The seuenth Chapter. Of Marriage, and Sole life; especiallie of Ministers.
IT is now a thing woorthie to be noted, 1 that maried folkes are not despised of God: for of them he hath chosen, some to be prophets, and those verie notable. For Esaie was commanded to go vnto a prophetisse, which both conceiued, and also brought him foorth children. Ezechiel also was maried. Wherefore that Syricius of Rome, 2 and his fellowes must not be harkened vnto; when they forbid the whole ministerie vnto maried folke. And this reason forsooth they bring; namelie, bicause it is written by Paule; that They which be in the flesh cannot please God: 3 and bicause in the old law it is commanded; Be ye holie, for I am holie: and againe; 4 Ye are the temple of God, or of the holie Ghost. But these testimonies now alledged, if they might serue anie thing for their purpose; then vndoubtedlie should they declare, that no men which be maried, can please God: neither that anie may be counted holie, vnlesse such as be of single life. 5 The temple also of God, or of the holie Ghost, should be restrained to the clergie alone. But how vaine these things are, all men perceiue so well, that they néed none of my labor to expound them. For who séeth not, that the sentences now alledged, are not spoken particularlie to one man or to an other; but are pronounced to all the faithfull? 6 It was the maner of the Ethnikes, to haue their prophetisses either virgins, or else such as were of sole life: as it is written of the Sibyls. They also appointed certeine priesthoods vnto women, but yet to virgins onelie; namelie, the sacrifices of Vesta, and also of hir that was called Bona Dea.
2 Neither must we beléeue, 7 that those maried folks, which were by God taken to the office of prophesieng, or to the holie ministerie, did straitwaie forsake their wiues: for neither God nor Christ were authors, that anie man should diuorse himselfe from his wife. We knowe in déed, that Paule permitteth them which are maried, to be sometimes a sunder; whereby they might more conuenientlie giue themselues to praiers and fastings; but this he permitteth not, vnlesse it be with both their consents, & that for a short time; and he willeth them to returne to their old state, lest by the temptation of Sathan they should be ouerthrowen. So then this saieng that they bring, is not sufficient to prooue the necessitie of sole life for ministers; séeing the aduersaries gather more out of the same, than can be gathered. For there the apostle saith, that sometimes it is lawfull to absteine from comming togither. But these men take it to be a commandement to all sorts of ministers, to be euermore vnmarried: which argument is both weake, and vnprofitable; a⟨…⟩ the art of Logike manifestlie sheweth.
We will grant indéed, that it is méete for ministers sometimes to kéepe them selues continent, and that oftener than other men; but yet not continuallie. This they obiect; If other men moderate themselues now and then, bicause they may fall to praier; what shuld they doo, whose dutie is alwaies to applie themselues both vnto praiers, and to the administration of the sacraments? I answer: first, that we much maruell at them, which alledge these things; séeing the greatest part of the clergie doo almost neuer teach; they distribute the sacraments verie sildome, and scarselie once or twise in a yeare doo celebrate that their most shamefull and abhominable Masse: but in the meane time they commit whooredome, and pollute themselues with adulteries. And they cauill that they cannot marrie, bicause of the ecclesiasticall degrées, which they haue taken vpon them. Vndoubtedlie, the reasons alledged doo nothing at all further these kind of men.