To whom Marriage is a duty or afin. ·Preachers and perfccuted Chril\ians, to be more u[ullly the moll advantagious fiatc of life, to thefe End1 of Chrif\ianity; And therefore it is fa id that He that marrictb uor, doth bttttr. And yet \o Ltdi– ~idual pcrfonJ, it is hard to i~a~:ne ho.w it can choofc but be either a duty or a fin; at leall txcepr 10 fame unufua1 cafes. For. tt Js a thtng of fo great moment as to the ordering of ,our hean; and lives, that it is hard to imagtne that it fhould ever be indifferent as a meam to our main end, hut t:t:r mull either ~e a v~ry gre.at help or hinderance~ But yet if tbe~e b: ~ny perfons who[f t:afe may be fo equally po1fed wuh acctdents on both fides, that to the moll JUdiCIOUS man it is not difcernibit" whether a ji1t;.lt or nurritd fi~tc of life, is like to con~uce ~ore to. t~e~r perfo.nal Ho/inefi or public( ttfofulnr[!, or the good of othc.:rs, to fuc.h perfons M.Jrrtage 111 the zndzvzdual czrcumjl.:mtiated a{] is a thing indifferent. Who :are ea!- 9·-4· By thefe~onditions.followi.ngyou may know, what perfons havea Call from God to marry, and led to marry? who have not h1s ca11 or approbation. J,lf there be the pcrempt,,ry wiU or c.1mmandof Parent 1 to Children that are under their power and Governrnenr, and m grMter matter on the contrary to hinder ir the command of Parents fignifierh the command of God; But if Parents do but per[wade and not com:n.:md though their dcflru mull not be caunefly rcfufed, yet a fmallcr impediment may preponderate tha~ in cafe of a peremptory command. 2. They arc called to many who have not the gift of Conthmtcr and cannot by the u[c of lawful means attain it, and have no impediment which maketh ir unlawfui to them to marry, 1 <;or. 7·9_· But if they cannot contaiH, ltt tht'!" ma.rry; for it if better to marry tiJJn to burn. But here the d1vers drgreu of the urgent and the lnndermg c.wfes mufl be compared and the weigbtitft rnufi prc.:vail. For fome that h:.wc very jlrong /ujls may yet have ftronger impc: dimrnu, And tfwugh they cannot keep thar chaftity in their Thoughts as they defire, yer in fuch a caf~ they mutl abllain: And there is no man but may keep hM body in chajiity if he will do his part : Yea and 1bou~hts rhtmfdves may be commonly and for the rnofi part kept pure, and wanton im1~ina!ill1lmarricJ. ons quickly checkt, if men be Godly, and will do what they can. But on the orh~r fide rhere are men a~e the fome that have a more tamable mcafure of Concupifccncc, and yet have no conlid(rable hind!ra~tce bhH:rftenils~ whoft: duty it may be to Marry as the rnofi certain and fuccefsful means againfl that final! degree, as ~eers eth;"b"en Jongas there is nothing to forbid ir. 3· Another caufe that warranteth Marriage is, when upon a ferv;ms; bur wife cafiing up of all accounts, it is apparently malt probable that in a married fl:ate, one tnly be not always the mofi ferviceable t{l God and the publick good: that there will be in it greater helps and fewer hin– belt ~ubJcll:s: deranccs to the grt:at ends of our lives ; the glorifying •ef God, and the faving of our fflvcs and ~~~: t~Yr~~e others. And. whereas it m~fi be expect'ed. that every c6.ndition fhould be.more helpful to us in one 3;v:.~y, and rcfpeCl, and hmderus more tn another nfped; and that 10 one we have mol\ helps for a co»templative rh~refore venlife, and in another we are better furnifhed for an Aliive {trviceable life, the great skill therefore in the trou~, &c. difcerning of of our duti.es 1yeth in the prudent pondering and comparing of the commodities and ~· ~aw: Efdircornmoditics, wichout the fcduction of fantafi~, lull or plaion, and in a true difccrning which 1 • fide it is that hath the greatell weight. Obrarvations. 9· 5· Here it mult be carefully obfervcd, r. That the two firfi Reafons for Marriage ( Coumpifoence and the wili of PartntJ ) or any fuch like have their llrength but in fubordinarion to the third (the {i11al cau[e, or intcrcli of God and our falvati<:nt) And that this lajl Reafon ( from the end) is of it fdf fufticient without any of the other, but none of the other are fufficienr without thif. If it be clear that in a married ltate you have better advantages for the fervice of God, and doing good to othus, and faving your own fouls, than you can hav.c in a tingle llate of life, thc"Q it is undoubt· ec.lly your duty to many: For our obligation to fee\< our ttltim.Jte end is the mofi conflant indifpcn– fable obligation : Though Parents command it not ; tbottgh you have no corporal nc:ceffity, yet it is a dztty if ir certainly make moft for your nlrlinate end. 2· But yet obfcrvc aUO, that no pretence of your ultimate end it {elf will warrant you to marry when any othe~ accident hath tirft made it a thing unlawful, while that accident cpntinueth._ For we mutt not do ~vi! thar good rn<}y/~ome by ir. Our falvation is not furthered by fin: And though we faw a probabjlity that we rnighc do more good to others, if \ve did but commit fuch a fin to ·accampliili it, yet ic is nor t.o be..,dontl. _ Fctr our Jives and metdcs being all iri the hand of God, and the ft~ccejfu aud acceptance of all onr endea– vours depending wholly upon him, it can never be a rational way to attain them, by willfi1l offend– ing him by our fin ! It is a likely means to publick good for able and good men to be Mag;jtrate 1 or •Mini_Ji_ers: And yet he that would lye, or be perjured, or commit any known {in tbar he .mJy be a Mag1flrare, or that he may Prc:ach the Gofpel, might berter expect a curf~ on himfelf and his. en– deavours, than God~ acceptance, or his blejfiHg and fuccefs: fo he that would Ji1: to change his lhtc for the better, would find that he changed it for the worfe: or if it do good ro others, he may ex 4 pe/J no good bur ruine to hirnfelf (if repentance ~revent it not). 3· Obferve alfo that if the queftion be only which fiate of life it is (married or fingle) which bett conducesh to t/;is uftim.Jtt tnd, than any oHe of the fubordinate kea{ont will prove that we have a~all, if rhe.re be not greater Reafom on the contrary fide. As in caii: you have no corpor.:zl nectffity, the wiU of PareJJts alo11t may oblige you-; if there be no greater thing againfi: it: or if Parents oblige you nor, yet CJrpord nrcrfJiiY alone may do it: or if neither of thele invite you, yet a dear probability of the attain– ing of fuch an eltate or opportunity, as may make you more fit to relieve many others, or be fc·r– viceable to the Church, or the blciling of ChiJdren whomay be devored to God, may warrant your Marriage, if no grearer rcii(Ons 1ye againfi it; For when the Scales are C~jual any one of thefe may tllrn them. trlao may ·not i. 6. By this alfo rou may perceive wlio:they be ~hat _have ~to Ct1ll to mar.r~, and to. wh.om it ~s. a man'y. fin ? As, 1. No man hath a Cdl to marry, who, laymg all the commodiJ:JC:S and d1fcommodnH:s ~ together,
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