An exhortation to the diligent studye of scripture, made by Erasmus Roterodamus. And tra[n]slated in to inglissh. An exposition in to the seventh chaptre of the first pistle to the Corinthians — Paraclesis. English

An exhortation to the diligent studye of scripture, made by Erasmus Roterodamus. And tra[n]slated in to inglissh. An exposition in to the seventh chaptre of the first pistle to the Corinthians — Paraclesis. English

Table of contents

Title page

§

§

It is good for a man not tō touche a woman. Neverthelesse to avoyde fornicacyon. Let every mā have his wife. And let every woman have her husbande.

Let the man geve vnto the wife due benevolence / lykewise also the wyfe vnto the man. The wyfe hath not power over her awne body: but the husbande. And lyke wise the mā hath not power over his awne body / but the wyfe.

With drawe not your selves one from an other / excepte it be by cōsente for a time / for to geve your selves vnto fastinge and prayer / and afterwarde come a gayne vnto the same thinge / leste Sathan tempte yow for your incontinēcy

This I saye of favour / not of cōmaundemēte / for I wolde that all mē were as I my silfe am. But every man hath his proper gifte of god / one after this maner / an other after that.

I saye vnto the vnmaried men ād wyddowes / it is good for thē yf they do abyde / even as I do.

I saye vnto the vnmaryed mē / ād widdowes: It is good for thē yf they abyde even as I do: But and yf they can not abstayne / let them mary. For it is better to marye / then to burne.

2

¶ The seconde parte. Unto the maryed commaunde no• I / but the lorde. That the wife separate not hyr silfe fro the mā If she separate hir silfe / let hir remaine vnmaryed / or be reconciled vnto hir husbande agayne. And let not the husbande put a waye his wife.

To the remnaunte speake I ād not the lorde. If eny brother have a wife that beleveth not. If she be cōtente to dwelle with him / let him not put hyr a waye. And the womā which hath vnto hyr husbande and infidele / yf he consente to dwelle with hir let hir not put hem a waye.

¶ The Apostle procedeth forthe. For the vnbelevinge husbande is sanctified by the wyfe: And the vnbelevinge wife is sanctified by the husbande. Or elles were your chyldre vnclene: but now ar they pure.

But ād yf the vnbelevinge departe / let him departe. A brother or a sister is not in subiection to soche. God hath called vs in peace.

For howe knowest thou o wō man whether thou shalte save thy husbāde or not? Other howe knoweste thou o man whether thou shalte save thy wyfe or not? But even as god hath distributed vnto every man.

As the lorde hath called every parsone / so let him walke. And so ordeyne I in all congregacyons.

If any mā be called beyng circū cised / let him not take vncircumcision. If any be called beyng vncircumcised / let him not be circumcised. Circumcisiō is no thinge / vncirdumcisiō is no thinge: but the kepinge of the cōmaundemētes of god is all to gether.

Let every man abyde in the same state wherin he wascalled Art thou called beyng a servante? Care not for yt. Neverthelesse yf thou mayste be free / vse yt rather.

Neverthelesse yf thou mayest be free sayth Paule) vse yt rather

For he that ys called in the lorde beyng a servāte ys the lordes fre mā. Lyke wyse he that ys called beyng free / ys Chrystes servante.

ye are dearly bough•••ee therfore ye be not the servātes of men.

3

¶The thirde parte which entreateth of vyrginite. As concerninge vyrgins I have no cammaundemēte of the lorde / yet I do geve councelle as one that hath obteyned of the lorde to be faithfulle. I suppose that it is good for the presente necessyte / for it is good for a man so to be.

Art thou bounde vnto a wyfe? seke not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wyfe? seke not a wyfe: But ād yf thou take a wyfe / thou haste not sinned / like wise yf a virgine marye / she hath not synned: Neverthelesse soche shall have troble in theyr flesshe: but I faver yow.

Bretherne let every man wherin he is called / therī abyde with God.

This saye I bretherne the tyme ys shorte / yt remayneth that they whiche have wifes be as though they had none: and that they that wepe be as though they wept not: and that they that reioyce be as though they reioysed not: And that bye / as though they possessed not: And they that vse this worlde / as though they vsed yt not / for the fassion of this worlde goth away.

I wolde have you with out care. The single mā careth for thinges of the lorde / how he maye please the lorde: but he that hath maried careth for thīges of the worlde / howe he maye please his wife There is difference betwene a virgyn ād a wife. The single womā careth for the thinges of the lorde that she may be pure both in body and also in sprete: but she that ys maried careth for thinges of the worlde / howe she maye please hir husbande.

This speake I for your profite and not to tangle yow in a snare: but for that which is honeste and comly vnto you. And that you maye quietly cleave vnto God with out distraction or separacion.

yf enyman thynke that yt ys vncomly for his virgyne yf she passe the tyme of mariage / and yf so nede requyre / let hym do what he listeth: let them be coupled in matrimony.

Neverthelesse he that purposeth surely in his harte havinge no nede / but hath power over his awne wyll: ād hath so decreed in his herte / that he wyll kepe hys vyrgen / doth well.

So then he that ioyneth hys vyrgen in mariage / doth well And he that ioyneth not hys virgen in mariage / doth better.

The wyfe ys bounde vnto the lawe so longe as her husbande lyveth. yf her husbande slepe she ys at liber•ye to mary with whome she wyll / only in the lorde but she ys happyar yf she so abyde in my indgemente. And I thinke verely that I have the sprete of god.

§

¶Paule to the Hebrues .xiij.

Paule .i. Corin. vi.

Paule .i. Corinthiorū .vii.

Christ Mathei. xix.

Paule To the Ephesians .v.

§

§

§

§

[Page]

[Page]

¶An exhortation to the diligent studye of scripture / made by Erasmus Roterodamus. And trāslated in to inglissh.

¶ An exposition in to the seventh chaptre of the first pistle to the Corinthians.

§

§

[Page]

[Page]

LActantius Firmianus / Christen Reader (whose eloquēce sanct Hierome doth greatlie avaunce) endeveringe hym silf to defende and mayntayne the chasten fayth and religion / against the craftye and vnfaithfull gentles / did wishe and desyre with fervent affection to attayne the eloquence next vnto Tullyes / coun [...]inge it an hygh presumptyou (as I thinke) yf he shuld have desyred equall. How be yt I truely / yf that wisshes coulde eny thinge avaylle / at the leste while I exhorte and entyse all mortall men vnto the most holye and holsome studye of Christian wisdome / and pure Philosop [...]ye / wold hartelye desyre an other manner of eloquence to be gevē vnto me / thē ever cicero had / all though not so gloriouslie painted & coloured as his was yet truely of more power & efficacite / yee soch a vehemēt persuasion & strength of eloquēce wold I desyre / as ye fables of old poetes have noted in mercurius / whō they fained (as it had bene with a rodde of inch [...]untemēt / & a melodious harpe) to cast mē en to a sodē & oblivious slepe / & againe to reyse thē at his awne pleasure / depressīge some (yt are allected with his hevēly armonye) in to ye depthe of plutos īpery. And brīgīge thē againe out of all ve [...]acions [Page] Other soch as they ascribed to Amphion & Orpheus / for they imagine that ye one with his armonious harpe dyd move the stiffe stones. And that the other made to folow hī the insensible trees. Other soch as the frenshmen applye to Hercules Ogmius fainī ge [...]hat he leadeth aboute all men with hys godly eloquēce as it were with certen smale chaynes which are tied vnto his tonge and runne thorow every mannes ceres. Other soch as the doo [...]inge old age did attribute vnto marsyas. O [...] els truly (because we wyll not be longe in repetynge fables) soch as Al [...]ibiades hath graunted vnto Socrates. And the old comedye vnto pericles / whiche maye not onlye entyse and delite the ceres with a shorte and corruptible delectacion or pleasure. But also maye leve perpetuall pri [...] kes and instigacyons in the mindes of the hearers / which may ravysshe and transforme them / and l [...]ve them in an other mynde then they were before. The noble musicyon Timotheus (as we r [...]ade [...]) with his proporcioned armonye was wont to enflame Alexander the great conquerour with a fervent desyre to warre. And there have bene in tymes paste / that have counted nothinge of more power and efficacite then thenchauntementes / which the Grekes calle epodas. Now yf there be eny soch kind of enchauntement or charme. Yf there be eny strenght [Page] in mus [...] a [...]d armonye. Yf there be eny pleasant persuasion / which hath power to allecte mannes mind in to here sentence / the same at this ceas [...]n / wold I gladly obtaine to thentent that I might persuade vnto all men that thinge which is most holsome ād most profitable vnto them. All though it were better / yee and more convenient to desyre that Christ him silfe (whos cause I entreate) wold so tempre the stringes of oure instrument / that this songe may prosperousl [...] entyse and mov [...] / the mindes of all mē. For this porp [...] [...]ewe nede but lytle the painted argumen [...] and coloured conclusions of ye Rhetori [...]ns / for nothinge so surely can garnisshe and performe that / that we desyre as the truthe it silf / which whē it is most plaine and simple / is of most vehemen [...] [...]fficacite in persuading. Nether do I coun [...]e it best at this tyme to revocat [...] and call to memorye the sorowfull complain to (all though it be not new yet alas it is to [...]ue / and I thinke it could never be more iu [...]tlye verefied then at this present tyme) that syth with soch great diligence all mennes invē cyons are studyed and commended / yet only this immortall fontayne of Christes pure philosophye / is despysed and mocked of so many / yee and cheflye of them whiche professe to be the heddes and examples of the Christen / few there are that seke these holsome [Page] springes of helthe / And yet they that seke them / do so vnfruetfully loke vpon them Adding their awne glosses and opinions that they seame rather to troble and defile these springes of liffe / then to drinke of thē swetely / that they might have in them silf floddes of livīge water / rūninge in to everlastinge liffe / which both shuld be to the glorye of god / and profitte of the Christen.

We se that in all other sciences which by mannes polycy have bene invented / there is no misterye so darke and secrete / but that the quyckenes of oure witte hath attayned it / there is nothinge so harde / but that diligent labour hath subdued it vnto him. how chaūceth it thē yt we embrace not / with faythfull hartes (as it is convenient) this pure philosophy / syth we professe the holy name of Christ? Platos adherentes / Pithagoras scholars: The Academikes / Sto [...]kes Epicures. The fautores of Aristotle and disciples of Diogenes / know growndly yee and by harte / the traditions of their awne secte / And fight most fersly for them Redye rather to dye / thē to forsake their patrone and author. And why do not we moch more geve oure mindes and studyes / vnto oure master and prince Christ / who wold not count it a foule thinge / yce and a great rebuke to him that professeth Aristotles philosophye / if he be ignorant what his master [Page] iudgeth / concerninge the cawses of the thunder / of the raynbow / of the erthquakes / And of soch othernaturall causes? which though they were knowne or vnknowne / Make not thē that laboure to knowe them happye nor vnhappye. And shulde we which are so many wayes consecrated / and with so manye sacramētes bownde vnto christ: thinke it no shame awhitte / to be ignorant in his scripture and doctrine / which geve vs moste sure comforte and felicite? And which are the anker of the soule both sure and stable / preservinge vs from perisshinge in all tempestes of temptation? How be it / for what entent vse we this comparison / sith it is extreme madnes to compare Christ with Zeno and Aristotle / and his hevenlye doctrine / with their tri felinge traditions.

Let them fayne and imagyne vnto the captaynes of their secte as moch as they may / y [...]e as moch as they will. Yet trulye. Only this master ād teacher / came from heven / which alone could teach sure thinges / beinge the everlastinge wisdom af the father which alone hath taught holsom thinges / beinge the fundation of all mannes helthe: which alone hath ful [...]illed to the vttermost poynte / al that he hath taught: and which alone may parforme / what so ever he hath promised. Yf any thinge had bene brought [Page] from the chaldes or the Aegiptions / we wold the more gredelye desyre to know it / be cause it came farre / and from a strange contrye (yee it is the more deare and precious that comethe from a farre) And we are often times so grevouslye vexed aboute the dreame and phantasye of a folyssh felow (not only with small profute / but also with great losse of time) that it is shame to reherse it. I wonder yt this desire doth not likwisse ticle and entyse the Christen hartes / which know wel ynough (as the thinge is in dede) that this holsome doctrine came not from Aegipte or Syria. But from the very heven and sete of god. Why do we not thinke with oure selves on this maner / It must nedes be a new and mervelous kind of learninge / syth that god him silf which was immortall / became a naturall man and mortall / descendinge from the right hand of his father / in to this wretched worlde / to teach it vnto vs / It muste nedes be a highe and excellēt thinge / and no trifle / which that hevenlye and mervelous master came [...]o teach openlye. Why do we not go aboute to know / serch [...]o trye out with a godly curiosyte / this fruetfull Philosoph [...]e? Sith that this kind of wisdome beinge so profounde and inscrutable that vtterlye it damneth & confoundeth as folyssh all the wisdome of this world May be gad [...]r [...]d out of so small bokes [...] [Page] out of moste pure springes / And that with moch lesse laboure / thē the doctrine of Aristotle out of so many brawlinge and contentious bokes / Or of soch infinite commentaryes which do so moch dissent / Be sides the incōperable frute which nedeth not here to be spoken of. Nether is it nedefull that thou be clogged with so many irxome and ba belinge sciences / The meanes to this philosophye are easy and at hand / do only thy diligence to bringe a godly and redy minde / cheflye endewed with plaine and pure faithe Be only desyrous to be instructe / and cōfirmable to this meake doctrine / And thou hast moch profited. Thy master and instructor (that is the sprete of god) will not from th [...] be absent / which is never more gladly present with eny / then with simple and playne hartes. Mennes doctrines and traditions (be sydes the promessinge of false felicite) do confounde many mēnes wittes / and make them clene to despayre be cause they are so darke / craftye / and cōtentious / But this delectable doctrine doth applye her silf equallye of all men submittinge her silf vnto vs / while we are childer / temperinge her tune after oure capacyte / feadinge vs with milke / forberinge / norisshinge / sufferinge / and doinge all thinges / vntill we may encreasse / & wex great [...]er in Christ / And contrarywisse it is not so lowe and depressed vnto the weake [Page] but it is as high and mervelous to the parfecte / Yee y• more thou wadest in the tresurs of this sciēce / the farther thou arte from attayninge her mageste. To the childer she is lowe and playne / and to greatter / she seameth aboue all capacite. She refuseth no age / no kinde / no fortune / no state and condition.

In so moch that the sonne is not more comen and indifferent to all men / then this doctrine of Christe. She forbeddeth no man at all: Except he abstayne willinglye / envyinge his awne profitte. And trulye I do greatly dissent from those men / whiche wold not that the scripture of Christ shuld be trā slated in to all tonges / that it might be reade diligently of the private and seculare men and women / Other as though Christ had taught soch darke and insensible thinges / that they could scante be vnderstonde of a few divines. Or els as though the pithe and substance of the christen religion consisted chefly in this / yt it be not knowne. Paraventure it were moste expedient that the councels of kinges shuld be kept secret / but Christ wold that his councelles and misteries shuld be sprede abrode as moch as is possible. I wold desire that all women shuld reade the gospell and Paules epistles / and I wold to god they were translated in to the [Page] tonges of all men / So that they might not only be read / and knowne / of the scotes and yryshmen / But also of the Turkes and sarracenes / Truly it is one degre to good livī ge / y [...]e ye first (I had almoste sayde the cheffe) to have a litle sight in ye scripture / though it be b [...]t a grosse knowledge / ād not yet cō sūmatte) Be it in case that some wold laugh at it / yee and that some shuld erre and be deceaved) I wold to god / ye plowmā wold singe a texte of the scripture at his plowbeme / And that the wever at his lowme / with this wold drive away the tediousnes of tyme. I wold the wayfaringe man with this pastyme / wold expelle the werynes of his iorney. And to be shorte I wold that all the communication of the christen shuld be of the scripture / for in a maner soch are we oure selves / as oure daylye tales are. Let every man prospere / and attayne tha [...] he may / And declare effectuously his mind vnto his neghburre / Let not hī that cometh behinde envye the foremoste / Let also the formoste allecte him that foloweth / ever exhortinge him not despayre. Why do we applye only to certayne the professiō / / which is indifferent and comen to all men? Nether trluy is it me [...]e (syth that baptime is equ [...]lly comē vnto all Christen men / wherin [...] [Page] consisteth the first profession of the christen religion. Sith other sacramentes are not private / and to conclude. Sith the rewarde of immortalite partaineth indyfferently vnto all men / that only the doctrine shuld be banisshed from the seculare / and possessed only of a few whom the comunalte call devines / or religious parsons. And yet I wold that [...]hese (allthough they be but a small company in comparison to the hole numbre which bere the name of Christ and are called Christen) I wold (I saye) desyre with all myn harte / that they were in dede soch as they are called / for I am a frayde that a man may fynde some amonge the divines whiche are far vnworthy their name and title / that is to saye / which speake wordly thinges and not godly: yee and amonge the religious whiche professe the poverte of Christ And to despise the worlde / thou shalt finde more wordlye pleasure and vanyte / then in all the world be sydes. Hym do I counte a true divine which not with craftye and sotle reasons. But that in harte / countenance / eyes / and lyffe doth teach / to despyse riches. And that a Christen ought not to put confidence in the sucker / and helpe of this world: But only hole to hange on heven. Not to avenge iniurye. To pray for them that say evyll by vs. To do good agaynst evyll. That all good men [Page] shuld be loved and norisshed indifferently / as the membres of one bodye. That evyll men yf they can not be reformed and brought in to a good ordre ought to be suffered. That they whiche are despoyled of theyr goodes / and put from their po [...]essions [...] And morne in this world / are verye blyssed and not to be lamented. That death is to be desyred of the Christen / syth it is nothinge elles / But a goynge to immortalyte. Yf eny man beynge enspired with the holy goste do prechand teach these and soch other thinges / If eny man exhorte / entyse / and bolden his neghbore vnto these thinges / he y [...] a very and true devine / though he be a wever / yee though he dygge and delve. But he that accomplissheth ād fulfylleth these thī ges in his liffe and maners / he verely is a great doctor. Paraventure another whiche is not Christen shall more subtyllye dispute / by what maner the Angelles vnderstond: How be it to persuade and exhorte / that we may here lyve pure and immaculate from all vices and iniquites. And to lede an angelles liffe / that is the office and deutye of a Christen and devine. If eny man wold obiecte / and say that these are grosse / and vnsavery thinges. To hym wold I none other wysse answere. But that Christ chefly hath taught these thinges. And that the Apostles to these have vs exhorted. [Page] This learninge and doctrine be it never so vnsaverye hath brought vs forthe so many good christen / and so thike swarmes of faithfull martyrs. This vnlearned (as they calle it) philosophy / hath subdued vnder her lawes the most noble princes so many kingdoms / so many nations: whiche thinge no kinges power. Nother learninge of the philosophers was ever able to bringe to passe: Nother will I resist thē but that they maye dispute their profounde and sotle questions (yf it please them) amonge the more perfecte / how be it the rude multitude of the christen may be comforted / be cause truly thappostles did never teach soch thinges. Whether they knewe them or no I wold other men shuld iudge.

But truly yf that the princes for their parte wold remembre them selves / and go aboute to fulfyll with purenes of lyvinge / this humble and rude learninge (as they call it) If the prechers in their sermones wold avaunce this doctrine / exhortinge all men vnto it / and not to their awne phantasyes ād imaginacions. If scolemasters wold instructe their chyldren rather with thys symple scyence then with the wittye tradicyons of aristotle and averroys. Then shuld the Christente be more at quyetnes. And not be disturbed wyth soch perpetuall stormes of dissentyon and warre. Then shuld thy [...] [Page] vnreasonable desyre of avarice / which appeteth riches insatiablye whether it be right or wronge / be somedealle aswaged / ād cease of his rage. Then shulde these contentious pleatinges / which now in all thinges admixte them selves [...]have an ende. For no man wold resiste evyll / and to be shorte. Then shuld we not differ only in title and certen ceremonyes from the hethen and vnfaythfull. But rather in the pure conversation of our liffe. And no doute in these thre degrees of men / that is to saye. In princes ād officers which are in their stede. In bisshopes and other prestes which are their vicars. And in them that bringe vpe the tender youth / which are formed ād reformed even as their master entyseth them Doth chefly consiste the hole power other to encreasse the christian religion. Or elles to restore it againe which hath longe bene in decaye [...]. Now yf these wold a whyle seclude theyr awne private busynesse and lyfte vppe their hartes with a pure entent vnto christe seakynge only hys glorye / and the profyte of theyr neghbore / we shulde severely wyth in few yeares / a true and godly kinde of Christen springe vp in everye place / which wold not only in ceremonies / dispitions / and titles professe the name of Christ. But in their very harte ād true cōversatiō of levinge. By this armure shuld [Page] we moch soner prevaile agaynst the vnfaythfull / and ennymyes of Christ / then with strenghte [...]violence / and threatteninges. Let vs ioyne to gedder all armyes / powers / and might of swerde / yet is there nothinge strō ger thē the trueth. We can not calle eny mā [...] a platoniste / vnles he have reade the workes of plato. Yet call we them Christen / yee and devines / which never have reade the scripture of Christ. Christ sayeth / he that loveth me doth kepe my sainges / this is the knowlege and marke whiche he hath prescribed. Therfore yf we be true Christen men in oure hartes / yf we beleve vnfanedly that he was sent downe frō heven to teach vs soch thinges as the wisdome of ye philosophers could never attayne If faythfully we truste or loke for soch thinges of him / as no wordly prince (be he never so rich) can geve vnto vs: why have we eny thinge in more reverē ce and authorite / then his scripture / worde / and promisse / which he lefte here among vs to be oure consolacyon? Why recounte we eny thinge of gravite or wisdom / which dissenteth frō his doctrine? Why in this hevēly and mis [...]icall [...] learninge do we countre / and discant runnīge more at ryote / Thē the comen and porophane intevretors / in the cyville lawe / or bofes of Phisike? Wyndinge oure selves in it as in a tryfelinge game / or [...]atter of smalle substance / commentyng [...] / [Page] [...]ossinge and wr [...]stinge it even as it comet [...] to oure tonges ende. We apply and drawe / this hevenly and vnspotted doctrine vnto oure liffe. And measure it after our [...]yne conversation accordinge vnto the maner of the lesbes which bende their rule to the facyon of their stone or tymbre / And cut no [...] their stone and [...]imb [...]e to the rule. And because we will not be sene ignorāte in any thī ge / but rather that we have reade and know moch / we do (I dare not saye) corrupte these frutefull springes / but that no man can denye we appropriatie vnto a few men that thinge which Christ wold have most comē. And this kinde of philosophye doth rather consist in the affectes of the minde / then in sorle reasons. It is a liffe rather then a disputacyon. It is an inspiracion rather then a science. And rather a new transformacion / then a reasoninge. It is a seldome thinge to be a well learned man / but it i [...] lefull forc [...] very man to be a true christē. It is lefull for every mā to lyve a godly lyffe / yee and I dare be bold to say it is lefull for everye ma [...] to be a pure divine. Now doth every māne [...] mynd incline vnto that whiche is holesome and expedient for his nature. And what other thinge ys thys doctrine of Christ whiche he calleth the new regeneracyon / But a rest orynge or reparynge of oure nature whiche in hys fyrst creacyon was good? A mā [Page] may finde verye many thinges in the gentles bokes / which are a [...]reable vnto this doctrine. All though no mā hath shewed it so absolutely. Nether yet with soche efficacite as christ him silf / for there was never soch a rude and grosse secte of philosopye / whiche did teach that mānes felicite rested on monye / there was none so shamles to affirme ye the cheffe pointe & ground of goodnes consisted in this wordly honoure and pleasurs The stoikes did knowledge that no mā might worthely be called wisse excepte he were a good ād vertuous lyver / nether that enythī ge was verelye good and honest / but only vertue. And that nothinge was evill and to be abhorred. But only vice and sinne / Socrates (as plato maketh mention) did teach by many reasons / that iniurye ought not to be avenged with iniurye. Be taught also yt sith the soule is immortall / they are not to be morned for which departe hence / yf they have leved well / be cause they are gone in to a more prosperous liffe. Finally he taught ād exhorted all men to subdue the affections of their bodyes. And to applye their soules to the contemplacyon of those thinges / whiche truly are immortall / all though they be not sene with these bodelye eyes. Aristotle writeth in hys politikes that there can nothinge be so swete and delycyous to man But that at somtyme yt doth displease hym only [Page] vertue excepte. The Epicure graunteth that there can be nothinge delectable and pleasante in this liffe except the mynde and conscience frō whence all pleasure springe be clere / and with out grutche of sinne / besydes that there have bene some / that have fulfylled a great parte of thys doctrine. And che [...]ly of all Gocrates / Siogenes / ād Epictetus / how be it sith / Christ him silfe hath both taught and also done these thinges more consummatly then eny other / ys yt not a mervelous thinge that these thinges are not onlye vnknowen of them which professe the name of Christ. But also to be despised of them / yee and to be made a laughinge stocke? Yf there be eny thinge that goethe more nere to Christianite / let vs then disanulle these thinges / ād folow them. But sith there is no nother thinge that can make a true Christen man / Why then do we recounte this immortall doctrine more abrogate and out of vse then the bokes of Moyses? The first poynte of Christianite is to knowe what Christ hath taught. The next is to do there after and to fulfyll it as nygh as god g [...]veth vs grace /

Nether thynke I that eny man wyll counte hym silfe a faythfull Chrysten / because he can despute wyth a craftye / [Page] and tedious perplexite of wordes / of relatyons / quiddityes / and formalites / But in that he knowledgeth and expresseth in dede [...] those thinges which Christ both taught and accomplisshed. Nether speake I thy [...] to discommende their studye & labour / whiche have exercysed their wittes in these sotle invencyons (for I wold offend no man) But rather be cause I beleve (as the matter is in deade) that the very pure and naturall phylosoph [...]e of Christ / can be gathered out so frutefully of no place / as out of the Gostpels and epistles of the apostle [...] / in whiche yf a man will studye devoutelye attendinge m ore to prayer / thē arguinge) desynnge rather to be made a new mā then to be armed with scriptures vnto contentiō / he with out doute shall finde / that there is nothinge pertayninge vnto mannes felicyte / other clles vnto eny operacion ex [...]edient vnto thi [...] presente liffe. But it is declared / discussed / and absolutely touched. Yf we go aboute to lerne eny thinge / werfore shall an other master and instructor more please vs then christ him silf? Yf we requyre a rule and forme to lyve after / why do we rather embrace an other example then the very first copy and pa [...]trone whyche is christe hymsilfe? If we desyre an holesome medycyne agaynst the grevous and noysome / lustes or app [...]tytes / of oure myndes. Why seake we not here the [Page] most fr [...]tefull remedye? If we appe [...]e to quycken and refresshe with readinge / oure dull and fayntinge mynde. I pray the where shall we fynde soch quycke and firye sparkyls? If we covete to withdrawe oure mindes frō the redious cares of this liffe / why seake we eny other delectable pastymes? why had we lever lerne the wisdom of Christes doctryne out of mēnes bokes / then of christ him silfe? Whyche in thys scripture doth chefly performe that thinge whiche he promysed vnto [...]s when he sayd / that he wold con [...]ynew with vs vnto the ende of worlde. For in thys hys testament he speaketh / bretheth / ād lyveth amōge vs / in a maner more effectuallye / then when hys bodye wa [...] presently conversante in this worlde. The Iewes nether sawe n [...] hearde so moch. As thou mayst dayly both here and se in the scripture of Christe / there wanteth nothynge / but that thou bringe the heares and eyes of fayth where with he maye be harde and perceaved. What a mervelous worlde ys thys? We kepe the letters which are written from oure frynde. We kysse them / and [...]ere them aboute with vs. We reade them over twyse or thryse: And how many thousandes are there amonge the Christen whyche are extemed of greate litterature / And yet have not once in their lyv [...]s Read ove [...] [...]he Gosple [...] and Epistles of the Apostle [...]. [Page] Mahumete [...] adherētes are all well instructe in their awne secte / And the Iewes vnto this daye even from their tender age studye diligently their Moses / Why do not we soch honour vnto Christe embrasinge his preceptes which bringe eternall liffe? They that professe saynt Benedictes institution (which is a rule both made of a mā that was but of small learninge and also wryten vnto the seculare / rude / ād vnlearned) observe their example / lerne it by harte / and drinke it in to their hartes. Saynt Austyns adherentes are not ignorant in their rule / Saynt Franciskes fryers do know observe / and avaunce their patrones preceptes / yee and carye them aboute with them whether so ever they go Insomoche that they thinke not them selves in savete excepte their boke be with them. Why set they more by their rule which was writen of a man then the hole Christente by the holy scripture / which Christ did equallye preach vnto all men / which we have all professed in baptime? And to conclude / which is most holy amo [...]ge all other doctrines / and none to be compared with it / all though thou hepe sex hundreth to gedder / and I wold to god y• as Paule did write that the lawe of Moses had no glorye in comparison to the glorye of [Page] the gospell that succeded after it / that even so the evangelyes ād epistles were extemed of the Christen so holy or hadde in soch reverence / that the doctrynes o [...] men in respecte of them might scame nothinge holye / I am cōtēte that everye mā avaunce his doctor at his awne pleasure / let thē extolle Albarte / Alexander / Saynt Thomas / Aegidius / Richarde / and Occam / I will diminysshe no manes fame no glorye / Nother yet resiste and reprove the olde maner of studye / Let them be wittye / sotle / And in a maner above capacyte or angelic all / yet trulye must they nedes knowledge that these are most true / vndouted / and frutefull. Paule and saynte Iohan will that we iudge the spretes of prophetes whether they are of god or not / and Saynt Augustyne readinge all other mennes bokes with iudgement / requirethe none nother authoryte to his bokys Only in the scripture when he can not attayne a thinge / he submitteth him sylf vnto it / And oure doctor (which is Christ) was not alowed by the scoles of devines / but of the hevenly father his awne and goodly voyce beringe wytnes / and that twyse / first at Iodane as he was baptised / & after in his trāsfiguratiō [Page] on the mounte thabor / sayeinge / This is my welbeloved sonne in whom I am pleased / heare you him O this sure au [...]horyte: which (as they saye) hath no cōtradictiō / what signifieth this / heare you him: Trulye that he is only the true teacher and instructore / and that we ought only to be his disciples. Now let every man with their hole affectiō prayse their authores as moch as they will / yet was this voyce with out [...] naye only spoken of Christ oure savyoure / vpon whom descended the holy gost in lykenesse of a dove which did confirme the testimonye of the hevenly father. Wyth this [...]prete was Peter endued vnto whom the high shepard Christ / committed his shepe once / twyse yee thryse to be fed & noryss [...]ed / meaninge trulye no nother thinge but that he shuld instructe them / with the hevenly fode of Christian doctrine. In Paule / Christ semed in a maner new borne agayne / whom he him silf called a chosen wessel / ād a pure p [...]eacher of his name and glorye. Saynt Iohan expressed in his learninge that thinge whiche he had souked or dronke out of the holye fontayne of Christ [...]s boosome. What like thinke is there in dun [...] (I wold not you shuld thinke that I speake it of ennye) what like thinge is there in saynt Th [...] mas? how be it I commende this mannes [...]olinesse / Ind mervell at the so [...]le wit and [Page] iudgement of the other. Why do we not all applye oure diligente studye in these greate authors / I meane Christ / Peter / Paule / and Iohan? Why bere we not aboute these in oure bosomes? Why have we them not ever in oure handes? Why do we not hūte / seke / ād serch oute these thinges with a curious diligence? Why geve we a greater portion of oure liffe to the studye of Averrois / then to the Evāgely of Christ? why do we (in a maner) consvine al oure age in the decrees of men / and vayne opinions which are so contrarye and dissentinge amōge them selves? Be it in case they be greate devines that made soche const [...]utions yet notwithstādinge only in Christes worde consisteth the exercyse / and invrance / of him which before god is reputed for a greate devine. It is mete that we all which have professed the name of Christ (at the leste if we have promised with mind ād harte) that we be instructe with [...]the doc [...]ryne of Christ / beinge yet tender infantes in oure parentes armes / and wanton child [...]n at oure nurses tete / for it is emprē ted most depe / And cleveth most surely / which the rude and vnformed shelle of oure soule do the first receave and learne. I wold oure first and vnformed speache shuld soun / de of Christe / I wolde oure ignorāte childhed shuld be enformed with Christes evā [...]elye / and to thē I wold Christ shuld be so [Page] swetely taught / ye they might be enflamed to love him / And that after they shuld procede by a litle and a litle crepinge by the grovnde vntyll that by insensible incrementes they springe vp to be strōge in Christ. Other mē nes traditions are soche / that many repente them selves because they have spente so moch studye and labour vpon them. And often it chaunceth that they which have moste manfully fought thorow all their liffe even vnto the death / to defende mennes doctrines and decrees / Yet in the poynte of dethe have caste awaye their shilde / and have clene dissented from their authors secte. But blissed is he whom death assayleth / if his harte be hole occupied in this holesome doctrine. Let vs therfore all with fervent desyre thriste after these sprituall spriges / Let vs embrace them. Let vs be studiously conversante with thē. Let vs kysse these swete wordes of Christ with a pure affection Let vs be new tranformed in [...]to them for soche are oure maners as oure studyes be yee (and to be shorte) let vs dye in them he that can not attayne them (but who is he that can not if he will him silf) yet at the leste let him submitte him silfe vnto thē recountinge thē very holy / & as ye storehouse / or tresurye / of goddes awne mide frō whēce cometh furthe all goodnes. If a mā wold shew vs a steppe of Christes foote / Good lorde / how wold we [Page] knele and worshuppe it? And why do we nor rather honoure his qwycke and lyvelye image which is most expresslye contayned in these bokes? If a man wold bringe vnto vs Christes coo [...]e whether wold we not runne hedlynge that we might once kisse it? How be it if thou bringe oute his coote / sherte / shoes / ād all his hous olde stuffe / yet is there nothinge that doth more truly and expressly represente Christe / then the gospels and epistles. We garnisshe or adorne an image of wod or stone with gold and precious stones for the love of Christe. But why are not these thinges rather garnisshed with gold and gemmes / yce and more preciously / yf so eny thinge can be more precious then they / syth they represent moch more presentlye Christ vnto vs / then eny ymage cā do? As for ymages / what thinge can they expresse but the figure of his bodye? yf they expresse that. But the evangely doth represent and expresse the qwicke and levinge ymage of his most holy minde / yee and Christe him silf speakinge / healinge / deyenge / rysinge agayne / and to conclude all partes of him. In so moch that thou couldeste not so playne and frutefullye see him / All though he were presente before thy bodlye eyes.

Amen.

§

§

[Page]

[Page]

THe cause why the apostle did write this presente chapter was this. The Corinthiās whiche dyd receave the doctrine of Christe ād so did become his servantes / and specyally they whiche before had folowed ye Iewes wayes / did observe both the Euangely / and also the lawe of Moses. Now hadde Moses commaunded that every man shulde be maried. So that a man by the lawe of matrimony shulde be associate and kepe company with a womā / ād the womā with a man [...] To lyve severall or single was thē cō dempned / as a state baren and vnfrutefull. The cause was this. God hadde promysed in the olde testamente that Christe shulde descende of the seede of Abrahā. Now did no body yet knowe what parsones were the seede that shulde begette him. It was therfore necessaryly required that the Hebrues all / which were Iewes shulde be coniugate in mariage for honore ād love of this seede / and to engendre children vntill the advente and cominge of Christe.

For this cause didde the Corinthyans demaunde / whether they were bounde to kepe the aforesayde lawe? And whethere yt was [...]efulle for them to abyde ād lyve vnmaryed / [Page] when they had love and desyer vnto chastite? And moste specially for so moche as by reasone of the euangely many other lawes were cassate / and anulled / and put vnto mā nes libertie to kepe them / or elles not to kepe them. Their feble and weyke consciences cowde vnnethes leave the lawe of Moses / where vnto they hadde so longe time ād many ages bene accustomed. Vnto this doth sainte Paule here make them answeare saing that this is not only lefulle / but also good and profitable / yf so a man mindeth to lyve chaste / and hath love and delyte to the same. Not with standinge he doth here intr [...]ate of this mater both diligently and also warely / [...]xtynge and intermedlinge all wayes matrimony.

It is good for a man not tō touche a woman. Neverthelesse to avoyde fornicacyon. Let every mā have his wife. And let every woman have her husbande.

¶Consider well the wordes / and beholde howe shortly he breaketh of / making digression from his firste sentence. Yt is sayeth he good / yf a man do not touche a woman. But in this he doth nother bydde / ne forbidde eny man so for to do / but incontinent [Page] he hyeth hym vnto matrimony. As yf he dyd feare soche a good thinge to be rare ād vnwonte / and that in tyme cominge wolde turne and be chaunged into fornicacyon. Afferminge that for love of avoydinge fornicacyon every man ought to have his wife Therfore this is his firste sentence or conclusion. That whosoever in him silfe doth not fele this godly ād good thinge I meane chastite: but doth fele and perceave incontinency / Vnto him (I saye) is here commaundemente gyven / that he be maryed. And this commaundemēte oughteste thou to rec [...]ave as the commaundement of God and not of man. Then here of doth folowe that no parsone may make a vowe or promyse to lyve chaste and single. And that no parson is bounde to kepe and performe eny suche vowe once made / but rather to fordo vnkepe and breake them. When in him silfe he doth not fynde nor fele this precyous and goodly gyfte of chastite / but knoweth him sil [...]e prone to luste and incontinencye. For suche a vowe is playnly made againste this commaundemente. But againste the commaundemente of God may no vowe be made therfore yf eny suche vowe be made / he that shall observe and k [...]pe [...]t ys damnabyll / yee and by the lawe of god all redye condemned.

[Page]This thouchynge of women have some parsones diffined ād compased moche straytly. So yt they dare not touche a womans hande nor skynne. Moreover they have founde and imagined many both statutes ād ceremonyes / by whiche they might kepe thē selves from the company of women. So yt they shulde nother s [...]e nor heare them / supposinge that by suche meanys they have made royall provision to lyve chaste / ād vnmaryed. And thus they that fyrste dydde byld [...] monasteryes and abbyes thought that yonge men myght be kepte pure & chaste / yf they ware absente from yonge women / and lykewyse yonge womē from mē. But vnto what prefe and how fortunatly that thynge hath come to passe / and what place th [...]rby hath bene geven to Sathan / it were horrible both to be spoken / and also to be hearde of.

Suche parsones be as men are wonte to saye comonly more blinde then a betle. They wene that chastyte maye be dryvē in to a mā by outwarde meanes. When not whithstā ding / this hygh and hevenly gifte muste springe out from the inner partes of the harte. For all yf yt be manifestly knowne that luste is inflammed when man and woman do come to gether / Yet have they therfore not made all gates so royall a provision agaynste luste / as they pretende / in that they are kepte separate from women / ād the women [Page] from men / for what avayleth me to see no woman / ne heare / nother yet touche hyr? yf my herte swymme fulle of them? yf in thought it cleveth vn to them both daye and nyght? Yf it ymagine and purpose more fylthines / then eny man is bolde to do? And what doth it profite to sperre and close in a yonge woman / that she can have no liberte nother to see ne heare a yonge man / when hyr harte with out ceasinge doth morne and sygh after suche one both dayes and nyghtes?

The harte muste be geven vnto chastite. Elles all our enforsemente labour and diligence shall be vnto vs grevous and paynfull as helle and other like tormētes. Wherfore this saying of Paule muste nedes be vnderstande in sorete and in harte / on this wise. That he shall be sayed not to touche a woman / which with desyre of his harte / and with his awne p [...]oper wille doth outwardly kepe his body from women. And not he that is compelled outwardly to abstaine or kepe from women / inwardly in harte being fulle of luste and love towardes them. But suche are dissembl [...]rs ād hypocrites / whose clennes and chastite glistereth before the worlde / but afore god it is loste and damnable / yee it is doble lecherye / for saynte paules saynge is frely spretuall. Wherfore it requireth a fre sprete / ād in a fre sprete it muste [Page] be takē & receaved. But hypocrytes receave yt grudginly / making therof a dedde letter / & a grevous lawe / that d [...]yveth ād cōpelleth thē. And so they make dānable & fayned chastite by outwarde shunnīge & avoidī ge frō womē dolorous & paynfulle. Marke now whatkyn soulesleers they be wh [...]ch so entise and provoke folisshe youth to vowe outwarde chasti [...]e causinge and compellinge them to norisshe with in them inwardly hydden malyce and evyll / takinge no cōsyderaciō with them selves / whether the parsones whom they thus do entyse and move be lyke wise with harte and desyer sturred vnto the same / that ys to wytt vnto chastite or single livinge. But the more harde and paynfull yt ys to man / the more noble and precious do they wene that yt ys before god lyke wyse as yt ys wonte to be in other exterio: hurtes / dāmages / and vexaciōs of ye body. And they do not see yt this evill of strayned and vnwill full cōtinēcy / & exterior payne or grefe of the body be no lesse differente then heven and erthe. For as touchinge other evilles / and gresis they may be endured and suffered wyth a meri conscience wyth out synne / and they do payne the body only But this evill and troble ys subiecte and in dawnger of sinne. Be cause yt can in no wyse be endured with a mery conscience. For yt ys synne and vnright wisnes in yt selfe [...] [Page] Wherfore this evill of vnwilfull chastite can by no medicine be holpen and healed / onles when a man ys ridde from dawnger ofsinne. Whiche can be by no nother waies then by the healpe and remedy of mariage. But other exterior grefes or trobles concerninge mānes body maye be holpen by pacience / allthough a man be never ridde from them.

And in this maner willeth sainte Paule that saieng to be vnderstande. Yt ys good for a man not to touche a woman &c. So that this worde / good / be not vnderstande ne spoken of merite and deservinge before god. As though an vnmaried bodye were better a fore hym thā one yt ys maried lyke as before time sainte Hierome hath this texte expowned. For yt concerneth only faith / and no dede or worke. And yt ys spoken of temporalle tranquillite / and quietnesse of this life. Whiche a single or vnmaried parsone hath before one that ys wedded and maried [...] For one that ys single shall be quite and free from all miseries / vexacion / and drudgery / that befalle in wedloke or mariage. And for to telle yow shortly yt ys a ioyfulle lovely precious and goodly gifte (yf so a man hath yt verily given him) to [...]yve wyth a gladde harte and mynde [Page] syngle and chaste. But Paule hym sylfe shall here after excellētly descrybe vnto yow what he entendeth by suche goodnesse. For yt was not syttyng for him that so dyd commende virginite and syngle livynge / to leave them with out consolacyon / whych there vnto were geven with their very mynde ād wyll. Neverthelesse thys muste yow gravnte me / that a wyfe and maryed woman maye be better afore god thean a vyrgyn. All be yt she in hyr state do suffer many [...] paynes tobles and adversytes / and the virgyn or mayde hath moche ioye and tranquillyte / passynge hyr age in reste and quyetnes.

Therfore thys ys the sentēce or meaninge of Paule / Yt ys good for a man not to touche a woman. Nother ys yt [...]ny offense now in the tyme of the newe testamente to lyve with out a wyfe and chyldre / as yt was in the tyme of the olde testamente / but yt is good as here wytnesseth Paule for a mā not to touche a woman. That ys to saye. A man vnto whom ys gevē of god / that he cā gladly with hys very harte and wylle abyde syngle / the same man may leade a quyet lyfe. Thys doth reporte the comō proverbes / that mē vse to speake. Suche as be thes / Be thou maryed o fole (doth on saye vnto an other) and thy ioye shall shortly have an ende. Also / maryage ys a shorte ioye and a longe sorowe / and suche other lyke. Whyche all do [Page] well agree with this place of Paule / Yt is good for a man not to touche a woman. Therfore dyd Moses also commawnde in the lawe that a man newly maryed shulde be quyte and fre from all publike charges by the space of an whole yeare / yt he myght have ioye and make mery with hys wyfe / nother shulde he be called to goo in warfare / nother to beare eny charge or office. As though Moses shuld saye / he shall lyve a yeare in gladnesse / and after he shall suffer troble sorowe and angwysshe.

But yf yt be not gevē a man to lyve with his very harte and mynde chaste or vnmaryed. Yt is better for hym to take a wyfe to be hys cōpanyon. Ye there is no thynge elles at all lefte or remayninge / that maye ease ād healpe the / excepte honest ād chaste matrimony. Wherfore where it ys not geven a mā to enioye and vse the cōmodytes of syngle livinge and chastite. It is necessarye to geve him silf vnto the troble / pay [...]es / and vexations of mariage. For it ys alwaye better to leade a miserable or sory lyfe with out sinne in mariage / then to lyve ioyfully in the foule sinne of lecherye vnmaryed. But there is no body that wille gladly put them selves into suche paynes and sorinesse. And therfore doth well nygh every man for his parte abhorre wedlocke. Wherfore it is a comon vsed by worde. He muste be hardye [Page] that shall mary a wyfe. And with out fayle he had nede to be very hardye Nother ys there / eny parsone that leveth more blessydly or quietly then a pure christian / whiche beyng ledde and gyded by faith can so fassion him sylfe agayne trobles and stormy seasons of aduersyte / that he doth no whit complayne / nother crye / ne blaspheme god and his worde: Lyke as do the mad and blindewise men of this worlde.

Thus doth saynte Paule here meane in this place / when he so sodenly after the cō mendacion and prayse of chastite returneth vnto mariage sayeng / but to avoyde fornication / lett every man haue hys wife / and lett every woman haue hyr husbāde. What doth he entende in that he sayeth / but to avoyde fornicaciō? No thinge verily elles / but where as suche maner quietnes ys not / that a man can willingly lyve chaste / that then he shulde wayte after no thinge more surely to folowe or to come / then fornicacion and lecherye. Wherfore yf the gyfte of chastite do lacke / yt ys better to be with out the pleasure and profytes of chastyte / ād to gyve hym selfe vnto the miseryes / trobles / and paynes of matrimony / for avoydīge of synne. For yt ys allwayes more profitable to have payne grefe / and yrkesumnes / w [...]th out synne / then to have synne with out pa [...]ne / greve and y [...]kesumnes. [Page] Yee thē to have synne ioyntly to gether with thes thre.

Take heade here vn to the wordes of Paule / whiche doth not hope [...]that moche castite shulde be in the Corinthians. Chastite truly ys a right good thinge / yf so luste and incontinency maketh not chastite so vulgare and commone a thinge for all parsonis as we have hetherto vsed to do / and as yet we do / but all amisse. But he will that vniuersally all men be coniugate in matrimony. And yet not with standinge he being indued and inspired with te sprete of good did wythout dowte knowe more parfitely the natu [...]e / disposition / powre and inclinacion of man then all the Bishopes that hath bene sith his time whiche hath stroyed fordone and lett this godly institucion and ordinance. So that this saieng of sainte Paule with them doth bere no place. But in this do they now raile and B [...]ble in pulpites. Yt ys lawfulle for some men to have wifes / and for some yt ys not lawfulle. Thus do they chawnge the latin worde. Quisqzin to quidam / that ys to saye every man in to some man. But as concerninge this thinge you shall see more plenteously here vnder. Saynt Paule now procedeth forthe [...]

[Page]

Let the man geve vnto the wife due benevolence / lykewise also the wyfe vnto the man. The wyfe hath not power over her awne body: but the husbande. And lyke wise the mā hath not power over his awne body / but the wyfe.

¶ Paule in this place doth instructe them that are coupled in matrimony how and in what maner they on both par [...]yes shulde be ordred / ād demeane themselves in their state of wedlocke / which he doth here calle due beneuolence. It is truly a thinge due / but not with standinge it ought to be willingly done and performed. In that he sayeth it is due / he telleth the cause why God doth permitte vnto matrimony / and pardone that / which elles from with out it / he doth punisshe and condemne.

For in this pointe is matrimony closed in the lawes of love / that nother the māne the wife hath power of their awne body / but the one ys bownde to serve ye other by ye lawe of love. Wh [...]ch thinge in fornication and advoutry hath no place / where as nother partye hath power apō ye other / nother ys ye one bownde ne oweth ony thinge vnto ye other but bothe of thē do seke their awne pleasures. Wherfore also soch vnclene & dishoneste love ys contrary vnto god. Yt is verily [Page] [...] greate sayeng / that nother partye hath power ouer their awne body. So that yf at any tyme luste and concupiscence doth tēpte them the one ys then bownde to assent [...] and folowe the desyer of the other / ād not to geve them sylves vnto eny other. In thys dothe manifestly appeare howe that advoutrye ys the greateste thefte and robberye of all that ys in the worlde. For who so ever doth commit [...]e yt / geveth hys lively body / where apō he hath no power vnto an other: and taketh also a waye a lively bodye wher apon he lyke wyse hath no power.

More over Paules wordes be here manyfeste / and do not nede moche exposicion. Nother dare I now here serche ye pryvetyes of maryage / to wryte of thē [...]ny vnhonest or vnclene thynge. A ryght Christian shall here knowe by him sylfe / how yt shall become hym to ordre behaue hym sylfe measurably. Nother maketh it eny matter how so ever a wicked & vng [...]dly body be enflamed & rage Some olde men have vsed this Paganes by worde. He that burneth overmoche in love / is made an adoutrer in his awne wyfe. But by cawse it is a paganes sayenge / carnall and lecherous parsones careth not moche therfore. And I saye verely that it is contrary vn to the truthe / for no man doth committe advoutry in his awne wyfe / excepte he other refuse to have hyr / or elles to [Page] vse hir as his wife.

And I thinke that this matter can not be better discussed ād entrated of / then it is here of Paule / whiche affirmeth that mariage is only savegarde and remedy againe lecherye. Wherfore that parsone which vseth it / to avoyde and do awaye fornication I dare suerly saye that he hath Paule for his advocate and defender. Her [...]of may I iustly gather that it standeth not well to gehter nother is it Christes learninge that the mā and the wife (lyke as we see vsed in some places) shulde abide separate ne come to gether after the example of Toby vntill the thirde night.

I do admitte that every man maye vse [...]e same maner / if so he please with the assent of his wife: but to thinke that he is bounde therto So that yf he do folowe it / he doth a meritorious dede: or elles if he leave it vndone / or do contrary wyse / that ys to saye / if he do vse his wyfe before that thyrde night / he shulde therfore synne / and do amisse. Then I saye this man in very dede thinketh evyll and doth amisse. Not bycause he dyd vse hys wyfe contrary to suche a folishe gyse as ys before shewed: but for that he hath a wronge enformed conscience. And finally soche thoughtes / and opinions or y [...]ginacyons or scrupulous and voyde of [Page] ryght beleve / and coming of a conscience evyll encombred / or as Paule sayeth in the first pistle to Timothe .uij. Marked with an hote yeron.

For yf the example of Thoby be of suche greate authorite and power / why shall not the example of Iacob the Patriarke be of more / whyche did touche / and knowe Lya his wife in ye firste nyght? This ought therfore to be fre / and in mannys lyberty. They dote and playe the foles / that in these matters do laye snarys and make lawes or bondes. The wyfe hath power over the husbande / but over hyr awne body she hath none. And lyke wyse ys yt of the husbande. Here ought men therfore to stinte of their statutes & ordināces makīge: for a better ordināce thē this can none be brought / ye mē with out eny respecte of soche time shall vse ther wifes (lyke as god permitteth) accordīge as they like and have necessite / forthermore they have exempte certen dayes as those whiche we do calle vygilles ād holy evyns / also women conceaved with childe.

I grawnte well that yt were moche profitable and necessary that in all thinges were none excesse / or eny thinge done vnmesurably: Yet nevertelesse ought he [...] [Page] not to be made eny vrgente lawe that shulde binde men of necessyte to refrayne. And these wordes of Paule ought to be lefte true which doth afferme that nother partye hath power over their awne bodye / other in this / or yet in eny other daye how so ever god sendeth it. And by this waye hath sainte Paule entēded to oppresse & put downe fornicatiō / and to cut awaye all occasions of the same. O what a multitude of lawes doth this litle sayenge of Paule fordo and anulle / when he sayeth that nother party hath power over their awne bodyes? Yee I saye to you more over that it can not suffer nor abyde any lawe. For how shall eny man by eny lawe forbidde me from that body that is geven me both by the lawe / ād also by power divine? The graunte of god is more than the commaundementes or lawes of all men. That whiche he hath geven & graunted me / ought not sainte Peter pulle fro me / ād moche lesse oure holy father / which (I put it to youre iudgemēt) how rightewesly he reioyseth ād clepeth him selfe Peters successor / ād vicar / and how directly he foloweth his steppes or learninge.

With drawe not your selves one from an other / excepte it be by cōsente for a time / for to geve your selves vnto fastinge and prayer / [Page] and afterwarde come a gayne vnto the same thinge / leste Sathan tempte yow for your incontinēcy

¶That Paule had [...]ut lytell truste at all in the Corinthians / that they shulde lyve chaste the cause was this / he did knowe the devill / his snaris / and sculkewatche / and also the weakenesse or frailte of the flesshe. Here you se that maryed folkes are so mightely knitte and coniugate to gether that one ought not to absente or wythdrawe thē selves frō the other with out they both consente. No not for cause of fastinge nor of prayer. So yt he had rather prayer and fastinge to be lette passe and vndone / then one of then shulde absente their bodyes from the other. Prayer vndowetedly is an hygh and a precyous dede. Neverthelesse it muste of dutye geve place vnto this / which (as it doth seame) is so [...]le a dede. And al this doth cause ye lawe of love in whiche they be coupled and ioyned: fastinge and prayer owght to be here vnderstande of fastinge and prayer that are taken ordrely and distinctely after dutye requyred in maryage / as when the husbande and the wyfe after they have ben conversante the one with the other and have had to do to gether accordinge after the covrse of nature / then do ordeyne with agreabille consente to geve them selves .iij.iiij.vj. or .xiiij. dayes vnto prayer and abstihence. Like as also e [...]very [Page] parsone maye for himselve take apō thē suche fastinge for to chastyse y• body Ellys [...]hey that ar maryed / as well as other chri [...]tian people be bounde by the tenor of the Euangely vnto fastinge & to prayer / for Christe spake indifferently vnto all people. That they shulde praye continually with out cessinge. This fastinge is mesurabyll vsage of meates ād drinkes. And prayer is a criyng sigh / desyer / and morninge.

That in our englisshe texte we do here rede / withdrawe not yowe selves one from an other / it sowndeth rather after the Greke and laten examples / if it shulde be translate worde for worde: defraude you not or deceave you not one an other. Neverthelesse our englisshe texte doth right well and expressely shewe the sense and meaninge of this place / lyke as it doth excellently well of all other poyntes. For a man or a woman that is maryed for avoyding of fornicacyon hath no power over their awne bodyes. But the wife hath power over the body of hyr husbā de / and like wise hath the man the same power over his wife. So that yf the one shulde withdrawe them selves from the other / deniyng them their bodyes to vse accordinge to naturall vsage / permitted vnto mariage / it is vndouted that they shulde so defraude them / and do them wronge.

Also this naturall vsage of my body is [Page] before called due benevolence that Paule [...] litell before biddeth every man to geve vnto his wife. Yf I therfore shulde wythdrawe me or denie it. I shulde wythdrawe that is my dutye to geve. And that were no thinge elles but fraude ād deceate. So that you have here clerely shewed before youre eyes that suche wythdrawing is very fraude / and no thinge elles. This have I shewed you / that you shulde not lacke eny knowledge other of this place or yet of eny other / yt I by the grace of god can helpe you vnto. And moreover to blanke and confownde oure pharisees & enimies of the trueth. Whiche yf they ones heare that I do interprete this place other wyse then it standeth writtē in the englisshe translacyon of the testamente / shulde paravē ture beginne to rayle / sklaunder / and speake evyll (as it is not vnlyke but they will / for suche both is and ever hath bene their nature and demeaner) of me / and of the good mā which did it translate saiynge. Loe they contrary themselves on an other / how mad therfore ar ye to beleve them? Therfore lesse yt you shulde be trobled by suche deceavable reasons and argumētes I have shewed you by reasons manyfeste / & authorite sufficient that we do not vary / ne contrary one an other. But that he vsing this worde wythdrawe / doth both well interprete or translate / and by so translatynge also notably [Page] and playnly doth expounde what is naturally signified by the greke and laten examples which if they were translate in to englisshe / worde for worde shulde be as I haue tolde you before thus moche to saye: [...]efraude you not on an other. And this fraude is whē a mā withdraweth hī frō his wife / or the wife from hir husbande.

What the causes of this fraude or withdrawing might be / can I not shewe you so well / as they that have had experience. Neverthelesse I can lightly beleve that there be diverse causes / as is sitting for that state / which is ordeyned for the time of troble ād adversite / and not only for time of pleasure / and prosperite. In this state doth ofte times aryse anger / variance and debate. And other whil [...]s doth here in raigne chosen or angelicast holinesse (as sainte Paule calleth it) & devocion. But Paule doth here shewe only one cause / why ye one partie maye [...] withdrawe them from the other for a seasone. And other more like as I ought not to put / so also ought none other man.

The cause which sainte Paule sheweth / is that two maryed persones maye consente to abide severalle a fewe dayes the one from the other to tame and chastise their flesshe by speciall or singular ceremonies as fastinge and fervente prayer / specially if so at eny time neade doth require / for stronge and [Page] mighty prayer requireth stronge and mighty abstinence or fastynge. Not wi [...]h standinge Paule leaveth this free and putteth it vnto mannes wille and liberte. Nother doth he therof ordeyne or make eny lawe / but dimitteth [...] it vnto the consente of thē both. Wherfor no man ought to enforse and compelle mē vnto this fastinge and prayer by lawes / as they have afore time hether to bene wont to do / he doth nowe take for hī. ii [...] states of chastite. The state of widowes / the state of wedded persones / and the state of maydes or virgines. And so consequently doth shewe / what is necessary in them [...]to be knowen saien [...]e.

This I saye of favour / not of cōmaundemēte / for I wolde that all mē were as I my silfe am. But every man hath his proper gifte of god / one after this maner / an other after that.

¶Before he speaketh after the maner of a cōmaundemente savenge / for to advoyde fornicacyon lett every mā have his wife. &c And let a man geve vnto the wife due benevolence. Howe therfor doth he in this place saye that he speaketh thes thinges not of commaundemente / but of fauour? With out doute he willeth mariage to be a free thinge so that no man shulde be compelled to binde [Page] himselfe there vnto / lyke as they dyd in the tyme of the olde testamēte. Wherfore he cō mawndeth no man to be maried / but graunteth yt / vnto every man that lusteth to be maried. But when [...]hey be onys coupled in mariage / he geveth commawndemēte that they do thē geve the one vnto ye other due beneuolēce. Moreover where as ys not the gyf [...]e of grace that thou mayste frely geve the vnto matrimony / or not gyve the / that ys to saye when thou canste not leve purely vnmaryed and that both in mynde and body / then ys matrimony vnto the cōmawnded / yee and more then commawnded.

But what meaneth he in that he sayeth I wolde that all mē were as I my sylfe am. Ys not thys spoken agaynste matrimony / as though he wolde have no body coniugate in the bōde of matrimony? [...] He wyssheth verely yt the precyous gyfte of chastite were geven vnto every body / that they might be voyde of the t [...]oblesome and sory [...]ares angvysshe & vexaciōs of maryage / and intēde gladly with their free mynde / and all study vnto god only and vnto hys worde: whyche gyfte was gevē vnto hym. Ys there any parsone that wolde not wysshe vnto every man thys gyfte? For christyan charite wyssheth vnto all mē all good thinges both of this worlde presente / and good thynges of the worlde to come And yt hath none assygned [Page] or certē me [...]e & bownde of well doyng ād of well wysshīge. All be yt the thī ge whiche yt wyssheth do seme vnpossyble. Wherfore in ye .ix. chapyter of the pystle vnto the Romanes he wissheth to be cursyd from Christe for hys b [...]etherne. But every man (sayeth he) hath hys proper gyfte of god / one after thys maner / an other after that. Here he knowledgeth that hys wysshe and desyer can not be fulfylled / ād that god wylle not geve vnto every man thys gyfte. And thys texte wolde I that thou shuldeste put & laye vp for store in the inner par [...]yes of thyne harte. Yt comprehendeth many thinges / and commendeth matrimony no lesse then chastyte. For yf a man compare maryage with chastyte. Chastyte veryly ys a more excellen [...]e gifte. Neverthelesse matrimony (as in this passage sheweth saynte Paule (ys the gyf [...]e of god lyke as ys chastite. The man also ys more excellēte then the woman / neverthelesse she ys the worke and creature of god / as well as he ys. Before god all thinges be lyke and equalle / whiche notwith standyng yf they be cōpared to gether the one with the other / they be differente and vnlyke. What so ever thinge god dyd make / ye same doth calle him their maker lorde & creator. Nother doth one thīge calle & name hym so more excellētly then an other / be yt lytle thinge / or ellys greate. Evē so ar lyke in value before hī matrimony & virgini [...] / [Page] for eyther other of them / ys the gifte ād creature of god / all though the on excelleth ād surmounteth the other / yf so a man doth laye them to gether and conferre thē betwyxte them selves.

By this doth clearly appere howe abhominably they do sinne / whiche make nonnes swelle in pryde / when they babble that ther holy religyon is more precious before god than matrimony / and they faine that every Nonne shall have a croune / or a garlende of golde and precious stones / and soch like other I can not telle what prerogatives and dignites do they dreame that nonnes shall have above other parsones. Thorow whiche lyes do they make suche folke proude / arrogante / wicked and vnfaythfulle / and to put mor truste in their dedes and ceremonies / then they put faith in Christe and in goddes grace / so dispisyng matrimony as a thinge many miles before the sight of god more base / and lesse in valewe then chastite. And they do calle thē selves the faithfull spōses of oure savioure Iesu Christ / ye they be the sponses of Satan / In that they do vse chastite not vnto the entente / vnto the whiche only yt was orden [...]d / that is to witte / not that a man shulde be the mor excellent or better before god: but that it maketh thē ye more redy & more apte to the study & love of the worde of god / & learninge [...]her of thē doth [Page] matrimonie.

Forasmoche therfore as both of them is the gifte of god. And matrimony is as a cō mone gifte geven vnto many. But chastite is a singular and an vnwonte gifte graunted vnto very fewe. Yt is here in shewed that every mā ought to examine him s [...]lfe / whether he fyndeth whith in him / this cōmone and vulgare or ellis this selde and singulare giste. But bicause sainte Paule doth here manifes [...]ly conclude that chastite is a gifte of god / yt shall be necessary [...]for vs to knowledge that it ys not our power. And therfore cā no man nother promise ner vowe it / ne kepe it. For I cā not promise the goodes and giftes of god / onles he before hath geven them vnto me: or elles I be certen of his promesse / that he wylle geve them vnto me / lyke as Hieremy was certen and assured. Therfore we rede none exāple at all / of eny vowe in the scripture / excepte in these thīges whiche were geven vs afore or ellis sone after shulde be geven / as it is shewed Numeri .xxx. of howses / lādes / money / catelle / abstinence / and other chastisinges or disciplines of our bodyes?

Therfore seyng yt we be end [...]tyn [...]e this place / wher Paule doth so largely prayse & cō mende matrimony / and calleth it the gifte of god / we wyll entreate of it the more amply and tary the longer in yt / entendinge to [Page] declare yow howe that matrimony ys of all other the moste hyghest relygion and moste spretuall estate / And more over to prove vnto yow suerly and clerely that the sectes of all them / whom men vse to calle relygious / and of all manner shavelynges are falsely called spretuall ordres. But matrimony ys (as they saye) a secul [...]re and an vnholy estate. How be yt that sayeng or callynge ought to be ch [...]unged and turned So that matrimony ought to be called (lyke as in very dede it ys) a ryght spretuall estate / And other ordres shulde (even as veryly they ar) be called wordly and seculare estates They have brought vp nothynge elles in the worlde then perverse abusyons of names and wordes / wherwyth they have anoynted mennes mouthes / and begyled all the worlde: in suche wyse that yt / whyche ys secular shall be called spretuall / & a spretuall thinge muste be called secular.

Fyrste yow shall knowe that yt were profytable and nedefull that nothynge were called after the name of the sprete / excepte only the inner lyfe of fayth / whiche ys in the harte / where as the sprete h [...]th rule and dominyon. Neverthelesse for bycause that thinge ys also called spretuall / whiche ys outwardly wrought / & done by ye sprete of fayth [Page] in ye mēbres of ye body / we shall here not only see / but also (as a mā wolde saye) manifestly feale with our hādes / yt matrimony ought moste rightwisly of all other be called a spretuall estate. And ye other ordres shulde be called secular wordly laye (as they vse to saye) ād vnholy estates. I speake of these ordres and religious parsones / which have suffered thēselves to be called ād magnifyed by thys name spretuall vn tylle thys daye. But they whyche walke in the ryght waye by fayth ā [...] ar truly spretuall / these have the very state of contynencye. Moreover thys can no mā denye that the workes / dedes / goodes / & possessions of them whiche ar called spre [...]ua [...]l be lyke wyse exteryo [...] / temporalle / transitory and corporalle / as be the workes / & other thynges of the maryed persones. For they be done in lyke wyse by the body and membres or instrumētes of the same / as be the thynges afore sayde whyche belonge vnto them that ar maryed. For what so ever thynge ys done by the body / and lymmes / or instrumē tes of yt / muste nedes be corporall [...] and exterior / yee ād the cou [...]selles or thoughtes of y• harte ought by reasō of these soche ou [...]warde & corporalle dedes both be in very dede & also be called corporalle. But yf yt be cō venyēt yt eny state shuld be called spretualle some other gretter thīge ys there vnto requisyte / thē soche exteri [...]r dedes & ceremonies [Page] That is to wit faith in harte whiche doth come of the sprete / and maketh all thinge that is in man / as welle with out as with in spretualle.

Consyder also now our holy religions / whiche before time vntill now have ben famous and magnifyed / and thou shalt finde / firste that they be in the b [...]ste wise s [...]ored ād provided for / as cōcerninge thinges necessary vnto their levīge Beside forth they ar assured of their rentes / and revenues of meate / drinke / clothes / beddinge / houses / ād of all other thinges / and that moste plenteously / goten vnto their handes by other mē nes swete & labore / ye broughte home vnto them / and put afore their nose. So that they nother be / ne wylle be in eny doute or perille / as concerninge for these thinges. No parsone is thus spretualle ne mindeth for to be / except he knowe before that he shulde have abū dantly / of all these thinges / and all his lyfe lōge. O lorde god what an vnnumerable multitude / and thronge is ther in cloysters / and also amonges prystes that seke and appete this / that is to saye to lyve welthyly [...]asely / without labor in ydelnes (and as they calle it) to live like a gentilman / ye to live fylb [...]lyes and bely beste [...] / farcinge their hyde and stuffinge their paunches.

What other thinge elles is this / then to seke that state / wherin is no labore / and not [Page] t [...] have nede to lifte ones their yes vp in to heven / to loke after their daily bredde / ne to truste in god that he shulde norisshe ād feade them? I wille telle yow at one worde / faith in [...]hese estates and condicions of men hath no place ne space / ne tyme / ne worke / ne vse or exercise. For they be drouned in plē te and abundance of poss [...]ssions and worldely goodes. Nother ys there eny confidē ce of thinges whiche ar hoped for / but a certen holding faste and assurance of thinges presente.

But if thou shal [...]e mary a wife / and be coniugate in matrimony. The fyrste tentation (wher with thou are incontinente assayled) ys how thow shalte nowe maintene thy wife and bringe vp thy childre? this assaute of tentation endureth all thy life longe. So that mariage of the awne nature is soche a thinge / that doth both teache and also driveth the to have respecte / and loke vnto the grace of god / and in manner enforseth the vnto faith. And thus in matrimony we do see / that if fayth be wantinge that it is an harde paynfulle / and a miserable state / fulle of care angwisshe and labore. And cōtrary wise how moche the lesse faith the noble estates spretualle (as they vse to calle them) hath / the more ioyfulle ād blessed dayes do they leade or live. For they ha [...]e royally provided for their belly / & have no [Page] nede to loke vnto the hande of god nor abyde his goodnesse.

Shewe me therfore whether of these states ought of right to be called spretualle. Thinke you no [...] that this in which men have nede of faith / and in whiche faith knoweth hir workes / & hath hir dayly exercise & hath cause to truste in god / accordinge to the sentence of yt .ciij. psalme / where is sayde in this wise The eyes of all do truste in ye lorde / ād thou doest geve them meate in time convenient. Thou openeste thy hande ād fyllest every lyvinge creature with thy blessinge?

Therfore only matrimony hath these causes / occasions / & ex [...]rcises to truste vnto god Nother can oure spretualle estates be knowē by eny of thē / for they be so stablisshed founded / & fensed / yt they cā vtterly fele none of these occasions. And thus have they driven out fayth / & stopped vp all holes / or creues / yt [...]t maye in no wise come in vnto thē. Is it not therfore a wicked presumpciō to boste thē selves to be spretualle / & to avaunce their states to be in likewise sp [...]etualle / in whiche no [...] with standing of their [...]wne nature cā verely not [...]e yt leste droppe of faith? So that the sprete add suche spretuall states hath no more agremente / then Christe and Beliall / the daye and the night / the sprete ād the flesshe / faith and our senses or reason / for where faith is not / ne place nor [...]ccasyon [Page] of the same / there can the sprete not be / but all muste nedes be carnalle / worldely and corporalle / lyke as by experience is manifestly sh [...]wed in oure religious folke. Agaynewarde they defame matrimony as a worldely secular and carnalle thinge. And they do not marke / that it was so ordened of god that it shulde as who wolde saye in maner bringe one halfe by compulsion / and violence vnto the sprete and faith. So that comonly there muste nedes be a pure sprete / where as is a good / and p [...]osperous maryage. For that whiche is the worke or creature of god is so ordeyned / that it muste procede in faith and exercise or inu [...]nge the same. which is in s [...]ff [...]āce of troble & adv [...]rsitees But that which is founde / or made by man hath alwaye pros [...]erous fortune and succession by cause yt is wyth out faith. For suche appeteth alwaye to be certen & in assurance of thinges there vnto belonginge.

Firste doest thou thus here in see yt matrimony is of soche nature / and properte yt it in maner straineth / enforseth / & driveth one vnto the inwarde and moste spretuall worke / that is to wit faith / for no worke is hygher / more inwarde / ād more spretualle then faith. It resteth and hangeth apon the pure and bare worde of God / and is delivered quyte from all thinge / that is not the levinge worde of Christ Iesu. But ther can be no thynge [Page] higher or more inner nother in heven / ne inerth then the worde of God / whiche is verely even God him silfe.

Contrary wise these spretuall estates of their awne nature be soche that they allure a man vnto welthe and pleasures / and cause him to spende him silfe all to gether aboute the getinge of temporalle and exterior thinges / yt as partaininge for his body he maye lacke nothinge. And thus he refuseth plainly to be spretuall / excepte he might have abundance of outwarde thinges / and be of them assured / lesse he shulde at [...]nytime misture / and have nede of faith or truste in god. So that thou muste plainly confesse that this spretuall estate of the awne kinde / and nature doth belonge vnto erthly / seculare / and worldely thinges / and that i [...] ought to be reckened amonges them. Yee ād that therto it is verely an heten thinge / if it be conferred wyth matrimony. And againe warde that matrimony is verely an hevenly sp [...]etuall / and godly estate compared vnto this whiche men ar wonte to calle spretualle.

But I speake precysely that matrimony is soche a thinge of his awne kinde & nature / for many persones do not vs [...] it right & accordingly in faith / ād for bicause of vnbilefe they do turne that / whiche is good to be vnto them selves evill. Contrary wise it is not [Page] [...]npossible that a man thorow the benefite and goodnesse of faith maye rightly / & welle vse an estate that is called spretualle. And by their faith to chaunge that whiche is evill to be vnto them good. But yet for this better or worse vsage can not matrimony be called e [...]ille / nor the spretualle estate be called good / for faith maketh all thinges good yee evē verydeth & all misse happes [...] But vnbelefe or vngodlines causeth all thīges to be evyll yee both the lyfe and also god him selfe. Of the vsage and mysusage of estates do I now nothinge speake / but of naturalle kinde and proparte that are in estates [...] / concludinge and afferminge. That matrimony is as golde. But the spretu [...]lle estates as dounge: by cause that the firste promoteth / & bringeth one to faith / & the other vnto vnbelefe or wickednesse / furthermore matrimony doth not only governe the herte / or inwarde partes of man before god by faith / but also the body outwardly by dedes. So that it requireth both faith and also workes / making p [...]ovisiō both for ye body & for ye soule orderī ge thē both well and vertuously / matrimony (I saye) is of soche an inclinacyō / that of the awne nature i [...] requireth labore and sweate / and to be maintened by hande warke / and is there vnto properly ledde or inclined by the wo [...]de of God / written in the .iij. chapte [...] of Genesis / in this forme. In the sweat [...] of [Page] thy vysage shalte thou eate thy brede. That they which in it ar coupled muste nedes put them selves in perilles and daungers / and abide lokinge whether their labour come wel to passe or no. They muste also many times take hurte and losse / suffering many thinges in their wife childre and householde or familye. But who is he that can reckene vp all the paines / laboures and sweate of their face? So that truly as the body in wedlocke is occupied and exercised with labore / care / study / paynes / travayle and misery: In lyke wise muste the harte be occupied and exercysed with faith / knoweng alwayes that these thinges be godly cominge of God / ād are to him ioyfulle & pleasante. But our spretualty (which they so calle) is more sle [...]thfulle / then Asses of Archadye and do not live by their awne laboure / nor do eny whitte exercyse their body / sufferinge other mennys laboure to be turned in to their profite fedinge & pamperinge their gutte of other mennys sweate and laboure / not willinge to take ony losse or disprofite in their awne goodes. So that here doth appere no sweate of their face. But it fareth by them / accordinge as yt ys wrytten in the Psalme .lxxij. They be not in the laboure of men / ād shall not be scurged or suffer payne wyth men. And therfore ar they cloyed wyth pryde / and overwhelmed with iniquite and wickednesse &c. And allthough they be ofte in [Page] their prayers and syngynge / doyng their spretuall workes (so verely wyll they h [...]ve them called) yet do no suche workes help [...] or profite vnto the exercyse of the body. And all be it these thynges all were done so well as is possible: yet were it vncerten whethere they [...]hulde be plesante vnto God / or no. But contrary wyse for somoche as they have not the worde of God to confi [...]me thē / god can not be pleased in them.

Thou wilte here obiecte againste me: No parsone shall then by this sentence abyde single or chaste: but every man shall contracte matrimony whyche thynge shulde be contrary vnto this texte of Paule. I wolde that all men were / as I my silfe am? To this I make answere / that I dyd now speake of the spretualle estates compared vnto matrimony / and not of syngle lyvinge or chastite. A spretualle (as they calle yt) estate is profitable vnto no thinge at all: but very nawgh [...] and moste damnable. And yt were better that no body shulde be so spretuall / but every man to be maryed. More over syngle and chaste lyvynge be an other maner thynge then a spretualle estate. Of spretuall estates doth Paule here speake no thinge at all: But he speaketh of true chastite / for no estate (I reporte me vnto yow) ys more vnchaste ne more prone vnto wantonnes lecherye / or fornycacyon / [Page] then is this whiche we calle ecclesiastike or spretualle / as experience doth now a dayes over moche shewe. But if so be that some of them do lyve chaste / yet not wyth standinge they do not vse chastite accordī ge vnto the ordinaūce ād rule of Paule. So that it can not be that chastite / wherof sainte Paule doth here make mencyon / for they of chastite do make avaunsemente of merite / excellencye / and dignite or worthynesse before god and man. But saint Paule maketh it an easinesse / & quietnesse / wherby one may the morceasely / lightly and quietly / serve in the worde of God / gevinge more hede or attendance vnto ye same. So that finally in learninge therof he maye growe / and be mo [...]ested faste in faithe.

I saye vnto the vnmaried men ād wyddowes / it is good for thē yf they do abyde / even as I do.

¶Of this maye you well gather / that Paule was ones maryed and had a wife / for in this passage when he sayeth: I saye vnto the vnmaried and widdowes / he speaketh only of widdowhode / differringe to treate of virgines vntylle a litle here vnder / where as he entreateth only and distinctly both of them / and of their estate / life as here he doth speake only of widdowers widdowes & of their estate / amonges whō he reckeneth him silfe.

[Page]But in the treatise of virginite he maketh of him silfe no mencyon / ne count [...]th hym silfe amonge thē. How be it many do wene that ge did continue a virgen / accordinge as is writtē in the .ix. chapter of his firste pisile vnto the Corinthiās. Have not we (sayth Paule) power to leade aboute a sister to wife as wele as other apostles / and as the bretherne of the lorde and Cephas? Other only I and Barnabas have not power this to do? But this doth not prove that Paule did alwaye lyve single / but moche more doth it rather shewe that he had a wife / yet for all that wolde not he leade hir aboute with him as the other apostles did leade aboute their wyfes. So that by this texte only / he shewed plainly vnto our vnderstandinge / yt he now was as an other widdower with out a wife / and yet neverthelesse he had power la [...]fully to take one.

Moreover it is rygh [...] credible that he had a wife. For the Iewes (amōges whō Paule did lyve / & was brought vp frō his birth) dyd abhorre and recounte no thinge worse thē chastite or single lyving / with out a speciall priviled [...]e or exemp [...]yon And yet as it is testified Philippens .ii. he did continue lyving amōge them with out any faute / that man coude countrolle him for or fynd [...] in him.

For this purpose doth that also well serv [...] [Page] whiche ys writen in the .iiii. to the Philippyans / where he sayeth / [...]e and I beseche ye faythfulle yoocke fell [...]we helpe the women / whiche laboure with me in the gospelle. This yoocke felowe hath many vnderstande to be Paules wyfe / and that not with out iuste causes. S [...]yng that he maketh no mencion of hy: name / And also no man ell [...]ys wonte so to speake / callynge a woman his naturalle and faithfulle maried mate or fellow / that in greke ys called syzyge gnesie which ys to saye naturalle / o [...] very wyfe ye beareth the same yoocke / & hath made with hym a specyall covenaunte or cōtracte above other / lyke as they do yt ar knytte i [...] matrimony / onles she were his lawfull wiffe ād spouse / ād here vnto hyr he committeth & betaketh the [...]ure to helpe other womē. Accordinge therfore vnto this [...]igure or maner of speakinge muste we saye. Other that Paules wyfe was decessed? Or elles that by cō sente of them bothe he dyd leve and departe from hyr for a season / lesse [...]e shulde leade hyr aboute with him (as is shewed .j. Corin. ix) & that in matrimony he dyd so lyve chaste. But howe so ever this was / whether his wife was dedde / or elles by hyr minde and wylle she lefte him for a seasone for ye gospelles sake / yet is this vndoutedly true / yt he dyd live like a wyddower / whiche a fore tyme had bene maryed. But vnto what conclusion this mater shall now bringe vs / I beseche [Page] yow lett vs diligently see.

Some be so farforth brought / that they ar enfo [...]ced [...]o knowledge. That prystes and bisshoppes maye be sacred in matrimony / & they whiche are maried maye be pristes ād lefully use the office of them / Bycause [...]y testimony of scripture they see that for ye most parte all the apostles and all the bysshopes whiche were their successores were maryed But then they seke howe they shall save [...] ād defende themselves / saying: We reade that before they were chosē aparte and segregate vnto the office of Apostles / bisshoppes / & pristes / that they were maried But yf any of thē were their vnto called afore they were maried. Of thē do we not reade that afterwarde they dyd mary / And therfore is it not lefulle fo [...] prystes now a dayes to mary Vnto suche disputers shall this place gyve sufficient knowledge.

Fyrste. Seyng that vow do confesse and graunte that maryed [...]olke be made bishoppes and prystes / and that they so not only be but also may be: Because the example of the apostles doth so both teache and requyre. What maner men then are yow / that wyll now a dayes no maried body admitte vnto the office of a pryste? Yow do not only debar from prystehode thē that wylle marie / & there vnto be disposed / but thē also whiche allredy have wifes and be maried. Whiche [Page] thynge notwithstādyng doth clerely repugne agaynest Christe ād his Apostles / And mo [...]eover agaynste saynte Paule: all be yt he hī sylfe had lyved syngle & vnmaryed. For he sayeth that he ought to be chosen for to be a bysshoppe / that ys the husbande of one wyfe / & that hath hys chyldre buxum & obediēt. I beseche yow / telle me. whome shall we beleve to have more wysdome and holynesse / yow? or elles Chryste? Chryste dyd chose vnto hym prystes and apostles that were maryed / and them doth he afterwarde also cō ferme by the teachinge of hys apostles. But soche do yow refuse and disprove. Wherfore other Chryste muste be both a fole ād vnryghtewes. Or you youre selves muste be Antychristes and deceavers. Furthemore [...] welbeloved yf so you had lefte [...]hys parte vnto vs free. That accordy [...]ge vnto the example of the Apostles / maryed men myght have ben made prystes / and had not besydeforth ordeyned or decreed / That it ys not lefulle for prystes to marye. Men shulde not so moche have s [...]ryvē in the matter ne so grette peryll shulde therof have folowed. For then shulde many yt be coupled in maryage have taken and receaved prystehode / and a grete sorte shulde have fyrste tryed and knowen matrimony. So that there shulde not have bene so many whoremēgers ād lecherours. But nowe you make thys pretense and coloure: [Page] That yow dyd never rede / that prystes dyd marye wyfes / and also do remove and put awaye vniuersally all maryage frō p [...]stes. Contrary vnto god / vnto nature / vnto reason / and vnto ryght / only of presumption with out all maner of cause. So that yow do fylle and replenisshe all [...]he worlde with whordome / & fo [...]nicacyon. Why th [...]rfore have not yow duly nother redde ne cō sydered thys texte afore rehersed / taken out of the .ix. cha [...]yter of ye fyrste pystle vnto the Corynthyane? Ys not in yt playnly noted ād shewed. That a pryste may laufully be take hym sylfe vn [...]o matrimony? Fo [...] be yt in case that Paule was then other a vyrgē or elles a wyddower. Yet notwythstandyng he sayeth that yt was la [...]f [...]ll and [...]yght fo [...] him to leade a b [...]ute a wyfe. But saye vnto me I beseche yow / was not Paule then an Apostle / a bysshoppe / and a pryste? I am suer t [...]at yow can not shewe [...] ne saye the cōtrary. W [...]y thē ys he so bolde to saye that he hath power / & authoryte to marye. Y [...] thē the hygheste state / that ys to wi [...] of Apostles do permitte / and suffer a maryed man so stylle to abyde / or elles afterwarde (yf so he hath no wyfe before) to mary and ta [...]e one. W [...]y do not also the lower degre or estate of prystes permitte / and alowe the same?

Moreover seyng that saynte Paule doth li [...] a widdower / and yet wyll not be forfēded [Page] from power to marye a wife / ne have yt taken a waye from hym / he is verely after the popes lawe digamus. All be it he recketh not therfore: And to be digamus by the Popes lawe is a thinge so hydeous and detestable / that all though a man so beyng were with out a wife / yet shulde he not be admitted for to be a pryste. Finally digamus betokeneth hī / that hath had two wifes. Suche in the olde testamente were those called / that had two wyfes at ones / or to gether. But the canon lawe / whiche is made by the pope / and his clyentes hath translate this worde in to an other significacyon. And hath made thre maner of digamus. The fyrste ys yf a man by processe of tyme be twise maried / all be yt other eche of the women / whom he did mary were maydens or vergyns. Secondly yf a man doth mary but ones / yf so she whome he maried were a widdowe. Thyrdely yf a man do mary one / that hath ben defloured in stedde of a mayde.

And these be all of the pope called digami / Nother may any man after the deth of suche wifes be promoted (as they are wonte to calle y [...]) vnto the ordres of prystehode. But yf one had corrupte / ād defyled an hū dreth other men [...]ys wifes / and had depryved an hundreth maydes of their verginite / and besyde that shulde also kepe with him or mayntene an hundreth harlottes [Page] or concubines / he moughte yet in the beste wise both be made / and ther to well abyde or continue a priste. Soche an holy thynge is their pristehode. There is no sinne / ne no myschefe in all the worlde so greate ne so diverse and manifolde that can let a mā from pristhode / excepte only divine ād godly matrimony. Whiche not withstandynge they both do calle and confesse to be a sacramē te / and worke / or creature of god. And thus maye not that only / whiche is the worke or creature of god stande with their pristehode.

Therfore shewe me now / yf so thou cāsie / how soche abhominable presumpcyon of makynge soche wicked tradicyōs and lawes can agree with the doctrine or learninge of Paule [...] Whiche is a widdower / and yet by lawfulle authoryte and power wylle mary a wyfe. And not only beynge so contente / he geveth therto power by this texte (whiche we do now ītreate of) vnto all both widdowers & widdowes / to do the same no man excepte nother priste / ne laye mā. what other answere may we here make / then that soche folke by these vngracyous constitucyons (whiche so apertly ād shame fully do rage agaynste ye worde of god) wolde make vs in vnderstandinge lyke a stocke or a blocke? And make vs beleve that whordome / ad [...]outry / and fornicacion were better then [Page] wedlocke or matrimony? O gracyous lorde onles thy mercy were so greate / as scripture therof doth make reporte / that is to saye / infinite / & vnmesurable / how couldeste thou that art so mighty rightwys / & pure of iudgement abyde or suffer this / ād suche other like wicked presumpsyon and boldenes / soche stinking whoredome / and vnclennes? What other thinge is here sought / thē that the creature / ordināce / ād worke of god shulde be discommended and reproved. And yt vnto whordome shulde be made an opē cā pe / free passage / and space to over runne all the worlde? Like as now a dayes (a lacke for pyte) we do see with oure yes And as Daniel did prophecy of the kingdome of Antichriste Yt shall not be touched with regarde or care of women / as who shulde saye: the regarde of whores shall only in it bere rometh.

For asmoche therfore as they be compelled to knowledge that the apostles even after their apostlesshippe did abyde styll and continue in matrimony I wolde faine knowe why that prystes do not mary? Or elles wherfore they maye not mary? Is maryage suche a devillysshe thinge / if so yt be begonne after pristehode / and so godly if it go b [...] ore the same? Muste it suffer suche alteracyon for goyng before / and cominge after? Verely all reason muste knowledge / ād every man (as is sayde comonly) muste nedes fele [Page] at hys fyngers endes / yt what so ever thinge may be godly with pryste hode and after it / ye very same maye be well begūne in pristehode / and before it. Moreover this maye right well be called a shamefull iuggkynge and a sore deceavable colour / that matrimony shulde be called ād preached to be a godly thinge (as in very dede it is) and graunted of them to be an holy sacramente / and yet may not be admitted that a godly thinge & sacramente shulde have place with our prystes O miserable ād blynde blyndenes / that men not only can not be made beleve that suche thinges be very tryfles / and delusyons but also yt they be broughte in mynde to iudge that maner of lyvynge to be of all other moste excellente and beste / howe myghtever this thinge have come to passe / onles ye wrathe of god had thus punisshed the worlde / and plaged it with blindenesse?

Let vs therfore abyde here by Paule / whiche in no wise shall deceave vs. He doth ordeyne that widdowers maye lefully marye wifes whether they be prystes / or no: besyde forthe that all maner widdowers or vnmaryed men may mary wifes. So that it shulde nother hurte ne hynder vnto pristehode yf one maryed a widdowe. Nor any whit helpe and further / yf he marye a mayde / and vyrgen. For there ought to be no suche respecte of parsons concerninge this purpose. [Page] But all soche thinges amonges christē mē ought to be free / and in their electyon to take whether they luste / other mayde / or widdowe to be their laufu [...]le wifes / with out any domage or preiudice in any thinge / ād this thinge (that is to witte yt pristes have authorite to mary wifes / like as have all other mē ād yt with out any respecte of parsones / whether they be maydēs or elles widdowes) doth sainte Paule sufficiently cōfirme / & approve in this / y• he writeth this pistle not vnto layemen only (as they are wonte to calle thē) but vnto yt bisshopes also / & prestes & generally vnto the all christē mē of Corinthe. And bycause he doth separate none estate / ne parsone: yt shall not be lefulle for vs to applye and appointe his worde vnto laye mē only / nor yet vnto any other certen estate or parsone.

Sainte Paule truly did knowe fulle well both by the doctrine / & also by ye ordinaūce of Christe / yt nother ye worke of god might be letted / or forbiddē / ne his creature fordone & destroyed. Now is mā verely the creature / & worke of god / made or create to begette childre / ād to multiplye his seade / as appereth Gene. i. For asmoche therfore as god which is alway cōstante / like minded / & with out any altera [...]yō made man at the beginnīge in this wise / ād so wolde him cōtinually for to be. Thinke you surely yt it pleaseth hī not now nother for love of pristehode / no nor for love [Page] of his euāgely (which is of all other thinges moste precyous) to make of a mā a stocke or a stone. Nother to lette the worke or operacyō of mānes nature whiche of god ar naturally in thē implanted. But what other thinge is it to saye / when a priste is forbiddē to mary / then that a mā shulde not be a mā And yt the creature or worke of god shulde [...]esse / bycause of humayne presumpcyon ād lawes. Only God whiche did thus create man / maye these thinges in him altere and chaunge thorow his giftes and grace. But free wille with all his powers & enforsemē tes be here very nothinge ne can any thinge do. Therfor sayeth Paule.

I saye vnto the vnmaryed mē / ād widdowes: It is good for thē yf they abyde even as I do: But and yf they can not abstayne / let them mary. For it is better to marye / then to burne.

¶It is good verely to abide as Paule did / but in continente he addeth wherfore it is not good ād yt it is better to cōtracte matrimony / then to abyde in widdowhode or vnmaryed. And Paule doth here shewe forth all at ones all the causes of matrimony / and se [...]teth abounde to mesure or enclose all the glory of castite / when he sayeth: But and yf they can not abstayne / lette [Page] them marye. This is as moche to saye. Necessite compelleth the to mary againe. How excellently so ever therfore chastyte be praysed / and how noble so ever the gifte therof be / yet necessite causeth that very fewe do there vnto attaine / for they can not abstaine and abyde chaste / for all be it yt we are christen / havinge the sprete of god by faith: yet is not the worke and creature of god in vs stroyed and taken awaye from vs / that thou muste cesse to be a woman / and I a mā. Nother doth the sorete bereve from the body his inclinacyon and naturalle workes / but that it may eate / drinke / slepe / disgeste / and disgeftyon avoyde / like as the body of an other man.

In lyke wise doth not the sprete take awaye from man ne frome woman their shappes / their lymmes / or membres / their seade / ne their frute and operacyon / for a christen mā nes body muste aswelle norisshe seade / begette childre / and multiplye / as the body of other men of byrdes and of all bestes / and lyvely thinges. Vnto the whiche purpose it also was create. As ys shewed Genesis .i. So that man of necessite muste appete naturally a woman / and the woman a mā / onles god wonderfully by a singular & excellent gyfte do holde them therfro and delyver them. And thus meaneth Paule here in this place / when he sayeth: But yf he cā not [Page] abstaine / let him mary. As though he shulde saye. Vnto whom god hath not geven a singular grace / but leaveth in his body the nature and disposicion of the same: It is good for him / ye it is necessary that he do mary / forsakinge both verginite and also wyddowhede / furthermore it is not the mynde of god to make a principalle and singular gifte comon vnto many / but wolde that maryage shulde be comon to eche body: like as he dyd ones ordene and create yt / he wille not take awaye his creature from every man / ne lette the operacyon of the same.

Moreover a Christen man is sprete and flesshe. By reason of the sprete he neadeth not of matrimony. But bycause his flesshe hath communion & felishippe with the corrupte flesshe in Adam and Eve / & so is fulle of luste and concupiscence / for this disease and malady hath he truly neade of matrimony: and by his awne strenght / or power can he not be with out them / for his flesshe rageth / burneth / ād breadeth seade / as wele as doth the flesshe of eny other parsone. Where as by matrimony / as by a medicine there vnto moche necessary and behovable he doth not ease / helpe / quenche / and represse yt / for in the .iij. chapter of Genesi. he sheweth clerely before oure face / what thinge he wolde suffer in man / when he did not only not take away the blessinge of multiplicacion [Page] /but rather dyd alowe and conferme yt. When notwithstādinge he dyd knowe full well / that suche blessynge coulde not be fulfylled and performed of nature (that was corrupte and fulle of concupiscence) whith out synne.

But that matrimony is comenly had in disdayne as a thinge that is cause of many myseries / paynes / troble / and hevynes / and so yōge people are thereby persuaded to decline there fro vnto vnwylfull chastite: yt ys a reason vnprofitable ād of no value / but pevisshe ād moche synfulle. Nother have they so made good the cause of their chastite. For necessite doth alwaye prevēte and stoppe out this forechaste or provisiō. Whiche sayeth that yt nother is / ne yet cā so be. For no mā cā grounde or set him selfe faste in heven: Accordinge as here doth affirme saynte Paule: he that can not abstayne (sayeth he) / lett him mary. Agayne warde that matrimony is hyghly commended as a thinge that is hevynly and godly & moste fulle of all goodnes. This is lyke wysse a reasone of smalle effecte / ād prevayleth not. Forthere is no mā o [...] elles very fewe that wolde be moved with these good thinges that come of yt / to geve their selves there vnto. Nature alwaye abhorreth labore & sweate / inseparable cōpaniōs of honeste mariage.

There be also very many other causes of m [...] ryage. [Page] Some do mary for love of mony ād worldly goodes. A greate sorte doth falle there to for curiosyte to satisfye their appetite and pleasure that they have to attempte all thinges. Some do be take thē there vnto for to gette thē h [...]yres. Sainte Paule sheweth only on cause / and that is necessite. It is therfore called necessite / for nature muste nedes have an yssue / and go forthe / that it maye encrease and be multiplyed. But thys wille not god admitte with out matrimony Therfore hath every man neade to go there vnto / necessite so requiringe ād constreynige him to do / yf so he wille here before God passe his lyve with a good conscience. And were it not that this necessyte did thus bynde / wreste / and dryve me / I wote not truly what matrimony the other causes shulde make & stablisshe. Namely curiosite / whiche at y• firste moveth these foles with lightenese to begine soche an erneste sobre godly ād necessary estate / wherin doth sone come vnto them the thinge / whiche they sought.

But what meaneth he by this yt he sayeth it is better to mary thē to burne? Every mā no faile that with out mariage & a specialle grace at tēpteth to lyve single or chaste knoweth right well what this sayeng is & what it doth meane. Nother doth he here touche [...]ny secrete or prevy thīges: but he speketh of yt comō & manifeste experiēce & felīge yt al mē hath / which with out matrimony or [...] [Page] singular grace do labore to lyve chaste or vnmaryed / for he doth attribute burninge vnto all parsones / that with out the hygh and singular gifte of chastite do lyve vnmaryed and chaste. Nother doth he teache any remedy therfore excepte only the copulacyon of matrimony. All beyt they vse to calle soche burninge prevy troble and affliction. Whiche proverbe shulde not have bene so vulgare or comone / yf so it had ben a uery secrete or prevy evill. Nother is it ony doute but these also vnto whom is geven the gifte of chastite / do some time feale luste or prickinge / & be there with tempted: but by cause yt passeth / and shortely perisfheth / therfor ys not soche a thinge in them called a burninge / Generally burninge ys a fervore heate / tikillinge / preckinge / and yt chenge of the flesshe / whiche restith not / ne blinne [...]h of boilinge or raginge / and ys a daily inclinacion or dispocision other to a woman or to a man whiche ys in every body / where ys not desier and love vnto chastite. So that ther be founde so veri fewe that lacketh this boilinge and burninge in the flesshe / as there be fewe that hath this soveraine gifte of chastite geven them of god. But wyth this burninge ar some pained hardly / some more softely or easely / Some be so sore tormented / that they are faine to poure out and shede their nature / Whiche all do belonge vn to [Page] matrimony. In so moche that I dare be bolde to saye / Where as ys nowe one chaste / there ought more then an hondred thousande to live maried.

Thou canste here in have no better councelle geven the / then that thou shuldeste folowe and laye before the / the example of saint Hierome / whiche extollinge chastite with moste high / but moste perillous laudes ād comendacion: Neverthelesshe he confessheth that he coulde not tame his flessh nother by any fastinge / ne yet praiers. So that chastite was vn to him more than any man can saie harde and painfulle. O how moche blessed time did he lose in flesshely thougtes He was of that opinion that he thought chastite might be goten by oure power and strength / & indged yt to be comone vn to all mē. Beholde this holy man being thus infired wi [...]h heate & burnī [...]e of ye flesshe / ought to have maryed a wife. Here now seist thou what a thinge it is to burne. He was in ye nombre of them that belonged vnto matrimony / and he did iniury vnto him silfe / whiche attempted many thinges / that he shulde not be maryed. Many of thes examples shalt thou fynde in a [...]oke called de Vitis Patrum.

Therfor this is the conclusion of sainte Paule. Where as is not this surmountinge / principalle / rare / ād singular gifte of [Page] god / there of necessite muste be other burninge / or elles matrimony: Now is it moche better to be ioyned in maryag [...] / then to burne. Bycause that burninge a [...] though non evill dede shulde therof ensue / yet not with standinge it is frustrate & vaine chastite / for so moche as it is not kepte with delite ād love / but with greate yrkesomnes / werynesse / grudginly / by enforsemēt / ād vnwillingly. So that before god it is estemed evē as incontinencye and vnchastite Where ye herte is vncleane / whē the body by violēce so cā not be. What availeth it therfore thought thou keptiste by greate painfulle & vnpleasante laboure vaine & vncleane clēnes? Yt were moche better for the / yf thou were clerely maryed / ād so to be voide or with out this ioye or pleasure as they take it for to be and wene that it is / but all amisse / for all be / it that in matrimony also is both a [...]fliction / paine / troble ād angwisshe / yet not withstā dinge maye a man geve him vnto all these / and sometyme have pleasure and quietenesse But where as lacketh a soveraine grace with out matrimony / yt can not be that thou maiste geve thy minde vnto chastite / ād lyve therin merely or in quietenesse.

Consider also now I beseche the / how madde teachers and rulers they be / whiche [...]ōpelle youth every where in all cloyster [...] [Page] vnto chastite / teachinge ye chastite the more harde & painfulle it is for them / & the more that it standeth againe there minde / ye more excellente and better it is for them.

All be it yt with other thinges thou maiste thus playe and daly / here notwithstandinge thou muste do otherwise with chastite / for it can not be wylfulle / where as ys not redy p [...]esente a singulare grace. Any other thinge may be wilfulle thorow faith. These mā ner of men do after the fassyon of the Iewes / whiche offeringe there childre vnto Moloch dyd burne them in the fyer. So that me seameth that Paule for this cause dyd vse thys worde burnynge / that he wolde touche and signifye this abhominacyon. For what is it elles to close and shute vp a yonge parsone all hys lyve longe with suche a burninge other in cloys [...]res / or yet elles where / then to offer [...] or consecrate them vnto the devylle for honor / that he shall be constrayned so to kepe miserable and damnable cha [...]tite?

I am here compelled for cause of suche teachers and rulers to shewe yow of a thinge / whyche I hearde ones tolde of an honeste and a sadde man / to thentente that suche rude and blynde hedes / yf so they wylle / maye feale evē with their hande how [...]nwisyly they governe and rule One of thei [...] [Page] faculte whiche was a preacher did at a time declare and telle in an open audience / that a man whiche wolde please god / muste beginne to chastise himsilfe suerl [...] And for an example he brought forth out of the boke called de Vitis patrum one Simeon whiche did stande an whole yere apon an high piller on his one fote continually praying with out interrupcion / vntille that wormes did brede in his fote / whiche all when they felle downe were chaunged in to precious stones Likewise (saide he) muste thou also punisshe and chastise thy silfe / yf so thou luste to serve god. Soche manner of folisshe trifles & toies becometh well soche a folisshe preacher. Whiche with out doute Satan did then ymagine for to moke and begile Christen people / To thentente that he myght for do and destroye the miracles of holy men / whiche in yt time were wrought. As though they all did saver of soche pevisshe mochage and triflinge.

Beside forthe this mocker or trifeler toke also for his purpose a yonge childe that wente to grammer scole (for so ys yt comonly sene that as men are wonte to saie / one foole maketh ten other) whiche after a singulare wise studing to serve god kepte in his vrine that he might so paine and punisshe him silf. In the fourte daie by cause he had made no water / he began to falle sicke / And whan he coulde [Page] of no body be persuaded to pisse and make water / he minded so to die / vn tille god by inspiracion did put in the minde of a c [...]rten persone / that he shulde praise him in his entente or interprise and comforte h [...]m as one that hadde done well and ver [...]uo [...]sly. (For as saieth Solomon so muste men speake with fooles in their matter [...]) How beit quod he men saie that thou doest yt for a vaine glory / But yf ye doe so / then y [...] yt nothinge worthe. Whan he had ones hearde this / he forsoke & gave over his purpose sayeng / Seyng they do thus saye and interprete the matter in thys wyse / I wille rather do any thinge / thē performe that / whiche I have begunne. This ys truly a rud [...] & grosse foly / But yet ought we not to set lyght their by / or vtterly despyse yt. For in yt hath god shewed as I sayde before what learninge soche preachers and rulers do teache. Therfore wyll I entreate of yt in thys place somewhat the more largely. Yt fareth veryly thus (lyke as the script [...]re and all experience do shewe) that this lyfe / whyche man leadeth here in the erthe ys miserable / wretched / and wofulle. What so ever [...]state thou shall [...]hoese / or take the vnto / ye though yt seame never so bl [...]ssyd and godly. And yet ys ther none so wretched or wofulle [...] but yf a mā by precepte shulde be compelled to kepe in his vrine or his disgestiō / he wolde doutelesse [Page] rather [...]hoese to do any other thinge / then to take vpon hym to do eny soche impossibilite. But bycause no body y [...] cōpelled vnto this I meane to kepe in his vrine or disgestiō. No man verely doth consyder and esteme how profitable and precious a thinge yt is to avoyde them from hym. And yet in the meane season they marke and bewayle the misery of their estates / whiche not with standinge is ten tymes lesse / then the wo [...] and misery afore sayde / yf so they shulde be compared to gether.

In lyke condicion standeth yt with this burninge. For they that are knitte in maryage be at libertye. They maye quenche that whiche burneth them / nother take they thought or care for that payne and misery (lyke as a woman whiche after that she is delyuered / thinketh moche other wise then when she was in travelinge). Nother do they afterwarde note or regarde any thinge savinge the troble and sorynesse of their condicion. For lyke as a good thinge when yt is presente is not regarded / evē so an evylle wh [...] yt is paste is no more remembrede. But they whiche yet do abide in soche heate or burninge / and do never hope from yt to be ridde & delevered / what other thinge elles can they do / then skorne and counte for fooles them / that are wedded? And yet neverthelesse they groone and complayne of this whiche doth so vexe them. They are thus compelled to kepe [Page] that / whiche ought not to be kepte / & that also in vayne / and to lose all their harde and paynfulle laboures. Whiche thinge of all other ys moste miserable & soroufulle. How moche soner shulde they suffer and bere all the burdones and vexaciōs of mariage / thē soche burninge? And to telle yow shortly. Sory mariage is better then sory chastite. And an harde or paynfulle mariage is better then harde or paynfulle chastite. The reason hereof ys not far to be sought / for soche chastite perissheth & i [...] of non effecte: but soche mariage doth profite helpe & is moche frutefulle [...] And this do I speake of ye burnī ge of thē / yt cōtinue chaste / of which be very fewe. The greate multitude do not suffer this heate / ne cōtinue chaste / but laboure by all meanes to be delivered frō it. Of whiche thinge I wille now no thinge write. But so sone as they yt lyve vnmaried be here of ridde / doth their cōsciēce tormēte & cōdēne thē / whiche amōges all other paines is moste intollerabl [...] / & wretchidfull [...] And thus doth ye matter in cōclusion come to passe: yt they whiche without a singular grace / do lyve single & vnmaried / for ye more parte be so pained & trobled yt evē with their body they falle vnto ribaudry & sinne of lechery. But the other fewe do lyve outwardly chaste / and inwarde berybaudes or lechers. So that ye firste are indaunger of damnacyon / & the other muste nedes live a sory miserable & vnprofitable life

[Page]And where be nowe both seculare ād also ecclesiasticalle rulers and o [...]ficers / that shulde consider in their hartes and loke apō thes tormentes of wofulle ād wretched soules? But they them selves by there dayly cō pulsion and requestes do promote and helpe forth the liynge spr [...]te of erroure to multiplye dayly thes evilles.

2

2

¶ The seconde parte. Unto the maryed commaunde no [...] I / but the lorde. That the wife separate not hyr silfe fro the mā If she separate hir silfe / let hir remaine vnmaryed / or be reconciled vnto hir husbande agayne. And let not the husbande put a waye his wife.

¶ Hetherto hath he spoken of widdowers and widdowes. In whom of both partyes the one may l [...]fully be with out the other / ye man with out a womā / ād contrary wise / ye it is profitable that they so be / yf they cā ly [...]e severalle a lone. But this can not be permitted in maryed folkes / for the worde of god byndeth them to lyve in company to gether. But that they that ar vnmaryed and widdowes shulde continue vnwedded / it is nother commaunded of God / ne forbidden: but is a pure and holsome councelle of the [Page] apostle. And it is graunted them frelye afore god other to mary agayne / or elles to abyde in widdowhode.

The aposile permitteth divorsemente vnto the man / and vnto the wyfe / but vpon this condicyon / that they both afterwarde do abyde sole and vnmaryed. In whiche thī [...]e he doth both disanulle y• lawe of Moses / by the whiche a man might put a waye his wife / wh [...]n he was wery of her / or dyd hate her / and mary an other.

And when she was separate might mary with an o [...]her / in the .xxiii [...]. chapyter of Deuteronomy. Wherfore allthough Moses gave soche a lawe vnto the Iewes which were stubb [...]rne / frowarde / styffe minded / & of h [...]thē cōdiciōs / yet ys yt not lefulle so for ch [...]istē people to do And therfore doth Christe also him silfe dis [...]nulle the same lawe in the .xix. chapter of Mathew. For in the olde testamente were lawes that did not only c [...] ̄ cerne the sprete / but y• also regarded worldly policye and civile o [...]deringe of the comōs In somoche as god did governe and gyde that same people both spretually and also bodyly. In like maner as many thinges be ordened in the Emper [...]res lawe / which not with standinge be not lefulle / for a christen man to vse / soche as these are to withstande or put awaye violence violently / to sue or kepe plee / and other like.

[Page]Lawes wherby male factores are chastened ād let from there purpose be moche differente from those by whiche the good people be instructe and ruled. In lyke manner was this lawe institute to punysshe e [...]yll doer [...] / ād to stoppe their pur [...]oses / lesse they haply shulde kylle their wifes / [...] do that were elles worse. But Christen people muste be hartely good (so that soche lawe is not necessary for them) and kepe stylle their wifes / so longe as they shall lyve. But where right Christen folke are not / there at this houre is yet this lawe nedefull to be vsed / that shulde pardone and permitte vnto them [...]or to departe fram their wyfes / after the gyse of paynemes / and to mary other / lesse by dissencyon in levinge to gether / they shulde twyse purchase selle / that is to wyt both in this lyfe presente / and in the other folowing. But yet ought soche parsones makīg so divorse knowe / yt they in so lyvynge wea [...]e no l [...]nger christē people / but paynemys in a damnable estate.

The Apostle doth speake here of one cause of dyvorsemente / that ys to wytte anger. When the husbande and wyfe can not cō pany to gether and lyve in agremēte or vnite / but are letted and / pulled awaye both from prayer and all other good dede [...] thorow meanes of hate and anger. This [Page] doth the texte manifestly shewe / when he sayeth / Lett them be recōcyled / ād lett thē abyde to gether vnseparate. But yf they wylle not be reconcyled / but wyll be separate / lett them abyde vnmaryed. Where now reconcylynge ys commaundded / there dow [...]elesse ys anger and debate shewed to be. But soche dyvorsement truly doth the Apostle dissemblinge or twinkelinge / at mennes infirmite permitte / when .ij. parsones can not to gether agree with in them selves. Elles truly one hadde neade to have borne an others burden / and not to departe a sondre in any wyse. And this certes ys the cause why he denieth vnto them that are [...]yvorsed and separate / after that to mary with [...]ny other parsone / to thentente that they shulde so ha [...]e occasyon to be reconcyled againe the one vnto the other and come agayne to gether. Yee in yt he bindeth & cōpelleth thē to love [...] newe eche other and kepe company agayne [...] For asmoche as parhappes the gifte of chastite is not gyven them.

But what yf the one will not love againe / or have [...]tonement with the other / and will algate be separate / and the other [...]artye not havynge power to abstayne or abyde chaste shulde [...]e enforced to chose hym [...] wyfe for his mate / what shall thy [...] parsone do / may not [...]e lefully mary with an other wyfe? To that I make answere thu [...] s [...]yng [Page] yes doutlesse may he / for seynge that he is not cōmaūded to abyde chaste / nother hath the gifte of chasti [...]e gyven him / and beside fo [...]the his mate vnto whom he was before maryed will no [...] voytsave to be a [...]one with him / and love him againe / but taketh awaye from him hir body / whiche he can not be with out. Thes thinges thus layde to gether and well estemed / you shall knowe that god wille not binde him to that thinge / whiche excedeth his [...]ower / for the presump [...]yon o [...] le [...]denesse of the other partye. And he m [...] ste do in like wise as his maryed fellow were decessed. Specially s [...]ynge that he did not [...]fuse to be reconciled and brought to atonemente. Againe the whiche whether so ever [...]ar [...]ye do withstande / the same ought to abyde vnwedde / all be it the other do after mary againe. As here doth afferme Paule saiy [...].

To the remnaunte speake I ād not the lorde. If eny brother have a wife that beleveth not. If she be cōtente to dwelle with him / let him not put hyr a waye. And the womā which hath vnto hyr husbande and infidele / yf he consente to dwelle with hir let hir not put hem a waye.

[Page]¶Whē sainte paule recordeth that this parte is not his saiyng / but y• saiyng of y• lorde / he sheweth yt it is not cōmaūded of god to do other this or elles that / for he divideth his sayenge from the worde or sayeng of God. So that the sayinge of god is a precepte and cōmavndemente / but his / is a counsell. More over his entente is to saye thus. To the remnaunte / that is to wit / where raigneth no debate and brawlinge betwyxte maryed mates. As whē two ar coupled in matrimony. Of whiche the one is a christian / & the other havinge no knowlege of christe (like as it was comonly sene when fayth was at the firste tyme preached amonges the gentilles that one shulde turne him vnto Christe / and an other turne frō him) All be it that in this case a Christen parsone may departe from one that is not Christen. Yet neverthelesse the councelle of the apostle is that soche shulde not departe. Inasmoche as his maryed mate whyche ys not Christen doth accepte hym and ys contente wyth hym And doth not let him to coūterfette and expresse Christe in maner of lyvinge / nother cō strayneth hym to lyve wyckedly or to abiure Christe.

This doth Paule signifye in this worde yf she consente or be contente to dwelle with him &c. That is to saye if an infidele or vnbelever be contente / ād will dwelle with him [Page] that ha [...]h maryed her / and wille suffer hyr to do all that pertayneth vnto a christen body / for matrimony is but a corporalle and an outwarde thinge whiche doth nother hurte ne helpe / nother doth hinder ne further faith: And in whiche the one may be a christian / and the other an infidele. As well as one that is sworne vnto Christe maye eate / drī ke / bye / selle / ād occupye with a payneme / a Iewe or a Turke in all manner exterior thī ges. Like as [...]vyn now a dayes one maye be a [...]erfecte and devoute Christian and the other a wicked and famed or false Christyan. So that matrimony for cause of byleve or vn byleve ought not to be broken & fordone.

But yf an infidele wolde not suffer hys maryed mate to abyde Christian / or to lyve a Christian lyfe / but wolde persecute and lett her. There were it conveniente tyme y• a christen body shulde vse the sentence of Christe / whiche saith in the .x chapter of Mathew: He that loveth his wife or childre more thē me / is not worthy of me. Here beginneth di [...]orsemēte. Yf so divorsemente be / other muste reconcylynge / ād attonemente be made / or elles the parsone which refuseth reconcilinge muste abyde vnmaried and sole. So y• yet vnto the parsone which disyreth to have peace & atonemente shall not be denied authorite afterwarde to mary an other / as ys specifyed before / for Christe whiche ys the [Page] spouse of the soule muste be greater / and bere more rome then the corporalle spouse. Yf therfore the one wille not suffer y• other to abyde & lyv [...] to gether with y• eter [...]alle spouse of the soule / Here may a Christen parsone forsake hir firste corporalle spouse / and take an other whiche will suffer Christe the eternalle spouse abyde to gether with him.

So is it likewise cōveniēt & necessary to be vsed now in these dayes. If y• husbande will teache and enforse his wife to do thefte / ad [...]outry / or any other vngracyousnes againste god. In these is y• same cause ād reasone of divorsemēte / that is spoken of before. So y• excepte they be reconciled and come to an [...]onemente / she maye lefully mary an other husbande. And in like case might also the man do / yf so his wife dyd instance him to [...]vill / and wolde not elles [...]e contente to vse him quietly for hir husbande. Of this grounde and principle cometh / that advoutry maketh divorse / and geveth power vnto y• other parsone that lyveth truly accordinge to the ordinaunce of wedlocke to be maryed a new to an other / for it was cōmaūded in y• lawe / Deuterono .xiij. That every mā shulde accuse his wife / brother / and moste assured frynde (that moved him to synne agaynste God) afore the iudge / that they myght be slayne. But in the new testamente (where corporalledeth and slaughter bereth no rome) it is sufficient [Page] to forsake them and departe awaye frō them. Of this is gathered. That those be wicked examples. In whiche we do fynde that certen maryed womē by consente of their husbandes (whiche had bene imp [...]isoned) were defloured ād viciate / to thentente that they I meane the husbandes tho [...]ow soche a vyle dede shulde be delyvered. The precepte and worde of god ought to have bene observed and kepte / all though the husbande or wife / body ād goodes / shulde have perisshed. Nother hath eny man authoryte to geve hys wyfe leave to cōmy [...]te advoutry.

¶ The Apostle procedeth forthe. For the vnbelevinge husbande is sanctified by the wyfe: And the vnbelevinge wife is sanctified by the husbande. Or elles were your chyldre vnclene: but now ar they pure.

¶This is spoken after the propertye of the hebrew speche / and accordinge after Paules manner of speakinge. That vnto the pure are all thinges pure / as he saieth Titi. i. And Roma. viij. All thinge worketh for ye beste to to christen people and to thē that love God So that this is his sentēce. A christiā maryed shall have no nede to make divorsemē te. [Page] For there is no thinge to let thē / but that they maye abide with infideles / that are associate to them in maryage / and also begette ād bringe vp vnbelevinge child [...]e. The reasō why is / where his maryed fellow doth not compelle him to forsake and renounce christian lyvinge / fayth is so mighty a thinge that no hurte can be to it / ne to the possessioners therof by lyvinge or company keping with infideles and vnbelevers. And it is all one vnto them whether the thinge be holy or vnholy / pure or elles vnpure / yt they do vse / for even very deth whiche is of all thinges moste hydeous and terrible is vnto them thorow faith an holy & a precyons thī ge faith doth vse all thinges well and accordingly / whether they be good or elles evill / excepte only vnbileve ād the frutes ther of / for they as strayte as a lyne be contrary vnto faith / and thruste it out of place. Elles what so ever doth not expelle faith ād put it out of place / is by reason of the same fayth harmelesse / pure / clene / holy / profitable ād holsome: So that faith may company with them / vse them / and finally continue with them with out any hurte or ieoperde / that maye vnto it thorow them befalle for onles it were thus: No parsone might ever lyve christiā / for he muste nedes abide & passe the covrse of his lyfe in ye middes of vnbelevīge evill & wicked people, But whē he foloweth [Page] not their manners / but doth ryghtly vse thē / he may well lyve by them / and amōges thē / that by his good behavore and diligēce they finally maye be striken with remorse & compuncciō of minde & become godly & christiā

In this ys all the worlde vnto a true christian nothinge but holynesse / purenesse / profite / and goodnesse. Contrary wyse / All the whole worlde ys vnto an vnbelever or an in fydele vnholynesse / vnclennesse / hurte & destructiō / yee evē god hī silfe with all his vniuersalle goodnesse. As Davyd writeth in ye xvij. psalme sayng: Thou shalte with holy be holy / and thou with the good and innocente shalte be innocēte and good. And with the chosen shalte thou be chosen / and with the perverse and weywarde shalte thou be weywarde. And whyr for holy folkes and saintes / that is to saye belevinge persones do holyly and blessydly vse all thinges. But the vnholy and vnbelevinge or infideles do dismerite or deserve the contrary / that ys to saye they misuse / make vnclene / and defyle them selves in all thinges vniuersally / ād that alwaye. For they can vse no thinge well or holyly / that yt shall profite them vnto blysse. Thus be also infātes holy & clene / allthough they have not yet receaved baptisme Not bicause they be in their awne persone clene ād holy. Of whiche holinesse or clēnesse ys here of Paule made no mencion: But bycause [Page] they be clene ād holy to the. For thy holyne [...] se and clēnesse may lyve to gether with the and bringe them vp / with out defylinge thē as though both soche childre and yow tha [...] are their parentes were / holy or clene. For in this wise entendeth here Paule to saye / yf a chrysten body shulde happly have childre with an infidele / whiche chyldre were growen vnto yeres of discrecion (as in that tyme was often sene) ād they wolde not assente to be yet baptised ne become the servantes of Chryste. Then for so moche as no persone ought to be cōstrayned vnto fayth / but there vnto to be drawen of god thorow preachinge of the evāgely. Nother of ye fryndes shulde therfore purpose in their minde to forsake their childre / ne denye ād take from thē fattherly or motherly love and kyndenesse / whiche they also do owe vnto them / as though they dyd synne and defyle thē sylves by abydinge with their vnbelevinge childre. But bodyly they owe to be presente with them / overseyng / rulyng / and nurtringe them as well as they were moste holy christianes / fo [...] they are not vnclene (sayth Paule) but holy & pure. That is to saye / Thy fayth maye so be well occupied & exercised aboute thē / that yt shall yet abyde both holy & pur [...]. Lyke wyse shulde mē also do nowe a dayes / & at all times Yf their childrē wolde not receave ye euā gely / they ought not therfor to be refused & caste awaie / but thou shulde take diligēte kepe & [Page] make provision for them / as well as yf they were moste faythfulle or Christian. Their faith commended vnto god / so longe as in other pointes they were buxum / and behaved thē honestly in worldly and outwar / de thinges. For the outwarde dedes like as the parētes may evē so are they also bounde to let and inh [...]bite with punisshinētes: But vnbeleve & inwarde evilles. Nother can ony parsone let / ne by chastysemente refraine excepte god onley. So that this texte of sainte Paule remayneth stylle a mighty and valyant defense for vs / teachinge that all thinges be holy and pure to thē that beleve / and have faith.

But ād yf the vnbelevinge departe / let him departe. A brother or a sister is not in subiection to soche. God hath called vs in peace.

¶In this place Paule delyvereth ād setteth quyte a christian maryed parsone gevinge sentence for him / that when his maried mate being an infidele or an vnbelevīge body will departe or elles will not graunte ye he shall folowe Christe. Then doth he geve him libertye to mary againe with an other. And that Paule doth here speake of maryed mate / being an infidele or payneme / the same ought to be vnderstande also of fayned or false christian. That yf one maryed mate wolde [Page] e [...]force the other to wickednesse and misbel [...]ve / ne suffer him in lyvinge to folowe christe: Thē the parsone thus eville enforced shulde stande lose / and at libertye to mary with whome he liked. Whiche thinge onles christes lawe did allowe to belefulle. A christian shulde be faine to folowe his maried cō panyon being an infidele or misbelever: Or elles againste his minde to abyde chaste vnto greate perille of his soule / his nature there againste repininge / and all the powers of the same.

But this doth Paule here denie sayenge. That vnto soche is not a brother or a sister in subiectiō / ne thraulde. as though he shulde saye: Vnto other parsones o [...] in othere causes / where as man and wife do abyde to gether with rendringe one an other due benevolence of matrimony and soche other thinges lyke is the one bounde vnto the other / & nother hath power of them selves. But where as the one wille straine the other vnto wicked and vngodly lyvinge / or elles they wille departe a sondre / In soche poyntes is not a christen body bounde ne compelled to abyde with soche mates eny longer. If then he standeth not bounde / then is he ridde & dispatched. And if he be ridde and dispatched he maye thē lefully mary with an other. As though the parsone whiche is coupled vnto him in mariage were decessed.

[Page]But what yf the secōde mariage dyd not by chaunce hym well / so that the one wolde compelle the other / the husbande his wife or contrary wyse / to lyve vngodly / ād after the fassyon of paynemis / vntylle that he shulde come vnto .iij. or .iiij. maryages / shulde yt be lefulle then for a manne so ofte to marye a new wyfe as his olde were soche one as I have spoke of before? so yt he had stylle lyvinge ten wives or elles more that had lefte and forsaken hym? And agayne warde shall yt be lefulle for a woman so to have ten or elles more husbandes livinge / which are departed and gone frome her? I make answere / We maye not stoppe saynte Paules mouthe / ne stryve againste thē y• luste to vse (so ofte as nede requyreth) his teachinge. His wordes are manifeste: That a brother or a syster ys free from the [...]onde or lawe of mariage / yf the other partye whiche with them ys maried wylle nedes departe / or consente no lenger to tary with thē And he doth not saye that this thinge maye be ones done: but he putteth vnto [...] oure libertye ye thīge / other to departe or elles to abide so ofte as soche a thinge befalleth. For he wylle have no persone put in ieoperde of incontinencie or fornicacion / that he shulde be therin intretayned and intrapped thorow an other bodyes / presumpcyō and lew [...]enesse? What is that? Ought not a Christē [Page] body to tary for other ye cominge agayne of his maried fellowe / or elles hyr discesse / lyke [...] as vnto this daye hath bene observed in comone vsage / & also cōmaunded by ye Popes lawes? I answere [...] vnto that / yf soche one please to tary / yt resteth in his good wille: for seyng yt ye apostle doth here sette him quite & at liberte / he hath no nede to abyde for his fyrste mate ony lenger: but he maye chaunge his estate & take an other / yf so he lyke / & yt by ye authorite & power of god And wolde to god yt ye cominalte of christē people had vsed this teachinge of Paule / or elles yt they wolde yet cause yt to be brought in vsage / when so ever yt chaunseth yt ye mā or ye wife rūneth awaye / & doth for [...]ake the one an other: wherof doth afterwarde aryse excedīge moche fornicaciō & synne This thīge hath ye wrecchedde lawes of the pope moche holpē forth / & promoted / whiche bi [...] deth one maried persone vtterly to abyde other y• cominge againe / or elles ye decesse of ye other yt was his mate / & now departed ād gone from him And yt vnder ye payne (o p [...]esū [...]cion / o shamelesse boldenes) of everlastinge dānacion / whiche (yf yt after he do mary) he shall rūne in to. And thus by meanes of these vngracious lawes hath y• pope kepte thraulde & put in subiectiō chrystē bretherne & systers for ye presumpcion & trespasse of other / yt were / their maried cōpaniōs / & with out all maner of causes hath caste thē in to [Page] of fornicacyon.

But what yf the partye that wēte awaye alledgeth that afterwarde he wille amende his lyfe / shall they then be receaved ād taken in to cōpanye againe? I saye vnto that yf so the partye whiche did abyde and dyd / not beginne fyrste to departe doth continue in the estate [...] that he was in before / ād hath not in the meane seasone maryed with an other / he maye then receave his firste mate / whiche he was ioyned vnto afore / but dyd departe from him / & not only he maye thus do / but also he ought to be coūcelled so for to do / that they maye love eche other againe and companie to gether / lyke as they did at the firste. But if in the meane space he shall parhappes be maried vnto an other / then ye partye whiche did forsake hyr maryed cō panion muste vtterly with out excepcyon be put awaye / ne ever after be receaved agayne. And vnto this purpose serveth well that is writē of Moses Deuteronom ii. xxiiij If a man be maryed or take a wiffe / to whō he casteth no favoure be cause she hathe some deformite / he shall write a libell of divorsement and geve it her in here awne handes / and so shall let here departe from his house And when she is departed and hath maryed an other husbande / yf he also hate here and will geve her a lybell of dyvorsemente / and so demysse her from his house / or els [Page] dye: Yet may not her first husbande receave her agayne for his wife lyke wyse ought also a man to do in this case / to the ende that suche runnynge a waye or departinge maye be reproved and condempned. For doutlesse yf yt were so done all soche dyvorse and departinge of maryed couples / shulde consequētly be a bated / dymynisshed / and lefte.

But now when the Pope hath opened awaye for soche runners / ād defendeth their runninge and lewdenesse / gevynge them leave and au [...]horite to come agayne and claime their fyrste maryed mate / what mervaile ys yt / yf the worlde be fulle of broken forlorne and desolate maryages / yee and replete wyth fornycacyon? Which Sathan hath sought and studyed to bringe a boute thorow these lawes. But yf both partyes be founde culpable in soche [...] runnynge a waye or departinge: Then yt ys right / that eche of them do forgyve other their offenses / and be reconcyled / and dwelle agayne to gether And this doctrine of Paule extendeth so farre / that yt comprehendeth all manner of dyvorsemente. As when the husbande and his wife departeth a so [...]dre the one frō the other not only bycause of Christian faith / but also for what soever other cause / be yt other for anger or elles for any other displeasure. So that in all soche thinges the [Page] causer of dyvorse ought other to reconcyle hym vnto his maryed mate / or elles abyde vnmaryed: and then the partye whiche is innocente and fautlesse beyng dysmyssed and sette free / shall have power / yf so his mate wille not be pacifyed and come to agremente to chaunge his estate / and mary with an other. For this is vtterly a wycked / vngodly / and hethen maner that maried folkes shuld [...] be separate / and goo awaye the one from the other / for cause of anger or elles of any other fylthy & vncleane thinge / and wylle not rather suffer and take parte to gether of good and evylle / of swete & of sower / lyke as they are boūde to do. Wherfore soche maried people be verely hethen ād infideles.

God (sayth he) hath called vs in peace / that is to saye / that we shulde spende oure lyfe in reaste and peace. So that a Christyan husbande / or a Christian wife ought not to stryve for cause of faith or vnbyleve / nor yet departe / or go awaye: Yf that the vnbele [...]er wille not violently pulle the awaye frō godlynesse. But every parsone ought to be suffered to abyde in their awne beleve. The cause therof referryd vnto God. For vnto fayth no man nother can / ne ought to enforce and straine an other. Only god muste drawe mē ther vnto by his grace. And it is requisyte that we do teache / exhorte / ād praye forthe [Page] same / but cōpelle any parsone we maye not Wherfor a Christian & belevinge body ought to lyve peasably with his maryed companion beynge an infidele / or of misbeleve as touchinge the exteriordedes of matrimony and not to dystroble him nother with thretennniges / departinge / ne persecucyon. For God is not causer of stryfe / but of peace As is testifyed Roma .xv. and also in ye .xiiij chapter of this pistle. Therfore doth he not teache stryfe and discorde / but kepeth & preserveth vs all vnto peace. Now sainte Paule procedeth forthe.

For howe knowest thou o wō man whether thou shalte save thy husbāde or not? Other howe knoweste thou o man whether thou shalte save thy wyfe or not? But even as god hath distributed vnto every man.

¶ That is to saye / ye ought therfore to kepe mutuall peace one with an other in matrimony / ād yt also with your wives or husbandes being infideles (whē they withstāde not / ne let you to byleve and folowe christe) & not to manace / thretne / drive & enforse thē vnto faith. For it is not in your power / ne your dede yt one may come or turne to ye faith of christe [...]ut yt cometh of god only. Seynge therfore you do not knowe whether god will save thē [Page] thorow meanes of yow / or elles not / yow shall nourisshe peace betwyxte your selves / nother shall the husbande at eny tyme compell his wife beynge an infidele or misbelever vnto the right fayth of christe / or elles stryve with hyr for cause of the same: Nea christian wife shall for it contende or braule with hyr husbande beynge an infidele. But yf it shall please god thorow yow to save thē / he there vnto shall hel [...]e and ayde yow dealinge his grace ād giftes vnto to yow / whiche are to soche an effecte belonginge. This seameth vnto me the very minde and meaninge of Paule in this place: That he wolde have no parsone enforced other to ye faith or godlines / but one maryed mate to ly [...]e quietly and in [...]eace with an other / vntille the tyme God shall chaunge and converte vnto him by vs / whome he shall please. Whiche thinge teacheth well sainte Peter in the .ij. chapter of his firste pistle.

Thus muste we do with a maryed mate that is an infidele or misbelever / his evyll livynge of vs muste peaseably be sufferyd / nother ought we to constraine him vnto fayth and godlynes / but cur [...]eously bringe him there vnto with softe entreatinge and tranquillite / for paraventure thou art vnworthy that any parsone thorow the shulde come vnto goodnes / or waxe better: But yf thou be worthy god of hys good wille shall gravnte [Page] gyve the to do it. In the maene season thou ar [...] suer that thou mayste lefully lyve with a maryed mate / yee and that though he be an infidele so longe as thou doest not folowe his vnbylefe or infidelyte / and evyll lyvinge / ne doest there vnto consente / and suffereste not thy silfe to be compelled of him to any vngodlines. But doest endure soche wickednesse and iniury of thy maryed pertyner (even as we muste suffer them of all y• worlde / and of Satan him silfe) en [...]reatinge him with mylde wordes and peaseable lyvinge / vntille that god shall lende him grace to repente him s [...]lfe and so be converted.

As the lorde hath called every parsone / so let him walke. And so ordeyne I in all congregacyons.

¶This is the conclusion & summe of this parte of matrimony. In which he entendeth to saye thus: Faith and christianite is so free a thinge that it is bounde to none estate / but is preferred / ruleth / and reygneth in thē all and over them all. Wherfor a man neadeth to chose none estate for to come vnto blysse. But in what so ever estate / and condicyon / the evangly or fayth shall fynde the in / be thou no [...] adouted but that thou maiste be saved in the same. Therfore that thou shuldeste forsake wedlocke and kepe separate thy silfe from a maryed mate / for cause of faith [Page] or salvacyon / it is not nedefulle.

And contrary wise that thou shuldeste be coupled in matrimony other with a christiā / or elles with an infidele for cause of faith or salvacyon / is also not nedefulle. And to telle yow at ones in fewe wordes. Yf thou be weddid other with a christiā / or elles with an infidele / thou art therfore nother saved ne condempned. Or yf thou be vnmaryed / thou art lyke wise therfore nother saved ne condempned. For all these thinges are here free and indifferent. But when thou shalte be a Christian / and so lyve / then shalte thou be saved / and yf thou be not a christian / but an vnbelever or an infidele / thou shalte then be damned.

So do I ordeyne in all congregacyons / that is to saye amonges all Christen parsones / where I do preache the Evangely. For I do not teache yt they shulde forsake their estates / and make troble or debate / but yt they shulde in them continue / and passe the course of their lyfe in peace. Marke here well / & [...]hou maiste now see that Paule doth leve here none estate blessed / excepte the estate only of christianite or of a christen body. All other doth he make free. That of them selves they nother make for salvacion ne [...]et fordānaciō: but all they thorow faith be holsome / and thorow vnbylefe hurtefulle or noysome / ād that even when they be beste kepte. [Page] What cā now oure monkes / nōnes / freres / & suche other cloysterers here saye? whiche do magnifye / boste / & coūte their estates as ye gretteste estates of s [...]lvaciō above this moste singulare estate of faith and Christianite? They be all vndouted vtterly damnable / excepte they be lefte free and in mennys eleccyon. So that folkes cōsciences vnto thē be not bounde / & that they be observed / not to thentente that thorow thē mē shulde purchase blysse: but inconvenient age to inv [...] or exercyse the body. As in tyme comynge yf so god please I shall shew more largely.

If any mā be called beyng circū cised / let him not take vncircumcision. If any be called beyng vncircumcised / let him not be circumcised. Circumcisiō is no thinge / vncirdumcisiō is no thinge: but the kepinge of the cōmaundemētes of god is all to gether.

¶ Here doth he gather to gether certen examples of his conclusion aforesayde / that is to witte ye every māne walke acordinge after his callinge. The [...]irste exāple is of a Iewe / & of a Gētille. And this is ye meanīge therof If so thou be circūcided & art vnder ye lawe / thou shuldeste not deme that to be tres [...]sse & sinne / so that thou therfore woldeste go frō [Page] yt / for fayth doth as well excelle circuncisiō as it doth all other lawes. So that thou maiste lawfully be other circuncided / or elles vncircuncided. Nother doest thou nede other of them vnto salvacyon / but eche of thē is lyke wyse free forthe to lyve in. And to mary or elles to lyve vnmaryed nother is necessaryly vnto the requisyte: but both estates are vnto the free / and in thy choyse to take wheth er of thē thoulykeste. In lyke maner yf thou art a Gentylle vncircuncided / and with out the lawe of Moses / thou shuldeste not thynke / that it is wronge and vnlaw [...]ulle for the so to abyde stylle / or elles that thou oughteste to be circum [...]yded: but it is free for the to lyve as thou doest concerninge these estates / and soche other / and to vse whether of them both shall please the Only faith maketh the ryghtewes / whiche also only doth fulfylle the lawes of god.

These .ij. sayinges let not a man take vncircuncision / and let him not be circuncised / ought not to be so vnderstande as though Paule dyd forbydde both circuncysion and vncircuncision. For who can observe or kepe both to gether. He shulde then do contraryate to be circuncysed / and also vncircū cised. And he him silfe doth heresaye yt circuncision is no thinge. Which sentēce shulde be contrary vnto this that he sayeth / let him not chose to be vncircūcided / for yf he [Page] ought not to take vncircucision or be vncircuncided / he ought then to be circuncided. How may then circuncision be no thinge? And by this meanes / this saiyng vncircuncision is no thinge shulde repugne with that he sayeth. Let him not be circuncided / for yf he ought not to be circuncided / he muste thē chose vncircuncision / how therfore shall vncircuncision be no thinge? But yow muste vnderstande that he doth not here inhibite / and forfende the estate of circuncision o [...] elles of vncircuncision whiche be corporalle and exterior thinges: but he forbideth in thē necessyte / cōpulsiō / & cōsciēce making / & willeth thē to be free & īdiff [...]rēte / & nother good ne badde / lefulle ne vnlefulle in them sel [...]es: but that they be according after they ar vsed and lyke as the parsones which have thē & do lyve in them. So then shulde not a man chose to be vncircuncided as though of necessite he [...]ste not lyve circuncised. Nother cōtrary wise so to take circuncision / as though by necessite he were so bounde to do Nother of these is worthy of blisse And yet both of them may be suffered with out any charge and grefe of conscience. So that to be borne a Iewe or elles a Gentille that is to saye circūcided or elles vncircūcided doth nother helpe a man to god ne lette him from God. But this cometh only of fayth and vnbyleve.

[Page]Accordinge vnto this ought also be sayed vnto owr people. To be wedded is nothinge / and to be vnwedded ys nothinge / To be maried with an infidele or mis belever is no thige / Also to be maried with a christiā is no thīge. He yt is maried / let hī abyde maried / he yt ys vnmaried let hī not desyer mariage. That is to saye / let hym not suffre his consciēce to be greved / as thowgh he ought other to lyve maried / or elles that he ought to abyde vnmaried. Moreover to be a monke or a frere ys no thinge / Also to be a laye man ys nothynge: To be a pryste ys nothinge. And to be a monke ys lyke wyse nothīge. He therfore that ys a laye mā let hym not be a mōke / And he that is a mō ke let hym not be a laye man: That is to saye let him not thinke that he hath necessite to be the one / or elles the other er make ony stickinge or gradge in conscience by cause he ys this or that: but let him abyde the mā / that he ys / and in the same estate. So that yet [...]ys fayth do remayne pure & sure. For where as fayth cā not persever there necessite bī deth as well a monke to departe as an other man / whiche is called awaye and with drawen from Chryste by his wicked maried fellow.

But here may the Iewes make obiection and laye agaynste Paule. Sayest thou that circumcision is nothinge worthe / but that [Page] the commaundemente of god is all to gether. Circumcysion ys straytly commaunded vnto vs of god: how then doest thou saye yt yt ys no thinge? This ys a longer matter / then yt I cā nowe (accordyng as yt is worthy) speake of. but I have of yt sufficiently wrytten in other places. Notwithstandinge have ye yet now agayne my minde in fewe wordes. All the lawes of Moses were wryttē ād gevē vntylle the comīge of christe / he at hys comynge ought both to teache and also to geve or deale vnto his servantes fayth and love. Where as they be / all the commaundementes and lawes are fulfylled abrogate and made free. So that after the cominge of Chryste no cō maundemente ys any lenger necessary / onles yt concerne fayth and love. Therfore where love shall requyre / I shall suffer to be circūcyded / elles I shall let yt passe. Where charite shall requyre anger / there am I b [...]ū de to be angry / elles I shall forbere and exchue yt. Where charyte shall demaunde to sweare / there muste one sweare / elles shall I abstayne from swea [...]y [...]ge. And so muste be done in all preceptes / lawes / and commaundementes / both goddes and mannes. What charyte ys / and howe that yt seketh the profyte & pleasure of oure neyghbore ād also what fayth ys / hath ben many tymes shewed in other places.

[Page]

Let every man abyde in the same state wherin he wascalled Art thou called beyng a servante? Care not for yt. Neverthelesse yf thou mayste be free / vse yt rather.

¶ He doth here repete agayne his conclusyon / puttyng an other example concerninge the same of a servante and a free man. In that tyme many were as one wolde saye not their awne men / lyke as nowe a dayes in certen places besome that hath no power over their awne body / and are comonly called bō de men or flaves / Thes Paule doth here calle servantes: Therfore as in matrimony the one partie ought to vse them sylfes vnto the other / wher as also ys power taken a waye from them over their awne body / evyn so ought also thrawldes and bonde men vse them to warde their lorde or master / in whose power they are as concerninge their bodyes / and are as yt is vsually sayde their lordes very good and possession. But yet he that is called in this state sayeth the Apostle let thym not care for yt: That ys to saye / It hyndereth hym not from godlinesse / ne letteth in him Christian fayth. Nother he therfore neade to runne from his lorde or master: but ys bounde to dwelle stille with him / whether he be a Christiā or elles [...]n infidele / godly or elles vngodly / onles he [Page] wylle drawe him a waye from Christe ād cō pelle him to folow nawghty livinge. For thē is yt not vnlefulle for him to departe ād pyke him a waie to thērēt he maye the better live and wo [...]ke tha [...] shall be for his salvacion And all that ys spoken a litylle before of a Christian or faythfulle persone / how that he shulde bere hym in wedlocke to warde his mate beyng a misbelever or an infydele / the same ought to be repetyd / and sayde agayne here in this place / for the behavore of a christian servante to warde his lorde beyng an infidele. And what soever he doth speake here of him / that hath no power over hys awne body: The same ought also to be vnderstande of all prentyses / iournymen / handemaydes / women servātes / hyerd men / attornayes / labourers / and generally of all ser [...]ant [...]e / touchinge the accomplisshemente of their masters commaundemente. Ye and of all promyses / covenantes / bargenys / ād of all manner wayes / by whiche any persone maye in any wise be boūde vnto an other For in these all / and soche other muste they performe their office / service / dutye / and promise / whether the other partye be Chrystian or [...]ethen good or evyll / godly or elles vngodly / so lōge as they go not aboute to pulle vs from the faith of Christe / ne spoile vs of Christian livinge. For al soche states are free / ne ony whitte wyth standing christianite. [Page] As yf the kynge of Pole or Hungary had made a leage with the Turke / they were vndouted bounde to performe yt / and saye as Paule doth here teache: god hath called vs in peace.

Neverthelesse yf thou mayest be free sayth Paule) vse yt rather

¶Not so that thou shalte pyke the from thy master or lorde prively / and runne awaye. But that thou shuldeste not vnderstande the saying of Paule / in whiche he byddeth that every persone do abyde in the same state / wherin he is called / as though thou myghtest not have power over thyne awne body / yf so thy master or lorde dyd wittyngly and willingly make the free ād gyve the manumission. Saynte Paule wille here instructe thy conscience / that thou mayste knowe how both estates are free / whether thou be a servāte / and thraulde in body vnto an other persone / or elles a free man and vnthraulde. And thys purposeth he / to thentē [...]e he shulde not stoppe the from libertye and fredome / yf so thou mayste come ther by with favore of thy lorde and master. So that yt shulde be all one / as touchinge vnto thy cō science / whether thou be a servante & thraulde / or elles at libertye and free. Yf god and [Page] hys honor do so suffer and allowe yt. For Chrystiā fayth doth not invade and violētly take awaye other mennys goodes / but cau [...]eth vs to performe all covenantes and dutyes / ye rather then fayle to do all that we can or maye / even for them that we be not bounde ne beholdyng vnto (excepte by the lawe of love) and to them that have no power over vs.

For he that ys called in the lorde beyng a servāte ys the lordes fre mā. Lyke wyse he that ys called beyng free / ys Chrystes servante.

¶Thys ys no more to saye / but that yt y [...] all one thīge afore god whether thou be bō de or elles a freman: Lyke as circumcysyon and vncyrcumcysion are all one thynge. Nother of them doth let thy fayth and salvacyon: As though I shulde saye / In fayth yt ys all one mater whether thou be poore / or elles ryche / a yonge man or an olde / fayer or foule / lettred or vnlettred / a laye man or elles a spretuall (as ys wonte to be sayde) whyte or elles blacke For he yt is called being poore is a fore god ryche. And he yt ys called [Page] [...] ionge man is aunciēt in the syght of god. And he that, is called beyng foule and misse favored / is a fore god fayer ād beautyfulle. And he that is called beyng vnlerned / is afore God right coninge and well lerned. And be that is called beyng a laye man / ys before god a pryste. All this is bycause that fayth doth make vs all afore god egalle and lyke. Ne doth yt suffere division of states or persones to be of any value. In lyke wyse also here when he sayeth: he that is called in the lorde beyng a seruante is the lordes freeman. This is asmoche to saye / that he is no lesse recounted a fore god / then yf be were free / and no servante. Contrary wise / he that ys called beyng free / is Ch [...]istes servante / yt is to saye / he is no better then a servante. Here cometh well in place that Paule saieth Gala [...]. iij. Here is nother Iewe / ne Greke / nother bonde / no fre / ther ys nother man ne womā for all are one thinge in Chryste Iesu / ye Chryste ys all and the whole in all thīges. We have all one fayth / one god / one inherytance / and all thinges are egalle ād lyke. Thus mayeste thou cōclude / he that is called beyng a mā / is afore god as a woman / and she that is called beyng a woman is before god as a man. Wherfore this worde Christes servante in this place can not be spoken of service that is done to chryste / but yt signifieth a servante that is here set vnder [Page] mē in this worlde. Whiche for so moche as he also belongeth vnto Christe and lyveth [...]nder hym ys of like reputacion vnto god as yf he were free. Ye he ys even chrystes propre servante / in that he serveth hys master diligently / and faythfully for Christes sake and acordynge vnto his commaundemente.

ye are dearly bough [...]ee therfore ye be not the servātes of men.

¶What meaneth he b [...] this? he hath shewed before / that servātes ought to abyde in their states / wherin they are called. And yet doth he here forfende / that we shulde be servantes. But ye shall knowe that he doth here some what breke of / and make a litle d [...] gression from his fyrste mater / gevinge as yt were a generalle proverbe or feate sentē ce agaynste all humayne lawes and tradicions. So that not with stādinge this digression ys so pety / that yt is in manner no digression. For he taketh occasion vnto the same of that which is spoken immediatly before [...] He sheweth before what libertye is graunted bi the doctrine of Chryste vnto Chrystianes as concerninge for matrimony / ād howe that fayth maketh all states ād thinges egalle. Whiche libertye & egalnesse caused by faith / mennys tradicions do destroye / and avoydinge libertie do combre mennes [Page] consciences bryngynge them in to a strayte. For he that teacheth that a Christen body maye not mary with an vnchristyan and so dwelle to gether (whiche thinge the Popes lawes are not adouted to do) the same letteth and fordoeth thys lybertye that is here ordeyned and spoken of by Paule / and causeth that people do rather obeye them / then God or elles his worde. And thys doth Paule in thys place calle servyce of men / when he sayeth / be not the servantes of men. In so doyng thynke the people / that they be the servantes of God / and do obeye serve and honore him. When not with standynge they attendinge and folowynge the doctryne of men are made only the servantes of men.

The same wyse did they that preached / that Christen men ought to be circumcyded / wherby they dyd infrynge / and spoyle excedynge many men of spretuall liberty / whiche false teachers he doth myghtely improve and blame in all his Epistles / for the more parte: but specyally in that whyche he writeth vnto the Galatyans / and in that he writeth vnto the Romayns. Thus dyd thys blyssed Apostle alwaye dylygently and fyersly fyght for the mayntenance of Christyan lybertye agaynste the snares / trappes / bondage / and imprysonmente that [Page] Iesus is Christ and beleve in thy harte that god hath reysed bī frō deth thou shalt be saved. Where by confession is meante witnessinge in wordes ād dedes outwardely / lyke as in harte we do truly byleve of god / and his wordes inwardly. Besyde forth in all other thinges he geveth the libertie that after thine awne wille thou mayste do all thinges with out all ieoparde of cō science. In so moche that he careth no thinge at all / as concerninge for him silfe / all though thou diddest forsake thy wyfe / runne fro they lorde or master / and shuldest br [...] ake all manner covenantes that thou makiste with all men. For what avayleth it hym yf thou doest this thinge or yt / or elles doest omitte and leave them vndone?

But for so moche as thou art herein boūde vnto thy neghbore / vnder whose power / and dominyon thou art put / God wille not that by his lybertye thou shuldeste invade and spoyle an other mannys goodes But he wille that thou shalte kepe covenā tes / and promyses that are made with thy neghbore / for all be it that as belonginge vnto him silfe he taketh smalle regarde for soche thinges / not withstandinge he doth yet care for thy neghbores sake. And that is his meaninge when he sayeth. Before god. As though he shulde saye / Afore man or afore thy neghbore I do not make or sette the free [...] [Page] For I will not spoyle him and takethe awaye frō him whiche art hys proper goodes & possession / v [...]till [...] ye time that evē he hī silfe shall make the free. But before me art thou dymissed and made free. So yt thou canste not perisshe or be dāned / what so ever thinge thou shalt outwardly other do / or elles leave vn [...] one. Marke therfore this liberte wel & divide it accordingly So that thou vnderstādeste ȳ [...] matter to go otherwise be twixte god / & the then it goeth betwixte y• / & thy neghbore / for in the firste parte y• is to saye betwixte god & the is libertye: but in the secōde that is betwixte y• and thy neghbore is none. God gyveth the this libertye in thyne awne goodes / but not in ye goodes of thy neghbor There is it necessary for the to make division be twixte thy goodes and thy neghbore. For this cause maye not a mā forsake his wife / for his awne body is not his awne / but it be longeth vnto his wife / & is hers. And contrary wise as cōcerninge of ye womā. In like māner also a bonde mā / or a servāte hath no power over his awne body / but is vnder the power & authorite of his sovereine or master God as cōcernīge for to his awne silfe wolde not great ly care / if a mā did forsake his wife / for ye body is not bounde vnto god / but is gevē of hī to mā frely vnto ye vse of all exterior thinges. But inwardely in ye harte is mā bounde to God Bargaynes and promyses [Page] made vnto men ought to be vniversally accomplisshed. The very conclusion herof is [...] That we owe nothinge vnto any man / saving love only / and thorow love to be servisable vnto oure neghbore. Where lo [...]e is / it ruleth / ād claymeth by authorite (with out all ieoparde of conscience or of synne before god) to eate to d [...]inke to be clothed with all manner of garmentes / to vse this / or elles that manner of lyvinge indifferently / savinge [...] where they shulde hurte my neghbore and be againste his profyte. Againste god in soche manner of thinges can not one offende / but thou maiste againste thy neghbore / onles thou do [...]st vse them ryght. Moreover yt by this worde / callynge / is not here signified the state in whyche every man ys call [...]d / And as yt ys vsually sayde. Matrymony ys thy callynge / Thy callynge ys prystehode / and forth in rewe of other. Every man hath hys proper callynge of God. Of soche callynge doth not Paule speake here / but he noteth the Evangelike cally [...]ge / that is by the Evangely. So that thys sentence / Abyde in ye callinge [...]rin thou art called is thus moche to saye. In what so ever state ye evāgely shall take ye & what so ever māner mā yt it shall finde the. Se yt in ye same thou doest abide. Yf it calle y• being maried / cōtinue so stille / abidinge in ye same callynge or state / wherin yt dyd fynde the. If it called [Page] the being a servante / abyde in the servyce in whiche thou warte called.

What? Yf then yt shall take me in a synfulle state / shall I so stille abyde ād remayne? I answeare: yf thou be in faith and charite / that is to saye yf thou be in the callinge of the Evangely. Do what shalle please the. Do thou then synne hardely: But by what wayes shalte thou can sinne / yf thou have faith ād charite? For by faith we muste please and serve God / and by charite oure neghbore. Therfore it cā not be / that thou shalte be called in a synfulle state / and there in remayne / for yf thou doest so remayne / other thou art not yet called / or elles thou haste not rec [...]aved thy callinge / for this callinge dout [...]lesse causeth that thou muste departe from out of a synfulle state in to an other / that is synles and doth altre the in soche wyse that thou canste after do no more synne / all though thou shuldeste abyde in th [...] firste state. And all be it that thou be then clerely on all parties free a fore god / yet a fore men muste thou by charite be every bodyes servante.

Here doest thou see thē agayne / that cloysters and monasteryes which are now a dayes do fight agayne right and equyte / for they binde them selves vnto god in exterior thinges / in whiche they be clerely free / and so do they strive againste god / faith / libertye / [Page] and goddes ordinaunce. And agayne warde wherin they ought to be bounde / and be s [...]rviable vnto every man by charite / there do they make them selves free / and wille vse libertye. So that they will not be servyable ne profite any mā / but them selves. In whiche manner of doing they resiste / and with stande the truthe. O what weywarde / and disordered ordres be these / whiche wille perverte / and destroye all the ordinances and lawes of god / desyringe to be f [...]ee in y• they stande bounde and to be bounde where they stande free. And yet not withstanding they clayme of presump [...]yon to have thrones or seates of excellente honoure in hevē / dysdayninge the places ordeyned for other comone Christen people. Ye they shalle occupye seates that are apointed for them in the deppe dongone of helle which so doth make of hevenly libertye develisshe bondage / & of corporalle servitute cursed lybertye.

3

3

¶The thirde parte which entreateth of vyrginite. As concerninge vyrgins I have no cammaundemēte of the lorde / yet I do geve councelle as one that hath obteyned of the lorde to be faithfulle. I suppose that it is good for the presente necessyte / for it is good for a man so to be.

[Page]¶We have hether to harde matrimony plē teously magnifyed and praysed / let vs nowe heare the paynes and trobles therof / & of the dignite and honor of virginite. This wille I here note vnto yow fyrste / onles yt had bene saynte Paule that here doth entreate the [...]of / yt myght greve men that he ys soche a spare prayser therof / and that he doth so slenderly commende yt. Fyrste he sayeth that yt ys not commaunded of god / no more than ys matrimony / that ys to saye / yt ys lefte of god free for every persone. And in that ys taken awaye the honor / whiche oure greate preachers have ther vnto a fore thys tyme attributed. For where ys no commaundemente / there ys lefte before god nother meryte ne mede / but a sole libertye. Yt ys of lyke estymacion afore god / and all on matter whether thou be a virgyne or no virgine. And as he shewed before: He that ys called beyng a servante ys the lo [...]des freman. Lyke wise maye be sayde here: She yt is called beyng a mayde is before god a wife And she that is called beyng a wyfe / ys before god a mayde. For all these thinges before god are all one nother ys there any difference of persones / ne meryte of dedes / but only fayth whiche ys egalle and lyke in all / and by all thinges.

Paule bycause that virginite is a dere ād a precious thinge and of greate authorite in [Page] the erthe spake thys by the holy goost / to thē tent that no man for ye preeminence and soveraynte of the state shulde iudge hym sylfe better and more excellente before god then an other symple ch [...]ysten body: but [...]hat he shulde cōtinue pure in fayth which doth make vs all egalle in the syght of god. For [...]he corrupte [...]ature of man can not abyde / as a man wolde saye to be vntwynded ād to be counted nothinge in value a fore god / and therfore the more excellente that hyr worke shall be / the more excellente reioyseth she to appeare. Wherfore she is so blynded with the goodly glysteringe of virginite. Seyng that there ys no thinge more of pryce / n [...] more glorified apon erth. That she demeth no state to be so soverayne as yt. And so proceding she thynketh in hyrmide suerly that lyke as in the worlde a virgyne doth exc [...]lle a maryed body / even so shall yt be in heven.

Here in have yow both vttered / and also overthrowen the dyvelyshe doctrine of the braynles and dotynge doctores or preachers of the devyll whyche do forge syngular coronettes for nonnes and all virginnes in heven / callinge them the spouses of Chryste. As though other Chrystyan people were not the spouses of Chryste. myserable and folysshe youth hearynge [Page] thys lewde preachinge runneth who maye fasteste covetyng to fylle and replenisshe heven with vyrgines and the spouses of Christe. In the meane season Christian faith ys forgotten and not cared for / but suppressed and quenchidde. Whiche notwithstandinge all only doth finally obtayne this crowne / and maketh the spouses of Christe. But knowe thou well this / and be thou suer that of soche crowned vyrgines (that truste in these doctrines / and by reason of soche opinions do shewe and pretende virginite / dyspysinge / or slenderly regardinge this doctrine of Paule) is not so moche as one founde pure or remayninge a virgine / and fynally that ys a vyrgyne or elles the spouse of Christe.

Furthermore he sayeth accordinge after his faythfulle and trusty advysemente that virginite is good for this presente necessite. This is the firste cōmendacyon that Paule bringeth of virginite. And here mayste thou see what goodnesse Paule did meane of before in the beginnīge of this chapter / whē he sayede / yt is good for a man not to touche a woman. For he wrytteth not here one worde of merite / mede / or rewarde that we shall have in heven.

But he spake of transitory goodnes ād cō modites of this lyfe / as here after we shalle see more often. This is then a good cause to [Page] continue in virginite and to eschue mariage whiche is fulle of troble and miseries. That alwaye over the shulders of a Christian body hangeth redy for love of the Evangely persecucyon / and he is every houre as men are wonte to saye sette as it were betwixte ye hāmer & ye stethy so yt he must put in ieoparde hys goodes / his fryndes / & his lyfe other to be dryven & taken awaye / or elles to be slayne. And this doth Paule here calle presente necessite.

But now where I beseche yow shall one canne finde so moche as one virgine in all the cloysteres of the Popes kingdome (for in soche doth he principallye reygne) yt lyveth a virgine for soche a cause? For then possessions / lyfe / and companye be made so sure / and safe by so many and so grete pryvyledges / and authoritees both of kinges / Emperoures / and of Popes that never a fore vnto this daye was any people in the worlde more safe / or more sure. So that every man muste nedes knowledge & graunte that these do not lyve virgynes for cause of necessite / or of any ieoparde / but only for love of sykernesse / assurance / and savetye / and that no necessite shulde ever touche ne assayle them. Whiche thinge is cleane cōtrarye vnto the cause alledged here of Paule / for yf everywhere in cloysteres & monasteries necessite / and persecuciō shulde be loked for / ye shulde [Page] se expressely that where as now are redy bylded a thousande and a thousande cloysters / shulde vnnethes be one stocke or studde But what shall I nede tarye any longer aboute to declare yow this. It is playnly set a fore the eyes of all mē / what necessyte and perylle cloysteres / their god the pope / with all his officers / mynisters / clyentes / and accessaries do suffer / other in body / or in goodes. They be all in a grosse sume swyne and sowes that are masted / pampered / and fedde delicately.

But thou wylte here obiecte agaynste me Maried people ought to be in perylle and necessite for the euangely / as well as virgines or vnmaried persones. For as the euangely ys vnto all people comone / so muste also the crosse and persecucion be. For Abrahā was in necessite ād to gether also with [...]him his wife Sara / whiche when he had forsaken hys father and hys goodes or substance was caused to be alwaye put in ieoparde of deth? I make answere. Yet for all that doth not Paule commaunde that any persone fo [...] cause of that necessite shulde te bounde to abyde syngle and vnmaried. But he sayeth ye yt is good and profitable so to abyde. Thys necessite that Paule doth here speake of is a comone thynge. But virgyns be in better case to abyde ād endure yt then are maryed folkes. For yf Abrahā had ben without hys wife [Page] Sara / he shulde have had lesse / troble labore / and care / and shulde in cōclusyon have escapyd with more ease the perylles and ieoperdes yt he was in. A virgyne is onl [...] one body / & hath no nede to care for ony other. But maried folkes do abyde to gether & are ioyned the one vnto the other. Here in ys moche troble care thought & studye lyke as / experience doth abundantly shewe. But at this thynge I thynke many wylle be displeased / frowne / and waxe angry s [...]yng that they so longe tyme have causelesse kepte chastite / & yet before god shall be no better then all other. But in so doyng you shalle see yt they be y• [...]olisshe virgines whiche dyd spylle their oyle / by cause yt they dyd lyve & cōtinue virgines not of pure Christian minde / but for love of mede / rewarde / excellēcy / honor / and glorye And they do not reckē that yt is good so to abyde virgines as Paule doth here saye & meane yt ys good / but they d [...]eame yt they shall obtayne therby some good t [...]inge in the lyfe cominge. And thus have they made of their virgīite marchādise / yt they shall there by have lucre & winninge before god / & wylle not be cōtēte with ye trāsitory goodes that do come of chastite & eternalle inheritance purchased by fayth. Wherfore soche muste here with be neades offended ād displeased For besyde yt they shalbe disapoynted of the preeminence that they loked to have had in heven / yt was also very [...]revous / payn [Page] fulle / ād laborous for them to kepe this chastite vaine and damnable.

Art thou bounde vnto a wyfe? seke not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wyfe? seke not a wyfe: But ād yf thou take a wyfe / thou haste not sinned / like wise yf a virgine marye / she hath not synned: Neverthelesse soche shall have troble in theyr flesshe: but I faver yow.

¶ Here haste thou both that it is no synne to mary / ne yet to lyve vnmaried. The Apo / +stle entendeth principally to informe mēnes consciences / and afterwarde to shewe what is moste expedient & beste for people in this worlde. And wherfore to lyve vnmaried ys good / he doth here describe with wordes of greate gravite sayng: Maried folke muste have troble in the flesshe. And this is the crye / & noyse / that all the worlde doth make / speake / and wryte of / touchinge matrimony / that no man whiche loveth to lyve at ease & plesure maye gyve him silfe to be maried / for in it is moche troble vexacyon / miserye / evyll dayes / ād adversite Which all they that are virgines & vnmaried do not feale / & be with out. But I that am as yet vnexperte. And that have had none experiēce of matrimony [...] [Page] not her wille / ne yet can / here reherse ād recken ye paynes / grefe / and laboures / that therof come.

Neverthelesse I gyve here credence vnto Paule. And of scripture I have lerned .ij. tribulacions of mariage. The firste is whē god spake vnto Adam. Genesis .iij. say [...]ge. In the sweate of thy vysage shal [...]e thou [...]ate thy brede / and with the penury or barennes of the erthe shalte thou no [...]isshe the in the dayes of thy life. There was misery put apō mankīde to mayntene & norisshe both him silfe & his wife. Here is faith assayled sharpely / & put vnto no lytill plūge For what a grevous burdon do they bere when they be pinched and wrōge with penury? Beside what a vexaciō is it for thē to beholde the misfortunes that be falle both vnto thēselves / & also vnto their householde & family / with the iopardye yt they do dayly stande in / of losinge both godes & cattelle? Finally what angwisshe do they suffer / seing & feling the wilenesse / and falsshede of mē amonges whō they are cō pelled to lyve & company with? Thus muste he humble hīsilfe moste louly / keping hī quiet & stille / & brouke or disgeste doune many evill vexacions / and that principally because he is bounde in wedlocke with a wife / whiche thinges all he shulde lytelle or nothinge nede to regarde / yf so he were loose & stode free. Forthermore the womānes myserye [Page] and affliction is to bere childer / to be delyvered of them in paine / and to bringe them vp in laboure and travayle / to reste or slepe litelle in the night / to be strayte and harde vnto hir silfe / and to forsake all hir felicite or pleasure. Whiche thinge she shulde have no nede to do / yf she hadde lyved a mayde. And this beside all experience dyd God him silfe shewe vnto Eve in the .iij. chapter of Genesis sayng: In payne shalte thou bere and bringe forth children. The other tribulacyon of maryage is / that sainte Peter touched sayng: That a woman is weacke & a bryttelle vesselle. So that the h [...]sbande muste fuffer / and forbere many thinges in hyr: yf so they wille lyve in reste and concorde. For faute of this we see that ioyfull / matrimony (in whiche peace doth reygne and love) is a seldome founde thinge. Agayne warde the woman ought to be subiecte and obedient vnto hir husbande / as thou seys [...]e Genesis .iij. to go forth after him / to abyde and be with him whersoever it shall please o [...] like him. So that she muste nedes many tymes brydelle and breake hir awne wille. If beside forthe thou desireste to knowe of other incōmodites / & troble yt is in mat [...]imony / thou maiste yf so thou [...] wilte axe of thē yt have assayed it / or elles assaye it thy silfe. I suppose verely yt these .ij. be wond'fulle greate tribulaciōs. And the more greate / by [Page] people be chaste in by mennys tradycyons.

That thys ys here the mynde of Paule / confermeth well the other parte of hys proverbe / whē he sayeth yow be dearly bought. In whych he sygnyfyeth Christe / that with hys precyous blode hath redemyd and delyvered vs from all synnes and lawes / as is clerely shewed in hys Epistle [...]o the Galathyans .v. chapter. Now was thys byeng ād redempcyon done not after the worldely fassyon. Nother be here made leages and covenantes / soche as are betwyxte men: soche as be betwyxte the servante and the master / the wyfe and hyr husbande. All soche bargeynes doth he let stande stille / willinge that they shulde be kepte / and observed. But this redempcyon ys done inwardlye by the sp [...]ete in mennys conscyences: So that no lawe can eny longer binde vs or kepe vs bounde: But here are we all in all wyse franke ād free. Afore we were kepte bounde and locked in sinne: but now are all sinnes fordone / broken / & destroyed. But yet all bondage or lybertye exterior doth stille abyde and remayne / and is nother sinne ne goodnes or merite: but a certē exteryor ordre of thinges in due frame and proporciō of troble and solace / payne ād ioye / lyke a [...] all other exterior and outwarde thinges be. [Page] In whiche on both sydes we maye lefully passe thorow oure lyfe wyth out sinne.

Bretherne let every man wherin he is called / therī abyde with God.

here doth he now the thirde tyme repete his conclusion of christian lybertye. That all exterior thinges before god are free / and that a Christen body maye vse them accordinge after his appetite or pleasure / other levinge thē or elles takinge them. And he addeth expressely / before god. That is to saye as concernī ge vnto thy silfe and vnto God. For thou doest not honor vnto god in this that thou art coupled in matrimony / or elles that thou abydeste vnmaryed / that thou art a servant / or elles that thou art a freman. In that thou art made this thinge or that / or elles doest eate this meate or yt. On the other syde thou doest not displease him / nother doest thou sinne yf any of these thinges thou shalte do awaye and leave dndone. And to telle yow shortly. Thou oweste nothinge vnto god / but fayth and confession / when I bere / saye confession. I meane not that whysperinge of synnes in to ye prystes eare / whiche is called auricular confession / ne yet the confessiō of thy sinnes vnto god / but I meane as sainte Paule doth Roma. x. sayēge: Yf thou shalt knowledge or confesse with thy mouth / that [Page] cause they cōprehēde in thē many other. But yet is all this nother sinne ne offense before god / but only a tēporalle incōmodite / vexacion / & misery the which he muste nedes fele / ye other lusteth or elles by necessite is enforsed to be ioyned in matrimony. And with out doute ye apostle hath therfore here touched these greves / & vexacions of matrimony / lesse ony parsone shulde for cause of thē dispise ye state / as though it pleased not god or in which god could not be served. Like as vnto this daye oure false prophetes have bē wont to do. Whiche have in maner put all worshuppinge of god / & good dedes / out of this state / callynge maryed people / secularlaye / worldely / yee and the very worlde yt silse / and other that lyve vnmaryed / but yet not all chaste spretuall ecclesiasticalle / and the churche. As though they only were spretualle & the churche. And the maryed were not so / but the cōtrary / yee they calle the vnmaried the knightes of god / god dys servantes / the spouse of god & soche other names which it is pitye to se howe farre they be disagreyng frō their dedes & cōdicions. What elles is this then in so avauncinge thēselves in yt they be vnmaried to teache that in mariage mē can not be lyke? Ne do the same that they do beyng vnmaried.

Therfore Paule lesse the virgines & vnmaried shulde by his saing take occasion so to [Page] rouse & magnifye thē silfes vnto the dishonor of mariage / doth here mervelously tēper & modifie his wordes saing. S [...]che shall have troble in their flesshe. Marke how expresly he speaketh saieng troble in flesshe / not in sprete. For troble of ye sprete is sinne & evyll conscience. But troble of flesshe is exterior paine / grefe / woo / & vexacion: And yt Paule after the māner of the hebrew speache doth here calle the flesshe / we do calle the body. So that troble of the flesshe is as moche to sa [...]e as troble of ye bodye. I meane not that it is in the body as a disease / or malady ys in the body. But that troble is in these / thinges whiche we daily occupye / vse / ād be cō versante with / and in all that belongeth vnto the body / as are our wife / chyldre / householde / house / lande / cattelle / and other movable goodes / and all māner matters or busynes that we have to do with men in this vngracyo [...]s worlde.

A man therfore vnto whom is geven the gifte of chastite hath nede to kepe in and refraine his curiosite / ād beware of matrimony / and not to put him silfe in soche troble / and miserye. Onles necessite doth compelle him / like wise as Sainte Paule doth faithfully here geve councell and alwayes ought the same to be stille geven. For it is a very greate and excellente fredom and libertye to be vnmaried / exempte from moche ād many [Page] cares / troble / miserie / and vexacyons. Whiche libertye Paule doth forbydde or envye no parsone sayng. But I gladly do favore you. Beholde yt this is to preache virginite truly / not to bringe forthe and alledge the excellentcy therof / and mede or deservinge before god: but to cōmende the tranquillite & quiete / that therby doth come in this worlde. For a man shall fynde some that of curiosyte only and rasshenes are copuled in matrimony with out all necessyte / that elles myght well have bene with out maryage. Whiche being vncompelled do stryve / wrestyll / and l [...]boure to gette and obtayne mysery. When they have yt thus once purchased and obtayned / they be then truly not vnrighte we [...]y dealte with all / but served acordīgly

This saye I bretherne the tyme ys shorte / yt remayneth that they whiche have wifes be as though they had none: and that they that wepe be as though they wept not: and that they that reioyce be as though they reioysed not: And that bye / as though they possessed not: And they that vse this worlde / as though they vsed yt not / for the fassion of this worlde goth away.

[Page]¶This is a comone rule for all christē p [...]op [...] that they shulde kepe and observe there everlastinge goodes and treasure / which they do possesse in faith: and that they might despise and take light regarde of this life. So that they be not drouned over depe in love or pleasures / care / or fylthynes therof / & that they shulde here lyve / and order thē silfe as palmers or pilgrymes of the worlde vsinge all thinges while they be in this shorte passege of lyfe presente / not for voluptuousnes and pleasure / but as is required of necessite. And this is to have a wife as though I had hir not yf with desyer of mīde I had rather wante and be with out hir. Neverthelesse by cause of avoydynge synne / she is vnto me necessary / & I have nede of hir. But he that seketh in hir not only necessite / but also pleasure and volupte this man shall rightewesly be sayde not to have a a wife: but to be possessed and had of a wife. The same wise ought a christē man to do in all other thinges: that is to wyt only case supporte / and succurr [...] with them his necessite / & not to folow his appetite / pleasure / and volupte or & pā [...]re / & fede in thē his olde adame

I wolde have you with out care. The single mā careth for thinges of the lorde / how he maye please the lorde: but he that hath maried careth for thīges of the worlde / howe he maye please his wife [Page] There is difference betwene a virgyn ād a wife. The single womā careth for the thinges of the lorde that she may be pure both in body and also in sprete: but she that ys maried careth for thinges of the worlde / howe she maye please hir husbande.

¶Here is shewed an other cōmodite & profite yt cometh of chastite in this worlde. That they maye ye more intētively care & study to do godly thinges & goddes service I meane not in reding / soundīge of organes / & singī ge / like as now a dayes supersticious / religious & cloisterers are wōte to do amōges whō is al y• very service & honor of god suppressed & quēchidde: But that by a blisshed quietnesse a mā may sticke harde & geve diligēte attēdāce dayly vnto ye worde of god in redinge prayng / & alwayes talkinge therof / & finally in preachīge it: accordinge as paule doth exhorte .i. Timo. iiii. for a parsone yt is maried cā not geve hī silfe therevnto wholy: but ys distracte therfore & divided / yt is to saye: he hath nede to spēde a grete parte of his lyfe so to order hī silfe yt he may acordīgly live with his wife: and is like as Martha was / combred & intāgled with many charges / & moche bussynesse. A maide or an vnmaried body is not distracte & so divided in to diverse charges [Page] or cares / but she may wholy geve hir silfe vnto godly and divine thinges:

Yet doth not the apostle intende to damne matrimony / though here he saye yt a maried parsone doth not only take care for the worlde: but also that he ys in a maner divided from god / and endureth moche care: So that he can not continually praye / study / or speake the worde of god. For all though truly soche a parsones care & laboure be not evill Neverthelesse it had ben more profitable for him yf he had abydden loose and free both as concerning for prayer / and also for treatinge and speakinge the worde of god / furthermore in vtteringe the worde of God he maye do pro [...]ite / and conforte many mē / yee all christendome. So this ought to be even a very mighty ād an excellente cause to plucke backe every parsone that hath the gifte of chastite from maryynge. But oure spretualle people whiche nother knoweth the wayes to praye [...]e yet teacheth ye worde of god / but only do tormēte thēselves after the forme of mē nis statutes & tradiciōs shulde do better / thē they have done before time ye / & that not a litle better / yf they were maried. And whiles they do now mūbylle / houle & singe in chirches / they did diligētly enforme / nurtre / ordre / & rule their wife & their childre that they shulde live according to the instituciō of god declared in ye scriptures / & so provide yt they [Page] might have meate / drinke / ād clotinge aco [...] dinge for the necessite of their body.

This speake I for your profite and not to tangle yow in a snare: but for that which is honeste and comly vnto you. And that you maye quietly cleave vnto God with out distraction or separacion.

¶That is to saye I do not cōmaūde chastite / but I leave it vnto your libertie: nother do I s [...] councelle it to be receaved / yt you [...]ught to be ashamed / if you do chose to [...]e maried rather then to lyve chaste and vnmaried. For I wille have no parsone ītangled there with / or bounde ther to. I do only saye & afferme ye virginite is a free / a good / ād a profitable thinge. Be that wille & can take yt maye take it / & lyve therin. Here do yow see that in this mater ought to be layed no trappe ne snare: ne no mā ought to be vnto chastite strayned & enforced nother by cōmaū demētes or lawes / ne yet by vowes & promises. Now is this a suer mater / y• these wordes ar w [...]it [...]ē of Paule vnto [...]ll Christē people of Corinthe vniversally / & not only to the vnlet [...]red or laye. And yet he alledgeth no mede nor merite of virginite before god / but only yt it is good & profitable for people livī ge in ye worlde / & this only doth he prayse ād commende in it / as you have largely hearde [Page] shewed before.

yf enyman thynke that yt ys vncomly for his virgyne yf she passe the tyme of mariage / and yf so nede requyre / let hym do what he listeth: let them be coupled in matrimony.

¶This is a moche wonderfulle texte / that a man may gyve his virgyne or his mayde to be maryed only for avoydinge shame or skornīge wich do therof growe / yt in some countrees yt hath be thought vncomly / yf a man shulde kepe hys virgyne vnmaried over longe / or beyonde tyme of mariage. Beholde here as saynte Paule wolde have every persone in thys poynte free / and to do that shulde be good and profitable for them. He sayeth therfore yf so nede requyre / That is to saye / yf it cā be none other wyse / and the manner of yowr cowntry be so / and the custome doth with yow so requyre that yt be shame for a man to reteyne and kepe hys vyrgine vntylle she waxe aged / let hym then do what he lyketh. Let hym bestowe hyr in mariage / or elles let hī dyspice & set nawghte by shame. And thus to teache ys verely not to esteme excedingly of virginite / ne to recounteyt over gretly deare and precious. For the Apostle doth here [...]yve leave vnto a mā to bestowe and put forth his vyrgine to be maried for love of avoydinge a lytle shame or skornīge. I wene he was ygnorāt of golden dya [...]mes and crownes / whiche god is boūde to gyve vnto y• merite of virginite / lyke [Page] as oure masteres do faine / & have ymagīed

Neverthelesse he that purposeth surely in his harte havinge no nede / but hath power over his awne wyll: ād hath so decreed in his herte / that he wyll kepe hys vyrgen / doth well.

¶A lytelle before whē he sayde: yf any mā thinke yt yt is vncomly for his virgē. &c. And also in this place whē he sayeth. Neverthelesse he yt purposeth & hath decreed in his harte y• he wylle kepe his virgē / yow muste vnderstāde yt h [...] speaketh of parētes / fryndes & of tutores in whose warde and custody the vyrgēs be. In whiche thinge is signifyed yt mēnys chyldre ought not of their awne rasshe mīdes to binde thē other vnto mariage / or yet vnto syngle lyving ād chastite. But yt these persones vnder whose tuicion & authorite they be put ought to bestowe thē in mariage / or elles to reteyne & kepe thē therfro. But yf so be y• soche do lacke / or elles take no kepe or regarde of thē / then maye they do as they lyke. And that he doth here speake & bringe in / of the power of his awne wyll / yt ought to be so vnderstāde / that no mā hath power to reteyne & kepe his virgine frō mariage against hyr wylle. For whē she will not / thē hath he no power over his awne wylle. In lyke māner yf any other cause were that he shulde of other men be enfo [...] ced to put hyr forth and bestowe hyr in mariage / as in example yf he shulde be [Page] ashamede that his virgen were over moche growen in age / or elles that he shulde be constrayned of his frendes / or of some rulers to cause hyr to be m [...]ryed. In all soche causes ought he not to attempte any thynge agaynste hyr wylle.

So then he that ioyneth hys vyrgen in mariage / doth well And he that ioyneth not hys virgen in mariage / doth better.

¶Here agayne is expressely shewed authoryte and power geven vnto fathers / and mothers / tutors / & fryndes over their chyldre / and over them / whiche are committed vnto ther protection / and custody. That the chyldre with out the wylle or consente of their parētes / and of other whyche have cure over them / maye nether marye or elles abyde vnmaryed / furthermore yt / hath bene sufficiently expounded vnto yow before that this welle / and better / whiche he doth h [...]re speake of / and that ys also spoken of before in this pr [...]sente chapiter ought to be vnderstonde of goodnesse in t [...]is worlde. So that yow shall knowe matrimony to be good / yt ys to saye with out synne / acceptable v [...]to god and free for every persone / But yet chastyte / and syngle lyvīge is more quyet / & hath more liberty.

The wyfe ys bounde vnto the lawe [Page] so longe as her husbande lyveth. yf her husbande slepe she ys at liber [...]ye to mary with whome she wyll / only in the lorde but she ys happyar yf she so abyde in my indgemente. And I thinke verely that I have the sprete of god.

¶Thys place doth he also reherse Rom. vij [...] and therof he maketh a spretualle allegory / whyche he doth here omitte / and leave out / but there he declareth yt largely. The ende & conclusyon of this chapiter ys: That matrimony in the syght of the worlde ys a bō de and thraulde thynge: but befo [...]e god yt ys ryght franke and free. Lyke as he sayde before of a servante / that h [...] ys free a fore god / all be yt that before the worlde he hath no power over his awne body. But syngle and vnmaryed folke be free both before god / and also the worlde / and holden captyue of no man. Therfore he calleth the state of so [...]he letter / or more blessyd / then ys the state of thē whiche are maried: Not bycause of comyng to eternalle salvacion and blysse / where vnto fayth only ys good ād precious / better and more precyous acordīge vnto y• mesure therof / but touchinge vnto this presente lyfe and cause of yt / for so moche as in chastite and syngle lyving ys lesse / busynesse / care / charge / ieoparde / & laboure. Therfore [Page] grosse and contente of this chapter is: It is good not to mary / excepte necessite constraneth and causeth the contrary. And there is necessite where as god hath not gevē the noble gifte of chastite / for no man ne womā is create vnto chastite: but all ar create / & made to engrendre and begette yssue / and to suffer the troble / and myseries of wedlocke / as ys shewed Genesis .ij. & .iij. But yf any parsone maye be reckened / and nombrede from out of this necessite / that all mankinde is create vnto him hath not nother lawe ne vowe nor yet any purpose of minde exempte therfroe / but the grace of God only / and his marvelous hande / or power. By whiche yf man be not made continent and chaste. I do not denye / but they maye begynne to live chaste: but it shall never come to a good effecte and ende. Wherfor they playe the cruelle tyrannes and soule murderers / that do barre in and shutte youth vp in cloysters / there keping them in by vyolence / As though chastite did consiste in oure power / when not withstandinge they both thinke and also in themselves fele the cōtrary. And so they b [...]ī ge other to that / whiche they did never touche so moche as with one of their fingers / nor yet cā though they wolde never so fame [...] It is shortely sayde / Be chaste. But why thē art thou o fornicator? It is a gaye mater you may be suer. Thou shalte farse / and stuffe thy body with delicate meates & drinkes / in soch [...] [Page] a manner that yt shalbe a mayne draffe sacke or swylle belly / and then put or enioyne me to faste all the dayes of my life / and to kepe abstinencye. Finally vnto them that be a [...]entyfe and wylling to heare / have I in thys treatyse sayde / and written sufficient: But as concerninge them that haue no luste but disdayne to heare / what cā or elles maye men saye? I beseche god to illumine them / and lende vnto them his lyght / or elles to lette and forbydde them that (as a fore thys they have done) here after they maye no lenger slee and murdre mennys soules.

Amen.

§

§

[Page]

¶Paule to the Hebrues .xiij.

¶Let wedlocke be had in price in all poyntes / and let the chāber be vndefiled / for hore kepers and advoutrar [...] god will iudge.

Paule .i. Corin. vi.

¶Fle fornication. All synnes that a man doth are with oute the bodye. But he that is a fornicatore synneth agaynst his Awne body.

Paule .i. Corinthiorū .vii.

¶To avoyde fornication / Let every mā have his wiffe / And let everye womā have her husbande.

Christ Mathei. xix.

¶He that made mā at the begynnenge made them man & woman / for this thinge shall a man leave father ād mother and cleve vnto his wiffe / & they twayne shalbe one flessh wherfore now are they not twayne / but one flessh Let not mā therfore put a sūder yt which gode hath coupled to gedder I say ther fo [...] vnto you / whosoever putteth away his wiffe (excepte it be for fornication) and maryeth a nother breaketh wedlocke.

Paule To the Ephesians .v.

¶So ought men to love their wives as their awne bodyes / He yt loveth his wiffe loveth him silfe. For no man ever yet hated his awne flessh. But norissheth & cherissheth

§

§

[Page]

Leffe.ij.syde.j.line.xij.presumptio [...] / read presumption.

Leff.ij.sy.i.li.xxvij.en / read in

Leff.vi.sy.i.li.xxvij. exhortinge / read exhortinge.

Leff.vi.sy.i.ly.xxx. trluly / read truly.

B.iiij.syde.ij.line.xij. to bles Reade trobles

B.vi.sy.ly.i.vij. incōtin [...] ̄cye maketh not &c.

Reade. incōtinēcye did not withstonde & let it for cause wereof let every mā have his w [...] fe Paule maketh not &c.

B.vi.sy.i.ly.xx. to ordre bahave him silf &c.

Read to ordre & bahave hi [...] silf &c.

B.vi.sy. [...].ly.v. is only savegarde. Reade is the only savegarde &c.

C.i.sy.i.li.xv. then / reade them.

C.i.sy.ij.li.xij. yowe / read youre.

C.iiij.sy.ij.ly.xxiij. and .xxv. spōses / read spouses.

C.v.sy.i.ly.xiij. it is not oure power Reade it is not by oure power:

C.vi.sy.ij.ly.xxi. And al his liffe longe Rea. yee and that all his liffe longe.

C.vij.sy.i.ly.xxi. driveth / read dryve.

C.viij.sy.ij.ly.xx. heten / read hethen

S.iiij.sy.i.li.xv. their / read there.

S.v.sy.ij.li.xvij. other ech / read / [...]h other

S.vi.sy.ij.ly.xxviij. beore / read / before.

S.vij.sy.i.li.v. iuggkinge / read. iugglinge

S.vij.sy.i.li.xiiij. the all / read all the

E.i.sy.ij.ly.xvi. forechaste Reade fo [...]

[Page]E.ij.sy.ij.ly.xviij. preckinge Reade pry [...]inge

E.iij.sy.ij.ly.xiiij. keptiste reade kepiste

E.iiij.sy.ij.ly.xxi. mochage reade mockage.

E.vij.sy.ij.ly.xv fram reade from.

E.vij.sy.ij.ly.xxi. werre reade are.

E.viij.sy.ij.ly.v. voy [...]save reade vouchesave [...]

F.ij.sy.ij.ly.iij. examples reade examples

F.iiij.sy.i.ly.ij. the. reade them

F.iiij.sy.i.ly.xvij. fattherly reade fatherlye

F viij.sy.ij.ly.xv.io reade to

F.viij.sy.ij.ly.xxxi. will shall graunte geve reade will geve.

H.i.sy.ij.ly.xxv. for to his awne silf & [...]. read [...] for his awne silfe &c.

H ij.syi.ly.xx. and forth &c. Reade and so forthe.

§

§

¶ At Malborow in the londe of Hesse. M.D.xxix.xx daye Iunij. By my Han [...] Luft.

[Page]

Information about this book

Title statement

An exhortation to the diligent studye of scripture, made by Erasmus Roterodamus. And tra[n]slated in to inglissh. An exposition in to the seventh chaptre of the first pistle to the CorinthiansParaclesis. English

Erasmus, Desiderius, d. 1536.

Edition statement

1529

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2003-01 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A00378

ID [STC]

STC 10493

ID [STC]

ESTC S109910

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99845547

ID [PROQUEST]

99845547

ID [VID]

10452

Availability

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early English books online.

Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A00378)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 10452)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 39:05)

Source

— An exhortation to the diligent studye of scripture, made by Erasmus Roterodamus. And tra[n]slated in to inglissh. An exposition in to the seventh chaptre of the first pistle to the Corinthians, Paraclesis. English, Erasmus, Desiderius, d. 1536., Roy, William, fl. 1527-1531, attributed name., Luther, Martin, 1483-1546. aut.

Extent

[156] p.

In the londe of Hesse. M.D.xxix. xx daye Iunij. By my Hans Luft [i.e. J. Hoochstraten],. [At Malborow [i.e. Antwerp] :: [1529]. (A translation of: Paraclesis.) (Translated by William Roy?--Cf. STC.) (Printer's name from colophon; publication date from STC.) (Includes: Luther, Martin. An exposition in to the seventh chaptre of the first pistle to the Corinthians.) (Signatures: pi A⁶ B-I (I8 blank).) (Reproduction of the original in the British Library.)

Creation

Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford.

Editorial practices

EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO.

EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org).

The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source.

Users should be aware of the process of creating the TCP texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data.

Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so.

Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor.

The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines.

Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements).

Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site.