bear it; thus giving divine testimony to this divine Law, which bids us nothing more then is the first and most innocent lesson of nature, to turn away peaceably from what afflicts, and hazards our destruction; especially when our staying can doe no good, and is expos'd to all evil.
Secondly, It is unjust that any Ordinance, ordain'd to the good and comfort of man, where that end is missing, without his fault, should be forc't upon him to an unsufferable misery and discomfort, if not commonly ruin. All Ordinances are establisht in their end; the end of Law is the vertu, is the righteousnes of Law. And therfore him wee count an ill Expounder who urges Law against the intention therof. The general end of every Ordinance, of every severest, every divinest, eevn of Sabbath, is the good of man, yea his temporal good not excluded. But marriage is one of the benignest ordinances of God to man, wherof both the general and particular end is the peace and contentment of mans mind, as the institution declares. Contentment of body they grant, which if it bee defrauded, the plea of frigidity shall divorce: But heer lies the fadomles absurdity, that granting this for bodily defect, they will not grant it for any defect of the mind, any violation of religious or civil society. When as, if the argument of Christ bee firm against the ruler of the Synagogue, Luk. 13. Thou hypocrite, doth not each of you on the Sabbath day loos'n his Oxe or his Asse from the stall, and lead him to watering, and should not I unbind a daughter of Abraham from this bond of Satan? it stands as good heer, yee have regard in mariage to the greevance of body, should you not regard more the greevances of the mind, seeing the Soul as much excells the body, as the outward man excells the Ass, and more; for that animal is yet a living creature, perfet in it self; but the body without the Soul is a meer senseles trunck. No Ordinance therfore givn particularly to the good both spiritual and temporal of man, can bee urg'd upon him to his mischeif: and if they yeeld this to the unworthier part, the body, wherabout are they in thir principles, that they yeeld it not to the more worthy, the mind of a good man?
Thirdly, As no Ordinance, so no Covnant, no not between God and man, much less between man and msan, beeing as all are, intended to the good of both parties, can hold to the deluding or making miserable of them both. For equity is understood in every Covnant,
