Of Parents prohibition of their CIJildren to marry. toacrhcr, may clearly difcern that a inarried flare is like to be a greater hinderanceof his falvation, , orbto hi~ fervmg or honouring God in the world, and fo to difadvantage him as to his ultimate end 477 Quell. But what if Parmtsdo.commandit? or willfct a~ainftm~if Idifobey? . 9i.:!ep. A 1 ifn·. Parents have no authonty to command you any thmg agamti God or your falvauon or your Anfw~ ultimltC end : Thcrcfor~ here you owe them no f ormal obtdienc~: But yet the wi/J of Parents with all the conCequems, mufi he put into the fcalcs with all other conliderarions, and if they make the · difcommoditiu of a fingle life to become the greater, as toyour end, then rhoy may bring you under aduty or obligation to marry: not neceffitate pr£ccpti, as obedience to their command ; but mceJJitatt medii as a means to your ultimate end, and in obedience to that general command of God, which re– quireth you to feek.. fir}! your ultimate end, even the Kingdom of God and hi< Righteoufoefs, Matth. 6. 33• · Qud\. But what if I have a corporal neceffity, and yet I can forefte tbat marriage wiU greatly dif !Jl,;ejf'. &dvantage me ar to the firvi.ce of God and my{alvation l Anfw. l"irfi, You mufi underfiand that no corporal neuf!ity is abfolttte: For there i~ no man fo An[w~ lulhu\ but may poflibly bridle his \ua by other \awful means : by dyet, labour, fober company, di· vcuing bufinefs, folitude, watching the thoughts and fenfes, or at leaft by the Phyficions help ; fo that the neceffity is but fiwndum quid, or an urgency rather than fi.mple necelfiry. And then, 2. ·Thi!i meafure of ntccffiry mull be it (elf l.tid in the ballance with the other accidents : and if this ~uuffity will turn the fcales by making a fingle life more difadvantageous to your ultimate end, your luCI: being a greater impediment to you, than all the: inconveniences of marriage will be, than rhe caCc: is rcfolved, It M better ta marry~tban t" burn. Bur if the hinderances in a married Crarc are like to be greater, than the hinderances of your concupifce_ncc, then you muCI: f~.::t your fe\f to the curbing and curing of that i;oncupifcence ; and in the ufc of Gods means expect his b\ciling. ~· 7· 2. Childrc• are not ( ordinarily) called of God to marry, when their Parents do abfo\ute\y Of P>rec.rs andperemptorily forbid it. . For though Parents Command! cannot make it a duty, when we are fure Wills. it would hinder the interefi of God our ultimate end; yet ParentS proiJibitions may make ir a lin, when there is a dear probability that it ~ould moft conduce. to our ultimate end, were it not pro~ hibited. Becaufc, x. Affirmati.vc:s bind not femper & ad [emper as Negatives or prohibitions do. l· Becaufe the finof difobCdiencetoParents will crofsthe tendency of it unto good, and do more againft our ultimate end, than all the advantages of marriage can do for it. A duty is then to us no dury, when it cannot be performed without a cho{en wilful fin. In many cafes we are bound to forbear what a Governour forbiddeth, when we are not bound to Do the contra"ry if he command it. It iseafierto make a dUty to be no duty, thantomak~ a fin to be no fin: One b.:d ingredient may rurn a duty into a fin, when one' good ingredient will not turn a fin into a d11ty or into Ho fin. . y. 8. ~eft. BMmay not aGovernourr prohibition be over weigiJtd by fome great dlgrteJ of incom· !Jl.:!iff• tnoditylltifbttter to marry than to burn: I• What if Parentt forbid Children to marry abjolutely imtiU death, and fo deprive them of the lawful remedy a~ainfr lufr l 2. And if they Ju not fo, yet if they forbid it them when iti<tothem mojl feafonable and nwffary, itfeemetb little better: 3· Or if they forbid t1Jem to mar_ry wh(re their ;s_tfetcions are fo_ eng.zged, M that thly cannot be t~Jtm off with~ t~Ut their »JUtJial ruine ? may Hot Children n1arry in fi~eh cafh of necrffity M theft, witbotlt and 11gai1tfl the n;iUof their Parents? 1_;, ..Aufw. I cannot deny but fome cafes may be imagined or fall out, in which it is lawful to do An[A'~ what a GoVernour forbiddeth, and to marry again{\ the will of Parents : For they have their Power to edificatioH, and 1Jot unto deftruCiio;:; As if a Son be qualified with eminent gifts for the work of the Miniflry, in a time and place that needeth much .help ; if a malignant P.trent in ha~ ued of that Sacred Office, lhou\d ntver fo peremptorily forbid him; yet may tbe Son devote him· fe\f to the b\dfed work of Caving fouls: even as a Son may not forbeat to relieve the poor (with t~at which is his ow• ) though his Parents fhou\d forbid him ; nor forbear to put himfe\f into acap•· ezty to relieve them for the future, nor forbear h1s own necdfary foo~ and raymem t~oLigh fu: be forbidden. As Daniel would not forbear praying openly in hi< ho11[e when he was forbidden bt the King and Law. When any infeparablc accident doth niakc a thing of it felf indifferent become a duty, a Governours prohibiticm will not difcharge us from that duty, unlefs the accident be fma\\er than the accident of the Rulers prohibition, and then it may be over weighed by it: But to determine whst Accidents are Greater or Lefs is a difficult task. 9· 9• And as to the particular Q!!_el\ions, to the fira I anfwer, If Parents forbid their Children to marry while they.li~e~ it is co.n~enient and {afe to obey the~ until de_atb, if no greater j)Dligation to the contrary forbid It : But tt ts neceffary to obey them dunng the ume that the Children liVe under the Government of their Patents; as in their Houfcs, in their younger years : (except in fomc few extraordinary caf(s. ) But when Parents are dead ( though they leave commands in their Wills) or when age or former m~rri11gt hath removed Children from under th.c::ir Government, a finaller matter will fcrve ro jufiifie their difobedience here, than when the Children in minority are Jcfs fit to ?overn th,~fe\ves•. For though WC owe Parents a limited obedience. am, yet at full age the Child IS more at hts own dtfpofe than he was before. Nature hath g1ven g1vt:n us a hint of her intention in ~he inftinct of b~uits, \~ho are all taught to protect and lead anc1 provide for their young ones, whdc the young are mfuffi~teat for themfelvcs: But when they are grown to felf-fufficiency, they drive
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