The Unlawfulness of Mixed Marriages, Part 2
A word to Mr. Tory in particular.
BRother I have perused your Book, which you Entitule Mixt-Marriages Vindicated, without any prejudicate opinion to yours, or partiallity to my own perswasion, and have compiled an answer with as much candor and cordial love to you and the truth, as you could have in publishing your Book, and therefore I hope it will find acceptance with you, so far as to give it a diligent serious and impartial speculation, and shew it the kindness of a moderate correction and detection, if you find it merit nothing else from you, but if not, I then hope and am so charitably perswaded of you, that you will retract your own opinion, and Book.
I cannot but here remind you of the greatness of those evils that lye couched in your Vindication of so great a sin as Mixt-Marriages is, and how much disservice you have done the Churches thereby, the which I hope upon a second serious and deliberate view you will see.
First, I cannot but note, and put you in mind how prodigiously you were transported in your confidence, when you do often here and there in your Book boldly affirm that Mixt-Marriages is no sin, no evil in it self, it shall be a Snare to thee, but no sin in thee, and that those sayings you put as an Addition to the Word of God, when you in your very Title Page forewarn me and all other men, that we presume not to Add to the Word of God, in the words of Solomon; Add not thou to his Word, least he reprove thee, and thou be found a Liar. Prov. 30.6. And yet you stick not to do the same thing, for I pray where hath the Lord said, in the whole or any one part or place of the Scripture, Mixt-Marriages (which you vindicate) is no sin, no evil in it self, it shall be a Snare to thee, but no sin in thee to Marry with the Nations, had the Lord in any place so said, as you say, you would not have been so unjust to your own opinion, nor so unkind to your Brethren, whom you would have believe what you affirm to be true, but you would have plainly in Capital Letters quoted, and set down that saying of the Lord, if there had been any, and directed your Reader to the Book, Chapter and Verse, where it was written, and besides, then you had put all out of doubt, the controversie had been ended, and the labour spared in answering you, I say, this is high presumption, for which you have cause to repent, and speedily retract.
Secondly, I must take notice of your oft asserting, that God forbad the Israelites to Marry with the other Nations, only in prudence, and policy, and that you make the ground of your presumptious sayings it was no sin, no evil in it self, (as much as to say) to be disobedient to those Laws was no sin, suppose I should grant that those Laws were only prudent and politick, by whose authority do you undertake to affirm, that divine prudence and policy may at the pleasure of Mortals be disobeyed, were it no other then that you give as an instance, Deut. 20.19. In the case of a long siege, surely had the besiegers destroyed those Trees by cutting them down, which the Lord expresly prohibited they had sinned, though you presume to say the reason was not, because the thing was sinfull, (adding to the word of the Lord,) but because thou mayest eat of them, when the Lords reason is this, for the Tree of the Field is mans Life, so may you as well say of that prohibition in Deut. 24.6. No man shall take the nether, or the Ʋpper Milstone to pledge, for he taketh a mans Life to pledge, and put in this as the reason, not because it was sinfull, to take a Milstone to pledge, but because the stones were to grind Corn for Bread, and thus you labour to make the Law of God of none effect, by your Additions to his Word.
Thirdly, For you at such a time as this is, and when Professors are many of them become Carnal, and do take liberty to commit several disorders, to publish a book to encourage them more, was (to say no worse) very great imprudence in you, had you published your cautions, or advice only, you might have done some service to God, and his people, but you having first with all your might and industry, laboured to remove out of their way the ground, and bassis of your Councel, by which only men are limited, and bound, namely the Law of God, your cautions seem to be nothing else but a Vizzard put upon the face of your book, that the uncomely make, and features thereof might not be seen nor observed, that so it might pass with little inspection, and so instead of delivering any from the evil of unequally yoking themselves with unbelievers, it may prove a snare to many, even your very cautions, by prompting them to Marry with the greatest of Idolaters, provided they be but sober.
Fourthly, I note your evil advice in your second Post-script, where you council such as are denyed Communion for their sinfull Marrying, to apply themselves to some other Congregation, where they may be entertained, councel rather proceeding from Satan the Author of confusion, then from the God of order, by which you that advise, and those Congregations that entertain them, do thereby all you can to break Church order and discipline, and likewise harden the hearts of sinners against reproof, and Church censures, those Congregations making themselves Sanctuaries, and Cities of refuge, whereunto criminals may fly for to shelter themselves from the execution of Gods Law, provided as a punishment for their sin, the end of which is not as you insinuate, to shut them out of Heaven, but for the destruction of their flesh, that there Spirit might be saved in the Day of the Lord; which Salvation you and those Congregations (as much as in you lies, by your councel and their entertainment,) endeavour to keep them from: all these things you have adventured to do, against the word of the Lord, for which in the Bowels of Christ I exhort you to repent, you having been an instrument of much evil and confusion, that for time to come you may be a means, being converted to strengthen your Brethren, setting your heart and hand to the work of reformation, that God may have Glory, the Church purged from her defilements, and enjoy the Blessings of Peace and Tranquillity, which is the hearty prayer of
Your Brother and Servant in Christ. I. G.
FINIS;
End of the text · John Griffith, The Unlawfulness of Mixed Marriages (1681)