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IT was not the weight of the Argu∣ments but the frequent misapplying Texts of scripture, which might hap∣pily upon some well meaning Persons, have had a bad influence to fright them from Marriage, that made me take a∣ny notice of this book. It was well understood by the Contrivers of our late Wars, that till they could engage
the Pulpit to produce Texts of Scrip∣ture for their Villany, they laboured but in vain: And the consummation of all the horrid murther of our King, was endeavoured to be proved lawful by perverting of Texts in Holy writ. For this of Marriage, so long as Raillery and down-right Prophane∣ness were its onely Adversaries, there was no great danger that the Enemies of it should gain many Proselytes: Religion is so fixed in Man's under∣standing, that he must use more than ordinary violence to this to expunge that. But when it is laboured to be proved by some by Philosophie, that there is no Being but what is corporeal, nor no punishment after our dissolution, in order to persuade Men to be wicked without fear; and because all cannot compel themselves to be so stupid but must believe there is both Rewards and Punishments af∣ter death, it is endeavoured by o∣thers to produce Texts of scripture
that shall authorize Debauchery; It is more than time that seeing so many of the Nobility and Gentry who by their free and licentious living have given encouragement to the Pens of sy∣cophants to flatter them, though to their ruine; those of them whose Judge∣ments run counter to the epidemick Vice of the Age (for Ages have their particular Vices as well as the several Complexions of Men) would so far own their dislike of these poysonous assertions, as to discourage the Au∣thours: whose onely design in these bold Undertakings is nothing, but a little praise from the Many.
No Systeme of Philosophy that has been delivered to the world, has so grosly and frequently forfeited its own Principles, as that which by pro∣nouncing an Immaterial Substance to be a contradictio in terminis, has en∣deavoured to prove the nullity of all Beings but what are cloathed with flesh. The Authour decries dogma∣tizing,
and is himself the greatest Dogmatist imaginable, by imposing upon his Readers (without either Rea∣sons or Demonstrations to prove them) such groundless Chimaeras, for Truths, that he is forc't to break through the laws of speech it self to deliver them. And the Authour of this Treatise which I have now examined, how pat soever his design may suit with the present inclination of humour, yet is he not able to back his assertion which is, That to marry is both foolish and wicked, with the least Reason, or so much as the countenance of Authori∣ty. Railing against the whole female sex in the basest of language; condemn∣ing all that marry for fools and mad∣men in strange exotique phrases; re∣peating of clinches and Ballads, and misapplying Texts of sacred Writ to a contrary sence, is his whole Ma∣gazine of wit and Reason that he is able to produce against Marriage. So that by these false accusations a∣gainst
her, she may happily appear more magnificent and honourable; especiallie when Men have not onely considered, but tryed all other sort of addresses to women: and if Mr. Seymar by this accident should be so happy as to reduce marriage into vogue, I doubt not (for all his Raillery) but it would be a far greater satisfacti∣on to him, than to be esteemed a Wit by those ignorant Persons that shall admire his Treatise of Conjugium Con∣jurgium.