band, he causes the line of obedience to be drawn, in these words: —'Wives, obey your husbands in the Lord; and by this I understand, that the wife must observe those requirements of her husband which are congenial with the requisitions of the perfect law of liberty. Implicit obedience, is not required; cannot be received; must not be looked for; and should not be expected; and the affectionate and dutiful husband, will not ask it.

Some husbands are unreasonable in their commands; and their orders cannot be obeyed, even should their wives be ever so much disposed to serve them. It must therefore be kept in mind, that she is to obey in the Lord. If the husband requires any thing unreasonable, or contrary to the New Testament, the wife ought not obey him. But she should refuse in the spirit and manner of a Christian, and assign a reason therefor.

It is plain, however, that the wise and discreet husband, will lay no unreasonable commands on his wife; if he should chance to do so, it will be an error in judgment; and when he discovers his error, and is convinced of having done wrong, he will forthwith abandon it. And it is presumed, that no reasonable wife, will object to this species of obedience.

3d. THE WIFE SHOULD AVOID AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, ALL DISPUTATION WITH HER HUSBAND.

It always has an evil appearance, for a wife to engage in bitter disputation, with her husband-es

pecially in public. If he is in error, and she knows it, let her communicate the intelligence to him at home, when they are alone; when no ear but God's can hear, and he will be more likely to hear, and receive it, than he will if the communication is made in public, in the presence of a company of strangers. And, should he be stubborn, and unwilling to be corrected, it will be only in appearance; he will most assuredly profit by the correction. If you doubt this, give the plan a short trial, if you have not already; and if you do not find the practice commendable, and fruitful in that which is good, you can abandon it, and resort to your old plan. But, be sure you do not abandon it, until you have given it a fair trial.

Again: If wives are anxious to secure the society, and company, of their husbands at home, there is but one method to be adopted, to accomplish this object. Do you inquire, What is that? I reply — If you would drive them away, and make them choose any other place than home, prepare for them a cool, and ungracious reception-lecture them severely, whenever they come into your presence magnify all never throw the mantle of charity over their imperfections and be sure that you embrace every opportunity, to render home unpleasant. This do, and you will accomplish your object. The husband, then, will go home, only when he can go

their foibles

no where else. He will remain in your society only when he is obliged to.

But, if you would secure his company, and have all his leisure hours devoted to yourself, you must strive to render home the most delightful place on earth. When the husband is abroad, and the thought of home comes into his mind, it should be associated with a pleasant companion, who is striving to arrange her domestic concerns, so that she can welcome him to a home of neatness, order, cheerfulness, and peace. It is not enough that the wife is prudent; that she keeps her house neat; her person clean; and manages her domestic affairs well. This, is not sufficient. She must keep her spirit in due subjection. If she does feel a little unpleasant at his leaving home unnecessarily, let this be suppressed, and kept secret or, if it is made known to him, let it be done in the spirit of kindness, and and in words of deep affection. And, when he returns home, receive him with pleasure, and heartfelt delight with emotions which none but the devoted wife can feel which none but the faithful husband can fully appreciate.

I

say,

He cannot long resist such charms. He will return to his home, as the weary dove returned to the ark, because no other place affords him rest. There will he concentrate his affections. There, will his

weary soul rest with ineffable joy.

And home, will

be to him, preferable to all other places on earth.

Let it be remembered, both by the husband and the wife, that there are imperfections, and faults, on both sides. Neither the husband, nor the wife, do precisely as they ought to, and as they wish to, in every case. There are many imprudences on the part of each. Hence the importance, of mutual forbearance, and forgiveness. The broad mantle of Christian charity must be thrown over the frailties of each other. When this is done, domestic peace and felicity will flourish, as native plants. But, let charity and forbearance be dispensed with, and you will have a hell a tophet. For no worse place of misery can be conceived of than that family circle, where these godlike virtues are not cultivated.

earth upon

There should also be mutual confidence exercised. No attempt at concealment should be made by either. All should be openness, and plain dealing. The least lack of confidence, on either side, will engender distrust; distrust, will ripen into jealously; the latter will give birth to strife. And when strife shows itself openly, farewell, a long farewell to the comforts of social life. The wife, being the bosom companion of the husband, should not be kept in total ignorance of all he does. It is for his interests to let her know how he prospers. His pecuniary affairs may assume such a character, that it is necessary to practice the most rigid economy; but how can the wife know this, unless she receives the in

telligence from him? She may hear it from others

but she feels bound to believe nothing discreditable to him, except on the most indubitable evidence. The husband need not go to his wife, as the little boy would go to his mother but he may speak of his affairs in her presence, with the same freedom he would in the presence of his other friends. This course will secure her confidence, respect, and rev

erence.

And the same openness should characterize the wife. And while by prudence, and economy, she saves, and takes care of the amount earned by her husband, and the things he provides for the comfort of the family, let her also carefully guard his reputation; let that be to her, dearer than the apple of her eye. Let her also watch over his temper, and allay the rising passion by the soothing power of affection's voice, employed in giving utterance to words of wisdom. This do, ye wives who now hear me, and you will both save yourselves, and your husbands, and hide a multitude of sins. Yes, you will prove yourselves help-meets indeed: - and all shall rejoice to acknowledge, that Solomon was correct when he said - 'A virtuous woman, is a crown to her husband she will do him good, and not evil, all the days of her life. The heart of her husband shall safely trust in her, and he shall have no need of spoil.'

I have now completed the task of this lecture.