Scriptures better, than all the Bishops and Paftors of God's Church had done for fifteen Ages together, and prescribe Laws for the Administration of Sacra ments in Oppofition to all Ecclefiaftical Authority upon Earth?

If there were any pofitive Command Obliging all to receive both Kinds, is it probable the Univerfal Church could have been fo blind as not to fee it? And if they faw it, what Motive could her Bishops and Paf tors have to combine together in a Refolution to commit a damnable Sin by Forbidding what Chrift had commanded, when there was neither Honour, Intereft, nor Pleasure, nor any vifible human Motive to induce them to it? Tis certain therefore that when they took the Cup from the Laity, that is, when they made that a Law, which had been the general Practice long before, they were convinced in their Hearts of two Things. 1. That the People were not injured by it, and zly, that there was no Command, that obliged them to receive it. And if neither they, nor the great Lights of the Primitive Church could ever difcover any fuch Command, it looks like a Chimera rather than a Probability, that a Set of ob fcure factious Perfons without Miffion or Authority from any lawful Superiour should be more intelligent and clearfighted in Divine Matters than they, and fee Things wholly unfeen before. Truly, Sr, if Bedlam should fet up for a School of Learning, Chil dren for Masters to their Teachers, and the Blind for Guides to their Leaders, the Thing would be as lit tle Surprizing in itself as the Prefumption and Arrogance of any Set of Men pretending to be Wifer than the Univerfal Church. This alone fuffices to stop the Mouth of any pretended Reformer, who is not loft to all Senfe of Modefty, as Luther certainly was, when he made this Declaration, that if a Council

§-42 should either appoint or permit Communion in both Kinds, he would in Spite of that Council either receive it in one Kind, or in neither. Hift. de Variat. C. 2. §. 10. This was Speaking like a true Reformer. But enough of this: fo I defire you to proceed to fome other Mat§. 42.

ter.

G.

Of Celibacy, or the Single Life of Priests.

I

Shall now shew you another Restriction, your Church has made upon the Institutions » of God. As she has taken the Cup from the Laity, fo she has taken another of your Sacraments, that is, Marriage from the Clergy. pag. 174.

L. I perceive, Sr, you are now Going to fight pro Aris & Focis. And me thinks I fee a formidable Army of all the Bishops and Parfons Wives and Children in Great Britain drawn up in Battle against me. But I comfort myself, that I have St Paul of my Side, who never begot Children (for ought I ever heard of) but in Jesus-Chrift through the Gospel. 1. Cor. 4. Y. 15. Nay I have the Practice of the whole College of Apoftles for me. I mean not the Apostles of the Reformation, but the Apostles of Jefus-Chrift, if St Jerom may be believed, who tell us Epift. so. that they were either unmarried, or had no Commerce with their Wives: Meaning, after they were call'd to the Miniftry of the Gospel.

But leaft I should be guilty of giving any Dif. quiet to that Part of the fair Sex, who think themfelves married to true Bishops and Priests, I affure them they may continue with a fafe Confcience to live with their Husbands: At least they need to have no fcruple about it, till their Husbands can prove the Validity of their Ordination as fully as we can

prove that Perfons validly ordain'd cannot marry ac cording to the Ancient Laws of the Church.

G, I perceive then your Lordship do's us the Favour to think, our married Bishops and Parsons live not in a State of Adultery.

L. Sr, I should wrong them very much, if I thought they did. For I fee no Manner of Reafon why Proteftant Bishops and Parfons may not marry as well as the Protestant Laity. So that whatever I say concerning the Celibacy or fingle Life of Bishops and Priests is no Reflection upon your Church as now ef tablish'd, but only a Vindication of my own, And I think I may modeftly fay I plead the more honou rable Caufe of the two. For Virginity is commen dable even in Laymen. The ancient Fathers have writ whole Volumes in Commendation of it, and St Paul recommends it preferably to Marriage. 1. Cor. 7. V. 32. 33. 38. Nay he advifes even Married Perfons to abstain from the conjugal Duty for a Time, that they may give themselves (fays he) to Prayer, 1. Cor. 7. . 5. Upon which Words St Jerom writes thus against Jovinian Lib. 1. C. 19. If a Layman (says he) cannot pray without Abstaining fometimes from the Conjugal Duty, a Priest who must always offer Sacrifice, muft always pray: and if he must always pray, he must always be unmarried.

This Jovinian (whom St Jerom ftiles the Chriftian Epicure) was the Martin Luther of his Time in openly Oppofing the Lawfulneß of Religious Vows, and the Celibacy of Priests: And, if the World had then been ripe for a Godly Reformation, he would have faved Luther fome Part of his Trouble. But the Church was then too Popishly affected to fuffer him to prevail. For he no fooner appear'd upon the Stage but was excommunicated, and his Heresy condemn'd firft by a Council at Rome under Pope Siricius, St Ambr. LI

II. Part.

Epift. 6. and afterwards by a Council at Milan. Epist, 7. and by the Writings of St Ambrofe St Jerom and St Austin, who exhorted as many as they could both Men and Women to confecrate themselves to God by Religious Vows, tho Jovinian urged the fame Texts of Scripture against it as are now com. monly made Ufe of by Protestants. But because he feduced fome ignorant Virgins by Saying, are you better than Abraham Sara &c. St Austin bid them anfwer, I am not better than Abraham, but the Chaf tity of a fingle Life is better than the Chastity of Marriage. Lib. de bono Conjug. C. 28. How different was the Spirit of thofe eminent Lights of the Church from that of our late Reformers.

Now St Paul's Recommending a Single Life as the perfecter State even to Laymen was doubtless the principal Motive that induced the Church to prohibit the Marriage of Priests. For, as their Priefly Character obliges them to a greater Perfection than that of Laymen, it is but reafonable they should embrace the perfecter State. And fince the Duties of the married State are look'd upon by the fame Apoftle as a Hin drance to Prayer, they whofe Office it is to, affift at the Altar and pray not only for themselves but the People alfo, feem to be call'd and deftined by God to no other Marriage than that of the Lamb. Nothing certainly appears more congruous in itself than that a Perfon, whofe Functions are wholly Spi ritual, and whofe Time ought to be divided between the Duties of Study and Prayer and the Care of Souls, should be free from the Concern of Wife and Children, and not imbark'd in all the Solicitudes of this Life like Wordly Perfons.

This then is the first Rule, on which I ground my Juftification of the Church's Difcipline relating to the Celibacy of Priests: viz. because a fingle Life is of itself.

267 a mare perfect State, and more becoming the Clergy than the Conjugal State.

The fecond Rule is, that tho many married Perfons were in the Primitive Ages admitted or rather compell'd to boly Orders in Confideration of their Extraordinary Merits, yet none were allow'd to marry, after their Ordination. The Council of Nice affords us a Proof of this Truth. For that Council intending to make a Decree to feparate even fuch Bishops Priests and Deacons from their Wives as had been married before their Ordination, was indeed diffuaded from it by St Paphnucius: yet it decreed that fuch as came unmarried into the Clergy, should always remain fingle according to the ancient Tradition of the Church. Socrates Lib. I. Hift. C. 8. illud fatis effe ut qui in Clerum ante adfcripti erant quam duxiffent uxores, hi fecundum veterem Ecclefia Traditionem deinceps a Nuptiis abftinerent,

'Tis plain then that according to the ancient Dif cipline of the Church none were allow'd to marry after their Admiffion to holy Orders even in the Eaftern Church, and as to the Discipline of the weftern Church St Jerom writes thus. Bishops Priests and Deacons are either chofen Virgins or Widowers; or at least abstain after Priesthood from the Ufe of Marriage as long as they live. Epif. so.

This then is the fecond Rule I go by, viz. that ac cording to the ancient Difcipline of the Church none were permitted to marry after they were once engaged in holy Orders.

The third Rule is, that all Vows freely made to God are binding. This none but Atheists can deny, becaufe God himself has declared it. When thou shallt vow a Vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not flack to pay is that which is gone out of thy Lips thou it shalle keep and perform. Deut. 23. . 21. 23. And St