Leviathan

Publique Laws; except onely Monks, and Friers, that are bound by Vow
to that simple obedience to their Superiour, to which every Subject ought
to think himself bound by the Law of Nature to the Civill Soveraign.
And this private measure of Good, is a Doctrine, not onely Vain,
but also Pernicious to the Publique State.

And That Lawfull Marriage Is Unchastity:
It is also Vain and false Philosophy, to say the work of Marriage
is repugnant to Chastity, or Continence, and by consequence
to make them Morall Vices; as they doe, that pretend Chastity,
and Continence, for the ground of denying Marriage to the Clergy.
For they confesse it is no more, but a Constitution of the Church,
that requireth in those holy Orders that continually attend the Altar,
and administration of the Eucharist, a continuall Abstinence from women,
under the name of continuall Chastity, Continence, and Purity.
Therefore they call the lawfull use of Wives, want of Chastity,
and Continence; and so make Marriage a Sin, or at least a thing
so impure, and unclean, as to render a man unfit for the Altar.
If the Law were made because the use of Wives is Incontinence,
and contrary to Chastity, then all marriage is vice; If because it is
a thing too impure, and unclean for a man consecrated to God;
much more should other naturall, necessary, and daily works
which all men doe, render men unworthy to bee Priests, because
they are more unclean.

But the secret foundation of this prohibition of Marriage of Priests,
is not likely to have been laid so slightly, as upon such errours
in Morall Philosophy; nor yet upon the preference of single life,
to the estate of Matrimony; which proceeded from the wisdome
of St. Paul, who perceived how inconvenient a thing it was,
for those that in those times of persecution were Preachers
of the Gospel, and forced to fly from one countrey to another,
to be clogged with the care of wife and children; but upon the design
of the Popes, and Priests of after times, to make themselves the Clergy,
that is to say, sole Heirs of the Kingdome of God in this world;
to which it was necessary to take from them the use of Marriage,
because our Saviour saith, that at the coming of his Kingdome
the Children of God shall "neither Marry, nor bee given in Marriage,
but shall bee as the Angels in heaven;" that is to say, Spirituall.
Seeing then they had taken on them the name of Spirituall,
to have allowed themselves (when there was no need) the propriety
of Wives, had been an Incongruity.

And That All Government But Popular, Is Tyranny:
From Aristotles Civill Philosophy, they have learned, to call all manner
of Common-wealths but the Popular, (such as was at that time the state
of Athens,) Tyranny.  All Kings they called Tyrants; and the Aristocracy
of the thirty Governours set up there by the Lacedemonians that
subdued them, the thirty Tyrants: As also to call the condition
of the people under the Democracy, Liberty.  A Tyrant originally
signified no more simply, but a Monarch: But when afterwards
in most parts of Greece that kind of government was abolished,
the name began to signifie, not onely the thing it did before,
but with it, the hatred which the Popular States bare towards it:
As also the name of King became odious after the deposing of the Kings
in Rome, as being a thing naturall to all men, to conceive some
great Fault to be signified in any Attribute, that is given in despight,
and to a great Enemy.  And when the same men shall be displeased
with those that have the administration of the Democracy, or Aristocracy,
they are not to seek for disgraceful names to expresse their anger in;
but call readily the one Anarchy, and the other Oligarchy,
or the Tyranny Of A Few.  And that which offendeth the People,
is no other thing, but that they are governed, not as every one
of them would himselfe, but as the Publique Representant, be it one Man,
or an Assembly of men thinks fit; that is, by an Arbitrary government:
for which they give evill names to their Superiors; never knowing
(till perhaps a little after a Civill warre) that without such
Arbitrary government, such Warre must be perpetuall; and that
it is Men, and Arms, not Words, and Promises, that make the
Force and Power of the Laws.

That Not Men, But Law Governs
And therefore this is another Errour of Aristotles Politiques,
that in a wel ordered Common-wealth, not Men should govern, but the Laws.
What man, that has his naturall Senses, though he can neither write
nor read, does not find himself governed by them he fears,
and beleeves can kill or hurt him when he obeyeth not? or that beleeves
the Law can hurt him; that is, Words, and Paper, without the Hands,
and Swords of men? And this is of the number of pernicious Errors:
for they induce men, as oft as they like not their Governours,
to adhaere to those that call them Tyrants, and to think it lawfull
to raise warre against them: And yet they are many times cherished
from the Pulpit, by the Clergy.

Laws Over The Conscience
There is another Errour in their Civill Philosophy (which they never
learned of Aristotle, nor Cicero, nor any other of the Heathen,)
to extend the power of the Law, which is the Rule of Actions onely,
to the very Thoughts, and Consciences of men, by Examination,
and Inquisition of what they Hold, notwithstanding the Conformity
of their Speech and Actions: By which, men are either punished
for answering the truth of their thoughts, or constrained to answer
an untruth for fear of punishment.  It is true, that the Civill
Magistrate, intending to employ a Minister in the charge of Teaching,
may enquire of him, if hee bee content to Preach such, and such Doctrines;
and in case of refusall, may deny him the employment: But to force him
to accuse himselfe of Opinions, when his Actions are not by Law forbidden,
is against the Law of Nature; and especially in them, who teach,
that a man shall bee damned to Eternall and extream torments, if he die
in a false opinion concerning an Article of the Christian Faith.