The XVIII. Chapiter.

O Yee Elders / which are becom gri∣sell [ A] with Age: Haue alwayes a prouident or carefull Eye, towardes your Wiues / which {reversed ;}to becom of-mutual-beeing with Page  [unnumbered] you; haue ioyned or coupled themselues with you, as Fellowe-bodies of your Bodies / to their Pre∣seruation with you, in all Godlines: and beare al∣wayes a good Care ouer them: For / for that they mought be preserued with you {reversed ;}in one Beeing of God and his Loue; yee shall nourrish and cherrish them, as your owne Bodies: for they are with you one Fleash, of your Fleash / a and one Bone, of your Bones.

2. Yee shall also, in all Orderlines {reversed ;}euenlike as Yee yourselues do walke in the Lawe or Ordinance of the Lorde; keepe your Wiues submitted vnder your Lawe, b to all Obeysaunce: and nourrish and maintaine them euenso therin {reversed ;}with all diligence; to a fourth-going of the Righteousnes.

3. Permit them not likewise to doo or to leaue∣vndon any-maner of thing (be it then what it is) but onlie that which is agreeable to your Lawe: and liue and walke euenso with them, in all good Gouernment and Orderlines / according to the Lawe or Ordinaunce of the Lorde.

4. And in all this same, so loue, foster, and cher∣rish [ B] your Wiues {reversed ;}nether more nor lesse; euen as your c owne Bodies / and cleaue whollie vnto them, in d one Loue with God and his Righteousnes. For euenso {reversed ;}to the same Conformitie-of-beeing; hath God e preordained you to be One of-vniforme∣beeing.

5. Forasmuch then as that yee to-gether are but one f Bodie / therfore yee shall not faine nor couer you before each-other. but walke alwayes openlie Page  39 and vncoueredlie {reversed ;}in all naked Purenes; before each-other: and haue euenso a good-pleasure, in each-others Bewtie and Purenes.

6. For God hath g created the Man in all na∣ked Purenes or Sinceritie / and in like-maner also his Wife: and coupled them to-gether in the same naked Purenes: And vnto the same naked or vnco∣uered pure Bewtifulnes, are wee also All {reversed ;}through Iesus Christ and his holie Spirit of Loue; called and bidden. For-that-cause it is likewise Gods Will and Good-pleasure, that yee together {reversed ;}which are one Man and one Wife h in the Lorde; should alwayes walke {reversed ;}before God and before each-other; in the same naked Purenes of the godlie Fairnes · and liue euenso {reversed ;}as one Bodie with each-other; in all Sinceere-purenes.

7. But let the Man be the i Head / or the Lorde of the Wife / euenlike as God is the Head or the Lorde of the Man.

8. The Wife shall not out of herself, k beare any rule or-yet haue any Maistership. but with the Man or through the Man, according to his Or∣dinaunce.

9. FOr-that-cause yee shall likewise {reversed ;}O yee [ C] Men and Elders in the godlie Wisdom; haue a good regarde and a sharpe respect vnto your Wiues, as to marke whervnto they incline their Heartes: To your Lawe / or from your Lawe: To your Freedom / or from your Freedom.

10. Now if yee perceaue that they incline their Heartes to your Lawe / and to your Freedom / Page  [unnumbered] so shall yee then haue also with each-other l one∣maner of Lawe in the Lorde / one-maner of Faith in Iesu Christ, and one-maner of Freedom and Vnitie of the Heart, in the holie Spirit of Loue.

11. Heere-in {reversed ;}O yee Elders and Fathers of the Howsh•…lde; bec•…m yee prudent and vnderstand∣ing: and liue euenso concordablie with your Wi∣ues {reversed ;}m as one Bodie with each-other; to the Laude of the God of Life and his Glorious-lordlines: also growe n and multiplie into many Thowsandes vpon the Earth / and bring the Earth vnder you, in all Vnitie of the vpright Life.

12. NOtwithstanding, the Conclusion or [ D] Perfection of all that which is heere spo∣ken / is This: That yee {reversed ;}O yee Men; shoulde not loue o nor liue vnto yourselues. but alone vnto the p Lorde your God, in all Loue and Peace.

13. In like-maner also {reversed ;}O yee Wiues; yee shall not loue nor liue vnto yourselues. but alone vnto your q Husbandes: out of whose Liues and Bo∣dies, yee are with them {reversed ;}in God and with God; one r Bodie, to their Healpe.

14. And liuing euen-thus with each-other in all Loue / so la•…de and praise {reversed ;}with Ioye and Than∣kes-geeuing; the Lorde your God / for that Hee hath not created you to any Seperation or Diui∣sion. but hath ioyned you together {reversed ;}as One; in one godlie Being. and that thesame God, is also your Head s and King.