CHAPTER V.

Chapter 682,244 wordsPublic domain

DOMESTIC DUTIES.

1. THE MARRIAGE RELATION INSTITUTED AND RECOMMENDED.

GEN. II, 18. And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.

GEN. II, 21. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof:

22. And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

PROV. XVIII, 22. Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of the Lord.

EPH. V, 31. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

1 TIM. IV, 1. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2. Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

3. Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

HEB. XIII, 4. Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled; but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

1 TIM. V, 14. I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.

2. CAUTIONS AGAINST IMPROPER MARRIAGES.

DEUT. VII, 3. Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.

4. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

1 COR. VII, 39. The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.

2 COR. VI, 14. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

AMOS III, 3. Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

3. MUTUAL DUTIES OF HUSBANDS AND WIVES.

EPH. V, 21. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

22. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

23. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church; and he is the savior of the body.

24. Therefore as the Church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

25. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it;

EPH. V, 28. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

EPH. V, 33. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

TITUS II, 4. That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children.

5. To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

4. DUTY OF PARENTS TO THEIR CHILDREN.

(1.) _To provide for them._

2 COR. XII, 14. Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

1 TIM. V, 8. But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

(2.) _To administer needful correction._

HEB. XII, 9. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

PROV. X, 13. In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found; but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.

PROV. XIII, 24. He that spareth his rod hateth his son; but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

PROV. XIX, 18. Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.

PROV. XXII, 15. Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

PROV. XXIII, 13. Withhold not correction from the child; for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

14. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

(3.) _Encouragements to parental faithfulness._

GEN. XVII, 7. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

GEN. XVIII, 19. For I know him, that he will command his children, and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

PSA. XXXVII, 26. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

PSA. CIII, 17. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

18. To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

PROV. XX, 7. The just man walketh in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.

PROV. XXII, 6. Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

2 TIM. I, 1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

2. To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

3. I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;

4. Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;

5. When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

5. DUTY OF CHILDREN TO THEIR PARENTS.

EX. XX, 12. Honor thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

LEV. IX, 3. Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.

PROV. I, 8. My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

9. For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

PROV. XIII, 1. A wise son heareth his father's instruction; but a scorner heareth not rebuke.

PROV. XXIII, 22. Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

MATT. XV, 4. For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother; and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

5. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;

6. And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

EPH. VI, 1. Children, obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right.

2. Honor thy father and mother, (which is the first commandment with promise;)

3. That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

6. DISOBEDIENT CHILDREN PUNISHED.

EX. XXI, 15. And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.

EX. XXI, 17. And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.

DEUT. XXI, 18. If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto him.

DEUT. XXVII, 16. Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother; and all the people shall say, Amen.

PROV. XX, 20. Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.

PROV. XXX, 17. The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

7. DIVORCE.

MAL. II, 15. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the Spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

16. For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith, that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

MATT. XIX, 4. And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning, made them male and female,

5. And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

6. Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

MATT. XIX, 8. He saith unto them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

9. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

MARK X, 2. And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.

3. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?

4. And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.

5. And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept:

6. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

7. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;

8. And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.

9. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

10. And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.

11. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.

12. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

LUKE XVI, 18. Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband, committeth adultery.

ROM. VII, 2. For the woman which hath a husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

3. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

1 COR. VII, 10. And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:

11. But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.

8. POLYGAMY.

MATT. XIX, 9. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

MARK X, 11. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.

12. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

DEUT. XVII, 17. Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.