The New Covenant, Book 1 · Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX. That Matrimony is not a Sacrament.
THe Councell of Trent vnderunder Pius 4. ſeſſ. 8. decreeth,aConcil. Trid. ſeſſ. 8. can. 1. If any ſhall ſay, that Matrimony is not truely and properly one of the 7. Sacraments inſtituted by Chriſt, but was brought in by men into the Church, and doth not confer grace let him be accurſed. Heereby they would ſeeme to ſet forth the dignity of marriage aboue vsus, ſeeing they lift it vp into the number of the Sacraments of the Church. Yet (as a lyar ſeldome agreeth with himſelfe) they complaine that we too highly magnifie the married eſtate, and themſelues cannot abide it in their Clergy, becauſe forſooth it is written, Be ye holy for I am holy: and Rom. 8. They which are in the fleſh cannot pleaſe God. Marriage therefore is too holy an ordinance for their vnholy Clergy, inaſmuch as they teach in this pointb1 Tim. 4.1.2, 3. the doctrine of diuels, and are led by the ſpirite of error, that forbid marriage which God hath left free. We confeſſe touching marriage, ſo much as the word of God teacheth vsus, that it is an ordinance of God, inſtituted before the fall of man while hee was without ſinne,cGen. 2.18. and bleſſed of God, who ſaid, It is not good for man to be alone, let vsus make him an helper meete for him. This eſtate Chriſt did not abrogate and diſanull, but repeated and confirmed,dMat. 19, 16. Iohn 2, 1, 2. Heb. 13, 4. 1 Cor. 6.9.10. not onelyonly by word, but by his owne preſence, and hath left it as a lawfull remedy againſt fornication and vncleannes. We account it an honourable eſtate of life among all, and the bed vndefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God wil iudge, and caſt into vtter darkeneſſe, where their worme ſhall neuer dye, and their fire ſhall not be quenched; as the Apoſtle teacheth, 1 Cor. 6. Know ye not that the vnrighteous ſhall not inherit the kingdome of God? Be not deceiued: neither fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wantons, nor buggerers, nor drunkards, ſhall inherite the kingdome of God. Notwithſtanding,eReaſons why marriage is no Sacrament. we cannot cal and account it a Sacrament, for diuers weighty reaſons, and euident cauſes. Firſt, ſeeing it was not inſtituted by Chriſt, but was from the beginning of the world, and therefore it was before the law and vnderunder the law, how can it bee a Sacrament of the new Teſtament? Againe, matrimony may be among Infidels & vnbeleeuers, out of the Church and ſociety of the faithfull. For the matrimony of Infidels is lawfull. God did inſtitute it for all mankinde. The commandement is generall, Increaſe and multiply. The Apoſtle teacheth, that if the vnbeleeuing woman will dwell with the beleeuing husband,fGrati. in dec. c. 28. qu 1. Lumb. lib 4. diſt. 39. he muſt not put her away for her infidelity: and marriage is honourable among all perſons. Seeing therfore it was before the fall of man, before the giuing of the law, vnderunder the gouernment of the law, and made honourable among all, it cannot bee a Sacrament of the Church of Chriſt, and for the members only of the Church. Thirdly, it is not common and commanded to all the faithfull, for it is not needfull and neceſſary that all in the Church ſhould be married.g1 Cor. 7.7. Mat. 19, 11, 12. EueryEvery one hath his proper gift, ſome one way, ſome another. And albeit God hauehave not tyed grace to the Sacraments, yet they in ſome ſorthH…w the Sacr…ments are neceſſary for the Church. are neceſſary for the Church, and to be partaked of the children of the Church, whether wee reſpect the commandement of God who requireth them: or whether we regard our own weakeneſſe, who ſtand in need of all holy meanes and profitable helpes that tend to the confirmation of our faith. Seeing then matrimony is not commanded to all, neither ſerueth to confirme faith, it cannot be receiued as a Sacrament. Fourthly, the Sacraments are ordinances of God, applying Chriſt and his merites to all the faithfull: but matrimony is not an inſtrument whereby God applyeth Chriſt and all his benefites: much leſſe is it a common inſtrument of the common ſaluation and benefits that all hauehave in Chriſt Ieſus. Furthermore, we hauehave ſhewed how the Romane Church is contrary to it ſelfe in this point: for our aduerſaries cal matrimony a prophanationiGreg. Mart. diſ. Chap. 15. of holy orders. AndkPigghius. another ſaith, it is more tollerable for a Prieſt to keepe many Concubines, then to marry, If matrimony be an holy Sacrament, how ſhould the ſacred order of your Prieſt-hood be prophaned, polluted, and defiled thereby? Laſtly, it hath no promiſe of ſaluation ioyned to it (as it ought to hauehave) though it bee lawfull and vſed lawfully: in eueryevery Sacrament there muſt bee likewiſe an outward ſigne or element, as water in Baptiſme, and bread and wine in the Lords Supper, together with a ſanctifying word to warrant it: but in this ſuppoſed Sacrament there is neither matter, nor word, therefore no Sacrament. Hence it is, that Durandus one of their owne Doctours ſaith, that Matrimony in a ſtrict & proper kinde of ſpeech is no Sacrament at all. The anſwere that Bellarmine maketh to this laſt reaſon is as abſurd as their doctrine it ſelfe, namely, that the word of inſtitution in mariage is,lBellar. lib. 1. de Matrim. c. 6. I take thee, which are the words expreſsing their mutuall conſent: and that the matter or ſigne are the parties married. For not eueryevery word can conſecrate and ſanctifie,m1 Tim. 4, 5. but the word of God. Againe, the married perſons are receiuers of this pretended and ſuppoſed Sacrament, ſo that they cannot be the matter or ſigne: For the ſigne and the receiuer are two diſtinct outward parts of a Sacrament, ſo that they cannot be confounded or mingled together, as before we declared, Chap. 3. The matter cannot be the receiuer: the receiuer cannot be the matter. The thing receiued, cannot be the receiuer: the receiuer cannot bee the thing receiued. If then the perſons married be the receiuers, they cannot be the ſigne receiued. If any further obiect & ſay, Marriage is the ſigne of an holy thing, to wit, of the ſpirituall coniunction betweene Chriſt and his Church: I anſwere, it was not inſtituted to confirme our faith in that point, but for other ends which we named before. Beſides, if we ſhold cal al ſigns of holy things Sacraments; we ſhould treble the number of ſeauen; for ſo many compariſons as we finde in Scripture, wee ſhould hauehave Sacraments: and then the Stars, a graine of muſtard-ſeede, leauen, a draw-net, a ſhepheard, a Vine, a doore, nay a theefe, a murtherer, and infinite other things, ſhould be Sacraments; which ſometimes are made ſignes of holy things. This were not ſo much to increaſe the number of Sacraments, as to multiply abſurdities. Laſtly, the Sabbaoth was ordained to the Iewes to be a ſigne betweene God and his people in their generations,nHeb. 4, 8. & ſignified the ſpirituall reſt in Chriſt, yet was it no ordinary Sacrament, albeit it were bleſſed and ſanctified of God. Wherefore all myſticall and ſignifying ſignes are not Sacraments.
But the greateſt reaſon whereof they are moſt confident is, where the vulgar tranſlation and the Rhemiſh interpretationoEph. 5, 32. readeth, This is a great Sacrament. I anſwere, firſt the word ſignifieth a myſtery or ſecret: but not eueryevery myſtery or ſecret is a Sacrament: neyther will they admit a Sacrament, whereſoeuer a myſtery is named. Secondly, the Apoſtle ſpeaketh not of Matrimony, but of the ſpirituall coniunction betweene Chriſt and his Church, as the words following do declare, This is a great myſtery: but I ſpeake of Chriſt and of the Church. Where the Apoſtle preuenteth this very obiection, and ſheweth in what reſpect he ſpake of a myſtery. For where one might haply obiect and ſay, Doeſt thou call marriage this myſtery? he anſwereth, I ſpeake not this of Marriage, I ſpeake it in reſpect of Chriſt and of his Church. This appeareth likewiſe in that he calleth it a great myſtery; that is, A great ſecret. But the coniunction of man and wife is ſenſible, not ſecret, much leſſe a great ſecret. Now the Sacraments are called myſteries,pWhy ſacraments are called myſteries. in reſpect of the Sacramental vnion betweene the ſigne and the thing ſignified, betweene the repreſentation and the thing repreſented; ſo that at the ſame inſtant that one is preſent to the eyes, the hands, the mouth, and eueryevery part and member of the body: the other by the power and working of Gods Spirit is as preſent in a wonderfull, myſticall, and ſecret manner to the faith, being the eyes and hands of the ſoule. Wherefore Cardinall Caietan not ſo groſſe as many among them,qCaiet in Eph. cap. 5. confeſſeth that theſe words proue not matrimony to be a Sacrament. Further, it is euident to all that conſider the circumſtance of the text, that the Apoſtle brings not forth marriage in this place as a ſimilitude to repreſent the neere coniunction betweene Chriſt and his Church,rEph. 5, 23, 25 28, 29, 32. but contrariwiſe he bringeth forth the exceeding and eminent louelove of Chriſt as a ſimilitude to declare and enforce what ſhould be the louelove of the husband toward the wife. For the maine point of exhortation is ſet downe, verſe 25. Husbands louelove your wiues. This is argued and enforced by the example of Chriſt, As Chriſt loued the Church and gaue himſelfe for it. Againe, The man is the head of the woman, as Chriſt is the head of the Church: and afterward, He that loueth his wife, loueth himſelfe, for no man euer yet hated his owne fleſh, but nouriſheth and cheriſheth it, euen as the Lord doth the Church. By all theſe things it is plaine and manifeſt, that if they will needes in this place dreame of a Sacrament, conſiſting of a ſigne and thing ſignified: Chriſt and the Church muſt be the ſigne, repreſentation, and conſecrated myſtery to repreſent man and his wife, and their mutuall louelove each to other, and not marriage a conſecrated ſigne of him. Laſt of all, I would know of them, whether ſo often as the old tranſlator vſeth the word Sacrament, they will hauehave it taken ſtrictly, properly and particularly for the Sacraments of their church? I thinke if they be ſober minded and well aduiſed, they dare not ſay ſo: forſ1 Tim. 3.16. Eph. 1, 9, and cha. 3, 9. Reuel. 17, 7. then godlineſſe ſhal be a Sacrament, Gods will ſhall be a Sacrament, the calling of the Gentiles ſhal be a Sacrament, yea iniquity ſhal be a Sacrament. For in all theſe places the word Sacrament is vſed, as well as in this place to the Epheſians by the old Interpreter, & ſometimes in the good part, and ſometimes in the euill:tConc. Trid. ſeſſ. 4. decret. 2. Melch. Canus. lib. 2. cap. 13. Andrad. lib. 4. defenſ. Trid. to whom notwithſtanding they cleaue, and muſt cleaue vnderunder paine of the cenſure & curſe of the councel of Trent.