The Golden Book of Christian Matrimony, Chapter 9
The nynth Chapter.
The ende fruyte and commendacion of holy wedlocke. Howe blyssed, honourable & good a thyng it is.
BY this now is it easy to vnderstond what is ye ende, vertue & frute of wedlocke, & how holy, profitable & good a thyng it is. This is ye ende of mariage whervpon it leaneth. Not to be aloue, but to hauehave a cōpanion in this lyfe, that wyll helpe to beare wealth & woo, euen such one as thou canst fynde in thyne harte to louelove, and of whome thou arte loued agayne, that by the same thou mayst fynde a medicine and swagynge of the weakenes of thy vnquiet flesh, and so voyde whoredome and all fylthy lyuynge, to brynge vp chyldren vntounto the prayse of God, and to the publique wealthe, profyt and conforte of thy selfe, and other thy neyghbours. &c.
Wherfore the vertue, operacion, effecte, and The operacion of wedlocke.frute now of mariage, is to confort, mayntayne helpe, counsayle, to clense, to further vntounto good mann…rs, honeste and shamefastnes, to expel vn …lennes, to auaunce the honoure of God & the publique weale, and to sette vp many suche vertues moo.
Hereof commeth it that wedlocke is a great Wedlocke is holy and honourable▪worke and holy ordinaunce of God, whiche defy leth or vnhaloweth no mā, saue hym that taketh it vponupon hym wt an vncleane harte. Whome (to saye trueth (not the mariage, but his owne wickednes defyleth. For it is alwaye holy & right in it selfe, & all such as receaue it wyth true hertes, doth it allowe & bryng to honour. It hath euer also bene of an excellent estimacion & had a glorious name of all prudent people, in so muche that Paul durst boldely saye: Wedlocke is hono rable among all men, or in all the worthe.
For wedlocke dyd God institute by himselfe▪ & not by his Angels or holy mē, as he dyd oth…r good statutes & ordinaunces, yea euen at the be gynnynge toke he it in hande in Paradise that Marke w…garden of pleasure, no doubte, for the commodite & not for the grefe of man. Wythoute Paradise were all other ordinaunces made, but euen in Paradise was wedlocke ordeyned. And yf all ordinaunces hauehave theyr propre commēdacion & honour of theyr fyrste begynner of the antiquite, of the place where they were ma…e, or of y• pro fytte that they bryng. Then verely is wedlocke moost worthy of prayse & honour, as a thyng in stituted of God hym selfe, euen in Paradyse, at the begynnyng of the worlde, for the wra…th and commodite of man.
Therfore in mariage lyued the holyest, the moost vertuous, ye wysest & moost noble mē vpō erth: yee the holy ghost is not ashamed, euen in the fyrst boke of the byble, very playnely to ta…ke & wryte nothyng els for the moost parte, then of mariages, chylbren, or byrthes, and suche other Genes… The …poyntes of housholdyng in wedlocke. Adā was a marryed man, so was Enoche, Nohe, Abrahā, Lothe, Isaac, Iacob, Iosaphat, Iob, Moses, Aaron: And so were other Regentes, Iudges, Prestes and Kynges, Iosue, Gedeon, Phinees, Samuel, Dauid, Ezechias, Iostas, Os…as, Isaias, and other Prophetes …o. Dauid commendeth the state of mariage as a singulare blyssynge of God, whiche he sendeth to them that louelove him, & whō he loueth, & sayth. Psal. cxxvii. Blessed are they all that feare the Lorde, & that walke in his wayes: for thou shalte lyue wyth the thyng that thou hast gottē thorowthe labour of thyn owne handes. O how blyssed & happy arte thou? Thy wyfe is as a frutefull vine that standeth by thy house syde: Thy chyldren round about thy table are euē lyke Olyue trees newly planted. Lo thus shall he be blissed y• feareth the Lorde. &c. and this is the cause that the wiues of the olde testamēt, toke it for a great dishonour & plage, whan one of thē was at any tyme barren or vnfrutefull.
In the new Testamēt it was y• good plesure of our Lorde Iesus, to be borne in mariage, For Math. i. …the virgyn Mary was marryed vntounto Ioseph of the house of Dauid, yet cōceaued she of the holye Luke. i.ghost, & brought forth her chylde beyng a virgyn her selfe, & remaynyng a virgin. The fyrst miracle that oure Lorde Christ dydde. The same wrought he at a weddynge, & namely suche a mi racle as is able to gyue cōsolacion in maryage, Ioan. ii▪that euen in thynges pertaynyng to this tempo rall lyfe) God wyll not leaue them vnprouided for, that mary in the feare of hym & in the fayth of his euerlasting worde: yee that he both can … A great … maryed …will turne the vnsauery water of all trouble, in to theswete wyne of gracious comforte. The holy apostles & preachers of Iesus Christ had wifes, as Paul the Apostle. Phil. iiii, reporteth of him selfe as Peter and the other Apostles. …. Corin. ix. and as Luke. reporteth of holy. Philippe, Act. xxi. And Eusebius. Eccles. Histo Lib. iii. cap. …xx. Paul calleth theyr doctrine that inhthite & forbyd mariage, the doctryne of the deuell, and saieth. i. Tim iiii. Thesprete speaketh euidently, that in the later tymes some shall departe from the faith, and shall geue hede …o disceatfull spretes & to deuelish doctrines: thorow them that are lyers in ypocrisie, and hauehave theyr conscyences marcked with an whot yerne, forbidding to mary. &c. Therfore foloweth it that the doctryne which doth set forth and knowlege wedloke to be holy, honorable, profitable, necessary and good, is gods doctrine, euen true and good, holy, and vndefyled.