despise others, who with reverence do wear other common and usual kinds of garments, let him be accursed.' And Augustine, De Bono Conjugali, cap. 21. dareth not prefer the virginity of the Baptist before the wedlock of Abraham.

Therefore he that doth vow virginity or single life, doth either vow it as a singular worship of God; (and then, because the state of single life is not commanded by the word of God, this vow pertaineth to the commandments of men, whereof Christ saith, "In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the precepts of men:" Matt. xv. 9.) or else he voweth it as a merit of remission of sins, and of life eternal; and then it is evidently a wicked vow, whereunto no man is bound. It is to no better purpose to vow poverty. For either thou art poor by condition or estate, and possessest no earthly substance; (and then this cross, which God hath laid upon thee, thou must bear it patiently; which moreover if thou do vow, thou dost nothing else than if in thy sickness thou shouldest vow that thou wouldest always be sick, or in thine infamy that thou wouldest always be infamous; which kind of vow is rather madness, than godliness :) or else thou dost possess substance, and vowest that, forsaking thy substance, thou wilt always lead a poor life, and get thy living by begging, and obtain, by the merit of this vow, eternal life; and then this vow is first of all repugnant to the love of thy neighbour, which requireth, that thou be not troublesome to any by thy begging, further than necessity compelleth; secondly, it is contrary to faith in Christ, because that He alone is the merit of eternal life. Therefore it is evident, that this kind of vow is unlawful and wicked. But so to forsake thy substance, as to give it to a common use, is not to follow after poverty, but to provide a more certain and bountiful living for thyself: the which what manner of worship it is before God, cannot be unknown. And as for obedience, it is either referred to God, and then it is not an arbitrary vow, but of due necessity; (of which obedience it is said, "Obedience is better than sacrifice:" 1 Sam. xv. 22.) or else it is referred to man, and then they are their own duties of obedience which they owe, the subject to the magistrate, children to their parents, scholars to their school-masters. at men's hands, whether they be with this condition, that we do men. Acts v. 29. But to vow obedience unto man, without a special calling of God, that by the works of such obedience a

servants to their masters, and These things doth God look for vowed, or not vowed: but yet always rather obey God than

man may not only perform a singular worship unto God, but also purge his sins before God, it is altogether superfluous; (because that Christ saith, They worship me in vain with the traditions of men:" Matt. xv. 9.) and also wicked, because the obedience of Christ alone, which He performed to God his Father, hath purged our sins, and reconciled us with God. By all these things it is manifest, that the kind of vowing single life, poverty, and obedience, doth not agree with that doctrine which is indeed Catholic; especially seeing that certain men are not afraid to make this kind of vowing equal with baptism.

IX. FROM THE CONFESSION OF SUEVELAND.

Chapter 12. Of Monkery.

And for the same cause,* that all our justification doth consist in faith in Jesus Christ, (whereupon we have liberty given to us in all external things,) we have permitted the bonds of monkery to be relaxed among us. For we saw that this liberty of Christians was vehemently challenged in every place by St. Paul; whereby every Christian man (being of himself assured that all righteousness and salvation is to be sought for only in Christ Jesus our Lord, and also that he must at all times use all the things of this life, as to the profit of his neighbours, so to the glory of God) doth freely permit all which he hath to be arbitrated and moderated by the Holy Ghost, who is the giver of true adoption and liberty, and also to be appointed and bestowed both to the relief of his neighbours, and to the advancement of the glory of God. we retain this liberty, we shew ourselves to be the servants of Christ when we betray it to men, addicting ourselves to their inventions, we do, like renagades, forsake Christ, and fly to men. The which thing we do so much the more wickedly, because that Christ hath made us His own by no common purchase, in that He hath redeemed us by His blood from the deadly slavery of Satan. And this is the cause why St. Paul, writing to the Galatians, did so much detest that they should have addicted themselves to the ceremonies of the law, though commanded of God; notwithstanding, as we declared before, that might be far better excused, than to submit themselves to the yoke of those ceremonies, which men

This former part of the 12th Chapter might more commodiously have been referred to the Seventeenth Section, where we intreated of true Christian liberty, if those things which follow had not hindered it.

have feigned of their own brain. For he did write, and that truly, that they, which admit the yoke of those ceremonies, "despise the grace of God, and count the death of Christ as a thing of nought :" Gal. ii. 21. and v. 4. and thereupon he saith, that "he is afraid, lest that he had bestowed his labour among them in vain:" Gal. iv. 11. and he exhorteth them, that they would "stand stedfast in that liberty, wherewith Christ hath made us free, and not to be entangled again with the yoke of bondage." Gal. v. 1.

Now it is evident that monkery is nothing else than bondage of traditions devised by men, and indeed of such as Paul hath by name condemned in the places which we alledged. For undoubtedly they which profess monkery do addict themselves to those inventions of men for hope of merits. And hereupon it is that they make it so heinous an offence to forsake those inventions, and embrace the liberty of Christ. Therefore, seeing that as well our body as our spirit belong unto God, 1 Cor. vi. 20. (and that in a double respect, to wit, of our creation, and of our redemption;) it cannot be lawful for Christians to make themselves slaves to this monastical servitude; much less, indeed, than for profane servants to change their masters. Moreover it cannot be denied, but that, by such like bondage and vows to live after the commandment of men, a certain necessity (as it always useth to be) of transgressing the law of God is brought in. For the law of God doth require that a Christian man should, as much as lieth in him, employ his service to the benefit of the magistrate, his parents, his kindred; Matt. xv. 6. and of other and all those, whom the Lord hath made his neighbours, and brought to him to be assisted, in what place, time, or manner soever their necessity shall require. Then let him embrace that kind of living, whereby he may chiefly provide for the affairs of his neighbours. Neither let him choose a single life, unless it be given him, for the kingdom of heaven, (that is, to further godliness and the glory of God,) to renounce marriage, and to make himself an eunuch. For that edict which Paul did publish, standeth firm and steadfast, neither can any vows of men make it frustrate: "For the avoiding of whoredom let every man (he excepteth none) have his own wife, and every woman her own husband." I Cor. vii. 2. For all men do not receive that word, of taking upon them a single life for the kingdom of heaven, as Christ himself doth witness; Matt. xix. 11. than whom no man did more certainly know, and more faithfully teach, either of what force man's nature is, or what is acceptable to his Father. Now it is certain, that by these monastical vows,

they which do make them are so bound to a certain kind of men, that they think it not lawful to shew themselves obedient and dutiful any longer, either to the magistrate, or to their parents, or to any men, (only the chief governor of the monastery excepted,) nor to relieve them with their substance, and least of all to marry a wife, though they be very greatly burned; and therefore they do necessarily fall into all kinds of dishonesties of life.

Seeing therefore that it is evident, that these monastical vows do make a man, which is freed from the service of Christ, to be in danger, not so much of the bondage of men, as of Satan; and that they do bring in a certain necessity of transgressing the law of God, (according to the nature of all such traditions as are devised by men ;) and that therefore they be manifestly contrary to the commandments of God; we do, not without cause, believe, that they are to be made frustrate: seeing that not only the written law, but also the law of nature, doth command to disannul a promise, if, being kept, it be a hindrance to good manners, much more to religion. Therefore we could not withstand any which would change a monastical life (which is undoubtedly a bondage to Satan) for a Christian life: as also we could not withstand others of the ecclesiastical order, who, marrying wives, have embraced a kind of life, whereof their neighbours might look for more profit and greater honesty of life, than of that kind wherein they lived before. To conclude, neither did we take upon us to drive them from the right of wedlock, who among us have persevered in the ministry of the word of God, whatsoever chastity they had vowed, for the causes before specified; seeing that St. Paul, the chief maintainer of true chastity, doth admit even a bishop to be a married man. For we have lawfully preferred this one law of God before all laws of men, For the avoiding of whoredom, let every man have his own wife." 1 Cor. vii. 2. Which law truly for that it hath been rejected so long time, all kinds of lusts, even those which are not to be named, (be it spoken with reverence to your sacred majesty, O noble Cæsar,) have more than horribly overwhelmed the ecclesiastical order; so that at this day amongst men there be none more abominable than they which bear the name of priests.

THE NINETEENTH SECTION.

OF THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE.

1. FROM THE LATTER CONFESSION OF HELVETIA.

Chapter 30. Of Magistracy.

THE magistracy, of what sort soever it be, is ordained of God himself, for the peace and quietness of mankind; and so, that he ought to have the chiefest place in the world. If he be an adversary to the Church, he may hinder and disturb it very much but if he be a friend and so a member of the Church, he is a most useful and excellent member thereof, which may profit it very much, and finally may help and further it very excellently. His chiefest duty is, to procure and maintain peace and public tranquillity: which doubtless he shall never do more happily, than when he shall be truly seasoned with the fear of God and true religion; namely, when he shall, after the example of the most holy kings and princes of the people of the Lord, advance the preaching of the truth, and the pure and sincere faith, and shall root out lies, and all superstition, with all impiety and idolatry, and shall defend the church of God. For indeed we teach that the care of religion doth chiefly appertain to the holy magistrate. Let him therefore hold the word of God in his hands, and look that nothing be taught contrary thereunto. In like manner let him govern the people committed to him of God, with good laws, made according to the word of God.* Let him hold them in discipline, and in duty, and in obedience: let him exercise judgment by judging uprightly: let him not accept any man's person, or receive bribes: let him deliver widows, fatherless children, and those that be afflicted, from wrong: let him repress, yea, and cut off such as are unjust, whether in deceit or by violence. "For he hath not received the sword of God

in vain." Rom. xiii. 4.

Therefore let him draw forth this sword of

That is, with such as do not forbid that which God doth command in the Moral Law, and by the voice of nature itself; nor command that which He forbiddeth. For otherwise, by the name of the word of God the Civil Law of the Jews might also be understood; to the which, notwithstanding, we are not bound in so much as it is civil, but only so far forth as it is grounded upon the general and perpetual rule of justice,