Eptftle S. PawltoTittu. full ofgood worksand almes to the Saints,at Dercae:al or anyofwhich graces,ifelfewhere they can attaine or peforme,then by the slire&ion & inflitution ofthe word,we will glue them leave to contemne it with the whole nlini(leryof ït : but if this be the word offaith which wet preach, the wordofthe kingdome,and ifwe haue the words ofeternall life;let them goc elfewhere,ot by any other dire.tion faue this, whether of naturali reafon, flclhly wifedome, lewd cuflome, or what euer may perfwade ir, they !hall furely falle of faith,of the kingdome,and oflifc eternal! in the ende. Okied -. But how oftenhaue weheard Popish or profane men alleadge to thecontrary : What fhould women minde the Scripture , or meddle with religion? what, haue they not huswiferie at home , haue they not children, feruanrs,and acalling to tend ? and how often doth our religi- on heare it felfe difgraced,in that it is embraced by women, who they fay are Pimple, and eafily feduced ? erfnfw.To all which I anfwer ,that if there wretches had prooued that women had no foules to loofe or to faue, fuch graceleffe difcourfes were more eafily to be admitted. 2. Might not a man haue come vpon Marie with the like interrogatories: whyhaue you nothing to doe,but to fit downe at Chrilis feete,to heare words which concerneyou not? haueyou no huswiferie to Pet your felfe about ? doe not you fee you haue a great Prophet to glueentertainment unto ? doe you fee yourffler Martha medling with loch matters? But if any had thusrebilked her,would Chrifl haue recanted that which he had affirmed of her, that fhe had chofen the better part ; and if Martha had doue fo too,wouldChrift haue Paid that the had failed in the due regard ofone thin,which was more neceffarie then all that butanes whichThee encombred felfewithal!. 3. Salomons mother requireth two things in a vertuous woman : one, the auerfeiing of the wayes of her famille: the other, to open her mouth with wifcdome, and have the lame of grace fitting veder her lippes:without which larter,fhould a woman excel the life and death of force bruit beafls ? affuredly it' the former were all, thee fhould liue and die a littlemore ciuilly,but neuer a whit more reli- gioufly then they..}. It is fo farte from being a nit} reproach to the Go- fpel that women profeffe it,that it israther a note of the truth ofit.God choofeth the weake and 6mpie of the world , toconfound and prouoke the wife and mightie : Chritt himfelfeprouoked Simon the Pharifie by an exampleof loue,which a poore womanhad (hewed vpon him, farce beyond him:and thought it no difgrace that Marie, out ofwhomhe had call 7.deuills,nor thenoted harlot the woman at the well fhduld follow him,and entertaine his profef ion : neither did his wifedome thinke it preiudiciall,or not befeeming the fmplicity oftheGofpel,to (hew him- fel CHAP.2.3. 363 Matds.t 3.19. Hellos ,ffir. meth that a d.'. Ralf, is fitter fora woman then the bible: de eopre (fo verb.Dci. But moreblr. (phemoofy Limvood,who verily thin/tech it was thedc. Rills invention to permit the people the rea. dingof theBi. bic. I 2 3 Pro.3r.ar.16. Ierone corn mended a gen- tlewoman in his time for teachingher mardstheScrip. rures.inkpitap. Pauli. 4 Luky.qQ.
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