IN the text you may observe a Conjunction and a division: a Conjunction, here are two together that should be asunder, Iacob and Leah, And in the morning behold it was Leah. A division, heere are two a sunder that should be together, Iacob and Rachel: and first of the Conjunction as fittest for this season, and opportunity; you have seene the quality of this conjunction, it was an ill Conjunction, a great deale of deceit in it, and where is there a Conjunction, a Marriage, but there is deceit in it, and least this deceit should cause a separation, the Church bindeth them together before God and man, for better for worse, for richer for poorer. And unlesse this course were taken, how soone would there be a partition, their qualities being almost as different as heaven and hell, as the good Angels and the bad. Nabal and Abigail, Nabal a foole and churle, and of so base a disposition, such a man of Belial, that his own servants said a man could not tell how to speak [Page 2] to him: and she a kinde complementall woman she fell at Davids feet, and offered to wash the feet of his servants. Da­vid and Michal, Michal a scoffing woman, deriding David for dancing before the Arke, and he a man after Gods own heart; Socrates with Xantippe, she is like a Quotidian Ague, or at the best she is like Sauls evill spirit that comes too often upon him. Moses and Zipporah, she a terrible firie woman, Thou art a bloudy husband to me, saith she, and Mo­ses the meekest man above all the men of the earth. The lear­ned distinguish a fourfold deceit in Marriage, the first is error personae, when Leah is given in stead of Rachel, one party for another, as to Iacob, and this mistake doth hinder and nullifie Mariage: for in Mariage there is a mutuall love and consent One to another, but this is not where Leah is given in stead of Rachel, and therefore no Mariage. But will some say, is it possible that Iacob (who was so subtill a man) should be so deceived, he was noted for a supplanter by his Brother Esau; Is he not rightly called Iacob, for he hath supplanted me these two times of my birthright and bles­sing. He was so grave, so arch a supplanter, that he could deceive his father although his voyce betraied him, and al­though his father told him it was the voyce of Iacob, yet he pressed him to blesse him in stead of his brother Esau. We say that man is an excellent Hocus-Pocus, excellent in leger­demaine, and slight of hand▪ that can deceive one that looks upon him. But he that can deceive the hearing, and the feeling, he is far more excellent: my sight may be decei­ved for I may take that which is Pictured to be lively and zeal, but my hearing, my feeling cannot be so easily deceiv'd. Thomas would not beleeve his seeing, his hearing, but when he came to feeling to lay his hand in our Saviours side, then he cried out, My Lord and my God. And now I suppose you are ready to ask, how this Subtil man was deceived? The de­ceit [Page 3] was thus, solent olim sponsae obvelata facie traduci ad torum mortalem pudoris caus [...]: In those dayes the Brides came veiled and Masked to their Marriage Beds, for modesty sake, and it was a signe of Modesty to be silent. And thus much for the first deceit, which is error personae, a mistake of the person, as this text represents to you. There is another deceit, which is error qualitatis, when a man takes as he thinkes he hath, one thrifty, honest, faire, and she proves a painted whorish, liquorish slut. And this deceit is generall, for many women shew like the Egyptian Temples, very beautifull without and built, and adorned with precious stones, saith, Lucian, but if you seek what god they worship within, you shall finde him to be a Cat, or a Goat, or an Ape, or some such ridiculous ill favoured creature: so, many women, although they be faire and beautifull without, are full of many vani­ties, fickle, unconstant, lascivious affections: many a man thinks he hath a saint, when he hath a Devill, a faire wo­man, when she is a painted plaistered faced Iesabel; I will not speak of these painted tombes and sepulchres, beauti­full without, but loathsome within, these Apples of Sodom, that seeme faire to the sight but at the least touch they fall to dust: so the least approaching discovers the corruption of these creatures, so great is their corruption it corrupts the sweetest perfumes, and makes them loathsome as them­selves: but I will not rake any longer in this unsavory dung­hill, There are two other errours, or deceits in Marriage, as error Conditionis, and error fortunae: but I let them passe, for feare I should run into the errour of being tedious to this assembly. I come now to the division, or separation, there is discovery of an ill Conjunction, therefore I will cast my meditations a little upon this appearance, or discovery of this Conjunction, In the morning behold it was Leah. There is many a man sleeps with Leah and thinks it is Rachel, there is many a man so blinded in his love & affection that he is as [Page 4] much or more mistaken in the qualities of his wife then Iacob was in the person of Leah: many a man thinks he hath a wife that loves him, when she cares not for him, and hee may think that she is sighing and sorrowing in his absence, when she is Revelling and Dancing. You may read Pro. 7. 18. there's a woman speaks to a man in her husbands ab­sence to take his fill of love with her: he (may be) thinks, she is weeping in his absence, when she is tumbling in her perfumed bed, as you may read there, verse 17. I have perfu­med my bed with Myrrhe, Aloës, and Cynamon; I have decked it with coverings of tapestry, and fine linnen of Egypt: no question this woman embraces her husband when he comes home, and he discovers nothing: for the way of an whorish woman, (as Solomon saith) is like the flight of a Bird in the aire, like the passage of a ship upon the sea, like a serpent creep­ing into a rocke: no signe of the birds flying, of the ser­pents creeping, of the ships passage.

Look upon Ioseph's Mistresse, she hath his coat to shew for honesty, Ecce signum, Behold the coat of this Hebrew: did Sampson thinke those hands would have clipped his lockes, that had so often embraced his body? Some rash men do maintain, that the reason why men thinke there are so many good women, is, because they are so blinde and ignorant themselves; if they had but the eyes of the Wise, to see with Solomons eyes, may be they would say, There was not one good of a thousand, and he had told them one by one. And how does Solomon define a good woman? just as the Philo­sopher does, Vacuum ex supposito quod detur; if there be a Vacuum, it is Locus non repletus corpore; if there be, or shall ever be such a thing in the world as a good woman, then she is this and that, she is like a merchants Ship that bringeth her food from far: and what of greater value! she is like to precious jewels, she is like to them, but there is none like to her, none of equal value with her. Solomon saith, She is a [Page 5] crowne to her husband, she is the glory of her husband, saith Saint Paul, the very skarlet she cloathes her servants in does shew her honourable, God himselfe cals her an helper, and such a helper she is, that man could not have been capable of that blessing, Increase and multiply, without her, then it was The Seed of the woman that brake the Serpents head: she was Deipora, she brought forth a God, and here I will be­bold to say out of the due honour to that Sexe, that there have been women have deserved these praises of Solomon: What was that Ester? that Cherubin of the Church un­der whose wings it was safe: the Papists call the Virgin Ma­ry, Regina Coeli, Queen of Heaven, and they pray to her to command our Saviour, Mater impera Filio, Mother com­mand thy Son; She hath more Churches dedicated to her than our Saviour, than all the Trinity, although she paid her Fine in milke, but He in blood, (as a great Divine saith.) How happy hath this Kingdom been under a Queen, there are many eyes now living that have seen it, and not a man but knowes it; I need not instance in particulars the elect Lady and her sister, to whom Saint Iohn writ, Priscilla able to informe a learned man Apoll [...]s in the Scripture: these women were highly honoured by that Apostle called from Heaven, Greete Priscilla and Aquila, Rom. 16. 3. Aquila and Priscilla salute you. 1. Cor. 16. 19. salute Priscilla and Aqui­la, 2. Tim. 4. 19. Priscilla went with him into Syria, Act. 18. 18. and thus much for the discovery, how long may a man sleep before he knowes with whom, or what she is he sleeps with­all, before he knows whether it be Leah or Rachel. I am come now to the division or separation, and you see it is a high and great division, Iacob begins to word it, to fall to termes with Laban (who was his Master) What is this thou hast done unto me did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? And indeed the in­conveniences [Page 6] were very many that be fell Iacob by this wick­ed act of Laban: first of all he made his daughter a whore, and a whore is odious to the children of God, she was either to be burnt, or to be stoned. Then the wrong done to Rachel, being deceived of her expectation, was enough to make her weepe her selfe blear ey'd like Leah, then he brought an in­convenience upon Iacob, having more wives then one, some say it was a sin, some hold it a grea [...] Inconvenience to have one, therefore much more to have two.

The married man is intangled like a fish in a net; he comes merrily in, but he is mightily perplext when he can­not get out: then this action of Laban was enough to set the sisters at variance, and what joy could Iacob have when his wives were devided, it was enough to devide his heart: then the desire of rule, and je [...]lousies, and distrusts that one hath of the other, then the charges to maintaine two, whereas Iacob if he had had but one, he would never have sought further: God made but one for Adam, and Lamech was the first that had two Wives, and he had no more then two, and he was of the posterity of Cain, and condemned by the fa­thers: and from Adam to Abraham none of the posteri­ty of Seth had more then one wife (that we read of) they two shall be one flesh, and how can that be if a man have many wives. God made onely male and female, and he took but one rib, and made of one rib, One Woman, not many. I will not say, it was a sinne to have many wives, for I finde it in the Law, Deut. 21. 15. If a man have two wives, one that he loveth, and another that he hateth and there the Law speakes of both their sons as legitimate, Deut. 17. 17. the Law does forbid the King to have many wives which may draw away his minde, and Saint Augustine (upon that place) saith, permissum & Regi habere plures uxores non plurimas, he may have more then one or two, but not many, [Page 7] and Iehoinda that was a most holy Priest, took two wive, for King Ioash, 2. Chron. 24. 3. but me thinks I hear some say, Laban is unjustly condemned for dealing so strictly with Iacob: was it not a great kindnesse in Laban to take Iacob, Iacob that had cosined his Father, his Brother, and to trust him with his flock, and then it was a kindnesse that he gave him his daughter, and for ought I know the better of the two, the fairest is not alwaies the best, Beautifull Rachel sold Iacob for Mandrakes, whereas blear eyed Leah bought him and went out to meet him, Gen. 30. 16. Tender eyed Leah will be weeping at my misfortunes, when beautifull Rachel will be laughing with another: Abraham went in danger with beautifull Sarah, but Iacob liveth secure with tender eyed Leah, Rachel stole her fathers gods, and could see her Father and husband quarrel the while, when Leah was continually weeping, Rachel will be impatient if she have not what she desires, give me Children or else I dye: and what is beauty with such disquietnesse, but like a faire house haunted with sprites, or a bed of violets with a serpent, but look upon Leah she is more moderate, tender eyed, she will be weep­ing in stead of scoulding, Rachel will be subject to be wan­dering like Dina, Leah is tender eyed, and the winde will hurt her, veniunt spectantur ut Ips [...], they delight to be looked upon, what are these many fancies in their dressings but so many signes to invite a man to Inne there if he please, whereas the Passenger else had gone on his way, what does the fowler whistle for but to catch the Bird, and such is the end of their enchantments. Thus you see the danger of beauty, there is more danger in it then in the most unruly Elements, the fire hath no power of a man if he do not touch it, nor the water, but if a man look but upon beauty, it will endanger him, and it is kept with a great deale of danger and care, as the Apples of the Hesperides with a watchfull Dra­gon. [Page 8] But will some say, why doe you maintaine bleare eyed Leah against beautifull Rachel, Leahs fault was great in ly­ing with Iacob. To this I answer, fornication was held no sin amongst the Gentiles, and the Church of Rome holds, forni­cationem non vagam, that if a man keep constantly to one woman it is no sinne: and heer let no man be harsh against Leah, for she is tender eyed, and can weep teares enough to wash away her sin, teares enough to wash our Saviours feet, alas be not harsh against her, she is blear eyed already & too much weeping will make her blinde; what if Leah have a blemish in the eye of her body, yet her understanding, the eye of her soule may be cleare, and beautifull, and if men con­sider rightly, the greatest deformity and blemish in a wo­man is, to be bleare eyed in her understanding, to mistake a mans actions, not to see them clearly, if her husband be soci­able, then he is given to drunkennes, if silent, then he hath no discourse in him, if merry, not that gravity that becomes him, if he put not himselfe upon hard adventures to raise his fortunes, she is disquieted, and if he doe, and be foyled, then she contemnes him; give me the eye of the under­standing, let the other eye be as cleare as Christal, if this be blemisht there is no joy. For ought I know, this Laba [...], this Idolater, shall rise up against many Christians: how usuall is it, for many a man to make faire promises, to promise a man Rachel, he shall have this and that, and any thing his heart can desire if he will serve them, but when a man hath done all he can, they will put Leah upon him, some bleare eyed unhandsome thing, upon which so soon as a man can but look, he shall finde it to be Leah, it's plaine enough to bee seen, behold it was Leah, it is a hard thing for a man to get a Rachel of his Master, to get any thing that hath any delight or pleasure in it, great men will not part with their Ra­chels. And still I say, this Laban had more honesty and [Page 9] goodnes then many a Christian, for although he had done Iacob a little wrong, yet he had so much mildnes, and Gen­tlenes, and Gentility, as he did suffer Iacob to speak to him and to tell him of it, why hast thou beguiled me thus. Now there are rich men, if they have done a man a displeasure, will not be told of it. Nay if a poore man trust a rich man with money, if he be not disposed to give it, or is unwilling, will be angry if the poore man ask it, and doe him all the mischiefe that may be, and what is this but like theeves that doe not onely rob a man, but binde a man too, and gag him that he shall not speak, or like Rogues that murther a man because they shall not betray them; God send me to deale with Laban, with an Idolater, I shall finde a man that I dare speak to, I shall find a mate that will give me Leah, that will give me something and cosin me of all.

God complained of his vinyard, that when he had taken agreat deal of pains with it, it brought forth wilde grapes, ecce Labruscus, behold wilde grapes plaine enough to be seen. And heer if I should shew to the world with an Ecce, the wilde grapes, the Basest actions of men, I make no question but men would passe the same judgement that David did upon the rich man that tooke the poor mans Lambe. And heer let every man be exhorted not to deceive his servant or his kinsman or his friend, Iacob for deceiving his brother & his Father, was paid in his own Coyn, & enjoyed not the blessing twenty yeers after: Laban deceived him in his wife, Laban for deceiving Iacob, was deceived by Iacob, with the rods he laid. Rachel stole Labans gods for deceiving her of her husband at first. Iacob deceived his Father with Goats skins, and he himselfe was deceived with the blood of a Goat. David cut off the lap of Sauls coat, and his clothes would not keep him warme in his old age. Sampsons eye lusted after a Philistine, and Sampsons eye was put out, Iero­boams [Page 10] hand reached to the Prophet, and that hand withered. Thus you see how God punisheth sin in the same act, in the same part, in the same kinde. Time will not give me leave heer to shew you how many a man sleeps with Leah, with some ugly deformed sin, and being blinded in sin and dark­nesse, thinks it is Rachel, (very beautifull) and loves it en­tirely, till the morning light of Gods grace arise, and then he sees the deformity of his sin, how bleare eyed it is, how ill-favoured, and now let every man consider how we are all servants to God, and we serve him for Rachel, for some plea­sant thing we delight in, as the Apostles dream't of a King­dome, if it please God to give us Leah, in stead of Rachel, to give us that which pleaseth us not so well, let us be content with it and serve him on still, he will at the last give us Ra­chel, we shall be married to him in whom are all joys, such as eye hath not seen, nor eare heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive. To which God of his mer­cy bring us: to God the Father, God the Sonne, and God the Holy Ghost be all honour, &c.