A Gold Chain of Directions, Title page – Approbation
A Gold Chain OF Directions, WITH Twenty Gold-Linkes of Love, to preſerve Love firm between Husband and Wife, during their Lives. Profitable for all, that are already Married, or that intend to take the Honourable and Holy eſtate of Marriage upon them hereafter. Adviſing for a Right Choice in Marriage, and how to keep from thoſe ſad Conſequences have fallen out in too many Families, ſometimes upon ſmall diſlike between Husband and Wife. That happineſs may be the Inheritance of Parents and Poſterities, through the Grace of God in Chriſt Jeſus.
Let every one of you in particular ſo love his wife even as himſelf, and the wife ſee that ſhe reverence her husband, Ep. 5.33.
By Immanuel Bourne, a Miniſter of Chriſt Jeſus, our bleſſed Lord and Saviour.
London, Printed by J. Streater, for George Sawbridge, dwelling on Clerken-well Green, 1669.
To the Right Honourable and Noble Lord John Lord Roos, the only Son and Heir; And to the Right Noble young Ladies, the Lady Dorothy, Lady Elizabeth, Lady Anne, and Lady Mary Mannors, the eminently virtuous Daughters of the Right Honourable and truly Noble Lord, John Earl of Rutland, and of the Right Noble Lady the Lady Frances, the worthily honoured Counteſſe of Rutland, and my moſt free and noble Patron and Patroneſſe, and to the reſt of their honourable Family and Relations: All health and happineſs, with true content and honour unto you all, and to your Noble Parents, and their Poſterity in this life, and eternal glory and bleſſedneſs in and by the Lord Jeſus Chriſt in the life to come:
RIght Noble, and my much honoured Lord, It is too apparent, that if this or the like ſpiritual Gold Chain of Directions, for the happy Choice and enjoyment of a virtuous good Wife and Husband, and the Declaration of their mutual Duties to each other, had been better known unto and obſerved (after your Marriage) by your late ſo nobly born Lady; and, no doubt, adorned with a noble and honourable Education, by her honourable, and truly Noble Parents; in her younger dayes, the too publick, and to be lamented Breach between your Honours, might by God's bleſſing have been ſaved. Now to prevent the like diſagreement, if God in his moſt wiſe Providence ſhall grant you a ſecond Marriage-Union, I have made bold, and thought good humbly to preſent theſe twenty heavenly Gold-links of Love, as ſo many Scripture-Rules of Direction to your Honours & your Noble Ladies Reading, Meditation, and Practice; Pray daily to God for your future Happineſs and Contentment, both in your Choice and Enjoyment to the end of your life. And for you, ever to be honoured Ladies, what can your deſires be more, or better for this preſent life, then to live happily in a ſingle eſtate, whileſt the moſt wiſe God ſeeth it beſt for you ſo to continue. And to live joyfully, with honourable and truly Noble, faithful, kind, and loving Husbands, when the ſame most gracious God ſhall call you to the high and honourable eſtate of Marriage. The firſt God hath bleſſed you with already, living with your tender, loving, and ever to be honoured Parents, providently taking care for your noble and virtuous Education, with all things neceſſary for your preſent Contentment. And for the ſecond, that you may be bleſſed in your right Choice, and happy enjoyment of truly Noble, Religious, Faithful and Loving kind Husbands; I have exerciſed my ſpirit in Reading and Meditation, to find out in the ſacred Scriptures, and conſider what Directions might be moſt available to further your (or any others) ſo great a Happineſs; and have judged beſt, and reſolved to bind together ſome eaſie Rules of Guidance, both for Choice, and Life-laſting Poſſeſsion, of ſuch an unvaluable Treaſure in the mode or term of a rich Chain of Gold, with twenty ſpiritual Gold-links of Love, more pretious then Rubies, or ſparkling glorious Diamonds, of high price and value, with the noblest Lords and Ladies in the World. They are a kind of body apparrelled, not in Courtly attire of ſilken Rhetorical Elegancies, or with Earpleaſing words, and delightful Expreſſions (like ſome feigned Peices), but preſented to your Honours in a plain Country dreſs, as deſiring they ſhould more take the Hearts with Divine ſpiritual Counſels in them; then the Ear with the ſound of pleaſing words, filled with fancied matters, which often times prove but loſs of pretious time, without any Soul-profit to the Readers. Now if you honoured Lord, and you noble Ladies, pleaſe to accept of this Gold Chain of Love, as the Testimony of my hearty Deſire of your true good, both Spiritual and Temporal, and the beſt Gift I am now provided to preſent unto you; I ſhall eſteem it a noble Favour, and continue my daily Prayers to God, for his bleſſing upon my ever honoured Lord and Lady, your Honourable Parents; upon your Honours, and all their Honourable Poſterity and Relations, and Remain
From my Study in Waltham in Leiceſter-ſhire, Novemb. 2. 1668. Right Noble Lord, and ever honoured Ladies, Your aged Servant, ready to Honour and Serve you, in and for the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, Immanuel Bourne. Aged 78 years compleat, if I live until Dec. 27. next, preſerved hitherto through Gods mercy, Lam. 3. 22, 23.
THE EPISTLE Dedicatory general. To all honoured Chriſtians, who have taken upon them the honorable Eſtate of Matrimony, or that intend (if God ſo order it) to be marrried hereafter; and deſire a bleſſed Union and Communion in a married condition, that they may live lovingly together as Heirs of the Grace of Life here on Earth, and be happy in Heaven for ever.
HOnoured Chriſtians, for ſo I cannot but ſtile all that truly know and believe in God, (thorough the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, our bleſſed Lord and Saviour) ſince he hath loved us, and waſhed us from our Sins in his own Blood, and made us ſpiritual Kings and Prieſts unto God his Father, (Rev. 1.5.) Marriage is honourable amongſt all, and the Bed undefiled; but Whore-Mongers and Adulterers God will judge, (Hebr. 13.4.) And Love is the bond of perfectneſs, (Col. 3.19.) Now to preſerve Love, and prevent diſhonouring of this honourable Eſtate, I have dedicated this Gold Chain of Directions, with twenty Gold-links of Love unto you; I commend them to your ſerious Reading, Meditation, Application, and Practiſe: the Phraſe is but plain, without inticeing words of mans wiſdome; 1 Cor. 2.4.but the ſubject-matter Divine, from grounds of ſacred Scripture, that light to our Feer, and lamp to our Pathes, as the Holy Ghoſt by the mouth of King David teſtifieth, Acts 1.16. Holy men ſpake as they were inſpired by the Holy Ghoſt, 2 Pet. 1.21.(Pſal. 119.105.) And if God give a bleſſing, and inable you to tread all your lives in theſe pleaſant Pathes of Love; they may bring more Profit and comfort to Husbands and Wives in the married eſtate, then rich Jewels of greateſt value, and high eſteem amongſt the Princes of this World, which that you may find true by daily Experience, is the earneſt Prayer of
Your moſt humble SERVANT, in and for Christ JESUS, Immanuel Bourne. From my Study in Waltham, in the County of Leiceſter, October 20. 1668.
A COPY OF THE EPISTLE OF The very Learned and Godly Doctor Wilkinſon, Declaring his Judgment upon this Gold Chain of Directions, to preſerve mutual Love between Husband and Wife. Tranſlated into Engliſh by a Friend.
To the Reverend and Learned my worthy Friend, Maſter Immanuel Bourne, Rector of Waltham, theſe preſent.
Reverend Sir,
THe Book which, in your kind Reſpects, you delivered into my hands, I have with moſt earneſt deſiring Eyes peruſed throughout; which moſt happy Work, as well of your Heart as Head, more inwardly ſearching to underſtand, ſeemeth to me to be a Gold-Chain indeed; (as much as I conceive and apprehend) like another Iliade, incloſed in the ſhell of a Nut, comprehending very many things, inſervient for the publick good; wherefore you are earneſtly intreated by me, that this Diatribe (Diſcourſe or Argument) ſo very profitable and ſeaſonable, which now you have taken care to be perfected, you would take care to be brought to the light; as fitted for the profit of the whole Common Wealth, both the Married, and to be Married will owe very much unto you, as opportunely admoniſhing every of them of their Proper Duties; That I may declare my Opinion from the bottome of my Heart, I moſt willingly profeſſe in this little Book (ſo pithy and full of Juyce) you have on each part, abundantly delivered your Faith, truly worthy a Miniſter of the Goſpel; Therefore let it be far from you, that by any means on your behalf it ſhould be hindred by any further delay from being put to the Printer, that the work ſo proſperouſly by you finiſhed, may enjoy the publick Light. Farewel moſt learned and pious SIR, to be honoured for your venerable gray Hairs, and embrace me with your accuſtomed Favour.
A moſt ſtudious worthy Reſpecter of you, Hen. Wilkinſon. From Buckminſter-Hall, Nov. 4. 1668.
Reverende Vir,
QUem mihi in manus pro candore tuo tradidiſti Librum, oculis quàm avidiſſimis perluſtravi. Quod ipſum Opus longè feliciſſimum tam cordis tui quam cerebri, videat mihi penitius exploranti intelligere, Auream eſse reverâ catenam & (in quantum ſapiam & capiam) Iliadem alteram quam plurima bono publico inſervientia vel in nucis incluſam putamine, complectentem: Quocirca à me quam maximè ſerio exorandus es, ut iſtam Diatribam apprime utilem & tempeſtivam (quam jamjam lima curaſti donandam) luce donandam è veſtigio curares ut pote totius reipublica utilitati attemperatam. Plurimum tibi debebunt tam Maritati, quam Maritandi, cum eorum unumquem que proprii officii tempeſtivè commonefeceris. Quòd ab imo pectore emanantem animi mei expromam ſententiam, haud illibenter profiteor in iſta ſcriptiùncula ut & nervoſa, et ſucci plenâ fidem tuam omni ex parte te abunde liberaſſe Miniſtro dignam vere Evangelico. Abſit ita que ut per te quoviſmodo ſteterit, vel ex tua parte ulterior Typographo iniiciatur Remora, quo minus opus iſtud à te feliciter concinnatum luce frueretur. Vale (vir Doctiſsime juxtà ae Pientiſsime & veneranda canitie Honorande) ne que (ut ſoles amore tuo complectitor).
Tui quam animitus cultorem ſtudioſiſſimum, HEN. WILKINSON. Dabam Aula-Buckminſteri, Nov. 4. 1668.