A17412:721
Sermons upon the ten first verses of the third chapter of the first Epistle…
Sermons upon the ten first verses of the third chapter of the first Epistle of S. Peter Being the last that were preached by the late faithful and painful minister of Gods word, Nicolas Byfield. Wherein method, sense, doctrine, and use, is, with great variety of matter, profitably handled; and sundry heads of divinity largely discussed. Published since the authors death by William Gouge.Sermons upon the ten first verses of the third chapter of the first Epistle of S. Peter Being the last that were preached by the late faithfull and painfull minister of Gods word, Nicolas Byfield. Wherein method, sense, doctrine, and vse, is, with great varietie of matter, profitably handled; and sundry heads of divinitie largely discussed. Published since the authors death by William Gouge.
London: printed by H. Lownes for George Latham, 1626
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.
5 The persons capable of it; Women as well as men.
From the coherence we may note, That if women will have their husbands to honour them, they must be religious women, and true Christians, that have grace as well as worldly portion. God requires religion and grace in all wives: And the rather should they be careful to get grace, and become truly religious, because it was long of their sex that sin came into the world: and as by one woman's bearing of a child, salvation was brought again into the world; so should they every one in particular, strive to recover their honour, by expressing the sound power of a religious life in all faith, and charity, and holiness, and sobriety, 1. Tim. 2.14, 15. And besides, what shall it profit wives to get them jointures on earth, and husbands to provide for them while they live here, if their souls and bodies perish when they dye, and lose the inheritance in heaven? and perish they will, if they get not true grace. And further, if they be gracious women, if their husbands be so profane as not to make much of them, yet they shall be greatly set by of God; as was showed, vers. 4. But on the other side, if they be ignorant and irreligious women, it is ⟨p. 132⟩just with God, to deprive them of the comfort of this life, and to let their husbands neglect them or abuse them. For, though their husbands sin in so doing, yet God is just in permitting such a thing for their punishment.
From the coherence we may note, That if women will have their husbands to honour them, they must be religious women, and true Christians, that have grace as well as worldly portion. God requires religion and grace in all wives: And the rather should they bee carefull to get grace, and become truely religious, because it was long of their sexe that sinne came into the world: and as by one womans bearing of a childe, salvation was brought againe into the world; so should they everie one in particular, strive to recover their honour, by expressing the sound power of a religious life in all faith, and charitie, and holinesse, and sobrietie,