Whoever therefore takes a wife, must, in this respect that she is his wife, love her . . .

Many good reasons for this may be given.

1. Because no duty on the husband’s part can be rightly performed except it be seasoned with love . . .

2. Because of all persons on earth a wife is the most proper object of love . . .

3. Because of his high position . . . To keep him from abusing his authority, love is so much pressed upon him.

4. . . . if love is not ruling in the husband, there is likely to be but little peace between husband and wife. Love covers a multitude of imperfections.

5. Because as Christ by showing first His love stirs up the church to love Him, so a husband by loving his wife should stir up her to love him in return . . .

Because wives are the most important and greatest responsibility of husbands, so their most vigorous and greatest care must be for them . . . Husbands are most of all bound to love, and bound to love their wives most of all . . .

As salt must be first and last upon the table, and eaten with every bit of meat, so must love be first in a husband’s heart, and last out of it, and mixed with everything in which he has to do with his wife.

William Gouge, Building a Godly Home: A Holy Vision for a Happy Marriage, 181-183.