Selected quad for the lemma: woman_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
woman_n	bear_v	child_n	pain_n	1,562	5	7.0124	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07526	A true and certaine relation of a strange-birth which was borne at Stone-house in the parish of Plimmouth, the 20. of October. 1635. Together with the notes of a sermon, preached Octob. 23. 1635. in the church of Plimmouth, at the interring of the sayd birth. By Th. B. B.D. Pr. Pl.	Bedford, Thomas, d. 1653.	1635 (1635)	STC 1791.3; ESTC S120122	17,459	26

causes either internall as the defectivenesse or excesse of seminall materialls or externall as the dulnesse of the formative facultie or indisposednesse of the Vessells or strength of Conceit or Imagination The Astrologer may adde another cause powerfull in his opinion to pervert and overthrow the good intentions of Nature sc. the constellations of the planets and configuration of their aspects And happily they may pitch upon some reasons for the coalition of these two twinnes into one nor doe we deny but the Philosopher may bee allowed in these his conjectures nor may hee seeme to shoot beside the marke that should ascribe it to some accident colliding and dashing these two new-formed Embryons in the wombe casting them so one upon the other as that the contiguity and overmuch closenesse of their bodies caused the aforesaid coalition so have wee seene two trees over closely leaning one upon another grow into one and covered with one barke The Philosopher I say may seeme to speake reason not so the Astrologer at least in mine Opinion Onely he and others must bee intreated to looke higher and to take notice of the speciall hand of God whose worke alone it is to sort and compound the activities of secondary causes that what by the blessing of God might have beene otherwise is now thus disposed of for ends best knowne to himselfe This is the conclusion which Religion teacheth and which it becommeth mee as a Divine to put you in minde of The Astrologer is taught to say Astraregunt homines The influence of the Starres doe rule the Actions of the sonnes of men But the Christian knoweth that regit astra Deus God over-ruleth the starres So that if wee should grant an influence in the planets and a power in the Constellations yet farre be it from us to account it fatall and inalterable No we know that God sitteth in the Heavens and doth whatsoever hee will David in the Psalmes ascribeth to his hand the framing of his body and members in the wombet Thine hands have made me and fashioned me Thou hast covered mee in my mothers wombe Thine eyes saith hee did see my substance yet beeing unperfect and in thy booke all my members were written which in continuance were fashioned or as it is in the Margent all of them written what dayes they should be fashioned when as yet there was none of them To him therefore belongeth the disposing of the materialls and shaping of the Birth Now then is God so tyed to his materialls that if there be too much for one or too little for two complete and perfect features hee can neither detract nor multiply Must his worke bee cut off with what the Philosopher ●aith of Nature Intendit quod optimum facit tamen id quod potest that is Nature intendeth perfection but beeing hindered doth what she can Let no man therefore taxe me of any excesse in religious thoughts or count it overmuch curiositie if I propound to you an observation or two grounded upon this and the like occasions Each Comet as experience hath taught men is in its kinde Doctrinal and blaseth forth something or other worthy our observation Nec in vanum toties arsere Cometae seldome are those super-terrestriall blazes kindled in vaine Men do commonly count them praenuncios belli et calamitatum fore-runners of some imminent calamities and therefore doe call upon one another to appease the wrath of God by fasting and Humiliation I shall not therefore I hope transcend the limits of my calling nor wrong the providence of God if I take liberty to say touching this strange-birth which God hath caused to blaze here amongst us and from us to the whole Countrey to say of it as the Apostle saith of the bloud of Abel being dead it yet speaketh What did or doth the bloud of Abel speake but the irreversible wrath of God against Cain in him against all wilfull and malicious persecutours of religious persons I doe not say this speaketh so bitter things but yet it speaketh something in common with the rest of strange and mishapen Births and if I deceive not my selfe over-much something in peculiar by it selfe so then it speaketh two things perhaps more but two I pitch upon not averring them both spoken with the same evidence but both truly and which is more seasonably First then this and all monstrous misfeatured Births speake this That it is a singular Mercie of God when the Births of the Wombe are not mis-formed when they receive their faire and perfect feature A Lesson truly worth the noting in this forgetfull Age Mercies that are ordinarie wee swallow and take small notice of them Such a worke as this causeth us to see what difference there is bet wixt comlinesse and deformity betwixt Perfection and Imperfection in the Body Doth any make scruple of what I say Let that man consider the discomfort of Deformitie How lyable it is daily to exprobration through the evill custome of wicked men more ready to cast it in the teeth than condole or commiserate if God hath stampt a deformity upon the Bodie Know wee not that the members of the Bodie are the Organs and Instruments of the Soul in the Service of God and man Defect or excesse must needs breed griefe because it createth trouble Consider wee this birth thus double-membred to have seene them lying upon the table to see them deciphered upon the paper might happily be thought a sight not much unpleasant But let your imagination give them life and tell mee how uncomfortable yea burthensome must they be to others yea and to themselves when as though two yet so neere incorporated that the one cannot helpe the other How should they eat sleep walke sit or satisfie nature but with much incumbrance Is it then discomfort to have a marke of deformity or dis-advantage cast upon the Births of the Womb And is it not a singular Mercie to have them born compleat in shape and feature Doubtlesse it is All reason therefore is that this Mercie of God unto us in the issue of our Loins should be acknowledged with all thankefulnesse If other Mercies why not this The Husbandman when hee hath his Corne and Wine increased when housed The Merchant when his Venture is returned The Owner when his Ship is arrived and both have made a good voiage If there be any religion dwelling in their brests will in a solemne manner confesse before the Sonnes of men the loving kindnesse of the Lord. When women have received safe deliverance from the great paines and perills of Child-birth the Church doth call them and surely it had need to call them to give hearty thanks to God And ought not this also to be remembred That the Children borne give hope of Comfort to their Parents Hope I say that a faire and well-featured Body may be the comfortable house and habitation of an Holy soule Doubtlesse it ought Doth not David intimate so much in