6. Secondly, It was or dained for a remedy against sin, and to avoid fornication; that such persons as gift of con tinency and keep themselves Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him? Judges xiii. 8. 12. Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children; let them praise the name of the Lord. Psal. cxlviii. 12, 13. 6. To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 1 Cor. vii. 2. This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication. 1 Thess. iv. 3. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take have not the the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 1 Cor. vi. 15. We might marry, know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him. And every man that hath this hope in him, members of purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 1 John iii. 2, Christ's body. 3. And the Lord God said, It is not good that the Thirdly, It was ordained man should be alone; I will make him an help tual society, meet for him. Gen. ii. 18. Two are better than help, and one; because they have a good reward for their lathe one ought bour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his felto have of the low: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Eccl. iv. undefiled for the mu comfort, that other, both in prosperity and adversity. Into which holy estate these two persons now to be joined. Therefore if cause, why lawfully be joined toge 9, 10. Let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. He that loveth his wife present come loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it. Eph. v. 33. any man can 28, 29. The unbelieving husband is sanctified by shew any just the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by they may not the husband. 1 Cor. vii. 14. And Isaac took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. Gen. xxiv. 67. And David comforted Bathsheba after for ever his wife. 2 Sam. xii. 24. The Pharisees came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife and they twain shall be one flesh? ther, let him now speak, or else here hold his peace. : 1 1. I require and charge you both, as ye will answer at the when hearts shall of you know may not be confess it. Wherefore they are no more twain but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. Matt. xix. 3 to 6. 9. CXCVI. The Charge to the two persons now to be joined together in holy Matrimony. 1. The priest shall charge her by an oath. Num. v. 19. The high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God. Matt. xxvi. 63. I dreadful day say unto you, that every idle word that men shall of judgment speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of secrets of all judgment. Matt. xii. 36. God shall bring every be disclosed, work into judgment, with every secret thing, whethat if either ther it be good, or whether it be evil. Eccl. xii. 14. any impedi- In the day when God shall judge the secrets of ment, why ye men by Jesus Christ. Rom. ii. 16. There is nothing lawfully join covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that ed together in Matrimo- shall not be known. Luke xii. 2. He that covereth ny, ye do now his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Prov. xxviii. 13. 2. Be sure your sins will find you out. Num. xxxii. 23. Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished. Prov. xi. 21. Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias's sake, his brother Philip's wife for he had married her. For John alow, are not had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to ther by God; have thy brother's wife. Mark vi. 17, 18. Should their Matri- we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us? Ezra ix. 14. And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israe 2. For be Je well assured, that so many as are coupled together otherwise than God's Word doth joined toge neither is mony lawful. M. Wilt thou have this Woman wife, to live God's ordi concerning this thing. Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee; be of good courage, and do it. Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware. And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do. Ezra x. 2 to 5. 10, 11, 12. CXCVII. Enquiries respecting the mutual consent of the parties in contracting Matrimony. No. 1. And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginto thy wedded ning made them male and female, and said, For together after this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife and they twain shall be holy estate of one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain but Matrimony? one flesh. Matt. xix. 4, 5, 6. love their wives as their own loveth his wife loveth himself. nance, in the Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsak ing all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live? I will. So ought men to bodies. He that For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church. Eph. v. 28, 29. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. 1 Pet. iii. 7. To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 1 Cor. vii. 2, 3. Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity. Eccl. ix. 9. Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth, and be thou ravished always with her love. And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? Prov. v. 15 to 20. Take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. The Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away. Mal. ii. 15, 16. Let not the husband put away his wife. 1 Cor. vii. 11. And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest. So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife. Ruth iii. 11. iv. 13. 1. N. Wilt thou have husband, to after God's ordinance, in the holy estate of Matrimony? obey him, and CXCVIII. Enquiries, &c. No. 2. 1. And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, this Man to Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will thy wedded go. Gen. xxiv. 58. And the Lord God said, It is live together not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Gen. ii. 18. Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. 1 Pet. iii. 6. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Col. iii. 18. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. Therelove, honour, fore as the Church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Let and in health; the wife see that she reverence her husband. Eph. ing all other, v. 22. 24. 33. That they [the aged women] may teach the young women to be sober, to love their him, so long husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus ii. 4, 5. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of and keep him in sickness and, forsak keep thee only unto as ye both shall live? I will. 2. Who giveth this Woman to be married to this Man? her life. Prov. xxxi. 11, 12. The strange woman, which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. Prov. ii. 16, 17. The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth. 1 Cor. vii. 39. See also, 1 Sam. xxv. 39, 40. 2. And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. Gen. ii. 22. He that giveth her in marriage doeth well. 1 Cor. vii. 38. CXCIX and CC. The Mutual Stipulation. I M. take thee N. to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth. I N. take thee M. to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth. With this wed, with my The Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. Jesus answered and said unto them, From the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery. Mark x. 2. 5 to 8. 11, 12. He saith unto them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. Matt. xix. 8 See also, 1 Cor. vii. 5. CCI. The Giving and the Receiving of the Ring as the solemn Pledge of the mutual Engagement. Now this was the manner in former time in Israel Ring I thee concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, worship, and and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testi body I thee with all my |