IT is a Maxim in Nature to af­fect Happiness and Society,Naturae semper in meliorem tendit. and to aim at Improvement and Be­nefit; this was at first declared by the God of Nature, It is not good for man to be alone; and hath since been practised by mankind as the sine quâ non, without which the Species could not be preserved; because the all-wise God having invested the hu­mane Nature with a Potentia, and Organical helps for generation; and also given those respective Produ­ctions an inherent faculty of life and vegetation, he was not further pleas­ed to propagate mankind by Crea­tion, as he did the Angels, but e­ven in the perfecting their first Spe­cies; he was not pleased to Create, [Page 2] but form the Woman ex materia praeexistente, of the Rib of Adam; which also implies, that as there was an Identity of Materia prima, for constituting Organical Bodies, so there is also an innate and na­tural affection and sympathy reci­procal: Now it pleased God to tye these two pieces of Nature toge­ther, by the sacred bonds and Sa­cramental Ordinance of Matrimony, whereby God did not only supply Adam with a meet help for Propa­gation, but also superadded the Comfort and enjoyment of Society, the Woman resembling the Man in nature, shape, body and mind, and there being nothing wanting to Adam for the Consummation of his Happiness but a Wife, he was made Lord over the Creatures, Heir of of the World, and seated in Para­dise; and God providing him a fit Companion, hath abundantly sup­plyed what he wanted; and man ever since retains such Principles and Inclinations suitable to the In­stitution of Nature, which by Phi­losophers is styled, previous Dispo­sitions [Page 3] or Aptitudes in matter to attain and seek after; which brings us to discourse of Marriage, which God Instituted for his own Glory, the good of Mankind, and benefit of Posterity.

Marriage being the subject of which we are to treat, we will first consider it in its Institution, and se­condly in its Effects. And,

First, Its Appointment is Divine.A priori. After God had said, It is not good for man to be alone; it follows, Let us make a meet help for him; [...]. for man is by nature a sociable Creature, and desirous of Company, as a learned Commentator on the place tells us. An individual makes no Society,Nec jucun­dum indi­viduo, nec utile speciei. Piscator in loc. Tanquam alter ipse specie & formâ con­veniens. Rivet in loc. nei­ther is serviceable to its Species; therefore God gave man a Wife, as another self, of the same Speci­es and Figure with himself; than which nothing could be so meet an help, both for Society and Propa­gation of Issue, which was abso­lutely necessary for the preserva­tion of Mankind. And in the second Chapter of Genesis we have an ac­count of the Womans formation, [Page 4] that she was formed of the Rib of Adam, and presented to him, and thereupon she becomes aliquid ipsius, something of him, if not alter idem, another same, which the School­men declare for; that she being formed out of a Rib, there was both Flesh and Nerves, which makes her an alter ipse: And she being after the similitude of man, he might the more affect and ap­prove of her; for humane Nature is taken with similes, and we are pleased with the reflex of our selves, and like Narcissus even dote upon identical dilations: the sacred Phrase runs thus,Deus crea­vit homi­nem marem & faemi­nam. Vulg. lat. Matrimoni­um humano generi im­mortalita­tem tribuit. Nevisanus. God created man male and female. There being then an inden­tity of constituted matter, that the love of Society and Conjugal affe­ctions might be homogenial and re­ciprocal: Whereas if God had gi­ven him a Friend only, the Socie­ty had been deficient, neither could the Species be preserved without a Genus: but the Ordination of God, and current of Nature have made them individually one, God pre­sented her to man as a second self. [Page 5] Nature and Religion, Law and Po­licy strictly oblige them to this sa­cred Oeconomy: This was visible in Adam's Apprehension and Appro­bation of it, as we read 23, and 24. verses; This is now bone of my bone, Gen. 2.23, 24. and flesh of my flesh: And in the 24. verse we have the consequents of this no­ble and sacred Institution; Therefore shall a man leave Father and Mother, and cleave to his Wife, and they two shall be one flesh: That is not,Non loqui­tur de car­nis libidi­ne, sed af­fectû con­jugali. Pau­lus Fagius, in loc. as one observes, spoken of fleshly Lusting, but out of Conjugal Affections and Love to his Wife, who resembles the two branches in Ezekiels hand; enclosed in one bark, and closing to­gether make but one flesh, as being a Society of the most endeared Ami­ty and Friendship.Matrimonii symbolum. Ezek. 24.26. Micah 7.5. Prov. 5.19. Solomon speaks thus, Be thou ravisht always in her Love: in the Original it is, Erre thou alwayes in her love; velut extra sis ut rerum aliarum obliviscare; which sig­nifies a very earnest affection, and a respect immeasurable: And our Blessed Saviour himself, when he lived on earth, was pleased to ho­nour Marriage with his personal [Page 6] attendance; and to put the greater accent and honour on so sacred a Solemnity, was further pleased, to the admiration of all Spectators, to work his first Miracle thereat, by turning Water into Wine; which tacitly implies that Marriage brings honour and perfection to the hu­mane nature,Faelix ne­cessitas quae ad meliora tendit. which was shaddow­ed out by the melioration of wa­ter, and was a clear signification and approbation of those lawful delights and entertainments, which were suitable and proper to the oc­casion: this Nuptial tye is Recorded in Heaven, Solemnized on Earth, and Confirmed by the mutual gages of two united individuals. This Love is the Harmony,Nil habet natura me­lius quam ut possis, neque praestantius quam ut ve­lis servare plures. Ci­cero. the Complexi­on, Genius, and very Soul of Nature; this true Friendship is the Zodiack wherein the Sun of Truth, Con­stancy and hearty Affections, inter­changeably compleat the whole cir­cle of motion and influence; and is the Guardian and tutelar Angel of Society, to which Quarles alludes in his description of Conjugal Love.

And as it was instituted for Gods glory, and preservation of Man­kind, so to preserve inviolate the Laws of God, by avoiding and pre­venting Fornication,Exod. 10.14. Mark 10.19. Heb. 13.3. which is for­bidden by God in several places of Scripture.

We can still describe and repre­sent the primitive rectitude of hu­mane Nature, though the fall hath maimed our perfection, and impair­ed those glorious Ideas we had at first, and disposed us to sin, and de­viations: At first the action of sense was appointed to touch the affecti­on, and so present it primarily to the Understanding, by whose con­duct the Passions were subordinate and subject to its inclinations, and as its Deputies in the administrati­on [Page 8] of such Duties and Performan­ces, for the Benefit, Service and Happiness of the humane Nature; which Understanding in the Soul is called an Intellectual Lamp, which God placed for the admirable go­vernment of his Creature; and the School-men call it Lumen Naturae, the Light of Nature, which St. Chrysostome calls [...],St. Chrys. 13 Orat. and tells us, that 'tis a radical and fun­damental knowledge planted in the being of Man, budding and blos­soming in his first Principles, flou­rishing and bringing forth fruit, spreading it self into all the fair and goodly branches of Morality, under whose shaddow the Soul takes great delight: And tells us further, that it grows spontaneously, shines out chearfully and pleasantly; 'tis so visible, that the infant age of the World could spell it out, and read it without a Teacher before Moses was born, or Aaron wore his Golden Bells; before there was a Prophet or Judge in Israel; and so the learned Grotius describes it: The Law of Nature (sayes he) is a [Page 9] streaming out of glorious Light,Jus Natu­rale, est dictatum, rectae Rati­onis indi­cans, actui alicui, ex ejus conve­nientia & disconveni­entia cum ipsa Naturae Rationali, inesse mor­talem turpi­tudinem aut necessitatem moralem, & consequenter ab authore naturae ipso Deo, talem actum aut vetari, aut praecipi. Grotius de jure Natu. powerfully discovering such a de­formity in some evil, as that an intellectual Eye must needs abhor it; and such a commanding Beauty in some good, as that a rational being must needs be enamoured with it, and so plainly shewing that God stampt and sealed the one with his Command, and branded the other with his dislike; to which Plutarch very excellently alludes, [...]. This Royal Law of Nature, sayes he, was never shut up in a paper Prison, was never confined and limited to any out­ward surface, but was bravely si­tuated in the Center of a rational being, alwayes keeping the Soul Company, for its protection and direction; ruling all its Subjects (all obedient actions) with a Golden Scepter, and crushing to pieces its Enemies, that's all rebellious and evil actions. And Plato tells us, that this Law is founded in Nature, for the maintaining, ennobling, and the per­fecting of Nature. But Tully draws a most lively portraicture of the [Page 10] Law of Nature:Est qui­dem vera lex recta ratio, na­turae con­gruens, dif­fusa in om­nes, con­stans, sem­piterna, quae vocem ad officium ju­bendo, ve­tando, fraude de­terreat, quae tamen pro­bos, neque frustra ju bet aut ve­tut, nec improbos ju­bendo, aut vetando mo­vet; Hinc legi nec pro­pagari jas est, neque derogari ex hac aliquid licet, neque tota abrogari potest; nec vero aut per Senatum, aut per populum solvi hac lege possimus; neque est quaerendus explanator, aut interpres ejus alius, non erat alia Roma, alia Athenis, alia nunc, alia posthac, sed & omnes gentes omni tempore una Lex & sempiterna, & immutabilis continebit, unusque erit quasi com­munis Magister & Legislator omnium Deus, ille legis hujus inventor, disceptator, lator, cui qui non parebit, ipse se fugiet, & naturam hominis aspernabitur. The Law of Rea­son, sayes he, is a beautiful Law, a Law of a pure Complexion and Natural colour, of a vast Extent and diffusion; its colour and beau­ty cannot fade, it encourages men in Obedience with a smile, it chides them and frowns them out of wick­edness; good men hear the whis­perings of its pleasant voice, and observe the least glance of its love­ly eye; but wicked men sometimes will not hear it when it comes to them in Thunder, nor take the least notice of it, though it flash out in Lightning; none must enlarge nor diminish this Law, neither can the malice of men totally deface its Beauty, neither Prince nor People, Angels nor Men can absolve you from it; this Law never paints its [Page 11] face, nor change its colour; it does not put on one aspect at Athens, and another at Rome, but looks up­on all Nations and Persons with an impartial eye; it shines upon all Ages, and Times, and Conditions with a perpetual Light; there is but one Law-giver, he contrived and commanded it, and none can be exempted from it, unless he be banisht from his own Essence, and excommunicated from humane na­ture. And St. Austin in his Con­fessions: Thy Law, sayes he,Tua lex, tua lex scripta est in cordibus nostris, quam non ulla un­quam delet iniquitas. is written in our hearts, which no Iniquity can blot out. And the wi­ser Heathen braved it out in ad­mirable expressions; That Beauty and Goodness was a sufficient re­ward and compensation, that the very turpitude of evil actions is Pu­nishment enough in it self: And what an high pitch of greatness did Pla­to attain to, when he calls Laws that were made by man, to pre­serve Justice, and Punish Vice, but Hominum infirmiorum commenta, a re­membrance for weak men, to keep them virtuous. And Seneca divine­ly [Page 12] exprest himself;Licet sci­rem Deum ignosciturum & homines ignoraturos, attamen peccare nol­lem ob pec­cati turpi­tudinem. Sen. Vir bonus reveretur seipsum. If I were sure, sayes he, that God would certain­ly pardon me, and men could ne­ver know of it, yet I would scorn to sin for its foulness and disho­nesty. And what Christian can keep pace herein, endeavouring after such original rectitude? and when he gave the world that golden Apo­thegm, That a good man has a ve­neration for himself; what strong emulations had he to climb after Original Purity, and advance Na­ture to her primitive Dignity! how did he aim after the Image of his Maker, to preserve that Species of Goodness implanted in him, as knowing that sins and immorali­ties were the degenerations of hu­mane Nature, and would debase him into a Devil.

Now man being a free and vo­luntary Creature, hath a freedome and liberty to prosecute his own happiness, and having tasted that forbidden fruit, how has he as it were poysoned himself and posterity! And how hath that glo­rious Picture of his Maker lost its [Page 13] gloss and beauty, and the oriency of its colours! Horresco referens! We tremble to relate how that sweet harmony of his faculties, and subordination of them to each other, is broken; how every mo­tion of the inferior power has disobeyed that government and di­rection which the superior did ad­minister! how hath man basely exchanged reasonable and well or­dered Passions for sensual and beast­ly!Tanta est vis volup­tatum ut & ignoranti­um protelet in occasio­nem, & con­scientiam corrumpat in dissimu­lationem. Tertul. what crookedness and dissen­tion is there fighting against his reason! what Solecisms in his man­ners! what impostures to obliterate reason and original truth! and the Understanding being cast out, Passion hath usurped the Chair, which judges of things, not according to natural truth, but according to the Impressions of Fancy, Pleasure, and the dictates of corrupt Na­ture.

And this Corruption of Nature is particularly seen in Incontinen­cy: God of his great goodness hath given us a lawful and honourable use of those innate desires, and propen­sities [Page 14] of nature in mutual enjoyments, ad conversationem speciei, for Gene­ration sake, but not to satisfie those vile affections of Lust, as the Apo­stle speaks; and forsaking the guid­ance of reason, they dishonoured their bodies amongst themselves, as St. Jude tells; which is styled by the Philosopher,Aristotle. Morbid desires; and the Apostle tells us, that he who commits fornication sins against his own Body.Morbus est affectus con­tra natu­ram corpori incidens. As Fernelius observes of diseases, that they are affections of body contrary to Nature; so are Adulteries and Fornications. The Poet represented Agamemne, Os oc­culusque Jovi par, in his features like Jupiter, in valour like Mars, in Wisdom a very Apollo himself: But when angry and passionate, trans­form'd into a Lyon, a Tyger, a Devil. So man was created after the Divine Image, and should pre­serve the sacred obligations of Mar­riage Inviolable: but by Fornicati­ons and Adulteries metamorphos'd into a Beast, a Devil; and though the Commission of Sin at first plea­ses corrupt Nature, yet the viola­tion [Page 15] of the Divine Law, and our guilty Consciences, will affright and torture us. The Poet tells us,

This vultures and gnaws the af­flicted heart, this brings destructi­on to Soul and Body; whence proceeds such Ghonorreahs and In­flamations of Liver, and brings a suddain Catastrophe to life it self.Suetonius in­vit. ejus. It ruined Alexander the Great, O­tho the Emperour, Pope Sextus the fourth: Qui dissessit tabidus voluptate, as the Historian tells us. And as Turtullian observes, the Body quick­ly fails the Mind, the Mind the De­sire, the Desire the Satisfaction, and all the man. And how hath Gods Judgments pursued the Adul­teror!Suetonius. Julius Caesar was stabb'd in the Senate-house, as a just reward of his Incontinence: And how re­markable was Gods judgment upon the Levites Wife,Judg. 19.20, 21. that plaid the A­dulteress! and we have an account [Page 16] how she was cut and divided into twelve pieces, and sent into all the Coasts of Israel. And it would be too tedious to relate, what mise­ry and destruction it brought to An­thony and Cleopatra, Augustus Caesar, Mary of Aragon, Rodolphus of Lom­bardy, and others: And one wittily expresses it,Non est è terris mollis ad astra via. the passage to Heaven is all the way up-hill, and the un­clean Adulterer with his rotten lungs cannot climb it up. Sampsons strength was enervated by a Wo­man: And Solomons Wisdom nigh extinguished in the fire of Lust. What a blot and dishonour was it to Amnon, and how was his Sin ag­gravated in the case of Thamar!

Neither does it terminate in per­sonal destruction, but affects Fami­lies, nay Kingdoms and Empires: what misery did David bring on himself and family by Adultery with Bathsheba! and how terrible the Divine Judgment against him! The Sword shall not depart from thine house, 2 Sam. 11.10, 11, 12. because thou hast despised the Lord, and taken the Wife of Ʋriah the Hittite: and it must needs prick him [Page 17] to the Heart, when Nathan so pa­thetically expostulates the case, and summs up Gods great goodness to him, after he had killed Ʋriah, Ver. 7, 8, 9. and done evil in the sight of the Lord: And we find that Idleness was a great step to this Sin. David walking on the top of his House, saw that Beau­tiful Woman: The soul wanting the Salutiferous food of business, preys upon evils; as the Poet tells us of Aegistus his Adultery,

It was Idleness administred the occasion of his Sin.

We would therefore more espe­cially recommend Imployment and Business, as a great preservative against those Sins: they preserve the mind against those sensual sol­licitations and Syren Inchantments, and fortifie the soul against those fatal Poysons that kill us in our de­lights, and so preserve it invulnera­ble from the Arrows of a Lais or [Page 18] Cleopatra; obstruct those peccata in deliciis which otherwise might storm and conquer our best resolutions; and like a Coat of Male which pre­serves the body, so business pre­serves the mind from those fatal In­chantations;Homines ni hil agendo malè agere discunt. but if we give up our selves to Idleness, a hundred to one but some evil attacks us. As a match takes fire, so Lust overtakes Idle­ness: hence the Poets represent all Shepheards lascivious and effemi­nate, because generally Idle per­sons: so Theophrastus defines it, Otiosi animi affectus. And Seneca is in the right when he tells us,Juventâ gignitur, Luxû nu­tritur, feriis alitur otio­que inter lae­ta fortunae bona. Youth begets it, riot maintains it, Idleness nourishes and continues it. How lustful and effiminate was Al­cibiades, Sardanapalus, Nero and o­thers! Whereupon St. Hierom ob­serves, That wherever Security and Idleness prevails, there wanton­ness and lust reigns.

Ʋbicunque securitas, ibi libido domi­natur.And that it affects Kingdoms and States, we find it in the case of Sodom. God rained down Fire and Brimstone from Heaven, and destroyed the Sodomites, as Pererius [Page 19] notes on the Place;Ex eo quod relatione ad Deum sub nomine Te­tragram­maton di­cuntur, val­de male, & peccatores significatur eo contra jus naturae valde pec­câsse. Pere. in Locum. Giving them­selves over to Fornication, and go­ing after strange flesh, they sinned against the light of Nature: where­fore the Passion and Indignation of Lactantius is commendable, when he sayes, That no Indignation against this Sin of Sodom is enough: and as their punishment was by fire, so it was suitable to the Nature of their Sin, and burning Lusts, as Gregory expresseth it. There was Lusting without measure, and excess of riot;Sulphure significatus & punitus fuit peccato­rum foetor, igne libidi­nis ardor. Greg. in locum. and as their Sins were of a crying and aggravating Nature, so the execution of their punishment was by Fire, which is accounted most afflictive to Sense, and a suitable punishment for the greatest offen­ders. And this fire was a miracu­lous fire; the Text says, The Lord rained Fire and Brimstone, from the Lord: Pererius renders it, E Nostris, it came not from the Strength of na­tural causes, but immediately from God himself. God wrought a mira­cle to punish those Sodomites, and to put a difference between the or­dinary Generation of fire and Sul­phur, [Page 20] produced from natural causes,His verbis significatur quod praeter naturalem, rerum cur­sum miracu­lum opera­tus est, pu­niendo ini­quos ad dif­ferentiam enim natu­ralium cau­sarum natu­rali ordine occurrenti­um, ad ge­nerandum sulphur & ignem, ad­junctum est illud, A Je­hova. it is superadded in the Text, in terminis, è Jehovah, from the Lord; and this is the sence of the best In­terpreters, as Tostatus, Calvin, Mus­culus, Paraeus and Rivet.

And what but the Adultery of Pa­ris with Hellena, occasioned the Tro­jan War, the Ruin of that famous Kingdom, the Death of Paris, and Hellena, and King Priamas himself! And Sextus Tarquinius for the Rape of Lucretia, (for which she slew her self,) was both expelled his King­dom, and slain by the Sabines; and the Romans very properly Solemni­zed their Funeral Rites at the Gate of the Temple of Venus, to let the World know, that Lust and Incon­tinence was an Hastener and Harbin­ger of Death. Epiphanius relates sad Stories of the Impurities of the Gnosticks, and Clemens Alexandrinus of the Carpocratians: therefore let us all remember that Poetical Ad­monition;

And let us seriously consider the Royal Observation of the Wisest King:Prov. 7.25, and 26.— She hath cast down many wound­ed; yea, many strong men have been slain by her: Her house is the way to Hell, going down to the Chambers of Death. We will only just touch at the manner of the Nuptial Celebra­tion, and so proceed to consider the Effects of Marriage. The Anci­ents Solemnized those Sacred Obli­gations with such Care, that God himself might be an apparent Wit­ness of that holy Covenant; and se­veral Nations have observed several sorts of Ceremonies; and we may suppose them wisely and judiciously instituted, as the Representatives of that great Mystery. The Hebrews had first their Betrothings, then their Conjugal Rites: There was a distance of time between their Es­pousals, and the Consummation; which is observable from the Answer of Rebecca's Mother unto Abraham's Servant, that she might remain [Page 22] with her at least ten dayes after the Espousals: Several Friends as­sisted at this Ceremony; and they had an Epithalamium, or Nuptial Song sung by some particular Friends, styled, the Children of the Bride-Chamber: Mat. 9.15. And that this Hy­meneal Song was no other than a Form of Blessing pronounced on the new Married Couple, is thus descri­bed by Genebrand: ‘The Chief of those Companions taketh a Cup, and Blesseth it, saying; Blessed be the Lord our God, which created Man after his own Image, and hath thereby prepared to himself an everlasting Build­ing: Blessed be thou, O Lord our God, who hast created Joy and Gladness, the Bridegroom and the Bride, Charity and brotherly Love, Rejoycing and Pleasure, Peace and Society: I beseech thee, O Lord, let there be suddenly heard in the Cityes of Judah, and Streets of Jeru­salem, the voice of Joy and Gladness, the voice of the Bridegroom and the Bride; the voice of Exultation in the Bride-Chamber is sweeter than any Feast, and Children sweeter than the sweetness of a Song.’ And he drinks to [Page 23] the Married Couple;—From which our vulgar Custom of wishing them Joy and Happiness proceeds.—They kept their Marriage Feast seven dayes;Judg. 14.10. and 11.— which space of time they ob­served for mourning, whence came that Jewish Proverb, Septem ad Con­vivium, septem ad Luctum: And there was a Wedding Ring given to the Bride, with this Inscription, Ma­zal Tob, which the Hebrews call the Planet Jupiter, according to Munster, which they thought of great Effica­cy and Vertue for Generation. And the Subjection and Modesty of Women in those days is observable: When the Wife was first presented to her Husband, she covered her self with a Vail: Thus did Rebecca, when she espyed Isaac coming to­wards her, she took a Vail,Gen. 24.65. and co­vered her self. Now as the Hebrews pray'd unto God, so other Nations had their particular Auspicious Dei­ties, and forms of Invocations; as, at Athens, Hymeneus; and at Rome, Thalassius; that the Marriage might be happy and fortunate: And they adorned one Finger of the left Hand [Page 24] with a Ring, as a Symbol of their great Love to their Husbands; and they were wont to be carryed into their Husbands Houses, to intimate, that they lost their sollicited Virgi­nity not voluntarily. We will not trouble you with the several Cu­stoms which were accommodated to Magnificence and Splendour of the Nuptials, the Sports of Gladi­ators, and Preparations of Pastime for the People, which Theophrastus calls, the Delightful Product of Riches: And for our modern Customs herein, and modes of Celebration, we pass them over, to hasten to the Effects of Marriage.

A posteriori.Secondly, We come to consider the Effects of Marriage: And we are not about Ʋmbraticam Causam, need­less things; but our design is to bla­zon the Sacred and Noble Effects of Marriage.Finis dat amabilita­tem mediis. 'Tis the End and good Consequence of things that gives the greater Lustre and Loveliness to the Causes.—Man being a con­gregable Creature, by reason of his Speech, the Communative Organ of Society, as Cicero tells us;—Man [Page 25] delights in the Company of his own Species, Pares cum paribus sa­cilime con­gregantur. Cicero. and the Similitude of their Natures hath constituted a continu­ed Alliance amongst themselves. And Tostatus tells us, That that was the Original of Civil Communication, for the mutual Preservation of Man­kind: The happy Effects of it were seen in the several Families and Asso­ciations of the first Age:—The first Oeconomies and Institutions for the Government of Mankind, was the blessed Effects of Marriage.— Here the admirable wisdom of Divine Pro­vidence shined out, and here the Ce­lestial Proclamation took place; Glo­ry to God on High, on Earth Peace, good Will towards Men: For, no sooner was Man created for God's Glory, but a meet help assigned him; and the next thing in Nature after Ge­neration follows Preservation, Sub­ordination, and Government, as a Pattern to Succeeding Ages, for the Government of God's Church and People in the World. Now Self-love being an inseperable Pro­perty to all Beings,Amor sui. we must needs delight in the Preservation of our [Page 26] own Essence, for the Unity we find in our selves: And when in Nature, or Habit, we find the Similitude and Character of our selves, the Beams and Powers of our Wills and Affe­ctions do extend and dilate them­selves upon those Objects respective­ly. Now a Representation is made,

1. In Substance; as the Husband and Wife are One Flesh, and Chil­dren the Branches of their Parents.

2. In Accidents, or Qualities; as one Man is like to another, either in the Dimensions of Body, Iden­tity of Physiognomy, or mental En­dowments;—all which prompts Nature to mutual Exercises of Love and Courtesie. And this natural Civility and Providence extends to other Creatures as well as Man: Eli­an reports of the Affection of Ele­phants to their Young: That the Pelican, if the Naturallists may be credited, when her young Ones have been bitten, feeds them with her own Blood, for their Recovery, (which a Portugal Prince made Em­blematical to express his Love to his Subjects;) and other Creatures ob­serve [Page 27] this Affection, according to Elian: Nay, the most cruel of Beasts, the Tyger, if Statius be not mista­ken:

Nay, what Regiment this affecti­on does obtain upon the whole Classes of vegetable nature, is pleasant to observe: in the Vine and Elm how great a sympathy! the Olive and the Mirtle embrace each other. What a story is related of two Palm trees in Italy by Jovianus Pontanus, in his Poems! Naturalists allow them Male and Female, and that they will not grow out of each others sight. The Poet Claudian describes the Passion of Vegetables, thus,

[Page 28]But in Mankind how much great­er is this affection, and who can un­dertake to describe the extent of Conjugal Love! Man admires her as his meet help; she was built in Pa­radise: Nature hath given her pu­rer Elements in her Composition, and sweetned her Countenance be­yond the Sternness of a Male Aspect, and hath intrusted her with the Conception, Production and Educa­tion of Posterity. And God gave the honour of our Redemption to the Seed of the Woman; man is more obsequious to that Sex than his own. For a virtuous and wise Woman is like the Ambassador of a Prince, held as a Person sacred: man admires her for that secret sweetness that indulge and gratifie all his senses at once in his Conversation with her; and is sensible of the frui­tion of so excellent a Creature without himself, and of the honour he receives by help of Propagati­on and parity of natural Union: she is the high Chamberlain of his Soul, Privado of his Senses, and with the [Page 29] charms of her figure,In totâ re­rerum natu­râ nihil for­mâ divini­us, nihil augustius, nihil praeti­osius cujus vires hinc facile intel­liguntur. Socrates. feature and relation, can perswade him into more than all the intermitted retho­rick of a Masculine friend.

But it would be too tedious to re­late the Examples of Conjugal af­fection; we pass over the Love of Abraham and Isaac to their Wives;Ezek. 24.16. of Ezekiel, whose Wife was called the delight of his Eyes; the Vulgar Latin is, Desiderium Oculorum tuorum. Augustus Caesar died in the kisses of his Wife Livia. Conjugii nostri mea mor, vive & vale. We pass over the affections of Theodosius and Placilla his Queen, of Seneca and Paulina, Mansolus and Artemesia: and it is re­ported of one that ordered to be writ on his Tomb, That he had li­ved with his Dear Wife forty three years eight months, and never fell out. What a blessed Amnestia does this noble Constitution settle a­mongst men! And the Conversati­on [Page 30] of a good Wife sweetens Life, and banishes vexation; to whom we may tell our discontents, and have them lessened, and our joyes, and have them multiplyed: and he that hath a good Wise, hath two selves, and possesses all his faculties double.

Homer brings in Paris kissing Hellena after ten years Marriage, protesting as much affection as if but newly conjoyned. Like the Old man in Ausonius,

[Page 31]Much like the saying of Solomon, And rejoice with the Wife of thy Youth, Prov. 5.19. let her be as the loving Hind, and the pleasant Roe; let her Breasts satisfie thee at all times, and be thou ravished alwayes with her Love. Here is a mag­netick and charming quality, a powerful and occult motive; and though he rule his Wife as head, yet she again commands his Heart; no happiness like it, placens Ʋxor, a sweet Wife.

No Love so strong as this Conju­gal Love, they being but one flesh are unanimous, and Gerion-like,Amicitiae symbolum. Coalescere in Ʋnum, and have but one Heart in two Bodies.

And so continue in mutual Love, affection and endearments to each other; according as the Poet per­sonates a Loving Husband:

And so è diverso, the Woman al­so hath a great sense of these con­jugal obligations; she admires her Husband as her Head and Protector, and under God a Melior Natura, an Auspicious Genius, and Tute­lar Angel, concern'd for her happi­ness, and consulting all the honou­rable methods for her Preservati­on and Comfort: And the Care, Diligence and Industry of a good Husband, for the Preservation and Happiness of her, and hers, recom­mends him the more to her Love and most endeared affections. She cannot but adore the Divine good­ness, that when her Parents are dead, and her Friends fail her, that she hath a second Self, who is un­happy if she be miserable; and under [Page 33] God her happiness in this World depends immediately on the Indu­stry, Sobriety, Diligence and Pro­vidence of her Husband. Man and Wife should resemble the Cheru­bims in the Temple, which looked on each other; so they should love and admire each other, and meet half way in the joint Prosecution of both their good. The Apostle exhorts Husbands to love their Wives as Christ loved the Church: Eph. 5.25. Col. 3.18. And Wives to submit themselves to their Husbands, as it is fit in the Lord, and win them by their sweet Conver­sation. And the Wise man,1 Pet. 3.1. in his description of a loving and industri­ous Wife; says, She will do him good▪ and not evil all her dayes; And goes on descanting on the particu­lar parts of her good housewifery: And in the 28 verse, Pronounces his blessing on her;Prov. 31.10. Her Children arise up and call her blessed, her Hus­band also, and he praiseth her. We also have read of the constancy of a Ruth, of Sarah and Rebecka's fide­lity to their Husbands; and in the Roman Government, the Bride used [Page 34] to salute her Husband: Ʋbi tu Cai­us, Plutarch. ego semper Caia.

It was an excellent Character the Holy Ghost gives of Abigal, that she was a Woman of an excellent Understanding, in Pacifying David, and saving her house. Phile and Zenobia were exceeding Lovers of their Husbands; and what Lamps of Female Glory were the Corne­lia's, Panthia's, Porcia's, and others! and how great an Admiration had that Persian Lady for her Husband, when at Cyrus his Wedding, she was asked, How she lik'd the Bride­groom; I know not, said she, for I saw none there, but mine own Husband. And Plutarch relates of the Love and Wisdom of the Cel­tick Women, that when their Hus­bands were involved in a Civil War, by the endeavours and Solicitati­on of their Wives, a Peace was made, and for their Honour and Reward they were admitted to the Council. And it was one of the Articles made with Hannibal, That if the Cartha [...]inians had any contro­versie with the Celtians, it should [Page 35] be decided by the Celtian Women; and we find a passage in Euripides to this effect,

And as in this Conjugal affecti­on, there is such an egress and expansion of the Heart and Spirits to the object loved, and a Love and respect of that extent, that an Ovid can't teach it, nor Solomon describe, nor Apelles paint it; so an high care and solicitation for the well-being and preservation of each other:Res est sol­liciti plena timoris a­mor. Ovids E­pist. as the Poet well de­scribes the jealousie of Penelope for the safety of Ʋlisses,

And as absence is tedious and unpleasant, so their departure each from other afflictive and uneasie: When Thais took her leave of Phae­dria,

But we must shake off this plea­sant Argument, for there's no end of it. In short, how have Philoso­phers, Historians and Poets cele­brated this Alliance, this Conjugal Oeconomy; this Divine constituti­on! Dies deficeret & Nox; we will only give you the rapture of Boae­thius.

Now two being become one by this Mysterious Conjunction, they reciprocally love and mutually af­fect each other, and jointly promote the happiness of both: the man is obliged to love his Wife, as Gro­tius [Page 38] sayes,Dilectione sincera, castâ & perpetuâ, & exemplo sanctae vitae uxoribus praebeat. Spontaneâ nempè vo­luntate, ag­noscentes ordinatio­nem Dei qui id etiam an te peccatum constituit. with a chaste and constant love, and set their Wives the ex­ample of a Religious Life: And the Woman to love, reverence and submit to her Husband, freely and chearfully acknowledging the Ordi­nance of God from the beginning, as Zanchius directs. And as the Ma­trimonial honour is to be preser­ved inviolable, so the Holy Ghost is pleased to represent the mysti­cal Union between Christ and his Church, by the semblance and Ana­logy of Marriage.Quo specta­re videtur, sequens com­paratio, de Christo ec­clesiamsuam sanctifican­te. Estius in loc. Aristotle Pol.

Now this Love and Affection be­ing proper to Mankind, is called Amor cognitionis. Leon Hebreus calls it Rational love, whereby all the Affections and Actions are confor­med to the Object; and this Love the Philosopher styles, Debitum Na­turae, a Debt we owe to Nature, and the neglect thereof a trespass against Nature; because God is Love it self; he made the World out of Love, and wonderfully illu­strated this Love in redeeming of it; and the Emanations of it are visible in his Divine Providence, [Page 39] and in his care and protection of every individual, and particle of the Creation.

And here we might enter into a vast and Philosophical Field of discourse,Amor est voluntatis affectus. Forma est vitalis [...]ul­gor [...]ex ipso bono ema­nans par I­deas. Plato. Pulchritu­do est perfe­ctio compo­siti, & con­gruente or­dine, men­surá & ra­tione parti­um consur­gens. and give you the Defini­tion, division and object of Love; according to Leon Hebreus, a volun­tary affection and desire to enjoy that which was good: Omne pul­chrum est amabile; and the more fair the object, the more desirable. Pla­to defines Beauty, a resulting from effased good. Others call it a perfection of the whole compositi­on; and this Comeliness is called Grace, which joyned with Beau­ty is like the Shinings that come [Page 40] from a Glorious and Divine Sun; than which admirable Beauty, says Socrates, there is nothing so maje­stical, nothing so sacred, divine and Lovely, and nothing can charm mankind so much. When Xerxes de­stroyed all the Temples of the Graeci­an Deities, he caused the Picture of Diana, in Integrum servari, to be spared for its Beauty and Maje­sty:Naturae gaudentis opus. But how much more charming is natural Beauty, which Plato calls the Quintessence and Triumph of Nature. Carneades calls it, Still Rethorick, that perswades without Speech; 'tis a Kingdom without a Militia;Gratior est pulchro, ve­niens è cor­pore virtus. Vir. Aene­ads. which made Diogenes call Beautiful Women Queens, because all were willing to obey their Com­mands: and the Poet describes Di­do's astonishment when she first be­held Aeneas, ‘Obstupuit primo aspectu Sydonia Dido.’

So the Woman of Samaria was transported with the Beauty of Christ;Origen. he was Fairer than the Sons of men. Joseph's comeliness conci­liated [Page 41] his Favour in the Aegypti­an Court:Lib. de pul. Jes. & Mar. How much doth P. Mo­rales admire the Beauty and Lustre of the Virgin Mary! Anthony ad­mired Cleopatra, and Theseus was charmed with Hellena. And though the Mind is not occasioned by the Body, yet Philosophy tells us it follows the temperament of it; and where the external Qualities are so beautiful, we may guess at the Judgment, concluding that the love­ly dispositions of the Soul quick­neth and animates the outward Graces; and there being so strong a love between the Body and Soul, we may from thence presume of a similitude in the Qualities of the Soul, with those lovely impressions of nature we find in the Body.

Now Leon Hebreus divides Love into three parts, Natural, Sen­sible, and Rational: Natural Love is seen in the Elements, Sun, Moon and Stars, in Mettals and Stones; gravia tendunt deorsum; Fire upwards, and in Vegetables, as be­fore. Sensible Love in brute Beasts, for the preservation of the Speci­es; [Page 42] and Rational, which was hand­led before, as proper to Mankind; but then only respecting Philan­thropy, the love of men to their own Species; whereas the affecti­ons of men are likewise dilated on things as well as persons. We ad­mire Virtue, Wisdom, Eloquence, Profit, Wealth, Honour, Beauty, Friendship, Charity, and other things, Arts and Sciences; but we only name them, each head would take up a copious discourse by it self. And pleading Peccavi for this pleasant digression, we return to prosecute the remaining Effects of Marriage: And the next is Chil­dren.

When he sees those fine and ela­borate pieces of himself, whom God hath graciously given him, how does he adore the Divine Goodness that made him a Father, and Instrument to preserve by a continued Suc­cession Gods Church in the World! and how is he obliged to give down to his Off-spring those Precepts and Institutes for Gods glory, their good and advantage, he received [Page 43] from his Ancestors! Children are the blessing of their Parents, and a good Parent a blessing to his Chil­dren. When God blessed our first Parents, 'twas thus: Be fruitful, Gen. 1.28. Signifi [...]at secundita­tem omnem­que favo­rem, & co­piam, & quae Deus illis omnia laeta, & pausta pre­catus fuit. Paulus Fa­gius, in Locum. Gen. 22.17. and multiply, and replenish the earth; which Blessing, as a learned man tells us, signifies all Fruitfulness, Favour and Plenty; and that God would heap on them all Joys and Prosperity: so that the blessing of Children and all other Enjoy­ments, are annext to Marriage. So when God blessed Abraham; In blessing I will bless thee, and in mul­tiplying I will multiply thy seed as the Stars in Heaven, and as the sand on the Sea-shore, and thy seed shall pos­sess the Gate of his Enemies: The words are an Hebraism, verbalia addita verbis; which signifies Gods earnest resolutions to Bless Abra­ham, and his Seed after him: The Hebrews observed a Conveniency be­tween the forms of expression and the thing exprest: So when Christ said,Luke 22. Cordis & Oris oratio­nem notat. With desire I have de­sired; Aquinas noteth on the place, that the Heart and Tongue both [Page 44] Prayed: And David expresseth the goodness of God to the Seed of Abraham; Psal. 105.6, 8, 9, 10, 11. O ye seed of Abraham his Servant, and ye seed of Jacob his Chosen, he hath remembred his Cove­nant for ever; the word which he com­manded to a Thousand Generations; which Covenant he made unto Abra­ham, and his Oath unto Isaac, and confirmed the same unto Jacob for a Law, and to Israel for an everlasting Covenant, saying, Ʋnto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your Inheritance.

And when God blessed Jacob, I will pour my Spirit on thy seed, Isa. 44.3. and my blessing on thine Off-spring.

Now as these are the Promises and Blessings of God on the one hand, so 'tis the Parents Duty on the other to express their Obligations and Thankfulness in the Education and Care of their Children;Prov 20.3. like Solomon's Just man, who walketh in his Integrity, and his Children are blessed after him. How does he consult all wayes and me­thods to make his Children tru­ly happy! By Integrity we may [Page 45] understand that faithfulness a Fa­ther oweth to his Children, in giving them a religious and sober Education: Nurture is as necessa­ry for Children as Nourishment, which if Parents neglect, they are Peremtores potius quam parentes, Qûo semel est imbuta recens ser­vabit odo­rem testa diu. Prov. 22.6. ra­ther Paricides than Parents: but the good Father takes Solomon's Advice, and trains up his Child in the way he should goe; and with that wise Spartan Prince, when he was asked what he should teach his Children, made Answer,Agesilaus. Xenoph. Those things that they should make use of when they became men: For Youth is like soft Wax,Tanquam abrasa ta­bula. takes any Im­pression; therefore it ought to be season'd with Religion and Learn­ing; as the Spring is the fittest seed-time for Grain and Planting, so Youth is the most convenient sea­son to scatter the Seeds of Know­ledge upon the ground of the mind.

And this Integrity also takes in the good Example of the Parent, for good Examples are very pre­valent with Children. It is record­ed [Page 46] for the honour of Joshua, Magis in­tuentur quod fecit Jupiter quam quid docuit Plato. that he took care of his Children, and 'twas his good resolution, That he and his House would serve the Lord: Lycurgus commanded all his Citizens to dine publickly, where their Children heard no idle Speech­es, but grave discourse about the Go­vernment of the Common-wealth. The good Parent is an utter Ene­my to evil Customs, he well knows what arguments are brought from thence to support ill actions; for Custome (as the Lord Verulam calls it) is the dumb Idol of the world,Idolum Theatri. the great Mart of Error, wherein Men unthriftily take up on trust, and at last break by too much re­lying on the bankrupt security of a Fashion; the Ignis fatuus and blaze men play about, as Flies about a Candle, 'till they burn their wings: He will therefore be sure to give his Children a good Example, and abolish bad Customes. Virgil brings in Aeneas advising his Son Asca­nius;

So Homer represents Hector Pray­ing for his Son;

And if Heathens profest this sort of Piety, how much more should Christian Parents bring up their Children in the Admonition, and Fear of the Lord! How much was it to the honour and glory of Abraham, when God gives this Testimony of him! For I know him, Gen. 18.19 that he will command his Children, and his Houshold after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, and do ju­stice and Judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. Which was, that in him should all the Fami­lies of the Earth be blessed; As if God should argue, How shall I ful­fill my promise to Abraham, unless Abraham instruct his Children? and [Page 48] what Parent will Wilfully ob­struct his own and Childrens hap­piness?1 Kings 2.2, 3. So David charged Solomon: Be thou strong therefore, and shew thy self a man: And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his Statutes, his Judge­ments, and his Testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses: and that he might the rather embrace his charge, he adds the reason, that thou maist prosper in all thou doest, Majori sol­licitudine me parturi­ebat Spiritu quam pepe­rat carne, parturiebat carne ut in hanc tempo­ralem na­scerer corde ut in aeter­nam lucem re nascerer. Aug. Lib. 2. confes. ch. 3. and whithersoever thou turn­est thy self: And St. Austin reports of his Mother Monica, that she ceased not do her endeavours eve­ry way, that he might be truly religious, and as well Gods Child by Grace as hers by Nature. This is that Domestick care that is in­cumbent on all Parents, to teach their Children their Duty to God himself, to Honour their Parents, to reverence their Superiours, be courteous to their Equals, and that in all their Actions, they should have Oculi in Metam, and so be recti in curiâ: the Wise-man also tells us, what Instructions he re­ceived [Page 49] from his Parents:Prov. 4. To study Wisdom and to shun the path of the Wicked; and further tells us, that whoso loveth Wisdom rejoyceth his Father; chap. 29. and this Wisdom is the fear of the Lord, as we find after­wards: The fear of the Lord, Prov. 9.10. that is Wisdom, and the Knowledge of the Holy is Ʋnderstanding.

The good Parent well considers Religion as most essential to his Childrens Happiness; that in the end of their days, when all other things fail, then God may be the strength of their Heart, and their Portion for ever.

That Antistes Sacrorum, the Re­verend Dr. Ʋsher, used prayer in his Family four times a day, and on Frydays Cathechized them; as remembring that charge, which God commanded the old Israelites, These Words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine Heart. Deut. 6.6, 7. And thou shalt teach them diligently to thy Children, and thou shalt talk of of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou [Page 50] risest up. And next after Religion his care is manifest, to learn them Arts and Sciences, knowing that Ignorance brings Idleness, Idleness brings ill Company, which the De­vil useth as an Engine to Dethrone men from the safe and honourable seat of Virtue to the precipice of ruine and destruction, and so enchanting their Understanding, their Misery attends them incognito; whereas good and wise Associates are our second Genius to good­ness;Phil. de Co­mines. Ab. 34. or as another expresseth it, 'Tis an Indication of a good and virtuous disposition, to choose learned and virtuous Companions: which made Alexander so highly esteem Aristotle, Themistocles his Anaxagoras, and Scipio his Canutius. And he recommends virtue to them, as the complement of a happy life, and only Immortal thing that be­longs to Mortality, and represents it to them with such Beauty and Majesty, that it must needs conci­liate Love and Veneration; and be­ing a Charm so powerful, the af­fected Soul admires it, as the La­dy [Page 51] and Queen of an Intellectual Beauty.

He well knows that Nature has, as it were, of purpose left many things for Art and Industry to fi­nish and make up; and as 'tis Arts duty to imitate Nature, so 'tis its dignity to perfect it: Nature gives in the Oar, but Industry refines it into Silver. God hath bestowed on his Children the Light of Na­ture, and the Understanding of a Reasonable Being, and though by Original Sin this Light be eclipsed, this Understanding and Reason wi­ther'd, there is the more need of supernatural accomplishments. Arts and Sciences polish and improve Nature, and confer a great help and furtherance thereunto, and cure the diseases of our Minds: as it was said of Demosthenes, that Na­ture brought forth one Demosthenes, and Learning another, his Intelle­ctuals were so improved by his stu­dies. He recommends therefore to his Children the study of the Scriptures and practical Divinity, commends the devotion of a Nu­ma, [Page 52] the Justice of an Aristides, the good Laws of a Solon, the Pru­dence of a Cato, the Courage of a Scipio, the Moderation of a Fabius, and the publick Spirit of a Cice­ro; and commends Learning, that is the only thing to enrich their minds with such precious furniture, that Alexander profess'd he had ra­ther excell in Wisdom than Pow­er, and as that which promotes the civil end of our Life: Ʋt in honore cum dignitate vivamus; and that a man without Understand­ing is like the Beasts that perish: therefore he is highly sollicitous to instruct his Children, with the Emanations of Divine Wisdom, the Ideas of Morality, the Simples of Science, the Flowers of Retho­rick, Reason and Philosophy, and to build them up into the Gallan­try and Perfection of men. How does he set before them, that Learning was the Glory of Scipia Affricanus, Charles the Great, Ti­tus Vespatian, Charles the fifth, and our late King James! and how much Historians, Poets and Philo­sophers [Page 53] have celebrated the Glories of the Learned; and by this stir up the genius of his own Children to an Emulation of their virtues. And we read of great Personages that taught their Children them­selves: Augustus Caesar read Cicero and Virgil to his Children, and of a Grecian Emperour, that taught his Daughter himself: and Bishop Jew­el cites her in his Apology, as Au­thor of a Church History: so Paulus Aemilius instructed his Children in the Latin and Greek Tongues: And Sir Tho. Moor when Lord Chan­cellour taught his three Daughters, and Buchanal relates of the admi­rable Learning of Sir Anthony Cooks Children, instructed by their Fa­ther.

And as these things are incumbent on Parents, so 'tis the Childrens happiness to have such Watches over them: having touched at the Just mans Integrity, the Wise man adds this, His Children are bles­sed after him. 'Tis indeed a great blessing to Children, to have Wise and Religious Parents; and when [Page 54] they sit at the feet of such Ga­maliels, they enjoy that Happi­ness the Queen of Sheba pronoun­ced on Solomon's Servants,1 Kings 10.8. Hap­py are thy Men, happy are these thy Servants, that stand continually before thee, and hear thy Wisdom. And as a grateful acknowledge­ment of their Obligations, they ought to give their Parents all Du­ty, Honour and Reverence. 'Tis the Apostles exhortation, Honour thy Father and thy Mother, this is the first commandment with Promise: And whats that? That thy days may be long in the Land. And this promise were sufficient if all duty were su­perseded. And the wise man ex­horts us, Honour thy Father that be­gat thee, and despise not thy Mother when old: And indeed the Book of Proverbs is full of ghostly advice to Children; and 'tis but common gratitude, to be thankful to them who gave them being, and by In­struction in Religion and Learning they give them also well-being; with what ardent affection and am­bition ought they to answer the [Page 55] expectations of their Parents, con­sonant to the Apostles exhortati­on;Col. 3.20. Children obey your Parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to God.

But we will pass on to prosecute our further discourse; only let us hear Plato's opinion about the Go­vernment of Youth: In the Foun­dation of Youth, says he, well ordered and taught, consists the flourishing of a Common-wealth. And indeed he is altogether in the right; for the Education and Go­vernment of Youth, is like the pre­paring and polishing Stones and Utensils for some magnificent Fa­brick: And here we could wish eve­ry Family a little Seminary of Religion and Learning, for the service of Church and State; as our Universities are for the accom­plishment of Persons for Sacred and Civil Offices: And we find Plu­tarch of the same Judgment; and tells us, that Education and Learn­ing reform the Life and Manners, and afford the best advice for the Government of a Common-wealth: [Page 56] And we thence inferr, that a re­formed Life and Manners, not only produce an Excellent Oeco­nomy and Institution of Govern­ment, but are the most serviceable and adventitious helps to preserve the Unity and Beauty of such ad­ministrations, and infallibly annex Happiness and Prosperity to such a People.

And if good Government and Discipline were observed in Fa­milies, how much would it con­duce to publick advantage? As in an Army, what glorious encounters are they sit for, when the Gene­ral understands his Interest and Station, and all his Souldiers per­fectly understand their Posts, all expert and acute in Military un­dertakings. So in a State, when all are sit to rule, and all willing to obey their Prince;Imperatoris faelicitas in subditorum faelicitate consistat. Grotius. Lips. Polit. whose hap­piness consists in the happiness of his People, as Grotius tells us; and Lipsius calls it, Verum & legitimum Imperium: A true and lawful Em­pire so governed. Now when the People are taught to be religious, [Page 57] Religion must needs flourish; and when they are instructed in Arts and Sciences, Trades and Com­merce, it must needs conduce to their happiness, profit, honour and greatness.

We all know, that those States thrived best, that were most addict­ed to the service of their Gods: Rome saw her best dayes when Re­ligion flourisht there under a Nu­ma, Augustus, Titus, Constantine, Theodosius, and others: And Bodin gives us the reasons of it;Ab câ enim subditorum fides in Principes obedientia erga Ma­jestratus pietas in Parentes, charitas in singulos, & justititia in omnes pen­det de Re­bus. Lib. 7. From hence, says he, they became Loyal to their Prince, Obedient to the Magistrate, Dutiful to Parents, Charitable to all, with an equal distribution of Justice: and by these administrations they exceeded other Nations, as Martial sets them out.

[Page 58] Hac enim sola Roma­na gens to­tam terra­rum orbem sub [...]git. Bodin.They exceeding other Nations in Piety, as one observes; by this they conquered all the world be­sides. And St. Chrysostome tells us, that Princes without learning and the fear of God, manage but lame­ly their greatest Affairs, and are blind in discretion and knowledge: The Piety of an Agesilaus, brought him both Honour and Success; the Devotion of a Numa and a Fabius, made them formidable and glorious: And we have read of a Law of one of our Danish Kings, that at the Assizes the Bishop was obliged to accompany the Judge, that the one might countenance Gods Law, and the other Mans; in Imitation of Jehosaphat, who sent the Levites with his Princes,2 Chron. 17.6. to teach in the Cities of Judah. We pass over the Piety of Charles the great, who used to set his Crown on the Bible; of Edward the Sixth, and Queen Elizabeth, who when the Bible was present­ed to her by the Citizens of Lon­don, kiss'd it, and laid it to her [Page 59] Breasts: and the Examples of Prin­ces are of great force to promote Devotion in the People. Regis ad Exemplum, was a saying of old, and all Ages have confirmed it.

Now when Religion is settled, it produces peace and a general hap­piness, which produceth peaceable Society, the Improvement of Arts and Sciences, Trade and Com­merce, and on these depend the happiness of a State. We pass over the sad effects of War and Hostility, of Rapine and Blood­shed, and all those Evertores horri­fici, those Devastations which suc­ceed it. How are Temples and An­tiquities razed to the ground, and Religion spuriated into Heresie and Schism; all which cease, by reason the cause is taken away, and the State preserved from Forreign In­vasions and Civil Dissensions.

Here we may see how things are chained and linkt together, and how naturally effects flow from their causes; and how Family-go­vernment, where the Father go­verns his Children, and they again [Page 60] obey their Parents, bears so strict an Analogy and semblance between a Prince and his People; and Fa­mily-government, a little Model and pattern of National Discipline, which was erected first from Pa­ternal Administrations: For 'till Nimrod's time, who Erected the first Monarchy National, Noah and his Generations, as Paraeus tells us,Par fami­lias [...] [...] [...]. Paraeus in Gen. did rule gently by their Families.

But in Process of time the World growing exceeding Populous, thô the several Families of the Earth did, and doe retain their Oeco­nomy, and first Prescriptions for their particular Order and Deco­rum; they are since Politically uni­ted, and a whole Land or Nati­on under an Uniformity of Go­vernment, and as it were so ma­ny thousands of Families incorpo­rated into one Body, for a com­mon Strength and Preservation. Here the Sagacity of Man under the Divine Conduct is very visi­ble,Vis unita f [...]tim. Lord Ba­con's Es­ssays. all Estates subscribe to Unity, as the Mother and Foundation of [Page 61] Concord and Preservation; and by this Polity, not only Sacred and Civil Rights are preserved, but settled and confirmed; and Nimrod was the first Prosecutor hereof, and changed the Paternal Govern­ment into National Monarchy; and the Genius of his aspiring Nature instructed him in this principle of Policy; which very word is de­rived from the Greek [...], to Sell, whence [...], a City, and metony­mically taken to signifie Commerce and Trade in a Society of men, which did ensue, and was in the greatest measure augmented by Na­tional Government. Now this Nimrod in Scripture is styled a mighty Hunter:Viribus ro­ [...]stis, & [...] dis­cretus. To­status in loc. And Tostatus speaks of him, being strong in Bo­dy, and Discreet in mind, by the Engine of his Wit, and Art of Gratification, and by heaping good turns on Injured Persons, did en­gage a multitude to his Party,Ʋnde do­minandi Occasionem na [...]ius, reg­n [...]m obtulit. Muscul. in loc. by whose assistance he pursued men as a Hunter does Beasts: where­upon, sayes Musculus, he obtain­ed a Kingdom by his Valour and [Page 62] Victory, the rude and barbarous People being reduced to Civil Go­vernment;Musculus, St. Chryso­stome, Cornelius a Lapide, Mercer and Rivet in Locum. which Conquest by most Commentators is ascribed to the Vigour of his Body, and Virtue of his Mind; surpassing others by his Humanity and Benignity, he got together a Party, whereby he subdued his Opposites, and settled his Government.

But since it hath been the ge­neral Policy of succeeding Ages, by Marriage and Affinity to perpe­tuate that in their Families, which he only obtained by Craft and Sub­tilty; witness the Royal Families of the World ever since, a So­veraignty and Superiority having been generally successive;Moses, Joshua, Samuel, &c. (except only when it pleased God to in­spire and adapt some particular men for the Government of his People in the Primitive times.) And thus Marriage hath not only Intailed Soveraignty on their Po­sterity, but also settled the com­mon Peace, Trade and Commerce of one Nation and State with a­nother; hath promoted Alliances [Page 63] of common preservations, against the Enemies of Gods Church; and whereby several Countreys have enjoyed the Commodities and Ma­nufactures of each other, for a mu­tual good and advantage. Solomon Married Pharaoh's Daughter, and settled a Trade and Commerce with the Aegyptians. What recon­ciled the Chaldeans to Cyrus but Marriage? what reconciled the Sa­bines to the Romans? Marriage; they were Enemies and Friends both in one days time,Salubrem providenti­am. Se­neca. which Seneca styles an healing Providence. What reconciled Pompey and Caesar after so much Fighting and Blood-shed, but Marriage? Which way did Alexander reconcile and allye Asia to Europe, but by Marriage? And our Politick Henry the Seventh Marrying the Lady Elizabeth, Heir of the House of York, ingrafted the white Rose on the Red, and so put a Period to those Civil Dissentions which had caused so much Blood-shed; and by Marry­ing of his two Daughters, entitu­led his Heirs to the French Inte­rest [Page 64] and Crown of Scotland: And in short, the Soveraign Houses of Christendome being a Kin to each other by Marriage, the Peace of Christendome and other parts have been preserved thereby;Firmissi­mum Imperii munimen­tum, Taci­tus an. and Ta­citus calls it the most strong Pre­servative of Empire.

And if these Obligations were but duly observed by Nations and Families, what Halcion dayes would be found on Earth! this Contract of Mankind should be like that Gol­den Chain which reaches from Earth to Heaven, preserving the mutual coherence of the Elements, where­by all things are reciprocally ty­ed together, and make this lower World like the Imperial Heavens; where all the motions of the com­prehending Orbs, the several Con­st [...]tions, the various position of the Stars and Planets produce a ravishing Chorus, and an Harmo­ny truly beautiful: And what peace and quiet too, as the Emanations of this sacred Friendship, would be established! and what a series of Hacentia's, and pleasing Conten­tations [Page 65] slow from it! 'twould lead us up to the via Lactea, and ush­er us with Musick to the presence of Divinity.

Having spoken something of the Illustrious Effects of Marriage, we proceed to inquire what method we are to take to render it blessed, propitious and satisfactory, which brings us to peruse the Prayer of Eliezer, for constituting a Family; in which Government was first e­rected, and if still preserved, is the best means to preserve Nati­onal Discipline, which was deri­ved from it.