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Blogs > Hiz4Ever > Hiz4Ever †


Hiz4Ever 71F
1904 posts
9/15/2007 12:46 am
A Helpmate to Each Other



CONTINUED from Richard Baxter's
"The Duties of Husbands and Wives"

Direct. VI. One of the most important duties of a husband to his wife and a wife to her husband is to carefully, skillfully, and diligently help each other in the knowledge and worship, and obedience of God that they might be saved and grow in their Christian Life.

1. This is not love, when you neglect each other's soul. ( 26 ) Do you believe that you have immortal souls, and an endless life of joy or misery to live? Then you MUST know that your great concern and business is, to care for those souls, and for the endless life. Therefore if your love does not help one another in this which is your main concern, it is of little worth, and of little use. Every thing in this world is as valuable as it is useful. A useless or unprofitable love, is a worthless love. It is a trifling, or a childish, or a beastly love, which helps you but in trifling, childish, or beastly things. Do you love your wife, and will leave her in the power of Satan, or will not help to save her soul? What! love her, and yet let her go to hell? and rather let her be damned than you will be at the pains to endeavor her salvation? Never say you love them, if you will not labour for their salvation.


What then shall we say of them that do not only deny their help, but are hinderers of the holiness and salvation of each other! [ 1Kings 11v4, Acts 5v2, Job 2v9 ] And yet (the Lord have mercy on the poor miserable world!) how common a thing is this among us! If the wife be ignorant and ungodly, she will do her worst to make or keep her husband in the same state as she is herself; and if God put any holy inclinations into his heart, she will be like water to the fire, to quench it or to keep it subdued; and if he will not be as sinful and miserable as herself, he shall have little rest. And if God open the eyes of the wife of a bad man, and show her the necessity of a holy life, and she resolves to obey the Lord, and save her soul, what an enemy and tyrant will her husband be to her (if God does not restrain him); so that the devil himself will do no more to prevent the saving of their souls than ungodly husbands and wives do against each other.


2. Consider also that you are not living up to the design of marriage, if you are not helping each other's souls. ( 27 )


3. Consider also, if you neglect each other's souls, what enemies you are to one another, and how you are preparing for your everlasting sorrows: when you should be preparing for your joyful meeting in heaven, you are laying up for yourselves everlasting horror. ( 28 )

Therefore without a moment's hesitation determine to live together as heirs of heaven, and to be a helper to one other's souls. To assist you in this holy pursuit I will give you these following directions, which if you will faithfully practice, may make you to be special blessings to each other.

References:

26. 2 Cor. 2v4; 2Cor 12v15; 1The 2v8

27. Gen 2v18 1The 5v11; Eph 4v16; Heb 12v15; 1Cor 7v5; Col 2v19; Gen 35v2; Gen 35v4; Lev 19v17; Num 16v27; Num 16v32

28. Gen 2v18; 2Cor 13v5; Gal 6v3; Gen 25v29; Gen 25v34

CONTINUED in......A Spouses Soul


Vincit Veritas~Truth Conquers


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