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Show 1 Joh" 3· r. The DoUrine ~pplied: 3• Thirdly, Obedience is undoubtedly the duty o£ the Wif~ 1 her husband is her Lord. Sarab obeyed her bUI~and, and caVed hm• Lord, 1 Per. 3· 6. The ~een is fo far (by her Relation) from being excufed from her duty of Obedience, th~t !he is doubly obliged to it, as the Kings [ubjell, and as the Kmgs '?'ife. All the Earth is obliged in obedience to <;hrifl a~ he is thm. Maker; for by hi!ll the t11orld JPilf made, aHd rmboHt him war n?tbmg made th~t I:#.U.made: but Believers have a double-cord to tie them to thelf "duty, not only as the Lords creatures, but as they arc; the Lords Spoufe, in this conjugal umon : !hould not the chtld.ren obe~ thd r Father? you are the children of God. Brbold ( fatth the Apofile ) what mamteroflove u tbillhatyoNjhould be caVed tht fans of God 1 Should not the Servants obey their Mafler? You know how ordinarily (in Scripture) Chrillians are called the Servant/ of God; <hou1d not the Wife be obedient to her Husband ? You have beard there is a Conjugal union between Chrifl and you·r Souls. See here a th-ree-fold Cord: Oh let it not be eafily broken! . + Fourthly, It is certainly the Wives ~uty, to take wlu•. c~re (he ca;t of aU btr Husha~d7 concerns, both tt>tthoHt .doors .•n~ mthtn. Chrifl hath a Family in the World,his whole Church IS hts houf~, he hath concerns in eve~y corner of the 'Yorld': It IS true, all. hts concerns are neither the proper, nor po(!Jble,care of every parucular Chriflian : He hath Kings to be Nurfing-fathm,and ~eens .to be Nurfing-motbers ; He hath Stew.ards to w~o'? he hath c.omrnttted his my!feriu: But every pam.cular ~hn!han ~ath hts work too. In {hort, ahy thing whereto ( wnhout gomg out of t~y fphere and flation, (for Chril.h Church is like an Army whercm rank and file mufi be kept : ) thou mayefi ferve the mterefi of ChrHI, prornove his honour and glory ; . commend thy Lord un~o othe~, bring others into a defire after htrn, a love and dehght '!' him: I fay, all tliis, 0 Chrillian,is thy duty by vcrtue ofthts U~l· on but efjlecially to Ia•~ to thine own honfo. The Church whiCh is i'n your houfes, your Families,your Children,your Serv.ants,that in them there be no Enemies to the Lord, thy Husband ' and .vc;t more nearly thine own lfeart that there be not a vain tboHght ( tflt may be, ) nor a rebellious _:,ill, nor a whorifh affe~ion, nor a rebellious pallion : 0 k,.eep thy heart t11tth aU dilrg~>tce · . b· 5, Fifthly, It is thy duty (by vertue of th1s Relauon} t of:id ft;qin from aU appe4rance of evil, I Thef. 5.' 2 2 • Julrllf C.<fi r IS to to have faid, That it "'iH not en•ugh for C.t{arl "'ife to ~e hone{f, but ./he m"ft n•t be fo[pelled for dijhenefty. I am fure it is not enough for the Spoufe of Chrill to ab!\ain trorn apparent, grofs, fcandalous ~vii; but !he mull not be fufped cd for fuch things, <he mull ab!lam from all appearances o( them: Fi11aUy (brethren ) faith the Apollle, Phi/+8. Whatfoever thillgJare true, wbatfoever thing1 are honeft, w~atfoever thint.' are j u!f, .-.hatfoever thing1 are p11re ; wbatfoever thJHgt are lovrly, whatfoever things are of good report; if tb~re be any. v<r111e, if thm be any prat[e: 'lhink,. on thefe thmgr. 6. Lafily, The Wife certainly <hould h• {UUicitous for ttotbing ~ut to pleafe her .Hn1band, as (fuppofing her Husband a man ofabihty;) would It not be di!honourable to a great Prince, for his Q!leen to be continually melancholick and diHurb'd for fear Otc lhould want, or come to mifery; or bccat1fe Ote was in debt before lhe m~rried him, or hath run into Corne debt fince: w hat were this, but either, r. To queflion btr h1Hband1 ability as not able to ftt her f~ee, or not to reft in hi1love : not thinking him kind enough to fatt sfi~ her debts, or to make a fullicient provifion for her, that the. Ba_Yhtfs lhall haV'e nothing to do with her. And is it (0 thou beh~vmg Soul) no di<honqur ( thin kef\ thou) to the Lord Jefus ChnO for thee to walk fo heavily every day, to go· mourning and ref~fe to be comforted, either in the fenfe of thy fins before this llnron, or thy relapfes fince ? A due fence indeed becomes thee, b~t take heed of faying, thy husband will not pay thy debts,much lets that be cannot: if he be thine all is paid and thou <halt not want either grace here, or glory hereafter. Thou hall no care to t~ke but only to pleafe thy husband. If thou be ell in dcbt,the B1ylttf fl:a ll ?e ver come to thee; ks thy Soul ref\ both in his power an~ ~n h1s lo~e. ~y this time ! hear fome Soul whifpering : All thts ts true, tfl dtd but know that my beloved were mine; bm I ~o not know this. I <hould now come to <hew you, That it m•y be ~no~n, the Spoufe· may arrive at an abi li'y to fal', .My beloved ts mme, and I am his. But of this hereafter. · " Mmm :a Cant, |