A QUESTION Deeply concerning Married Persons, and such as intent to MARRY: Propounded and Resolved according to the SCRIPTURES. JER. 20.9. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his Name; but his Word was as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary of forbearing, and could not stay. ANC-HORA-SPEI printer's device of Thomas Underhill London, Printed for Tho. Vnderhill, at the Anchor and Bible Paul's Churchyard. 1653. The Author to the Christian Reader. IF the Question proposed be resolved Negatively by the Scriptures, and practised contrarily by many Professors, doth not the Lord seek for a man to make up the hedge for preserving the distinct bounds of his honourable Ordinance? The candle of this Negative resolution was long since lighted to give light to some of God's household, that had removed the bounds; but put under a bushel in expectation of some greater Lamp that might give light to all in the house of God for a more full illumination. But not finding that to appear (as he hoped) in all the Orthodox Treatises concerning Marriage, he stayed so long upon Moses his pretences, Who am I? and I am not eloquent, etc. and Send I pray thee by the hand of him whom thou wilt send, till the anger of the Lord made this poor candle like fire shut up in his bones, and now constraineth him to set it on a candlestick, lest if he tarry longer, mischief come upon some of God's Family, and on himself too for not giving warning. And therefore I most humbly beseech all the household of God (whom it may concern) especially those that seem to be Pillars in his House; that as they read they will so consider and try, that if instead of gold, silver, precious stones, there be built any wood, hay, stubble on the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles by me alleged, that by the spirit of judgement and of burning they will afford their helping hand to burn it so, that whatsoever loss I may suffer, may turn to the gain of God's people. But if the work abide trial, that then they will vouchsafe to give unto me the right hand of fellowship, that none of God's House be edified to perdition (as the Apostle speaks in another case) by the different Judgement or Practice of any in reputation for Knowledge or conscience: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. 1 Cor. 8.10. So prayeth the least of God's Servants in the Work of the Ministry A. L. A QUESTION deeply concerning Married persons, and such as intent to Marry, propounded, and resolved according to the Scriptures. Whether any Woman (Widow or Maid) intending to Marry, may before her Marriage reserve any of her Goods in her own power, to be disposed by her after she shall be Married without her Husband's direction or consent? The resolution is Negative for the Reasons following. 1. THis removeth the meerstones of God's Ordinance, who hath a Eph. 5.23, 24. set the Husband to be the head of the Wife as Christ is the head of the Church, and the Wives to be subject in every thing to their own Husbands as the Church is unto Christ. And if it be a cursed act to remove b Deut. 27.17. our neighbour's Landmark, how much more c Mal. 1.8, 14. cursed (by desert) is that deceiver who will offer this to the Lord of Hosts, the d Gen. 14.22. most high God, the possessor of Heaven and earth, whose Name is dreadful among the heathen? Therefore in detestation of all such presumptions every virtuous woman should say with e Gen. 49.6. Jacob, My soul enter not into such secrets, for they are cursed. 2. As the Wife even in the state of innocency owed subjection to her Husband, because f Rom. 2.13. Adam was first form, than Eve; and g 1 Cor. 11.8. the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man; neither was the h ver. 9 man created for the woman, but the woman for the man: so after the fall, this subjection, which before sin entered was i Rom. 7.22. delightful and k 1 Joh. 5.3. not grievous, was then imposed as a l 1 Tim. 2.11, etc. penalty of her transgression, m Gen. 3.16. curbing and keeping under her desires. Now if it were a matter of n Jer. 27.8. death not to submit the neck to Nebuchadnezars yoke when the Lord imposed it, and he that would rebell-like break that yoke, should o Jer. 28.13. make to himself yokes of iron instead of yokes of wood: shall any woman p Isa. 9.9. in the pride and stoutness of her heart slip her neck out of God's yoke, q Jer. 5.3. and refuse to receive correction; thinking to reverse the Lords decree, like those rebels of old, who r Isa. 9.10. said The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones? What though s Jer. 28.15, 16 Hananiah and other Prophets taught rebellion against the Lord, and the t Jer. 5.31. people loved to have it so; was not the Lord's soul u ver. 23, 29. avenged on such rebels, and the * Eze. 14.10. punishment of the Prophet even as the punishment of those that sought unto him? And doth not the Lord call in the * Jer. 5.22. waves of the sea to testify against all such sottish rebellion? Wherefore seeing the Lord is x Job 37.23. so excellent in power and judgement, that none y Job 9.4. hath been fierce against him and hath prospered: and seeing he is so z Exod 20. jealous of the glory of his holiness and justice, that he hath not a 2 Sam. 12.9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Num. 20.12. Deut. 3.23, etc. 1 Sam. 3.11, 12, 13. pardoned the faults of his own faithful servants without heavy judgements, as fines set on their heads to the b Jer. 55.28, 29 1 Pet. 4.17. terror of the ungodly: should not all Wives beware that c Job 36.21. they choose not iniquity rather than affliction, and d Hos. 5.10. remove the bound like the Princes of Judah, lest God pour out his wrath like water, and make to them yokes of iron instead of yokes of wood? The religious Wife therefore for her own safety as well as for God's Honour, must e Eph. 5.22, 24. submit herself to her own Husband, and be subject to him in every thing; bearing this yoke of the Lord not only patiently without grudging because it is f Mich. 7.9. Lam. 3.39. her own punishment, that is, of her own g jer. 2.17. procuring; but willingly without shrinking from it, because it is the h Isa. 26.9. Lords judgement and a cognizance of his holiness and justice, and the inhabitants of the world shall learn righteousness by it. 3. As God i Rom. 8.28. makes all things work together for good to those that love him, so this yoke of subjection, is by Christ made k Mat. 11 30. an easy yoke to the believing Wife, and no less profitable than comfortable. For she being the l 1 Pet. 3.7. weaker vessel, and consequently easier to be deceived in judgement and perverted in affection (as m 2 Tim. 3.6. silly women led with divers lusts are soon led captives) therefore hath God set her Husband over her as her n Prov. 2.17. guide and o Eph. 5.23. head; not only by p 1 Cor. 14.35. teaching and informing her judgement, but by q Gen. 3.16. ruling to master her affections: that he may thus be the instrumental saviour of his wife, as r Eph. 5.23. Christ is the efficient Saviour of his Church. Now when God doth thus in s Hab. 3.2. wrath remember mercy, and t Jam. 4.15. offereth such grace to the humble Wife, that in u Mat. 11.29. taking his yoke upon her she shall find rest to her soul, and that in her subjection shall be her preservation: will ye * Deut. 32.6. so reward the Lord O ye foolish women and unwise, as with that frowardgeneration to x Isa. 30.16. say no, we y Isa. 28.12. will not hear it, and z jer. 5.5. altogether break the yoke and burst the bonds? Harken O ye Wives and hear my speech I pray you: Is not this a miserable a jer. 5.4. foolishness, yea a b jer. 18.12. desperate stubborness, not to know the way of the Lord and the judgement of your God, but to sling off the plaster whereby God would c jer. 3.22. heal your backsliding? For what saith the Scripture? d 1 Tim. 2.14. Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. What was not Adam deceived at all? yea, as appeareth first, in that both their eyes are e Gen. 3 7. said to be opened, after they had eaten; and secondly in God's ironical upbraiding him, saying, f Gen. 3.22. The man is become as one of us to know good and evil: both which say have relation to the devils sophistical promise g ver. 4.5. set down before, wherein he insinuated as if he had been a fecret friend of theirs, and wished them more good than God himself. So that Adam was not primarily deceived, but the woman being first deceived, became the devil's Proctor, h ver. 6. and prevailed with Adam to be in the same transgression with her. For the devil as a cunning Pirate, intending to i 1 Tim. 6. drown them both in perdition, (for which cause Christ saith k john 8. he was a liar and a murderer from the beginning) began first to board the weaker vessel, and drawing her to a parley, and she presuming without her Husband to hold tattle with the subtle Serpent, was soon seduced, and she l Gen 3.1, 2, 3. ear-ring m ver. 6. gave also to her husband; presuming to school him and to prescribe what he was to do, and so he did eat, by harkening to the voice of his wife, as God n ver. 17. charged him in his arraignment. O that Women were o Deut. 32 29. wise, that they understood this, that God (who p 2 Cor. 9.6. commanded the light to shine out of darkness, and q Isa. 53. healeth us by his Sons stripes, and by delivering him to r Rom. 8. death, and s Heb. 12. shame, t 2 Cor. 9.15. brings us to life and u Heb. 2. glory) hath been pleased to cure the * 2 Tim. 5.13. prattling infirmity of women, by x 1 Cor. 14 34. commanding that whole sex to perpetual silence in the Churches; her presumption in taking on her to teach y 1 Tim. 2 11, 12. and usurp authority over the man by requiting the woman to learn in silence with all subjection. And because Eve being a wife aggravated that her presumption against her own husband (who z Gen 2.17. harkened to her voice, and she a ver. 6. gave him and he did eat) therefore for the cure of her and every elect wives subject to the like corruption, God chargeth them that they not only c 1 Cor. 14 34. ask their own husbands at home (that they learn of them, being men of d 1 Pet. knowledge, above all others in private) but that their e Gen. 3 16. desires shall be to their husbands, and they shalt rule over them; so that they must f Eph. 5.22. submit themselves to their own husbands as to the Lord, and be g ver. 24. subject to them in every thing as the Church is unto Christ And therefore the Apostle after he had largely discoursed of both their duties, summarily concludes all in this saying, h ver. 35. Let every husband love his wife as himself, and for the wife i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fear her husband; * 1 Pet. 3.2. fear I say to displease him in any thing wherein God is not displeased, though it never so much cross her desires; how else can she be subject in every thing as God requireth? Thus Sarah k 1 Pet. 3.6. Gen. 18.12. obeyed Abraham and called him Lord, acknowledging in word and deed her husband to be her governor, and therein is commended as the l 1 Pet. 3.8. mother of all believing wives. And whatsoever wife is m Joh. 1.13. born of God to be a daughter of Sarah, and to walk uprightly, she will find and feel these words and commandments of the Lord to be n Micah 6.7. good, and not o 1 John 5.3, 4 grievous: and with ful mission and obedience she will take them upon her, as a p Matth. 11.3 easy yoke and a light burden, because she thus q 1 Tim. 2.15 continuing in faith, and charity and holiness with sobriety shall be saved, and r Phil. 21.12. make an end of her own salvation with fear and trembling. Contrariwise if any wives s 1 Pet. 2.8. stumble at the word being disobedient, and t Isa. 2.20. refuse and rebel (whatsoever u 2 Tim. 3.3. show they make of godliness, denying the power thereof) God will refuse to acknowledge them as * 1 Tim. 2.15 daughters of Sarah, and will prove to their woe, that no promise of salvation belongs to them if they refuse to obey as Sarah did And therefore God in his promise of * 1 Tim. 2.15 saving wives, coupleth faith, and charity, and holiness with sobriety, which sobriety implieth both their x verse 11. learning in silence with all subjection, and their not y verse 12. usurping authority over the man. Object. 1. But may not a Wife speak to inform her Husband wherein he erreth, and whet him on in good duties wherein he is dull and negligent? Yea, if her Husband be such a Nabal, that by his folly he is drawing a mischief on himself and his household, and is such a son of Belial, that he may not be spoken unto▪ may not a wife in such a ease, without his direction or consent, take and improve his goods and servants for preventing the mischief? Sol. As at first God made Eve a Gen. 2.18. a meet help for Adam, so a man may possibly b Prov. 31.10. find (though rarely as Solomon intimateth) a virtuous woman, with graces more precious than pearls. And as no small c 1 Pet. 3.7. honour is to be given of husbands to weaker vessels so richly fraughted, so husbands that have such d Prov. 17.16. prices put into their hands, to get or improve wisdom, are branded for fools, e Eccl. 4.9. if they have no hearts to use them For as f Prov. 31.12. two are better than one, so sometimes the weaker vessel may hold staunch, when the stronger may fail. And when we read that the virtuous woman will do her husband good and not evil all the days of her life; and that one of her virtues wherein she excelleth others, is the g Prov. 31.26. Law of kindness in her tongue, whereby she openeth her mouth with wisdom; and that rebuke and conversion of a sinner from the error of his way, are h Leu. 19.17. 〈◊〉 5.20. ●st●… 〈◊〉 love, and as i Rom. 13.8. due debt to be rendered to every one, much more to a husband from his wife: what a k 1 Sam. 25. son of Bclial were he that would not be spoken unto by such a virtuous wife? and especially like l 1 Pet. 3 6. Sarah (who obeyed Abraham and called him Lord) reverence from a m v●… 4. meek and quiet spirit shall attend the Law of kindness in hot tongue: not daring contemptuously to crew over her husband like proud n 1 P●… 21.7. Jezabel, or contume liously to lash him with the o job 5.21. scourge of the tongue like scornful p 2 Sam. 6.20. Michal, which God q 1 Tim 5 〈◊〉. forbids in all inferiors towards their superiors. And for the honour and comfort of virtuous wives, we find it written how Sarah informed her husband what was to be done with r Gen. 21.9, 10 the b●●dwoman and her son, and how therein God commanded Abraham to s verse 11, 12. hearken to the voice of his wife in all that she had said, though the thing were very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. Likewise Rebekah espying her husband's error, was a meet help to him t Gen. 27.5. whereby he conferred the blessing on Jacob, according to u Gen. 25.23. God's prediction, though she ●aned in many circumstances. And so the gracious Shanamite is registered not only for constraining the Prophet to eat bread as he passed by, but also for x 1 Reg. 4.8, etc. stirring up her husband to make special provision for the Prophet's accommodation whereby she obtained the blessing of a son, being before childless. And Abigail a woman of great understanding, how is she set forth and set up as a Crown to her foolish husband, in y 1 Sam. 25 ●, 14. etc. taking and improving his goods and servants without his direction or consent, whereby she saved him and his family from a mischief whereof he was insensible? And how came the z ver. 32, 33. 〈◊〉. 31.10. and 12.4. blessing of David upon her and her advice which kept him that day from shedding blood? And Nabals may be their names, and folly is with them, that give not due honour to such virtuous wives, whose price is far above rubies, and who are Crowns to their husbands. Object. 2. But may not a Maid, a Widow especially, before Marriage, in discretion reserve something to be in her power and disposition after she shall be a Wife, and that for good to her Husband, to help him at a need, or to help her former Children, or other Saints of God? Sol. Concerning her former Children or other Saints, she was to z Tim. 5.8. provide for them while things were in a Acts 5.5. her own power: but if being wife she withhold her obedience to God and subjection to her husband under such pretences, she must know that b 1 Sam. 15.22. obedience is better than sacrifice, and that c ver. 23. rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft: and if she wilfully persist to reject the word of the Lord, God will reject her from being a daughter of Sarah. For what is this but to kick at God's Ordinance, as d 1 Sam. 2.29. Ely and his sons kicked at God's sacrifices, and to e Mat. 10.37. honour and love her Children and Saints above God, as Ely did his sons? f Eze. 14.4. And what is that, but to set up her Children and Saints as Idols in her heart? and her stubbornness in this kind will be no less then g 1 Sam. 15.23 as iniquity and idolatry. Secondly, Concerning her pretended discretion and goodness towards her husband, she must learn that God hath coupled the h Tit. 2.5. discretion and goodness of a wife unto subjection to her husband: And therefore so long as she refuseth subjection, she can never approve herself unto God to be a discreet or good wife. Nay whiles under colour of discretion and goodness, she withdraws her subjection, and makes a divorce betwixt those duties which God hath coupled together; she i Psal. 73.27. goeth a whoring from God, in withdrawing her heart from him, and not k Prov. 3.5, 6. trusting in him with all her heart, nor acknowledging him in all her ways, but leaning to her own understanding: And thus missing God's l ver. 6. direction, she goeth the high way to m Psal. 73.27. destruction. This discretion therefore is not n jac. 3.15. the wisdom from above, but is earthly, sensual and devilish; witness the o ver. 14, 16. bitter envying and strife that appeareth in such wives, when they are therein gainsaid, instead of that p 1 Pet. 3.4. meek and quiet spirit which should be in them, and which is in the sight of God of great price. Object. 3. But what if after she become a Wife, she without her husband's knowledge or consent put over such things as she before reserved in her own power to some other godly men in trust, to be kept and disposed by them as they shall see good? Sol. This is to q Isa. 59.5. hatch Cockatrice eggs and to wove the Spider's web, and r 29.15. woe to them that seek deep to hid their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark. And is not this to s Isa. 5.18. draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as with cart-ropes? For though these and such like Conveyances may be strong as cartropes, to hold such as use them t 2 Tim. 2.26. captives in the devil's snare; yet they will prove but cords of vanity, yea weaker than vanity itself, to draw away the u Isa. 5.21. woes and * Jer. 17.5. curses that hang over the heads of such, who are prudent in their own sight, and whose hearts depart from the Lord, and trust in the arm of flesh. And what is this better than a thievish conspiracy, to x Mal. 3.8. rob God of the honour due to him and his Ordinance, and to steal away and detain from a husband, yea and that from a believing husband, that power and right wherewith the Judge of quick and dead hath invested him, by the records of the sacred Scriptures formerly alleged? Will any of the wise children of this world receive and keep goods feloniously taken, because in kindness they are brought to him in trust? Where then was the wisdom of that godly Trustee, in discerning evil from good, nay in y Isa. 5.20. putting evil for good, darkness for light, in entertaining such trust? May not here the receiver be as bad, yea in some respect z Rom. 1.3. worse than the stealer? And are not they a Mal. 1. cursed from the Lord, that offer that to God and his Law, which they dare not offer to their Prince? Moreover in this conspiracy there is not only sacrilege against God, and robbery against a brother, but also a fearful degree of murder. For as the virtuous woman is a b Prov. 12 4. Crown, and c 1 Cor. 11.7 glory of her husband; and will not only d Prov. 31.1 & apply her hands with diligence, but her wits with prudence to uphold her husband's estate and honour: so she that maketh her husband ashamed, is as e Prov. 12.4. rottenness in his bones. Now judge in yourselves, Is it not a shame to a man of wisdom, that his wife should manifest herself to be so foolish, that she should fear to commit the power and government of her goods to him, whom she boldly took as the fittest of all others to have the f 1 Cor. 7.4. power of her body, and the g Gen. 3.16. rule of the desires of her soul? Is he worthy to govern the greater matters and not the lesser? This is a shame, witness the h 1 Cor. 6.2, 4, Apostle Paul. And is not this a shame to a believing husband, that whereas a i Prov. 18.2. friend sticketh closer than a brother; that a brother should stick nearer to the heart of his wife to be trusted then himself who is such a friend, that he must k Eph. 5.25. love his wife even as Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it? Wherefore if these courses be as rottenness in a husband's bones as God himself witnesseth, than there must be a ceasing of such cruelty, lest the marrow which is hereby consumed in his bones, l Gen. 4.10. cry unto God as the blood of Abel? Object 4. But women are the weaker vessels, and should not the kindness and patience of a good Husband, yield and bear with his Wife's weaknesses in reserving some things, especially trifles in comparison of the great things she yielded up to him? Sol. I acknowledge that a good Husband must so love his Wife, that he be not m Col. 3 19 bitter unto her, and so dwell with her n 1 Pet. 3 7. according to knowledge, that it must be a o Pro 19.11. glory to him to pass over a transgression; yea his love must p 1 Pet. 4.8. cover a multitude of her sins, and for peace sake q 1 Cor. 13. bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things, as far as the r Eph. 6. girdle of truth can s Rom. 12. possibly stretch: So must he t 〈◊〉 4. follow the truth in love, and u 〈◊〉 8.19. love the truth and peace. But as * 2 〈◊〉 n. v. 1 love must be in the truth, so must peace; and love and peace must be both broken in the quarrel of truth and faith, for the x jude 3. maintenance whereof we must earnestly contend. And Christ the y Isa. 9.6. Prince of peace, who for z joh. 18.37 this cause came into the world that he should give witness to the truth, tells us plainly, that in the cause of truth a Mat. 10 3● he came not to send peace but a sword. b Pro. 23.23 Buy the truth and sell it not (not at any rate) said the c 1 Reg. 4.31 wisest among men, who could best tell the value of it. There must be no merchandise for truth, no torrent of affection may ●…ry us on for the sweet commodities of love and peace to sail beyond the line of truth, unless we will c 1 Reg. 4.31 1 Tim. 1.19 make shipwreck of faith. Charity d 1 Cor. 13. rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth: and a foul iniquity it were, if the love of Christ ( e joh. 14. who is the way, the truth and the life,) should not have the f Col. 1.18. pre-eminence in all things, above the g Luk. 14. 2●. Mat. 10 37. love of ourselves, wives, or any creatures. What should I say more? A good husband will not despise the cause of his maidservant when she contendeth with him, much less of his Wife, but must be ready to h job 31.13 lay down his life for his wife, much more for peace sake submit with her to be i 1 joh. 3. 1● judged before the Saints; and honour her not only as the weaker vessel, but as a k 1 Pet. 3 7. coheir with himself of the grace of life, if she will learn of Sarah, to be subject and obedient unto her husband as Sarah was. But if her weakness be turned into wilfulness and rebellion against God, so that command the Lord what he will, in such and such things as please her she will not be subject to her husband, but in the stoutness of her heart presume to prescribe against God by her conditiens and reservations: l ver. 5, 6. in such a case as faithful Moses would not yield to Pharaoh in a m Exod. 1●. hoof, though thereby the lives of many thousands seem to be hazarded, nor faithful Paul to the false brethren n Gal. 2.5, 13, 14. , no not for an hour, that the truth of the Gospel might continue, though Peter's dissembling therein were openly reproved to his shame: so a faithful husband should not yield to his wife, no, not for an hour, nor in a hoof, though it put her to as open a shame as o Num. 12.14, Miriam was for muttering against Moses, that the bounds of God's Ordinance may continue steadfast. And concerning the pretended patience of a Husband, know that God hath coupled p 2 Pet. 1.6. patience and godliness together; and therefore in such rebellion against God, a godly husband in Christian q Rev 2.2. patience cannot bear with his wife, but r Pro. 28.4. set himself against her, lest Christ spew him out of his mouth for lukewarmness. And if under colour of kindness he should suffer sin upon her with sleight rebukes, he should t Rev. 3.16. hate her in his heart, and therein be no less than a murderer. Did not u Leu. 19.17. meek Moses so long for his wife's sake forbear the * 1 joh. 3.15. circumcising of his child, that the Lord met with him and sought to kill him, had not his wife suddenly put it in execution, though she cast the foreskin at his feet and said, Surely a bloody husband thou art to me? And was not the x Exod. 4.24, 25, 26. judgement of God heavy upon old Ely and his house for ever, because his sons made themselves vile and he restrained them not? And as it y 1 Sam. 3.13. multiplied Eves sorrows, because her familiarity and voice z Gen. 3.16. verse 6. occasioned her husband to yield to second her in eating the forbidden fruit (being commended and given to him by her who was his a Prov. 5.19. loving, kind and pleasant Roe, with whose love he was ravished) so it aggravated Adam's b Gen. 3.17. sorrows all the days of his life, because he so harkened to the voice of his Wife, crossing God's Commandment. Therefore as Christ knowing the c ● Cor. 5.11. terror of the Lord in the way of his judgements, saith, d Luke 17.32. Remember Lot's wife: So say to all married persons, Remember Adam and Eve. Obj. But what if the husband knew before marriage such purposes and reservations of his future wife, and consented to them and promised to ratify them? Sol. If husband and wife before marriage should so compact and consent together, I say it were a fearful step towards that downfall sin of y Act. 5.1, etc. Ananias and Sapphira: And saith not the Lord, z ● Cor. 5.19, 20. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy? We therefore being Ambassadors for Christ, to whom he hath committed the word of reconciliation, beseech such in Christ's stead, Be reconciled to God, and a Dan. 4.14. Break off your sins by righteousness, and b Micah 6.8. humble yourselves to walk with God, keeping yourselves within the bounds of God's Ordinance, and so c ●sa. 55.7. return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon you, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For though men's d Psal. 15.4. oaths and promises tending to their own hurt are not to be changed, yet none are to be kept that tend to the e ●om. 2.23. dishonour of God and breach of his Law, no more than the f Micah. 6.16. statutes of Omri, or the rash g Sam. 25.22, 34, 35. oath of David, who blessed God for sending Abigail to meet him, and to keep him from performing such an unadvised, bloody oath. Who would have thought that ever Jephtah ( a Heb. 11.4. registered in the catalogue of the faithful) who b ●udg. 12.13. put his life in his hands to avenge the c ●udg. 11.27. wrongs of Israel upon the children of Ammon, should so d ●udg. 11.39. unnaturally wrong his own daughter and e verse 34. only child, when the forethought of it made him to rend his clothes and cry alas? Or that King Herod, who f Mark 6.20. feared John Baptist, knowing that he was a just man and holy, and g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. saved him (against the h verse 19 bloody purpose of Herodias) and when he heard him he did many things, and heard him gladly, that ever he would become a bloody butcher to behead so reverend a Prophet, yea i Matth. 11.9. more than a Prophet, though he were k Mark 6.26. exceeding sorry to hear and think of it? Had yet the devil, that l ●orin 8.44. murderer from the beginning, brought these things to pass under pretence of a m ●udg. 5.35, 39 vow, and a n Mar. 6.22, 26 promise bound by an oath? Now o 1 Cor. 1 happened not these things to them for ensamples? and they are written to admonish us, that under fair pretences we p Prov. 3. lean not to our own wisdom, lest q 1 Cor. 1. Satan who transformeth himself into an Angel of light (though he r Heb. 2.1. hath the power of death) stick the s 1 Cor. 15 sting of death in men's souls, so that they cannot t 2 Pet. 2.1 cease to sin, but u 2 Tim. 3 wax worse & worse, deceiving and being deceived, whiles Satan gets advantage of us by his devises. Ask ye how? I pray the Lord, even the x Zac. 3.2. Lord who hath chosen Jerusalem, to rebuke Satan that y Rev. 12.1 accuser of the brethren, that accuseth us before our God day and night; * 2 Cor. 2. lest he procure the z Eze. 14.1 punishment of the husband to be as the punishment of the wife that seeks his consent; and least in a Exod. 18 that very thing wherein they have dealt proudly, not b Prov. 3.6 acknowledging God in their ways, God be above them both in the way of his judgements: And then to their shame ( c Pro. 11.2 16. which is the paymaster of pride) they may d Jer. 44.28 know whose words shall stand, Gods or theirs; and what e Jer. 2.19. an evil and bitter thing it is for wives to set up their f Eze. 14. Idols in their hearts, and for husbands by yielding to them to g Exod. 32. verse 6. make them naked to their shame, as Aaron made the people of Israel naked unto their shame among their enemies, the issue whereof was as woeful as shameful. For whiles they made it their May-game and Play to sacrifice to their molten Calf, not only was it stamped to powder, and the people made to drink of it, and three thousand of them slain for it, but both they and Aaron (who i Exod. 32.2. Deut. 9.19, 20. brought so great a sin upon them) had been h Exod. 32. destroyed by God, had not Moses his chosen prayed for them, and stood before him in the breach to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them. And when God seeks for such a man to stand in the gap before him, should he find none? k Eze. 22.30. Psal. 106.23. Exod. 32. As this Author aged now 83 years confesseth that his heart burned within him, till for resolution of the Question he had set up this poor Candle on a Candlestick, so he prayeth and hopeth that the l Isa. 4.4. spirit of judgement, and the spirit of burning will make some Learned and Judicious hearts (among the many m Joh. 5.35. burning Lamps, shining in and about London) to n Luc. 24. burn within them also, till their light shine forth for clear resolution of these two Questions ensuing. 1. Whether Merchants o 2 Pet. 2.3. Rev. 8.1. make not merchandise of the souls of men, when they send their Factors and Servants into Spain, Turkey, and such Idolatrous and Mahometan places, there to abide many years free from the p Eph. 4.11, Work of the Ministry, as Paul saith, q Rom. 8.20 where men are the servants of sin they are free from righteousness? 2. Whether Indian Merchants (and such Masters as will bind their Apprentices from Marriage till they come to about 26 years of age) and many others of several Ranks, give not great advantage to r 1 Cor. 7.5. Satan to tempt souls to Incontinency, and attract to their own souls the guilt of many Adulteries and Whoredoms, when for filthy lucre, husbands are sequestered from wives (especially young Mariners from their new married wives) and others so restrained from Marriage, though they burn, as though the Scriptures quoted in the s 1 Cor. 7.1 & 1 Pet. 3.7. Eph 5.31. Pro. 27.8. margin were either not given by Inspiration of God, or may not bind the consciences of men. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.