A preparative to marriage The sum whereof was spoken at a contract, and enlarged…A preparatiue to mariage The summe whereof was spoken at a contract, and inlarged…

Now if Marriage be a remedy against the sin of fornication, ¹then unless Ministers may commit the sin of fornication, it ⟨p. 20⟩seems that they may use the remedy as well as other: for as it is better for one man to marry ²than to burn, so it is better for all men to marry than to burn; and therefore Paul saith, Marriage is ³honourable amongst all men. And again, for the avoiding of fornication, ⁴let every man have his Wife. And as though he did foresee, that some would except the Minister in time to come, in the first of Timo. ⁵3. 2. he speaketh more precisely of the Ministers wife, than of any other, saying, Let him be the husband of one Wise: and least ye should say that by one wife, he meaneth one Benefice like the Papists. He expoundeth himself in the fourth verse, and saith, that he must be one that can rule his house well, and his children. Sure God would not have these children to be Bastards, ⟨p. 21⟩and therefore it is like that he alloweth the Minister a Wife. Therefore Paul said well, that he ⁶had no commandment for Virginity, for Virginity cannot be commanded, because it is a special gift, but not a special gift to Ministers, & therefore they are not to be bound more than other. A peculiar gift may not be made a general rule, because none can use it, but they which have it. And therefore in 1. Cor. 7. 17. he saith, As God ⁷hath distributed to every man, so let him walk. That is, if he have not the gift of continency, he is bound to marry: and therefore Paul commandeth in the seventh verse, whether he be Minister or other, If they cannot abstain, let them marry, as though they tempted God if they married not. The Law was general, It is not good for man to be