T!Je Comforts of a Married ftate. S~::e Ectlef. 4· As a manicd life ~ath its temptations and a'fHittions, fo it hath its peculiar bem:fi(s, which you arc ,o, 11, 11 • thankfully ro accept and acknowledge unto God. 1. It is a mercy in order to the propagaring of a people on earth to love and honour their Creatour, and to fciVe God in th~ world and enjoy him fur ·ever. It is no fmal! mercy to be the Parents of ·a Godly feed : and this isthc rnd of the infii– tution of marriage, Mal. 2. J 5· And this Parents may expctl:: if they be not wanring on their part ; however fometimes their .Children prove ungodly. 2• le is a 111ercy to have a faithful friend, that lovcrh you entirely, and IS as true ro you as your felf, to whom you may open your mind and commu~ nicate your affairs, and who will be ready to firengthcn you, and divide the cares of your affairs and family with you, and help you to bear your burdens, and comfort you in your farrows, and be the daily companion of your lives, and partaker of your joys and forfows. 3· And it is a mercy to have fo near a tiicnd to Be a helper. t0 your fOul ; to joyn with you in prayer and other holy exercifes ; to watch over you aud tell you of your fins and dangers, and to Hir up in you the grace of God, and remember you of the life to come, and cheerfully accompany you in the wayes of holindS. Prov. ~· 14· A pr~dent r.ife ~from tbt Lord. Thus it is faid, Prov. 18. 2 2· Wbofo findtth • wife pndctb 11 good thinJ!, and obtaintlh favom of tht Lord. See Prov. 31· 10, 1J, 12, &c. Dirtli, 10• ~ • 56. Diu~. 10. Ltt your Marriage Covmant be madt undc-rjlandingly, dtlibtrateiy, heartily, in tbt fe.r of God, witl> a fixrd rr{o/wion fairbfuUy "prrform it. llnd<rfiand wdl all the dutiet of your re– lation belore you enter inro it: And run nor upon it as boys to a play, but with the fenCe of your duty, a'S thofc: that engage: 'themfelves to agreat deal of work of great importance towards G('ld and towards each other. Addrcfs your ftlvcs therefore before hand to God for Counftl, and carneftly !,,g his guidance, and his bldling, and run nor\\irhour him nor before him. Reckon upon the worfi, and forefc:e all temptations which would diminifh your aff<.ctions, or make you unfaithful to each other : and fee that you be fonitied againfi them all. Dirtl1. 11• 9• 57· DireCt. 1r. Be furt tbtJt Godbe the ultimate end of your marri;gc, tznd that yott principally choo[t tbat ]late of life tbat in it y11u may be mojl ftrviceabJe to IJim ; and that you htartily devote )'Mr felvu, and yrur f milia unttt God; tbat fa it may be to )'(JU a jimCtified condition. It is nothing buc maklng God our Guide and End that can fanCtitlC our flare of life. They that unfei~nedly fiUorv God; counfol, and aim at M-1 Glorj, and -do it toplea{t bim, will find God owning and bleffu~g their re– lation. But they that do it principally to pleafe the fiejh, to fJtisfie lull, a13d to increafe thei.t ellaus, and to have Children furviving them to receive the fruirs of their Pridt and Covtlo~t[mji, can expect to reap no better than they fow ; and to have the Flijh, the World, and the Devil the mafiers of their family, according to their own dcfirc and choice. Dirt{i. 12• §.58. Diretl:. 12· At your firjl conjHn[iion (and thro•gl> the r<fi of your lives) remembtr tht d1y ofyuur [tparatiolr· And think .not that you. yo~ arc jittling your fclves in ~ fl~t; of R.tfl or felicity or continuancr,but only alfummg a companJOO Jh your ua.veis.: Whether you J~ve 1~1 a marned or: an unmarrit:d life, rcmlmber that you are hatling to the evc:rlallmg life, where there Js ncnher marrying J Cor 1. ~9 nor givi11g in marri.:gt. You are going aS fall ro another world in one flare of life as in the orher. 30: You arc but to help each other in your way, that your journey may be the cafier to you, and that you may happily meet again in the Heavenly Hitrufo/em. When wor1dlings marry they take it for a fettling tbun[tlva i11 tht world; And as Regenerate perfons begin dte world ane\V, by beginning to lay tlp a treafi.nc in Heaven ; fo worldiings call their Marriage, their begjmtiug tht world, becaufe then as engaged fervants to the world, they fer thernfelves to fe~k it . with great~r diligence than ever be– fore : They do but in marriage begin (as Ji<k.!rt) that hfe of fooltry, wh1ch, when he had found what he fougbt, that Rich man ended, Luk,_. • 2· 19, zo. with a 1hit I rriU do: I n:iU puU donm nry barm.r and build "rCattr, and there will I hejlow all my fr>,iiJ and m)' gondJ: A1td I wi.Ufiy to my foul, SoN I thou ba)i m~tcb goods laid up for m..my ytarJ, ta~e tbine taj(, etJt drink and be nurry: But Gotl [aid zattiJ him, Thoufooltbii 1tight jhaU tby [oHI bt required of thte: then rvb.ft flJ:JIJ tbofe t~iJJgs bt which thou bajl provided. If you would not dy fuch fools, do no1 marry and hvc fuch worldhngs. Tit. 2. Cafrs of Marriage. ~tfl._ I. QJc fi. 1. WH;:t jhotdd o~e j vUuw M a cN"tai;r Rule,.about .tbrprobil!ited degru 1_ of. Crmfai:~ttf.r.i'J! Dr ·.lhecJ:eof a.ffimty? Sewtg J.TiuL!Jwof MofcSU1Jottl1fiJrctto lU· 2• And.if ztwcrc zt U tery PvJ,~amy l! darlz, 1Yhnlur it may b;r p.:1rity of rcaflm be txtrnded to more degrees tb.m are n.Jmed m tbe text? 3· A1:2d ~~;l~~~~l; r:d Ji'cing the L!~W of nat11re i1 fo bardly legible in tbH cafe l ~"~~~~~~ ';~Q.T t take it not tobe ncrrlfuy to ~ccidc it, cfpccill:y whiic the law o( the L:md Joth mJkc it death. Arl[iv. 1. It is cntain that the proh:bired degrees are not fo ff;ttdly a11d mriverfoVy unlawful, ~s that fl1ch ll)aniagc may nbr Le made l.~wful by a1ry mctjfity. for Ad~nu fans did lawfully rn:ury thc:u own Sdlcrf. -;/.But now the wodd is peopled, fi.tch nccdlitics as will warrant fuch maniages rr.ull needs be very rau·, and fuch as wc arc never like to meet with. 3· The
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