Marriage with a Defense of the 32nd Article of the Church of England, To the reader – Errata
TO THE READER.
Courteous Reader,
Two things I deſire to premiſe: Firſt, That I do not pretend in this ſmall popular Tract, to teach Men, Brethren and Fathers of the Church, them, and their Wives, Oeconomicks: But yet ſhall beg leave to tranſcribe a paſſage out of Luthers Colloquia Menſalia, which I deſire our Married Clergy would conſider, viz. That one cauſe of the unmarried lives of Prieſts (to wit, in the Papacy) was, that the faults of the Prieſts wives were offenſive, ſo that when the Prieſts ſhould reprove the wickedneſs of others, then the people would hit them in the teeth again, and ſay, why did not they reform their own wicked wives? And truly I could wiſh, that I might have cauſe to ſay of all the Married Clergy, and of all others in the ſtate of Matrimony, as confident, I am, I may ſay of many, Ye have no need that I write unto you of Conjugal love and duties; for ye your ſelves are taught of God to love one another. To this purpoſe it was we adviſed by a Right Reverend Father of our Church viz. the B. of W. to all ſuch as his Lordſhip married, often to read over the Office of Marriage that ſo they might the better remember and d… their duties each to other. And truly I could heartily wiſh and beg of the Right Reverend th… Fathers of our Church, that if ever they ſhould reviſe our Liturgy, which even ſome good men deſire, that the duties of Man and Wife, Parent… and Children, Maſters and Servants, might b… appointed to be read on the Lords days (after the reading of the Commandments) out of the Epiſtle to the Epheſians, or Coloſſians, or both.
The ſecond thing I deſire to premiſe is, that I do not preſent you with a Regular and Scholaſtical Diſcourſe, either of Marriage, or of the difference betwixt the Church of England and Rome, concerning the Marriage of Prieſts, or perſons in holy Orders; but offer, as to the latter, ſome Collections out of Dr. Field his Fifth Book of the Church Dr. Fulk and Mr. Cartwright their Annotations on the Rhemiſts Teſtament, on Matth. 8. and on the Epiſtles to Timothy and Titus, Mr. Perkin's his Demonſtration of the Problem, Dr. John and Dr. Francis White concerning this Argument, and others, together with ſome of my own obſervations. The truth which is on our Churches ſide, is chiefty maintained, and the Church of Rome confuted by the Authority of the holy Scriptures. Biſhop Hall in his Treatiſe of the Honour of the Married Clergy, page 124. obſerves, that the Church of Rome teaches contradictory to the Holy Scripture: The Spirit of God (ſaith he) ſaith, that a Biſhop may be the husband of one wife; the Church of Rome ſays, a Biſhop may not be the husband of any wife at all: The Spirit of God ſays, Marriage is honorable amongst all men; the Church of Rome ſays, Marriage is diſhonorable to ſome: The Spirit of God ſays, to avoid fornication, let every man have his wife; the Church of Rome, like a quick-huſwife, ſays, ſome Order of men ſhall not have a wife, though to avoid fornication. So that as another Author notes, amongst them, Marriage only, and not Fornication, is inconſiſtent with the dignity of a Clergy-man; and that Fornication has been allowed to Prieſts and Fryers, in compenſation for their reſtraint from Marriage; three or four Whores, as part of their ſpiritual Preferment: And probably ſuch foul Poſitions and Practices, made Luther ſo zealous for Matrimony. I took a wife (ſaid he) therewith to upbraid the Devil, and to confound the whoring in Popedom; and in contempt of that naſty Letchery in Popedom, which is very great and abominable, Luth. Col. Menſ. The ſame Author tells us, that under Pope Julius, was exerciſed an abominable Letchery and Whoring in Rome. At the ſame time, ſaith he, was a Cardinal that had a married wife; the which being known, he was conſtrained to forſake her, but in leſs than a years ſpace he took her again: Now when the Cardinal dyed, his wife wept bitterly, and ſaid, ſhe had an honeſt husband, who contented himſelf with one woman: The Citizens of Rome wondering to hear the ſame, cryed, O Sancta Maria! for, ſays Luther, Chaſtity in thoſe people is rare Veniſon.
And as we have the holy Text on our ſide, ſo have we the Fifth Canon of the Apoſtles, the teſtimony of Paphnutius a holy Biſhop; and with him concurred the whole Council of Nice, the Sixth Council of Conſtantinople, Can. 13. and the practice of the Greek Church to this day, ſo far as to juſtifie the lawfulneſs of Prieſts officiating about the holy things of their Function, notwithſtanding their being married.
And further, to juſtifie our Church and the practice of our Clergy, we have the Conceſſions of many of our Adverſaries, as Franciſcus a Sancta Clara obſerves, that the Celibacy of Prieſts is not de Jure divino, but by the Law of the Church; and that the Pope may diſpenſe therewith, and ſome ſay doth diſpenſe with the married Clergy in the Greek Church; and others in his name, 'tis ſaid, have made Overtures of the like favour to the Engliſh Clergy; and in caſe they would be his dutiful and obedient Sons, be would be an Indulgent Father to them.
Laſtly, It is worth the conſideration, on our behalf …n this matter, that ſome of the beſt men of the Church of Rome, ſuch as Eſpencaeus, Aeneas, Sylvius, Polydore Virgil, Eraſmus, and others, have deſired that the Law of forced Celibacy might be taken away, to prevent the great ſcandal that is given by the filthy lives of the Clergy. Foraſmuch then as the Engliſh Clergy have had the poſſeſſion of their wives for above a thouſand years after Chriſt; and again, have had them reſtored to them by Law at the Reformation, they have no reaſon to quit their ſo juſt and ancient Rights, and with one half of themſelves; and to be contented with Lemans, inſtead of Wives; and Nephews in room of Sons. I ſhall diſmiſs thee, Reader, when I ſhall have told thee, that the fig-leaves wherewith the Romaniſts ſeek to hide the nakedneſs of their Church in this cauſe, are eafily blown away by Dr. Field of the Church, Dr. Francis White his Defence of his Brother Dr. John White, by Biſhop Hall his Treatiſe of the honour of the Married Clergy, and by Calixtus in his Book de Conjugio Clericorum: And when I ſhall have begg'd thy pardon for the many faults …hou maiſt poſſibly find in the Compoſing, Tranſcribing or Printing of theſe few ſheets. Farewel.
Thy Friend to ſerve thee, T.H. July 1. 1673.
ERRATA.
Pag. 10. line 6. for foreign, read foreign. lin. 8. aft foreign, add &c.
P. 24. inſtead of Fryer Menolein, read Menotein.
P. 28. inſtead of married married, r. married perſons.
P. 66. inſtead of Matrimony, read Maimony.
P. 74. In the Margin, for Doctrine, r. Demonſtration.