Fifty Godly and Learned Sermons (The Decades)

The holy Patriarchs kept the law of matrimony, and reverenced wedlock very devoutly. For no small parcel of the first and most excellent book of the Bible called Genesis, is spent in rehearsing the marriages of holy men. Neither is Moses the peerless servant of God ashamed, to make mention of the business and works of wedlock as pure and excellent, which seem to many at this day to be foul and filthy. Christ himself (who being the very natural son of God, was himself borne in wedlock, although of a pure and uncorrupted Virgin) did honour and commend the knot of matrimony, while he did vouchsafe to show his first miracle at a wedding, which was such a miracle as did declare that the Lord is able to make the bitterness of marriage sweet, and the scarcity thereof to abound with plenty. As the Apostles were married men according to the examples of the patriarchs, kings, princes, priests, and prophets: So Paul the chief of all the Apostles, crieth out and saith: Wedlock is honourable among all, and the bed undefiled. But whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. He saith that wedlock is honourable among all, he meaneth, all nations: For very few people shall you find that do not greatly commend the state of marriage. Xenophon thinketh that among all Goods ordinances scant any one can be found that is more commendable or profitable than wedlock is. Musonius, Hierocles, and other ancient sages think marriage to be so necessary to live well and conveniently, that the life of man without marriage seemeth to be maimed. Even they (y• heathens I mean) do make the evils and discommodities of marriage to consist in y• married ⟨p. 224⟩folks and not in marriage. For marriage of it self is good, but many use not well the thing that is good, and therefore they feel the smart of their foul abuse worthily. For who knoweth not that the fault of drunkenness is not to be referred to wine which is the good and wholesome creature of God, but to the excessive bibbing and over great greediness of man which abuseth Gods good creature? That which cometh out of the hart of man (saith the Lord in the Gospel) and not that which goeth in by the mouth, defileth the man. Hereunto belongeth that saying of Paul the Apostle of Christ, where he attributeth sanctification to wedlock: for the bed saith he) is undefiled:

The holie Patriarches kepte the lawe of matrimonie, and reuerenced wedlocke verie deuontely. For no small parcell of the first and most excellent booke of the Bible called Genesis, is spent in rehearceing the marriages of holie men. Neither is Moses the péerelesse seruaunte of God ashamed, to make mention of the busines and woorkes of wedlocke as pure and excellent, which séeme to many at this day to bée foule and filthie. Christe himselfe (who being the verie naturall sonne of God, was himselfe borne in wedlocke, although of a pure and vncorrupted Virgine) did honour and commend the knotte of matrimonie, while hée did vouchsafe to shewe his first miracle at a wedding, which was such a myracle as did declare that the Lord is able to make the bitternesse of marriage swéete, and the scarcitie thereof to abound with plentie. As the Apostles were married men according to the examples of the patriarches, kinges, princes, priestes, and prophetes: So Paul the chiefe of all the Apostles, crieth out and saith: Wedlocke is honourable among all, and the bedde vndefiled. But whoremongers and adulterers God will iudge. Hée saith that wedlocke is honourable amonge all, hée meaneth, all nations: For verie fewe people shall you finde that doe not greatly cōmend the state of mariage. Xenophon thinketh that amonge all Goods ordinances scant any one can be found that is more commendable or profitable than wedlocke is. Musonius, Hierocles, and other auncient sages thinke marriage to bee so necessarie to liue well and conueniently, that the life of man without marriage séemeth to be maymed. Euen they (y heathens I meane) doe make the euills and discommodities of mariage to consist in y married