The Golden Book of Christian Matrimony, Chapter 13
The. xiii. Chapter.
Of the weddyng.
ANd to the intēt that all incōueniēces for to come which myght afterward growe, eyther touchyng the goodes or the promy ses) maye cyrcumspectlye be preuented, therfore after y• handfastynge & makyng of the contracte y• church goyng & weddyng shuld not be differred to long, lest the wickedde sowe hys vngracyous sede in the meane season. Likewyse the weddinge (& cohabitacion of ye parties) ought to be begōne with God, & wyth the earnest prayer of yt whole church or cōgregaciō. But into this dysh hath ye dyuell put his foote, & myngled it wythe many wycked vses and custumes. For in some places ther is suche a maner, wel worthy to be rebuked that at the handefastyng, there is made a great feast & sup…rfluous bācket, & euē the same nyght are the two hādfasted personnes brought & layed togyther, yea certen wekes afore they go to the chyrch. Which is nothyng els but a wycked lust, and a playne euidēce, yt thou lytle regardest the blyssyng, euen as dyd Esau, & that in wedlocke thou sekest nothyng but caruall desyre.
Christ commaundethe vsus, that fyrst before Maried fol…es go to the chyrch afore they lye togy ther.all thynges and in all thynges, we shal seake the kyngdome of God. And for asmuche as he hym selfe dyd openly couple the fyrste mariage togyther, and blyssed both the parties, therfore the cō gregacion thorowe the ensample and spirite of God, hath ordeyned, that the parties shall openly and before all thynges, come to the Chyrche, and there declare and confirme theyr marriage in the face of the chyrche, and of Gods minister receaue the blessyng, and committe them selues to the comon prayers of the congregacion, and enioye the same. This godly ordinaunce ought eueryevery reasonable Christen man to prefer aboue his owne fonde affeccion, and not fyrst to seake the bancket & the bed in his mariage, but Gods kyngdome, and then fyrst to be wedded & dwel to gyther in the name of God.
For in the sayde ordinaunce we must not only The occasions & cōmodities that commethe of this ordinās.consither, and note the acte and example of God, but also those profitable and christen poyn tes followyng.
Fyrst, with this ordinaunce is it openly decla i.red in the syght of all the worlde, that it is God which knytteth the knot of mariage. For that the minister of the churche doth, that doeh he in the name & accordyng to the ensample of God.
Secondly with this ordinaunce is testimony gyuen, that wedlocke is honorable and pleasaūte ii.vntounto God, an holy worcke of the lyghte, and no foule worcke of darckenes. For the parties dare syghtly come into the open Churche (euen in the lyght) where Gods worckes onelyonly are practised. As for the worckes of whoredome and dishonestye, that hyde them selfes in the darkenesse. It is sene also by the goyng to the churche, who kepith house wyth God and honeste in wedlock…, and who wyth the dyuell and shame in whoredome: Not only this, but also what they be, that among Christen people are to be suffered togyther as honest personnes: and who, as harl…ttes and vnthriftes, are to be expelled & dryuen from asunder.
Thyrdly, in this ordinaūce is eueryevery one war iii.ned, faythfully to kepe his promyse, made and gi uen to his spouse, before God & the whole chyrch For if a man hauehave cause to be ashamed, whan he promiseth ought in ye presence of honest people, & kepeth it not: Much more ought aduouterers to be ashamed, that breke theyr promyse, made before God and the congregacion.
Fourthly, God wyll gyue his blyssyng to thē that cōtracte wedlocke in the feare of hym, and iiii.that confirme it accordynge to his ordinaunce. Whych thyng the faythfull may assuredly loke for at hys hande Gene. i.
Fyftely, There is Goddes word declared and ….taught, how holy a thyng wedlocke is, how mar ryed folkes ought to behaue thē selues. &c. There eueryevery man that is marryed already, is putte in mynde of his promyse, and they that sometyme lyue well in maryage, are called to repentaunce: lyke as they also that lead an honest lyfe, are cō fermed in all goodnes.
Syxtely. There is made a generall prayer of the whole congregacion in the name of Christ, vi.for those newe maryed folkes, and for the whole state of matrimony. Now hath the Lorde promi sed, that where two or thre are gathered togyther in hys name, he wyl be in the myddes amōg thē: therfore is it wel to be hoped, that he wyll be much rather in such a whole congregaciōs, and heare theyr prayer: All these occasion cōsidred, let not the faythfull despyse Gods ordinaunce, but behaue them selues so, that diligē …ly & afore all thynges, they seke the kyngdom of god, & take that in hand, which is honest profitable & good.
But the dyuell hath crept in her also, & t…ogh … weddynges.he can not make the ordinaunce of goyng to the church to be vtterly omitted & despysed, yet is he thus mighty, & cā bring it to passe, that y• or…inaūce is nothyng regarded, but blemyshed with all manner of lyghtnes: In so muche that early in the mornyng the weddyng people begynne to …xcead in superfluous eatyng & drinkyng, wher of they spytte vntyll the halfe sermon be done. And when they come to the preachynge, they are halfe droncke, some all togyther: therfore regard they neyther the p…chyng nor prayer, but stond there onelyonly because of the custome. Such folkes also do come to ye church wt all manner of pōpe & pride, & gorgiousnes of raymēt & Iewels. They come wt a great noyse of Harpes, Lutes, kyttes, basens and drommes, wherwyth they trouble y• whole church, & hyndre them in matters pertaynynge to GOD. They come into the Lordes house as it were īto an house of mar…haūdyse to laye forth theyr wares & offer to sell them selues vntounto vyce and wickednesse. And euen as they come to the churche, so go they from the churche agayne, lyght, nyce, in shameful pompe and vaine wantonesse. What thinkeste thou, faythefull man, that suche church goyng opteynethe before god? Uerely more indignacion and displeasure, then fauoure and grace.
Wherfore let all vertuous and honest people How they …ught to go to the chyrch for to be ma …yed.take here monicyon, to leaue such… abuse, yee such synfull and vycyous church goynge, there as it is yet practysed: And let them take theyr ho nest kynsfolkes & neyghboures wt thē, & in good season soberly discretely lowlye, as in the syghte of god, without pompe, manerly, and in comely honest rayment, without pryde, wythout drommyng & pypynge, let them go in to the house of the lorde, and there heare the lordes worde, make theyr faithful prayer vntounto God with feruentenesse and stedfast beleyfe, receaue the blessynge, and then manerly and wyth sylence to go home agayne.
After the goyng to the church, is there no lesse inconuenience vsed amonge manye multitudes Synne & excesse cōmytted at weddynges.then in the church goynge. For whan they come home from the church, then begynneth e…sse of eatyng and dryncking. As for the poore, they are out of remembraunce. And as much is waisted in one daye, as were sufficient for the two newe maried folkes halfe a yeare to lyue vponupon. The dayes of Noe, mencyoned in the Gospell, and the parable of the ritch man and Lazarus, hauehave there rowme ynoughe. Let eueryevery man loke, that with such excesse: he praye not also with the rych man in the pitte of hel.O abhominacion.
After the bancket and feast, there begynnethe a vayne, madde, and vnmanerlye fashiō. For the bryde must be brought into an open dauncynge place. Then is there suche a rennynge, leapynge and flyngyng amonge them, then is there suche a liftynge vp and discouerynge of the damselles clothes and of other womennes apparell, that a man might thynke, all these dauncers had caste all shame behynd them, and were become starke madde and oute of theyre wyttes, and that they were sworne to thē deuels daunce. Then muste the poore bryde kepe foote with al dauncers, and refuse none, how scabbed, foule, dronckē, rudeand shameles so euer he be. Thē must she oft tymes heare and se much wyckednesse, & many an vncomely word. And that noyse and rōblyng endu reth euen tyll supper.At an after supper.
As for supper, loke how much shameles & drō ken the euenynge is more then the mornynge (so much the more vyce, excesse, and mysnourtoure is vsed at the supper. After supper must they begynne to pype and daunce agayne of the new. And though the yonge personnes, beynge wery of the babiynge noyse and inconuenience, come once towarde theyr rest, yet canne they hauehave no quietnes. For a man shall fynde vnmannerly & A wicked cu stome.restles people, that wyll fyrst go to theyr chābre dore, and there syng vicious and noughty Ballades, that the dyuell maye hauehave his whole tryumphe nowe to the vttermoost.
But here let eueryevery Christē man cōsidre, what an vnmanerly & frowarde custome this is, and how vnmete a thyng it is that suche vnclennes shoulde be practysed amonge Christen peopel, whiche ought to be holy. Maryage shuld be an inhib…ion & manifest condemnacion of all inor dinate luft, of all excesse, of all wātō & vnshame fast lyuynge. And yet is the same chaist estate begonne wyth suche vayne wantonnes & lyghtnesse, wyth superfluite and royote, to the great hurte of the bodyes, soules, and goodes of the yonge folkes. Or is there ony manneso greatly destitute of vnderstondyng, that he perceauethe not this? Why doth no man then refourme it? Or wyl we wyth vyolence prouoke and defy al myghty GOD? Nowe go to, though the myre fall vponupon your heades, we can not do with all. Thou wylte saye: What? hathe God then forbydden honest folkes to make mery togyther or Conuenient and honeste myrth.to daunce honestly in all good manner: I aunswere. Wh…t so euer God doth not inhibite and A goodly to enlusion.condemne to be synne, maye not be called synne by ony man. As for myrth wyth honeste, it is a grace and gyfte of God, and hereof commeth it, that they of olde dyd saye: Honest myrthe shulde none forbydde. Wherfore thought a Christen mā vse conuenient myrth wyth nourtour, temperaunce and thankefulnes, he synneth not. For God hath not inhibited mā to be mery wyth ho neste, and in due season. This is manifest. Hieremy. xxxi. And Salomon saythe, Ecclesiastes. lii. There is a tyme to wepe, & a tyme to laugh, a tyme to mourne, and a tyme to daūce: a tyme to embrace, and a tyme to refrayne from embr… cynge. In conuenient tyme therfore and place, maye faythfull Christen men hauehave ordinately all maner of myrth in instrumentes wyth hone stye, at mariages or other ioyfull tymes, whan God gyueth peace, prosperite and fayre wether. The abuse, the royot and excesse (agaynste the whiche onelyonly we her… speake) marrethe all, and bryngethe inconuenience in theyse and all other thynges. And so after great vntemperate, and vnmeasurable myrth, ther… foloweth commonly exceadyng great and perpetuall sorowe. Wherfore lette all faythfull Christen men take here a monicion at theyr weddynges to put awaye all vntēperaunce, and wyth nurtour and honoure to begyn that honourable state, so shall God increace his grace in them, and graūt thē to lyue in long & honest myrthe: Or els if they fall into trouble, he shall not leaue them wtout conforte.