The triple cord or a treatise proving the truth of the Roman religion, by sacred scriptures taken in the literall sense expounded by ancient fathers. interpreted by Protestant writers. With a discouery of sundry subtile sleights vsed by Protestants, for euading the force of strongest arguments, taken from cleerest texts of the foresaid scriptures.

Whether the Vow of Chastity be so annexed to holy Or∣ders, that after Ordination, they who are consecra∣ted, can neither marry, nor vse their wyues formerly married. SECT. I.

Catholike Doctrine.

I DO not heere dispute of Prot. Bishops and Ministers, who being meerly lay men, and deuoyd of all sacred Ordina∣tion, no man doubteth but that they may lawfully marry, & enioy their wyues, and all their Neighbours will professe it to be expedient: But the Question heer is, onely of Catholicke Bishops and Priests duly consecrated. Concerning whome, in the first Councell of Nice, is was decreed that,(1) Bishops do not dwell with women &c. And, the same is decreed of euery single Priest, and of Deacons vnmarryed: only after there are excepted, old women, the Mother, Sister, Aunt, and Grandmother.

But there is no mention or allowance for a wife, which would haue beene in the first place, if it had been approued. In the Councell of Neocaesarea it is defined, that,(2) If a Priest shall marry, he shalbe deposed from Order: but if he shall com∣mit fornication or Adultery, let him be cast out of the Church, and do Pennance amongst the Laity. In the second Councell of Car∣thage,(3) By all the Bishops it is sayd, It pleaseth all, that Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, or such as touch the Sacraments, keepers of Chastity, shall abstayne euen from wyues. And it giueth this good reason thereof, that what the Apostles haue taught, and Antiquity it selfe hath obserued, we also may keepe. And the same is defined by sundry other(4) Councels: and is the(5) generall Do∣ctrine and practise of the present Catholike Church.

Pointes Disputable.

Some(6) thinke that the vow of Chastity made by Priests, is ordained by Gods Law, and therefore indispensable: but(7) others more truly teach, that it is commanded onely by Decree of the Church, and therefore is dispensable.

Protestants vntruthes.

Melancthon(8) auerreth that the first law imposed vpon Clergy men for single lyfe, was in Germany, some 400. yeares agoe: And that no such law is to be found in a∣ny Councell, but was only brought in by the Pope, against the mynd of the Councells. But all this is disproued by the Councells heere before cyted.

Caluin(9) auoucheth that all the Ancient Fathers al∣lowed Mariage in Bishops: But this to be false, wilbe yet further shewed in the next 3. Section following. Rogers falsly affirmeth vs to teach that,(10) None may be a Priest though he will vow a single lyfe, if he haue bene a maried man: for this he citeth the Rhemists in 1. Tim. 3.2. But there is not any such thing to be found: and the falshood herof is conuinced, by the frequent practise to the contrary, in the Catholicke Church.

The English Church decreeth that,(11) Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, are not commanded by Gods Law, either to vow the state of single lyfe, or to abstaine from Mariage. Therfore it is law∣full also for them, as for all other Christian men, to marry at their owne discretion, as they shall Iudge the same to serue better for Godlines. And the same is taught(12) generally by all Protestantes.

Protestants agree with Ancient Hereticks.

S. Hierome writing against Vigilantius for his impu∣gning the single life of Priests, relateth the generall practise of the Church of those tymes, saying,(13) What do the Churches of the East, of Aegypt, and of the Sea Apostolike who take Clergy men eyther such as are Virgins, or Continent, or if they haue wyues yet cease to be as husbands? D. Fulke granteth that Iouinian was con∣demned for, that,(14) He taught that such as could not con∣taine, though they had vowed virginity, should neuertheles be marryed. And(15) D. Morton acknowledgeth that Vigilantius and Io∣uinian are condemned by S. Hierome for impugning the vnmaried life of Priests. And so also was Simon Magus by S. Irenaeus.(16) And whereas Bellarmine affirmed, that Vigilantius taught, that Ecclesiasticall persons ought to be maryed, Whi∣taker answereth,(17) If Vigilantius meant the lawfull mariage of Pastors, in that he thought rightly. So that the Ancient here∣tickes Vigilantius and Iouinian, condemned by S. Hierome and S. Austine, are here defended, and followed by our Carnall Ministers.

Protestants Errours.

Luther thinketh,(18) it is impossible, that God approue the vow of Continency, and not rather detest it.(19) Increase and mult••∣ply is not a Precept, but more then a Precept. Swinglius auoucheth that,(20) The sacred Scripture is so far from prohibiting the Mini∣sters of the Church the vse of holy Mariage, as that it doth often com∣mand the same. Yea saith Bullinger,(21) A Bishop is the Mini∣ster of Gods word: but this man ought to be the husband of one wyfe, euen because he is a Bishop. So that such Prot. Bishops & Mi∣nisters,

as do not marry, do contrary to the command gi∣uen by the Scripture, as these Prot. dreame.

Notes

• (1)

  Can. 4: Arab.
• (2)

  Can. 1.
• (3)

  Cap. ••.
• (4)

  Conc. Elibertin. c. 33. Conc. Are∣lat. 2. c. 2. Conc. Latera. Sess. 9. Refor∣mationes Cu∣riae &c.
• (5)

  Bellar. de Clericis. l. 1. c. 19. Rhem. Test. in 8 14.
• (6)

  Maior in 4. Dist. 24. q. ••.
• (7)

  S. Tho. in 1. 2. q. 88 art. 11.
• (8)

  In Con∣fess. August. art. 23.
• (9)

  Instit. l. 4. c. 12. §. 51.
• (10)

  Def. of the Articl. art. 28 p. 187.
• (11)

  Article 32.
• (12)

  See the Harm. of Conf. p. 348. &c.
• (13)

  Cont. Vi∣gilant. c. 1.
• (14)

  Answ. to a Coun∣terf. Cath. p. 4••. See Hier. l. 1. Cont. Iouin. c 14. & 19. & Apol. ad Pamach. c. 8. Epiph. haer. 59.
• (15)

  Prot. Appeal. p. 604.
• (16)

  L. 1. c. 20.
• (17)

  Controu. 2. q. 5 c. 7. p. 516.
• (18)

  Tom. 2. de votis fol. 271.
• (19)

  Tom. 5. serm de ma∣trim. fol. 119.
• (20)

  Tom. 1. in Paraenesi ad Heluetos. fol. 114.
• (21)

  In. 1. Tim. 3. pag. 438.