A Golden Chain

The seventh Commandment is repealed divers ways. First, in that they maintain the occasions of Adultery and fornication: namely, the vow of single life both in men and women, when as they have not received the gift from God to be continent: which gift when they want, and yet are bound to single life, they must needs break out into much looseness. This sin made ⟨p. 652⟩Mantuan, Palingenius and Petrarch to cry out against the Church of Rome. Again,¹ some Papists defend the toleration of the stews in Rome, for the avoiding of greater evils. And in the Council of Trent, chastity and Priests marriage are made opposite, so that marriage with them is a filthy thing, although God hath ordained it for the avoiding of fornication in all.² Furthermore, that which is most abominable and proves the Church of Rome to be an Antichristian Church: they maintain marriages within the degrees forbidden both by the law of nature, & of gods word. For in the table of consanguinity they which are placed in the transverse unequal line cannot marry, because they are as Parents & children: yet if they be distant four degrees on divers sides from the common stock they may marry together by the Canon law. As for example, the grand uncle may marry his sisters nephews niece,³ a thing very filthy in nature, considering that a man cannot marry with any honesty his sisters child. To go further, by Gods word they which are distant four degrees in the transverse equal line, are not forbidden to marry together, as cousin germans. Thus the daughters of Zelophehad were married to their fathers brothers sons: this example (as I take it) may be a warrant of the lawfulness of this marriage: Yet the Canon law utterly condemns this marriage of cousin germans, & the marriage of their children after them, though they be eight degrees distant.⁴ Thus the Church of Rome doth overthwart the Lord: where he gives liberty, they restrain it; and when he restraineth men, then they give liberty.