Titus — Chapter 1

And that the ordering of Priests or imposition of hands to that purpose, belongeth onely to Bishops, and to no inferior Priests or other persons, it is plaine by the Apostolike practise set dovvne in the Scriptures, namely in the Actes, and in the Epistles to Timothee and Titus. And S. Hierom, vvho seemeth sometimes to say that in the primitiue Church there vvas no great difference betvvixt a Bishop and Priest, yet he euer excepteth giuing holy Orders, vvhich preeminence he attributeth to Bishops onely. ep. 85. as he doth also Confirming the Baptized by giuing them the holy Ghost through imposition of hand and holy Chrisme. Dial. cont. Lucifer. c. 4. To put no difference between them is Aërius heresie. Note also that Aërius vvas of old condemned of heresie, for holding that there vvas no difference betvvixt a Priest and a Bishop. Epiph. hær. 75. August. har. 53. Heret. translation. Note lastly the fraudulent translation of the Heretikes alvvaies, turning for Priests (vvhich here is euident to be a calling of Order and office) elders, saying, That thou ordaine Elders. vvhich in our vulgar tonge signifieth the age, and not the Office properly: and al this for hatred of Priests.

5. Ordaine Priests.) Priests must be consecrated by Bishops only. Though Priests or Bishops may be nominated and elected by the Princes, people, or Patrons of places, according to the vse of the time and diuersitie of Countries and fashions, yet they can not be ordered and consecrated but by a Bishop vvho vvas him self rightly ordered or consecrated before, as this Titus vvas by S. Paul. And here it seemeth that he did not onely consecrate them vvhom the people had elected before, but him self also made choise of the persons, no mention being here made of any other election popular. The popular election of the Clergie taken away. Vvhich though it vvere long vsed in the primitiue Church, yet for diuers causes and specially for continual tumultes, partialities, and disorders vvhich S. Augustine much complaineth of in his time, vvas iustly taken avvay, and other better meanes of their designement appointed. See Conc. Laodic. cap. 12. 13. S. August. de adult. coniug. li. 2. c. 20. Ep. 110. and Possid. in vita Aug. c. 8. The preeminence of a Bishop aboue a Ptiest. And that the ordering of Priests or imposition of hands to that purpose, belongeth onely to Bishops, and to no inferior Priests or other persons, it is plaine by the Apostolike practise set dovvne in the Scriptures, namely in the Actes, and in the Epistles to Timothee and Titus. And S. Hierom, vvho seemeth sometimes to say that in the primitiue Church there vvas no great difference betvvixt a Bishop and Priest, yet he euer excepteth giuing holy Orders, vvhich preeminence he attributeth to Bishops onely. ep. 85. as he doth also Confirming the Baptized by giuing them the holy Ghost through imposition of hand and holy Chrisme. Dial. cont. Lucifer. c. 4. To put no difference between them is Aërius heresie. Note also that Aërius vvas of old condemned of heresie, for holding that there vvas no difference betvvixt a Priest and a Bishop. Epiph. hær. 75. August. har. 53. Heret. translation. Note lastly the fraudulent translation of the Heretikes alvvaies, turning for Priests (vvhich here is euident to be a calling of Order and office) elders, saying, That thou ordaine Elders. vvhich in our vulgar tonge signifieth the age, and not the Office properly: and al this for hatred of Priests.

6. Of one wife.) Bigami excluded from holy Orders, and the causes thereof. To that vvhich is said vpon the like vvordes 1 Tim. 3: adde this testimonie of S. Epiphanius li. 3. to. 2. cont. hæreses in fine. Holy Priesthod, saith he, for the most part procedeth of Virgins: and if not of virgins, yet of them that liue a sole or single life: but and if the single and sole persons suffice not to the Ministerie, of such as conteine from their vviues, or after once marying remaine vvidovves. For him that hath been maried tvvise, it is not lavvful to take to Priesthod &c. If you list to see the causes vvhy bigamie is forbidden them that are to be Priests, and continencie required of the Clergie, see the same author li. 2. to. 1. hæres. 59. S. Ambrose li. 1. Offic. c. 50. and vpon 1 Tim. 3. S. Augustine de bono Coniugal. c. 18. S. Hierom ep. 50 c. 5 ad Pammachium, and against Iouinian li. 1 c, 19. S. Leo ep. 87. and other auncient authors. The notable men of both Testaments, that liued continetly from wiues. And if the studious reader peruse al antiquitie, he shal finde al notable Bishops and Priests of Gods Church to haue been single, or continent from their vviues, if any vvere maried before they came to the Clergie. So vvas S. Paul, and exhorteth al men to the like. 1 Cor. 7, 7. So vvere al the Apostles after they folovved Christ, as S. Hierom vvitnesseth, affirming that our Lord loued Iohn specially for his virginitie. Apol. ad Pammach. c. 8. & li. 1 cont. Iouin. c. 14. S. Ignatius ep. 6 ad Philadelph. saith of the said Iohn, and of Timothee, Titus, Euodius, Clement, that they liued and died in chastitie, reckening vp of the old Testament diuers notable personages that did the same, as Elias, Iesus Naue (othervvise called Iosue) Melchisedec, Elisæus, Hieremie, Iohn Baptist. No man is ignorant that al the notable fathers of the Greeke and Latin Church liued chast: Athanasius, Basil, Nazianzene, Chrysostom, Cyprian, Hilarie (vvho entered into holy Orders after his vviues death) Ambrose, Hierom, Augustine, Leo, Gregorie the great. Certaine other notable fathers had once vviues, but no holy men euer vsed them, much lesse maried, after they vvere in holy Orders. Only the Protestants complaine that they haue not the guift of chastitie. A maruelous thing, that so many heretofore should haue the gift of chastitie then, and novv so fevv, if the Protestants say true, that skarse one among them in our age of al their sectes, euen of their principal Superintendents, hath had it.