The doctrine of reprobation “illustrates and recommends” to the elect the necessity of humble thanksgiving and complete self-abnegation before God. In Pauline fashion, it teaches us to beware of all self-exaltation, either before God or in contrast to the reprobate. Consequently, Cornelis Trimp rejects the idea of calling reprobation “the dark shadow of election,” for its positive thrust “shows us very clearly that our salvation is only a matter of grace,” and “by this doctrine we learn to fear God, to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling,” and “we thus know Him as the eternal enemy of sin.” Most detailed, however, is [Loraine] Boettner’s list of reprobation’s benefits to the elect:

“In beholding the rejection and final state of the wicked, (1) they learn what they too would have suffered had not grace stepped in to their relief, and they appreciate more deeply the riches of divine love which raised them from sin and brought them into eternal life while others no more guilty or unworthy than they were left to eternal destruction. (2) It furnishes a most powerful motive for thankfulness that they have received such high blessings. (3) They are led to a deeper trust of their heavenly Father who supplies all their needs in this life and the next. (4) The sense of what they have received furnishes the strongest possible motive for them to love their heavenly Father, and to live as pure lives as possible. (5) It leads them to a greater abhorrence of sin. (6) It leads them to a closer walk with God and with each other as specially chosen heirs of the kingdom of heaven.”

Joel R. Beeke, Debated Issues in Sovereign Predestination: Early Lutheran Predestination, Calvinian Reprobation, and Variations in Genevan Lapsarianism, 68-69.

Thus, though the circumstances of God’s covenant with Abraham (circumcision) is abolished, yet the substance (to be our God, and the God of our seed) remains. This might further be shown in many hundreds of instances, for the substance of all the Jewish sacrifices and sacraments, both ordinary and extraordinary, of their Sabbaths, their fasts, their feasts, and similar things, remain, though the circumstances, as shadows, have vanished away. Hence it is that many promises made to them are applied by the apostles to Christians, like, “I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5), and in general it is said, “The promise is to you and to your children, and to all that are afar off” (Acts 2:39).

Hereby we may learn what use to make of the Old Testament, even of those promises and privileges which in some particular respects were appropriated to the Jews, by observing the substance and distinguishing it from the circumstance. Thus shall we find that to be true which the apostle spoke of all the things which were written earlier, namely, that “they were written for our learning” (Rom. 15:4). In this respect the same apostle says of the things recorded of Abraham, “it was not written for his sake alone” (Rom. 4:23), and again of the things recorded of the Israelites, “they are written for our admonition” (1 Cor. 10:11). By this we may learn how to apply the preface to the Ten Commandments, which mentions the deliverance of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt.

Pray therefore for the spirit of illumination to discern between substance and circumstance, in reading the Old Testament especially.

William Gouge, Building a Godly Home: A Holy Vision for Family Life, 182-183.

Disobedience to parents is a sin that is seldom isolated, for an undutiful child is commonly a very wicked person in many other ways. Considering the proneness of our nature to all sin, it cannot be avoided but that they who in the beginning shake off the yoke of government, should run headlong into all kinds of partying, wild living, and contempt for law and order. Sin being added to sin, it must bring trouble upon trouble, till at length life is cut off.

William Gouge, Building a Godly Home: A Holy Vision for Family Life, 177.

The direction in each of those epistles which were sent to the seven churches in Asia, in these words, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Rev. 2:7), teaches every member in any of those churches to apply to himself that which was delivered to the whole church. . . .

. . . if we do not bring the Word home to our own souls, it will be as a word spoken into the air (1 Cor. 14:9), vanishing away without any profit to us. Nothing makes the Word less profitable than putting it off from ourselves to others, thinking that it concerns others more than ourselves.

William Gouge, Building a Godly Home: A Holy Vision for Family Life, 156-157.

Can polygamy (having many wives) or bigamy (having two wives at once) have any good warrant in the face of such an explicit law against them? Are not both of them against the first institution of marriage, so that we may say, “from the beginning it was not so” (Matt. 19:8)? Yes, and also against other particular laws (Deut. 17:17; Lev. 18:18)? Lamech, one of Cain’s cursed offspring, was the first that we read of to have presumed against that ancient law (Gen. 4:19).

Objection: Afterwards many patriarchs and other saints took that liberty to themselves.

Answer: It was their sin, and a great blemish in them. The common error of the time and their insatiable desire of children made them fall into it. Many inconveniences followed. . . .

Considering the heinousness of this sin, our laws have justly made it a felony for a man to have more wives than one, or a woman more husbands.

William Gouge, Building a Godly Home: A Holy Vision for Family Life, 138-139.

This fits well with that which follows (“they two shall be one flesh”). Our English cannot well express the Greek in good sense word for word, which is thus, “they two shall be into,” or “in one flesh.” The meaning is that they which were two before marriage, by the bond of marriage are brought into one flesh, to be even as one flesh, as closely united, as the parts of the same body, and the same flesh. This unity is not through sexual intercourse (for if they be married they are one flesh, though they never know one another sexually), nor through procreation, because one child comes from them both (for though they never had a child, yet are they one flesh), but in regard of God’s institution, who has set it down for a law, and as another nature, that man and wife should be so close to one another. Their consent in marriage (by virtue of God’s institution) makes them to be one flesh.

William Gouge, Building a Godly Home: A Holy Vision for Family Life, 134-135.

“A kind of possession of heaven while we are on earth, for that which the head possesses, the body and several members also possesses. In this respect it is said that He “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). . . .

Learn here how to think of the resurrection, ascension, and safety of Christ, even as of the resurrection, ascension, and safety of a head, in and with whom His body and all His members are raised, exalted, and preserved.

William Gouge, Building a Godly Home: A Holy Vision for Family Life, 118-119.

The union of Christ’s two natures is hypostatical and essential [joining Christ’s two essences, divine and human, in one person (hypostasis)], they make one person, but the union of Christ’s person and ours, is spiritual and mystical, they make one mystical body. Yet is there no difference in reality and truth of these unions. Our union with Christ is not a bit less real and true because it is mystical and spiritual; they who have the same Spirit are as truly one as those parts which have the same soul.

William Gouge, Building a Godly Home: A Holy Vision for Family Life, 115.

If he is worse than an infidel who does not provide for his own (1 Tim. 5:8), what is he that does not provide for himself? He is even worse than a beast, for nature has taught the irrational beasts to nourish and cherish themselves. If any think that it better suits beasts or natural men than saints, let them tell me which of the saints at any time, guided by God’ Spirit, wholly neglected himself. To omit all others, it is expressly noted that Christ slept (Matt. 8:24), ate (Luke 14:1), rested (John 4:6), and otherwise refreshed Himself.

William Gouge, A Holy Vision for Family Life, 102.

Theologically, there is only one Church, for Christians are now fellow citizens of the saints and of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. . . . This Church is not a human organization; it is God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10), created in accordance with His eternal purpose in Christ (Eph. 1:4f.) that in it He might show the exceeding riches of His grace (Eph. 2:7).

“Church” by G. W. Bromiley in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, A-D, 693.