Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-04-13
HUSBANDS AND WIVES,
Advice to Both Given From Two Balti
more Pulpits.
REV. MESSRS. MLANAHAN AND HENSON


REV. MESSRS. MLANAHAN AND HENSON.
THE VALUE OF OBEDIENCE, ATTRAC-
TIvENESS AND HELPFULNESS IN wO-
MANTLE SELFIShNESS OF MAN
SOME OF THE GREAT EVILS OF THE
i DAY IN SOCIETY.
The Rev. Samuel McLanahan preach
ed Sunday night, April 3rd, at La
fayette Square Presbyterian Church on
wives" He said in part:
Il take the opening verses of the
third chapter of First Peter chiefly as
a broad ledge of rock on which to
found the three pillars of wifely duty
which propose to set up in this ser
mon, but the passage is one of the chief
Quarries also from which the materials
will be drawn.
"The first l name Obedience 'Ye
wives, be in subsection to your own
husbands Some men, more women,
few of them eminent as wives, how
ever, if wives at all, object to this doc
trine. As, according to old English
custom, each of a betrothed pair car
ried part of broken sixpence, so,
according to Scripture, the wife's obedi-
ence is only a segment of marital duty,
which is to be matched by relative duty
on the husbands part. When Mary,
wife of William of Orange, was asked
what would be her relation to her hus-
band if she should be made Queens, he
called him in and promised that he
should always bear rule, asking only
that he would obey the command
l II oh do low oh
should do that of Wives, be obedient
to your husbands This subordina-
tion involves no inferiority. 1t rests
upon divine authority, is limited by it,
and does not set aside personal respons-
| ibility. Obedience under these circum-
stances is not degrading, but hOnora-
BILE, like that of child to parent, citizen
| to ruler, soldier to officer. But where
definite command is given or is leces-
sary the Christian conception of wifely
obedience has been already destroyed.
| AS love is to be the animating and reg
| ulating principle in the husbands
dealings with his wife, so cheerful,
loving acqulescence in his plans and
wishes, not because she must, but be-
cause she wants to do so, is the ideal of
her submission. A true woman will
| find no trouble with this doctrine if
she have good husband, but what of
those whose husbands fail on their
part? Then for conscience toward God
the wife should still fulfill all her duty.
81 name the second pillar 'Attrac-
tiveness.' A wife should seek to retain
and intensity her husbands love. OF
the many means she may employ good
housekeeping is one. This has far
more to do with the permanent happi-
ness of married life than many young
lovers imagine. Since most wives will
have much of household work to do
themselves and all need to know about
it, the tendency of young women to
prefer the store or the factory to house
| hold activity is one of the evils of our
time. But the house and it's arrange
ments are only the frame. The wife
herself, as the picture in the frame, is
more important. Personal appearance
is not to be neglected. But the chief
attraction of wife must ever be in the
hidden man of the heart, in her char
acter. She should particularly avoid a
complaining and scolding disposition,
which can result in nothing else but
alienation, and should cultivate meek
and quiet spirit, which will ultimately
win even disagreeable husband to
better things if there is a spark of true
manhood in him.
II name the third pillar Helpful
ness This is the conception of the
wife presented in "Genesis-'a help
meet for him. 1t is hers to comfort,
refresh, stimulate and encourage her
husband in his work or business She
may directly further his interests by
her own activity and personal efforts.
She can do much to dissipate or to in
crease his fortune, his influence, his
power in the world.
The Scriptures emphasize the wife's
influence over her husband, morally
and religiously, Jezebel and Herodias
are examples of the power of a wife to
drag her husband down. Hannah and
Priscilla greatly stimulated and aided
the religious life of their husbands.
The text is at once an encouragement
and summons to the wives of men not
Christians that they seek by true and
beautiful Christians lives to win their
own husbands to Christi
Rev. L. L. Henson preached in the
morning at Fuller Memorial Baptist
Church the eighth sermon in series of
discOurses on the book of Ephesians.
His subject was Husband and Wife. }"
He said in part: ''The apostle has just
given some instructions on the subjec-
tion in general of Christians to each
other. He now gives three special in
stances in which there ought to be sub
lection, namely, that of wives to their
| husbands, that of children to their
parents, and that of servants to their
masters. In discussing these he takes
occasion also to discuss the reciprocal
duty of husbands to wives, of parents
to children and of masters to servants.
"In the first place, it is distinctly
stated that the wife ought to be sub
ject to her husband. This is abund-
antly proved from many other passages
of Scripture as well as from that before
us. The reason for this subsection is
that the husband has been made the
head of the wife. That headship is
based upon the words of God uttered
in connection with the curse which was
pronounced as a result of the sin in the
Garden of Eden. The headship is not
a tyrannical one. 1t is such as Christ
possesses over His body, the church,
and is for. protection, care and susie
nance. Christ exercises His headship
over the church that he may sanctify
it for Himself The man has the right
of such headship as will be for the best
interests of the wife. The subsection
of the wife is not servile obedience,
but is loving submission, as that OF
the church to Christ, her head.
"Since the Introduction of sin into
the world the opinions of husbands and
wives will necessarily sometimes con
fiict. At such times only the will OF
the wife is called upon to yield. Wo
men by no means are to be deprived OF
all opinions of their own. The sub
mission of the woman to the man is
right, because man as the head is re
, sponsible for the support and susie
nance of the wife. She can demand
? from him her necessary support, and il
he does not give it, he is not a husband
at all in the true sense of the word, but
she has not right to dictate.
''In the second place the husband
ought to love the wife, and that not
with an ephemeral affection, but even