Ancilla pietatis: or, The hand-maid to priuate deuotion presenting a manuell to furnish her with necessary principles of faith. Forcible motiues to a holy life. Vsefull formes of hymnes and prayers. ... By Daniel Featly, D. in Diuinity.

THE ADMONITION.

THE ANALYSIS.

Religious women ought pati∣ently and comfortably to endure the paines of childe∣birth, con∣sidering

• 1. That fruitfulnesse is a speci∣all blessing and honour to a wo∣man.
• 2. That these paines were the punishments, and are the memo∣rials of Eue's transgression.
• 3. That the hope of children who may be members of Christ, & heires of saluation, asswageth the paines for the present, and the ioy for them afterwards ex∣tinguisheth the memory of them.
• 4. That they haue daily experi∣ments of God's strange deliue¦rances; especially in this kinde.
• 5. That childe-bearing hath a promise annexed vnto it of a blessing
  • Temporal.
  • Spiritual.
  if the mo∣thers bee faithfull, and so continue.

THE TEXTS.

O Lord God of Hoasts,* 1.1 if thou wilt indeede looke vpon the affliction of thine Hand-maid, and wilt not forget her, but wilt giue her a man-childe, I will giue him to the Lord all the dayes of his life, 1 Sam. ••. 11.

Loe children, and the fruit of the wombe, are an heritage, and gift that commeth of the Lord, Psal. 127. 4.

Like as arrowes in the hand of a gyant: euen so are young children, v. 5.

Happie is the man that hath his quiuer full of them: they shall not be ashamed when they speake with their enemies in the gate, v. 6.

Thou fillest their belly with thy hid treasure, Psal. 17. 14.

Elizabeth said, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the daies

wherein he looked on me,* 1.2 to take away my reproach among men, Luke 1. 25.

Vnto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrowe, and thy conception; In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children, Gen. 3. 16.

Adam was not deceiued; but the woman being deceiued was in the transgression, 1 Tim. 2. 14.

A woman,* 1.3 when she is in tra∣ueile, hath sorrow, because her howre is come; but as soone as shee is deliuered of a childe, shee remembreth no more her anguish for ioy that a man is borne into the world, Ioh. 16. 21.

Be fruitfull,* 1.4 and multiply, and replenish the earth, Gen. 1. 28.

Be ye fruitfull and multiply, and bring forth abundantly, on the earth,* 1.5 Gen. 9. 7.

Notwithstanding she shall be saued in childe bearing, if they continue in faith, and charity, & holines, & sobriety, 1 Tim▪ •• 15.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Fruitfulnes is a spiritu∣all blessing.
• * 1.2

  The paines are deser∣ued by the sin of Eue.
• * 1.3

  Sweetened with hop of a childe.
• * 1.4

  And pro∣mises of blessings Temporall,
• * 1.5

  Spirituall.