VER. 23. Ephfanr, Chap.5. 660 Firft, That it is an Ordinance of God which hach grace annexed to it in thofethat are his : for all things are pure to the pure eve- rie ordination or creature is fanótified to us : our painefull callings are tucanes and have grace going with them , Ecclef. 1. 53. Here the Papifts fhoote their powder in vaine, while they proove this point. Secondly, That theprayers of the Church doe obtainebothblef- 'fing of fruitfulneffe and graceto be given : for even private prayer dothfanótifiethingstous: but it followeth not hence, becaufe mar- riageis folemnized with the Churches prayersand bleffings,therefore a Sacrament : Thus Churching of women might be preferred for that eight Sacrament. Thirdly , Though it cannot be extorted , yet we may yeild that marriage is a figure of Chrift his conjunétion with the Church.What then mutt wee not yeild, viz, that the externall hand - farting with words or gefture teflifying confent , are either fignes or much lefle, caufes of any grace of God : for though grace goe with the ftate of marriage , it is to bee referred to Chriffs death , Gods callingwhich is not unaccompanied of a gift to the condition of life as a meane God ufeth , not to any Ceremonial! right what- foever. z. Becaufe the Apoftlefaith it [is] a Sacrarnent,not it [was,] there- fore theyfay thatunder theNewTeftament it is,but was not from the beginning. i 4nfw, Theground is nothing, for the time prefentdoth infold the time paft, and argueth continuance of the adtion in the time to come: and looke what marriage is, itwas from that firft inftitution; for the Scripture ufeth this allegorie in the Canticles, and Pfa1.45. Hofea 2.20. Fray 54.5. Neither doth the Polygamie anddivorcehin- der; for thefe were not of that effentiall inflitution , but onely of Gods toleration in fome for the hardnefe of their hearts. Befide that Polygamie had (as Tome will have it) a Sacramental! Iigni- fication. Here then firft is to be marked ; nowthat there is a hiddenfecrecy in points ofgodlincffe,s Tim.3.ult. Looke above. Onely make this ufe here: To (titre up attention in hearingof it : for men in teaching, when they come to a hard knotty thing, they will fay, Here is a hard fe- cret point, marke well here. So we when the Holy Ghatdoth thus ftylethis matter, muff double our diligence inattending to it. In the next place wee muft open fome points in which ftandeth the feerer fpeculation of Chrift with his Church. Having met with many before , weewill unfold three more , and fo paffe to the verfe following. We fee that in marriage there is agiving of the perlons married by the Parents, and a mutuall acceptancewhereby the perlons take eachother : This is tobe feene in Chrift and his Church. j. God Mnrm 3 the Doü;; Y. 1:
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