Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n
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A53326
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A present for teeming vvomen, or, Scripture-directions for women with child how to prepare for the houre of travel / written first for the private use of a gentlewoman of quality in the West, and now published for the common good by John Oliver.
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Oliver, John, 1601-1661.
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1663
(1663)
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Wing O276; ESTC R30076
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85,614
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176
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the future generations should succeed and therefore we find it transmitted by other Scriptures to succeeding ages and will continue while the patience and good will of God towards man continues Thus the Psalmist Loe children are an heritage of the Lord Ps 127.3 and the fruit of the womb is his reward Likewise in the following Psalm Psal 128 3 4. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house thy children like olive plants round about thy table Behold that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. Again the Prophet Isaiah hath the same promise from God to his people Israel thus emphatically expressed I will pour my Spirit on thy seed Isa 43.3 4. and my blessing upon thy off-spring and they shall spring up as among the grasse as willows by the water-courses The like promises of multiplying their seed are frequently to be found in other Scriptures Jer. 23.3 Ezek. 36.11 Zech 2.4 such as those in the margent which the diligent Reader may peruse at his leisure These may suffice to evince the truth of this 3d. particular That they who believe the Lords Prophets that reverence his promises and embrace his providences cannot but subscribe with their hands to the Lord and acknowledge that child-bearing is his blessing and children are his reward 4. Whatsoever the people of God have ordinarily asked of God (a) PaulaÌ„ ante votis quam utero concepisti Hier. ad Laetit according to his will that cannot but be a mercy when it is received That such prayers were not unwarrantable is certain for either some of them were stirred up by an extraordinary instinct of spirit to ask that which God hath intended in a singular and unexpected manner to give or the common spirit of supplication put the innocent desire of nature into a posture of acceptation with God they asking children of him requested no more then the usuall courfe of his providence and the general concurrence of his promises aforementioned led them to expect Abraham had received the promise of children but long time being passed and his wife not yet conceiving thoughts began to grow in his mind what the intent of God should be and therefore when God doth again renew his convenant to him he breaks out into this earnest expression Gen. 15.2 Lord what wilt thou give me seeing I go childlesse as if he should say Lord thou hast given me a great estate but I have no heir and what comfort can I take in all other enjoyments seeing the main thing which thou hast promised is yet behind and I am still childless (b) B. Halls contempl l. 10 p. 117 And therefore either take away these blessings or give me the chief blessing of my house even a son to be born of my wife This prayer you know God accepted and answered according to his desire even then when his body was old and his wife by nature uncapable of conceiving I suppose this dealing of God with Abraham his friend and the father of the faithfull put some life in the hopes of his posterity who in the next and succeeding generations did seek to God in the like case His son Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife because she was barren Gen. 35.21 and the Lord was intreated of him and Rebeccah his wife conceived c. When Rachel had no children she said unto Jacob Give me children or else I die Gen. 30.1 2. Mark his answer Am I in Gods stead who hath withholden from thee the fruit of the womb as if he had said Look to the supreme cause to the everlasting Father and go to him by prayer and beg this blessing of him and then if God answer thy request thou wilt be a mother of children And no question but she thus did for afterwards it is said that God remembred Rachel and hearkened to her that is he answered her prayers and opened her womb and she conceived Gen. 30.22 The like course was long after taken by others especially by Hannah who having no children prayed with no little earnestness yea poured out her soul in this business 1 Sam. 1.11.17 That God would look upon his handmaid and remember her and not forget her and give her a man-child And old Eli seconds this request and adds The Lord of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him And she conceived and bare a son and called him Samuel because she had asked him of the Lord. I need adde no more to this particular but that God himself commanded his people to seek him for the performance of his promâ—â—e Thus saith the Lord God Ezek. 36.37 I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them I will increase them with men like a flock So that if Gods command be any motive to prayer or his promise any incouragement to faith then they had ground enough both for faith and prayer 5 Barrennes of the wombe was frequently is Scripture threatned as a judgment and they that felt this evil did earnestly bewaile it as no small affliction therefore fruitfullnesse must needs be a considerable mercy 'T was a Judgment on Abimelech of which they were not healed but by the prayers of Abraham Gen. 20.17.18 * See Bishop Richardson on the Pentateuch in Locum Gen. 15.2 30.1 1 Sam. 1.5.6 Leviticus 20.20.21 So also of Tyre Isa 23.4 Isa 4.1 God having closed up all the wombs oâ— the house of Abimelech Yea Abraham himself took no comfort in all his riches nor Rachel in enjoyment of Jacob nor Hannah in the company of Elkanah but was in bitternesse of soul 'T is threatned as the punishment of incest to be childlesse And the Prophet threaâ—ning the greatest of temporall calamities to the Jews mentions this in the last place as the greatest of all the rest That seven women should take hold of one man That is though Marriage and Majesty endure no compeers yet the Wars should so consume the male sex that many women should sollicite one man contrary to the innate modesty of ' that sex and be content with any terms viz. to eat their own bread and weare their own apparell that is to be no charge to him for any thing onely let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach that is let us be accounted and used as thine and why to take away our reproach so that barrenness was esteemed no small reproach For God in blessing Israel tells them Exod. 23.26 Deut. 7.14 that none should be barren amongst them but that they should be blessed above all people and that there shall not be a male or female barren among them nor among their cattell When the Lord would punish Coniah this is the punishment write ye this man childlesse Jer. 22.30 whether he were without posterity or they without prosperity or succession to his throne is