Gouge tries to tie together baptism and marriage in these paragraphs. Having dealt with the 17th century baptismal disputes in my dissertation, a lot of Anglican sacramental issues came to mind. This section is the most spiritualized, yet. Gouge deals with the objections I would put forth. His answers, however don't satisfy.
The cleansing of the wife, or washing her has to direct husbands to the special duty to pursue the sanctification of his wife. The washing is done with the Word. Yet, tenderly taken up to give her an easy yoke.
Gouges' final words in this section, are worthy of consideration:
"As ministers that baptize ought to preach the Word, so ought they who are baptized to be instructed in the Word."
This general duty of ministers is applied particularly to the work of husbands to their wives. Yet, not in the same force, nor with the same authority as ministers in churches. MTR
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