temporal goods and privileges, both of the married. couple themselves, and of their children, proper laws were made by the different states for settling these matters. In this view, marriage is a civil contract, made according to the laws of the country where the parties dwell, with regard to their temporal concerns, as members of the community.

(3.) As a sacrament of the New Law. The great end of the Christian religion is to lead men to heaven, which presupposes the existence of men upon earth: and, as marriage is the natural source from which mankind draw their being upon earth, it was necessary that such measures should be taken with respect to marriage among Christians, as to make it conducive to that great end of the Christian religion, the salvation of souls. The trials and afflictions which accompany the marriage state, "and that tribulation of the flesh," which St. Paul declares shall be the portion of married people, 1 Cor. vii. 28, are too often, from the corruption of the heart of man, an occasion of the ruin of their souls; the difficulty of avoiding this ruin is not a little increased from the indissolubility of marriage, which our blessed Saviour restored to its original firmness among his followers; and the necessity of bringing up their children not only as men, or as good citizens, but as good Christians, so as one day to become saints in heaven, which Jesus Christ requires, in the strictest manner, of all his followers, lays an additional duty upon Christian parents, which requires a particular grace and assistance from heaven to enable them to perform. For these reasons, our blessed Saviour was pleased to elevate the natural contract of marriage to the dignity of a sacrament among Christians, so as to annex a particular grace to the lawful celebration of this contract, by which the married people are enabled to bear in a Christian

manner, all the tribulations incident to that state, to preserve a mutual love and fidelity to one another, as the indissolubility of the bond of marriage requires, and to bring up their children in a Christian manner.

Q.2. Is the marriage of Christians a true sacrament?

A. It is; and has all the three things necessary to make it such.

Q. 3. What is the outward sensible sign used in marriage?

A. It is the mutual consent of the parties, expressed by words, or other signs, under those conditions which the laws of God and his Church require; which see below, Q. 13.

Q. 4. What is the inward grace received?

A. It is first, an increase of sanctifying grace, and, secondly, the sacramental grace proper to marriage; by which the parties are enabled to perform all its duties as above explained.

Q. 5. Where do we find this laid down in the holy Scripture?

A. When the Pharisees put the question to our Saviour," Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for any cause?” he declared in his answer, that marriage, at the beginning, was instituted by God himself; and though, from the hardness of their heart, it had very much declined from its original sanctity, he then restored it to its primitive state, by saying, wherefore they "are no more two, but one flesh; what, therefore, God hath joined together, let no man put asunder," Matth. xix. 6. And St. Paul, repeating the same truth, adds, "this is a great sacrament; but I speak in Christ and in the Church," Ephes. v. 32. In which words he shews, that, in the Church of Christ, marriage is a great sacrament; and not only a sign of the union and

love which is required among Christians in that state, but also of the union and love which subsists inviolably betwixt Christ and his Church.

Q. 6. Wherein does the essence of marriage properly consist?

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A. In that sacred bond and union between husband and wife, by which they are no longer considered as two distinct persons, but as two joined together in one flesh; 'for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh," Matth. xix. 5.

Q. 7. Is this bond of marriage indissoluble?

A. By the indissolubility of marriage is meant, that from the very nature and end of marriage itself, and still more from the institution and ordinance of Almighty God, the bond of union that subsists between married people, can in no case whatsoever, nor upon any account whatsoever, be dissolved by any human power or authority, while both the parties remain in life. So that, though for just causes, and especially for infidelity to the marriage bed, husband and wife may be separated from one another, as to their personal cohabitation; yet still they continue married people, the bond of marriage still subsists in its full force between them, and, if either of them should marry another person, they would be guilty of adultery. Now this indissolubility of marriage arises both from the nature. and end of marriage, and also from the express law of Almighty God.

Q. 8. How does the indissolubility of marriage appear from the nature and end of marriage?

A. This appears manifest whether marriage be considered as a natural contract, as a civil contract, or as a sacrament. The nature and end of marriage, as a natural contract, is (1.) To be the means ordained by nature itself, for the propagation of man.

kind, and the proper education of the children. (2.) That the married people, united in this bond, may be a mutual help and comfort to one another during their mortal pilgrimage. Thus God himself declared at the beginning, "It is not good for man to be alone, let us make him a help like unto himself," Genes. ii. 18.; and with this intention the woman was created. Now, it is manifest, that, on both these accounts, the nature of marriage requires that its bond be indissoluble; for man differs from all other creatures when he first comes into the world in this, that, whereas other animals require very little attention from the fire, the mother alone, for the most part, being sufficient to nurture them up till they can do for themselves, and that in a very short time; man, on the contrary, in his infancy, requires the whole attention of both father and mother; of the mother to tend and nurse him, and of the father to provide all necessaries both for mother and child. This necessity continues in different degrees, for a series of years before the child can do any thing for his own sustenance; and when reason begins to dawn, the child then requires the redoubled attention of both parents for educating him properly, whether as a man, a citizen, or a Christian. Now, if the bond of marriage could be dissolved, and it were in any case lawful for married people to become free, the passions of men would never be at a loss to put or suppose themselves in that case; and then a door would be opened, not only to the destruction of children, both as to their subsistence and education, but likewise to debaucheries, and a universal corrup tion of manners, that must be of infinite prejudice to the multiplication of mankind, which is the end of marriage. Besides, what kind of solid comfort could the married people have in each other, if their marriage was not indissoluble ?

It is this indissolubility of marriage which makes the parties enter with all their heart into the views of their mutual interest. It is this which invincibly fixes their affections on their common concerns. It is this which gives a permanency to their love for one another. In a word, the indissolubility of marriage is the greatest incentive to make them bear their crosses, and put up with any thing disagreeable in each other's tempers, and carefully to avoid giving any just handle of discontent to one another. They are joined to. gether for better and for worse, they are married, and can no more be separated while life remains; therefore they must make the best of it they can, and content themselves. But, on the contrary, if the bond of marriage were dissoluble, it would at the bottom differ nothing from the state of concubinage, and be attended with all its bad consequences.

If next we consider marriage as a civil contract, its indissolubility is no less manifest; for the good and happiness of the state being the end of marriage as a civil contract, this end could not be procured if the bond of marriage was dissoluble; because children abandoned and neglected, endless dissensions in families, and confusion about the division of their property, being the natural consequences of the dissolubility of marriage, must necessarily be a source of great misery to human society.

Lastly, The indissolubility of marriage, considered as a sacrament, appears from the idea the Scriptures give us of it in this view. For the sacrament of marriage among Christians, is, by appointment of Jesus Christ, a sacred sign and symbol of his indissoluble union with his Church; and on this account, St. Paul insists upon this as the most powerful motive to engage the married people to love one another; because as the bond of