WHICH, FOR MY COUNTRYMEN'S SAke, i have THUS ENGLISHED.

I WOULD fain know, who it was that first ordained, that Christian Priests might not marry, God or man.

For, if it were God, surely his determination is to be held and observed, with all veneration and reverence.

But, if it were man, and not God, and this tradition came out of the heart of man not out of the mouth of God: then, neither is salvation got by it, if it be observed; nor lost, if it be not observed; for, it doth not belong to man, either to save or destroy any man for his merits; but it is proper only unto God.

That God hath ordained this, it is neither found written in the Old Testament, nor in the Gospel, nor in the Epistles of the Apostles in all which is set down, whatsoever God hath enjoined unto

men.

It is therefore a tradition of man; and not an institution of God, nor of his Apostles: as the Apostle instituted (rather) that a Bishop should be the husband of one wife: which he would never have appointed, if it had been adultery for a Bishop to have, at once, a wife and a Church; as it were two wives, like as some affirm.

Now that which hath not authority from the Holy Scriptures, is, with the same facility contemned, that it is spoken. For the Holy Church is not the wife, not the spouse of the Priest; but of Christ: as St. John saith, He, that hath the bride, he is the bridegroom.

Of this Bridegroom, I say, is the Church the spouse; and yet it is lawful even for this spouse in part, to marry, by Apostolic tradition for the Apostle speaks thus to the Corinthians; Because of fornications, let every man have his own wife: and, I would that all men were as I am; but every man hath his proper gift of God, one thus, another otherwise.

For, all men have not one gift, namely, of virginity, and continency: but some are virgins, and contain; others contain not: to whom he granteth marriage, lest Satan tempt them, through their incontinency; and they should miscarry in the ruin of their uncleanness.

So also of Priests, some are continent, others are incontinent : and those, which are continent, have received the gift of their continence from God; without whose gift and grace, they cannot be continent but those, which are continent, have not received this gift of grace; but, whether by the intemperance of their humour

or the weakness of their mind, run out into fleshly desires; which they would in no wise do, if they had received from God the grace and virtue of continence.

For they also, which are delivered by the grace of God from the body of this death, feel another law in their members rebelling against the law of their mind, and captivating them to the law of sin, and compelling them to do that which they would not. This law, therefore, holding them captive, and this concupiscence of the flesh provoking them, they are compelled either to fornicate or marry whereof whether is the better, we are taught by the authority of the Apostle; who tells us, It is better to marry than to burn.

Surely, that, which is the better, is to be chosen and held: now it is better to marry, because it is worse to burn: and, because it is better to marry than to burn, it is convenient for those which contain not, to marry, not to burn.

"For marriage is good," as Augustin speaks in his book super Genesin ad Literam. In it is commended the good of nature, whereby the pravity of incontinence is ruled, and the fruitfulness of nature graced for the weakness of either sex declining towards the ruin of filthiness, is well relieved by the honesty of marriage; so as the same thing, which may be the office of the sound, is also the remedy unto the sick.

Neither yet, because incontinence is evil, is therefore marriage (even that wherewith the incontinent are joined) to be reputed not good. Yea, rather, not for that evil is the good faulty; but, for this good is that evil pardonable: since that good, which marriage hath, yea which marriage is, can never be sin.

Now, this good is threefold; the Fidelity, the Fruit, the Sacrament of that estate. In the Fidelity, is regarded, that, besides this bond of marriage, there be not carnal society with any other. In the Fruit of it, that it be lovingly raised and religiously bred. In the Sacrament of it, that the marriage be not separated; and that the dismissed party of either sex, be not joined to any other, no not for issue's sake.

This is, as it were, the Rule of Marriage, whereby the fruitfulness of nature is graced, or the pravity of incontinence ruled.

And this Rule of Marriage, and this three-fold good, the Eternal Truth hath appointed, in the order of his decree, and that eternal law of his, against which whatsoever is done, spoken, or willed, is sin which Augustin in his book against Faustus the Manichee witnesseth; saying, "Sin is either deed, word, or desire against the Law Eternal."

This Eternal Law is the Divine Will or Decree, forbidding the disturbance, and commanding the preservation of due natural order. Whatsoever, therefore, commands natural order to be disturbed; forbids it to be conserved; prohibits men to use marriage, and to attain to the threefold good thereof, Fidelity, Issue, Sacrament; and commands them to break that Rule of Eternal Truth, whereby the fruitfulness of nature is graced, or the pravity of in

continency ruled; commands men to abhor those things, whereby natural order is held and maintained.

This commandment, I say, forbids natural order to be observed, commands it to be disturbed; and, therefore, is against the Law of God, and, by consequence, is sin: for, they sin, that ordain such a command, by which natural order is destroyed.

These men do not, it seems, believe, that, of the children of Priests, God takes for the building of his city above; and for the restoring of the number of angels. For, if they did believe it, they would never ordain such a mandate; because they should wittingly and over-rashly go about to effect, that the supernal city should never be perfected, and the number of angels never repaired.

For, if the supernal city be to be perfected even of the sons of Priests, and if the number of angels be of them to be repaired, those that endeavour to procure that they should not be, do, what in them lies, destroy the supernal city, and labour that the number of angels may not be perfected: than which, what can be more perversely done? For, this is done against the will and predestination of him, which hath done those things which shall be: for, he hath done, in his predestination, those things, which shall be in effect.

Whosoever, therefore, goes about to procure, that God may not in effect do those things which he hath done in his predestination, goes about to make void the very predestination of God.

If, then, God have already in his predestination decreed, that the sons of Priests shall once be in effect; he, that goes about to procure that they may not be in effect, endeavours to destroy the work of God, because he hath already done it in predestination; and so strives to overthrow God's predestination, and to gainstand that will of God which is eternal.

For, God would, from eternity and before all worlds, create all men in the world, in that certain order, wherein he preconceived and predestinated to create them. He doth nothing disorderly. He createth nothing in the world, which he hath not fore-ordained, by disposing it in the predestination of his mind, that went before all worlds. Whatsoever, therefore, is by him created in this world, doth necessarily follow the predestination of his mind predisposing and preordaining all things; because it is impossible, that should not be done, which God from eternity hath willed and fore-ordained to be done.

It is, therefore, necessary that all men should be created in that very order, wherein he willed and from eternity fore-ordained: or else, all men are not created as God would have them, nor as he fore-ordained them. But, because this is inconvenient, it must needs be that they are created, as he willed from eternity, and forethought and fore-ordained: because he hath done all things, that he would; and never did any thing, which he willed not from everlasting, and hath fore-conceived in his certain and unchangeable decree: for, neither can his will be frustrated, nor his fore-thought deceived, nor his fore-ordinations altered."

Which since it is so, need must it be, that, as Laics, so Priests

also, of whom men are created, should yield their service to the divine will and preordination to the creating of them. For parents are not the authors of the creation of their children, but the servants: who, if they should not yield their service, they should, if it were possible, make void the fore-thought of God, and resist his ordination: which if they should wittingly do, they should offend the more; if ignorantly, the less; not only against God the Father, but also against the Heavenly Jerusalem, the mother of all saints; because what in them were, they should not suffer those to be created of whom it is to be builded, and those things to be prepared whereby that celestial country is bestowed.

But, from this offence their impotence frees them; because they cannot resist the will of God, and cross his preordination. For, the will and predestination of God is that Eternal Law, in which the course of all things is decreed; and the pattern, wherein the form of all ages is set forth, which can by no means be defaced.

Not to yield our service then hereunto, is evil; because, to yield it is good, and especially if it be done with a good intent: which is then done, when as parents meet together in a desire of propagation of issue, not in an appetite of exercising their lust.

Of propagation, I say that both the present Church may be multiplied, and the celestial city built, and the number of the elect made up; none of which could be done, without such conjugal meeting. For, if the first parents of the Saints had continued all either continent or virgins; no Saint had been born of them in the world; none of them had been crowned with glory and honour in heaven; none of them ascribed into the number of angels. But, since it is an inestimable good, that Saints are born in the world, that they are crowned with glory and honour in heaven, and that they are ascribed into the number of angels; thereupon, the fruitfulness of parents is more blessed, and their meeting holier. So, then, it is better for them to have begotten such children, than not to have begotten them; and to have brought forth such fruit of marriage, than to have been continent or virgins, without fruit. Although it is good for some to be continent or virgins, namely, for them whom God eternally willed and preordained to be so created in the world, that they should remain either in continence or virginity for, as he hath eternally willed and fore-ordained that some should be so created in the world, as that they should yield the fruit of marriage and beget children; so also hath he willed and from eternity fore-ordained some to be so created, that they should continue in continency or virginity.

And, as those other yield their service to the will and preordination of God, in the creation of children; so these also serve the will and preordination of God, in conserving their continence and virginity. And, hereupon, is both the fruitfulness of the one and the virginity of the other good and laudable; which, if it did not yield service to the will and preordination of God, would be neither good nor laudable: for, whatsoever is contrary to the will and preordinątion of God, is neither good nor laudable,

If, therefore, God willed and predestinated some to be virgins, others to yield the fruit of marriage (for, if all were virgins, no Saint, that now is or shall be born, should either be now or hereafter born in the world: neither should those virgins be at all, because they should not be born; for, of the fruitfulness of the one arises the others' virginity) therefore, is fruitfulness a great good, from which holy virginity hath proceeded.

Now, that there should be some virgins, and others that should bear the fruits of marriage, the word, which God soweth in their hearts, teacheth us: for, in the hearts of some, he soweth the word of good fruitfulness, yielding the increase of marriage: and in the hearts of others, he sows the word of virginity. Those, then, in whom he sows the word of virginity, they desire to keep virginity; but those, in whom he sows the word of marriage, they desire to yield the fruit of marriage.