After the marriage itself, THE MAN PUTS A RING UPON THE WOMAN'S FINGER. The ring hath been always used as an especial pledge of faith and fidelity. Nothing more fit to serve as a token of our purposed endless continuance in that which we never ought to revoke; and therefore fitly used in marriage, which is a contract not to be dissolved but by death. Aurum nulla norut præter uno digito, quem sponsus oppignorasset pronubo annulo.z No woman was permitted to wear gold, save only upon one finger, which the husband had fastened to himself with a wedding ring. This he puts UPON THE FOURTH FINGER OF THE LEFT HAND, because there is a vein that goes from thence to the heart; by which is signified that the love should be hearty, say some Rituals.

Then follows, "WITH MY BODY I THEE WORSHIP," &c. "For the better understanding of this phrase, we must know that anciently there were two sorts of wives; one whereof was called the primary, or lawful wife, the other was called the half wife, or concubine. The difference betwixt these two, was only in the differing purpose of the man, betaking himself to the one or the other. If his purpose was only fellowship, there grew to the woman by this means no worship at all, but the contrary. In professing that his intent was to add by his person honour and worship unto hers, he

z Tertull. Apol. ch. vi. p. 7. C.

took her plainly and clearly to be his wife, not his concubine. This is it which the civil law doth mean, when it makes a wife to differ from a concubine in dignity. The worship that grew unto her, being taken with declaration of this intent, was, that her children became by this means free and legitimate, heirs to their father: Gen. xxv. 5, 6, herself was made a mother over his family. Last of all, she received such advancement of state, as things annexed unto his person might augment her with. Yea, a right of participation was thereby given her both in him, and even in all things which were his; and therefore he says not only "WITH MY BODY I THEE WORSHIP," but also, "WITH ALL MY WORLDLY GOODS I THEE ENDOW." The former branch having granted the principal, the latter granteth that which is annexed thereto."a

The Jews anciently used the same phrase. "Be unto me a wife, and I, according to the word of God, will worship, honour, and maintain thee, according to the manner of husbands amongst the Jews, who worship, honour, and maintain their wives." b And that no man quarrel at this harmless phrase, let him take notice, that to worship here signifies to make worshipful or honourable, as you may see, 1 Sam ii. 30. For where our last transla

a Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity, b. V. ch. LXXIII. §. 7. vol. ii. p. 551. b Godwin's Jewish Customs, b. vi. ch. iv. p. 231.

S

tion reads it, "him that honours Me, I will honour," in the old translation, which our Common Prayer book uses, it is, "him that worships Me I will worship;" that is, I will make worshipful, for that way only can God be said to worship man.

After the Priest hath prayed for grace and God's assistance for the married persons, to enable them to keep their solemn vow and contract, then does he as it were seal that bond and contract, by which they have mutually tied themselves, with God's seal, viz. "Those whom God hath joined together, let no man put asunder."

THE PERSONS HAVING CONSENTED TOGETHER IN WEDLOCK, AND WITNESSED THE SAME BEFORE GOD AND THE CHURCH, AND PLIGHTED THEIR TROTH EACH TO OTHER, AND DECLARED THE SAME BY GIVING AND TAKING OF A RING, AND JOINING OF

HANDS; and the Priest having sealed and ratified all, as it were, with God's seal, which no man must break, HE PRONOUNCES THEM MAN AND WIFE, IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY GHOST; which proclamation, or pronouncing of the married persons to be man and wife, thus in the Church by the Priest, was one of those laws and rites of marriage which the Church received of the Apostles.c

Then the Priest blesses them solmnly according

c Euaristus, Epist. I. ad omnes Episcop. Africanos. Concilia, vol. i. p. 534.

to the old rules. Of the efficacy of which blessings hath been said formerly.

After this follows Psalm cxxviii. which was the Epithalamium, or marriage song, used by the Jews at nuptials.

Then pious and devout prayers for the married persons, and lastly the COMMUNION. Such religious solemnities as these, or some of these, were used by the Jews at marriages; for their rites and ceremonies of their marriage were publicly performed with blessings and thanksgivings; whence the house was called the house of praise, and their marriage song hillulim, praises; the bridegroom's intimate friends sung the marriage song, who are called "children of the bridechamber." h The primitive Christians had all these which we have. The persons to be married were contracted by the Priest, the marriage was solemnly pronounced in the Church, the married couple were blessed by the Priest, prayers and thanksgivings were used, and the holy Communion administered to them.

d Conc. Carthag. IV. can. xiii. vol. ii. p. 1201.

e Musculus, in Ps. cxxviii. p. 1008. A.

f The last two rubrics are different from those in the present book. They are as follow:-" Then shall begin the Communion. And after the Gospel shall be said a sermon, wherein ordinarily (so oft as there is any marriage) the office of a man and wife shall be declared, according to holy Scripture. Or if there shall be no sermon, the minister shall read this that followeth : "The new married persons (the same day of their marriage) must receive the holy Communion."

g

Godwin's Rites and Customs of the Jews, b. vi. ch. iv. p. 228. h St.Matt. ix. 15.

And these religious rites the Church received from
the Apostles. And doubtless highly Christian and
useful these solemnities are: for first, they beget
and nourish in the minds of men a reverend esteem
of this holy mystery, Ephes. v. 32, and draw them
to a greater conscience of wedlock, and to esteem
the bond thereof, a thing which cannot without
impiety be dissolved. Then, are they great helps
to the performance of those duties which God
Almighty hath required in married persons; which
are so many, and those so weighty, that whosoever
duly considers them, and makes a conscience of
performing them, must think it needful to make use
of all those means of grace which God Almighty
hath appointed. For if we duly consider the great
love and charity that this holy state requires, even
to the laying down of life, "Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ loved the Church, and gave
Himself for it," of the weighty charge of the educa-
tion of children, which, if well performed, procures
a blessing and an advantage to salvation.
"She
shall be saved in child-bearing, if they continue in
faith and charity,"k &c. so, if it be carelessly per-
formed, it procures a most heavy curse, 1 Sam. ii.
29, 31, &c. Or lastly, the chastity and holiness
necessary to that state of marriage, heightened now
up to the representation of the mystical union of

h Euaristus, Epist. I. ad omnes Episc. African. Conc. vol. i. p. 534.
i Ephes. v. 25.
k 1 Tim. ii. 15.