thing yet speaketh the same writer, more plainlie in these wordes[51]. It
is not permitted to women to speake, but to be in silence, as the lawe
saith[52]. What saith the lawe? Vnto 'thy husband, shall thy conuersion
be, and he shall beare dominion ouer the'. This is a speciall lawe (saith
Ambrose) whose sentence, lest it shulde be violated, infirmed, or made
weake, women are commanded to be in silence. Here he includeth all women.
And yet he procedeth further in the same place saying[53]: It is shame
for them to presume to speake of the lawe in the house of the Lord, who
hath commanded them to be subiect to their men. But moste plainly speaketh
he writing vpon the 16. chapitre of the epistle of S. Paule to the
Romaines, vpon these wordes[54a]: Salute Rufus and his mother. For this
cause (saith Ambrose) did the apostle place Rufus before his mother, for
the election of the administration of the grace of God, in the whiche a
woman hath no place. For he was chosen and promoted by the Lorde, to take
care ouer his busines, that is, ouer the churche, to the whiche office
could not his mother be appointed, albeit she was a woman so, holie, that
the apostle called her his mother. Hereof it is plaine that the
administration of the grace of God, is denied to all woman. By the
administration of Goddes grace, is vnderstand not onely the preaching of
the worde and administration of the sacramentes, by the whiche the grace
of God is presented and ordinarilie distributed vnto man, but also the
administration of ciuile iustice, by the whiche, vertue oght to be
mainteined, and vices punished. The execution wherof is no lesse denied to
woman, then is the preaching of the Euangile, or administration of the
sacramentes, as herafter shall most plainlie appeare.

[Sidenote 54: Chrysost. homil. 17. in genes.]
[Sidenote 55: NOTE]
[Sidenote 56: Homil. 15 in Genes.]
[Sidenote 57: God graunt all womens hartes to understand and folow