A. D. 62. others over to them; yet it is none of his Will that you fhould indifcreetly lay your felves open to their obftinate Malice and Rage; but only propose the Divine Truths to them in fo prudent a manner, as may best work upon them, and fecure your own Lives. 16. I : 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess but be filled with the fpirit: 18. But to proceed concerning the particular Vices I was warning you from: To preferve yourselves from the Impurities of Heathen Worship, be sure to fhun that Excefs of Drinking, fo ufual in their Idolatrous Festivals; the Incentive to all Luft and Extravagancy. And instead of the beaftly Custom of filling yourfelves with Wine, endeavour by a Habit of Temperance and fober Converfation, to be full of the gracious Gifts and Influences of the Holy Spirit. 19 Speaking to your felves in palms in See 1 Cor. and hymns, and fpixi. Coloff.iii. ritual fongs, finging and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father, in the Name of the Lord Jefus Chrift; 19 & 20. Which will inspire you your religious || Affemblies to praife and blefs God in divine Pfalms and Hymns; and, contrary to their extravagant and lewd Merriments, will render all your Mirth truly Spiritual and Religious: Exalting your Minds to grateful and pious Expreffions of Thanksgiving to God the Father, through Jefus Chrift, for all his Mercies towards you. 21. And these divine Influences will conduct you in a regular Submiflion of Inferiors to Superiors, private, and in all relative Duties to 22. Such as is that, for inftance, between Husband and Wife, which the Jewish Zealots are apt to think they may be excused in, where there religious Principles. Whereas the due *For the Occafion and Defign of St. Paul's Advice in this and the following Relative Duties, let the Reader fee the Preface to this Epistle, § 4. due Subjection of a Wife to her Husband (notwithstand- A. D. 6z. ing any Difference in religious Opinions between them) is not only the plain Will of Christ, but is illuftrated and enforced by the very Conftitution of his Church. '23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Chrift is the and he is the Saviour of the body. head of the Church: 24 Therefore as the Church is fubject unto Chrift, fo let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. himself for it: 23. For as Chrift is the Saviour, Head and Governor of the whole Church, as his Spiritual Body, fo is every Husband the Head and Guardian || of his Wife. and Obfervance from 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Chrift alfo loved the Church, and gave 26 That he might fanctify and cleane it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might prefent it to himielf a glorious church, not having fpot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing: holy and without ble 24. And therefore as the Church pays all due Subjection to Chrift its Spiritual Head, fo the natural Relation of a Wife, according to the firft folenin Inftitution of Marriage, requires a juft Submission her to her Husband. 25, 26 & 27. On the other fide, this Comparison will as clearly fhow and highly recommend that Love and Tenderness that Husbands ought to exprefs to their Wives. For, as nothing can be fo lively and perfect an Example of Love, Care, and Tenderness, as that wherewith Chrift treats the Church, his Spoufe, cleanfing and purifying all its Members from the Guilt of Sin, by baptizing them into his holy and pure Profeffion; and by his Word and Holy Spirit training them up to fuch unblemish'd Holinefs of Life here upon Earth, as will terminate in the Perfection of Virtue, Glory and Happiness in Heaven. but that it should be mish. 28 So ought men to love their wives, as their own bodies: he that loveth his wife, loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flefh So in I Cor. xi. 28 & 29. So does this his tender Regard to us, as the dear Members of his own Spiritual Body, fhow every Hufband to treat his Wife as a fecond Self; convincing him by the Dictates of Self-Love, to be kind F 2 A. D. 62. flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church. kind and gentle towards her, and how unnatural it would be to do otherwise. 30 For we are 30. Thus clofe and dear is the members of his body, Union of Chrift with his Church, and of his flesh, and of of the Hufband with the Wife, that his bones. they may be respectively confidered as Head and Members of one and the fame Body. 31 For this caufe shall a man leave his father and mother, and fhall be joined unto his wife, and they two fhall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery but I fpeak concerning Chrift and the Church. 31. And accordingly you know, when Eve was produced from Adam's Rib, and given him for a Wife, (Gen. ii. 22.) it was exprefly faid, That the relation between them was nearer and dearer than that of Parents and Children. 32. And thus have I, by this moft noble and lively* Comparison of Christ and his Church, illuftrated and recommended to you the great Duty of Hufbands and Wives. But indeed my chief Design was to fhow you the happy Union between Chrift and his Church. 33 Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular, fo love his wife, even as himself, and 33. But whether I had made use of this Mystical way of Illuftration of Marriage, and the plain Will of or no, the very original Inftitution Chrift * This is a great Myftery. The Generality of Interpreters understand St. Paul here, as if the Marriage of Adam and Eve were intended by the Holy Spirit to reprefent, and mystically to fignify the Spiritual Union between the Meffiah and the Chriftian Church. The Jewish Doctors indeed are full of this. But because no other undoubted Expreffions of Scripture are found to demonftrate the Thing itself to be true, and it not being clear thefe Traditional Doctrines of the Rabbins were as early as our Saviour's or St. Paul's Time, I have therefore expreffed it as a Comparison for Illuftration; and whether the great Latitude in which St. Paul ufes this Word Mystery will not warrant my fo doing, I fubmit to the Judgment of the learned and attentive Reader. See Revelat. i. 20. with my Paraph. there.. and the wife fee that fhe reverence her hufband. Chrift in the Gospel Religion, is A. D. 62. fufficient to convince them of the Obligation to Love and Tenderness on the one part, and to Refpect and Subjection on the and that no Differences in Religious Principles can excufe either from so evident a Moral Duty. other CHAP. VI. The CONTENTS. He proceeds in showing the Chriftian Obligation to the other Relative Duties of Parents and Children, Masters and Slaves. Then encourages them to general Conftancy and Refolution against all Temptations and Perfecutions for the fake of Chriftianity: And, by Metaphors taken from the Arts of Grecian and Roman Soldiery, directs them how to arm themselves against the Affaults of them. Defires their Prayers for him, as their Gentile Apofile, and concludes with his Blefing. Hildren, obey C your parents in obey the Lord for this is right. 1. To proceed in these relative Duties. The fame Chriftian Principle that ought to induce Hufbands and Wives to their reciprocal Duties, notwithstanding any Differences in their Religious Notions*, obliges all Children and young People to pay all juft Reverence to their Parents, and not think themselves exempt from it to either of them upon that Account. z Honour thy father and thy mother (which is the first commandment with promise) 3 That 2 & 3. Let them remember, that Duty to Parents is of fo natural and important Obligation, that God was pleased in the Fifth Commandment to his ancient People the Jews, F 3 * See the Pref. to this Epiftle, $4. to A. D. 62. 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayelt live long on the earth. 4 And ye fathers, the nurture and ad- dice them against it, with fear and trem bling, in fingleness of Chrift: 6 Not with eye- the will of God from 7 With good will men: 8 Knowing that whatfoever good thing any man doth, the fame fhall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. to add the special Promife of temporal Prosperity and long Life in the Land of Canaan, for their greater Encouragement to it. 4. And let all Chriftian Parents be particularly careful to treat their Children with fuch mild and gentle Ufage as may more eafily induce them to believe and embrace the Chriftian Religion; and not* prejuby their froward and ill Example. 5. Let fuch Chriftians as are Slaves to Heathen Mafters, not their civil Obligation by being Chrithink themselves difengaged from fians, but continue to ferve them fincerely and induftrioufly, as their Chriftian Duty. 6 & 7. Let them do it fincerely, I fay, and not barely in fuch a Obfervation and Punishment; but manner as to escape their Master's confcientioufly feek their Intereft, knowing, that in ferving them faithfully, they ferve Jefus Chrift their fupreme Lord and Master. 8. And being fully affured, that Christ will hereafter as impartially and fully reward the diligent Services of a Slave, as the moft generous Actions of a Freeman. 9. And *Provoke not your Children, but bring them up, &c. Mǹ waβοργίζετε οἷον οι πολλοὶ ποιεσιν, ἀπεκληρονόμος εργαζόμενοι, τα RUNING WORD. Chryfoftom. i. e. Provoke not your Chil dren, as many People do, by their ill Ufage, difcouraging them from coming into the Chriftian Church, and from hearkening to the Gospel Doctrine. See 1 Cor. vii. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24. |