seriousness, and skill, and diligence, is needful for one, that hath the last
increase the health and vigor of the body, making it fit for the service of the soul and God.
1. In health, you must be careful to provide for each other (not so much pleasing as) wholesome food, and to keep each other from that which is hurtful to your health; warning each other from the dangers of gluttony and idleness, the two great murderers of mankind.39
2. Also in sickness, you are to be caring of each other; and not to spare any costs or pains, by which the health of each other may be restored, or your souls confirmed, and your comforts cherished.40
Direct. VIII. Another duty of husbands and wives is, to be helpful to each other in their worldly business and estates. Not for worldly ends, nor with a worldly mind; but in obedience to God, who will have them labour, as well as pray, for their daily bread, and has determined that in the sweat of their brows they shall eat their bread; and that six days they shall labor and do all that they have to do; and that he that will not work must not eat.41
Direct IX. Also you must be careful to guard the honour of one another. You must not divulge, but conceal, the failings of each other; The reputation of each other must be as dear to you as your own. It is a sinful and unfaithful practice of many, both husbands and wives, who among their friends are discussing the faults of each other, which they are required in tenderness to cover up. MANY peevish persons will aggravate all the faults of their spouse behind their backs.42
Direct X. IT is your marriage duty to assist one another in the education of your children.43
Direct XI. It is your marriage duty to assist each other in charity.44
Direct XII. LASTLY, it is a great DUTY of husbands and wives, to help and comfort one other in preparing for a safe and happy death.45
1. In the time of health, you must often and seriously remind each other of the time when death will make the separation; and live together daily as those that are still expecting the parting hour....Reprove everything in one another, which would be an unwelcome memory at death. If you see each other dull and slow in heavenliness, or living in vanity, worldliness, or sloth, as if you had forgotten that you must shortly die, stir up one another to do all without delay which the approach of such a day requireth.
2. And when death is at hand, oh then what abundance of tenderness, and seriousness, and skill, and diligence, is needful for one, that hath the last
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office of love to perform, to the departing soul of so near a friend! Oh then what need will there be of your most wise, and faithful, and diligent help!....They that are utterly unprepared and unfit to die themselves, can do little to prepare or help another. But they that live together as the heirs of heaven, and converse on earth as fellow travellers to the land of promise, may help and encourage the souls of one another, and joyfully part at death, as expecting quickly to meet again in life eternal.
THE END --------------------------------------------------------------------- No doubt much of the original force and poetry has been lost in my feeble attempt to modernise. It was only my hope to make this treatise available and understandable to the reader who has not accustomed himself to reading and understanding the language of our King James Version Bible. This work was found in Volume I, Baxter's Practical Works, A Christian Directory, page 431-438. Also available upon request is a Bible study where the scriptures reflecting on each point in Baxter's above treatise are listed. (Contact Scott Andersen, email: [email protected]) It would be hoped that the hearing of God's Word regarding the mutual duties of Husbands and Wives will further strengthen your conviction and provide help to your soul to live as Faith requires. Lastly I would like to relate what a very wise man once told me: "If you are having troubles with your spouse it is not because of what you think of him or her, it is not because of negative thought patterns, it is not because you haven't first loved self. But it is what you think of Jesus. Do you love Him FIRST? Do you live for Him FIRST? Is your life, his? If you are right with Jesus Christ the King of Glory, then it will be right with your husband or your wife. And this is what is right with God."
FOOTNOTES Some of the following scripture references are found in Baxter's Work, others I have added in hopes of increasing your edification. 1 Luk 6:31-32; 1Cor 10:24; Gal 6:2; Phil 2:4; 2tim 3:2; Jam 2:15; 1Joh 3:17; Gen 4:9; 1 Sam 25:3-11; Esth 6:6; Isa 56:11; Joh 6:26 2 Pro 18:22; Pro 19:13-14 3 Pro 18:13 4 Mat 5:32; Mat 19:9; 1Cor 7:39; Col 3:19; Gen 2:24 5 Mat 19:5; Mar 10:7 6 1 Cor 13:7; Phil 2:3 7 Psa 103:14; 1Cor 13:7
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8 Pro 10:12 9 Rom 12:21; 1Pet 3:9 10 Eph 4:1; Col 1:10; 1The 2:12; Pro 11:30; 1Tim 4:16; Jam 5:19-20; 1Pet 3:1-2 11 Pro 19:13 12 Mat 5:23; 1Sam 15:22 13 Mat 12:25; Mar 3:25; Luk 11:17 14 Jam 1:13; 1Cor 7:5; Job 2:9 15 Lev 19:8; Psa 133:1; Pro 15:17; Rom 12:10; Rom 14:19; Rom 15:1; 1Cor 13:4-7 16 Luk 9:23; Psa 101:5; Prov 16:5; Prov 21:4; Prov 28:25; Mat 23:12; 1Pet 5:6 17 Psa 10:4; Hos 7:10; Prov 13:10; Prov 28:25 18 Jer 17:9; Rom 7:24; 1Joh 1:8 19 Eph 4:26; Eph 4:32; Jam 1:19 20 Eph 4:2; 1Cor 13:4 21 Ecc 9:9; Rom 7:2 22 Gen 2:24 23 Gal 5:15; Jam 3:5,6,8 24 Pro 15:18; Mat 5:9; Psa 85:8 25 Eph 4:32; Jam 5:16 26 2Cor 2:4; 2Cor 12:15; 1The 2:8 27 Gen 2:18 1The 5:11; Eph 4:16; Heb 12:15; 1cor 7:5; Col 2:19; Gen 35:2; Gen 35:4; Lev 19:17; Num 16:27; Num 16:32 29 Gen 2:18; 2Cor 13:5; Gal 6:3; Gen 25:29; Gen 25:34 30 Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:24 31 Pro 27:6; Pro 15:12; Pro 15:31; Pro 15:32 32 Heb 10:24 33 Eph 4:15; Eph 4:26-5:9 34 Pro 29:1 35 Eph 4:11-16 36 Jam 5:16; Eph 5:27-32 37 1Cor 7:13-14 38 1Pe 3:1; Joh 13:15; 1Tim 4:12; 1Cor 11:1; 1The 1:6; 2The 3:7-9; Tit 2:6; Jam 3:17; 2Pe 1:5-8 39 1Cor 6:19; Deu 21:20; Pro 23:21; Pro 19:15; Pro 6:9; Pro 10:4; 2Th 3:10 Pro 19:24; Pro 20:13; Pro 23:21; Pro 24:33; Isa 56:10; 1Tim 5:13 40 Eph 5:29, Job 19:17 41 Pro 31; Tit 2:5; 1Ti 5:14; 1Ti 5:8; Ex 20:9,11; Ge 3:19; 1Th 3:10-12
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42 Jam 4:11; Pro 17:9; 1Pet 4:8 43 Gen 18:19; Gen 35:2; Jos 24:14; 1Tim 5:14; Prov 31:1 44 Heb 13:2; Gen 18:6; Rom 12:13; 2Cor 9:6; Luk 16:9; 1Tim 3:2; 1Tim 5:10; Pro 11:20; Pro 11:28; Neh 8:1; Pro 19:17; Job 29:13; Joh 31:20 Acts 20:35 45 Deu 32:29; Psa 39:4; Psa 90:12; Rom 14:8; Heb 13:14; 1Pe 1:17; Psa 3:5; Psa 37:37; Psa 49:15; Psa 73:24; Psa 116:15; Pro 14:32; Ecc 7:1; Luk 16:22; Luk 23:43; 1Cor 15:51-57; 2Cor 5:1; 2Cor 5:4; 2Cor 5:8; Phi 1:20-23; 1The 5:9; 2Pe 1:11; 2Pe 1:14; Rev 14:13; Psa 23:4
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