A Golden Chain

Now in this reason, our Saviour Christ prescribes another main duty to his own people: and that is, to be careful to eschew all the sins of the Church of Rome, that they may withal escape her deserved plagues and punishments. And from this prescribed duty I observe two things. The first is, that every good servant of God, must carefully avoid contracts of marriage with professed Papists, that is, with such as hold the Pope for their head, and believe the doctrine of the Council of Trent. For in such matches men hardly keep faith and good conscience, and hardly avoid communication with the sins of the Roman church. A further ground of this doctrine I thus propound. In Gods word there is mentioned a double league between man and man, country and country. The first is the league of concord, when one kingdom binds it self to live in peace with another, for the maintenance of traffic without disturbance: and this kind of league may stand between Gods church and the enemies thereof. The second is the league of amity: which is when men, people, or countries bind themselves to defend each other in all causes: and to make the wars of the one, the wars of the other; and this league may not be made with those that be enemies of God. Jehoshaphat, otherwise a good king, made this kind of league with Ahab: and is therefore reproved by the prophet, saying, Wouldest thou help the wicked, and love them that hate the Lord? 2. Chr. 19.2. Now the marriages of Protestants with Papists are private leagues of amity, between person and person: and ⟨p. 1018⟩therefore not be allowed. Again Malac. 2.11. Judah hath defiled the holiness of the Lord which he loved, and hath married the daughters of a strange God: where is flatly condemned marriages made with the people of a false god: now the papists by the consequents of their doctrine and religion, turn the true Jehovah into an idol of their own brain, as I have showed; & the true Christ revealed in the written word into a feigned Christ made of bread. Yet if such a marriage be once made and finished it may not be dissolved. For such parties sin not simply in that they marry, but because they marry not in the Lord, being of divers religions. The fault is not in the substance of marriage but in the manner of making it;

Now in this reason, our Sauiour Christ prescribes another maine dutie to his owne people: and that is, to be carefull to eschew all the sinnes of the Church of Rome, that they may withall escape her deserued plagues and punishmēts. And frō this prescribed dutie I obserue two things. The first is, that euery good seruant of God, must carefully auoid contracts of marriage with professed Papists, that is, with such as hold the Pope for their head, and beleeue the doctrine of the Councell of Trent. For in such matches men hardly keepe faith and good conscience, and hardly auoid communication with the sinnes of the Romane church. A further ground of this doctrine I thus propound. In Gods word there is mentioned a double league betweene man and man, countrie and countrie. The first is the league of concord, when one kingdome bindes it selfe to liue in peace with another, for the maintenance of trafficke without disturbance: and this kind of league may stand betweene Gods church and the enemies thereof. The second is the league of amitie: which is when men, people, or countries binde themselues to defend each other in all causes: and to make the warres of the one, the warres of the other; and this league may not be made with those that be enemies of God. Iehosaphat, otherwise a good king, made this kind of league with Ahab: and is therfore reprooued by the prophet, saying, Wouldest thou helpe the wicked, and loue them that hate the Lord?