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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17412	Sermons upon the ten first verses of the third chapter of the first Epistle of S. Peter Being the last that were preached by the late faithfull and painfull minister of Gods word, Nicolas Byfield. Wherein method, sense, doctrine, and vse, is, with great varietie of matter, profitably handled; and sundry heads of divinitie largely discussed. Published since the authors death by William Gouge.	Byfield, Nicholas, 1579-1622.; Gouge, William, 1578-1653.	1626 (1626)	STC 4235; ESTC S107153	186,240	252

heart and this is a matter of great consequence that the husband be soundly carefull of the discharge of his dutie The well-being of the family and the well-doing of both man and wife depends much upon the husbands right behaviour If the head be out of order how can the bodie be well and the wife being the image of the husband what shall she learne of him if he give an ill patterne If the eye be darke how can the bodie be light If the Pilot of the Ship be ignorant and carelesse what safetie can the Ship be in Besides what a world of hurt will the ill example of the husband doe in the family eyther in children or servants Quest. 2. But why are husbands charged with so few wordes Ans. Because it is to be supposed that they have a larger knowledge of Gods will And besides in that tender age of the Christian world the Apostles in discretion said lesse to superiours to avoide provocation of irreligious husbands and the better to allure them to the Christian faith when they should see their wives so largely instructed in their behaviour towards them And further ever the shorter their lesson is the more shame for them not to learne it and shew themselves exact both in the understanding and in the practise of it Yee Husbands God speakes to them in the second persons to import that they should heare these words as if God were present to speak to them in his owne person withall to teach them that the right hearing of this doctrine is for everie man to heare it as spoken directly to himselfe God doth single them out to heare their charge and speakes to them as if he named them in particular Husbands The persons charged are Husbands and the word is a terme that imports that speciall relation in which God bindes one man to one woman investing the man in prerogatives of a superiour in that union Before I come to the dutie charged upon Husbands it will not be unprofitable by way of Preface to use some motives to such husbands as will make conscience of their wayes to perswade them to be verie carefull of their charge The reasons used in the Text afterwards I will not now meddle withall but only put them in minde of some few things which ought to be effectuall to perswade them The motives may be drawn from foure fountaines 1 From commandement and there let them consider who commandeth them and how Who commandeth them and so let them marke first that God himselfe hath given them their law of walking They are not tyed by mans lawes but by Gods owne law Secondly God speakes to them by the Ministerie of great Apostles it was one part of the Commission of those high Ambassadours sent into the Christian world to give husbands their charge Thirdly it should somewhat the more move them that S. Peter was himselfe a married man and therefore did practise what he taught them and did know by experience that a husband might with comfort undertake this taske And then it should much move them to observe how God hath given his commandement to them hee first chargeth their wives before hee chargeth them And besides he hath given a long charge to the wives and but a short charge to them 2 From their relation to their wives They are their wives heads and therefore should be carefull how they order themselves They are the life of their lives as it were God hath made the wife to depend upon them for comfort and direction and preservation 3 From their prerogatives God hath given them great power more than the wives They are heads to their wives and besides they are images of Iesus Christ they shew in the family what Christ is in the Church they doe as it were act Christs part and resemble him in his relation to the Church and therefore they had need to thinke of it how they carrie themselves They are types of Iesus Christ and will they shame him by acting folly passion pride and dissolutenesse Did Christ doe so to the Church Besides it should much move him that God hath in the most things left the husband free from the lawes of men Hee hath no man to controule him in his office and hath not God made him both King and Priest in his family His household is a little kingdome or a little Church where hee is of soveraigne power and hath great supremacy and if the world acknowledge not the glory of his place yet it is acknowledged in heaven 4 From the manner of his comming into this relation he was not borne a husband but made so and made so by the gift of God for God gave him his wife as hee did Eve to Adam yea let him consider that God gave him the wife that was of his owne choosing and whom with so much desire he longed after and it may be praied for But especially let him consider that God hath bound him to his wife by covenant yea that he hath bound himself to God by covenant for this thing yea that the oath of God is upon him he hath sworne before the Lord to do his duty Thus of the generall motives Further in that he said Husbands indefinitely hee shewes thereby That all husbands are bound to observe this charge all alike God chargeth rich learned wise godly husbands asmuch and aswell as poore unlearned and ill disposed men Two uses may bee made of this point for first hereby wee may see cleerly that outward things make no difference before God when God gives a law he gives it to all men as if they were but one man Civill difference of blood nations calling condition or common gifts makes no exception from any when God gives his law Secondly such husbands as finde an outward difference from other husbands either in their gifts or greatnesse of meanes or highnesse of office or calling should lay aside all thought of such things and shew as much respect to their wives as any other men that have no such things to boast of And yet one thing more I may adde to such hearers as heare this doctrine seeing God chargeth all they should take heed of that common fault of thinking of other husbands and how the doctrine will fit them and so neglect application to themselves Dwell with them The duety charged upon husbands is contained briefly in these words and under this phrase of dwelling with them is comprehended in effect all essentiall matrimoniall dueties For it imports 1 Not only cohabitation but also 2 Separation from all the world to a speciall fellowship with that woman 3 Communion of goods They that must be partners of Gods treasures in Heaven must bee partners in all outward blessings All things should bee common so as the husband must provide maintenance for his wife and that not onely while he lives with her but he ought as he is able to provide for her maintenance after he is

the natures and workes of the godly when they see in them that which is above the ordinary nature of men or their expectation they are affraid of the Name of God which is called upon by them Deut. 28 9.10 2 They feare when they see that they behave themselves wisely and religiously and that God is with them and they prosper notwithstanding all the oppositions are made against them 1. Sam. 18.12.15.19 Nehe. 6.16 Psal. 48.4 Zach. 9.5 3 They feare because the good conversation of the godly doth rebuke their ill conversation the chaste conversation of the Wives amazeth the hearts of the Husbands when they thinke of their owne unchaste conversation so the piety patience mercy and goodnesse exprest by godly men makes the hearts of wicked men ake within them 4 They feare extreamly because the goodnesse of the conversations of the godly is to them a very token of their owne perdition if they continue in the state they are in Phil. 1.28 Quest. But what doe wicked men doe when they feele these feares Answ. Eyther they strive to drive them out and forget them or else they strive to imagine scandalous and vile things to oppose their wicked surmises or false accusations against the glory of the godly life of such as are good as the Pharisees did against Christ the wicked Courtiers against David or else they use all meanes to remove the godly further off from them as Amaziah did to Amos and Saul to David in the place quoted before or else they increase in hatred and malice as their observation of the good hand of God upon his servants doth increase 1. Sam. 18.15.29 or else as men conquered by the truth they give glory to God and confesse the wickednesse of their owne estate and be wonne as the Husbands here by the conversation of the Wives The use should be to stirre up godly Christians to look to their owne salvation the more and to hold on and doe good still and walke wisely towards them that are without and keepe their way for hereby they shall not only convince and confute carnall persons but so daunt them as their good lives will often make their very hearts to ake within them and the rather because this effect may follow the conversation of women aswell as men and servants aswell as masters inferiours aswell as superiours Thus of feare as it is referred to the Husbands But the most Divines doe referre this feare to the Wives as they were Christians and so thereby is ●oted a second thing in their conversations which did much affect their unbeleeving husbands and that was their holy feare which they exprest in their lives Now this conversation with feare may two waies bee considered the one as it was common to these women with other Christians and so it belongs to other Christians aswell as to them and the other was as it was particularly required in them as wives For the first a conversation with feare is required in all the godly so saith Salomon Blessed is the man that feareth alwaies and Paul saith Worke out your salvation with feare and trembling Phil. 2. and againe Be not high minded but fear Rom. 12.3 This conversatton with feare was in Paul 1. Cor. 2.3 It is required that the mighty men of the earth should serve the Lord in trembling Psal. 2.12 this is a fruit of godly sorrow 2. Cor. 7.11 Now in our conversations we are to expresse both the feare of men and the feare of God There is a feare of men to bee shewed by other Christians aswell as wives in their conversations as children must feare their parents Levit. 19.3 and subjects must converse with feare and shew it in their carriage towards their rulers and so all inferiours must expresse a conversation with feare towards their superiours Hence the Apostle saith Give feare to whom feare belongeth Rom. 13.7 so such as have lesser gifts must submit themselves to such as have greater gifts in fear Eph. 5.21 But the speciall feare wee should shew in our conversation should be the feare of God and so a conversation with feare doth import more than barely to feare God for it imports that it must be by such a fear as doth appear to the view of others and such a feare as is continuall We reade of a Spirit of the feare of God Esa. 11.3 and there bee other phrases of Scripture that expresse this conversation with feare as where wee are charged to bee in the feare of God all the day long Pro. 23.17 and the godly are said to walke in the feare of God Acts 11.31 God was said to bee the feare of the Patriarches Gen. 31.42.53 so also Eccles. 8. 10. Mal. 2.5 Quest. But what cause have Christians to shew so much fear in their conversations Answ. They have reason to feare alwaies 1 Because of their owne insufficiency to performe those holy dueties are required of them in such a holy manner as they desire or ought to doe this made Paul so fearfull 1. Cor. 2.3 2 Because of the danger that the godly themselves are in if this feare be not in them as we see by the miserable instance of the Apostle Peter who fell shamefully when he shooke off this feare and grew bold and confident of his owne strength and therefore they that stand are charged to feare lest they fall Rom. 11. 3 Because of the many and fearfull adversaries our soules and religion have in this world Wee bee to wrestle with principalities powers and spirituall wickednesses Eph. 6.10 2. Cor. 11.3 and our taske is to overcome the world and the flesh which hath many difficulties in it considering the multitudes of evill examples and scandals are in the world and the great treachery of our owne flesh 4 Because of the lamentable reproach of the Heathen and such as are without God and Christ of all sorts and all places which would be powred out if we should misse it in our conversation if our foote should but slippe Neh. 5.9 5 Because of the dreadfull relation in which we stand unto God who hath authority over us and is our Master and Father Mal. 1.6 and is able to kill both body and soule Mat. 10.28 and is the Lord God Almighty and the King of Saints and hee is onely holy and of most pure eyes and hath power over all Nations Revel 15.3.4 and doth wondrous things Hee hath placed the sand for the bounds of the sea by a perpetuall decree that it cannot passe it though the waves thereof tosse themselves and roare yet they cannot prevaile Ier. 5.22 Hee is the true God he is the living God and an everlasting King at his wrath the earth shall tremble and the Nations shall not bee able to abide his indignation Ier. 10.7.10 so Iob 31.23 David said his flesh trembled for feare of God Psalm 119. vers 120. 6 Because of the fearefull falling away and rejecting of many Churches and particular persons