251 The apostle advises them not to marry at that season : enemies? O may we be entirely thine! and make it the business SECT. of the latest day and hour of our lives, to glorify God with our bodies and with our spirits, which are his ! xi. Under the influence of this thought, may we effectually enter into the wise and pious suggestions of the apostle; and guard, verse not only against things absolutely and universally unlawful, but 12 likewise against those, which, in present circumstances, may be inconvenient. May we be ever ready to exert a holy freedom of soul, and a superiority to whatever may ensnare and enslave us ; which we shall more easily obtain, if we reflect on the transitory duration of the objects of appetite and sense: how soon the 13 things we enjoy, and those bodies by which we enjoy them, shall be reduced to the dust, out of which they were taken. God destroys all that is present and visible, that we may look more intensely for a kingdom that cannot be moved. He reduces our bodies to putrefaction, that we may learn to cultivate with greater care the interest of a never dying soul: which if we faithfully and diligently pursue, God, who hath raised up his Son as our 14 Surety and Saviour, will also raise us up by his own power, to enjoyments, sublime, incorruptible, and eternal. O Lord! we would wait for thy salvation, and in the mean time, would do thy commandments; and animated by so exalted a hope, would pu rify ourselves, even as thou art pure. SECT. XII. The apostle proceeds to answer certain questions which the Corinthians had put to him; and first, what related to the marriage state; and in these introductory verses, he determines that in some circumstances it should be entered into, and continued in, but in others, forborne; and forbids wives to depart from their husbands. 1 Cor. VII. 1-11. 1 COR. VII. 1. a woman. concern. 1 Cor. vii. I 1 CORINTHIANS VII. 1. Ning the things I NOW proceed to give you'my opinion con- sECT! cerning those things about which you wrote xii. whereof ye wrote to me. And I begin with that concerning the unto me: It is good for a man not to touch lawfulness or expedience of marriage. And here I must first observe, that as to its expedience, [it is] in present circumstances good for a man, where he is entirely master of himself, to have nothing to do with a woman; so many are the conveniences which recommend a single life to those who are proof against some of Nevertheless, 2 2 Nevertheless, to its most obvious temptations. as the God of nature has for certain wise rea 252 1 Cor Yet marriage is necessary to prevent fornication; own wife, and let SECT. Sons implanted in the sexes a mutual inclina- avoid fornication, let xii. tion to each other, in order to prevent fornica- every man have his tion, and every other species of uncleanness, every woman have vii. 2 let every man have and retain his own proper her own husband. wife; and let every woman have and retain her own proper husband: for neither divorce or polygamy are by any means agreeable to the genius of the gospel. 3 Let the bus. wife due benevo 4 The wife hath 3 Let the husband, where this relation is commenced, render all due benevolence to the wife, band render unto the and in like manner also the wife to the husband: lence and like wise let them on all occasions be ready mutually to also the wife unte oblige, and consult the happiness of each oth- the husband. er's life. And let them not imagine that there is any perfection in living separate from each other, as if they were in a state of celibacy. 4 For the wife hath not in this respect power over her own body, but hath by the marriage cove- not power of her own nant transferred it to the husband; and in like body, but the husmanner also, the husband hath not power over his also the husband own body, but it is, as it were, the property of hath not power of the wife; their engagements being mutual, so the wife. his own body, but that on every occasion conscience obliges them to remain appropriate to each other, and consult their mutual good. 5 band and like wise it be with consent Withdraw not therefore from the company of 5 Defraud ye not each other, unless [it be] by consent for a time; one the other, except that ye may be at leisure to devote yourselves for a time, that ye more intensely to fasting and prayer, and that may give yourselves ye may come together again as usual, lest Satan to fasting and prayer; and come togeth tempt you on account of your incontinence, and er again, that Satan take occasion from the irregular sallies of ani- tempt you not for mal nature, to fill you with thoughts and pas- your incontinency. sions, which marriage was in its original insti tution intended to remedy. 6 But you will observe, that I say this by permission from Christ; but not by any express command, which he gave in person in the days of his flesh, or gives by the inspiration and suggestion of his Spirit now: by which inspi By permission] I cannot, with Mr. Cradock, think, that the meaning of this clause, is, "I permit marriage, but do not enjoin it ;" and have elsewhere observed, that this verse, and others in this context, nearly parallel to it, will be so far from 6 But I speak and not of command this by permission, ment. affording, on any interpretion, an objection against the general inspiration of St. Paul's epistles, that they will rather strengthen the proof of it. See Essay on Inspiration in Vol. III. 7 For I would that and it is better to marry, than to burn. 253 ration, you may conclude I am guided when I SECT. lay in no such precautions as these. xii. But as for the main question we are now 1 Cor. all men were even upon, I could wish that all men were, in this re- vii. 7 as I myself: but every man hath his spect, even as myself; that all Christians could proper gift of God, as easily bear the severities of a single life, in one after this man- present circumstances, and exercise as resolute ner, and another afa command over their natural desires.b But ter that. every man has his proper gift of God, one in this kind, or manner, and another in that. So that though I give the best advice and example I can, I would not exalt myself on account of this attainment, nor despise those that have it 8 I say therefore not. But as to unmarried men, who, like me, 8 to the unmarried and have buried their wives, and to the widows, I widows, It is good for them if they a. say, it is good for them, (if they conveniently can,) to continue, as I do, in the widowed state. 9 But if they can. But if they have not attained to such a degree 9 not contain, let them of temperance, as to be easy in it, let them by all marry for it is better to marry than to means marry. For though it be better to live calmly and soberly in a state of widowhood, than to marry, it is undoubtedly much better to marry a second, or a third time, than to burn, and to be tormented with those restless passions which some in such circumstances feel. bide even as I. burn. a 10 And unto the yet not I, but the husband: But as to those that are married, [it is] not I 10 married I command, [who] command, but the Lord Jesus Christ himLord, Let not the self, who enjoins, that the wife should not withwife depart from her draw herself from [her] husband; But if she be 11 withdrawn by her own rash and foolish act, let 11 But and if she her not by any means contract another mardepart, let her remain unmarried, or riage; but remain unmarried, or rather, if it be reconciled to her may be accomplished by any submission on her husband: and let not side, let her be reconciled to [her] husband, that the husband put away his wife. they may, if possible, live in such an union and harmony as the relation requires. And let not the husband dismiss [his] wife on any light account, or indeed, for any thing short of adultery. For whatever particular reasons Moses That all men were even as myself] Common sense requires us to limit this expression as in the paraphrase; for it would be a most flagrant absurdity to suppose that St. Paul wished marriage might entirely cease. It shews therefore how unfair and improper it is, in various cases, to strain the apostle's words to the utmost rigour, as if he perpetually used the most critical exactness; but indeed chap. ix. 22, is so full an instance to the contrary, that it is not necessary to multiply remarks of this kind. To those that are married.] The translation, published by the English Jesuits at Bourdeaux, renders it, to those who are united in the sacrament of marriage; which I mention as one instance, selected from a vast number, of the great dishonesty of that translation. 254 Reflections on the apostle's observations about marriage: SECT. might have for permitting divorces on some xii. slighter occasions, Christ our great Legislator, who may reasonably expect higher degrees of vii. 11 purity and virtue in his followers, as their as 1 Cor. sistances are so much greater, hath seen fit ex- verse 2 4 IMPROVEMENT. THE decisions of the holy apostle are here given with such gravity, seriousness and purity, that one would hope, delicate as the subject of them is, they will be received without any of that unbecoming levity which the wantonness of some minds may be ready to excite on such an occasion. It becomes us humbly to adore the Divine wisdom and goodness manifested in the formation of the first human pair, and in keeping up the different sexes through all succeeding ages, in so just a proportion, that every man might have his own wife, and every woman her own husband: that the instinct of nature might, so far as it is necessary, be gratified without guilt, and an holy seed be sought, which being trained up under proper discipline and instruction, might supply the wastes that death is continually making, and be accounted to the Lord for a generation: that so virtue and religion, for the sake of which alone it is desirable that human creatures should subsist, may be transmitted through every age, and earth become a nursery for heaven. With these views, let marriages be contracted, when it is proper they should be contracted at all. Let none imagine the state itself to be impure; and let it always be preserved unde5 filed. Let all occasion of irregular desire be prudently guarded against by those who have entered into it. And let all Christians, in every relation, remember that the obligations of devotion are common to all; and that Christ and his apostles seem to take it for granted, that we shall be careful to secure proper seasons for fasting, as well as for prayer, so far as may be needful, in order that the superior authority of the mind over the body may be exercised, and maintained, and that our petitions to the throne of grace may be offered with greater intenseness, copiousness and ardour. Marriages not dissolved by difference in religion. SECT. XIII. The apostle exhorts Christians not to break marriage on account of difference in religion; and urges, in the general, contentment with the stations in which they are called, and a concern to serve God in their proper condition, whether married or single, bound or free. 1 Cor. VII. 12-24. 1 Cor. VII. 12. BUT man which hath an I 255 xiii. 1 Cor. 1 CORINTHIANS VII. 12. QUT to the rest HAVE reminded you of the decision of SECT. speak I, not the Christ with respect to the affair of divorce: Lord, If any brother hath a wife that be- now as to the rest of the persons and cases to lieveth not, and she which I shall address myself, it is to be ob- vii. 12 be pleased to dwell served, that I speak according to what duty with him, let him and prudence seems on the whole to require; not put her away. and it is not to be considered as if it were imChristmediately spoken by the Lord. If any ian brother hath an unbelieving wife, and she consent to dwell with him, notwithstanding the diversity of their religious persuasions, let him 13 And the wo- not dismiss her. And on the other hand, if 18 husband that believ. any Christian wife have an unbelieving husband, eth not, and if he be and he consent to dwell with her, let her not displeased to dwell with miss him, nor separate herself from him, her, let her not leave though the legal constitution of the country in For 14 which she lives may allow her to do it. lieving husband is in such a case as this, the unbelieving husband sanctified by the is so sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife, and the unbe- wife is so sanctified by the husband, that their lieving wife is sanctified by the hus. matrimonial converse is as lawful as if they band: else were were both of the same faith: otherwise your your children un- children, in these mixed cases, were unclean, and clean; but now are must be looked upon as unfit to be admitted to those peculiar ordinances by which the seed of God's people are distinguished; but now they are confessedly holy, and are as readily him. 14 For the unbe they holy. Let her not dismiss him.] I have clsewhere observed, that in these countries, in the apostle's days, the wives had a power of divorce as well as the husbands. See Vol. II. p. 220, note 8. b Is sanctified, &c.] Some think the meaning is, "the Christian may convert the infidel;" as appears, in that the children of such marriages are brought up Christians. But this cannot possibly be the sense; for that they were brought up so, was not to be sure always fact, and where it was, there was no need of proving from thence the conversion of the parent, which would in itself be much more apparent than the education of the child. Now are they holy.] On the maturest and most impartial consideration of this text, I must judge it to refer to infant baptism. Nothing can be more apparent than that the word holy, signifies persons, who might be admitted to partake of the distinguishing rights of God's people. Compare Exod. xix. 6; Deut. vii. 6; chap. xiv. 2; chap. xxvi. 19; chap. xxxiii. 3; Ezra ix. 2; with Isa. xxxv. 8; chap. lii. 1; Acts x. 28, &c. And as for the interpretation, which so many of our brethren, the baptists, have contended for, that holy signifies legitimate, and unclean, illegitimate; (not to urge that this seems an unscriptural sense of the word,) nothing can |