But I must especially commend this duty to the governors of families, Husbands and Wives. Children are seldom so impudent, and servants may either be made quiet within, or be turned out of doors; but if the chief strings jar all the melody is marred. Observe how the Holy Ghost giveth this particular precept, in order to the promotion of piety in a family; The Wife must be of a meek and quiet spirit, and the Husband must give honour to the Wife as unto the weaker Vessel, as heirs together of the grace of life, that prayers be not hindered, 1 Pet. 3.4, 7. We may consider the injunction, and the reason of it; the injunction is first to Wives, They must be of meek and quiet spirits; quiet not quarrelsome, meek not murmuring through peevishness, or mad with passion. A contentious wife is a continual dropping, saith Solomon, Pro. 19.13. The man would stay at home, but her tongue like rain dropping through the roof upon his head wherever he sitteth down, drives him out of his house. Where is godliness in the mean time? The wise man saith again, Its better to dwell in the Wilderness, (amongst venomous creatures) then with such a Wife, Pro. 21.13. when she should be praying, she is like a mad Dog barking or biting. Such a Wife, saith Lycophron, is but a cold armful. This made Sulla say, I had been blessed if I had continued a Bachelor. Upon this ground I suppose Julian the Apostate (whose mouth was often black with blasphemies) said that Moses instead of meet-help, might have written meet-hinderer. But certainly whatsoever some mens perverseness may drivel ⟨p. 557⟩and utter, or some women's peevishness occasion, a woman, if of a godly and quiet spirit, is the greatest comfort on earth, and a great help she may be to her Husband in his journey to Heaven. The Injunction is secondly to the Husband; he must honour his Wife as the weaker vessel, as his fellow-heir of the grace of life: He must honour her, not be bitter to her: He must give her his greatest love, not deny her a good look. Some Husbands are so Currish and Crabbed, they are always raging and fretting at their Wives, nay, like those that are distracted, they sometimes beat and tear their Wives, themselves; For they two are one flesh: How far are such from obedience to Gods Law? Let the Husband honour the Wife as the weaker vessel, that is, use her tenderly:
But I must especially commend this duty to the governours of families, Husbands and Wives. Children are seldom so impudent, and servants may either be made quiet within, or be turned out of doors; but if the chief strings jar all the melody is marr'd. Observe how the Holy Ghost giveth this particular precept, in order to the promotion of piety in a family; The Wife must be of a meek and quiet spirit, and the Husband must give honour to the Wife as unto the weaker Vessel, as heirs together of the grace of life, that prayers be not hindered, 1 Pet. 3.4, 7. We may consider the injunction, and the reason of it; the injunction is first to Wives, They must be of meek and quiet spirits; quiet not quarrelsom, meek not murmuring through peevishness, or mad with passion. A contentious wife is a continual dropping, saith Solomon, Pro. 19.13. The man would stay at home, but her tongue like rain dropping through the roof upon his head whereever he sitteth down, drives him out of his house. Where is godliness in the mean time? The wise man saith again, Its better to dwell in the Wilderness, (amongst venemous creatures) then with such a Wife, Pro. 21.13. when she should be praying, she is like a mad Dog barking or biting. Such a Wife, saith Lycophron, is but a cold armful. This made Sylla say, I had been blessed if I had continued a Batchelor. Upon this ground I suppose Julian the Apostate (whose mouth was often black with blasphemies) said that Moses instead of meet-help, might have written meet-hinderer. But certainly whatsoever some mens perversness may drivel ⟨p. 557⟩and utter, or some womens peevishness occasion, a woman, if of a godly and quiet spirit, is the greatest comfort on earth, and a great help she may be to her Husband in his journey to Heaven. The Injunction is secondly to the Husband; he must honor his Wife as the weaker vessel, as his fellow-heir of the grace of life: He must honor her, not be bitter to her: He must give her his greatest love, not deny her a good look. Some Husbands are so Currrish and Crabbed, they are always raging and fretting at their Wives, nay, like those that are distracted, they sometimes beat and tear their Wives, themselves; For they two are one flesh: How far are such from obedience to Gods Law? Let the Husband honor the Wife as the weaker vessel, that is, use her tenderly:
