1) Marriage is to be between one man and one woman;
neither is it lawful for any man to have more than one wife, nor
for any woman to have more than one husband at the same
time.a
(a Genesis
2:24, Malachi
2:15, Matthew
19:5,6)
2) Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband
and wife,b for the increase of mankind with a
legitimate issue,c and the preventing of
uncleanness.d
(b Genesis
2:18; c Genesis
1:28; d 1
Corinthians 7:2,9)
3) It is lawful for all sorts of people to marry, who
are able with judgment to give their consent;e
yet it is the duty of Christians to marry in the
Lord;f and therefore such as profess the true
religion, should not marry with infidels, or idolaters; neither
should such as are godly, be unequally yoked, by marrying with
such as are wicked in their life, or maintain damnable
heresy.g
(e Hebrews
13:4, 1 Timothy
4:3; f 1
Corinthians 7:39; g Nehemiah
13:25-27)
4) Marriage ought not to be within the degrees of
consanguinity or affinity, forbidden in the
Word;h nor can such incestuous marriages ever
be made lawful, by any law of man or consent of parties, so as
those persons may live together as man and
wife.i
(hLeviticus 18;
i Mark
6:18, 1
Corinthians 5:1)