Chap. 3 t. An Expoltiou upaan the Books of j o a. Verf. t o, to with a greater mifchiefe to'himfelfe, as to anyworldly com- fort, then this, anurifaithfuil wife. We read how extreamly the Ions of 7acob were both grieved and enr?ged, when they heard that Shfcbern had ravi flied their lifter Dinah ( Gen. 34. 7. ) and when after that deep revenge taken bySimeon and Levi in the flaughter of the Skeehernites, 7acob reproved them, fe ying, re have troubledme, &c. They prefently and bluntly anfwercdhissa with a cjuenion (v. 31. ) Should he dente with our ffter as with An harlot ? As if they had fayd, This is infufferable, indeed it was fo ; but fo altowas their wayof revenging it. Now if the raviffa- ment ofa fitter be fo highlyrelented by her Brethren, then much more is the whoredomeof awife by her husband. It is reported_ ofthe Lacedemoniant, That they had three ill wifhes for fuck as they were offended with. Firft They wifht, They might build, becaufe that's troublefome and coftly ; Secondly , That they might drefre beriet, becaufe that's low and fervile ; Thirdly, They wifht thofe whom they molt hated, That their wives might be harlots, Becaufe, That's a perpetual) Difgrace. And if the difloyalty ofa wife is thegreateft dífgrace to her tousband;then,how great is the wickednes ofthofe husbands,wha have taught or provoked their wives to be fo by their owne ex- ample. For though it be no enure, much leffe warrant for a wife tmprobno eßß to be difloyall to her husband, becaufe he bath been fo to her, qui ab uxaee yet howcan any man exile& his wifefould be true to him while patticitiam exá he is falle to her ? Indeed grace will keepe a wife to her dutie g`t, epje diena- how'much foever her husband ; departs from his And the Scrip. tem mx f p ux SeaeorC. cure teacheth her to feeke a divorcé from him,but utterly forbids Epift, ç, her to take any loch revenge upon him; nor can the take it with- out doing her felfe a greater wrong. then the Both tohim. Yet what hash that husbandto fay for himfelfe,whofe conlcience tells him, that his owne examplebath let his wife the copy of that a- bominable wickedneffe; and that he hath taught her to broke her frith by breaking it firft himfelfe. He that would have faith kept must keepe his faith. That whichthou thy felfe *ouldft :not fuffer from another take ,heed of doing to any, efpecially to a wife, who is as thy felfe, or a fecond felfe. Thirdly , Confider ?ab is here clearing himfelfe from the fuf. pition of a feule fin; bywithing fin his punifhment. Hence obferve. 4©r F f f ?'boje
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