logy-The Packets from Rome, collected and published in two volumes quarto, by a set of gentlemen, 1735, under the title of The Hiftory of Popery, vol. ii. p. 431. A work this, which is too valuable to be loft to the public; and therefore, as I fear it is near out of print, it were to be wished it should be reprinted in as handsome an edition as that above referred to. See alfo Burnet Hift. Ref. vol. i. p. 191.

As for thofe men who have the gift of continency, they, as it appears from the fcriptures, and all experience, are probably very few, at least comparatively; and those who received it in the days of our LORD and His apostles, feem to have received this for the particular purpose of keeping themselves difentangled from the affairs of this life, during the infancy and perfecution of the church, 1 Cor. vii. 7, 17. Such do not want cloysters and cells for their fecurity. As for those who have it not, locking them up together

in

*Thefe certainly conftitute the bulk of mankind, as all experience throughout all ages fufficiently fhews. The natural ftructure of the human body, its natural fecretions, &c. which are carried on daily, not by any contrivance or management of the creature, but by the power of infinite wisdom, impreffed, we know not how, on the wondrous mechanism of every part, afford us fuch phyfical reafons for this, as to amount to demonftration of the neceffity of marriage in the generality of men. This obfervation is abundantly verified by the manner of OUR SAVIOUR'S expreffion, Matt. xix. 11, 12. where He fpeaks of a power of total abftinence as the immediate and Special gift of heaven, and this for a special purpose, unless

in

in fuch places, and depriving them of the remedy which God commands in marriage, has been attended with a two fold wickedness; 1. in living contrary to the ordinance of Heaven; 2. in gratifying their defires contrary to the courfe of nature, or at leaft in fome way which the divine law hath prohibited. Therefore the Apostle doth not fay-if they cannot contain, let them fhut themselves up, or pray that the order of nature may be inverted; but-let them marry; it is better to marry than burn: as if he had faid-" One or "other of these must be the confequence." So, when married persons have separated for a while or feafon, on fome religious occafionscome together again, faith he, left Satan tempt you for your incontinency.

From all which it may be gathered, that celibacy is not an ordinance of GOD, but a fnare of Satan-that marriage is the ordinance of GOD; therefore, that a man who may marry, and doth not, has no more warrant from GOD's word to expect that he shall be kept from vice, than that he would be

*

in the cafes He puts of accidental imbecillity, arifing, in fome, from a defect in their conftitution, being born exnuchs; in others, from external violence by the hands of

men.

* For, continence being none of those graces that are promifed by GOD to all that afk it, as it was not in a man's power, without extreme feverities on himself, to govern his own conftitution of body, fʊ he had no reason to expect GOD fhould interpofe, when he had provided another remedy for fuch cafes. Burnet Hift. Ref. vol. ii. p. 91, 3d edit.

kept

kept from farving, if, inftead of eating and drinking, he was to pray that the appetites of hunger and thirst might be totally annihilated.

The indifcriminate + and total prohibition of polygamy, as it has no warrant from the word of GOD, may also be the means of plunging many into the mischiefs of uncommanded celibacy; for many men there are, who very early in life marry, perhaps without all the confideration which ought to be exercised in so momentous an undertaking— many things may happen which may be very reasonable, and indeed unavoidable, causes of feparation from their wives; as for inftance -incurable difeafe of mind or body, unconquerable violence of temper, perpetual refractorinefs of difpofition, levity of beha

I

viour

+ If the enacting part of 1 Jac. c. 11. had gone no farther than the preamble, and its feverity been confined to" divers evil-difpofed perfons, who being married,

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run out of one county into another, or into places "where they are not known, and there become to be "married, having another husband or wife living, to "the great dishonour of GoD, and utter undoing of di"vers honeft men's children, and others"-it would have been a wholefome law, and highly justifiable in its penalty on fuch mifcreants; who are undoubtedly guilty of one of the vilest and most injurious frauds that can poffibly be committed. It feems to fall within the equity of Exod. xxi. 16. for fuch perfons are a fort of avdpawoisal, or man-Stealers.

*It is to be feared, that there are not a few females, who (like other monopolifts) take the advantage of the poor husband's fituation, to ufe him as they please; and this for pretty much the fame reason why the afs, in the fable, infulted and kicked the poor old lion-because it is not in their power to refent it as they ought.

The

viour-which, though not amounting to fuch proof as to be the ground of utter legal divorce, yet fuch as may deftroy the whole

comfort

The advice which king Ahafuerus received from his wife men, the feven princes of Media and Perfia, upon queen Vahti's difobedience, would have an excellent effect, could it be followed. Many an high-fpirited female would have too cogent a reafon against the indulgence of a refractory difpofition, not to fupprefs it--her pride, which is now the hufband's torment, would then become his fecurity, at least in a great measure; for pride is a vice, which, as it tends to felf-exaltation, maintains uniformly its own principle-not to bear the thoughts of a rival. See Efther i. 10, &c. As things are with us, the poor man muft grind in mola afinaria during life.

It is certain, that nothing can be a releafe from the bond of marriage itself but death, or an act of adultery in the wife. But that a man is at all events bound to maintain the external bond, by cohabiting with a woman, who, instead of being an help meet for him (as we say) becomes, by the violence and perverfeness of her temper and difpofition, a conftant and increafing torment, and this after the moft friendly, tender, and kind admonitions-is not confonant either to fcripture or reafon.

Some will tell us, that fuch a thing must be looked upon as happening by the will of PROVIDENCE, as a chaftisement or vifitation from Heaven, and therefore must be submitted to and endured.

So is fickness from the hand of God; fo are afflictions of all kinds, and certainly to be fubmitted to with patience and refignation; yet to ufe means of recovery from fickness, and of deliverance from trouble and afflic tion, are apparent duties; and why not in the other cafe? The great Milton has fome excellent and fcriptural obfervations on thefe points in his Tetrachordon; to which I refer the reader.

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It was propofed in the book for reformation of the ecclefi aftical law, 1552, that " Desertion, long abfence, capital "enmities, where either party was in hazard of their life, "or conftant perverfeness, or fiercenefs of an husband

against his wife, might induce a divorce"-this fell to

the

comfort of a man's life. By these and many other means, an husband may be reduced to the fituation of an unmarried man, harraffed by the fame defires, fubject to the fame temptations; yet his condition is ten-fold the one may marry, the other canthe ground by the death of Ed. VI. Burnet Hift. Ref. vol. ii. p. 198.

worse ;

The whole analogy of fcripture agrees with that faying of the Apostle-Let not the wife depart from her husband; and again-Let not the husband put away his wife-1 Cor. vii. 10, 11. But then these things must be conftrued agreeably to the analogy of that wisdom which is profitable to direct-Eccl. x. 10. They cannot mean, that a wife is not to depart from her husband, who threatens or endangers her life-nor that an husband may not separate from a wife who obftinately fets herself to be the plague and torment of his. Surely all this is within the equity of 1 Cor. vii. 15. and that perfons are not under bondage in fuch cafes.

This kind of things falls under a fort of neceffity, which must always interpret the law in favour of selfprefervation. Thou shalt do no murder-conftitutes a capital offence in the man who wantonly or maliciously kills another-but if a man flays another in his own defence, it is an excufable homicide: this from the neceffary care which every man has a right to take of his own life. The hip-mafter to whom I intruft my goods, is wicked and bafe, if he wantonly caft them into the fea; but if a ftorm arife, and he caft them out to save the ship from finking, he is highly juftifiable. I would therefore argue from neceffity on the point of feparation; for I cannot find any privilege conferred on one creature to make another wretched, and that without remedy. Of this neceffity every perfon muft judge at his peril; for-as the old proverb fays-None can tell where the shoe pinches, fo well as he that wears it: but then be it rememberedthat every man shall give an account of himself to GOD. Rom. xiv. 12. If this were confidered as it ought to be, it would certainly be the beft means of binding both parties over to their good behaviour, in all conjugal difputes.

VOL. I.