that they are not built upon a right foundation. Some are grounded upon wealth, fome on beauty, too fandy bottoms, God knows, to raise any lafting felicity on; while in the interim, virtue and piety, the only folid bafes for that fuperftructure, are scarce ever confidered. Thus God is commonly left out of the confultation. The lawyers are reforted to, to fecure their fettlements; all forts of artificers are to make up the equipage, but he is neither advifed with as to the motives, nor fcarce ever fupplicated as to the event of wedding; indeed it is a deplorable fight, to fee with what lightness and unconcernednefs young people go to this weightieft concern of their lives, that a marriage-day is but a kind of a Bacchanal, a more licenced avowed revel: when, if they duly confider it, it is the hinge upon which the future life moves, which turns them ever to a happy or miferable being, and therefore ought to be entered upon with the greatest seriousness and devotion. Our church advifes excellently in the preface of matrimony, and I wish they would not only give it the hearing at that time, but make it their ftudy a good while, and do the fame by the marriage vow too, which is fo ftrict and awful a bond, that methinks they had need well weigh every branch of it ere they enter into it, and by the ferventeft prayers implore that God who is the witnefs, to be their affiftance too in its performance.

The W IF E.

I Have, under the foregoing head, confidered the

young lady in the capacity of a daughter; the next confideration fhe comes under, is, that of a wife. A condition which is no more without its duties than the other; and that too with respect to its subjection to the hufband, as the duty of the child has respect to its fubjection to the parent.

It is impoffible for any company of people to fubfift any while together, without a fubordination of one to the other; where all will command, none will obey, and then there will be nothing done but mischief. We fee when people meet, who have no pretenfions one upon another, they are fain to agree among themfelves, to allow a preference, and fome kind of fuperiority to fome of the company, that bufinefs may be done. They govern themfelves either by known established rules and cuftoms of honour and ceremony, or elfe they confider age, capacity, or experience Something or other there is that determines their choice, because they find it abfolutely neceffary to filence the pretences of every man, by preferring fome or other, that they may obtain the end of their affembling. Even among friends and equa's, where the leaft pretence to pre-eminence would diffolve the friendship, and break off all the intercourse, yet is there a neceffity that one fhould yield it to the other, and fo they do to make the converfation ufeful; and the longer people are to live together, the greater is the neceffity of fubordination and fubjection one to another, because there will unavoidably rife ftill more and more occafions of divifion and difference, which will require the greater unity. Now

there

there can be no fuch thing as unity where two parties command, or pretend to fuperiority, or fuch equality as will not yield. All this is evident in kingdoms, provinces, cities, and private corporations, either great or little; and this fhould help to convince the wives, who are now going to make up a family, that there is an abfolute neceffity of government, which fuppofes fubjection fomewhere or other. They muft needs fee that every family, the original indeed and model of bodies corporate, cities and commonwealths, muft have its proper fuperior, whom all the reft muft needs obey.

And when they are convinced of this great article, the next enquiry is to be, whether the fuperiority that is fo unavoidably neceffary to the fupport of rule and order, is well and rightly placed in husbands rather than in wives; and for this they are to confider where nature has defigned this fovereignty, where ufe and cuftom have placed it, and what the laws of God fay to the matter.

We may very well prefume that nature has defigned the fovereignty where the has given the greateft ftrength and abilities, where he has made the body and the mind fittest to undergo the toils and labours that are abfolutely neceffary to the being and well-being of the world, to the carrying on business at home and trade abroad, to the defending one's country from foreign foes, and to the administering juftice one to another, Now where we perceive nature has beft qualified her creatures for performance of these functions, which are so neceffary, that the world cannot fubfift in any degree, peace, or order without them, we may very fafely conclude, the defigned to place this fuperiority. Whether women have natural ftrength and ability of body or mind to go through thefe things, if men fhould for a while neglect them, need not be questioned; it is demonftrably certain, that they have not; and if they have not, who should do them but men, whom

nature

nature has fitted for it? And in as much as nature has made men neceffary for thefe works, fhe has made them fuperior to fuch as are not able to do them; for where people are in other refpects equal, ftrength of body and capacity of mind doubtlefs make them fuperior: we find it fo in all the creatures of the world befides; and though there are a great many inftances of the contrary, yet they will never avail to the overthrowing the visible defign of nature. Though there be many women fuperior to many men in ftrength of body and abilities of mind; in fineness of parts, greatness of capacity, foundness of judgment, frength and faithfulness of memory; yet the number of fuch, neither is, nor ever was, nor will be great enough, to fhew that nature intended to give that fex the fuperiority over the men. And though ufe and education might make fome alteration in the cafe, yet all the ufe and education in the world would never fit them for the performances of the great bufineffes above-mentioned, of trade and merchandise, and make wars abroad, and executing jullice at home; the abilities of managing which, are evident indications of nature's intending to make the men fuperior to the women.

And agreeable to this manifeft defign of nature, have been the ufages and cuftoms of all countries at all times. Thefe indeed have been fo little to the advantage of the weaker fex, that without all doubt they have done it manifeft injury, and have not had fo great regard to it as in all reafon and fenfe they ought to have had: fo far have they been from allowing women any pretenfions to priority, that they have placed them but a little above their flaves or menial fervants, contrary to reafon and decency, and the defign of nature, which intended them for friends and companions in all their fortunes, Even the nations that have been accounted wifeft and most civilifed, have yet allowed them to be only made for the folace of mankind, the care of fome domeftic matters, and the continuance

of the world, and would let them bear no other part in it. For which reafon the fearches after the ufages and customs of all times will be but fhort, and do them little fervice.

We must therefore inquire what help religion and the laws of God, the fanctuary of all the weak, which provides fecurity against oppreffion and injuftice, afford them. When it is faid in Scripture, the woman's defire fhall be to her husband; it fignifies, to be fubject to his will. She fhall not be mistress of herself, nor have any defire fatisfied but what is approved of by her husband. She fhall be wholly under his power and tutelage. "Wives fubmit yourselves unto your own husbands, as "it is fit in the Lord," fays the Apoftle; and again, "Wives fubmit yourselves unto your own husbands, as "unto the Lord; for the husband is the head of the "wife, as Chrift is the head of the church;" which texts, and feveral others indeed, plainly determine their fubjection: but, because to be fubject is a phrase of indefinite and uncertain fenfe, fince all inferiors are commanded to be subject to the higher powers, and children to their parents, it will be needful for them to know in what particulars the wives must be in fubjection to their husbands; for a subject cannot obey his king, nor a fon his father, nor a fervant his mafter in all things, but each fuperior has his proper and peculiar fway, and each inferior has a limited fubjection. There is fomewhat that fets out the bounds of every one's power, and every one's obedience, and the tranfgreffors of them become on one fide tyrants and ufurpers, and on the other fide difobedient rebels. It is thus with wives and husbands, the one may exercife a power that belongs not to them, and the other refufe fubmiffion where it is due, and fhould be paid. It is certain then, that a wife owes no fubjection to her husband, against the laws of either God or man. Religion and good morals claim the first place in her obedience; and though, I think, the laws, or rather cuftoms of the land, are very tender to women offending