342 Chap.+. ACemmentarie vpon womanonely.This ChriiI of.purpofe teacheth,Math.t6.where he faith that godcreatedthem at thefirßmanandwoman,and not women,v.4.that a manmuffforf4efather andmother and cleaue to his wife,not to his wiues,v.5.that they ttwaine ¡hall be one f%¡b, v.6.And in all this Chrift makes no newe lawe, but onely re- uiues the firíl inftitntion ofmarriage made in-,Paradife . And 5 Mofes hauing let down this diuine intlitution, addeswithall that Lamechwas the filfl that brake it,by takingmany wines. Now then,the anfwer to the queflion is twofold.Sorne fay, that Abrahamand the refl ofthe Patriarks had a difpenfation fromGod to marrie many wiues,and therefore that it was no Io finite in them. Of this minde are fundrie learned men,both Protetlants and Papias. But the anfwer isonely conieflurall, audhath no euidence in fcripture. The fecond anfwer is,that God did not approoue thepo- lygamieof the fathers,or commend it,but did onely tolerate it, 15 as a lefFer euill,for thepreuenting oía greater.This tolleration appeares,in that God commanded that thekind muffnot multi. ply his wines, Dem. t 7.17. and that the childofthe hated wife, (though Thee be the fccond wife ,) if it be faroborne, (hall be he heirc.Deut. t Li 5. The occafions of this tollerationwere 20 two.One wa5,a defirc in the Patriarches to multiply their po. flerítie.that ifit were path:At, the Meflias might defcend of their line.The fecond was,thecommon cutlomeof men in the call countries,whomade no matterofit, tomary manywines: and common cuftomebredacommon errour, and a common 25 errour,bred common ignorance,whereby that which was in- deed a finne,was a fleemed no finne. It may beobieEted,if thehawing ofmanywiues were an of- fence,that Abraham and the retl ofthe holy Patriarches liued anddied ina finne withoutrepentance : becaufe we finde no- 30 thing in fcripture teaching their repentance for !heir finne. An. wer.Known finnes require particular repentance:but iffinnes be vnknown,or vnconfidered, byreafon that menare carried away with theTway of the times (as the Patriarcheswere)age- nerall repentance fufficeth,Pfal. 19.1 2. ;5 Againe,it may bealleadged , that :Abraham tooke Agar by thecoulent ofSara. Antthat fuf icethnot tomakea full excufe ifor Abraham.Forifmarriage -were a meereciuill contra&t,as it is tradeby the confentofmen and women,fo it might be dif folucd
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