Modern English edition · 1622 AD
Domestic Duties: For Husbands
Gouge's practical guidance for husbands from his comprehensive work on family life. Based on Ephesians 5-6, he addresses the husband's role, love, and responsibilities in marriage.
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About this book
Domestic Duties: For Husbands is drawn from William Gouge's comprehensive treatise on household governance, "Of Domestical Duties." Based on his exposition of Ephesians 5-6, this section addresses husbands specifically, setting forth their calling to love their wives as Christ loves the church.
Gouge emphasizes that Paul's instructions to husbands focus on love rather than authority. While headship is acknowledged, the emphasis falls on sacrificial, Christ-like love. Husbands are to love wives as their own bodies, nurturing and cherishing them. Authority exists for service, not domination.
The practical implications of this love receive thorough development. Gouge addresses how husbands should speak to their wives, how they should make decisions affecting the family, how they should provide for household needs, and how they should handle disagreements. Love must be demonstrated in daily conduct.
Gouge challenges the tyrannical patterns that characterized many marriages in his era. Husbands who lord it over wives, who treat them as servants, who fail in tenderness and care—all violate their calling. The husband's authority is real but must be exercised in love, following Christ's example.
The husband's spiritual responsibilities receive particular attention. He is responsible for family worship, for the spiritual instruction of household members, and for modeling godly character. Gouge sees the husband as priest of the household, accountable to God for the family's spiritual welfare.
For modern readers, Gouge offers challenging vision. His insistence that male headship must be expressed through sacrificial love corrects distortions in either direction. His practical guidance on daily conduct grounds abstract principles in concrete behavior. His emphasis on spiritual leadership challenges men to take seriously their calling to serve their families.
About the author
William Gouge
William Gouge (1575-1653) was an English Puritan clergyman and author who served as minister of Blackfriars, London, for forty-five years. Educated at Cambridge, he became one of the most respected Puritan preachers of his generation. He participated in the Westminster Assembly, contributing to its theological work. His major work, "Of Domestical Duties," first published in 1622 and expanded in later editions, became the standard Puritan treatment of family life. Based on years of preaching through Ephesians 5-6, it addresses the duties of husbands, wives, parents, children, masters, and servants. Gouge was known for his learning, his practical wisdom, and his pastoral care. His domestic theology influenced English and American family life for generations.
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