the Lord liueth and as my soule liueth the Lord I say that hath kept the innocent and cleane and withholden thee from comming to shedde bloud and caused that thine hand shoulde not saue thee nor thou reuenge thy self vpon thine enimy my husband so now thine enemies shal be as Nabal they that intend to doe my Lord euill And now receiue this present I pray thee which I thine handmayde haue brought and let it be giuen vnto the young men that followe my Lorde And I pray thee forgiue the trespasse of thine handmayde for the Lorde will make my Lorde a sure house and confirme his kingdome to his posterity because my Lorde fighteth the battels of the Lorde and none euil hath beene founde in thee in all thy life And albeit that man Saule hath risen vp to persecute thee and to seeke thy soule yet the soule of my Lorde shal bee bounde in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God who shall preserue thee by his protection long in his seruice from all daungers but the soule of thine enemies shall God cast out as foorth of the myddle of a sling and vtterly destroy thē And when the Lord shall haue done to my Lorde all the good that hee hath promised thee and shall haue made thee king and ruler ouer Israel then shal it be no griefe vnto thee nor offence of mynde vnto my Lorde that thou hast not shedde causelesse nor that my Lorde hath not preserued or auenged himselfe which thinges woulde haue tormented his conscience And when the Lorde shal haue dealt well with my Lorde then thinke on thine handmayde and remember my wordes Which pithy petition of hers being done ended it not onely pacified his wrath and stayed his handes from shedding of blood that day but also gaue Dauid greate cause both to prayse GOD for sending her to be the occasion therof and also highly to commend Abigail for her wise counsell and good aduice therein And so Dauid being greatly moued with her wisedome godly perswasiōs gētly receyued her present that she had brought did cleerely remit the churlish behauiour of Nabal her husband for her wisedome and vertues sake saying Abigal blessed be the Lord God of Israel that sent thee this daye to meete me and blessed be thy good counsell and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from shedding blood c. Now therefore goe in peace to thy house for behold I haue heard thy voyce doe graunt thy petition Which being graunted she tooke her leaue returned againe to Carmell But when she came home and found Naball her Husband so farre ouercharged with wyne that his wittes were gone through drunkennesse and belly cheere she thought it conuenient to follow the wise mans counsell Eccle. 31. Not to rebuke him in his wine nor to say any thing vnto him good or bad at that time but to let the matter rest till the drinke were all out of his brayne and his memory freshe for as then hee had no reason to consider the daunger hee was in or to geue thankes for this great benefite of deliuerance wrought by his wife if shee had tolde him And so on the nexte morrowe shee declared to Naball the greate and perillous danger he was in for his churlishnesse and vnkyndnesse shewed to Dauid and his seruauntes Whiche when hee hearde did smyte him so sore to the hearte that hee was colde as a stone for feare thereof and neuer enioyed it but dyed within tenne dayes after for verie sorowe Of whose death Dauid beeyng aduertised after a certayne time hee remembred Abigail as shee in her petition before had requested him and hauing had good experience of her greate godlinesse wisedome and humilitie hee sent messengers to Carmel to commune with Abigael concerning marriage and to signifie vnto her that hee was willing to take her to his wife And Abigail after great and curteous entertaynment of Dauids Embassadours or seruauntes that did the message or errand in most humble manner sayde vnto them Beholde let thy handmayde bee a seruant to washe the feete of the seruauntes of my Lorde as though she woulde saye I am more fitte to be wife vnto one of his seruauntes And with great gladnesse and good wil she made haste to make her self ready to go with thē so with her fiue maides following her she tooke horse and went with the messengers of Dauid and became his wife 1. Sam. 25. 3. c. al. And when he dwelt in Ziklag among the Philistines whiles he went with Achis the king to warre Abigal his wife and her mate Ahinoam were both taken prisoners by the Amalechites and led away captiue vntill such time as they were rescued by Dauid their husband as appeareth 1. Sam. 30.5.18 And in processe this woman Abigail bare vnto Dauid a sonne called Chiliab which in the 1. Chro. 3.1 is called Daniel 2. Sam. 3. 3.1 Chro. 3. 1. There was an other woman called Abigal or Abigael which was the daughter of Nahash or Ishai and sister to Dauid Zeruiah Ioabs mother and wife to Iether an Ishmalite vnto whom she bare a sonne called Amasa 2. Sam. 17.25.1 Chro. 2.16.17 Abihail or Abiahil sig the father of light or of prayse as before in Abiahil She was the daughter of Eliab the sonne of Ishai and one of the xviii wiues of Rehoboam king of Israel which bare vnto him iii. sonnes as 2. Chro. 11.18.19 Abishag or Abisag signifieth the Fathers ignorance or mistaking The father catching touching or encreasing c. She was a goodly fayre young damosel or virgin of the Tribe of Isacar brought vp in the Citie Shunem And for her exceeding beautie and good manners she was chosen afore all other women to lye in the bozome of king Dauid and to keepe and nourish him with her heate in his extreame olde age And she cherished the king and ministred vnto him but the king knew her not After whose death shee being still a pure virgin and mayde was greatly desired of Adoniah king Salomons halfe brother to be his wife◠and for a meanes to beg and obtaine her the sooner he vsed the helpe and mediation of Bethsheba Dauids widowe and Salomons mother to whom hee thought Salomon woulde not say nay in a greater request But this request of his mother to giue Abishag to Adoniah his brother to wife so displeased king Salomon that he did not onely say his mother nay and refused to giue him Abisag to wife but also for this presumption of Adoniah in asking Abishag to wife he tooke occasion straight waies to put Adoniah to death so that he died for it as appeareth 1. King 1.3 2.17.22 Abital or Abithal signifieth the father of dewe or shadowe She was one of the wiues of king Dauid who bare him a sonne in Hebron named Shephatiah 2. Sam. 3.4 1. Chro. 3.3 Abra signifieth awayting mayde a handmayde or seruant She was the faithfull and trustie handmaide of Iudith that had the
Wisd. 8 2 c. Desire to heare all godlie talke and let not the graue sentences of knowledge escape thée Let thy mind be vpon the ordinances of the Lord and be continuallie occupied in his commandements so shall he stablish thine hart and giue thée wisedome at thine owne desire Eccles. 6 36,38 Loue the Lord all thy life and call vpon him for thy saluation Ecc. 13 verse 15. Feare the Lord with all thy soule and honour thine elders Eccl. 7 verse 29. Pride is hatefull before God and man and by both doth one commit iniquitie Why art thou proud O earth and ashes Why is earth and ashes proud séeing when a man or woman dieth she is the heire of serpents beasts and woormes The beginning of all pride is to fall awaie from God and to turne away thine hart from thy maker Pride was not created in men neither wrath in the generation of women Pride is the originall of sinne and she that hath it shall powre out abhominations so long till at last she be ouerthrowne For the Lord destroieth the memoriall of the proud and plucketh them vp by the roots but loueth the remembrance of the humble and planteth the lowlie with glorie among them Eccles. 10 7 c. Dishonour not a man or woman in their old age For they were as thou which art not old Eccles. 8 6. Despise not the exhortation of the elders that be wise but acquaint thy selfe with their wise sentences and graue maners so shalt thou bée able to serue euen great men without complaint Eccles. 8 8. Doo no euill so shall no harme come vnto thée depart from the thing that is wicked and sinne shall turne awaie from thée Sowe not vpon the â—urrowes of vnrighteousnesse least thou reape them seuen fold Eccles. 7 1,2 c. Make not manie words when thou art among thine elders neither vse to make anie maner of lie For the custome thereof is not good Eccles. 7 14,13 Stand thou in thy state and exercise thy selfe therein and remaine in thy worke vnto thine age Eccles. 11 20. Get thy selfe praise by modestie méekenesse and chastitie estéeme thy selfe least of all other Who will count hir iust that sinneth against hir selfe Or honour hir that dishonoreth hir owne soule Eccles. 10 verse 29. Followe not thy lusts but turne thée from thine owne appâ—tites For if thou giuest thy soule hir desires it shall make thine enimies that enuie thée to laugh thée to scorne Take not thy pleasure in great voluptuousnesse and intangle not thy selfe with such lewd riotous companie Eccles. 18 30 c. Shée that companieth adulterers and riotous companie shall béecome impudent rottennesse and woorms shall haue hir to heritage and she that is too bold and impudent shall be taken awaie and be made a publike example Eccles. 19 3. Who so reioiceth in wickednesse shall be punished but she that resisteth pleasures crowneth hir owne soule Eccles. 19 5. A maidens garment hir looks hir countenance hir excessiue laughter and going and pride declare what maner of person she is Ec. 19 â—erse 28. and 26,9 A maid that communeth with all men is a scourge of the tongue and a plague to hir soule Eccles. 26 7. There be thrée things hid from me saith Salomon yea foure that I knowe not The waie of an Egle in the aire the waie of a serpent vpon a stone the waie of a ship in the midst of the sea and the waie of a maid or yoong woman with a man Prou. 30 18. An vntamed horse will be stubborne and a wanton wench will be wilfull Eccles. 30 8. Thou maiden that art yoong speake if néede be and yet scarse when thou art twise asked and when thine elder speaketh babble not much but giue eare and be still and for thy good and modest behauiour thou shalt be loued and commended Before thunder goeth lightening and before a shamefast maiden goeth fauour and grace Eccles. 32 8. To auoid fornication let euerie woman haue hir owne husband 1. Cor. 7 2. For it is better to marie than to burne in lust I will saith S. Paule that the yoonger women marie and beare children and gouerne the house and giue no occasion to the aduersarie to speake euill as some doo that are turned back after Sathan 1. Tim. 5 verse 14. I will powre out my spirit saith God vpon all flesh your sonnes your daughters shall prophesie your old men shall dreame dreames and your yoong men shall sée visions and also vpon the seruants and vpon the maids in those daies will I powre my spirit Ioël 2,28,29 Then shall the virgin reioice in the dense and the yoong men and the old men togither For I will turne their mourning to ioie and will comfort them and giue them ioie for their sorowe Ierem. 31 13. Can a maid forget hir ornament Or a bride hir attire Yet my people haue forgotten me daies without number Ierem. 2 32. How streightlie virgins were kept in from men in the old time yea among the heathen that knew not God so that it was a verie hard thing for a man to come vnto them without leaue of their kéeper it doth appeare by the storie of Hester 2. of Thamar 2. Sam. 13 2. How perilous a thing it is for maidens and virgins to vse the common méetings at bridalls faires dansing schooles and plaies it may well be séene by the storie of Dinah Iudg. 21 19. and of the daughters of Silo who therby lost their virginitie chastitie and by Iobs daughters who dansing and banketing lost their liues by sudden death Iob. 1 13. It was counted a great shame in Israel in the olde time for a virgin to die vnmaried and without children and therfore the maids reioiced to be maried Yea the Prophet Dauid reckoneth it among the great plagues of God for a maiden to die in hir virginitie or vnmaried wher he saith The fire consumed their yoong men and their maidens were not giuen to mariage or had no mariage songs Psal. 78,63 Therefore if you will sée how the maidens customablie lamented bewailed the virginitie the space of a moneth together in the mountaines of hir that died a virgin you may read the storie of Iepthas daughter Iudg 11 37. Yoong men and maids old men and babes praise yée the name of the Lord. Psal. 148 12. I am gelous ouer you with godlie gelousie for I haue prepared you for one husband to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. Beware therfore least as the serpent beguiled Eue through his subtilty so your minds be not corrupted from the puritie holinesse perfection and simplicitie that is in Christ. 2. Corinth 2,3 O how faire is a chaste generation with vertue The memoriall therof is immortall For it is knowne with God and with men When it is present men take example at it and if it go awaie yet they desire it it is crowned and euer triumpheth when it hath wonne the reward of