A Confutation of a Popish and Slanderous Libel, Treatise · Answer 25 – Papist opinion 26
The aunswere.
In the Actes are mentioned those, that were contente to giuegive their gooddes in common, but no vowe spoken of, that thei might neuer hauehave any proprietie of gooddes. Our sauiour Christe also speaketh of some, that had made theim self chaste, for the kyngdome of heauen, hauyng the gift of continencie, but noe vowe, that thei were bounde vntounto. Saincte Paule to the i. Corinthians. vij. chapiter, commendeth Virginitie, in suche as hauehave the gifte, but he bindeth none with any vowes, for if a Virgine marrie, he saieth she dooeth not synne. But in the firste of Timothe. v. he entreateth of widowes, whiche as thei were nourished by the Churche, so thei did minister vntounto the Churche, and these made no vowe to God, but a promise to the churche, that thei would continue vnmarried, that thei might attende to their charge, beeyng free from housebandes, whiche saincte Paule would not hauehave to bee chosen vnderunder sixtie yeres of age, when carnall luste is paste. What is this to yonge girles, that are professed Nonnes, at fiftene, or sixtene yeres of age, before thei knowe, whether thei are able to liue chaste, without any housebande, or no? As for your fable of Iphigenia, and Hirtacus out of your newe founde olde doctour Abdias, we giuegive small credite vntounto it: the verie names dooe sufficiently bewraie, the forgerie, whiche sounde nothyng like to the Aethiopian language. The Canons cōmonly called of the Apostles, doe excō municate, a bishop, or a clearke, that doth putte awaie his wife vnderunder colour of Religion, as I hauehave shewed before. The coū saile of Chalcedon Canon, xiij. forbiddeth Clerkes to marrie wiues of a contrary Religion, as Iewes, or Paganes. But not simplie forbiddeth thē, muche lesse would allowe theim, to putte awaie their lawefull wiues. But when you proceade further, and saie, that all the aunciente fathers, dooe prohibite Priestes marriage, you are to generall: For I can bryng you some proues to the contrary. In deede the moste of the later sorte of aunciente writers, are verie muche addicte to the praise of sole life, yet was not marriage cleane taken awaie from priestes, for more then a thousande yeres after Christe. You rehearse certaine aunciente writers, and emōg them Dionysius Areopagita, of whō I must admonishe the vnlearned reader, that he is not that Dionysius whō saincte Paule at Athenes conuerted, but one of muche later tyme. For the reste of the Doctours, if you had alledged their saiynges, as you dooe their names, I should hauehave saied some thyng vntounto theim. But that all aunciente fathers as you saie, doe not forbidde marriage of Priestes, and suche as hauehave vowed virginitie, you maie knowe by these examples.
First, Tertullian was a married man, and writeth a booke to his wife. Epiphanius rehearseth many heretikes, whiche forbadde marriage. Also of suche as had vowed virginitie, and could not keepe their vowe, he writeth Contra Apostolicos libr. 2. Tom. 1. haeres. 61. Melius est ita que vnum peccatum habere, & non plura. Melius est lapsum à cursu, palam sibi vxorem sumere secundum legem & á virginitate multo tempore poenitentiā agere, & sic rurssus ad ecclesiam induci, velut qus mala operatus sit, velut lapsum & fractum, & obligatione opus habentem, & non quotidie ocultis iaculis sauciari ab improbitate quae à diabolo ei infertur. Sic nouit ecclesia praedicare, haec sunt sanationis medicamenta. It is better therfore, to hauehave one sinne and not manie. It is better for hym, that is fallen from his course, opēly to take hym a wife, accordyng to the lawe, and to repente along tyme, for his virginitie, and so againe to be brought into the church, as one that hath doone euill, as one that is fallen and brused, and hath neede to bee bounde vp, and not to be daily wounded with priuie Dartes, through the improbitie which is wrought to hym by the Deuill. So the Churche knoweth to preache, these are the medicines of healyng. You see here that Epiphanius, woulde hauehave suche as could not keepe their vowe of virginitie, rather to marrie, then to burne, according to the doctrine ef sainct Paule.
Chrysostome, whose name also you reherse in his second Homelie vponupon the first Chapiter of the Epistle to Titus, hath these woordes. Obstruere prorsus intendit haereticorum ora, qui nuptias damnant, ostendens eā rem culpa carere, imo ita esse pretiosam, vt cum ipsa etiam possit quispiam ad sanctum▪ Episcopatus solium euehi. That is to saie. He purposeth vtterly to stop the mouthes of heretikes, which condemne mariage shewyng how that thing is without faulte, yea to be so pretious a thing, that with it any man maie be aduaunced to the holy sée of a Bishopricke. Chrisostome therfore is not so whole on your side, as you make hym, no more is any of the auncient fathers, though it please you to abuse there names for a shewe. But who amonge all the olde writers was either a greater admirer of virginitie? or a more defacer of matrimonie, then Ierome was? and yet he writeth thus of virgines, that hauehave vowed continence, ad Demetriadem: Sanctum virginum propositum, & caelestis angelorum que familiae gloriam, quarundam non bene se aegentium nomen infamat. Quibus apertè dicendum est, vt aut nubant si se non possunt continere, aut contineant si nolunt nubere. That is, the ill name of some, that behaue not theim selues well, dooth slaunder the holy purpose of virgines, and the glorie of the heauenly family of aungelles, to whom it is openly to be spoken, that either thei doe marie, if thei can not conteine, or els that thei must conteine, if thei will not marrie. By these witnesses it is apparant, that all auncient fathers, be not of your iudgement, if wee shall beleue their owne writinges, rather then your saiynges. And cōcerning them, that hauehave vowed continence, if they hauehave any conscience of their vowe, and are able to performe it, none of vsus exhorteth them to breake it. But suche as are not able to performe honestly, that whiche thei hauehave vowed rashely, we teach accordyng to the doctrine of sainct Paule, that it is better for them repentyng of their rashe vowes to marie, then to burne in concupiscens, then to committe fornication, and vncleanes. And this we doe not without the consent of olde writers, as partly I hauehave shewed, and more coulde shewe if neede required.
The Papiste.
Seuenth in the primitiue churche Images of Christe, his Crosse and of his sainctes, were vsed, as in Cęsarea was the Image of Christ sette vppe, by the woman whiche Christe cured of the fluxe of blood, as witnesseth Eusebius and Basilius magnus, and the generall Counsell holden at Nice, of three hundred and tenne Bishoppes, doeth constantly affirme and vouche, that the Image of Christe and of his Sanctes in the churche, were of the tradition of the Apostles. And saincte Gregorie Nyssen doeth write howe he did beholde the Image of Christes passion, and that oftentymes not without teares and weapyng. Chrisostome saieth, that he that dooeth any iniurie or valiny to the Image of Caesar, he doth cō mitte the same against Caesar hymselfe. S. Beade writeth, how sainct Aug. entered into this Realme with a Crosse of Siluer, and an Image of Christe painted in a table in procession wise, singyng the Letanie, to whiche notwithstandyng, what violence, and dishonour hath been doen by our reformatours herein this Realme, to the Image of our sauiour Christ and of his sainctes it is not vnknowen.