Ch. lxxiil. 7. BOOK V. words when once they are understood there will appear as little cause as in the rest for any wise man to be offended. First therefore inasmuch as unlawful copulation doth pollute and dishonour 14 both parties, this protestation that we do worship and honour another with our bodies may import a denial of all such lets and impediments to our knowledge as might cause any stain, blemish, or disgrace that way, which kind of construction being probable would easily approve that speech to a peaceable and quiet mind. Secondly in that the Apostle 15 doth so expressly affirm that parties married have not any longer entire power over themselves, but each hath interest in other's person, it cannot be thought an absurd construction to say that worshipping with the body is the imparting of that interest in the body unto another which none before had save only ourselves. But if this was the natural meaning the words should perhaps be as requisite to be used on the one side as on the other, and therefore a third sense there is which I rather rely upon. Apparent it is that the ancient difference between a lawful wife and a concubine was only 16 in the different purpose of man betaking himself to the one or the other. If his purpose were only fellowship, there grew to the woman by this mean no worship at all but the contrary. In professing that his intent was to add by his person honour and worship unto hers, he took her plainly and clearly to wife. This is it which the Civil Law doth mean when it maketh a wife to differ from a concubine in dignity 17; a wife to be taken where 18 conjugal honour and affection doth go before. The "With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship,' &c. Whitg. Answer, ibid. "Yet S. "Peter, 1 ep. c. iii. speaking to the "husband saith, Ye husbands, "dwell with them as men of know"ledge, giving honour unto the "woman,'" &c. T. C. i.160. al. 199. "M. Doctor . . . must understand "that it is one thing with us to "worship and another thing to honour." Whitg. Def. ubi sup. "This word, worship, when it is "spoken of one man towards an"other, can have no other significa"tion than reverence and duty, "which is required by the law of 66 The Holy Eucharist, a fitting Seal of Marriage. 433 Ch. lxxiii. 8. worship that grew unto her being taken with declaration of BOOK V. this intent was that her children became by this mean legitimate and free; herself was made a mother over his family; last of all she received such advancement of state as things annexed unto his person might augment her with, yea a right of participation was thereby given her both in him and even in all things which were his. This doth somewhat the more plainly appear by adding also that other clause, " With all "my worldly goods I thee endow." The former branch having granted the principal, the latter granteth that which is annexed thereunto. [8.] To end the public solemnity of marriage with receiving the blessed Sacrament is a custom so religious and so holy, that if the church of England be blameable 19 in this respect it is not for suffering it to be so much but rather for not providing that it may be more put in ure. The laws of Romulus concerning marriage 20 are therefore extolled above the rest "fectio pridem præcesserit, perso"nis comparatis, vitæ conjunctione "considerata, perpendendum esse "respondi: neque enim tabulas fa"cere matrimonium." Digest. lib. xxxix. tit. 6. 1. 31.] 66 66 66 66 19 [Adm. ap. Whitg. Def. 723. "Because in Popery no holy action may be done without a mass, they enjoin the new married persons "to receive the communion, as "they do their Bishops and Priests "when they are made." Answ. ibid. "Truly I marvel what you mean, so wickedly to revile so godly and so holy a law. Well, I will only "set down M. Bucer's judgment of "this thing also . . . ́ Est illud ad" modum pie ordinatum, ut novi "conjuges una quoque de mensa "Domini communicent, nam non "nisi in Christo Domino debent "Christiani inter se matrimonio "jungi.'" T. C. i. 160. al. 199. "As for the receiving of the Com"munion when they be married, "that it is not to be suffered, unless "there be a general receiving, I "have before at large declared; and 66 as for the reason that is fathered “ of M. Bucer, (which is, that those " that be Christians may not be • joined in marriage but in Christ,) HOOKER, VOL. II. 66 "it is very slender and cold: as if 66 66 66 66 66 Compare the following passage in the Life of Kettlewell, compiled from Hickes and Nelson's papers. "He was married at Whitchurch, Oxon, Oct. 4, 1685, on a Lord's day, and there was a sacrament on purpose to communicate the new-married couple; whereby "they solemnly plighted their troth "to their Lord and Saviour, as well as to one another; a practice Ithough so much neglected, yet piously recommended by the "Church, whom all ought in this "to hear: but sure both by their "advices to others, and by their 66 own examples, none should be so "fit to retrieve a custom so recom"mended, as our spiritual guides, "according to this pattern here set "them." Prefixed to Kettlewell's Works, i. 42. ed. 1719.] 20 Οὗτος ὁ νόμος τάς τε γυναῖκας ἠνάγκασε τὰς γαμετὰς οἷα μηδεμίαν ἐχούσας ἑτέραν ἀποστροφὴν πρὸς ἕνα τὸν τοῦ γεγαμηκότος ζῆν τρόπον, καὶ F f 434 Churching of Women: Objection to it generally. BOOK V. amongst the heathens which were before, in that they estaCh. lxxiv. I. blished the use of certain special solemnities, whereby the Churching of minds of men were drawn to make the greater conscience of wedlock, and to esteem the bond thereof a thing which could not be without impiety dissolved. If there be any thing in Christian religion strong and effectual to like purpose it is the Sacrament of the holy Eucharist, in regard of the force whereof Tertullian breaketh out into these words concerning matrimony therewith sealed; "21 Unde sufficiam "ad enarrandam felicitatem ejus matrimonii quod Ecclesia "conciliat et confirmat oblatio ?" I know not which way I should be able to shew the happiness of that wedlock the 'knot whereof the Church doth fasten and the Sacrament ' of the Church confirm.' Touching marriage therefore let thus much be sufficient. LXXIV. The fruit of marriage is birth, and the companion of birth travail, the grief whereof being so extreme, and the danger always so great, dare we open our mouths against the things that are holy and presume to censure it as a fault in the Church of Christ, that women after their deliverance do publicly shew their thankful minds unto God? But behold what reason there is against it! Forsooth 22, " if there should "be solemn and express giving of thanks in the Church "for every benefit either equal or greater than this which any "singular person in the Church doth receive, we should not 66 66 66 only have no preaching of the word nor ministering of the 66 sacraments, but we should not have so much leisure as to do any corporal or bodily work, but should be like those "Massilian heretics 23 which do nothing else but pray." Surely better a great deal to be like unto those heretics which do nothing else but pray, than those which do nothing else but quarrel. Their heads it might haply trouble somewhat Childbirth, a fit Occasion of Thanksgiving. 435 Ch. lxxiv. 2. more than as yet they are aware of to find out so many BOOK V. benefits greater than this or equivalent thereunto, for which if so be our laws did require solemn and express thanksgiving in the church the same were like to prove a thing so greatly cumbersome as is pretended. But if there be such store of mercies even inestimable poured every day upon thousands (as indeed the earth is full of the blessings of the Lord which are day by day renewed without number and above measure) shall it not be lawful to cause solemn thanks to be given unto God for any benefit, than which greater or whereunto equal are received, no law binding men in regard thereof to perform the like duty? Suppose that some bond there be which tieth us at certain times to mention publicly the names of sundry our benefactors 25. Some of them it may be are such that a day would scarcely serve to reckon up together with them the catalogue of so many men besides as we are either more or equally beholden unto. Because no law requireth this impossible labour at our hands, shall we therefore condemn that law whereby the other being possible and also dutiful is enjoined us? So much we owe to the Lord of Heaven that we can never sufficiently praise him nor give him thanks for half those benefits for which this sacrifice were most due. Howbeit God forbid we should cease performing this duty when public order doth draw us unto it, when it may be so easily done, when it hath been so long executed by devout and virtuous people; God forbid that being so many ways provoked in this case unto so good a duty, we should omit it, only because there are other cases of like nature wherein we cannot so conveniently or at leastwise do not perform the same most virtuous office of piety. [2] Wherein we trust that as the action itself pleaseth God so the order and manner thereof is not such as may justly offend any. It is but an overflowing of gall which causeth the woman's absence from the church during the time of her lying-in to be traduced 26, and interpreted as though 25 [This passage clearly alludes to the academical custom of mentioning the names of founders and benefactors, in bidding prayer before sermons.] 26 [Adm. ap. Whitg. Def. 535. "Jewish purifyings" are reckoned 436 Our Form of Churching not superstitious. BOOK V. she were so long judged unholy, and were thereby shut out or Ch. lxxiv. 2. sequestered from the house of God according to the ancient Levitical Law. Whereas the very canon law itself doth not so hold, but directly professeth the contrary 27; she is not barred from thence in such sort as they interpret it, nor in respect of any unholiness forbidden entrance into the church, "other rites and customs in their 66 66 80 lying-in and coming to church is 66 66 upon womankind in punishment "of the first sin, which danger she "knoweth not whether she shall escape or no and therefore after she |