The Ancient Faith of the Romans and the Romish Religion, Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX.
AND theſe are if I bee not deceaued, all the points of religion in controuerſie betweene vsus and the Church of Rome at this day. Whereof out of the Apoſtles epiſtle to the Romanes, wee may gather any certayne doctrine. Wherein if we diſſent from the religion of the Romiſh Church that now is, that we may iumpe and ioyne, with the auncient faith of the Romanes, commended by thapoſtle, as ſpoken of, (and that worthilie) in all the worlde, I truſt no indifferent Chriſtian, that in ſingleneſſe of heart ſeeketh the trueth, either will or can iuſtly reprooue vsus. And as hitherto I hauehave ſhewed what conſent there is in the groundes of their doctrines, betweene S. Paul who wrote to Rome, to confirme them in the faith, & S. Peter who (they ſay) wrote from Rome, and S. Marke alſo, who wrot his Goſpell at Rome as in hiſtories it is recorded: ſo now in one point let vsus ſee what Saint Peter thinketh,Mariage and vou…s. in one poynt I ſay not touched by Saint Paule in that epiſtle, although in other places plentifully enough by him deliuered. Saint Peter therefore in handling the dueties betweene man and wife, doth thereby commend the honourable eſtate of marriage, as a ſtate of life whereof God hath a care, and therefore giueth lawes and rules, in obſeruing whereof huſbands and wiues may ſerue and pleaſe God. And if he had ſo verie well liked of ſingle life, as they who call themſelues his ſucceſſours doe, hee woulde no doubte hauehave taken occaſion, to hauehave put in ſome caueat for the ſame.Marke. 1. 30 vponupon Math. 8 ver. 14. But himſelfe was maried as the Rhemiſtes themſelues confeſſe, and though out of Hierome they would proue, that being called to be an Apoſtle he forſooke his wife: yet how falſe that is, Saint Peter himſelfe doth plainely enough declare. For he exhorteth Husbands to dwel with their wiues according to knowledge that is, to kéepe and continue holily and kindly with them,1. Pet. 3. 7 not vngodly and vncourteouſly to forſake them. And ſhall we imagine that S. Peter would teach others and not himſelfe? or ſay one thing, and doe another? or that in wordes exhorting them not to depart from their wiues, by his example he would moue them to leaue them? That be farre from vsus once to imagine. And this we may be ſure of, that if he had forſaken his wife, as our popiſh Catholickes now, or ſome other in former times, iniurious to that holy ordinance did ſurmiſe, he woulde yet ſo hauehave tempered this his general commaundement, that his example ſhoulde not hauehave béene manifeſtly repugnant to his doctrine. Therefore that he was maried the ſcriptures report, and it is by our aduerſaries confeſſed: but that he forſooke his wife, it hath no ſhewe of proofe, no colour of trueth. Yea further the Apoſtle doth inſinuate that the dwelling together of man and wife in knowledge, is a furtheraunce to their prayers. And therefore vntounto that former exhortation he addeth theſe wordes:1 Pet. 3. 7 That your prayers be not hindred. Thereby declaring, that the dwelling together of man and wife as they ought to doe, is a furtheraunce to their prayers. Whereas on the contrarie, their ſeparating of themſelues in bodie, may breede ſuch an alienation of mindes, with other great inconueniences, as may interrupt their prayers. And although S. Peter meane not héereby that they ſhoulde ſo continually dwel together, as that they might neuer withdraw themſelues the more fréely to conſecrate as it were, and wholly giuegive them ſelues to prayer and faſting: yet woulde he doubtleſſe according to S. Paules rules,1. Cor. 7. 5. hauehave ſuch their abſtinence when anie is, To be by conſent, for a time, and againe to come together, that Sathan ſhoulde not tempt them for their incontinencie. For all men and women are in danger of his aſſaultes, and therefore To auoyd fornication, 2.let eueryevery man hauehave his wife, and let eueryevery woman hauehave her owne husband, 1. Cor. 7.ſaith his fellow apoſtle. And although men or women may for a time feele themſelues voide of wanton and vnchaſt luſtes, yet becauſe, Not all men can receiue this thing ſaue they to whom it is giuen, Math. 19. 11.ſéeing I ſay it is not in their power, but a rare gift of God, which how long they ſhal hauehave it they are not certain, (yea to know who giueth it is a high point of wiſdome the wiſeman ſaith:) what madnes is it to promiſe that which thou canſt not performe? Or to ſéeke for that which is not neceſſarie for thee? or to indeuor to pleaſe God, with that which he requireth not of thée? How much better is it for vsus, to marke the good councell and godly aduiſe of S. Paule, 1. Cor. 7. 9.It is better to marie then to burne, and this commandement of the Apoſtle Peter, Let the husbands dwell with their wiues, as men of knowledge. And this is the auncient faith, and the holy practiſe of the Church of Rome in her purer age.
But the Church of Rome ſince that time, which would ſeem more holy then euer god made her, or more perfect then he requireth,Vowing of ſingle life. prophanely accompting of this holy ordinanuce, as not pure inough for their vnpure Prieſts: will not admit any into their holy orders of Prieſte or deacon that will not wholy renounce for euer, this holy inſtitution, and vowe to lyue alwayes a ſingle life. Which their impious and ſeruile ordinances hath not one probable proofe, out of Gods word, neither was it the auncient doctrine of the Church of Rome, in ſomuch as ſome of them ſelues, euen halfe aſhamed of their forefathers doings, confeſſe that in the primitiue Church there was no ſuch thing required, but that all men that would might marye. As for ſuch as are maryed, if they wilbe made prieſtes, or enter into their orders, they muſt not by their tirannicall decree and decretals any more dwell with their wiues as S. Peter willeth,1. Pet. 3. 7. but they muſt rather defraude one an other foreuer which Paul forbideth,1. Cor. 7 5. and with greate reaſon myſliketh. Thus this their vowing of perpetuall ſingle life, they doe not onelyonly highly commend, but alſo do force their clergy to obſerue the ſame: & yet it is not in al the Scripturs old nor new once commanded or cōmended vntounto that calling aboue any other, not once ſpoken of or practiſed that can appeare in the old Roman Church. And formance of the duties of mariage which ſo ſtraitly thapoſtles require of all that are maried without exception, is not onelyonly not furthered in the Romiſh Church that now is, but alſo hindered in ſome with great ſeueritie. And in ſuch ſort do they in all points almoſt behaue themſelues, as if they were of purpoſe diſpoſed or ſet vp, if not quite to aboliſh, yet dangerouſly to corrupt, alter, and change, whatſoeuer Chriſt and his Apoſtles left pure & ſincere. And thus much of the contrarietie of their doctrine, that nowe call themſelues the Church of Rome, to that which thapoſtles taught among the Romanes.Sup. Cant. ſer. 34
Now therefore in reſpect of their cloked falſhood as Barnard ſpeaketh, in that they hide as he ſaith that which is (true) & falſly inuent that which is not, wee may iuſtly ſay of the Church of Rome, as the ſame Father complaneth of the whole Church, but eſpecially in reſpect of the pride and abuſe of that Church, Al friends, and all foes, all neceſſaries, all aduerſaries, all of one houſe, none that inſue after peace, al neighbors, all ſeeke their owne,In Pſal. Qui habitat, ſer. 6 all Chriſtes ſeruaunts, all ſerue Antichriſt. Or as in another place hee bemoaneth the pitifull eſtate of the Church. Peace in reſpect of pagans, peace from heretikes, but no peace with falſe children. Thou (O Lord Ieſus) haſt multiplied the people, but haſt not increaſed our ioy: becauſe many are called but few are choſen. And how little cauſe the Church of Rome hath, to reioyce in her Catholikenes, and to brag of her multituds, how little cauſe ſhe hath to increaſe her ioy if ſhe thinke earneſtly of it, let the godly reader indifferently conſider. For ſeeing ſhee leadeth men from the pure waters of the worde of trueth, vntounto the vnſauorie pudles of her owne inuentions, and hath corrupted that ſincere milke, that the auncient Romanes fed vponupon,Reuel. 17. 2. & 18. 3. with the poyſon of her owne traditions, wherewith the Church of Rome is now moſt dangerouſly aud deadly infected:Reuel. 18. 8. the moe that follow her, the mo ſhall teſtifie that they are deceaued by her, & the greater that the multitude is that ſhee miſleadeth, the heauier in the end ſhall her iudgement be. For ſeeing the inhabitants of the earth, and drunken with the wine of her fornication, therefore ſhal her plagues come at one day, death, and ſorow, and famine, and ſhee ſhalbe burnt with fire: for ſtrong is the Lord God which will condemne her.