Here Love his golden shafts employs, here lights THE DOCTRINE AND DISCIPLINE OF DIVORCE; Restored to the good of both Sexes, from the Bondage of Canon Law, and other Mistakes, to the True Meaning of Scripture in the Law and Gospel compared. Wherein also are set down the bad consequences of Abolishing, or Condemning as Sin, that which the Law of God allows, and Christ abolished not. NOW THE SECOND TIME REVISED AND MUCH AUGMENTED. IN TWO BOOKS. TO THE PARLIAMENT OF ENGLAND, WITH THE ASSEMBLY. MATT, xili, ga: "Every scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a house, which bringeth out of his treasury things new and old." PROV. xviii. 13: "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him." To the Parliament of England, with the Assembly. If it were seriously asked, and it would be no untimely question, renowned Parliament, select Assembly, who of all teachers and masters that have ever taught, hath drawn the most disciples after him, both in religion and in manners, it might be not untruly answered, Custom Though virtue be commended for the most persuasive in her theory, and conscience in the plain. demonstration of the spirit finds most evincing; yet whether it be the secret of divine will or the original blindness we are born in, so it happens for the most part that Custom still is silently received for the best instructor. Except it be because her method is so glib and easy; in some manner like to that vision of Ezekiel rolling up her sudden book of implicit knowledge for him that will to take and swallow down at pleasure, which proving but of bad nourishment in the concoction as it was heedless in the devouring, puffs up unhealthily a certain big face of pretended learning, mistaken among credulous men for the wholesome habit of soundness and good constitution but is indeed no other than that swoln visage of counterfeit knowledge and literature which not only in private mars our education but also in public is the common climber into every chair where either religion is preached or law reported, filling each estate of life and profession with abject and servile principles, depressing the high and heaven-born spirit of man far beneath the condition wherein either God created him or sin hath sunk him. To pursue the allegory, Custom being but a mere face, as echo is a mere voice, rests not in her unaccomplishment until by secret inclination she • accorporate herself with Error, who being a blind and serpentine body without a head, willingly accepts what he wants, and supplies what her incompleteness went seeking. Hence it is, that Error supports Custom, Custom countenances Error; and these two between them would persecute and chase away all Truth and solid Wisdom out of human life, were it not that God, rather than man, once in many ages calls together the prudent and religious counsels of men, deputed to repress the incroachments and to work off the inveterate blots and obscurities wrought upon our minds by the subtle insinuating of Error and Custom, who, with the numerous and vulgar train of their followers, make it their chief design to envy and cry down the industry of free reasoning, under the terms of humour and innovation; as if the womb of teeming Truth were to be closed up if she presume to bring forth aught that sorts not with their .unchewed notions and suppositions. Against which notorious injury and abuse of man's free soul, to testify and oppose the utmost that study and true labour can attain, heretofore the incitement of men reputed grave hath led me among others; and now the duty and the right of an instructed Christian calls me, through the chance of good or evil report, to be the sole advocate of a discountenanced truth: a high enterprise, lords and commons, a high enterprise and a hard, and such as every seventh son of a seventh son does not venture on. Nor have I amidst the clamour of so much envy and impertinence whither to appeal, but to the concourse of so much piety and wisdom here assembled, bringing in my hands an ancient and most necessary, most charitable, and yet most injured statute of Moses: not repealed ever by him who only had the authority, but thrown aside with much inconsiderate neglect under the rubbish of canonical ignorance; as once the whole Law was by some such like conveyance in Josiah's time. And he who shall endeavour the amendment of any old neglected grievance in Church or State or in the daily course of life, if he be gifted with abilities of mind that may raise him to so high an undertaking, I grant he hath already much whereof not to repent him; yet let me aread him not to be the foreman of any misjudged opinion, unless his resolutions be firmly seated in a square and constant mind, not conscious to itself of any deserved blame and regardless of ungrounded suspicions. For this let him be sure, he shall be boarded presently by the ruder sort, but not by discreet and wellnurtured men, with a thousand idle descants and surmises. Who when they cannot confute the least joint or sinew of any passage in the book, yet God forbid that Truth should be Truth, because they have a boisterous conceit of some pretences in the writer. But were they not more busy and inquisitive than the apostle commends, they would hear him at least "rejoicing so the Truth be preached, whether of envy or other pretence whatsoever:" for Truth is as impossible to be soiled by any outward touch, as the sunbeam; though this ill hap wait on her nativity, that she never comes into the world but like a bastard, to the ignominy of him that brought her forth, till Time, the midwife rather than the mother of Truth, have washed and salted the infant, declared her legitimate, and churched the father of his young Minerva from the needless causes of his purgation. Yourselves can best witness.this, worthy patriots, and better will, |