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                              THE PRAISE OF A
                                GODLY WOMAN.


                 A Sermon preached at the Solemne Funerall
                 of the Right Honourable Ladie, the Ladie
                 FRANCES ROBERTS, at _Lanhide-rock-Church_
                      in _Cornwall_ the tenth of
                               August, 1626.

                                    By

                    HANNIBALL GAMON, Minister of the word
               of God, at S^t. _Maugan_ in the same Countie.


                              _1 Cor. 4. 5._

  Therefore iudge nothing before the time, vntill the Lord come, who
  will bring to light the hidden things of darknesse, and will manifest
  the counsells of the hearts, and then shall euery man haue praise of
  God.


                            _Galath. 3. 28._

           { Neither Iew nor Greek,
  There is { Neither Bond nor Free,
           { Neither Male nor Female, for yee are all one in Christ Iesus.


                         S^t. Hierom. Eustoch.

   _----In seruitute Christi nequaquam Differentia sexuum valet,
   sed mentium._


                           Idem ad Principiam.

  _Non facie vllam inter Sanctas Feminas Differentiam, quod Nonnulli
  inter Sanctos Viros & Ecclesiarum Principes, stulte facere
  consueverunt._

                                  LONDON,

  Printed by _I.H._ for _Iohn Grismond_, and are to be sold at his shop in
               _Ivie-Lane_ at the signe of the Gunne. 1627.



                                TO THE TRVLY
                             NOBLE IOHN ROBERTS,
                          Son and Heire to the Right
                      Honourable RICHARD _Lord_ ROBERTS
                     of _Truro_: the Vnualuable Riches of
                     sincere Grace here, and of Eternall
                              Glory hereafter.


                                HONOVRABLE SIR,

  Although it bee true (which a       |
  worthy Diuine[a] obserueth) that    | [Note a: M^r. _Bolter_ Disc. of
  formall Hypocrites are heartned and | true Happinesse, p. 61.]
  hardned in their lewd courses &     |
  false conceits of happinesse, when  |
  they heare more infamous Sinners    |
  than themselues, gloriously and     |
  flatteringly commended at their     |
  Deaths; yet we need not feare any   |
  such bad effect by the              |
  Funerall-commendation of Gods true  |
  Saints; because the publike         |
  Testimonie of their iust Praises    |
  doth not onely make the wicked more |
  inexcusable, and the Glory of Gods  |
  Graces shine farre brighter to      |
  Posteritie; but also enkindleth in  |
  the hearts of the godly a greater   |
  fire of Zeale for imitation. These  | [Note b: _Psalm. 37. 37. Deut.
  are some of the Ends, why it hath   | 34. 7, 10, 11, 12. Hebr._ 3. 2. &
  euer been and is still an           | 11. cap._]
  vnreproueable Custome in Gods       |
  Church, that the Godly should be    | [Note c: _2 Chron. 32. 33._]
  _Marked_[b] and _Honoured_[c] at    |
  their Deaths, as _Hezekiah_ was by  |
  all _Iudah_ & _Ierusalem_:          |
  _Valentinean_, _Satyrus_ and        |
  _Theodosius_ by Saint _Ambrose_[A]: | [Note A: _S. Ambr. tom. 3._]
  _Basil_, _Gregory_ and _Gorgonia_   |
  by _Nazianzen_[B]: _Nepotian_,      | [Note B: _Greg. Nazian._
  _Paula_ and _Marcella_ by _S.       |         { 30.
  Ierom_[C]. Had not their Holy Liues | _Orat._ { 28.
  and Happie Deaths beene published   |         { 25.]
  by such vnpartiall Pens, wee should |
  haue bin ignorant now of many       | [Note C: _S. Ierom._
  excellent Courses of sanctified Men |           { _Heliod._
  and Women, of many comfortable      |           { _Eustoch._
  workings of the Holy Ghost in them, | _Ad_      { _Princip._
  and should haue wanted many         |           { _Ocean._]
  inflaming Motiues to follow their   |
  religious steps. Vpon this          | [Note d: _Testor Iesum cui illa
  consideration I was bold to commend | seruiuit & ego seruire cupio, me
  vnto Gods people the more than      | utramq, in part[=e] nihil fingere;
  Ordinary passages of your           | sed quasi Christian[=u] de
  Honourable Mothers Holy Life and    | Christiana quae sunt vera proferre,
  Death: wherein I haue as a          | id est, Historiam scribere non
  Christian spoken the truth of a     | Panegyricum. S. Ierom, Epitaph.
  Christian, that is, (as Saint       | Paulae._]
  _Ierom_[d] protesteth in a like     |
  case) made a true Narration; not a  |
  Vain-glorious Panegyrick. Let Poets |
  and Oratours praise those women,    |
  which _Poppaea_-like[e], are graced  | [Note e: _Poppaea cuncta alia fuere
  with all other things sauing a      | praeter Honestum animum. Tacit.
  Gracious Heart: Let them commend    | Annal. l. 13._]
  their Wit, Wealth, Beautie,         |
  Nobilitie, and other Gifts of       |
  Fortune (as they call them) in      |
  stead of Vertues[f]. Wee the        | [Note f: _Laudauit ipse Nero apud
  Ministers of Christ, and Stewards   | rostra formam eius & quod diuinae
  of the Mysteries of God, must       | formae parens fuisset, aliaque
  adorne none with the Honourable     | fortunae munera pro Virtutibus. Id.
  Attributes of Heauenly Praise; but  | Annal. l. 16._]
  such as are truly beautified,       |
  enriched, and ennobled with the     |
  Purity and Power of Gods Feare in   | [Note A: _Esai. 61. 3._]
  their Humble Soules[A]. This praise |
  the Lord will Prosper[g], which is  | [Note g: _Eccles. 15. 10._]
  vttered in that _Wisdome_[h],       |
  whereof the _Feare of the Lord is   | [Note h: _Prou. 9. 10._]
  the beginning_. But for the Saints  |
  themselues: I dare say with Saint   | [Note i: _Epist. 125._ where S.
  _Augustine_[i], that they desire    | _Augustine_ refuseth to commend
  more the Imitation, than the        | vnto a wicked Husb[=a]d his godly
  Commendation of their vertues: and  | wife that was dead, not onely
  therefore to tell you the truth (as | because she desired not his praise,
  the same Father doth his friend)    | saying: _Laudem ab hominibus iam
  you should neuer haue heard mee     | illa non quaerit, imitationem vero
  commend this deceased Lady, but in  | tu[=a] tantum quaerit etiam
  hope, that Gods Graces in Her might | defuncta, quantum te dilexit etiam
  by this meanes, suruiue in your     | dissimilem viua_; but also because
  religious Imitation, and not only   | her Husband loued Her not, which he
  in you and all them that are of Her | proueth thus: _Nam utiq si amares,
  bloud; but also in all them that    | cum illa esse post mortem
  haue heard or shall reade this      | desiderares, quod profecto non
  Sermon. This is all the gaine I     | eris, si qualis es, talis eris._]
  looke and pray for, that Gods[k]    |
  word, which I haue faithfully       | [Note k: _Ier. 23. 22, 28. 1 Pet.
  alledged (not without some          | 4. 11. Tit. 2. 8. 2 Tim. 2.
  Illustrations (I confesse) borrowed | 15. 1 Tim. 4. 13. & 6. 3._]
  from the holy Fathers[l], whereof I |
  need not to be ashamed) may be      | [Note l: _--Ingenuo pudore qui
  constantly practised by vs all. For | ornabat aetatem, quid cuius esset,
  when all is done and said, assure   | confiteri... Illud (aiebat)
  your selfe (Deare Sir) it is only   | Tertulliani, istud Cypriani, hoc
  the Life of Grace, the Grace of the | Lactantij, illud Hilarij est. Sic
  _Feare of the Lord_ can truly       | Minutius Foelix, ita Victorinus, in
  Honour you, or any vpon earth,      | hunc modum est locutus Arnobius. S.
  sweetly comfort you at your Death,  | Ierom. ad Heliodor de Nepotian._]
  and eternally Glorifie your Soule   |
  and Bodie in Heauen. Abandon then I |
  beseech you in the name of          |
  Christ[m], all iniquitie, and all   | [Note m: _2 Thess. 3. 6. 2 Tim.
  workers of iniquitie, yea abominate | 2. 19. Prou. 4. 14. 1 Cor. 5.
  the sweetest sin, to which your     | 11. Ephes. 5. 11. Psalm. 26.
  youthfull affections are most       | 4, 5. & 119. 32, 36, 128. 2
  endeared, else you will neuer be    | Chron. 19. 2. & 20. 37._]
  able to encline and enlarge them    |
  to the pursuit and practise of so   |
  excellent and Glorious a Grace as   |
  the _Feare of the Lord_; because    |
  this godly Feare and the impenitent |
  Allowance of any lust, is as        |
  incompatible as Heauen and Hell: so |
  that if you should hate to be       |
  diuorced from your Bosome-sin       |
  whatsoeuer it be (which God forbid) |
  you could haue no true right and    |
  interest to the precious promises   |
  of this and of that other life[n].  | [Note n: _1 Tim. 4. 8._]
  Thinke on this continually, and     |
  hold it your greatest Honour, the   |
  Noblest imployment of your Soule,   |
  as it is indeed, to keep your selfe |
  (as a King[o] did before you.) from | [Note o: _Psal. 18. 23._]
  your iniquitie. _Quod si tu (quod   |
  procul absit) nolueris, ego liber   |
  ero. Epistola, immo concio me haec   |
  mea, cum lecta fuerit,              |
  absoluet._[p] And so I rest, being  | [Note p: _S. Ierom. ad Castorin.
  mindfull of your Vertues,           | Materteram._]
                                      |
                                      |
  _Saint Mauganthe
   19. August 1626._

  _Yours in all Christian Deuotion,
   and heartiest prayer to God for
             you,_


        HANNIBAL GAMON.


                                THE PRA