Chap. II. The HIS T 0 RY of the PuRITANS. 425 be extinguifhed, a's not agreeing with the chril1:ian fimplicity. But no C~~ah~~- fuch propofals were made to the houfe, and therefore it is unjull to lay I6SJ· them to their charge. . ~ The folemnizing of matrimony had hitherto been engroiT~d.by the clergy; Ordinance but this convention confidered it as a civil contraCt, and put 1t mto the hands/~r mar– of the ju11:ices of peace, by an ordinance, which enaCts " that after thertagu. " 29th of September 1653, all perfons who fi1all agree to be married " within the commonwealth of England, fhall deliver in their names and " places of abode, with the names of thei r parents, guardians, and over- " feers, to the regill:er of the pari(h where each party lives, who .fhall " publil11 the bans in the church or chapel three feverallord's days, after " the morning fervice; or elfe in the market-place three feveral weeks fuc- " ceilively, between the hours of eleven and two, on a market day, if " the party defire it. The regill:er fhall make out a certificate of the due " performance of one or the other, at the requell of the parties concerned, " without which they fhall not proceed to marriage. " It is funher enaCted, that all perfons intending to marry .fhall come cc before feme jullice of peace within the county, city, er town corporate, cc where publication has been made, as aforefaid, with their certificate, " and with fufficient proof of the confent of the parents, if either party be ." under age, and then the •marriage iliall proceed in this manner: " The m~n to be married fhall take the woman by the hand, and dif– " tinttly pronounce thefe words, I A. B. do here in the prefence of " God, the fearcher of all hearts, take thee C. D. for my wedded wife ; " and do alfo in the prefence of God, and before thefe witne!Tes, pro– ." mile to be to thee a loving and faithful hu.fband. " Then the woman taking the man by the hand, iliall plainly and dif– " tinctly pronounce thefe words, I C. D. do here in the prefence of " God, the fearcher of all hearts, take thee A. B. for my wedded huf– '' band; and do alfo in the prefence of God, and before thefe.witne!Tes, " promife to be to thee a loving, faithful, and obedient wife. " After this, the juflice may and iliall declare the faid man and woman " to be from thenceforth hu.fband and wife; and from and after fuch con– cc fent fo expre!Ted, and fuch declaration made of the fame (as to the form " of marriage) it iliall be good and effo:Ctual in law; and no other mar– " riage whatfoever, within the commonwealth of England, after the 29th " of Sept. I 653, fhall be held or accounted a marri<~ge, according to the «law of England." · This ordinance was confirmed by the proteCtor's parliament in the year 1656., except the claufe, that no other marriage whatfoever within the ~ommonw_ealth if England jhall. be held, or accounted a legal marriage; and 1t was Wifely done of the parliament at the rell:oration, to confirm thefe V .OL, II. I i i mar-:
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