History of the First Ten Persecutions

A TREATISE, Of the Sacrament of Matrimony.

I N the TREATISE of the Sacrament of MATRIMONIE, the inconstancy, oblivion, contradiction, and head-strong insolency of the Roman Church, maketh me uncertain whereat to begin: For who could once imagine, that they, who call Marriage a work of the flesh, and an estate of living vncompetent to them who are called to holy Orders, (forgetting what they had spoken) they would make of it an holy Sacrament: as if the Ministers of GOD should be debarred from the holy Sacraments of GOD. If they say, that they debar men in spiritual offices only from copulation with women: yet in this they debar them from the Sacrament, forasmuch as they debar them from the external sign, whereby the spiritual grace is represented. Can any man be partaker of Baptism, and not washen in water? Or can any man be partaker of the LORDES Super, and not be permitted to eat and drink at the holy Table? And how is a man admitted to the Sacrament of Matrimony, and debarred from copulation, which they themselves grant to be the external sign of the Sacrament.

But let us mark the fraudulent dealing of the ROMAN •… Church, who hath made Marriage to be a Sacrament, albeit all the members of their Hierarchle have forsaken it: yet this they gain, that Marriage being counted an holy Sacrament, they have drawn the cognition of all Matrimoniall causes under their judicatorie. This being done, and their authority being settled, they took boldness to make laws, both impious against GOD, and injurious to men: as namely, that Marriages, bound up betwixt young persons, without consent of Parentes, should be firm and itable: That amongst kinsfolk it should not be lawful to marry within the seventh degree: and these were already married within these degrees, should be separated again: That a man, who is divorced from an adulterous woman, shall not have liberty to marry during her life-time: That they who are spiritual brethren and sisters, by the Sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation, shall not have leave to marry one another: And, Marriage is forbidden at certain seasons of the year: And finally, that the Church may dispense with the degrees of consanguinity, forbidden in the eighteenth CHAPTER of LEVITICVS, and find out moe degrees impeding Marriage to be bound up.

The Apostle PAUL, when he calleth Marriage a great mystery, (EPHES. CAP. 5. VERS. 32.) he is speaking concerning CHRIST, and concerning His Church: And it is indeed a mystery unspeakable, whether we consider the beginning, or the progress, or the consummation of this Marriage: It is begun in Earth, and perfected in Heaven: And the love of CHRIST and His Church, is unspeakable: For even the Spouse of CHRIST, albeit she be infirm and weak in the Earth, yet her heart is so inflamed with the love of her husband, that she forgetteth all things, and remembereth upon Him: she counteth all things to be dongue in comparison of him: one sight of His reconciled face is dearer to her than all the treasures of the world: His name is like a sweet ointment poured out, and delighting her soul with the sweet smell of salvation. And if the love of the Church towards CHRIST be unspeakable, who can comprehend the length, breadth, and deepness of the love of CHRIST towards His Church, who hath purged her from all spot of sin in this world, and prepared a glorious mansion for her in His Fathers house, that is, in Heaven. But this is not spoken of the marriage of mortal men with their wives.

True it is, that the Apostle PAUL in that same place setteth down some similitude betwixt corporal marriages, and the spiritual marriage betwixt CHRIST and His Church: But that is not enough to furnishe out an ordinary Sacrament in the Church of GOD, for then should there be infinite Sacraments: For the Kingdom of GOD (MATTHEW 13.) is compared to a man who soweth good seed in his field: It is compared to leaven, and to a treasure that is hidden in the field, and to a draw net, and to a grain of Mustard. seed: yet all these things are not Sacraments in the Church.

Yea, and in the marriage of ADAM and EVA, we see a certain similitude of the spiritual marriage betwixt CHRIST and His Church: for ADAM loved the woman which was flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bones, and in whom he saw his own similitude: (GENES, CHAP. 2. VERS. 23.) And CHRIST in like manner, by feeding us with His own body and blood, He maketh us flesh of His own flesh, and bone of his own bones: and more-over, He stampeth us with His own similitude, to assure us, that He loveth us, whom He hath stamped with His own likeness.

In like manner, a matrimonial bande is more indissoluble than other bands: for other bands, like as they are bound up with consent of parties, so in like manner they may be dissolved and undone with consent of parties: but the bande of Marriage cannot be undone, except by death or fornication. But the conjunction betwixt CHRIST and His Church, (ROMAN. CHAP. VIII.) cannot be undone by death it self. As concerning spiritual whoredom, the true Church, which consisteth of a number, whom GOD hath elected, called, justified, sanctified, and whom He intendeth to glorify: These, I say, the LORD in mercy preserveth from spiritual whoredom, and apostasy from the known truth.

And, like as a chaste woman delighteth in her husband, whether he be present with her, or absent from her: if he be present, she delighteth to confer with him: if he be absent, she delighteth to talk of him, to read his letters, to behold the tokens of his favor towards her, and finally, in the secrete parloure of her heart to meditate of his goodness towards her. (Basil. Magn. De vera Virgini •… .) Even so, the Church is ravished with an unspeakable delight of her husband JESUS CHRIST: He is spiritually present, and by holy prayers she talketh with Him night and day: He is corporallie absent, therefore she delighteth to talk of His love and goodness towards her, and to read the books of holy Scripture, wherein His good will towards her is clearly manifested, and in the secrete chamber of her heart continually to meditate of His second blessed appearance.

IN nothing doeth the ROMANE Church agree better with us, for a time, than in magnifying Marriage as an holy bande instituted by GOD in PARADISE, and having a type and similitude of the love of CHRIST towards His Church: and therefore they make it an holy Sacrament in the Church, which no man ever did before the days of Pope GREGORIE. But when they perceived that this was not consented unto, that Marriage should be counted one of the ordinary Sacraments in the Church, especially, the whole Hierarchy of the ROMANE Church disclaiming it, and the East Church in a general Council, disallowing prohibition of Marriage to men called to spiritual offices.

The ROMANE Church took offense at everything, which was repugnant to their opinion. They could neither abide them who denied that Marriage was a Sacrament, nor yet them, who gave liberty to Church men to marry: And so being irritated on all sides, they began to speak evil of Marriage as a work of the flesh, and an estate vncompetent to men in spiritual offices.

Is not the ROMANE Church, in this point, like unto the River EVPHRATES, which flowing out of the Mountains of ARMENIA, setteth its course Westward, until it forgather with the skirtes of Mount TAVRVS: and then when the course of it is hindered, it fetcheth a contrary course, and runneth directly East, until it be mixed with the water of TYGRIS: Even so, the ROMANE Church, which could never abide to be controlled, it took occasion to speak vnreuerentlie of Marriage, because their opinions were not received in the Church without contradiction.

NOwe seeing the cause is evidently known, wherefore they were so serious to draw in Matrimony into the number of Sacraments: namely, to the ende that matrimonial causes might be found spiritual causes, and might be judged by spiritual Judges. Let us consider what constitutions they made in matters of Matrimony, without any warrand or regard of Scripture: insomuch, that their vilepending of Scripture maketh a number of their constitutions to be so vilepended, that they are not worthy of an answer: and namely, when they say, that the Church hath power to dispense with the degrees of consanguinity, forbidden in the eighteenth CHAPTER of LEVITICVS, and for to appoint moe degrees impeding the binding up of Marriage, than are contained in that CHAPTER of LEVITICVS. What answer shall be given to such Apostates from the truth of GOD? They make so great account of the Canons of their Councils, that they accurse all them who dare contradict any of them: and on the other part, they make so light account of holy Canonicke Scripture, that even when they add to the Scriptures of GOD, or diminishe anything from them, they are worthy to be heard, and to be regarded. But HENRIE the eight, King of ENGLAND, when he sought resolution in this question at the moste part of the Universities in EVROPE, if it were lawful for the Bishop of ROME, or for a Council, to dispense with the degrees of consanguinity, forbidden in the eighteenth of LEVITICVS, he received a negative answer, That it was not lawful so to do.

The prohibition of Marriage in moe degrees of consanguinity and affinity, than are contained in the XVIII. of Leviticus, is a wicked invention, to make the Law of GOD of none effect: For like as Cyrus, when he caused many channels to be made, wherein the water of the River Gyndes should be derived. What intention had he, but to dry up the River Gyndes, and to make it ebb of water, that young boys & girls should not be afraid to wade thorough it: Even so, prohibitiue degrees, added to the Law of GOD, tended to none other purpose, but to undo, and make of none effect, the blessed Law of GOD. And this appeareth the more manifestly, because in that same Canon, in the which they claim liberty to add moe degrees of prohibition of Marriage, to the degrees forbidden in Leviticus, they claim also a liberty to dispense with the degrees forbidden by GOD. But GOD confoundeth the counsels of men, which are opposite to His divine institution, and turneth them all to folly. And the prohibition of Marriage unto the seventh degree was retrenched in the Council of Lateran, anno 1215▪ and reduced to the fourth degree of consanguinity. So men, who would correct the ordinance of GOD, they are like the Serpent, whereof Epiphanius writeth, (contra heres.) which for hunger is compelled to gnaw his own tail, and to procure his own death.

More-over, the prohibition of Marriage with spiritual sisters, that is, with them to whom they have been witnesses in the Sacrament of Baptism or Confirmation: it is a constitution neither countenanced by Scripture, nor known to Antiquity: but only leaning upon the authority of the ROMANE Church: and therefore, the people and nations in our time, who acknowledge CHRIST to be the only Law-giver in His own Church, they have given this Antichristian law as the ashes that are casten to the dongue-hill.

Their constitution concerning diuorcementes, that it is not lawful for the innocent party to marry, so long as the other party is alive with whom he was once married, is partly conceived upon wrong interpretation of Scripture, and partly upon the opinion of ancient Fathers, who misconceauing the right meaning of holy Scripture, have given to others occasion of stumbling and erring. True it is, that the Apostle Paul saith, Let not the wife depart from her husband: but if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled unto her husband, and let not the husband put away his wife. (1. Cor. 7. 10. 11.) In this place the Apostle is speaking of such alienation of minds as falleth out betwixt man and woman, and separateth their cohabitation for a time but he is not speaking of diuorcements, justly made for fornication: for like as death cutteth insunder the bands of Matrimony, & giveth liberty to the living party to marry in the Lord (Rom. 7. 2. 3) Even so, fornication cutteth insunder the matrimonial bande, and giveth liberty to the innocent party to marry another in the Lord. Matth. 5. 32.

The bills of divorcement given to honest women in the Old Testament after the receiving whereof they married other husbands, as clearly appeareth in the book of Deuteronomy, cap. 24. verse. 4. this custom (I say) is no sufficient ground to prove that the innocent party may marry after divorcement: for such diuorcementes were rather tolerated for the hardness of the Jews hearts, than commanded or allowed: and because they were made without any trial of fornication, they are damned by Christ, as occasions of adulteries. Matth. 19. 9. But the exception that Christ maketh in express words of fornication, declareth that the divorcement made for fornication, is a lawful divorcement, and consequently giveth liberty to the innocent party to marry, as death interuening, giveth liberty to the party living to marry.

The opinion of Augustine concerning the exception of fornication, made by Christ in the question of divorcement, (Matthew 19. 9.) hath so blinded the eyes of Lindanus, and many others of the Roman Church, that they suppose the meaning of the words of Christ to be this, That a man who putteth away his wife for fornication, and marrieth another, he sinneth not so grievously, as he who putteth away his wife vngrieued with any such transgression on her part. Always, both the one and the other sinneth, saith he) if they marry another during the life time of the first bed-fellow. But, with Augustine's favor, exclusine words, such as 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is, cannot be expounded by Magis and Minus: but the meaning of Christ's words is evident, That except fornication cut the matrimonial band, the husband should not repudiate his wife, and he who marrieth a woman, who is not divorced for whoredom, committeth adultery.

TO conclude this TREATISE, let no man be moved by the honor which the Roman Church seemeth to give unto Marriage, when they call it an holy Sacrament: neither be much troubled when they speak unreverantly of Marriage: for in the Courtes of Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate, Christ was scornefullie honored, and seriously mocked, and buffeted: (Mat. 27) Even so, when the Roman Church speaketh honourably of Marriage, they are only sporting and delighting themselves with conceits and discourses: but when they abhor Marriage, and speak unreverantly of it, then they speak seriously, and from their heart. But the LORD in His own time, will stop the mouths of them who teach a doctrine of Devils, from whose deceitful doctrine the LORD make His Church free, to whom be all praise, power, and dominion, both now and evermore,