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- 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.
- Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband and wife; for the increase of mankind with a legitimate issue, and of the Church with an holy seed; and for preventing of uncleanness.
- It is lawful for all sorts of people to marry who are able with judgment to give their consent. Yet it is the duty of Christians to marry only in the Lord. And, therefore, such as profess the true reformed religion should not marry with infidels, Papists, or other idolaters: neither should such as are godly be unequally yoked, by marrying with such as are notoriously wicked in their life, or maintain damnable heresies.
- Marriage ought not to be within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity forbidden in the Word; 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. The man may not marry any of his wife’s kindred nearer in blood than he may of his own, nor the woman of her husband’s kindred nearer in blood than of her own.
- Adultery or fornication, committed after a contract, being detected before marriage, giveth just occasion to the innocent party to dissolve that contract. In the case of adultery after marriage, it is lawful for the innocent party to sue out a divorce, and after the divorce to marry another, as if the offending party were dead.
- Although the corruption of man be such as is apt to study arguments, unduly to put asunder those whom God hath joined together in marriage; yet nothing but adultery, or such willful desertion as can no way be remedied by the Church or civil magistrate, is cause sufficient of dissolving the bond of marriage; wherein a public and orderly course of proceeding is to be observed; and the persons concerned in it, not left to their own wills and discretion in their own case.
Entries in this series:
- WCF Chapter XXXIII - Of the Last Judgment
- WCF Chapter XXXII - Of the State of Man After Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead
- WCF Chapter XXXI - Of Synods and Councils
- WCF Chapter XXX - Of Church Censures
- WCF Chapter XXIX - Of the Lord’s Supper
- WCF Chapter XXVIII - Of Baptism
- WCF Chapter XXVII - Of the Sacraments
- Chapter XXVI - Of the Communion of the Saints
- WCF Chapter XXV - of the Church
- WCF Chapter XXIV - Of Marriage and Divorce
- WCF Chapter XXIII - Of the Civil Magistrate
- WCF Chapter XXII - Of Lawful Oaths and Vows
- WCF Chapter XXI - Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day
- WCF Chapter XX - Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience
- WCF Chapter XIX - Of the Law of God
- WCF Chapter XVII - Of The Perseverance of the Saints
- WCF Chapter XVI - Of Good Works
- WCF Chapter XV - Of Repentance Unto Life
- WCF Chapter XIV - Of Saving Faith
- WCF Chapter XIII - Of Sanctification
- WCF Chapter XII - Of Adoption
- WCF Chapter XI - Of Justification
- WCF Chapter X - Of Effectual Calling
- WCF Chapter IX - Of Free Will
- WCF Chapter VIII - Of Christ the Mediator
- WCF Chapter VII - Of God’s Covenant with Man
- WCF Chapter VI - Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment thereof
- WCF Chapter V - Of Providence
- WCF Chapter IV - Of Creation
- WCF Chapter III - Of God’s Eternal Decree
- WCF Chapter II - Of God, and of the Holy Trinity
- WCF Chapter I - Of the Holy Scripture
- Confession: Introduction