Mat. XIX.

2.

224 Sect. 135. known, but great Multitudes followed him from Mall the neighbouring Parts; and particularly the People, who had feen him formerly at Bethabara, reforted to him again; (as was faid, John x. 41.) And according to his ufual Custom, he readily embraced the Opportunity of preaching to them, and taught them there again, as he had done elsewhere; and as they brought many fick Perfons to him, he healed them all there; which could not but increase the Throng.

The Pharifees tempt him with a Question about Divorce.

4

And the Pharifees, who always had a watchful Eye on his Motions, and attended him with the moft malignant Defigns, being now more efpecially irritated by the Fame of his late Miracles, which they had in vain endeavoured to fupprefs, (fee John vii. 32, 47. and ix. 16, 24.) came hither alfo to him, with the View of getting fome Advantage over him, by tempting him with what they thought a very artful and infnaring Question: And that they might, if poffible, entangle him in his Talk, fo as to find fome Reason to accufe him, or to difcredit him at least among the People, they asked him, faying unto him, What thinkeft thou, Mafter, Is it lawful for a Man to difmifs his Wife for every flight Caufe of Diflike, which may be found in her (c)? or is Adultery the only juft Reason for a Divorce?

And he faid to them in Reply, Have ye not read, (Gen. i. 27.) that GOD, the Almighty and Allwife Creator, from the very Beginning of the Creation, when he would not fail to conftitute Human

Nature

followed him, [and the People refort unto him again; taught them again,] and he healed them there. [MARK

and as he was wont, he

X.-1.]

(c) To difmifs his Wife for every Caufe.] It is well known, that there was a Debate between the antient Rabbi's, (perhaps as old as our Lord's Time,) concerning the Interpretation of the Law relating to Divorce, Deut. xxiv. 1. The School of Sammai maintained, that the Words any which we render fome Uncleanness, fignified Adultery; whereas the School of Hillel explained it of any Matter of Difike. (See Selden, Uxor. Hebr. lib. iii. cap. 22.) Perhaps a Medium between both, would have been a jufter Interpretation than either; for it is certain, that the Phrafe may with peculiar Propriety exprefs any Blemish or Diforder, which a Woman might unjustly and foolishly conceal before Marriage, that was afterwards difcovered. At least, I think it plain from our Lord's Anfwer, that the Difciples of Sammai were mistaken; which farther appears from the Provifion the Mofaic Law made, for punishing Adultery with Death.The Interpretation of Hillel generally prevailed; and the Pharifees, concluding Chrift would, as he had done before, declare against Divorces for trivial Caufes, (Mat. v. 31, 32. and Luke xvi. 18.) might hope to expofe him to popular Refentment, for retrenching a Liberty which the Law allowed: But our Lord feared not the Confequence of doing it.

(d) May

CHRIST refers them to the firft Inftitution of Marriage.

made them Male and Female? [MARK X. 6.]

5 And faid, For this Caufe fhall a Man leave [his] Father and Mother, and fhall cleave to his Wife: and they twain shall be one Flesh. [MARK X. 7, 8.-]

6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one Flesh. joined together, let not Man put afunder. [MARK X. -8, 9.]

What therefore GOD hath

7 They fay unto him, Why did Mofes then command to give a Writing of Divorcement, and to put her away?

2.25

Nature in fuch a Way as might be most condu- Sect. 135.
cive to its Happinefs, in forming the first Parents Mat. XIX.

of Mankind made them Male and Female, or one
Man and one Woman? which would neither allow

4.

of Divorce, or Polygamy. And do you not 5
remember, that when the Woman was at first
brought to him, the Man said, as taught by an
extraordinary Revelation concerning the Ends and
Obligations of Marriage, which therefore may in
Effect be looked upon as a Divine Testimony (d),
"For this Caufe, or on Account of his engaging
"in the Married State, fhall a Man leave both
"bis Father and Mother, when those dear Rela-
"tions of Parental and Filial Tenderness fhall
"take Place, and fhall closely adhere to his Wife;
" and they Two fhall be joined in fo intimate an
"Union as to become One Flesh?" (Gen. ii. 24.)
So that it appears of Perfons thus joined together, 6
that they are no longer Two, but One Flesh, and
fhould accordingly regard each other as Members
of one Body. What GOD therefore has thus
clofely yoked together, let not Man separate; but
let the Bond of Marriage be efteemed as facred,
and incapable of being diffolved by any thing,
which does not make them ceafe to be one Flesh,
by making that of the one common to fome third
Perfon. (See Whitby, in Loc.)

They fay unto him, by way of Objection against 7
this, Why then did Mofes, under Divine Direction
and Infpiration, command "a Man, whofe Wife
"found no Favour in his Eyes, because he had
"difcovered," as it is there expreffed,
"fome
"Uncleanness in her," or (as it has been gene-
rally understood,) fome Caufe of Diftafte and
Averfion, " to give her a Bill of Divorce, and
"so to difmifs her?" (Deut. xxiv. 1.)

And

(d) May in Effect be looked upon as a Divine Teftimony.] I think the ingenious Author of Revelation examined with Candor folidly argues, from Adam's pronouncing concerning the Obligation of a Child's Relation to its Parent, which had never then exifted, that he fpake thefe Words in Confequence of fome extraordinary Divine Illumination; which justifies the Turn given in the Paraphrafe: Nor could he without a Revelation have known what had paffed in his Sleep, or ever have conjectured the Original of Woman to have been what he fo plainly refers to. See Revelat. exam. with Candor, Vol. i. Diff. iii. pag. 28,-33. Ff

VOL. II.

(e) On

226

you

fwered and faid unto them,

Mofes allowed Divorces only for the Hardness of their Hearts. Sect. 135? And he replied, and faid unto them, How is it MARK X. 3. And he an that take this Matter? or what did you alledge, What did Mofes command Mark X. 3. that Mofes did command you? Is there any Thing in his Writings, that recommends Divorce and Separation upon light Occafions?

And upon this they faid, If it may not be faid, that Mofes does command or recommend it in itfelf, it is most evident from the Paffage we have mentioned, that he has permitted a Man in fome Cafes, to write a Bill of Divorce, and to give it into his Wife's Hand, and difmifs her; on which Foundation, thou well knoweft, how frequently Divorces prevail among us, and how justifiable they are generally esteemed. '

;

And Jefus anfwered, and faid to them, You ftate the Matter now, more justly than before for it amounts merely to a Permiffion : But I muft obferve to you, that it was on Account of the Hardness of your Hearts, and the Perverfenefs of your Tempers (e), that Mofes wrote you this Pre cept, [and] gave you fuch a Permiffion to put away your Wives; knowing that otherwise you might have been tempted to use them intolerably ill : But, as I just now told you, it was not fo from the Beginning; and the Account which that Writer gives of the original Conftitution of Things, proves. it to be an Irregularity; how neceffary foever he might find it, in fome Cafes, to tolerate it, or rather, by making it irrevocable, to prevent Men's doing it without deep Confideration.

And when the Affembly was difmiffed, and Jefus was retired from the Multitude, as they were fitting together in the Houfe where he lodged, bis Difciples afked him again of the fame Matter, as not being able fully to understand it, or to reconcile it with the Precept of Mofes.

And he fays to them, If you are willing to receive Laws from me, you must fubmit to a greater Reftraint

you?

4 And they faid, Mofes fuffered to write a Bill of Divorcement, and to put her

away.

(e) On Account of the Hardness of your Hearts] How much this was the Character of the Jewish Nation, is too apparent. See Exod. xxxiii. 3. xxxiv. 9. Deut. ix. 6. xxxi. 27. Ie, xlviii. 4. Ezek. ii. 4. and Als vii. 51.Our Lord (as Grotius well obferves,) ftrongly intimates, that a more tender and refined Temper may justly be expected from his Difciples.

(f) Except

They were not lawful but in Cafe of Adultery.

whofo marrieth her which

227

them, [I fay unto you, ] Restraint than Mofes laid on the Ifraelites; for Sect, 135 Whofoever fhall put away I exprefsly tell you, (as I formerly did, Mat. v. 32. his Wife, [except it be for Mark X. 11. Fornication,] and [fhall] Şect. 39. and Luke xvi. 18. Sect. 124.) Whosoever marry another, committeth fhall difmifs his Wife, except [it be] for Whoredom (f) ZX Adultery against her: [and which is a fundamental Breach of the main Ar is put away, doth commit ticle of the Marriage Covenant, by which they Adultery. ][MAT. XIX. 9.] are one Flefh, and fhall marry another, commits Adultery against her, that was his former Wife, and who continues ftill to be fo in the Sight of GOD; and be that shall marry her, who is fo dif miffed without a fufficient Cause, commits Adultery. And on the other Hand, by a Parity of Reason, 12 if a Woman, not injured in the important Article just now mentioned, fhall put away her Husband, or extort from him a Bill of Divorce (g), and be married to another Man, fhe commits Adulterys and as the deferves to be abhorred by Men, fo must she expect to be punished by GoD, as guilty of that enormous and deteftable Crime, if the do not from her very Heart repent of it.

12 And if a Woman fhall put away her Husband, and

be married to another, she committeth Adultery.

MAT. XIX. 10. His Difciples fay unto him, If

the Cafe of the Man be fo with his Wife, it is not good

to marry.

II But he faid unto them,

10.

Then bis Difciples fay unto him, If this be the Mat, XIX. Cafe between a Man and his Wife, and the Bond be thus indiffoluble, it is not furely expedient to marry fince a Man may by that Means be caught in an inextricable Snare, which may make him miferable all the reft of his Life.

But he faid to them, All Men cannot receive 11 All Men cannot receive this this Saying of yours, that it is not expedient to Saying, fave they to whom marry; but only they to whom it is given, as a peculiar

it is given.

(f) Except it be for Whoredom: 7 wogveg.] Tho' Fornication committed before Marriage, and afterwards difcovered, might be fuppofed to juftify a Divorce, Adultery muft much more evidently do it; and therefore it is plain the Word muft be taken in the Extent which is here given it. (See Note (f) on Mat. v.32. Vol. i. pag. 235.) But it is by a dangerous Latitude of Interpretation, that Milton (Profe Works, pag. 105.) would explain the Word, as fignifying any thing which should be to the Hufband as grievous and intolerable as Whoredom. The Cafe of obftinate Defertion, where the Hufband cannot by Law re cover his Wife, which was the celebrated Cafe of the pious Galeacius Caracciolus, and which we find to be fuppofed in 1 Cor. vii. 15. is quite of a different Nature;, nor can a Man under fuch a Calamity, be faid to put away his Wife Erafmus has a remarkable Note on Mat. xix. 3. which fhews he was not far from Milton's Opinion.

(8) Shall put away her Hufband. Tho' it is certain, that the Jewish Law did not put it into a Woman's Power to divorce her Husband, it is plain from Jofephus, that it was done, not only by feveral Ladies of diftinguifhed Rank, but even that his own Wife did it (fee Mr. Lardner's Gredibility, Vol. I. pag. 518. Note (D),) having probably learnt of the Roman Women, who in this Age are known to have practifed it in the moft fcandalous Man ner. See Fuv. Sat. vi. ver, 222, 230. Compare 1 Sam. xxv. 44, and 1 Gon. vii,

12.

228

Marriage is objected to, but all cannot live Single.

Sect. 135. peculiar Gift, to conquer thofe Inclinations towards that State, which GOD, for wife Reasons, has wrought into the common Conftitution of Mat. XIX. Human Nature. For there are [fome] Eunuchs, who were born fo from their Mother's Womb, and whofe natural Temper and Inclination is in this Respect peculiar; and there are [fome] Eunuchs, who were made Eunuchs by the Wickednefs of Men, who drive on that fcandalous Traffick which the Luxury and Effeminacy of the Eastern World has rendered fo common; and there are [fome] Eunuchs, who have, as it were, made themselves Eunuchs on Account of the Kingdom of Heaven, that is, who by a refolute Guard on their Appetites and Paffions, have conquered the Propenfities of Nature, that being free from the Incumbrances of Marriage, and devoting themselves to a Life of more fublime Devotion, they might promote the Intereft of my Gofpel. (Compare 1 Cor. vii. 7, 37.) He therefore, on the whole, that finds he is able to receive [this Saying,] let him receive it; or let him, that is in his own Confcience perfuaded, that he can glorify GoD moft by a fingle Life, chufe it. Others may, and ought to marry; but let none lightly rush into that State, on a Suppofition that the Bond of it may be broken thro at Pleasure.

12 For there are some Eunuchs, which were fo born

from their Mother's Womb: and there are fome Eunuchs, which were made Eunuchs of Men: and there be Eunuchs, which have made themfelves Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven's fake. He that is able to receive it,

let him receive it.

Mat. xix. 4.

Ver. 5.

FRO

IMPROVEMENT.

ROM what we have been reading, we may juftly take Occafion to adore the Wisdom and Goodness of Divine Providence, in creating the Human Species Male and Female, and providing for his new-formed Creature Adam, fo fuitable and fo amiable a Companion, to enliven every other Object of Delight, and to crown the Pleafures of Paradife itself.

Let us also acknowledge the apparent Interpofition of a wife and kind Providence, in maintaining fuch a Proportion between the Sexes, even to this Day, which fo apparently tends to the Benefit of both, as well as to the Support of the Race in future Ages; as alfo in perpetuating in their Hearts thro' fucceeding Generations that mutual Tenderness for each other, which the pureft Bofoms may feel and avow, and which is the Foundation of such an Union of Souls, as no other Friendship will admit.

Let