sently. Fifthly, The first day of the week, or Lord's day is now the day of worship observed by the generality of christians; upon what account, and by what authority, must be our next inquiry. Not by virtue of any positive precept, or express command of Christ, for which there is none; but the practice and examples of the apostles of Christ, men inspired by the holy Spirit, who wrote, taught, and practiced no other than agreeably to the commandments of the Lord, Matt. xxviii. 20. 1 Cor. xiv. 37. carry in them the nature, force, and obligation of a precept, we observe the first day of the week, as being, 1. The most proper and suitable day for divine wor ship; to testify to the world our faith of Christ's coming, death, and resurrection from the dead. 2. The observation of this day is confirmed by the practice and examples of the disciples of Christ, and of the first churches; for, On the very day Christ rose from the dead, which was the first day of the week, the disciples assembled John, xx. 19, 29. The apostles met together on the day of Pentecost, which was the first day of the week, Acts ii. 1. It was on the first day of the week that the disciples at Troas met together to break bread, when Paul preached unto them, Acts xx. 7. The apostle Paul gave orders to the church at Corinth, as he had to the churches of Galatia, to make a collection for the poor saints on the first day of the week, when met together, 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2. This is the day John means by the Lord's day, when he says, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day Rev. i. 10. Ignatius, who died but eight or ten years after the apostle John, says," Let us keep the Lord's day, on which our life arose." And Tertullian, in the beginning of the third century. speaks of the acts of public worship, as Lord's day solemnities, Such an account of time as is made in whatsoever place à man lives, is to be taken, and of which every man is capable; it does not require he should be a skilful mathematician; a man that uses the spade, or follows the plough, is capable of count ing six days, on which he has wrought, and when he comes to the seventh, he must know it is not his own, but the Lord's;

AF

and such an account a man may keep, let him live on what side of the globe he will.

II. In what manner the Lord's day is to be regarded or observed; not to ourselves, to our own profit and pleasure; but to the Lord, to his service and glory. 1. Not as a Jewish Sabbath; with such strictness and severity as not to kindle a fire, dress any manner of food, and travel no further than what is called a Sabbath day's journey; though perhaps these were not enjoined with the strictness some have imagined. But, 2. We are not to do our own work; that is, to follow any trade, business, or occupation employed in on other days, otherwise there are works of piety, mercy, and charity to be done; and also of necessity, for the preservation of life, the comfort and health of it, our own or others. 3. It is to be employed more especially in acts of public worship; and, 4. In private acts of devotion. 5. The whole of the day should be observed, from morning to evening; the early part should not be indulged in sleep, nor any part spent in doing a mans own business, in casting up his accounts, and setting right his shop books; nor in carnal pleasures and recreations, in games and sports; nor in walking in the fields; nor in taking needles journies. But besides public worship, men should attend to reading the scriptures, prayer, and meditation, and christian conferences; and in such pious exercises should they spend the whole day.

BOOK IV.

OF PRIVATE WORSHIP, OR OF VA RIOUS DUTIES, PERSONAL, RELATIVE, DOMESTIC, AND CIVIL,

OF THE RESPECTIVE DUTIES OF HUS-
BAND AND WIFE.

I SHALL begin with the respective duties of a husband and wife, which are summed up in these two general comprehensive ones; love on the one part, and reverence on the other, Eph. v. 33. these arise from a conjugal union between the said parties; marriage is an union of male and female, of one man and of one woman in lawful wedlock, agreeably to the original creation of man, Gen. i. 27. Mal. ii. 15. and agreeably to the course of providence, which has been kept ever since in all ages and nations; there being continually nearly the same number of males and females born into the world, at most as thirteen to twelve, or fourteen to thirteen; the surplusage on the side of the males, being a provision by the wise Orderer of all things for a supply for war, for the seas, &c. and by this conjugal union, male and female, become one, even one flesh, Gen. ii. 24. Matt. xix, 6. which union is therefore very near and strict, and, indeed, indissoluble but by death, excepting in one case, unfaithfulness in the one to the other, by adultery or fornication, Rom. vii. 2. Matt. v. 32. Marriage is honourable in all, Heb. xiii. 4. it being an institution of God, and that of God in paradise,

Christ honoured it by his presence, and at such a solemnity wrought he his first miracle and what makes this state yet more honourable is, that the marriage of Adam and Eve was a type and emblem of the conjugal union of Christ and the church, Eph. v. 32. particularly this state should be honourable, when the duties of it are observed by both parties; as,

I. Love on the part of the husband. Husbands love your wives, Eph. v. 25. instances of which are in Isaac, Jacob, Elkanah, and other. The nature and manner of shewing it, and the reasons of it, might be observed. 1. The nature of it. It is superior to any shewn to any other; it should be a love of complacency and delight; should be chaste and single, as the love of Christ is; it should be mutual; the wife is to love the husband, as the husband the wife, Tit. ii. 4. and generally her love is more strong and affectionate, 2 Sam. i. 26. and the reason why the husband is more frequently exhorted to it, it may be is, because most wanting in the performance of it. 11. The manner, or how, and in what way it is to be expressed. In making all proper provision for the temporal good, Eph. v. 29. in protecting her from all abuse and injuries; as she is the weaker vessel, she is to be taken under his shelter, Gen. xx. 16. Ruth iii. 9. in doing every thing that may contribute to her pleasure and peace, 1 Cor. vii. 33. and in seeking her spiritual welfare, her conversion, if unconverted, and her spiritual peace, comfort, and edification, she being an heir with him of the grace of life, 1 Cor. xiv. 35. To all which are opposed, hatred and bitterness'; Husbands love your wives, and be not bitter against them; not giving bitter language, threatening words, sour looks, and especially bitter blows; which is cruel, churlish, barbarous, and brutish, unbecoming the man and the christian. 111. The reasons or are guments enforcing this duty of the love of a man to his wife, are such as follow: 1. The nearness between them, she is his own flesh, Eph. v. 28. 2. The help, advantage, and profit he receives by her, Gen. ii. 18. 3. The glory and honour

she is unto him; the woman is the glory of the man, in whom are seen his power and authority, 1 Cor. xi. 7. 4. The strongest and most forcible argument of all to a good man, is the love of Christ to his church; which is the pattern and examplar of a man's love to his wife, and most strongly enforces it, Eph. v. 25-28.

II. The duties on the part of the wife, are reverence, subjection, obedience, &c. 1. Reverence; and let the wife see that she reverence her husband, F.ph. v. 23, which reverence is both internal and external, 1 Pet. iii. 6. Gen. xviii. 12. 2. Subjection and submission to him; Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord, as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing, Eph. v. 22. 24. 3. Obedience. The apostle directs, that wives be obedient to their own husbands, Tit. ii. 5. 4. Assistance and help in family affairs, agreeable to the original end of her creation; guiding the house with discretion, keeping her children and servants in good order and decorum; abiding at home, and managing all domestic business with wisdom and prudence, 1 Tim. ii. 14. Tit. ii. 5. 5. Assum. ing no authority over her husband, as not in ecclesiastic, so not in domestic matters; seeking to please him in all things, doing nothing without his will and consent, and never contrary to it; not intermeddling with his worldly business and concerns, but leaving them to him, 1 Tim. v. 11, 12. 1 Cor. vii. 34. 6. Continuance with him in every state and circumstance of life.

There are reasons why the wife should be found in the performance of these duties. 1. Taken from her creation, time, manner, and end of it; Adam was formed first, and then Eve; and therefore in point of time had the superiority; the man was not made for the woman; but the woman was made for the man, 1 Tim. ii. 13. 2. From the consideration of the fall, and her concern in it; Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, was in the transgression; therefore it is part of the sentence denounced upon her for