Christian Economy, Treatise · Chapter 17 – Chapter 18
CHAP. 17.
Of the Master of the familie or goodman of the house.
THus much touching the diuers and seuerall combinations or couples belonging to the state Oeconomicall. Frō which do arise two persons of a mixt or compounded nature and condition, cōmonly called the Goodman, & the Goodwife of ye house.
The good man or master of the familie, is a person, in whom resteth the priuate and proper gouernment of the whole houshold, and he comes not vntounto it by election, as it falleth out in other states, but by the ordinance of God, setled euen in the order of nature. The husbād indeed naturally beares rule ouer the wife; parents ouer their childrē, masters ouer their seruāts: but that person who by the prouidence of God, hath ye place of an husband, a father, a master in his house, the same also by the light of nature, hath the principality & soueraigntie therein, and he is Paterfamilias, the father and chiefe head of the familie: to him therefore the true right and power ouer all matters domestical, of right appertaineth. The duties of the master of the familie, are specially fiue.
I. To beare the chiefe stroke, and to be the principal agent, directer and furtherer of the worship of God within his familie. Ios. 24. 15. I and my household wil serue the Lord. And this he doth partly by praying for & with his houshold, and partly by instructing thē in the holy Scriptures, and in the grounds of religiō, that they may grow in knowledge and reape benefit by the publike Ministerie. Thus God commanded the men of Israel to walke in their families. Deut. 6. 7. Thou shalt rehearse them continually vntounto thy children, and shalt talke of them, when thou tariest in thine house,—& when thou liest downe, & when thou risest vp. Againe, vers. 20. When thy sonne shall aske thee,—what meane these testimonies, and ordināces & lawes, which the Lord our God commanded you? Then thou shalt say vntounto thy son, We were Pharaohs bondmen in Egypt, but the Lord brought vsus out of Egypt, with a mightie hand. This testimony God gaue of Abraham before the law was giuen, Gen. 18. 19. For I know Abraham that he will command his sons, and his houshold after him, that they keepe the way of the Lord. And this houshold of Abraham was very large, for the holy Ghost saies long before, that he had three hundred and eighteene, *[Ethchanicau] suos initiatos.that were borne and brought vp in his house, Gen. 14. 14. It was in likelihood ye course of Salomon which he had learned of his father Dauid, and giuen for a rule to al masters of families. Prou. 4. 1. Heare O children the instruction of a father, and giuegive eare to learne vnderstanding —For I was my fathers sonne, deare and tender in the sight of my mother, when he taught me and said vntounto me, Let thine heart hold fast my words. The company of the Disciples were the household of Christ, and he himselfe did administer all parts of the seruice of God with them and among them. Luk. 22. 15. To this purpose*In Ioan. tract. 51. in fine. Augustine saith, That the master of the familie, doth after a sort, and in his measure performe the dutie of a Churchman, or Bishop within his house.
II. To bring his familie to ye Church or Congregation on the Sabbath day, to looke that they do religiously there behaue themselues, & after the publike exercises ended, & the Congregation is dismissed, to take account of that which they hauehave heard, that they may profit in knowledge and obedience. Act. 10. 24. The day after, they entred into Caesarea; Now Cornelius waited for them, & had called together his kinsmen & special friends. vers. 33. Now therefore (saith Cornelius to Peter) are we all heere present before God, to heare all things that are commanded thee of God. Iob 1. 5. And when the daies of their banqueting were gone about, Iob sent and sanctified them, & rose vp early in the morning, & offred burnt offerings, &c. 2. King. 4. 23. And he said, wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? It is neither new moone nor Sabbath. For this very cause the fourth Cō mandement is giuen first of all & principally to the master of the familie, that he might see the Sabbath kept, and be a principal doer in all parts of Gods worship therein. Exod. 20. 10. In it thou shalt not do any worke, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-seruant, nor thy maid, nor thy cattel, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.
Neither is this his care tied only to the Sabbath, but vponupon other daies besides it, he ought to cause them of his houshold, as much as in him lieth, to repaire to places, where the word of God is preached. Commendable was the practise of Marie the sister of Martha, in this case, who when Christ came to her house is said, to sit at his feete and attend vntounto his preaching, Luk 10. 39.
III. To prouide for his family meat, drinke and clothing, and that they may liue a quiet & peaceable life, 1. Tim. 5. 8. Pro. 27. 26. The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats for the price of thy field. v. 27.
And let the milke of thy goats be sufficient for thy food, for the food of thy familie, and for the sustenance of thy maids. 1. Cor. 9. 9. Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the oxe, that treadeth out the corne: doth God care for oxen? either saith he it not altogether for our sakes? Matth. 13. 52. EueryEvery scribe which is taught vntounto the kingdome of heauen is like vntounto an housholder, that brings forth out of his treasurie, things both new and old.
IV. To keepe order, and to exercise discipline in his house, and that in this manner:
In case of offence, when a capitall crime is committed, which incurreth publike censure; he is not to punish it himselfe, but to bring the offender to the ciuill Magistrate, to informe of his fault, that he may hauehave his desert: It was a course established by the Iudicial law, which God gaue vntounto Moses for his direction in causes criminall among the Israelites: Deut. 21. 18. 19. 20. If any man hath a son that is stubborne, & disobedient, which wil not hearken vntounto the voice of his father, nor the voice of his mother, and they hauehave chastened him; then shal his father and his mother take him, and bring him out, vntounto the Elders of his citie, and vntounto the gate of the place where he dwelleth, and shall say vntounto the Elders of his citie; This our son is stubborne, and disobedient, and he will not obey our admonition: hee is a rioter, and a drunkard. Againe, Deut. 13. 6. If thy brother the son of thy mother, or thine own son, or thy daughter, or the wife that lieth in thy bosome, or thy friend which is as thine owne soul, entise thee secretly saying, Let vsus go and serue other gods (which thou hast not known, thou, I say, nor thy fathers) thou shalt not consent vntounto him, nor heare, neither shal thine eye pitie, nor shew merciemercy, nor keepe him secret. Zach. 13. 3. And when any shall yet prophesie, his father and his mother that begate him shall say vntounto him, Thou shalt not liue: for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord: and his father, and his mother that begate him, shall thrust him thorough when he prophesieth.
If the fault be of an inferiour nature, and lesser in comparison; the master of the familie ought to proceed by priuate censure vponupon the delinquent partie, sometimes by admonitiō, otherwhiles by correction, and chastisement, according to the quality of the offence, & the condition & state of the person. Leuit. 19. 17. Thou shalt plainly rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer him to sin. Mat. 1…. 15. If thy brother sinne against thee, go and tell him his fault betweene him and thee alone: If he heare thee not, take yet with thee one or two. Prou. 29. 17. Correct thy sonne, and he will giuegive thee rest, and will giuegive pleasures to thy soule.
When admonitions and corrections will not preuaile, the partie must bee brought before the Ministers, and Gouernours of the Church, that they may censure him. Matth. 18. 17. If he will not heare them, tell it vntounto the Church. And the Apostle Iames giueth order that the Ministers of the Church should come to those that are sicke, and pray for them, Iames 5. 14. which if they doe in case of infirmitie; then they are also to be sought vntounto, in case of errour and offence committed, for redresse.
But when none of all these meanes will do good; if the partie be a seruant, his master may, and ought to remoue him. Psal. 101. 7. There shall no deceitfull person dwell within mine house; he that telleth lies shall not remaine in my sight. Ioh. 8. 35. The seruant abideth not in the house for euer.
V. To giuegive intertainment to those that are strangers, & not of the familie, if they be Christians, and Belieuers; but specially to the Ministers of the Word. Rom. 12. 13. Giuing your selues to hospitalitie. Hebr. 13. 2. Be not forgetfull to lodge strangers: for hereby some hauehave receiued Angels into their houses vnawares. This duty the woman of Shunem & her husband performed vntounto the Prophet Elisha, 2. King. 4. 10. Let vsus make him a little chā ber, I pray thee, with walles, and let vsus set him a bed there, and a table, and a stoole, and a candlesticke, that he may turne in hither, when he commeth to vsus. These are the duties.
Heere if it be demanded, whether the master of a familie is alway, and necessarily bound in his owne person to doe all these things?
I answere, that if there be iust and necessarie cause, either in respect of his owne inabilitie, or in regard of publike imployment, vponupon a lawfull calling, whereby he is hindred, so as he cannot do any of them himselfe, at some times; it is lawfull for him to hauehave, and vse a deputie. This our Sauiour Christ teacheth in effect, when he saith, Who then is a faithfull seruant, and wise, whom his master hath made ruler ouer his houshold, to giuegive them meate in season? Mat. 24. 25. Thus Abraham had a steward of his house, Eliezer of Damascus, Gen. 15. 2. and he performed the waightiest matters, that concerned the establishment, and continuance of Familie, not by himselfe, but by his Steward, as namely the choice of a wife for his sonne Isaak, Gen. 24. 2. Therefore Abraham said vntounto his eldest seruant of his house, which had the rule ouer all that hee had; Put now thine hand vnderunder my thigh, &c. Thus Pharaoh King of Egypt had Ioseph, Gen. 39. 4. So Ioseph found fauour in his sight, and serued him, and hee made him ruler of his house, and put all that he had in his hands.
CHAP. 18.
Of the Mistresse of the familie, or Goodwife of the house.
THe Goodwife or Mistresse of the house, is a person which yeeldeth helpe and assistance in gouernmēt to the Master of the familie. For he is, as it were, the prince and chiece ruler; she is the associate, not only in office and authoritie, but also in aduise, and counsell vntounto him. 1. King. 17. 17. And after these things, the sonne of the woman, which was wife, or *[Bagnalath babbaijth.] Domina domus.mistresse of the house, was sicke.
Her dutie is two-fold.
First to gouerne the house, as much as concerneth her, in her place. 1. Tim. 5. 14. I will therefore that the yonger women marrie, and gouerne the house. And that she doth three waies. I. By exercising her selfe in some profitable employments, for the good of her charge, Prou. 31. 13. She seeketh wooll, and flax, and laboureth cheerefully with her hands. II. By appointing her maids their worke, and ouerseeing them therein. Vers. 15. She riseth whiles it is yet night, and giueth the portion to her houshold, and the ordinary to her maids. III. By ordering her children and seruants in wisdome; partly by instruction, partly by admonition, whē there is need. Vers. 26. Shee openeth her mouth with wisdome, and the law of grace is in her tongue. vers. 28. Her children rise vp, and call her blessed, &c. Tit. 2. 5. That they be discreet, chast, keeping at home, &c. Act. 18. 26. Priscilla in her house, with Aquila, instructed Apollos, in that wherin he was wanting, expounding vntounto him the way of God more perfectly. Gregorie Nazianzen in an Oration made for his father, saith, That his mother was not only an helper, but also a teacher or instructer, and guide vntounto his father in matters of religion & godlines.
The second dutie is, to giuegive the portion of food vntounto her familie, or cause it to be giuen in due season. Prou. 31. 15. She riseth whiles it is yet night, and giueth the portiō, or meat to her houshold. Thus did Rebekah in her house. Gen. 27. 9. Get thee now to the flock, & bring me thēce two good kids of the goats, that I may make pleasant meat of thē for thy father, such as he loueth.
Quest. Whether may the goodwife, without the consent of the goodman, giuegive and bestow the goods belonging to the familie?
Ans. I. There are some things which are proper to her selfe, and not part of her dowry which she brought vntounto her husband. And these she may claime as her owne, because either they were reserued vponupon the match made betweene them, or else are peculiar vntounto her by their mutuall consent, and of them she may lawfully giuegive, without her husbands knowledge. II. The goods which are common to them both, are of another nature; and these shee may not bestow, without his allowance, either expresse or at least general and implicite, specially when the giuing of them doth or may grow in likelihood, to the hinderance, and preiudice of the state of the familie.
FINIS.
End of the text · William Perkins, Christian Economy (1609)