A15013:876
Prototypes, or, The primary precedent presidents out of the book of Genesis showing, the…Prototypes, or, The primarie precedent presidents out of the booke of Genesis shewing, the…
Prototypes, or, The primary precedent presidents out of the book of Genesis showing, the [brace] good and bad things [brace] they did and had practically applied to our information and reformation / by that faithful and painful preacher of Gods word William Whately ... ; together with Mr. Whately's life and death ; published by Mr. Edward Leigh and Mr. Henry Scudder, who were appointed by the author to peruse his manuscripts, and printed by his own copy.Prototypes, or, The primarie precedent presidents out of the booke of Genesis shewing, the [brace] good and bad things [brace] they did and had practically applied to our information and reformation / by that faithfull and painefull preacher of Gods word William Whately ... ; together with Mr. Whatelyes life and death ; published by Mr. Edward Leigh and Mr. Henry Scudder, who were appointed by the authour to peruse his manuscripts, and printed by his owne coppy.
London: printed by G.M. for Edward Langham book-seller, 1640London: printed by G.M. for Edvvard Langham booke-seller, 1640
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.
1. To God. 2. To her husband. 3. To her children.
1. To God, She joined with her husband in prayer for children, and therefore she had faith in God, and trusted in him for issue, not barely to the course of nature, for it is said Gen. 25.21. Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren, she was present with her husband, and joined her own supplications with his, for the obtaining of fruitfulness by him. A good woman ought to be prayerful, and both to unite her devotions to her husband, and also to call upon God by her self alone. See therefore you wives that you be ready to show piety in the same kind; ⟨p. 5⟩pray to God with your husbands, yea pray to him for your selves, husbands, and children, and for all good things. The blessings are doubled that are gotten not alone by natural endeavours, but by fervent prayers unto God, for this is a proof, that they be granted by God in favour, and so they become tokens of his love to men, and by that means are much more comfortable then of their own nature they could be. Those wives therefore are too blame, that scarce are willing to pray themselves, or to join with their husbands, but by their backwardness interrupt their praying together, a thing condemned by S. Peter, when it is procured by discontents, falling out betwixt, and consequently also by any other means. Mend this fault O ye wives, and you that are husbands, if the fault have been in you, mend it, and see that you join together, calling upon God. If you have children, yet there be enough of other things for which you ought to visit the Throne of grace. The graces of Gods Spirit are much more desirable then the fruit of our bodies, and I am sure that our hearts are all barren of such fruit, and cannot be made fruitful but by Gods Spirit working in our hearts, and prayer will cause him to make a barren heart fruitful as well as a barren womb, but without prayer the heart will never bring forth true grace. Natural benefits, children, and the like, do fall into the laps of men and women though they do not seek them from God by this exercise of prayer; but spiritual blessings cannot be obtained by any other means, if this be not also joined to the means to sanctify them.