689 / 808
V
E
R.
23.
Eph
fanr,
Chap.
5.
660
Firft,
That
it
is
an
Ordinance
of
God which
hach
grace annexed
to
it in
thofe
that
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
the
prayers
of
the Church
doe obtaine
both
blef-
'fing
of
fruitfulneffe and
grace
to be
given
:
for
even
private prayer
dothfanótifiethingstous:
but it followeth not hence,
becaufe mar-
riage
is
folemnized with
the Churches
prayers
and
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.
W
hat
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
calling
which
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 Apoftle
faith
it
[is]
a
Sacrarnent,not
it
[was,]
there-
fore they
fay
that
under the
New
Teftament
it
is,but
was not
from the
beginning.
i
4nfw,
The
ground
is
nothing,
for
the
time prefent
doth
infold
the time
paft,
and argueth continuance
of
the
adtion
in
the
time
to
come:
and
looke what
marriage is,
it
was 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
;
now
that
there
is
a
hiddenfecrecy
in
points ofgodlincffe,
s
Tim.3.ult. Looke above. Onely
make
this
ufe
here:
To
(titre up attention
in
hearing
of
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
Ghat
doth
thus
ftylethis
matter,
muff
double our diligence
in
attending
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 a
giving
of
the perlons married
by the Parents,
and
a
mutuall acceptance
whereby
the
perlons take
each
other
:
This
is
to
be
feene in
Chrift
and his
Church.
j.
God
Mnrm
3
the
Doü;;
Y.
1: