35 fhall my heavenly Father do alfo unto So likewife Thus God finally cuts those off without Pardon, who infift upon Revenge, and will not forgive the Of fences of their Brethren. you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trefpaffes, CHAP. CHAP. XIX. Hen Jefus had in "W ftructed his Dif ciples with these Discourses, in Humility, Meekness, and readiness to forgive Injuries; he departed out of Galilee, and went into the Borders of Judea beyond Fordan. 2. And there also the People gathered themselves together after him, as they had done in Galilee and other Places; and he healed all that were fick and infirm amongst them, and inftructed them in the DoAtrine of true Religion. 3. But the Pharifees, as ufual,grieved at his Doctrine and Miracles, watched all opportunities of finding fome Accufation against him, and of difcrediting him before the People: And particularly, hoping to entang 4 And he anfwered and faid unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the be ginning, made them male and female? 5 And faid, For this caufe fhall a man leave father and mother,and fhall cleave to his wife: gle him in his talk, they his own Doctrine; and if* Chap. 5. 4. Jefus, knowing their 5. And do ye not remember how the Scripture faith; (Gen. 2. 24.) Therefore hall a Man leave his and they twain shall Father and his Mother, his be one flefh. deareft Relations, and fhall the Members of the fame Body? 6. Since therefore God hath joyned them together by fo ftrict a tie, no Man can separate and part them, without breaking this Primitive Law of. God. 7. The Pharifees replied; Why then doth the Law appoint in fome Cafes, that a Man fhould give his Wife a Writing of Divorcement, and put her away? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joyned together, let not man put asunder. 7 They fay unto him, Why did Mofes then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8 He faith unto of the hardness of your hearts, fuffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was 8. Jefus anfwered: Mofes permitted this, not be them, Mofes, because cause it was good, but because he was forced to it through the perverfeness and hardness of your Hearts, to prevent greater Evils. For at the beginning, before the World was become corrupt and degenerate, no fuch thing was fuffered. not fo. you, Whofoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and fhall 9 And I fay unto marry another, com 9. And under the Gofpel ftate, wherein Primitive In tegrity and the Original Inftitutions of God are to be restored, no fuch thing fhall be permitted any more: But whofoever fhall put away his Wife, and marry adultery. mitteth adultery: and whofo marrieth her which is put away, doth commit another, except only when it be for the cause of Adultery that the firft is put away, fhall be accounted guilty of caufing both her and him that fhall afterwards marry her, to commit Adultery. 10. Hereupon the Disciples, not yet wholly free from Jewish Prejudices, and thinking this an hard Saying, anfwered: If this be the Cafe, that a Man may not put away his Wife for any lefs reason than Adultery, the hazards and inconveniencies of Marriage will be fo great, that it fhould feem better for a Man not to marry at all. 11. Jefus faid, 'Tis true; But all Men have not Continence to abftain 'wholly, and to live chaftly without marrying, but only fome few. * Afterward to Jesus' privately in the House; as appears Mark 10. 10. 12. And |