davejonescue
Puritan Board Junior
"4. When one asked him concerning marriage, whether it were good to marry; seeing sometimes, when concupiscence pricked him, he was moved to it, and some other time when he felt no such thing, he thought he might abstain from it: He answered, many come hastily into that calling, not using the means of trying their estate thoroughly before; as namely, whether they by prayer, fasting, and avoiding all occasions of concupiscence, have the gift of chastity or no? Many use some of the means, and not all: many use all the means, but a small time: therefore it is good to use first the means, not part of them, but all of them: not for a while, but long. If so be that all these things will not prevail, attend upon the Lord's ordinance, and wait when the Lord shall give just occasion of using that estate, to his glory and our comfort."
--The Works of Richard Greenham
It seems today many forgo this advice and instead mainly preach "marry young." I have never heard this preached from a pulpit, that is to give oneself a specific time of "testing" to see if one is endowed with such a gift.
--The Works of Richard Greenham
It seems today many forgo this advice and instead mainly preach "marry young." I have never heard this preached from a pulpit, that is to give oneself a specific time of "testing" to see if one is endowed with such a gift.