Answer to a Popish Pamphlet Called the Touchstone of the Reformed Gospel, Part 2 · Subpart 44 – Subpart 45
44 THat Prieſts and other religioꝰ perſons who hauehave vowed chaſtitie to God, may frelie marrie notwithſtanding of their vow.
VVHichWhich he ſayeth is contrarie to Deut. 23. 22. where it is called A ſinne to vow and thereafter to break it. To which I anſwere, That this place ſpeaketh onlie of vows free, lawfull, and poſsible to be performed which popiſh forced & mōaſticall vows of perpetual ſingle life and the like annexed to holie orders, are not, and are ſo far from being a degree of higher perfection, as they are rather ſuperſtitions and ſinful ſnares (as their Caſſander calleth them) in which no chriſtiā ought to intangle himſelf. The uncleane fruits whereof may be ſeene in the lives of the Popes themſelves, & frō them downward to the loweſt skirts of their clergie, as is notour to the world, & as I hauehave particularlie ſhown by their owne famous hiſtorians in the 16. chapter of my late Treatiſe, called Antichriſt pointed and painted out in his true colours. Which made their owne Ferus on Math. 19. 12. to ſay, You may ſee heerby how unwarily & uncircumspectlie they do, who cloſe within Monaſtries their children being but young, whilas they know not what ſort of perſons they will be, wherby how great evils do ariſe (ſayeth hee) Who is he that ſeeth not?
And of the reſt of the popiſh clergie▪ thus alſo ſpeaketh their owne Caſſander (conſult. art. 23.) The matter now is come to that paſſe, that yee ſhall not find ſcarce the hundreth man who abſtaineth from the company of women (ſayeth he) And againe, this is to bee remarked, as theſe who would enter in holie orders at reſtrained frō that which by Gods inſtitution is permitted, and is a remedie againſt luſt, to wit, marriage, which is called The Bed undefyled, & honourable in all. Heb. 13. 4. So on the contrarie, whoredom, which is forbidden by God, and wherof it is ſaid in the ſame place, That God will judge all ſuch, (The ſame is permitted, as we ſee in the Popes decretals (diſt, 81. cap. Maximianus) wher it is ſaid, That it is cō monlie held, that one ought not to be depoſed for ſimple fornication. And remarke the reaſon, becauſe (ſaith the gloſſe) very few ar found without that fault. And therefore 1. we affirme that no ſuch inforcement of ſuch vowes ſhould bee 2. That being made, if t…y …end to the prejudice of a mans ſoule, by expoſing him to the unavoidable danger of ſin, as fornication, adulterie & the like, therfore they do not bind, but are better broken than keeped.
The ſecond place which he bringeth is 1. Tim. 5. 11. But the younger widowes refuſe, for whē they hauehave began to wax wanton againſt Chriſt, they will marrie &c. To which I anſwere. That this place is a direction onlie not to admitt to the office of diaconeſſes (as Phebe is ſtiled Rō. 16. 1.) which at that time required unmarried women any that were young under the age of 60. years at leaſt, becauſe howſoever they will profeſſe a ſingle life, or continencie (but their is no word of vowes) yet they will not be able to performe the ſame, and ſo will make but a raſh and an unlawfull profeſsion, from which ſort hee therefore diſſwadeth younger women, verſe 14. & willeth that they rather marrie and bare children, not to profeſſe continencie, & yet thereafter (as verſe 15.) to turne after ſatan by whoredom and luſt. This place then is rather againſt the making of ſuch vowes or profeſsion of perpetuall continencie in religious perſons that are young, the evills whereof in the Popiſh Church (as their Ferus ſpeaketh) who is hee that knoweth not? to the great provocation of Gods wrath, ſtaine of Chriſtian religion, and ſecret murder of thouſands of poor infants, as their own famous hiſtories record.
The third place is 1. Tim. 5. 15. For ſome are alreadie turned aſide after ſatan. To marrie then after the vow of chaſtitie once made, is here tearmed by the Apoſtle a turning aſide after ſatan (ſayeth he.) To which I anſwere 1. That Primaſius expoundeth this, That they are turned after ſatan, either by denying the faith of God, or by committing fornication (ſayeth he) 2 Their own late Eſtius ſayeth alſo thus, But wherein they are turned after ſatan the Apoſtle telleth not, ſome expound it becauſe they married after their vow, others becauſe they committed Fornication, which is the more probable (ſayth he) for heereby a greater occaſion of ſpeaking evill againſt the profeſsion was furniſhed to enemies as v. 14. As alſo (ſayeth he) it may be referred to their deſerting of the religion. As the experience therefore of ſome younger widows, that had turned aſide after ſatan by incontinencie, was a ſufficient reaſon to the Apoſtle for refuſing ſuch, ſo like wiſe ſhould the wofull experience of ſo many whoriſh Prieſts, Friers, Nuns and others, teach, that no young perſon ſhould bee forced in their admiſsion to holie orders, to vow and make profeſsion of perpetual continencie. which moved Cardinall Cajetan to ſay on 1. Tim. 5. 12. As Paull had learned by experience the forenamed inconvenients, by admitting young widows under 60. years to a profeſsion of continencie, ſo would God (ſayeth he) that we would learne by ſuch experience, whither the ſolemne vowes of perſons o… both ſexes in their youth, that hauehave entered into holie & religious orders, hath done good i… the Church or not.
But it ſeemeth ſtrange to me that againſt the marriage of religious perſons hee ſhould alleadge ſcripture, ſeing in the Popes canon law (cauſa 28. q. 2.) and by Bellarmin himſelf (lib. de clericis cap. 18.] it is acknowledged That the marriage of Prieſts is not forbidden by Law or goſpell nor any Apoſtolicall authoritie, but by a later Church conſtitution, for repealing whereof Pope Pius the ſecond (as Platina reports) uſed to ſay, that ther was greater reaſon & cauſe to repeale it, than ther was for making the ſame. The fruit of which decree their owne Caſſander ſetteth down (conſult. art. 23) ſaying, Wee ſee by this decree that chaſtitie is ſo farre from being eſtabliſhed, that a window is ſeene to be opened to all luſt & villanie. Therfore alſo did Gerſon Chancellour of the univerſitie of Paris deplore (de vita ſpirituali animae lect. 4. coroll. 14) That the places of the holie Miniſtrie were poſſeſſed by Adulterers, whoremaſters, Sodomits and ſuch like Monsters, and that the number of this kind was ſo great, that there was no proceeding againſt them. yea, Whoredome was of ſo little account amongſt them, & authoriſed, that it is ſaid in the gloſſe on the canon Law (diſt. 81. cap. Maximianus) That for ſimple fornication a Prieſt is not to be depoſed, Seing as hath beene ſaid, Few were to bee found who were free of that vyce. So likewiſe to the very ſame purpoſe, (cauſa 2. queſt. 7. cap. Lator) it is againe ſaid, That ſingle fornication is not worthie of depoſition. So that as Bernard ſpeaketh ſerm. 66▪ in cantica. Take from the Church honourable marriage, and the Bed undefiled, you ſhall fill the ſame with whoredomes, inceſts, filthie iſſues, effeminat and Sodomiticall Monſters, and in a word with all ſort of uncleanneſſe.
And what oppoſition was made againſt this decree of forced ſingle life made by Pope Gregorie 7. alias Hildebrand, āno, 1074. by the whol Clergie almoſt. Their own Sigebert declareth in his Chronicle, ſaying, Pope Gregorie having convocated a ſynod, removed from their office all married Prieſts, and inhibit all Laicks to heare their Maſſe by a new example, whereupon did ariſe ſo great a ſcandal, that in the time of no hereſie, the church was rent with a more grievous ſciſme, many therby joyning alſo with incontinencie, perjurie and manifold Adulteries. Which made that noble poet in his time Chaucer, Eſq. of woodſtock▪ anno 1341. to ſay in his plowmans tale. They liue not in lecherie, but haunt Wenches, Widows & wives, and puniſheth the poore for poultrie, Themſelves uſing it all their lives.
45 THat fasting and abſtinence from certaine meates is not grounded on holie ſcripture, nor cauſeth any ſpirituall good.
FOr anſwere, 1. That faſting is not grounded on ſcripture, nor cauſeth any ſpirituall good, we diſowne, for our Confeſsion of faith, 1647. cap. 21. art. 5. teſtifieth the the contrarie, where ſolemne faſts in their ſeverall times and ſeaſons, uſed in an holie religious manner, are declared to bee a part of Gods religious worſhip, according to the ſcriptures there alleadged. So that we admitt both private & publick faſting for humiliation, as the ſame is joyned with prayer, and fitteth us the better for devotion, as alſo tendeth to ſpirit…all good many wayes, as we ſee Act. 13. 3. Math. 17. 21. &c. But as for enjoyning abſtinence from certaine ſorts of meate at ſet times, & for cōſcience ſake, joyned with opinion of merit or ſatisfaction. This we oppoſe as a doctrine of devils, ſo called 1. Tim. 4. 3. contrarie to Chriſtian liberty, and to Gods word, 1. Tim. 4. 4.
As for the example of the Rechabits which he bringeth, Ierm. 35. 5. of forbearing the drinking of wyne for ever, It was a ſingular caſe, and a particular humane injunction onlie of their father, binding no others in that time or ever thereafter, as the like was that of the Nazarits, Luke 1. 15. to wit, temporarie onlie, & relating to ſome onlie, as alſo meerlie ceremoniall.