Some general directions for a comfortable walking with God delivered in the lecture at…Some generall directions for a comfortable walking with God deliuered in the lecture at…

II. To the wife.

1. Let her be in subjection to her head.

1. Let her be in subiection to her head.

1. By a reverent and humble persuasion of his precedency and authority over her, grounded and engraven in her resolution principally: 1. By virtue of divine ordination, Gen. 3. 16. Ephe. 5. 24. Though 2. The very law of nature, 3. Her husbands headship, 4. Womanly infirmity may also be powerful motives to this purpose. For if her heart begin to swell, and be lifted up with an overweening conceit of a sufficiency above her sex; so that she grow discontent, and impatient of contradiction and command, she brings a world of unnecessary misery and molestation into her own house, and lies in a grand transgression and grievous sin against the institution and honour of the marriage-state. It is no ^anobleness of birth greatness of portion, nimbleness of tongue, pregnancy of wit, or any other excellency incident to her sex, which can give her any right or privilege to seize upon the sovereignty, and take the reins into her own hands. Some servants also may be wiser then their masters: some subjects more politic then their Prince; but that gives them no warrant; nay, for all that, it were monstrous and unnatural villainy▪ for any servant thereupon to domineer; or private man to rush into a Royal Throne. ⟨p. 251⟩No sufficiency of gifts, or singularity of worth must jostle us out of that rank and station, wherein Gods wise providence and all-seeing wisdom hath placed us. A man may be a superior in power and place, to his superior in parts and personal endowments. No pretence then or plea on the woman's part, can possibly procure any dispensation against God and nature, of unwomanly domineering and deposing her head.