Breach of Decency, and of that neceffary Duty, which, diftinctly confidered, the owes to her Hufband, and that is Subjection.

and

II. That where Nature has given the greatest Strength and Abilities, where he has made the Body and the Mind fitteft to undergo the Labours and Toils, that are neceffary to the Being and Well-being of the World, there she has defigned the Superiority, can hardly be contefted: That Women, in this Refpect, are inferior to Men, and how neceffary foever in domeftick Affairs, with all the Ufe and Education imaginable, can never be qualified for the great Bufineffes of Trade and Merchandife, of making Wars abroad, and executing Justice at home, is demonftrably certain; therefore, fince Nature Has made Men neceffary for thofe Offices, fhe has certainly made them fuperior to fuch as are not able to perform them: Because it must be admitted, that where People are, in other Refpects, equal, Strength of Body and Capacity of Mind will undoubtedly make them fuperior. And agreeable to this Ordination have been the Cuftoms and Ufages of all Nations, which, in fome Places, have done a manifest Injury to the Sex, by placing them in a Condition not much above Slaves and menial Servants; and, even in Nations that have been accounted the most civilifed, to provide for the Solace of Mankind, the Continuance of the World, and the Care of domeftick Affairs, has been thought the chief End of their Creation.

With good Reafon therefore might St Paul order all Wives to fubmit themselves unto their own Hufbands, as unto the Lord; becaufe the Hufband is the Head of the Wife, even as Chrift is the Head of the Church: As therefore the Church is fubject unto Chrift, fo let the Wives be to their own Husbands in every Thing. The Apostle means in every Thing, that is

;

innocent and lawful; for it is certain, that a Wife owes no Subjection to her Husband against the Laws, either of God or Man. Religion and good Morals claim the firft Place in her Obedience and though I think the Laws, or rather Customs of the Land, are very tender to Women, offending in the Company of their Hufbands, as prefuming them under fome Kind of Constraint; yet Religion has no fuch Confideration, but includes them all under Sin, who commit any finful Actions. Where the Hufband's Commands therefore are evidently contrary to any natural or revealed Law of God, they must be rejected with Abhorrence; where his Commands are evidently unreasonable and indifcreet, unusual and unheard-of, unbecoming the Age, the Credit, the Quality, and Condition of the Wife, they may be paffed by and omitted, rather than defpifed: But where his Commands have nothing of this Nature in them, and relate only to fuch Matters, as are common and indifferent, her Difobedience will be faulty, if so be that Reason and Discretion, allowed-of Custom, Decency, and good Fame will not plead her Excufe; for I fuffer not, fays St Paul, a Woman (whofe greatest Ornament is that of a meek and quiet Spirit) to ufurp Authority over the Man; but to be in Silence, with all Subjection: And for this he fubjoins these Reasons; for Adam was firft formed, then Eve; and Adam was not [first] deceived, but the Woman, being deceived, was [firft] in the Tranfgreffion; where he plainly intimates, that her being last in the Creation, and firft in the Transgreffon, made her altogether incapable of ruling; fince he, that was firft formed, muft naturally have a Right of Dominion over all, that defcended from him; and fhe, that tranfgreffed firft, when left to her own Conduct, could never be prefumed afterwards qualified for a State of Independence; and therefore we find it made a Part of the Sentence for her Tranfgreffion, that her Defire fhould

L 2

be

be towards her Husband; i.e." That she should "not be Mistress of herself, nor have any Defire "fatisfied, but what was approved of by her "Husband; that she should be wholly under his "Power and Tutelage; and, though he should "command her many Things that were contrary "to her Will and Good-liking, yet should she not "be left at her Difcretion, whether she would "obey." For, to make this Subjection a Curfe to her, and her Pofterity, it must needs be fuppofed to relate to Things difficult and unacceptable; fuch as the foolish, furly, and imperious Humours of fome Husbands are fometimes known to impofe upon their Wives.

But though the Punishment of the one be, in fome Measure, the Privilege of the other Sex; though. the Wife, both by the Order of Things, and the Declarations of God's Will, be obliged to obey; yet ought not the Husband to employ his Authority after an arbitrary and tyrannical Manner, but in a Way agreeable to the Nature and Ends of the Conjugal State, which confiders the Wife as allied to him by the strongest Ties of Love, Friendship, and common Intereft. Well therefore does St Paul advise all Husbands, not to be bitter against their Wives: Where the Phrase seems to be taken from the Offence and Disgust, which bitter Things give, when tafted, and not liked; and the Advice is,

that Hufbands fhould not, by a peevish and morofe, by a churlish and ill-natured Carriage, make themfelves as uneafy and ungrateful to their Wives, as bitter Things are diftafteful to the Palate; or that they fhould not be provoked to Anger and Averfion, to unkind Words or Actions, by any Failings and Imperfections of their Wives, as the Palate and Stomach are provoked to Difguft or Loathing, by the Taste of any Thing very bitter: In a Word, that they should not ufe, either

in Deed or Word, any Unkindness or Severity towards them.

There is a Bitterness of Language, that every. one understands, and Words, that wound to the Quick But then that which ufually gives themtheir Edge, is the Confideration of the Perfon that fpeaks them, and the Relation he ftands in to us. The Words of a Stranger, though never so severe, affect us but little; the Words of an Enemy, as proceeding from Malice, make no deep Impreffion But the hard Words of Friends and Neighbours, of Acquaintance and Relations, occafion us Grief and great Concern. The ill Ufage we receive from indifferent Perfons ftirs us to Anger and Indignation indeed, but 'tis against them only; whereas the ill Ufage we receive at the Hands of those we love, occafions Pain and Uneasiness within. 'Tis the Defeat of our Expectation and Defire, that hurts us moft on thefe Occafions : We know we love, and we would be beloved; we try to oblige, and we would again be obliged in our Turn; we favour and esteem them, and would, in like Manner, be favoured and esteemed by them: But, failing of thefe Returns, which we expected and desired, we are the more afflicted and difconfolate. 'Tis upon this Account, that harsh Words and ill Ufage become fo grievous to near Relations, because they are fo little looked for and expected. The Mind is full of other Hopes, and furprised to find them fo deceived; and therefore, when, instead of Gentleness and Patience, of Affability and Condefcenfion, and every Thing, that can proceed from Confideration and Good-nature, the Wife generally meets with Morofenefs and Peevifhnefs, with Clamour and Impatience, with Revilings and ungenerous Upbraidings; this, to foft and tender Difpofitions, is a cruel Ufage, that L 3

fits

fits heavy on the Mind, and wounds the Heart moft fenfibly,

Well therefore does the Apostle advise the Hufband, that, dwelling with his Wife according ta Knowledge, he should give Honour unto her, as unto the weaker Veffel, i. e. fhould treat her with all Lenity and Softness, even as Veffels which are of a finer, but weaker Contexture, are to be handled with greater Caution and Tenderness. And indeed, whoever gives himself Time to confider, to what extraordinary Difficulties and Sufferings God, by his Order and Appointment, has moft-unavoidably fubjected and expofed the Women above Men, as well by their own natural Frame and Make, as by a great many fad, but ufual Accidents; will fee himfelf obliged, in common Pity, to deal gently with them, to fuftain them under their Infirmities, and, by Patience and Forbearance, to endeavour to make their Burthrn lighter, And if he confiders farther, notwithstanding these Difadvantages, of what fingular Use and Benefit a good and prudent Companion, in all the Viciffitudes of Life is; what Solace in Health, what Comfort in Sickness, what Help in Diftrefs, what Security in Trouble is occafioned by her Means; and, above all, what Labour and Hardships, what Watchings and Difquietudes, as well as many bumbling Offices, fhe is content to bear, with all the Chearfulness and Delight imaginable, in bringing up the Children, that are the Delight of his Eyes, and the Strength of his Old-age; he that confiders this, I say, instead of taking Pleasure in oppofing and infulting the Wife of his Bofom, will find himself bound, in Gratitude, and by the mutual Pledges of their Love, to nourish and cherish her, even as his own Flefb.

4. Between