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60

ANNOTATIONS.

CHAP. XVI.

3. To wife.) The Manichees did calumniate holie Abraham and other Patriarchs for hauing manie wiues, condemning them of incontinencie and adulterie for the same. Luther in the contrarie extreme held it not vnlawful, but indifferent now in the law of grace, for a man to haue more wiues then one at once. And some English Protestants hold, that for adulterie, the innocent partie may marie another, the first liuing. But the Catholike doctrine distinguishing times and causes, sheweth how pluralitie of wiues was lawful sometimes, and at other times, especially since Christ, altogether vnlawful, and vndispensable. The summe of which veritie is this. By the first institution of Mariage in the state of innocencie, and law of nature, and by the law of Christ, it is vnlawful for anie man to haue more wiues, and for anie woman to haue more husbands then one. In the one part of which Law notwithstanding God sometimes dispensed. For there be two kinds of precepts pertaining to the law of nature. One sort are as first principles of the law of nature, in which God neuer dispenseth, much lesse anie man. As that one woman may not haue more husbands then one, because the same would rather hinder procreation, and so were directly against the fruit of mariage. The other sorte are as conclusions drawne from the first principles, in which God sometimes dispenseth, but neuer anie man. As in this present example: seeing it is against natural procreation that one woman should haue manie husbands, it is conuenient also, there being ordinarily as manie men as women in the world, that euerie man likewise should be restrained to one wife, for so procreation may rather be increased, then if some men haue manie wiues, and others by that occasion haue none at al, except in some special case. As after the floud, when there was scarcitie of people, God dispensed with such men as indeed were like to make greater procreation by pluralitie of wiues. Which appeareth sufficiently by that Sarai perswaded her owne husband to marie an other wife, and he a true seruant of God agreed therto, not as a new thing, but as a lawful practise of those times. And Moyses here and in other places stil speaketh of it, as of a custome knowne to the people for lawful. If a man (saith he) haue two wiues, one beloued and the other hated, and they haue children by him, and the sonne of the hated be first-borne, he can not preferre the sonne of the beloued. Wherby is cleere that two wiues were then lawful, and the children of both legitimate, and that the first-borne must be preferred, without respect of first or last Mariage. Yet this dispensation either ceased before Christs time, the cause ceasing when the world was replenished; or at least our Sauiour tooke it away, restoring Matrimonie to the first institution of two in one flesh. Who pleaseth to see the Doctours that vnderstand and expound the Scriptures to this effect, may read S. Augustin li. 22. c. 30. &. 47. con. Faust. Manich. li. 16. c. 25. & 38. ciuit. & li. 1 de adulter. coniugiis. S. Christom ho. 56. in Gen. S. Amb. li. de Abrah. c. 4. Also S. Chrisost, S. Hierom, and S. Bede in. 19. Matthei. Rh