Oza, whiche put hys hand to the Arke, was slayne therfore, as it is though, because hee lay with hys wyfe the nyght before.Marginalia2. King. 6.

Ergo, Priestes whose handes be alwayes occupyed about the Lordes seruice, must be pure from company of wyfe or any woman.

Nadab, and Abiud, whiche sacrificed with straunge fire  

, were deuoured therefore because they companyed with theyr wyues the same nyght.MarginaliaNum. 4.

Ergo, Priestes, and sacrificers must haue no wyues to cōpanye withall.

The Priestes of the Gentiles, in old time, when they sacrificed to theyr Idoles, are sayd to lye from their wyues.

Ergo, much more the Priests that sacrifice to the lyuyng God, ought so to do.

Christ was borne of a virgine, Christ lyued euer a virgine, and commaundeth them that will serue hym, to folow him. MarginaliaIohn. 12.Qui mihi ministrat, me sequatur, id est: Si vis mihi ministrare, me castè viuendo imitare.

Ergo, Priests that haue wiues, are not meete to serue him.

Let  

euery man haue his ovvn vvife for auoydyng of fornicatiō.

MarginaliaThe grosse expositions of Anselme, vpon the wordes of S. Paule.That is ment, and graunted of the Apostle, onely to lay men. Hoc solis laicis eum concessisse, nemo ignorat.

Melius est nubere quam vri, It is better to mary  

, thē to burne.

Melius, id est, leuius est legitimæ vxori nubere, quā vri, id est, quàm alienarum mulierum concupiscētia consumi. It is a lyghter fault to mary one lawfull wife, then to be consumed with concupiscence of straunge women.

Oportet esse Episcopum irreprehensibilem, vnius vxoris virum. &c. A Byshop ought  

to bee vnreproueable, the husband of one vvyfe. &c.

Præcipit Apostolus, ne quis ad sacerdotium accedere præsumat, nisi is qui nō nisi vnicam vxorem laicus habuisset: Accepto autem ordine, nunquam ei carnis commixtione se copularet, tantū vitæ necessaria ei subministraret. That is: The Apostle here commaundeth, that none should presume to bee Priest, but he vvho beyng a lay mā before, hath had no more but one vvife: And after he be made Priest, not to couple hym self any more vvith her, but only to minister to her, thyngs necessarie for her liuing. &c.

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And finally after these thinges thus disputed, and alledged, the sayd Anselme concludeth the matter with this finall censure and determination, as foloweth: MarginaliaThe conclusion or censure of Anselme vpon maried priestes.Per hoc autem quod sacras vestes induunt, vel sacra vasa tangunt, Christo violenter manus inijciunt. Per hoc autem quod impudenter offerre præsumunt, Christum quodam modo visibiliter in altari crucifigunt. Legitur ministerium eorum, Christi persecutio, imo crucifixio appellatur. In Englishe thus. In that these men (he speaketh of maryed Priestes) do put on the holy vestementes, or do touche the holy vessels, they do lay violent handes vpon Christ. And in that they presume impudētly to offer, they do, in a maner, visibly crucifie Christ vpon the altare. The ministerie of such is read to be a persecution, or rather a crucifying of Christ. &c.

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Loe here the mighty reasons, the stronge tymbered argumentes, and the deepe Diuinitie wherewith thys Anselme and all other that draw after hys strynge, go about to impugne the lawfulnes of Priestes Mariage. MarginaliaAnswer to Anselmes reasons.Because þ^e Israelites whē they should appeare before the Lord at Mount Synai, were commaunded to kepe from their wiues three dayes: and because the Priests of the old law in doyng their function, as their turne came about, refrayned the company of their wyues for that present time: Ergo, Priestes of the new law must

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at no tyme haue any wiues, but liue alwayes single. &c.

And why might not Anselme as well argue thus: The people of Israell approchyng to the mount were commaunded in lyke sorte to washe theyr garmentes: Ergo, Priestes of the new law, whiche are occupyed euery day about the Aultar, ought euery daye to washe all their garmentes.

Moyses approchyng to the presence of the Lorde in the bushe, was commaūded to put of his shoes. Ergo, Priestes of the new law, whiche are euer approchyng to þ^e presence of theyr God, should neuer weare shoes.

Of kyng Dauid and hys company whiche but once in all theyr life dyd eate of the shewbread, it was demaunded by þ^e high Priest, whether they had kept thē from their wyues iij. dayes before. Ergo, kynges and the people of the new Testament, whiche euery yeare eate the bread of the Lordes boorde, more precious then euer was that Panis propositionis, shoulde abyde all their lyfe wiueles and vnspoused.

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But here Anselme should haue considered by these Scriptures, how we are taught not to put away our wiues, but wisely to distincte tymes, when and how to haue them. MarginaliaA tyme for all thynges.For as Salomon teacheth  

, to be a tyme for all thinges: so is there a tyme to marye, and a time not to marye, a tyme to resort, a tyme to withdrawe, a time of companye, a tyme of abstinence and prayer, which S. Paule calleth xxx. And as hee speaketh of a tyme of prayer and abstinence, so he speaketh also of a time of resorting together, and addeth the cause why   : ne tentet vos Satanas propter incontinentiam vestram, &c. Marginalia1. Cor. 7.that is: Lest Sathan (sayth he) tempte you for your incontinencie. And thus should Anselme with Salomon and Paule, haue considered the order and distinction of tymes. Oftetymes in Scripture that is cōmaunded to some, & at sometime, which extendeth not to others. And that which for a tyme is conuenient, is not by and by alwayes conuenient. Neither that which for a time is forbidden in Scripture, is therefore forbidden for euer. MarginaliaSpeciall examples breake no generall orders.Neyther ought speciall examples to breake generall orders: neyther agayne do extraordinarye prohibitions, make an vniuersall rule. They were then commaunded to sequester them selues from theyr wiues at the comming of the Lorde: Not that the comming of the Lorde dyd breake wedlocke, but hys commaundement dyd bynde obedience: and therfore obeyed they, because they were cōmaunded. MarginaliaSeparation of the Israelites frō their wiues for 3. dayes, is no argument that priestes should neuer marye.And yet were they not cōmaunded to put away theyr wiues, but onely to separate thē selues for a tyme, & that not for monethes & yeares, but onely for iij. dayes. Which abstinence also was inioyned them, not in þ^e presence nor at the appearing of the Lord, but three dayes before hys descendyng to them on the hill. Wherby it appeareth, that the vse of their wedlocke neyther displeased God being present, nor yet dyd driue hys presence away when he was come: for hee remayned there present amongest thē on the hill xl. dayes notwithstāding.

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Furthermore, thys tyme of separation from their wiues, as it was expreslye commaunded to them by God: so was it not longe nor tedious, but such as was neyther hard for them, nor vnconuenient for the tyme: geuing vs therby to vnderstand, MarginaliaSeparation in wedlock, how it is to be vsed.how to vse separatiō in wedlocke wisely, that is, neyther at no time, nor yet to longe. For as they do not well, which neuer followe the tyme of S. Paule, called xxx, for ab-abstinence and prayer: so doe they worse, which fall into that xxx, wherof S. Paule againe geueth vs warnyng  

, ne tentet vos Satanas per incontinentiam vestram. But worst of all doe they, which so separate their wiues cleane from them, and so abiure all matrimonie, that they fall headlong into the deuills pitfall of fornication, and all filthye abomination. And therefore the Lorde foreseing the perill thereof, sayd vnto the people   : Estote parati in diem tertium, & ne appropinquetis vxoribus vestris. &c. MarginaliaExod. 19.Appoynting in deede a separation from their wiues, but yet know-

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