An Expo{ttion apon the It is an h:ud matter for him to he RcV"crenced by others, who doth not firft Reverence himfelf; for he that will proftitute himfdf by foolifu and ridiculous Humours, or by vile and wicked Adions, either l!•jnfticc or Intemperance, or Lying, &c. it is impoliible but that he mull fall under the S:orn of his ncJrcft Relations: And therefore Nabal's Churlifhncfs and Drunkcnnefs, made even wife .Abigaii to call him Fool, Nab.tl is hi; N.mu·, and Folly i11vith him. But where there is an excellent mixtmc of Prudence and Piety together, the one to be a Guide, a:1d the other to be an Example, thefe will make a Man truly awful and reverend, a11d induce the Wife and the whole Family to efteem, and to imitate him. A11d thus much for the Duties of the Husband towards the \Vife. Let us next confider the Duties of the VVife towards the Husband, and. they are thefe which follow: . '· Firft, Subjcc:tion and Obedience: And this is required from them as abfolutely and peremptorily as unto Chrift himfelf, Ephef )· 22. Wives fuhmit your ftlvn un~ to your own H1ub,mds, as unto the Lord. And again, ver. 24. Tnerefore 41 the Church is fubje& unto Chnft; fo Let rl~e Wi"Jes be ~nto their o;vn Hwband_.sJ m every thmg. And not only doth the Apoftle g1ve Authonty and Command for 1t, but inforceth it by fundry Reafons. A~, Tj/. The \Voman was made out of the Man, and therefore ought to be fubjcCt unto hirn, 1 Cor. 11. ':l 1 8. 71Jt Head of the JVomM is the Man; for the Man is nor 1Jf rhe IVoman, but the Woman of the Man: She iJ Bone of his Bone, and Fie/h of hi1 Ffe/h; and therefore ought to pay him the H(Jmage of Obedience and Subjection for thofe Materials of her Beine, which fhe firft received of him. . . 2dly. Becaufe the \Voman was made for the Man, an4 therefore ought to be fubjeet to him: S0 in the next V'er[e, Neitlm· was the Afan created for the Woman but the Woman for the Mllll. She owes ~er I3eing to the Man's Neceffities and Convdnience; and the great End of her Creation, next to the Glory of God, was that lhe might be helpful and profitable to Man, Gen. 2. 18. It iJ not good that M,mfhould be alone; J wdlmakc him a hdp meet for him: An~ therefore. having received their Beings for the fake of Man, they ought to be fubJed" unto bun. 3dly. Another Reafon which the Apofile gives, is taken from the Priority of the Man's Creation, I Tim. 2· 12, q. I {ujfer not a Woman to u[urpAuthority over the Matr for Ad~m wasfirfl formed, and then .£vc: And therefore in the fame Rank of Crea~ tures,it is but fit that he lhould be firfl: in Dignity, who was firft in Nature. And, 41hty. Becaufe by the occafiGn of the Woman, Sin entrcd into the World: So ver. I 4 , Adam tvas tJOt deceived~ but the ~Voman being dccei"Jed, was in tbe Tran{greffion. And therefore it is but fit and jufr, that fhe who had made all Mankind difobedient ~gainft God, fbould her felf be made fubje8:: and obedient unto Man. And this Sentence we find inflitted upon her as a Punilhment for her Tranfgreffion, Gen. 3· 16. Tny de/ire jl;a/1 be to thy Husband, and he fl~odl Rule over thee. Not as though there would have been no fubjec:tion due from her to Man, if Sin had not entred into the World by her means, forth~ R~afo_ns before alledged do manifefl:ly prove the conirary ; but that now her Sub)cc:tton IS ~ ~urfe; and whereas before it would have been eafie and pleafing unto her, now It ts become burthcnfom and grievous; Man being by Sin made more humourfo~l, and harder to be pleafed, and lhe being made lefs able and willing to do it, God )uftly and righteoufly punifhing her, by impofing on her a Work which {he her felf hath made irkfom and difficult. And let me add to there Rcafons of the Apoltle, )thly. That the Man's Titles do imply Superiority and Authority over the Wife; Such as Lord, 1 Pet. 3· 6. Sarah obtyed Abraham, calling htm Lord. He is likewife cailed the Head and Guide of bis Wife, I Cor. I I. 3· Prov. 2. 17· 6thty. The Husband rcprefems qhr~ft, the Wife the Church, and that in ~his v~ry particular of Superiority and Subje(hon: And therefore as the Church Is fubject unto Chrift, fo let the Wite be to her own Husband. And thus we fee their Subjedion abundantly proved both by natural and fpiri.. tnal Arguments. . . . And fn token of this SubJe(hon the Apoftle tells us, I Cor. I 1. ro. that the Woman was to have Power over her Head, becau{e of the Angels. Which place, efpecially the latter Claufe of it, is diverfly interpreted. But I think all agree in this That this Power which they were to have on their Heads was a Veil or eo.. veri~Ig;, which at other times, but moft efpecially in the Congregation, ~omen ought
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