N00500:38
Ornaments for the daughters of Zion. Or The character and happiness of a virtuous…Ornaments for the daughters of Zion. Or The character and happiness of a vertuous…
Ornaments for the daughters of Zion. Or The character and happiness of a virtuous woman: in a discourse which directs the female-sex how to express, the fear of God, in every age and state of their life; and obtain both temporal and eternal blessedness. / Written by Cotton Mather ; [Four lines in Latin from Tertullian, followed by a six line translation into English]Ornaments for the daughters of Zion. Or The character and happiness of a vertuous woman: in a discourse which directs the female-sex how to express, the fear of God, in every age and state of their life; and obtain both temporal and eternal blessedness. / Written by Cotton Mather ; [Four lines in Latin from Tertullian, followed by a six line translation into English]
printed by S.G. & B.G. i.e for Samuel Phillips, 1692
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.
FIRST, A Virtuous Woman h•'s Awf•l• as well as […] Apprehensions, That there is a God. When Jacob •f old Perceived the Presence of God, it is said, in Gen. 13 17. He was Afraid. The Virtuous Woman in like manner Believes the Essence of God; and that thought, God is, it raises a Sacred Fear of Him in her humble and moved Soul. She sees the B•ing of a GOD proved from the Works of Creation: even as he that made the Image of Minerva engraved his own Name upon it so, that it could not be taken out without breaking all to pieces. The whole World is a Book, and all Creatures are the Letters in it, whereby ⟨p. 21⟩She Spells out the Existence of a GOD. Even the Dumb the Mute Creatures do loudly speak this Truth unto her. She Considers, That th• World had a Beginning; inasmuch as 'tis Older and Changing every Day: And that it could not have its Beginning from it self; inasmuch as Nothing would then be the cause of Something. So, She sees, There is a GOD; and She sees the Wisdom of a GOD, the Power of a GOD, the Goodness of a GOD, throughout the Universe. She sees Likewise the B•ing of GOD Plain in the Works of Providence; which Preserves all things in a most Excellent Order, Subordinate and Subservient unto a Glorious End. She sees the World like a Vast Army Composed of Quarrel-some, Contentious, Contrary things, and yet holding well together; whereupon She Concludes, Th•re is a GOD who is the Wise General over all. She Considers the Extraordinary Occurrences in the World; and when She sees Prophecies that Exactly foretell what comes to pass many Ages after; When She s•es Miracles, that give Check to the Common Course and Road of Nature; When She sees Prayers Extraordinarily Answered Good men Extraordinarily Rewarded, Ill men Extraordinarily Punished, She cries out, The Finger of a GOD is here! She finds her self born with a Notion of a GOD, wherein She ha's not been by any Tradition or Policy of others Imposed upon; and She graciously Cherishes that Notion. All Ancient Histories hardly mention above Twenty Profest Atheists; and of hose that were counted