie many to faile of thē whom we may iustifie in respect of our selues for not to speak of holy Rahel and Ely his daughter in lawe how many right godly and vertuous women do daily in Childe-bed miscarrie They therefore who haue the good successe which you now thrise the Lord be blessed for it haue had alwaies may haue ought with Elizabeth and you acknowledge his great mercies to them For though it were ordinarie to all in safetie to bee deliuered which wee see is not yet therein they shall finde many extraordinarie blessings as by this lecture they may partlie conceaue but most plainelie may vnderstand of themselues and by themselues if themselues they will call to remembrance of their owne deliuerances and not forget al their former distres whereout without the Lords hand it had been impossible for them to haue been deliuered through ioy of a mā child whom they haue brought into the world Leauing therefore the further consideration hereof vnto your Worship and to all other godly and vertuous Matrons that haue tasted herein how sweet and bountifull the Lord is I end beseeching you to accept of this my poore labour and praying the Lord that it may be profitable vnto al in stirring them vp to a greater thankefulnes vnto the Lord for his so great mercies bestowed vpon them Your Worships to God for you and yours in his praiers Chr. H. Luke 1.57 58. ¶ Now Elizabeths time was fulfilled that she should be deliuered and she brought foorth a sonne And her neighbours and Cosins heard tell howe the Lord had shewed his great mercy vpon her and they reioyced with her WHo this Elizabeth was whom here we haue mentioned none I suppose to be so ignorant Luk. 1.6 but that he knoweth She was saith this Euangelist of the daughters of Aaron her husbād was Zacharias a Priest and both he and she iust before GOD walking in all his comaundements and ordinances without reproofe A notable patterne and example not onely for ministers and their wiues whose blameles conuersation in all things and at all times ought to be a second instruction vnto the people but for all couples as we tearme them of what degree or calling soeuer they bee that they themselues fearing the Lord and walking in his wayes Iob. 1.5 Gen. 18.19 they may not onely teach as did Iob but commaund also as did Abraham their sonnes and their houshold to knowe the way of the Lord to doe righteousnes and iudgement For this the godly whome any care of religion hath touched haue alwayes according to his commaundement done and this of his mercie towards them he hath not left vnrewarded Abraham his reward with God was exceeding great being made for this as it were one of his priuie councell For shall I conceale or keepe any thing from Abraham saith God since he wil teach his sonnes and his housholde Gen. 18.17 Iob who vsed euery day to sanctifie his sonnes that is to prepare them vnto sanctification by teaching them how though for his triall our example in the chiefest of his prosperous felicitie he was humbled cast down Iob. 42.12 yet the Lord restored him againe and blessed his latter dayes Psal 101. Iosu 24.15 Gen. 35.2 Act. 10.2 more than his former The like may be said of Dauid of Iosua of Iaacob of Cornelius the Italian Captaine and such like whose carefull obedience to the commaundements of the Lorde with the no lesse diligēt information of their housholds therin is set downe their reward from the Lord by his singular blessings in great aboundance bestowed vpon them is as it were particularly noted Zacharias therefore and Elizabeth as no doubt they performed this duetie so they are not alone neither is the rewarde of their holy conuersation the least for whereas Elizabeth was barren and long without a childe wherby she was a reproach among women the Lord for a reward maketh her fruitfull and the mother not of a meane babe but of such a one as a greater before him of a woman was neuer borne This blessing that the Lord bestowed vpon Zacharias and Elizabeth his wife
his benefites towards me 〈◊〉 118. I will take the Cup of saluation and call vpon or praise the name of the Lord. And againe Open ye vnto me the gates of righteousnesse that I may enter in and prayse the Lord. And why because though he hath chastened me sore as iustlie I haue deserued yet hath he not deliuered me to death as in iustice hee might Lea when she had conceaued borne her fourth sonne she saide Now will I praise the Lord And that she might the better bee put in minde of her promise in this behalfe she called his name Iudah that is in English 〈◊〉 29.35 praise Thus to alleadge no moe examples wee see how our manner of reioycing as for other benefites so namely for this great blessing of God in giuing vnto vs an happie encrease of Children consisteth in rendring praise and thankes vnto him This if it goeth before not in hipocrisie for a fashion and shew but in the sinceritie of heart and simplicitie of minde then may other reioycinges follow after Gen. 21.8 then may we wich Abraham make a feast and vse such other semblances of ioye which the Godlie in the feare of God haue vsed for by that these are sanctified and made holie vnto vs and without that these are very prophane and heathenish howe glittering a shew soeuer they make in the eyes of the world Our first care therefore must be if wee be true neighbours and kindred to giue thankes vnto the Lord to blesse his name to yeelde praises vnto him for his benefites and blessings bestowed vpoÌ„ him or them by whom we dwell and with whom we are alied for in such sorte no doubt as all the Godlie haue vsed to doe so the Godlie neighbours Cousins of Elizabeth reioyced and were glad wherein they shewed themselues rightly religious towards God and hartie not fained neighbours and friends to their good neighbour and Cousin Elizabeth But not onely they as I should haue noted in the former part reioyced but she also for it is heere saide that they reioyced with her Elizabeth her selfe as shee was the chiefe vpon whom this mercie was bestowed so was she the chiefe and as it were the ring leader in giuing of thankes for she both stirred vp her selfe in thankefulnesse to reioyce and also vsed meanes to declare vnto her neighbours her Cousins what the Lord had done for her that they also for it with her might reioyce For thus much doe these words declare wherein it is saide that her neighbours and Cousins heard tell how the Lord had shewed his great mercie vpon her For by whome shold they heare it especially her husband being dumb but by her or her meanes who had receaued it and therefore could best tell how to expresse it For not onelie outwardlie as others but inwardlie also did she see caâ—â— and feele this great mercie of the Lord bestowed vpâ—â— her According therefore to that which in euerie respect more than others she knew could she as no doubt shee did expresse each thing more fullie to the glorie of God And this hath been the practise of the godly alwaies in this behalfe to be blabs as we say to blab foorth and declare what mercies the Lord hath powred foorth vpon them Come vnto me saith the Prophet and I will tel you what the Lord hath done for my Soule Psal 66.16 So Peter when by the Angel of the Lord hee was deliuered out of prison he tolde the manner therof to them that were gathered together at Maries house Act. 12.17 and willed them to shew the same things vnto Iames and other the brethren The like at our Sauiour Christ his commaundement did the man out of whome the diuel was cast Luk. 8.27 He went and preached saith the Euangelist verse 39. thoroughout al the Citie what great things Iesus had done vnto him Luke 8.27 For this euen as by this one exaÌ„ple it is manifest the Lord requireth of vs that wee should doe both concerning priuate and publique benefites to rehearse and to shew theÌ„ foorth vnto others least the remembraÌ„ce of them should die and be forgotten and so the Lord lose his honour due vnto him for them This was most carefully obserued by the Israelites so long as among them remained any eyther care or conscience of the true seruice of God Psal 78 2.3 c. as is manifest by the 78. Psalme wherein is shewed both how the Lord commaunded and they perfourmed vnto him this duetie by shewing foorth his prayses his power and wonderfull workes vnto their Children according as he established it for a testimonie in Iaacob and ordained it for a law in Israel But when they began to be careles of his seruice and to wax wearie of his religion then decayed likewise in them this duetie of remembring each other of the benefites of God towards them insomuch that it is said in the 2. of Iudges Iudg. 2.10 that Iosuah being dead and that generation there followed a generation which neyther knew the Lord nor the workes which he had done for Israel yea euen that miraculous worke of bringing them foorth of Aegipt was quite buried in obliuion as if it had neuer been And thus it is to be doubted it will fare or ere it be long with vs for whereas the Lord hath bestowed vpon euerie one of vs particularly and vpon this land generally as great blessings in respect both of the things of this life of the things concerning the life to come as euer he bestowed vpon that people of Israel yet so careles is both preacher and people one and other that I feare mee shortly all will be forgotten and not so much as that our miraculous deliuerance from the Spanish inuasion bee kept in remembrance we can talk and prate fast enough of vanitie and of the idle conceites of our own heart and braine Yea we can readely blabbe and tell foorth what may iniurie one another in his goods or good name for to one of these endes tendeth most of our communication in these dayos saue that much of it also is wanton and vnbeseeming Christians such as corrupteth good manners and grieueth the holy spirite of God by whom we are sealed vnto the day of redemption Ephe. 4.39 But to tell forth what the Lord hath done for our soules as did Dauid Psal 66.16 what great things Iesus hath done for vs as did the possessed what great mercies he hath shewed vpon vs Luke 8.39 as Elizabeth here did or what deliuerances benefites and blessings he hath and still dayly doth bestowe vpon vs and our land that thereby we might the rather stirre vp our selues and others to praise the Lord to pray for the continuance of his louing kindnes towardes vs in these cases and such like wee are mute as a fish or as the dumb that openeth not his mouth This corruption howsoeuer it hath ouertaken vs yet now let vs bee
them and to all other that are careles of his seruice and rebellious against him And therefore he sendeth vs to Siloh saying Goe ye now to my place which was in Siloh Ierem. 7.12 where I set my name at the beginning and beholde what I did to it for the wickednes of my people Israel But to returne from this digression vnto Phinehas wife she is a patterne as I said in whome we may sée the great distresse and miserie of a woman lying in such plight that though at length she be deliuered of her childe yet she is not deliuered from her paines vntill she be deliuered of her life Yet this case in comparison of theirs who hauing accomplished their full time and cannot be deliuered at all séemeth somewhat tollerable And of such histories record some and women no doubt are priuie to many mo from these perils and daungers when the Lord deliuereth a woman that not onely she bringeth forth with the safegard of her life but that before the trauaile shee bringeth foorth and before her paine come shee bee deliuered of her Child howe great mercie doth the Lord shew vnto that woman Esay 66.7 This the Lord speaketh of the sodain restawration of the Church Before shee trauailed shee brought foorth and before her paines came she was deliuered of a man Childe declaring thereby that as he pleaseth to giue such a speedy and easie deliuerance to some whome it pleaseth him that as it were before their paines come they are deliuered so he can and will when his Church is by al likelyhood in greatest danger euen as a woman is when shee boweth her selfe to trauaile of Child vpon the sodaine deliuer it without paine and trouble in the turning of an hand This is more manifestly shewed in the Reuela Apoc. 12.2 12. where the great danger of the Church of God and the miraculous deliuerance thereof is set foorth vnder the similitude of a womaÌ„ trauailing in birth readie to be deliuered Let women therefore who are partakers of this mercy as was Elizabeth namely to be both deliuered and that without the dolefull continuing in labour and trauaile many dayes as many doe acknowledge that the Lord bestoweth vpon them an extraordinarie blessing to be wondred at as it is in the former place of Esay Who hath heard such a thing Esay 66.8 Who hath seen such things assoone as Sion trauailed she brought forth her children For what is one woman in comparison of the whole Church of God men and women and what greater mercie doth or can the Lord in this life bestow vpon them than spéedelie in such distresse when they call to heare and deliuer to them The last circumstance in this first verse obserued is that she brought forth a SoÌ„ne diuers we know bring forth monsters Luk. 16 â— which can haue the name neither of sonnes nor of daughters In that therefore the Lord fréeeth Elizabeth from this curse and graunteth her to bring foorth a childe and he a man child and such a childe who should be filled with the holy ghost eueÌ„ froÌ„ his mothers womb to be the Prophet of the most high and to goe before him in the spirit and power of Elias it is the summe and the perfection of the former benefites and that which maketh ordinarily euen in ordinarie births the sorrowes in trauaile to be forgotten This women know to be true by their own experience Ioh. 16.21 And our Sauiour Christ from whom nothing is hid teacheth vs also the same saying A woman when shee trauaileth hath sorrow because her howre is come but so soone as she is deliuered of her Childe she remembreth no more the anguish for ioy that a man is borne into the worlde Where by Man hee meaneth aswell the woman Childe as the man Childe both being the great blessings of the Lord though in some respects the man childe is preferred to the woman as by whom the name which men and godly men most of all earthly blessings do desire is the longest in remembrance continued And therfore the Godly men and women in the Scripture who haue béen barren haue especially asked of the Lord a sonne Gen. 15.2 so Abraham desired a sonne that Eliezer the steward of his house might not be his heire 1. Sa. 1.11 And Anna prayed for a man child that she might dedicate him to the seruice of the Lorde in his Temple In which respect also it appeareth that the godly then desired rather sonnes than daughters howsoeuer to serue the Lord in that office seemeth now a thing so coÌ„temptible though the ministrie of the gospel be farre more glorious as the Apostle notably sheweth to the Corinth 2. Cor. 3.8 than was the ministrie of the law That euerie man be he neuer so meane disdaineth saue that necessity for want of other maintenaÌ„ce constraineth him to train vp his Sonne as Anna did her Samuel to serue the Lord in that vocation No maruaile therfore though the Lord disdaine to giue them sonnes who doe disdaine to consecrate them vnto him or if he giue such sonnes no maruaile though as commonly we see his blessing be not vpon them since of many they wil not spare him one but if all other meane faile they will rather bestow them vpon * 〈…〉 at is to 〈◊〉 Phisitiâ—â—s ciuill or â—â—mmon â—â—wyers â—â—rchants c. Hose 9.14 Galen Iustinian Littleton and commit them to the windes and the Seas to aduenture thereupon their wittes their goods and their liues and to other handiecraftes than that they should serue him to his glorie in his Church But to leaue complaining of such to whom the Lord for this cause I doubt not giueth oftentimes barren wombes and drye breastes The issue whether it bee of Sonnes or daughters it is a singular blessing and the cheefe blessing of this life for to bee blessed in the fruite of the wombe excelleth the blessing in the fruite of the ground 〈◊〉 128.3 the wife to bee as the fruitefull Vine Iudg. 9.9 13. and the Children to bee as the Oliue branches round about the table surmounteth the fatnes of the oliue wherewith are honored and the red bloud of the Grape whereby are chéered both God and men for sonnes are more pleasing than pleasant plants daughters are more louely and glorious in parents eyes than are the polished corners of a temple The Prophet Dauid in the 127. Psalme Psal 127.4 compareth Children to arrowes in the hand of a strong man and pronounceth him blessed that hath his quiuer full of them shewing also wherein that blessednes dooth consist namelie in this that they whome the Lord hath thus blessed shall not bée ashamed when they speake with their enemies in the gate 1. Sam. 1.6 for whereas their enemies would haue vpbraided them as accursed by reason of their barrennes like as Peninnah did Anna 1. Sam. 2.1 this their opprobrie by their hauing of Children is