crease of property by wealth, as well with
a view to becoming rich as for a plentiful supply of the comforts of
life; the second is a thirst after honors, with a view either of being
held in high estimation or of an increase of fortune: besides these,
there are various allurements and concupiscences which do not afford an
opportunity of ascertaining the agreement of the internal affections.
From these few considerations it is manifest, that matrimony is
generally contracted in the world according to external affections.

275. IV. BUT IN CASE THEY ARE NOT INFLUENCED BY INTERNAL AFFECTIONS,
WHICH CONJOIN MINDS, THE BONDS OF MATRIMONY ARE LOOSED IN THE HOUSE. It
is said _in the house_, because it is done privately between the
parties; as is the case when the first warmth, excited during courtship
and breaking out into a flame as the nuptials approach, successively
abates from the discordance of the internal affections, and at length
passes off into cold. It is well known that in this case the external
affections, which had induced and allured the parties to matrimony,
disappear, so that they no longer effect conjunction. That cold arises
from various causes, internal, external, and accidental, all which
originate in a dissimilitude of internal inclinations, was proved in the
foregoing chapter. From these considerations the truth of what was
asserted is manifest, that unless the external affections are influenced
by internal, which conjoin minds, the bonds of matrimony are loosed in
the house.

276. V. NEVERTHELESS THOSE BONDS MUST CONTINUE IN THE WORLD TILL THE
DECEASE OF ONE OF THE PARTIES. This proposition is adduced to the intent
that to the eye of reason it may more evidently appear how necessary,
useful, and true it is, that where there is not genuine conjugial love,
it ought still to be assumed, that it may appear as if there were. The
case would be otherwise if the marriage contract was not to continue to
the end of life, but might be dissolved at pleasure as was the case with
the Israelitish nation, who claimed to themselves the liberty of putting
away their wives for every cause. This is evident from the following
passage in Matthew: "_The pharisees came, and said unto Jesus, Is it
lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And when Jesus
answered, that it is not lawful to put away a wife and to marry another,
except on account of whoredom, they replied that nevertheless Moses
commanded to give a bill