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Bpfiefians,
Chap.S.
V
E
R.
31,
Doli.
I.
Doll.
2.
Ye
r.
2.
I
diftinEtion
betweene the
being one
flefh
of
a
wretch
with
a
harlot
,
and
a
man with his wife ;
for
theirs
is
neither lawful!, holy, nor
infeparable.
The
things
I
would haveyou markefrom
hence are
thefe
;
Firft,
That
a
man mull therefore lave hir wife,
becauJe
it
is not a
fixate
ofman,
but
Gods
inflitution;
for we
fee
here
that the
Apoftic doth teach
it
even
from thofe
ancient
Canons of Gods owne
making, which have
beene
from the beginningof the world. For though
in carafes it
is
queflionable whether
e
'fofes
or
vldam
Both fpeake
thcfe, or God
immediatly, yet this
Chrift hath
put out
ofcontroverfie that God
did
en::
t
this. Look Mat.19.5. Have
you not read
that God
created them
and
Paid,
&c. So that
as
we hence
inbreed
the
dutie of the woman,
let
her be
fubjeâ
as
to God,
as
knowing that
this
is
Gods
will
:
fo let
the
husband love,
as
knowing that
this
is
Gods owne Conflitution. If
we fhould trangrcffe mans
Canons
in
our Matrimonie, we might
hap-
pily
here
of
it in
the
Court
:
take heed
of
trefpaffing, efpecially
of
wilfull breaking
Gods
Canons,
who
can
not onely
punifh
the
purfe
and
body,
but
fling
into hell.
Marke hence, That
the
wife
is
not
onely
to
be
loved
but moretenderly
then the Parent
:
for
the
is
become himfelfc
:
Great
love
is
due to
them who havebeene Gods inftruments
in
giving
us
our
being
;
how
great
is
that
love
by
which this
is
exceeded
e
So thatthis
may let
us fee
how
vile
a
thing
it
is
not
to love the
wife.
For
if
one
fhould
be unkinde
to
his
Parents,
wayward toward them,
provoke them
to wrath, &c.would not
men fay,the Ravens
of the
val.
Icy
might
picke
out the
eyes
of
filch
a
partie
a
then how monftrous
is
fuch meafure
to
a
Wife,
who
is
to
have place
in
love above the
Parent
e
Againe,
it
doth teach
men
that they mull fometime rather
fuftaine
the Parents
unjuft difpleafure,
then
leave the
bond
of
love
in
which
they
are
tyed to the wife.
If
the Father
and
Mother
fhould
not brook
the
wife
of
their child,
he
mutt
lisein
loffe
of
their favour,rather then
let
his
wife be oppreffed
in
innocency ,
or
nested
his
love
where
he
doth
principally
owe
it.
From the
la
ft
claafe fundry things may be
obferved,
That the
mee-
ting
together
in
marriage
benevolence being the
ordinance
of
God,
is
pure
and
holy;
Heb.
t 3.
The
bed
undefiled,marriage honourable.
They
do
wickedly
that
accuf
e
it
of
any finfull filthineffè.
True
it
is,chat
our
cor-
ruption doth fptinkle it with pollution often
,
but
who
would
rave
a-
gainft
Wine
which rejoyceth the heart
ofman,
bccaufe
the
fin
ofman
doth
abufe
it
to
drunken diflemper
a
and
that
is a
foolilh
Titre
why
men fhould
fecke
fecrecy
in
thefe
things,
as
if
this
could argue
the
action
as
finfull.
Why
doe
men
covering their feete retire
themfeives
fecretly
a
Morali
uncomelinefTe
is
one thing
, finfull filthineffe ano-
ther
:
and
therefore let them looke that
do
give wipes
to
Gods
Or-
dinances,
how
they will efcape
that
curie which
is
threatned
againft
them that
call cvill
good,
and
good
(as
this is)
cvilI.
It