over them in their dominions, or over any of their people; and least of all to deprive them of their dominions or lives, if he shall judge them to be hereticks, or upon any other pretence whatsoever o.

CHAP. XXIV. of Marriage and Divorce.

MAR

ARRIAGE is to be between one man and one wo

man: neither is it lawful for any man to have more than one wife, nor for any woman to have more than one husband at the same time a.

II. Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband and wife b; for the increase of mankind with a legiti

b

10. But chiefly them that walk after God. Rev. xiii. 15. And he had the flesh, in the lust of uncleanness, power to give life unto the image of and despise government: presump- the beast, that the image of the beast tuous are chey, self-willed, they are should both speak, and cause that as not afraid to speak evil of dignities. many as would not worship the image Ver. 11. Whereas angels, which are of the beast should be killed. Ver. 16. greater in power and might, bring not And he causeth all, both small and railing accusation against them before great, rich and poor, free and bond, to the Lord. Jude, ver. 8. Likewise receive a mark in their right hand, or also these filthy dreamers defile the in their foreheads: Ver. 17. And flesh, despise dominion, and speak that no man might buy or sell, savę evil of dignities. Ver. 9. Yet Michael he that had the mark, or the name of the archangel, when contending with the beast, or the number of his name. the devil, (he disputed about the body I. a Gen. ii. 24. Therefore shall a of Moses,) durst not bring against man leave his father and his mother, him a railing accusation, but said, The and shall cleave unto his wife: and Lord rebuke thee. Ver. 10. But these they shall be one flesh. Matth. xix. 5. speak evil of those things which they And said, For this cause shall a man know not : but what they know na. leave father and mother, and shall turally, as brute beasts, in those things cleave to his wife: and they twain they corrupt themselves. Ver. 11. shall be one flesh. Ver. 6. Wherefore Woe unto them ! for they have gone they are no more twain, but one flesh. in the way of Cain, and ran greedily What therefore God hath joined to. after the error of Baalam for reward, gether, let not man put asunder. Prov. and perished in the gainsaying of ii

. 17. Which forsaketh the guide of Core.

her youth, and forgetteth the cove02 Thess. ii. 4. Who opposeth and nant of her God. exalteth himself above all that is call- II. b Gen. ji. 18. And the Lord ed God, or that is worshipped ;' so God said, It is not good that the man that he, as God, sitteth in the temple should be alone: I will make him an of God, shewing himself that he is help meet for him.

mate issue, and of the church with an holy seed e; and for preventing of uncleannessa

III. It is lawful for all sorts of people to marry, who are able with judgment to give their consente : yet it is the duty of Christians to marry only in the Lord f. And therefore such as profess the true reformed religion should not marry with infidels, Papists, or other idolaters : neither should such as are godly be unequally yoked, by marrying with such as are notoriously wicked in their life, or maintain damnable heresies s.

c Mal.ji. 15. And did not he make f 1 Cor. vii. 39. The wife is bound one? Yet had he the residue of the by the law as long as her husband liv. Spirit. And wherefore one ? That he eth; but if her husband be dead, she might seek a godly seed. Therefore is at liberty to be married to whom she take heed to your spirit, and let none will ; only in the Lord. deal treacherously against the wife of g Gen. xxxiv. 14. And they said his youth.

unto them, We cannot do this thing, d 1 Cor. vij. 2. Nevertheless, to 2- to give our sister to one that is uncir: void fornication, let every man have cumcised; for that were a reproach his own wife, and let every woman unto us. Exod. xxxiv. 16. And thou have her own husband. Ver. 9. But if take of their daughters unto thy sons, they cannot contain, let them marry: and their daughters go a whoring affor it is better to marry than to burn. ter their gods, and make thy sons

III. e Heb. xiii. 4. Marriage is how go a whoring after their gods. nourable in all, and the bed undefiled: Deut. vii. 3. Neither shalt thou but whoremongers and adulterers God make marriages with them; thy will judge. 1 Tim. iv. 3. Forbidding daughter thou shalt not give unto to marry, and commanding to abstain his son, nor his daughter shalt thou from meats, which God hath created take unto thy son. Ver. 4. For they to be received with thanksgiving of will turn away thy son from following them which believe and know the me, that they may serve other gods : truth. 1 Cor. vii. 36. But if any man so will the anger of the Lord be kin. think that he behaveth himself un- dled against you, and destroy thee comely towards his virgin, if she pass suddenly. 1 Kings xi. 4. For it came the flower of her age, and need so re- to pass, when Solomon was old, that quire, let him do what he will, he sin- his wives turned away his heart after neth not : let them marry. Ver. 37. other gods; and his heart was not Nevertheless, he that standeth sted- perfect with rhe Lord his God, as was fast in his heart, having no necessity, the heart of David his father. Neh. but hath power over his own will, and xiii. 25. And I contended with them, hath so decreed in his heart that he and cursed them, and smote certain of will keep his virgin, doeth well. Ver. them, and plucked off their hair, and 38. So then, he that giveth her in made them swear by God, saying, Ye marriage doeth well ; but he that gi. shall not give your daughters unto verh her not in marriage doeth better. their sons, nor take their daughters Gen xxiv. 57. And they said, we will unto your sons, or for yourselves. call the damsel, and enquire at her Ver. 26. Did not Solomon king of Ismouth. Ver. 58. And they called Re. rael sin by these things ? yet among bekah, and said unto her, Wilt thon go many nations was there no king like with this man? And she said, I will go. him, who was beloved of his God, and

IV. Marriage ought not to be within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity forbidden in the word " ; nor can such incestuous marriages ever be made lawful by any law of man, or consent of parties, so as those persons may live together as man and wife i The man may not marry any of his wife's kindred nearer in blood than he may of his own, nor the woman of her husband's kindred nearer in blood than of her own k.

V. Adultery or fornication committed after a contract, being detected before marriage, giveth just occasion to the innocent party to dissolve that contract'. In the case of

:

God made him king over all Israel ; tions are defiled which I cast out benevertheless, even him did outlandish fore you : Ver. 25. And the land is women cause to sin. Ver. 27. Shall defiled: therefore I do visit the iniwe then hearken unto you to do all quity thereof upon it, and the land itthis great evil, to transgress against self vomiteth out her inhabitants. our God, in marrying strange wives? Ver. 26. Ye shall therefore keep my Mal. ii. 11. Judah hath dealt treache- statutes and my judgnients, and shall rously, and an abomination is commit- not commit any of these abominations; ted in Israel, and in Jerusalem : for neither any of your own nation, nor Judah hath profaned the holiness of any stranger that sojourneth among the Lord which he loved, and hath you: Ver. 27. (For all these abomimarried the daughter of a strange god. nations have ihe men of the land done, Ver. 12. The Lord will cut off the which were before you, and the land man that doeth this; the master and is defiled :) Ver. 28. That the land the scholar out of the tabernacles of spue not you out also, when ye defile Jacob, and him that offeręth an offer. it, as it spued out the nations that ing unto the Lord of hosts. 2 Cor. were before you. vi. 14. Be ye not unequally yoked to- k Lev. xx. 19. And thou shalt not gether with unbelievers : for what fel. uncover the nakedness of thy mother's lowship hath, righteousness with un. sister, nor of thy father's sister : for he righteousness ? and what communion uncovereth his near kin: they shall hath light with darkness?

bear their iniquity. Ver. 20. And. IV. b [Leviticus Chapter xviii.] if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, 1 Cor. v. I. It is reported commonly he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedthat there is fornication among you, ness: they shall bear their sin ; they and such fornication as is not so much shall die childless. Ver. 21. And if as named among the Gentiles, that a man shall take his brother's wife, it one should have his father's wife. is an unclean thing: he hath uncoverAmos. ii. 7. That pant after the dust ed his brother's nakedness; they shall of the earth on the head of the poor, be childless. and turn aside the way of the meek; V./ Matt. i. 18. Now the birth of and a man and his father will go in Jesus Christ was on this wise: When unto the same maid, to profane my as his mother Mary was espoused to holy name.

Joseph, before they came together, she i Mark vi. 18. For John had said was found with child of the Holy unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee Ghost. Ver. 19. Then Joseph her to have thy brother's wife. Lev. xviii. husband, being a just man, and not. 24. Defile not ye yourselves in any of willing to make her a publick exam. these things: for in all these the na. ple, was minded to put her away pri

adultery after marriage, it is lawful for the innocent party to sue out'a divorce, and, after the divorce, to marry another, as if the offending party were dead ”.

VI. Although the corruption of man be such as is apt to study arguments, unduly to put asunder those whom God hath joined together in marriage ; yet nothing but adultery, or such wilful desertion as can no way be remedied by the church or civil magistrate, is cause sufficient of dissolving the bond of marriage"; wherein a publick and orderly course of proceeding is to be observed, and the persons concerned in it not left to their own wills and discretion in their own case P.

vilyVer. 20. But while he thought them, Moses, because of the hardness on these things, behold, the angel of of your hearts, suffered you to put the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, away your wives: but from the besaying, Joseph, thou son of David, ginning it was not so. Ver. 9. (See fear not to take unto thee Mary thy Letter n.] 1 Cor. vii. 15. But if the wife: for that which is conceived in unbelieving depart, let him depart. her is of the Holy Ghost.

A brother or a sister is not under bon. m Matt. v. 31. It hath been said, dage in such cases: but God hath callWhosoever shall put away his wife, ed us to peace. Matt. xix. 6. Where. let him give her a writing of divorce. fore they are no more twain, but one ment: Ver. 32. But I say unto you, fesh. What there fore God hath joinThat whosoever shall put away his ed together, let not man put asunder. wife, saving for the cause of fornica- p Deut. xxiv. 1. When a man hath tion, causeth her to commit adultery: taken a wife, and married her, and it and whosoever shall marry her that is come to pass that she find no favour divorced, committeth adultery. in his eyes, because he hath found

n Matt. xix. 9. And I say unto you, some uncleanness in her; then let him Whosoever shall put away his wife, write her a bill of divorcement, and

fornication, and hall give it in her hand, and send her our marry another, committeth adultery: of his house. Ver. 2. And when she and whoso marrieth her which is put is departed out of his house, she may away, doth commit adultery. Rom. go and be another man's wife. Ver. vii. 2. For the woman which hath an 3. And if the latter husband hate her, husband, is bound by the law to her and write her a bill of divorcement, husband, so long as he liveth; but if and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth the husband be dead, she is loosed her out of his house ; or if the latter from the law of her husband. Ver. 3. husband die, which took her to be his So then, if while her husband liveth wife; Ver: 4. Her former husband she be married to another man, she which sent her away may not take shall be called an adulteress: but if her again to be his wife, after that her husband be dead, she is free from she is defiled ; for that is abominathat law; so that she is no adulteress, tion before the Lord : and thou shalt though she be married to another not cause the land to sin, which the

Lord thy God giveth thee for an in. VI, o Matt. xix. 8. He saith anto heritance.

M

except it be

man.

CHAP. XXV. Of the Church.

.

T"

HE catholick or universal church, which is invisible,

consists of the whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all a.

II. The visible church, which is also catholick or universal under the gospel, (not confined to one nation, as before under the law, consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion, together with their children;

1. a Eph. i. 10. That in the dispensa. bond or free; and have been all made tion of the fulness of times he might to drink into one Spirit. Psal. ii. 8. gather together in one all things in Ask of me, and I shall give thee the Christ, both which are in heaven, heathen for thine inheritance, and the and which are on earth, even in him, uttermost parts of the earth for thy Ver: 22. And hath put all things un- possession. Rev. vii. 9. After this, I der his feet, and gave him to be the beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, head over all things to the church, which no man could number, of all Ver. 23. Which is his body, the ful nations, and kindreds, and people, ness of him that filleth all in all. Eph. and tongues, stood before the throne, v. 23. For the husband is the head and before the Lamb, clothed with of the wife, even as Christ is the head white robes, and palms in their hands. of the church: and he is the saviour Rom. xv. 9. And that the Gentiles of the body. Ver. 27. That he might might glorify God for his mercy; as present it to himself a glorious church, it is written, For this cause I will connot having spot, or wrinkle, or any fess to thee among the Gentiles, and such thing; but that it should be holy sing unto thy name. Ver. 10. And and without blemish. Ver. 32. This again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, is a great mystery: but I speak con- with his people. Ver. 11. And again, cerning Christ and the church. Col. Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and i. 18. And he is the head of the body, laud him all ye people. Ver. 12. And the church ; who is the beginning, the again Esaias saith, There shall be a first-born from the dead; that in all root of Jesse, and he that shall rise things he might have the pre-emi- to reign over the Gentiles, in him

shall the Gentiles trust. II. 1 Cor. i. 2. Unto the church of c1 Cor. vii. 14. For the unbeliey. God which is at Corinth, to them ing husband is sanctified by the wife, that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified called to be saints, with all that in e. by the husband: else were your chilvery place call upon the name of Jesus dren unclean ; but now are they holy. Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. Acts ii. 39. For the promise is unto 1 Cor. xii. 12. For as the body is one, you, and to your children, and to all and hath many members, and all the that are afar off, even as many as the members of that one body, being ma. Lord our God shall call. Ezek. xvi. ny, are one body: so also is Christ. 20. Moreover, thou hast taken thy Ver. 13. For by one Spirit are we all sons and thy daughters, whom thou baptized into one body, whether we hast born unto me, and these hast be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be thou sacrificed unto them to be devour