Page:Tetrachordon - Milton (1645).djvu/52

 not truly don, the fault is in our selves; but mariage to be a true and pious mariage is not in the single power of any person; the essence whereof, as of all other Covnants, is in relation to another, the making and maintaining causes thereof are all mutual, and must be a communion of spiritual and temporal comforts. If then either of them cannot, or obstinatly will not be answerable in these duties, so as that the other can have no peaceful living, or enduring the want of what he justly seeks, and sees no hope, then strait from that dwelling love, which is the soul of wedloc, takes his flight, leaving only som cold performances of civil and common respects, but the true bond of mariage, if there were ever any there, is already burst like a rott'n thred. Then follows dissimulation, suspicion, fals colours, fals pretences and wors then these, disturbance, annoyance, vexation, sorrow, temtation eevn in the faultles person, weary of himself, and of all action public or domestic; then comes disorder, neglect, hatred, and perpetual strife, all these the enemies of holines and christianity, and every one persisted in, a remediles violation to matrimony. Therfore God who hates all faining and formality, wher there should bee all faith and sincerenes, and abhorrs the inevitable discord, wher there should bee greatest concord, when through anothers default, faith and concord cannot bee, counts it neither just to punish the innocent with the transgressor, nor holy, nor honourable for the sanctity of mariage, that should bee the union of peace and love to bee made the commitment, and close fight of enmity and hate. And therfore doth in this Law, what best agrees with his goodnes, loosning a sacred thing to peace and charity, rather then binding it to hatred and contention; loosning only the outward and formal tie of that which is already inwardly, and really brokn, or els was really never joyn'd.

Eleventhly, One of the cheif matrimonial ends is said to seek a holy seed; but where an unfit mariage administers continual cause of hatred and distemper, there, as was heard before, cannot choose but much unholines abide. Nothing more unhallows a man, more unprepares him to the service of God in any duty, then a habit of wrath and perturbation, arising from the importunity of troublous causes never absent. And where the houshold stands in this plight, what love can there bee to the unfortunat issue, what care of their breeding, which is of main conducement to thir beeing holy. God therfore knowing Rh