To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
The Papists errour, who say that God instituted mariage also to this end, to be one of their seuen sacraments, leaning vnto the vul∣gar interpretation, which calleth that a sacrament which the Apo∣stle nameth a secret mysteriek 1.1: but yet the same interpreter hath
translated the same word also a Sacrament, Eph. 3. and Colos. 1.27.* 1.2 so calling the vocation of the Gentiles vnto the communion of Christ. Let therefore the calling of the Gentiles be the eight Sacra∣ment. And yet herin they are against thēselues, while they interdict their Priests frō this their sacrament, calling mariage an vncleannes of the flesh, wherein none can please God. Surely a notable Sacra∣ment, which is defined to be the signe of a holy thing. But the Apo∣stle teacheth, that the mysterie or sacrament whereof he speaketh, is in the coniunction of Christ and his church. Neither is our recon∣cilement with God confirmed by mariage, which is the chiefest end of sacraments, although it may in the image of nature be vnproperly called a Sacrament: by which reason also, many corporall things may by reason of some similitude be called Sacraments of spirituall and heauenly things: for there is almost no corporall thing, but may in this sort be called a Sacrament, as a vine, a way, a gate, saltl 1.3, &c.
Ephes. 5.31. & 3.3.6.
But note that Apoc. 17.5. the mysterie is retained. See the Rhe∣mish transl.
loh. 15.1. & 14.6. & 10.7.9. & Mat. 5.13.