;42 Chap.5. The Duties ofHusbands and Wives. Com.S, gard to the time, when the world was yet empty : whereas in thefe times, when the world is fo well filled;and in foineplaces over -full,Society is not fo needful. In which refpet t the Apoftle teems to fet down the plain oppofire conclufion to this;Bonum eft I Cor.7t r,26. mulierem non tangere, it is goodfor a man not to touch a woman; which is to be under- flood in a diverfe'refpeét becaufe of the prefent trouble of the Church, which was then under perfecution,and not otherwife ; for in feveral refpe&s, that may begood at one time which is not at another 5 for otherwife when fin entred, there was more need ofthe help ofSociety, in regard of fin to beavoided, the imperfeefions of old Age,Difeafes, and Infirmities, &c. It was very convenient there fhould be a yoke- Gen. z. 24. fellow : And therefore it is that God faith, That a man fhouldforfakeFather and Mc- ther, and cleave tohis Wife, andtheyfhall be oneflelh, which thews the neceffity, as well as the nearnefs of this Conjunétion : and hence the Prophet terms the wifea com- panion and wifeof the Covenant. There is a league between them, wherein they Mal. z. 14. promife mutual help. This conjunétion, and the indiffolubility ofit, our Saviour mentioneth in one verfe, theyare no more twain, but oneflefh , what thereforeGod bath joined together, let no manput afunder. Now ifthey ought tobe helpful to one another in the things of this Life, we may henceargue a minori admajue, that Matchesought not to bemadewith Idolaters and Unbelievers, becaufe they will be rather hindrances, than helpers in the bell things, whichconcern the Soul ; and therefore the Apo(ileexhorts , not to be une- qually yokedwithVnbelievers, but tomarry only, in the Lord ; not but that fuch Mar- riages being made,are valid; for,as the fame Apoitle faith,the unbelieving wife isfan- Oified by the believing hatband, and the believing man mayPave bis wife, and fo é con- .tra ; and therefore the fame Apoflle faith, that the believing husband ought not toput array the unbelievingwife, nor the believing wife to leaveber unbelievinghatband, but when they are free and at liberty tochufe they fhould avoid fuch unequal yokes : for multa fieridebent, qu faélavalent, many things ought not to be done, which yet be- ing done, are notvoid, or null, but are valid andfirm. 2. The fecond is Matrimonium, which imports another endofMarriage, viz. that fumina fiat mater, thewoman may become a mother. This was part of Gods In(litu- Gen. I. 28. lion before Adams fall : for he faith, Crefcite&multiplicamiti, be fruitfuland mul- tiply,andhave dominionover the Creatures ; yet the end is not barelypropagation, as ofother things to replenifh theWorld, but there was a higher end aimedat, to wit, the propagation ofa holy Seed for the enlarging of the Church,that there might be femen fantlum, and for this caufe God made but one Woman, though he could havecreated more ( as the Prophet fpeaks ) by the plenty of Spirit he could have made more helps than one, but he made but one, that he might raite up to himfelf Mat, z. 15. a godlySeed. And this is one efpecial end ofMatrimony ; not to fill the VVorld, and therefore the Apofile fpeaking ofthe Woman, and (hewing that fin came into theWorld by her ; yet faith, this fhould be afubordinate means tó fave her, that the (hall bear Children, which may be finen faniium, a holySeed, and even that Sant:ìification thall refult to her benefit, as an under-means : and fo not onely a Tim. 2. 14, the encreafe, populi, butpopoli fntü, the enlarging of the Church, is the fecond 25. End. 3. The lati is Nuptie, which imports fomething which came after Sin had entred into theWorld. For S.Ambrofe faith,that nubo in the fiel fignification path no other fenfe, but tegere, to cover, as it is plain in obnubo, and the refi of its compounds ; or it denotes tous, that there is aliquidtegendum& celandum,fomewhat to be concealedand covered ; and there was fome caufe offhamefattnefs, when the fig leaves were (owed together. The caufe is, that after they had finned, the Inferiour parts as theAp- petite, grew to be irregular and unruly. Whereupon , as the Apoftle fpeaks, the Devil rakes occafion to tempt to incontinency, and therefore héadvifes, that toavoid a Cor:7.5,1a. fornication, every man havebit own wife, and every woman ber own bgtbând; that fo they may haveThortem immaculatum, the Bedundefiled. This Solomon calls the a- voidingof afirange woman, which he accounts a fpecial part of wifdom ; and fo this end includes that duty of Fidelity which the one owes to theother ; for un- net,13. 4. lets Fornication be avoided, there can be no mutual Fidelity. Therefore the A- Prov.5.20. polle faith, that the one of themarried perlons hash not power over their own Body, but the other : the third end then of this Nuptia is toavoid Fornication. So
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