IF they be of sufficient age, as the men of 14. yeere at the least, the women [error 91] of 12. and their Parents be not driuen to any such necessitie, that they neede their childrens helpe, they may without Parents consent enter into Monkery.
1 God sayd to Abraham, get thee out of thy countrey and from thy fa∣thers house: Genes. 12. and Christ Math. 10. whosoeuer loueth father or mo∣ther more then me, is not worthy of me. Ergo, children may become Monkes, without their fathers leaue, Bellarm. cap. 36.
Answ. First, who would haue thought that Abraham was a Monk, but that the Iesuite saith it? Secōdly, by the same reason a man may not leaue his pa∣rēts only, but go out of his countrey. Thirdly, Abraham was 75. yere old at that time, when he went out of Haran, verse 4. Ergo, wee will conclude that none ought to be made Monks before those yeares. Fourthly, When God calleth a∣ny man to a Monkish life, as Abraham had an especial calling of God, wee will giue him good leaue to goe.
Concerning the other saying of our Sauiour, it maketh nothing for you. First, Christ speaketh of persecution, when a man ought not for loue of his friends to denie Christ: but, I trowe you will not grant, that your Monkish life is persecution: and yet it is after a sorte▪ for the Locusts, which are none other but Monkes and Friers, Apocal. 9. doe bite and sting like serpents, that is, do secretly wound mens consciences. Secondly, a man may leaue his parents, as Christ commandeth, though he dwell in the same house with them: that is, by setting his loue and affection on heauenly things. Thirdly, doe all goe to Christ that come into your Monasteries? nay, I would they went not from Christ: for they liue after another rule, then Christs: Francis your great founder erected a new sect of Monkerie, and found out a new rule for them, which he called regu∣lam Euangelicam, the rule of the Gospell: as though Christes rule were not suf∣ficient▪