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marriage, and desire their advice. Surely they would ring such a peal in their ears about the unequality, unsuitableness, disadvantages, and disquietments, and sins that attend such marriages, that would make them beware as long as they live. But the bird in the air knows not the notes of the bird in the snare, until she comes thither herself. Besides to make up such narriages, Satan, and carnal reason, and lust, or at least inconsiderateness, has the chiefest hand; and where these things bear sway, designs, though never so destructive, will go headlong on: and therefore I fear, that but little warning will be taken by young girls, at Mr Badman's wise affliction.

Atten. But are there no dissuasive arguments to lay before such, to prevent their future misery?

Wise. Yes; there is the law of God, that forbiddeth marriage with unbelievers. These kind of marriages also are condemned even by irrational creatures. 1. It is forbidden by the law of God, both in the Old Testament and in the New. 1. In the Old: “ Thou shalt not make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son," Deut. vii. 4, 5. 2. In the New Testament it is forbidden: "be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; let them marry to whom they will, only in the Lord."

Here now is a prohibition, plainly forbid

ding the believer to marry with the unbeliever; therefore they Rules for those should not do it. Again, these that are to marunwarrantable marriages are, ry. as I may so say, condemned by

irrational creatures, who will not couple but with their ownsort. Will the sheep couple with a dog? the partridge with a crow? or the pheasant with an owl? No, they will strictly tie up themselves to those of their own sort only: Yea, it sets all the world a-wondering, when they see or hear the contrary. Man only is most subject to wink at and allow of these unlawful mixtures of men and women. Because man only is a sinful beast, a sinful bird, thereforehe, above all, will take upon him, by rebellious actions, to answer, or rather to oppose and violate the law of his God and Creator Nor shall these, or other interrogatories, What fellowship? What concord? What a greement? What communion, can there be in such marriages? be counted of weight, or thought worth the answering by him.

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But further, the dangers that such do commonly run themselves into, should be to others a dissuasive argument to stop them from doing the like: for besides the distresses of Mr Badman's wife, many that have had very hopeful beginnings for heaven, have, by virtue of the mischiefs that have attended these unlawful marriages, miserably and fearfully miscarried. Soon after such marriages, conviction (the first step towards heaven) hath ceased;

prayers (the next step towards heaven) hath ceased; hungerings and thirstings after salvation (another step towards the kingdom of heaven) hath ceased. In a word, such marriages have estranged them from the word, from their godly and faithful friends, and have brought them again into carnal company among carnal friends, and also into carnal delights, where, and with whom they have in conclusion both sinfully abode, and miserably perished.

And this is one reason why God hath forbidden this kind of unequal marriages: "For they," saith he, (meaning the ungodly), "will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy you suddenly." Now mark, there were some in Isreal that would notwithstanding this prohibition, venture to marry to the Heathens and unbelievers: But what followed? they served their idols, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a-whoring with their own inventions: Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.

Atten. But let us return again to Mr Badman: Had he any children by his wife. Wise. Yes, seven,

Atten. I doubt they were but badly brought up.

Wise. One of them loved its mother dearly, and would constantly hearken to her voice. Now that child she had the opportunity to instruct in the principles of the Christian religion, and it became a very gracious child. But that

Badman's children that he had by this good woman

child Mr Badman could not abide; he would seldom afford it a pleasant word, but would scold and frown upon, speak churlishly and doggedly to it; and though as to nature it was the most feeble of the seven, yet it oftenest felt the weight of its fathers fingers. Three of his children did directly follow his steps, and began to be as vile as (in his youth) he was himself. The other that remained became a kind of mongrel professors, not so bad as their father, nor so good as their mother, but were betwixt them both. They had their mother's notions, and their father's actions, and were much like those that you read of in the book of Nehemiah; "These children were half of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews language, but according to the language of each people."

Atten. What you say in this matter is observable; and if I take not my mark amiss, it often happeneth after this manner where such unlawful marriages are contracted.

Wise. It sometimes doth so; and the reason with respect to their parents is this: Where the one of the parents is godly, and the other ungodly and vile, (though they can

agree in begetting of children, yet), they strive for their children when they are born. The godly parent strives for the child, and by prayers, counsel, and good examples, labours to make it holy in body and soul, and so fit for the kingdom of heaven; but the ungodly would have it like himself, wicked, and base, and sinful; and so they both give instructions accordingly: Iustructions, did I say? yea, and examples too according to their minds. Thus the godly, as Hannah, is presenting her Samuel unto the Lord; but the ungodly, like them that went before them, are for offering their children to Moloch, to an idol, to sin, to the devil, and to hell. Thus one hearkeneth to the law of their mother, and is preserved from destruction; but as for the other, as their fathers did, so do they. Thus did Mr Badman and his wife part some of their children betwixt them; but as for the other three that were as it were mongrels, betwixt both, they were like unto those that you read of in Kings, "They heard the Lord, but served their own idols." They had, as I said, their mother's notions, and I will add, profession too; but their father's lusts and something of his life. Now, their father did not like them, because they had their mother's tongue; and the mother did not like them, because they had still their father's heart and life; nor were they indeed fit company for good or bad. The good would not trust them, because they were bad; the bad would not trust them be

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