This Gregory the Seventh in a certain council made a decree that from that time forward, it should no more be lawful for priests to marry:1 and again, that such as were married already should be divorced from their wives. and if they would not forsake their wives, they should be deprived from their ministry,2 and also from ecclesiastical promotions, so that it should not be lawful for a christen man to take them for spiritual ministers, or to be present at their ministration, by the rea, son of their continuance in marriages when notwithstanding our Saviour-Christ ⟨p. 33⟩sayeth:3 That God hath coupled and joined together: let no man separate and put a sunder.4 And the holy Apostle sayeth: To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and every woman her own husband. Again, Wedlock is honourable among all men,5 & the bed undefiled. But whoremongers & adulterers God shall judge. Of this decree followed many & great inconveniences.6 For the priests by this means abstaining from lawful matrimony, abstained not from unlawful whoredom, & from other lewd parts of most detestable uncleanness, but defiled themselves with all kind of abominable living, unto the utter defacing both of themselves and of their ministry, in so much that the aforesaid pope was compelled to make a decree, that no man should hear the mass of any whoremonger priest: supposing by this means to fray away the priests from their whoring,7 which notwithstanding from that time unto this hour again, hath grown up unto such an height in the kingdom of the pope, that among the very Turks, Jews, Saracens, ⟨image 63⟩and such other miscreants, the like fornication, whoredom, adultery, incest, sodomitrye and all wicked kind of most detestable dissolution of lewd life not to be found, as is at this present proved to be exercised of the unchaste generation of the popish wifeless priests, unto the great infamy and slander of the christen profession.
This Gregory the Seuenth in a ceretayne councell made a decree that from that tyme forwarde, it should no more be lawfull for priestes to marrye:1 and agayne, that such as were married alreadye shoulde bee diuorced from their wyues. and if they woulde not forsake theyr wyues, they shoulde be depriued from their ministery,2 and also from ecclesiasticall promotiōs, so that it shuld not be lawful for a christen mā to take them for spirituall ministers, or to bee present at their ministratiō, by the rea, son of their continuaunce in mariage• when notwithstandyng our Sauiour-Christ ⟨p. 33⟩sayeth:3 That God hath coupled and ioyned together: let no man separate and put a sunder.4 And the holy Apostle sayeth: To auoyde fornication, let euery man haue his own wife, and euery womā her own husband. Again, Wedlocke is honourable among all men,5 & the bed vndefiled. But whoremongers & adulterers God shal iudge. Of thys decree followed many & great inconueniences.6 For ye priestes by this meanes abstayning from lawfull matrimonye, abstayned not frō vnlawfull whoredome, & from other leude partes of most detestable vncleannesse, but defiled themselues with al kinde of abhominable liuing, vnto the vtter defacing both of themselues and of theyr ministery, in so muche yt the aforesayd pope was compelled to make a decree, that no man should heare the masse of any whoremōger priest: supposyng by this meanes to fraye away the priestes frō their whoring,7 which notwithstāding from that time vnto this houre again, hath growen vp vnto such an hight in the kingdome of the pope, that among the verye Turkes, Iewes, Sarazens, ⟨image 63⟩and suche other miscreantes, the lyke fornication, whoredome, adultery, incest, sodomitrye and all wicked kynde of most detestable dissolution of leude life not to be founde, as is at this present proued to be exercised of ye vnchast generatiō of the popish wiuelesse priestes, vnto the great infamye and slaunder of the christen profession.
- 1O Antichrist.
- 2O TyrantO Tiraūt
- 3Math. xix.
- 4i. Cor. vii.
- 5Heb. xiii.
- 6☞
- 7The filthy generation of the wifeless papistsThe filthy generation of ye wiuelesse papists
