Page:Against profane dealing with holy matrimony.djvu/8

 lawful.” Whatever man has been married by licence, has moreover taken an express oath that he “knows of no let or impediment of kindred or alliance, to bar his proceeding in that marriage.” So that it has been at all times impossible for any marriage to take place in our Church between a man and his wife's sister, without two false oaths at the least. If they knew what they were doing, both parties must have been perjured; and if the Clergyman knew, he was openly conniving at perjury, and that in a Church, and under most awful circumstances.

This notwithstanding, a few persons, some rich, and some in middle station, have made bold to contract such unions, deceiving the Clergy, though they could not deceive God: and some others who wish to do so, are only kept back by fear of certain worldly inconveniences. They do not like their children to be reckoned base-born, nor themselves to be looked on strangely by some of their acquaintance. They want the law of the land to be changed for their convenience. And some of them being rich, have employed some lawyers to search the country round, and rake together all the instances they can