Volume 1

Thelyphthora; or, a treatise on female ruin, in its causes, effects, consequences, prevention, and remedy; considered on the basis of the divine law under the following heads, viz. marriage, whoredom and fornication, adultery, polygamy, divorce, with many other incidental matters, particularly including an examination of the principles and tendency of Stat. 26 Geo. II. c. 33, commonly called The marriage act / [Anon].

  • Martin Madan
Date:
1780-1781
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Thelyphthora; or, a treatise on female ruin, in its causes, effects, consequences, prevention, and remedy; considered on the basis of the divine law under the following heads, viz. marriage, whoredom and fornication, adultery, polygamy, divorce, with many other incidental matters, particularly including an examination of the principles and tendency of Stat. 26 Geo. II. c. 33, commonly called The marriage act / [Anon]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    226/448 (page 196)
    [ ■96 ] There are fome who interpret the above paiTages (1 Tim. iii. 2. and Tit. i. 6.) to mean, that a Bif:op or Deacon ihould, if a widower, have had but one ·wife, or have been but once married; and this upon the ground of what is faid, I Tim. V. 9. concerning the women who were to be chofen to the office of Dea- conejfes—Let not a woman be taken into the number under fxty years, having been they who were inrolled among the clergy, accorJ- ing to the antient traditi071 of the church, ihould no more marry.” Clerical celibacy, and the con- demnation of polygamy, iland on one and the fame footing, and that a very lame one 5 that is to fay, on the antient tradition of the church ; fo did the religion of the Scribes and Pharifees, and fo do the fuperfi- tions of the church of Rome to this day. Paphnutius's fpeech on the occafion is to be found in Jortin, Rem. vol. ii. p. 249. Though what Paphnutius fays may rather apply againil the clergy marrying a fecond time, yet thofe to whom he fpake muft be fuppofed to have holden it unlawful for the clergy to marry at all, elfe how could they be for th eir feparating from the wives they took when lay- men F However, even the partial prohibition of wives to the clergy did not ripen into a decree, ’till about fifty years after, when Siricius, biihop of Ro?ne, ordained, that if a clerk married a ividow, or a fecond wife, he ihould be diveiled of his office. For many hundred years this was not obferved, ’till Gregory VIL Called Hildebrand, by cruel decrees of excommuni- cation, deprived miniilers of their lawful wives, and compelled the clergy to the vow of ccntinency, Hi/i* of Popery, vol. i. 21. the