[Page]AFter that a certayne lytle boke was putte forthe in latyn, to su­stayne the publyque iudgement of them, that know the tongue entytled. The counsel geuyng, that adultere [...]s should or ought no [...] to be punyshed: I was desyred to wryte a contrarye consultacion. That Adulterers ought to be punyshed, and that in Englyshe, that all men myght knowe, howe parellous was the tytle of the latyne boke, and howe vngodly the autor therof had peruerted and wrested the holy scryptures to make thē seme to serue his detestable errour. But not lōg after this latyn writer recanted & altered the tytle of hys boke, permittyng al his false argumētes, weake reasons and his vayne probacyons for hys parte to stād styll, nether recāted ne remoued. Which monstrose boke hauynge yet so manye false argumentes, nothynge now corre­spondynge the newe tytle, when it was reade, I was the more importunelye of manye desyred to confute it, and to put forthe m [...] boke in Englyshe. All be it [Page] some there were, whiche semed to be of­fended, that I answered not in latyne, whyche ought rather to haue bene offended wyth so false and vnlearned a boke to be put forth of any of their famylie, & also to haue estiewed the dedicaciō ther­of, that afterward, as he was compelled to recant the tytle, so is he not able to de­fende hys boke, ne to iustyfie hys argu­mentes made for Adulterers not to be punyshed. And of what learnynge and iudgement, and howe affected were they (thyncke ye) whyche perusyng the boke before it was printed, praysed it so hygh­ly? Oh wycked flatery. Howe swete is thys euyll? The professours of Gods word and the dyscypels of Christe, thys wryter woulde not to moue, to counsell nor to excyte the magystrates to punysh adultery. Where I aske this man by the way, whether god almighty be not euer one, and the same God, whose wyl, as it is immutable, constant and ferme, so are his iust iudgementes and commaundementes constante perpetuall and i [...]uariable: as the Psalme .xviij. & .cxviij. and hys .v. boke of Moses expressely decla­reth. Agayn, whether adultery be not as [Page] earnestly forboden to vs, at it was and is to the Iewes? And whether adultery be not now as great and as detestable a synne before God, and al godly men, as it was then? Is not adultery nowe as greate a corrupcyon, iniurye, sclaunder, and hurte to Christes churche and to all comō wealthes, as it was in tymes past [...] And to be short. Whether it raigneth not growe, rote, sprede, and take place euery where as rankly vnshamefacedly, and as comonly nowe as euer it dyd, syth there is no punyshement ministred for it, neither of the ecclesiastick nor secular sorte? Forasmuch thē as al this is trueth let neither the seclare magistrates winke at this offence, let no mā defend the cry­me, nor the professours of Gods worde ceasse to spe [...]e, ne to wryte excitinge and exhortynge all estates to their aboundē dutyes and offices, enioyned them of God, puttinge the worde into their mouthes, and swerde into their handes, least for oure neglygence and winkinge at so greuouse offence, God as he hathe done in tymes past, punyshe bothe the real­mes, and the heade rulers wyth all the whole subiectes therof. Whē therfore [Page] chaunced vpon this boke, so entytled: That Adulteres should not be punished, and perceyuinge the title to be directely against Gods worde, against all good [...]iuill ordinaunces, naturall and writen lawes, me thought it was an vngodlye and an euilll counsell, whiche is euer worst of all to the counseller him selfe And therfore [...]beinge the iust desyers of many, I addressed me to geue a contrary counsell. For neuer was there any time ne nacion more corrupte with this crime of adultery, then suche, as vnder the color of the Gospell, where no punishe­ment is ordined, ru [...]ne into the licenci­ouse liberty of the flesh, chaste matrimo­ny contempned. Insomuche that as we may coniecture by the scriptures, it pro­ [...]ostiketh the world to drawe faste to an ende, and prouoketh the hasty wrath of God sodenly to destroye all, and to co­me to iudgement. And therfore I se it to be more godly counsel, to punish iustely this great cryme so wyde spred into so greate hurt aud corrupcuion of the chur­ches and comon wealthe. Right heauye maye euery Christen hert be to se synne and wickednes take suche strength and [Page] courage in a Christen realme, that any man vnder any pretence of holines and charite shoulde stande forthe to defende the cause of so notable sinners vnpuni­shed. To whome this patrone of Adul­terers geueth his sinfull counsell, I can not tell, he is so sliper a serpent of so va­riable colors of contradicions, correc­cions I woulde saye, nowe counsel­linge the preachers, and then dissua­dinge the Discipels of Christe, and [...]naue aduertisinge the Magistrates, nowe to haue them punished, and then to haue them not punished [...] nowe with the worde, and then with the swearde. To geue this counsell to auye priuate man or preacher, he spendeth his penne in vayne. For no priuate persone vsur­peth the office of a publique Magistrate in punishinge this open cryme wyth deathe. And yet I herde of a man in this realme, whiche takinge the man with his wyfe, slewe him. Whome the lawe coulde not punishe for so doinge.Nume .xx [...] And Pinhas the sonne of Eleazar the Prieste [...] the Israelite, and the Madianite woman bothe thorowe with his speare, as they laye. And God [Page] allowed it for a iust dede, that pacifyed his wrath. So hainously hateth God the synne. Yf thys wryter be so malepert, as to geue his counsel to the kinges ma­iestie, and to his counsell, he condemp­neth hym selfe two maner wyse by hys owne wordes, ones he taketh the auto­torite oute of their handes to punyshe them wyth deathe, callynge it ‘the cruell seueryte of Moses lawe nowe abroga­ted, and maye no more be put in vre. Another is thys: He sayth: That yf the tranquyllite of the comon wealth requi­reth deathe for the offence, and the magi­strates make the lawe,’ he sayth not a­gaynst it. But yet he constantly affyr­meth it, that law to be neither profitable nor necessarye. Wherof it foloweth him to consent to a lawe neyther necessarye, nor profytable. But I argewe thus: What so euer lawe perteyneth to the publique tranquillite of Christes church and conseruacion of the comon wealth, the same is bothe profitable aud necessa­rye. But Goddes sawe is to punyshe adultery with deathe for the tranquillite and comon wealth of his church: wher­fore hys lawe is bothe necessarye, and [Page] profytable. But here this man wyl deny the minor, and saye that lawe was ge­uen, but to the Iewes, and is nowe ab­rogated. But hys sayinge is false: for this lawe of punishement wyth death is the lawe of nature, whereof the ten pre­ceptes are grounded, and can not be ab­rogated. Neyther is there any lawe abrogated, whyche beareth in it selfe the ho­noure of God, & the loue to oure neigh­bour: but to punish adultery wyth death pertayneth to Goddes honoure in hys worde to be obeyed and obserued for the loue of oure neyghboures, whiche els shoulde suffer intollerabler iniuries, then to haue all hys goodes taken from hym: wherfore it ought to be more puni­shed then theft. Is not a mans wyfe, or husbande, or doughter, or seruaunt mor­derer to them, then their temporal goods as horse, kowe, &c? God is the God of the Gentiles, and tendereth the preseruacyon & tranquilite of our comon wealth and churche, as greatlye as he dyd the Iewes. Wherfore the lawes of hys ho­noure, of oure sayth, and mutuall loue must be geuen to us, as well as to them. To take awaye, and to cut of putryfyed [Page] and corrupte membres from the whole body, lest they poyson and destroye the body, is the lawe of loue to the whole body to be preserued: wherfore euery lawe that beareth this loue in it selfe, is the e­uerlasting wil of god, made by the same spirit, which is one & the same of both y^• testamentes, & must nedes stand ferme & inuiolable, according to his owne say­inge by his Prophet:Psal .xviij. [...] . [...]xviij. Lorde thy iudge­mētes are egall ferme, fast and iust. And all thy iudgemētes shal endure for euer. Wherfore it is playne that they are not abrogated, as this yong and newe ora­tor woulde perswade. Saint Paul beholding the morals & iudicials of God, affirmeth cōstantly them to be both perfit & profitable .ij. Timo .iij. bothe to teache to reproue vice, to correcte synne & to in­struct mā. Now for asmuch as the iudg­ments of God be so profitable so perfit & so necessarye, what man dare be so bolde ether to abrogat, to alter, to minish, or to swade y^• Magistrates not to execute thē [...] so far of shuld they be to write & to affir­me them to be neither profitable nor ne­cessary, but to be cruell blody banished frō the Christen comon wealthes. Mai­ster [Page] Bullyngerus, a man of an excellent knowledge & highly learned, a man of a pure iudgmēt, in his boke of y^e holy state of wedlocke, & also in his .x. sermō of his ij. decadis, cōstantly affirmeth. The pu­nishmēt of dath for adultery, neither to be abrogated nor chaunged, no not of the gētiles, as witnesseth lex Iulia Romano [...]ū. And shal we Christianes be more licē ciose to synne then the Heathē? Into oure shame & condēpnaciun is this wrytten. The grauite of y^• sinne, God euer expressed by the iudgment & punishmēt annexed. What iudgement God cōmaundeth to be done vpō adulterers his eternal wil & word yet declareth. But they y^• would ether abrogate, or take away the punish­ment: yea, or minish it, declare thē selues ether to make adultery no syn at al, or vslesse to esteme it then the Heathen, or els not so great a sinne now as it was in the time of Moses. But the cōmaundemēt of God is euer one & y^• same, the trangressiō & offence is agaynst the same God, that yet abhorreth iniquite. Now sith the of­fence is the same, and the sore al one, why should it not haue the same punishmēt & the same remedy to cure it, & to expell it [Page] out of y^• comē weale of Christes church? or wherfore shoulde mā dispense with, or abrogate more the punishement of adul­tery, then the punishemētes of theft and murther [...] Nor long ago, It was thought iustely to be punished wyth the swerde, and so put in execucion of some persons, and why is it not styll executed? Is it thought worthye in women and not in [...]en?Psa [...] God is not acceptor of persons. Yf thys wryter therfore beynge put a pry­uate persone, so vsurpeth not to him selfe onely the autorite to geue counsel, and to persuade adulterers not to be punyshed, but be content to permytte to another the same libertye to wryte and to counsel, I woulde geue the contrary counsell: euen Adulterers to be punyshed iustelye by Gods worde. For often and sharpelye God commaundeth wyth terrible com­mynacions, the rulers to minister iu­stice and iudgement, punyshynge the e­normities of those open crymes, whyche as they defyle and corrupt the Chrysten comon wealthes, so by no holsome ex­hortacyon, ientle monicion, ne preaching of the worde may they els be repressed, & [...]xtincted? Wherfore els hath God ordi­ned [Page] ouer euery church and reaulme [...] prynces and magyltrates, puttinge the swerde & scept [...]e in their handes, but to punyshe accordynge to hys worde aud commaundement suche grenouse distuerbers, sclaunderers and destroiers of the commone wealthes. For whō the worde can not refrayne, God hath ordyned the [...]werde to represse. The sacred integryte therfore of thys Christes holy church, y^• inuiolable honour of holye matrymony ordined of God: the preseruacyō of y^e pri­uate & publique peace: al honesty: godlye zeale to vertue, to the saluacyon of oure soules and to Gods glorye shoulde con­strayne euery Christen hert to counsell, to exhorte and to excyte all christen ma­gistrates to cut of thys contagyose kan­ker of adultery from amonge vs, leste in further crepynge, as it dayly corrup­teth the whole body of this noble realme so shal it els be at last so incurable, that as Titus Linius of the Romans com­playned. Neyther the vyce nor yet the [...]uste remedy wylbe suffered, prouokinge the heauye wrathe of God to be powred forth vpon vs, as the moste terryble ex­ [...]mples and storyes wryttē for oure wa [...] ­ [...]ynge [Page] threaten vs, teaching vs also how detestable a synne it is before God and man, which God so abhorred, that with as greuouse a death he as strayghtly cō ­maundeth it to be punished, as any other blasphemy cōmitted agaynst hys owne maiestye, or for kyllynge father and mo­ther. Yf the Christen Magistrates ther­fore wyl turne from them selues, & from their regions the present wrath of God imminent, as did Pinhas and Moses from the comon weall of Israel by slay­ing the Adulterers in their dayes, [...]um .xxv. let thē restore, promoue spedely, and stablishe purely the Christian religion placed in her owne old honour and integrite, not mixed wyth any humane prophane tra­di [...]ions, all papistry cleane swept oute of oure churches, and iustely punishe open obstinate, incurable synners, leste for these two impedimentes the Gospel denyed vs, [...]u .xxxiij. as they shalbe sharpe thor­nes in oure eyes, and speares in oure sy­des: so shall God for sufferynge suche o­pen whordom aud adultery vnpunished deale with vs as he dealt for the same synnes with the commonaltie of his peculiare people: first by Nohas floud, [Page] then by Nebuchadnezar, and at laste by Titus themprour. And euen therfore to punishe comon a [...]d impenitent Adulte­rers with the swearde do I counsell by Gods worde borne by the iudgemēt and counsell of all the Godlye learned writers, that nowe write in latyne aud in other tonges. Thys added: Yf the wyckednes be haunted withoute al fear of God and shame of men, so comonly, openlye and desperatelye accustomed; that otherwyse it wyll not be repressed. Supposed alwayes that the Christen Magistrates and Godlye preachers therto consent, lenite ioyned with cha­rite called into their counsell. But what charite? Not that fonde charite, whiche so preposterously pitieth an opē indurat Adulterer, aud the e [...]rand accustomed strong thefe, that neither for their obsti­nat incorrigible crimes nor for any comōzele to christē brothrē, would haue y^e ma­gistrates exec [...]t their iust office inioined of god, nor gods & y^• realmes iust lawes executed. But as she laboreth by suche blynde piete to deliuer the stronge thefe from the gayelhouse, euen so by lyke sinistre charitie coupled with as lewed [Page] [...]eni [...]e couselleth she, fleshelye Adulte­rers to lyue in their whordome vnpuni­shed, maintayning this syn the originall of al wickednes into the destruccion of the comon wealthe and greate damnaci­on of many all shameles audacite added to their depe roted iniquite. But that charytie and lenite, would I haue called into counsel, for thys iust punyshement, whiche is so cleare eyed, that she can se what thyng she may do by Gods word, and when she may obtayne her purpose, aud also knoweth, how much she oweth to the fraylte of the weake corrigible at a tyme ouercomen by some greate temp­tacyon. Aud howe muche she oweth to the desperate indurate syn [...]ers, whiche hauynge, or els may haue their owne, yet lyke insaciable beastes, all feare of God despysed prouoke them selues aud other vnto thys detestable fylthynes. Thys charyte therfore (I say) do we en­brace, whyche seketh the glory of God, the kepinge of chaste wedlocke: yea, ra­ther the publique wealthe a [...]d peace of many men aud women to be kept pure frō this vyce, then the lyfe of a fewe (in cōp [...]rison) pestilent incorrigible per­sons, [Page] whyche iustly deserue to dye by Gods lawes. Some thinck, it is to hard and to cruell a lawe to punyshe Adulte­rers wyth deathe. But these persons bliu­dened wyth the custome of the synne so longe vnpunished, ether are they gyltye themselues or els al feare set a part, con­sider they not the terrible maiestie of him that said: Thou shalt not cōmit adulte­ry. Wherfore yf I had not sene this gre­uouse offence so frequented with oute al punishement & shame and feare of God, and this wryter so farre to haue erred in wrestinge the scriptures to mayntaine this wickednes contrary to some men in priuate commonicacion, and also in opē sermons exhortinge the magistrates iu­stely to punish [...] adultery: I would haue winked at his fonde zele and blynde charite. Albe it, his blynde loue to him selfe in pleasinge him selfe hath openly for a shewe of his latyne tongue and greke set forthe his boke more to exercise his stile, thē to geue vs any godly doctrine, which boke sith it is put forthe to sustayne the publique iudgement, I can not but saye my mynde for the defe [...]ce of the trueth, and confutacyon of lyes. For I iudge e­euery [Page] professor and minister of the word to be the same to the churche, as is the goode Magistrat, and citesen to the citye, whiche as they will suffer no­thinge to growe that maye destroye the cite and comon welth, euen so should the professor suffer no vyce, ne false doctrine nor synner vnpunished in the churche: wherby the congregacion is corrupted, and greuously sclaundered, and turned from the feare of God, who be feared & praysed for euer. Amen.

But let vs hear, what this writer saith. Into the reproche and rebukes of them, whō he iudgeth not to approue his boke and title therof: he sayth thus: ‘But I meruel at this vngodlines (shall I cal it) or rather a loue to them selues, whyche are wont so greately to abhorre thē that are slyden into vices, as though their selues were Goddes vpon the earth, or vt­terly clere from the same spots.’ Lo. Ad­ultery is with this man but a litle spotte, a moot, a litle sliding amisse in this mās eye. For what synne els is it, y^t he in his boke defendeth? who ther els [...]end al his arguments then into this ende, that Ad­ulterers shoulde not be punished, accor­dinge [Page] to his his first title an argumen­tes of the whole boke? Beholde also how spyghtfully he depraueth good men for abhorringe adultery, and would haue it iustely punished. Neyther is therre now almost any man, ‘their maners are so corrupte, but he will tell forth other menis offences to shewe them selues therby the more pure and honest.’

Here may ye se, of what spirite the man is caried into the rebukes an fole hardy iudgement, reprehending and deprauing other godlye ministers, whiche in pul­pits dampne and abhorre these open ob­stinate Adulterers, exhortinge the Ma­gistrates to punishe it by Gods lawes. As yf they shoulde preache against this horrible vice, shewing with Paul. What an offēce it is to take the mēbres of christ and make thē the membres of an whore to violate holy wedlocke, to pollute the temple of God, to dishonour his high maiestye, to sclaunder his holy churche, to separat that as God ioyneth, to poy­son the whole comon wealth, exhortinge the rulers to punishe the crime. These men for so preachinge, he calleth them scornfully, Goddes of the earth, & iud­geth [Page] them to set forth their owne honesty and goodnes by sclaunderyng other mē and tellynge forthe their synnes. No sir, we sclaunder them not, ne tell we forthe their synnes. They are their owne open filthy dedes, whiche ye defende, that dis­close them. Yf ye knowe any of vs that are agaynst your boke giltie, and would kouer our synne with rebukinge aduou­try in open pulpits, or writinge or exhor­tinge rulers to punishe it, be you our ac­cuser to make your mater the beter, ye once exhorted a mā to not flater, but s [...]arpely to rebuke vice. And now I perceiue ye did it to haue the same office your selfe well remembringe the comyk: That the trueth getteth hatered and obsequye frendes, ye shal by this boke aud this defence get ye many Adulterers to frende and to stande one youre syde.

‘But this hatered, this so bitter i [...]digu [...] ­ciō in priuate professors not only against the vices, but against the men, I can not tell, whether it becometh men.’

Shoulde we not hate those open syn­ners and their offences, whiche God so abhorreth and al godly men, that euen the persones we are commaunded to [Page] estiewe, to neither drincke ne eate with them, nor to haue any conuersacion with them? Then he sayth:

‘Namely them whiche synne of nature and not of will.’

Here it would be asked this great lear­ned oratore, whether his Adulterers syn not of wyl, but against their willes, only of nature? There is no actual syn, but it is vnluntary. Adultery is actuall, wher­fore it is a voluntary synne. This were els in dede a good defence for hys Adul­terers to saye, their synne is so natuaall, that it is against their willes, and so not worthy punishment. At last to mitigate their synne he sayth: Yf one committe a litle greuoser syn of weakeues, ‘howe do these men take on?’

Suerly yf Adulterers had no beter pa­trone then this poete to extenuate, and defende their cause, they are like to suffer perpetuall hell tormentes, yf they repent not in time, albe it they here escape the Magistrats handes. For these Adulte­rers whose cause he taketh to defende, and we would proue them worthy to be punished accordinge to Goddes lawes, synne neither of wekenes, nor of frai [...]tie, [Page] nor yet agaynst their willes. For they haue, or els may haue their owne wyues and the women their owne housbādes. But they are suche as be so maried to their owne lustes, that they obeye them runninge hedlongs withoute anye resi­stence, or feare of God, and his precep­tes into their owne fleshely desyers, yea it taketh dayly suche rote and custome, that as in other countries dronknes is rekened for a vertue, so is adultery nowe comonly but a praysed laughter, & hathe done one the name of prayse and vertue amonge the wicked. Also nowe this wicked excuse is nowe inuented. That they are not ashamed to say: after they haue ben longe maried hauinge many childrē by their wyues, when their lustes, moue them to another, I was maryed yonge against mywill. And euen nowe what reasons and busines begyn to aryse for diuorsements? whether the vngilty part after the diuorsement may marye ano­ther, or what shall the giltie or vngiltie do, yf he or she cannot lyue sole, & what yf both be giltie? And who broke wed­locke first? whiche all these shameles vngodly contencious and wicked despici­ons [Page] were clerely ceassed, yf accordinge to Gods lawes yet excuted in some chri­sten churches, or after the ciui [...]e lawes made by emprours adultery were puni­shed. Then he say th:

Yf I might frely say my mynde in the fre church of the Christen, ‘I verely and constantly iudge it, neither to be profytable nor necessary, open Adulterers taken in adultery, to be punished with death.’

Lo, here haue ye this manis corrupte iudgemente, and his sinfull sentence. Nowe yf the Magistrates iudge otherwyse (as he here after qualifieth and quidifieth his sayinge) according to god­des lawes: so must there sentence, and Goddes sentences to, be neither profita­ble nor necessarye. But God whiche is the euerlastinge wisedome constitutinge his comē welth defended with so many good and iuste lawes, to be by them pre­serued, thought it bothe necessarye and profitable, whose wyll is so immutable, that euen the Gentiles were compelled by the lawe of nature to f [...]low the same iudgementes. Example ye haue of Tha [...]ar.Gen .xxxv [...] And what plages did God caste v­pon Pharao and his house for takinge [Page] Sarai from her housbande Abraham,Gene .xij. & yet had not Pharao to do with her? Pharao doing it of ignoraunce. For when he kuewe her to be another mans wyfe, he sent her to him agayne. In suche reue­rence had euen the very heathen holye wedlocke, as the lawe of nature, whiche they dirst not violate into a testimony a­gainst vs in this matter to rise agaynst vs in the daye of iudgement. Agayne: when Abimelech toke Abrahams wyfe,Gene .xx. did not God tell him, he was but a dead man? and yet had he not offended with her. He threatened him death with al his and the king knew not she was his wife, but toke her for his sister: so fearful were the heathen kinges to violate matrimo­ny, & what death they loked for, yf they broke it. And shal we Christians beinge vnder the Gospel & Gods lawes grounded vpon the lawe of nature, ether de­fende adultery or not moue the Magistrates to punish it? Yf we se it not punished neither by excommunicacion, nor by the swerde shal the Christen professors hold their tongues and pennes, as would this writer haue vs to do? Oh wiked silence. A faythful dogge lyinge at his maisters [Page] dore, wil barke & bight to, yf the thefe co­me nighe to breke in, & to robbe his mayster, and shall a Christen professour and minister of Gods worde and of his la­wes, holde hys peace, seinge, God rob­bed of his glory, his lawes & commaun­dements brokē his holy so auncient instituciō, neuer yet altered, now violated cō temned & trodē vnder fote vnpunished? yea and that amonge the Christianes? This one thinge dare I constantly saye: That except adultery be punished with deathe, as God cōmaunded, or els nowe with paynes as greuose: as it shalbe the greatest sclaunder to the realme and to the Gospell, so shall it be one of the iuste causes, wherfore this realme shalbe pla­ged, & that greuously: yea, and the cause of the damnacion of many. This did faithfull Iosephe well se,Gene .xxxi [...] and consyder when his Ladye and misteres quene of Egypt prouoked him therto, and resisted it. This did holy Iob wel ponder, when he sayde:Iob .xxxi. Yf my hert hath but lustyd after another manis wyfe, let myne owne be abused. For I knowe that this iniqui­te requireth the sentence of death. Nowe yf in the lawe of nature, when as yet the [Page] punishment therof was not writen, but in menis hertes this abhominable adul­tery was so detested and the paynes of death were executed and threate [...]ed thē, muche greater paynes abyde them, that nowe knowe the Lordes wil bothe in herte wryten and in expresse wordes, and yet contempne it and breake it. So that now we are neyther ignorant, howe God abhorreth this wickednes, & what punishmēt he hath decreed for it. There is no externe transgression of any of the commaundementes, but accordinge to the grauite of the synne, God euer of his iustice ordined and decreed in writinge the iuste forme in punishinge it, whiche paynes are yet executed of them to whō he hath geuen the swerde. And what au­torite hath this yonge orator, or any mā more to abrogate the onlye punishment for adultery, thē paynes for murther blasphemy, theft, or sinytinge of paren­tes? Thus sayth the Lorde God (and no man) whose will and worde is euerla­stinge, heauen aud earthe soner to perish then one iote of his lawe to passeo [...]er. Whoso committeth adultery with anye manis wife, shall die to death, bothe the [Page] man and the woman, because he hathe broken wedlocke with his neighboures wise.Leui .xx. The same lawe is rehersed also in Deut .xx.Deute, xx. Yf this man had pōdered well the highe terrible maiestie and eternall will aud pour almightye of him that spake and decreed this iuste iudgemente: he woulde not make so lighte a syde slidynge of adulterye, ne take vpon him to defend their cause against Gods worde, nor yet to excuse Adulterers, and to abrogate the decre of God, ne counsel Magistrates to do contrarye to Gods worde, ne rebuke and condemp [...]e the professours aud teachers of the word for doynge their office inioined thē of God exhortinge the rulers to punishe this e­ [...]ormite and comon pestilence and de­struccion of comon wealthes. Amonge the Heathen Leprianis.The Lepriās lawe. Adulterers were caried bounde drawn thorowe the citie, i [...]. dayes, and afterward as long as they lyued, were despised, shamed and forsa­ken of al honest persons. Amonge the Locrenses. ZaleucusZaleucus. forbode adultery vnder this pay [...]e. That the transgressor shoulde haue bothe his eyes put oute. And when his owne sonne did offende, [Page] he vode the iudges, as iudges put oute one of his eyes. And y^e other eye did him selfe put oute as a father. Iu the noble Germans,Germans. before they receyued the christen faith: the punishement of an Adulteres stode in the power of her housband whiche might at the lest thrust her only in her smocke out of his house and beate her naked with roddes before all the cy­ty as Cornelius Tacitus writeth. Opi­liusOpilius his lawe. Macrinius emprour of Rome vsed to punishe Adulterers w^t fyre, throwing them bothe bownd together into the fier where after there was a comon lawe called lex Iulia:Lex Iulia. whiche decreed Adulterers to be punished with the swerde, whiche lawe stode in strengthe in S. Hieroms tyme, whiche mencioneth aud alloweth it. And the same lawe de stupris and ad­ultery did the christen emprours receiue. And of Iustiniane is it confirmed & [...]e­creed lib .iixi. titu .xviij. de publicis Iudi­c [...]s. In the lawes of Bamburgh y^e same imperiall lawe is executed, and confir­med of the Emprour Charlis .v. anno. M.CCCCC.XXX. and .M.CCCCC.XXXII. at Auspurg and Regensburch. Now yf the offence were considered but [Page] euen as the Heathen iudged in the lawe of nature, & as yet the ciuile lawe esteme it, howe detestable a crime it is and how perniciose to the comon weal, settinge al affeccions, euill customs and the negli­gence of rulers a side. And would waye what plages hange ouer the reaulme where it is permitted vnpunished, what and howe greuouse offence it is in Gods sight, al christen men woulde desyer it to be punished, aud therto exhorte al rulers as in tymes past. For verely, adultery is the destruccion, and the great disho­nor of Gods fyrste ordinaunce. A dāpnable wickednes procedinge frō the deuil oute of idlenes and excesse, and oute of the fleshe, contrary to the spirit of God, a shameful vnfaithfulnes, a voluntarye peace breakinge, a shameles periurye. Wedlocke was firste of all ordined of God, a natural copulaciō, neuer yet al­tered. And the maried persons smite a perpetuall cone [...]aunt, neuer to diuide their bodies ioi [...]ed of God into one flesh God and all the congregacion with the aungels called into recorde. They pro­mise faith & trueth with handes & mouthes the one to the other. Now yf it be so [Page] smal an offence, as of frailte of nature of weakenes, agaynst manis wil, but a litle spot, a slidinge amisse, as this man exte­nuateth and initigateth the crime, to dis­semble with God, aungels, and men, to trede vnder fo [...]e trueth and faith, to for­swere before God and so holy a compa­ny, to cal them all into witnes of a false promise, then might he haue so iustelye stretched forthe his penne to haue payn­ [...]ed the defence of Adulterers and made so many arguments for their vnpunish­ment in so counselling the Magistrates. why doeth he not as vehemētly dissuade the punishement of murther aud theft? To stele manis goodes is worthy death. And what is more dere to man then his wyfe, euen his owne body? Salomon waying theft a [...]d aduoutry together prouethProuerb .vi. aduoutry to be much more greuose offence. Yf it be so, it ought more sharpe­ly to be punished then theft. Also besides many greuose inconue [...]ences, this hap­peneth. That the right ayers oftentimes be defrauded of their heretage for euer. I passouer the murthers poissouinge batails, and treasons with other infinite destruccions that haue comen of adultery, [Page] and yet dayly ensueth. ‘But yet the ecclesiastick teachers, he woulde haue thē by no zele nor title to moue the rulers to execute iustice and Gods lawe vpon ad­ulterers. For so to do, he calleth it suche crueltie as becometh no preacher.’

Yf the Magistrates neglecte their offi­ce in punishinge open malefactors, is it crueltie & anger, the preachers to excite and to exhorte them with Gods word to do their dutie? Wherfore els did God commaund the Leuites to take the boke of the lawe and reade it continually to y^e kinges? And that in dontful iudgemētes they should call the priestes to shewe thē what they shoulde do according to God his worde, commaundinge the kinges to iudge as the priestes should teache them oute of Gods lawe. What els are al the sermons and comminacions of the pro­phetes, with the parell of their lyues, kindlinge and stering the kinges and rulers vnto the punishementes and corec­cions of the transgressors of Gods la­wes? They were commaunded to crye and ceasse not to tell them their sy [...]nes in neglecting iustice and Gods iudge­mētes, yea and where the cause was vr­gent, [Page] necessite requiringe the defence of the religion, their selues resisted, puni­shed and auenged it with deathe doinge y^e office of the seclare Magistrates. Moses was a man both holy and the myl­dest of all men, the Leuites were the mi­nisters of the worde. And yet Moses called them together, moued with no lytle zele to auenge Gods glorye, so that they went from tent to tent, from dore to dore and with bloudy handes slewe their brethren, and kinsfolcke to the nomber of 3000. [...]xodi .xxxij. [...]nd .ij. [...]um .xxv. Moses him selfe killed the Egip­cion for sinitinge one of his brethren. Agayne, what blody murther made Moses and Pinhas the Le [...]ite vpon Adulterers, [...]hen Pinhas smote bothe the per­sons thorow with his dagger, as they laye, and yet were these ecclesiastik doc­tors, as this man calleth vs. Moses be­ing a spirituall preacher and prophete prouoked the iudges of Israell, sayinge: Let euery one slay their men, that thus haue cōmitted adultery wih Baal Peor And yet saith this writer both ignorant­ly & vngodly, to proue malefactors not to suffer. ‘That the Lord in the olde testament willeth not the deathe of synners,’ [Page] knowing not of what death God there speketh. Neyther wyl we, ne any christē Magistrate the perpetuall death of dāp­nacion of any sinner, but woulde him to amende and be conuerted, but yet do not this wyshe and wyll take awaye the iust iudgementes of God, and punishement of anye murtherer, thefe or Adulterer. God there speaketh of the deathe of the soule and not of the body. Neyther wil­leth God by the text of Ezechiel his iudicial lawes to be abrogated, as this man meaneth, or els wherfore alledgeth he this texte agaynste the professors of the worde, that they should not iustigate the Magistrates to punish Adulterers? Thē he maketh this reason.

‘It is not reade (saith he) that Christe or any of his apostles bode or cōmaunded any adulterer to be punished with death ergo:’

So is it not read, that Christ commaun­ded the two theues to be hanged y^t dyed with him: and yet did they instely suffer for their offences according tu Gods la­wes, Christ not sayinge agaynst it. By this sayd reason a negatiuis, this man would haue noman for his crime to suf­fer [Page] deathe. For where is it reade, that Christ bode this particlare thefe, or that murtherer by name to suffer death? But tell me (I praye you) sayd not Christ: I am not come to breake the lawe, but to fulfill it? Christ consequently approued and confirmed the iudicial lawes saing: Whoso killeth, is bounde gilty the iudg­ment. Whiche he declared, sayinge: who so smiteth with the swerde, shal die with the swerde. And what law was it, wher­of Paul saith: [...]. Timo .i. [...] It is not ordined for the iust man, but for the vniust, as for rebel­lers to the Magistrates to parents, for murtherers, for adulterers, &c? Yf the payne and lawe made for adultery were abrogated, Paul woulde not haue con­firmed it, as he did with those wordes yet lefte in his pistle, neyther woulde he haue so threatened and feared the Corinthes, sayinge: Se that ye defyle not your selues wyth adultery, as certayne men did, for the whiche in one day there were slayne an hūdreth and twenty thousand. Christes Le [...]ite (of whiche ye speke so muche) was such: That for anger, for an obprobriose worde, he pronounced them worthy iudgement, and to come before [Page] the counsel: wherfore he abrogated not the iudiciall lawes, but stablished them. For he that so narowly interpreted his lawe, to not kyll, that for beinge angry with his brothren, or for an obprobriose worde pronounceth him worthy counsel iudgement and hel fyer, thincke ye that the same law geuer doth abrogate or mi­tigate the punishment for the other most gre [...]ouse transgressions of y^e greater pre­ceptes? Then argueth he thus out of the example of Christ, sayinge:

‘Christe expresseth his mercye and for­geuenes both by examples and doctrine and redempciō, wherfor ther ought non of his disciples to put any malefactor to deathe, but likewise to forgeue, and to folowe his stepes.’

Here belyke this man taketh not the seculare Christen Magistrates for Christes Disciples, or els he woulde not them to put malefactors to deathe. But let them be only the priestes his Disciples. Who made this law, that priestes should saue theues, murtherers and Adulterers? and that they should conuaye them from the galowes? and that I shoulde not say the trueth before a iuge, yea and take an oth [Page] to, yf he aske it of me? Who caused so many strong theues to be saued by their bo­kes? and sanctuaries to nourishe wilfull theft and murther? was it not the bishop of Romes lawe? But I will set an example of Christes softenes & le [...]ite againste this man so full of fonde pyte and mer­ciles mercye, where Christ toke cordes makinge them into sharp whipps, wherwith in great anger & violence he scour­ged oute suche fonde pituose marchants out of the temple, whiche toke vpon thē so boldely withoute all feare of God to bringe into his churche suche licenciouse lybertie and false doctryne, therby rede­ [...]inge and byinge by flatery the fauoure of Adulterers and theues, when therby Christ takinge vpon him selfe the person of a prophete and bishop, and not of a kinge ne Magistrate taught the profes­sours of his worde and his disciples to correcte the arrogant audacite of errone­ouse teachers and writers, to blame and to chasten them sharpely, as it were with whippes, of which Christes facte, it may be well gathered, what may his succes­sours do to suche abusers of his worde, [...]nd deceyuers of his churche with false [Page] doctrine. In dede there ought no ecclesi­astik Magistrate take the office of the se­clare rulers vpon him in putting the malefactor to death. But whether one man may haue both the regiments in his hād I thinke, this man will not say agaynst it. And then is it true that the professour of the worde and Disciple of Christ may execute Gods worcke and his office, as the scripture calleth it, and suche kinges are called Goddes: for that they sitte in Gods place ministringe Gods worcke. Christ him selfe was and is bothe prieste and ki [...]ge preacher and iudge, whyche firste shewed him selfe to come to teache and to saue eare, he woulde come to iudge and to condempne. But yet in his firste coming he abrogated not his own ciuill lawes and iudgementes, which he euē then confirmed,i. Timo .i. and his apostles did also wryte them to be obeyed and fered,i. Petri .ii. [...] whiche commaunded to be kept moste diligently, and al mē to institute al their publik and priuate iudgementes accor­dinge to his word.Deuter .v [...] xi. It is playne, that this yonge wryter knoweth not, what it is to be vnder the lawe and vnder the Gos­pell, and who they be that are vnder e­ther [Page] of them: For al that crye Lord Lord are not vnder the Gospel. I graunte to him, that the lawes to punish adulterers and the [...]es, &c. are abrogated and not or­dened for chast lyuers, true men and in­nocent persons liuinge vnder the obedi­ence of the Gospell. But to these open indurate Adulterers, whose cause he defendeth, the lawes ciuile and iudicials stande in their strength, and ought to be executed vpon them. This doctryne will we teach, whatsoeuer this man ob­iecteth, and wil tel the publik rulers that they do the workes and iudgementes & iustice of God, whylis like experte and godly wy [...]e sourgens, they cut of from the body of the city or comon weal suche corrupt and contagiose membres as are Adulterers. Althoughe this man sayth constaintly:

‘He healeth vnhappely that killeihe the sycke.’

But a wyse sourgen will (yf the corrupt member be incurable or shoulde poyson, and kil the whole body) cut of that member, and caste it into the fyer as Christe teacheth vs of the eye, hād, and fote that hurte the whole body. Then he woulde [Page] not: ‘That any father, pastore or prea­cher should be iudges, to minister iuste iudgementes and to punish open intrac­table synners.’

But I woulde, as teacheth vs Goddes worde, that all seculare iudges, rulers, kinges, and Magistrates were fathers, pastors and Gods preachers, and vnderstode y^• scriptures as wel, as did Dauid and Salomon, & the other good iudges, and kinges, whose example we haue in the Bible, to whome of eleccion and vocacion, it was enioyned of God father­ly to teache, to fede and to gouerne his people. The cause why trwe indgement is peruerted and iustice and equite is not truely ministred is. The iudges and rulers are not fathers but tyrants ignorā [...] of God and his lawes, they are not true feders, as it becometh them with Gods word, but poysonners with menis tra­dicions To some men verely the ecclesi­astik censure of excommunicacion was some tymes as geeuouse as death. They were of their fathers openly excluded w^t no litle shame from al the Christen soci­ete in tyme of y^• Lordes souper, of prayer and other benefites as wel vnworthy to [Page] ate, to dryncke, or accompany Christen men, casten out by the power of the holy Ghost vnto Satan. This autorite & for­midable censurs, the kayes to bynd, and to retayne syn [...]ers is geuen of God to y^• ministers of the worde, whiche woulde God it were so iustely vsed nowe, as it was in Paules tyme & sence. But nowe sithe this holsome remedye is not execu­ted, but abrogated per nō vīum: nor yet y^• seclare swerde once drawne out againste this horrible crime of adultery. Shal we not excite them both to their dutye? But in what an heauye state are impenitent syn [...]ers geuen vp to Satan, into their destruccion of the fleshe, seinge that penitent incestuose of Paul, suffred such paynes and his sorow so great, that it was tube feared as Paul writeth, leste he shoulde haue ben swalowed vp of despe­raciō, yf co [...] ̄fort and prayer of y^• church had not preuented it, and what a deathe had it bene to an hardnecked impenitent persone beyng in Satans hande, refu­singe all holsome counsels, comfort and prayers not sufferinge the kayes of lo­singe to turne in his hert? Suche there are amonge oure Adulterers. For this [Page] was Paul accused of seuerite and cruel­nes of the false prophetes. Yf there be an open accustomed Adulterer, a sclaunder and poyson to the congregacion, why shal not the ecclesiastick ministers dely­uer him into y^• seclare Magistrates handes to be punished with the swerde, as they haue done with other offenders? Christ byddeth vs to take suche impeni­tent and intractable persons, as heathen and publicans: and yet in so doing make we not oure selues ‘Gods on the earthe, nor set forth our owne honesty in promouinge their mischiefe to them that be bounde to punishe it as you saye.’ The lawe is, that yf I [...]nowe a [...]ny suche opē sy [...]ners against God and the publique welthe,Leuiti. v, and hold my tonge, it is iudged, that I consent therto, and ought therfore to be punished a lyke. For religion, faith and loue mutual commaund vs to not suffer such vngodlines, which els should grow into forther destruccion. This mālayth muche for him the examples of the apostles, but he seeth not the seuerite of Peter endued with the holy Ghost smy­ [...]inge with so soden death Ananias and Sapphira for their dissemblinge hyppo­crisy [Page] with the church, which was done leste the softenes and to [...]che fauor by the apostles amonge offenders winking at open sinners shoulde growe into con­tempte of God and his worde, as it is nowe come to the same by sufferynge adulterers vnpunished. He seith not Paul punishing eliman with perpetual blind­nes.

‘Then he bringeth in Dauid and Solo­mon with their greuouse offences vnder Moses lawe, and yet non of the prophetes (sayth he) were so cruel vpon them, as to punishe them but with Goddes worde.’

And what els desyer we then, that Adul­terers might be punished accordinge to Goddes worde. Nathan so punished Dauid in his reprehensiō, that he caused him to geue the se [...]tence of deathe vpon him selfe for his adultery. And what a punishement was it to ensuer him, the swerde neuer to go from his house for slaying Vrias. And for his adultery god to stere vp his own sons to abuse his wiues, brother to defile his syster, one bro­ther to slay another, and to lay Dauids synnes in the open sonne, and his owne [Page] sonne to chase his father oute of his re­alme. What plages, deathes and hel [...] paynes were inflict by the prophetes to Dauid, his heauye complayntes in his psalmes declare. Would god this good mā w^t al the professors of the word, woulde do Nathans parte in sharpe re­bukinge adulterye this daye, and not so to mitigate the synne that the punishmēt therfore of God, were nowe abrogated, as thoughe it were not now so greuouse a synne, as it was in Moses tyme. So­lom on his kingedome was diuided, his seruaunt raig [...]inge after him. What pu­nishement came vpon Ieroboam by the monicion of the prophetes rebuking the kynge. And yet sayth this man, the pro­phetes shewed no seuerite to the kinges, but al softenes and mercie. And are not al these thinges writen for our doctrine and ensample so to do? Howe vehemente and sharpe were the prophetes, Elias, Isai, Hi [...]remy, and the other in rebuking and condemp [...]ing sinne? Compare your defence of Adulterers to their sharpe ser­mons: and they agre, as Belial & christ. Where was youre Leuite, when Ei­as slewe the prophetes of Baal, and [Page] and when Ioiada Athaliam? And what punishment casted Eliseus vpō Gihafi, and his seade for takinge giftes of Naa­man? Now yf Christ hath abolished the punishment for Adulterers, and expressed and decreed an easier, ye must shewe the place, and then we must beleue you or els we must stand to the eternal will of God, remitting you to the first origi­nal lawe and ordinaunce of God. We shoulde consyder the circumstances of the synne, howe greuouse it is, who de­creed the payne for it, how ranckly it ro­teth, spredeth and eucreaseth, yea and y^t emonge them that shoulde geue the best example, and should se it punished. And then shoulde it be sene to al godly rulers that the sore asketh a sharper corrasie, then your boke sheweth or maketh.

For iudgementes & punishmentes are moste necessary in the offices of the ma­gistrates, albe it they feme to some fonde pituose persous, hard and cruel. Neuer­theles, except suche cruell sharpnes be executed, all men are lyke to fele more harde and crueller plages. It is no crueltie, which at the commanndent of the Lorde is executed for the preseruacyon [Page] of comon wealthes, and publique [...]ra [...] [...]uillite.

‘He maketh a greate difference betwixt, the olde and newe testameut (and yet knoweth not what a testament is) and sayth, that in the old testament, the grace of the Gospell was not shewed to the worlde.’

Yf he taketh the worlde for all men good and bad, so is it not yet reueled to it. For to them that shut vp their eyes blinde­ned of the God of this worlde and stop their eares at the preachinge therof,ij. [...]. ix. it is yet houered. But in the olde testament to Adam, Abel, Enoch, and Helias, &c. and to al the chosen faythfull the Gospel of Christ to come, was shewed. For they were al vnder the grace of the Gospell and not vnder the lawe. For the olde & newe couenant in Christe was all one in substaunce to them and vs, and differ not, but in certayne accidentay added ceremonies, rites and respectes of the time and persones. For the Hebrew & Greke worde whiche is comonly translated in­to Testamentum signifieth properly foedus, a couenaunte or bargin made and [...]iten, testified with certayne instru­mentes, [Page] promises and condicions write and sealled, which couenant is al one in substance to them and vs, as it appereth Gene .xvij. Nomeruel though this man erreth so muche in the nocables, testamē tum & lex. For I herde him once saye: It is but a friuole curiose thinge in rea­dinge of the scriptures to expoune and declare the [...]ermes. But al learned writers wyl saye, that the termes or wordes not known what they properly signifie, the sentences shal neuer be truly vnder­standen Then he sayth:

‘The people of Christ is a mystike di­uine flok, &c. and therfore must be fed w^t Gods worde, &c.’

All this we knowe as wel as you, and that ye ought not to fede them with such false doctrine, as to say and wryte:

‘That the Professors and Disciples of Christ ought not to iustigate and exhorte the Magistrates to punishe adultery w^t deathe. And that it is to cruell a punish­ment orde [...]ed of God for thē in his law, and therfore to be nowe abrogated.’

But whether your Adulterers (whose cause ye defende) beinge impemteut in­ [...]urated, and not receyuers of the worde [Page] determining rather to lyue with whores then with their owne wyues, be of Chri­stes flok, and be content to be fed with y^• worde, whē they perse [...]ute the word and saye: It were beter for a priest to haue a [...] C. whores, then one his owne wyfe, of this, let al men be iudges.

‘Then he taketh his course into manis heady rashe iudgementes, as touchinge the punishmentes of indurate, desperate Adulterers with deathe, callinge it rash and heady, sayinge we haue no aperte scriptures, to punishe them.’

Lo, here is it playne, he would haue thē synne vnpunished, beinge ignorant of y^e scriptures, whiche commanndeth them to be stonned to deathe. Where is it manifest that he belyeth the scriptures & Gods lawes, whyche Christ came to cō firme bothe wyth mouth and miracles. And Paul affirmeth the Magistrates therfore to beare the swearde to execute the lawes ordined for Adulterers. And then to declare his highe conninge, he sayth:

‘I knowe with how great cruelty adul­tery was punished by Moses in the old lawe.’

[Page] [...]o this man is not ashamed ne afraydé to call the iust pacient merciful Lorde, & his lawes cruell. Beware leste ye be so serued of the same iudge, as was that vuprofitable seruaunt, which for so este­ininge his mayster was worthely boūd hande and fote, aud cast into extreme dar [...]knes. God is no chaungelinge, his wyll, word and iudgements stand ferme and fast for euer.

‘But wherfore do we cal it olde, but be­cause there is now comen a newer lawe to the whiche the former must geue place.’

This newe lawe to the which Goddes lawe must geue place, ye must vnderstād it to be this newe counsellers newe law where with Adulterers must be newely punished, that is to say, to haue thre flappes with a fox tayle for breakinge holye wedlocke, orels it is as yet no lawe at al. For it is yet but vnder his consulta­cion, which yf it be deathe, it shalbe by this man nether profitable nor necessary ergo it is an naughty and wicked lawe. Thus ye se his fonde presumpcion to make Gods lawe to geue place to hys newe lawe, whiche is yet to be made, so [Page] that in the meane ceason they may cōmit adultery frely vnpunished. But yf the olde lawe concerninge the punishement, for breakinge Goddes commaundementes had bene abrogated, as this wryter falsely sayth. Christ woulde neuer haue so oft alledged it agaynst the Pharisais for the defence and confirmacion of his doctrine and dedes. He tolde them con­stantly: That God commaunded it, that whoso curseth father or mother shoulde die. Yf this had bene abrogated by Christes coming, christ would not haue alledged it for his purpose. Wherfore that same iudiciall lawe stode in strength af­ter his coming, as the other lyke lawes iudicial do, as honor thy father and mother. But this man sayth: It was sayde to the Iewes and not to vs: whiche yf it were true, so were we not bounde to ho­nor parents, ne Magi [...]trates, neyther to kepe wedlocke.

‘Or els (sayth he) yf nothinge be chan­ged, wherfore are there two testaments? wherfore hath not the former continued stil, yf there be nothing in it, which must be abrogated and abolished?’

This man should haue learned of Paul [Page] what thinges and lawes be abrogated, and whiche partes yet stande in effecte, and wherfore they were abrogated as he writeth Hebr .vij. That is, euen for their weakenes, inutilite and imperfeccion there declared at length. But the morall and iudicial lawes did bere in them no imperfeccion, no weakenes nor inutilite, but the honor of God and conseruacion of his comon weal by loue mutual, wher­fore they are not abrogated, as this man blasphemeth. Yf he had considered the circumstance and processe of Paul in y^t place, where wythout any respecte to y^e context he snacked oute this autorite, he shoulde haue sene Paule to haue treated the olde tabernacle compared to the new not made with handes, the old sacrifices of beastes with their blod compared to the later and leaste sacrifice of Christes body and blode vpon the altare of the crosse, Aarons pristheit to Christes, the vtterwarde abiucyons and iustificaci­ons of the fleshe with the newe washin­ges and purging with Christes blode & iustificacion by faythe onlye. And at laste concluded th [...]se old shadowes of y^• true good thinges, then to come, to be [Page] antiquated, vanished and abrogated, and nothinge lesse, then Goddes iud­gementes and his [...]orall preceptes, to be abrogated, as this writer woulde proue them for the licenciouse libertie of these libertyue Adulterers. The iudicial lawes a [...]d the ten preceptes contayning in them faithe and loue must stande for euer.Fayth a [...]d loue contayned in the iu­dicialles can not be abro­gated. For fayth and loue are the se [...]ews blode mary and lyfe of all these perpetu­al lawes. And wherin these senews are conteyned, that lawe must nedis stand. Beareth it not greate loue to our neygh­bours, and to the comon weal to haue o­pen robbers, murtherers and rauishers of menswiues, doughters, &c. punished? Christ beyng the correccion and ful per­feccion of the lawe, corrected not, ne ab­rogated any lawe of M [...]ses, but for the weakenes, inutilite, &c. Nowe shew vs: What weakenes, inutilite and imperfec­cion was there in the stoninge to deathe of Adulterers? ye wil say, it was to cruel But herken what Christ sayth.Mat .xx. [...]nd xxv. Beware least at my goodnes and iustice thou takest an occasion to be euill, and leaste as thou iudgest me, suche o [...]e thou findest we. Agayue, Christ corrected not, ne ab­rogated [Page] any lawe, but he constituted a better and more perfiter in stede therof, as it is to se in the ceremoniall rites & sa­crifices. Now vs shew what beter & per fiter lawe hath he constituted for Adulterers to be punished therby, then was & is yet wryten in his testamēt? It is great shame, that any learned man shoulde see suche a blasphemose boke to go forthe in this Christen realme, whiche professeth the worde of God. He knoweth not, that testamentum signifieth the couenaunte whiche God of his mercie and goodnes to our fathers and vs hath smiten, and that there was no nother couenāt of our saluacion, iustificacion by fayth and re­dempcion made with vs, then was made with Adam, Nohe, Abraham, &c. They had Christ in figures and shadowes pro­mised them, lokinge for him in hope as we haue him in present fayth past. So that in substaunce the olde and newe co­uenant is al one. As the two Cher [...]bims standinge vpon the propiciatory lokinge two contrary wayes face to face, did be­holde the only one, and the same propici­atory signifiynge Christ. So did they, & do we beholde one Christ and sauioure. [Page] Oure faces and fayth turned backward to Christ past, a [...]d to them beholdinge Christ to come. There is as muche diffe­rence in this thinge, as in the same bar­gayne made at sondrye tymes with lyke wages and lyke condicion bothe on the maysters, and seruaunts behalf. So that the name of newe and olde testamente springeth not oute of the substance of the couenaunt but are of certayne accidentary added consideracions, whiche were putte for certayn sondry ceaso [...]s, places persons and diuersi [...]e of nacions to be at last changed. Without whiche addiciōs the substaunce of the cou [...]nant it selfe e­uer abode and abydeth to the worldes ende, of the whiche lawe Christ sayde [...] There shal not one iot ne title passouer, til al be fulfilled. And soner shal heauen and earth perysh, then this lawe or coue­naunt be anulled. There is therfore but one couenaunt or testament in substance and two in the maner of deliueraunce of the same. For to oure fathers was it ge­uē to worship one God in spirit, in faith in innocencie of liuinge, they had one rightwismakinge and one redempcion, and did se with vs in faith and hope one [Page] sacrifice Iesus Christ. But because the maner of the delyueraunce varied as touchinge the tyme, persons and the figures of the verite, therfore in two diuerse re­spectes one thing hath two accidentary names, which thinge Paul considering sayth: Al things happened to them in fi­gures, but not so vnto vs, for we haue him in verite. They reioysed in externe, & we in spiritual thinges. Wherfore that geuinge of the lawe, wherby the religiō was then set forth by figures and cere­monies to the olde fathers, is nowe cal­led the old testament. But that religion wherby Christ, whiche hath fulfilled all thinges in the lawe and prophetes nowe beynge only al in al thinges is deliuered and geuen vs in very dede withoute all figures, is now called the new testamēt. Not therfore because the fathers had not then Christ, the grace of the Gospel and remission of their synnes, but because in comparison of the olde, and for that the very body at his presence hath abolished the ceremoniall shadowes and figures. And this muche be sayde for the diffe­rence of the olde and newe testamente, for the names therof and abrogacion of [Page] the ceremoniall lawes. Which this wri­ter knoweth not, and therfore thus erreth in the abrogacion of the lawes and espe­cially agaynst that godlye homilie sette forthe by the Kynges Maiestie agaynst whordome and adultery, whiche is the eleuenth in ordere, and last saue one.

‘He reprehendeth the scole diuinite for deuidinge the lawe into .iij. partes, cere­monies, iudgementes and morall pre­ceptes.’

But he is deceiued, for that distincciō was made of the most aunceet doctors, or any scole diuinite was knowne, yf he had redde them. And yf he had rede the Bible orderly, he shoulde haue founde in the olde testament, and in the newe, that Christe made of two people one church, by suffe [...]ing in his flesh, breaking doune the mud wall and hedge of ceremonies, abrogaty [...]g but that lawe, which made the variaunce betwixt the Iewes & vs, whiche were only the ceremonies set in the commaunded decrees. For what contencion, circumcision made berwixt the Iewes and Gentyles, and howe it is abrogated by the decree of the apostles, ye se in Act .xv. And as for the place this [Page] wryter bringeth in for the abrogacion of the indicialls and moralls Coloss .ij. as he vnderstandeth it not so doth he falsify y^• text, to rake & wrest it for his false pur­pose. For Paules wordes make clere a­gaynst him, sayinge:

‘The ceremonies were not agay [...]st vs, and therfore they were the morall lawes (sayth he) whiche he abrogated, & wher­of Paul speaketh.’

Ful litle knoweth this man cleauing to muche to his owne wytte, howe the ceremonies were agaynst the Iewes, and not agaynst vs, whiche neuer had them. Yf he had redde and vnderstandeThe place .ij Collo. he vnderstandeth [...]ot. Paule Hebr .x. he shoulde haue se [...]e, how and in what wayes they were their owne hand wrytinge agaynst thē selues. For the Ie­wes in kepinge and vsinge the ceremo­nies declared their owne imperfeccion, and spotted consciences. For al their sa­crifices were (as Paul sayth) the commemoracion, accusacions and testificaciōs agaynst them selues in vtteringe their sy [...]ful lyues euerye tyme they did their sacrifices, ablucio [...]s, &c. Hebr .ix. and .x. For in the ceremonies of the Iewes, sayth Austen, there was rather the con­fession [Page] of their synnes thē the expiacion. In that their sacrifices and ablucions did bewraye them to be impure, when they woulde be sene most purest, & were as (sayth Paul) it were their owne han­des wrytinge, whilis they offered & wasshed them selues, therby testifiynge a­gaynst them selues to be synners hauing [...]ede of offreances and purifiyngs And therfore Paul sayth agaynst the Iewes, and not agaynst the Gentiles. And euen y^• same text which he so v [...]lerd [...]edly bringeth in for his Adulterers and for the abrogacion of al thre lawes cere [...]iudicial & moralls. Paul before and immediatlye declareth him selfe to vnderstande it of the ceremonies only, concludinge wyth this illacion thus: Let no man therfore condempne you for meates aud drinckes or for a pese of an holy day, &c. And this man had redde and vndersto [...]de this pistle, when he toke in hand to read, & to teache it ere he had learned it, he should haue perceyued Paules mynde to haue b [...]ne, That the dead sacrificed beastes, did as their owne hande writinges de­clare and tes [...]ifye to the Iewes them sel­ues worthy death and condempnacion, [Page] a [...]d their washinges to testifie agaynste them selues, to be vnclene persons. And thus they eatinge the dutye a [...]d testimo­monye of their owne condempnacion, death a [...]d impurite, shewed them selues neuer to haue satisfied for their synnes. And therfore Paul calleth those ceremonies their owne hande writinges against them selues. For that they sealled vp to them selues their owne dampnacion & vnclennes. But here ye may perceyue y^• peruerse deuillishenes and deuillish per­uersite of the spirit, wherw^• this secte is caried, whiche when in peruertinge the scriptures, it can not proue his erroures, then to falsify the almighty word of god it addeth to, his own poison, where god cōmandeth nothing to be added ne taken frō his word, here he putteth to y^• iudicial lawes, and thrusteth them into Paules pure texte, and to the hande wrytinge, sayinge:

‘Verum iudicia & chirographum.’ Loke beter of your boke both greke and latyne, and tel vs where ye find Iudicia in that place coupled w^t Chirographum? as I heard your preacher, be like at your request, I will not name him, openlye [Page] preache it, that the ceremonials and iu­dicials are bothe abrogated. Addinge that the copulaty [...]e was true when both the partes be a lyke true. Whiche doc­tryne he nor you were able to defende, when it was afterwarde reasoned at the table, ye wote where. And here this man noteth in the mergen of his boke, all the whole lawes vniuersall of Moses bothe ceremonial, iudicial and moral to be ab­rogated, whiche he resy howe detestable it is, al men see it, for then should we be al law les with his Adulterers to synne in all kynde of synne vnpunished. There is no heathen miscreaunt, whyche natu­rally consenteth to y^e law egrauen i [...] his hert whervpon the iudiciall and morall lawes of God are grounded, that euer dirst say or write the ten commaundemē tes of God and the dewe punishmēt or­dined of God for breakinge them, were abrogated and blotted oute neuer to be obserued. Nomeruel this man woulde set Adulterers at liberty in so licenciouse a state. God geaunte it that he syn [...]e not but of ignoraunce and simplicite, & not of a set maliciouse minde incensed of o­ther agaynst me, whyche haue standen [Page] against him in this cause, before he wrote his boke ad [...]ertisinge and counsellinge him to ceasse from his erroure, whiche nothwithstandinge yet did he put forthe this boke openlye [...] whose title he hathe changed, but not the boke nothinge a­greable to the newe title, [...]e to the things prefixed. Then he asketh this question:

‘Yf Adulterers shoulde be punished ac­cordinge to Gods lawe in Moses boke, why did not Christ commaunde the opē Adulteres to be stoned?’

Here he declareth his minde playnely, that ad [...]lterers ought not to be punished because Christ remitted the Adulteres. Howe soeuer this man wil nowe seke & hunte for euasions to glose and pot oute his boke sayinge, that he ment the vse of the lawe or of the malediccion therof to be abrogated, yet as it is playne, ney­ther the iust vse execucion nor the male­diccion is abrogated and abolished frō the Adulterers, but from the iustifyed by fayth in an innocent lyfe, so do this, and al his other argumentes tende into thys scope and ende, that Adulterers oughte not to be punished, nether by deathe, nor by any other payne. For this is his ar­gument: [Page] Christ punished not the Adulteres, but absolued her, and his example ought to be folowed of euery Christian, ergo no man oughte to punishe Adulte­rers, but let them go quiete, absolued, vnpunished. But I answere this man in fewe wordes, as I answered him th [...]n, and also other which did set him vp to cō uicte me in this argument and other, yf they had coulde at that tyme. Because his father sent him then to saue synners and not to geue sentence of deathe as a iudge, he came then himself to be iudged and to be killed and not to slaye in iudg­gement, he woulde not then take vpon him the office of a seculare Magistrate, but refused to diuyde the heretage, and then, when they woulde haue made him a kynge he came to constitute a spiritu­all kyngedome, wherin he raygneth by his worde for euer. This man shoulde haue considered who they were, that brought the Adulteresse to him, and for what entent, not to haue Moses law iu­stely executed, but to trap Christ. Wher he then taughte all iudges and accusers of other, to be pure in them selues, leste in accusinge and condempni [...]ge other [Page] they accuse and condempne them selues. Also this learned man must learne, that yf Christ had condempned her there standing alone without sufficiēt wytnes, he had broken his father lawe, whyche he came to fulfill. And then had the Phari­seis and Scribes the thinge they hunted fore. To this he bringeth in saint Paul, excōmunicating the incestuose Corinth. I answere lykewyse (as I did then by mouthe) Paule was no seculare Magi­strate, he was a priuate preacher, hauing power to edifye and not to destroy with deathe him, whome he knewe to re­pent and to be conuerted to the churche by suche delyueringe to Satan. And therfore hauinge the ecclesiastik kayes, and censure did he binde and lose him, as Christ commaunded. But howe formi­dable is and was that censure to that mā it appereth .ij. Corinth .vij. and I haue sayd it before. Neyther was there then in that cyty anye seculare Christen Magi­strate as ye se it .i. Cor .vi. to execute the lawe vpon suche offenders. Neyther is it a good argument, Christ nor Paule iudged none to deathe, ergo Adulterers & murtherers ought not to be punished, [Page] with deathe. Nether is it a iust argumēt Magistrates neglecte their office in iu­stely punishinge malefactors, ergo the­ues, murtherers and Adulterers maye synne vnpunished. Then this man bringeth another argument to proue Adulterers not to be punished oute of the .vij. Chap. to the RO. thus:

‘Yf we be maryed to the new and secōd housbande Christ, then are we out of bō ­dage and crueltye of the former housbād whiche is synne, &c.’

Yf he take & putte his adulterers in the nomber of these newe maried to Christe (or els the argument maketh nothing for his purpose) so maketh he a godly mari­age to marye his Adulterers to Christe, takinge the members of an herlet to couple them to Christ. But it rather thus fo­loweth. Adulterers haue forsaken Christ and haue maried thē selues to their flesh and to the deuyll, and therfore shal God iustely destroye them. For that they are vnder the curse and punishement of the lawe iudiciall .i. Tim .i. Tell vs, are your Adulterers vnder the lawe, that is ma­ryed to synne not yet knowne to them by the lawe, or vnder grace, that is in [Page] Goddes fauour iustified? Before ye said the whole vniuersall lawe was abroga­ted, and so to be no lawe, lefte to punishe them: wherfore they must be now after you (as ye here woulde proue it) vnder grace, vnder a godly grace haue ye put them: euen vnder a lawles lycenciouse libertye to synne vnpunished, maryed to Christ, saye you: God is highly beholdē to suche a mariage maker, and so are all Adulterers, so to couple them to Christe their spouse. Yf they be not vnder y^e law so is theyr olde housbande, the lawe and synne knowne by it, deade from them, & they delyuered from this their former, olde wyfe maryed to Christ: whyche yf it be so, thē are they no more Adulterers. Paul sayth with many expresse wordes that he (whose former wyfe is thus dead and he losed by her deathe, maryed to Christ the newe man) is suche one as is dead from synne, regeuered into Chri­stes death by a newe byrthe, buryed and rysen with Christ into a new lyfe, whose olde man is by repentaunce & perpetual mortificacion crucified with Christ, ab­solued from synne, in whome no synne reygneth [...]e dwelleth. To these men tho­rowe [Page] fayth, and loue and innocency of lyuing, is the cruell exaccion, execraci­on, malediccion and dampnacion of the lawe abrogated, and not to your Adulterers. For they do that as the lawe com­maundeth not for feare of the lawe, but of a redy courage and of a faythfull hert and mynde, for they are maried to Christ in deade. But Adultrrers are maried to synne, and therfore are they vnder the lawe to be punished therby. Where ye se your own text returned into your own confusion. For ye knowe not, what it is to be vnder the lawe, ne what is the law in this place, [...]e who be vnder it, nor howe we are delyuered from it, and maried to Christ, nor howe many kindes of liberty there are, neyther vnderstande ye Pauls mynde in these .vi. vij. and .viij. Chapter to the Rom. And yet ye take in hand to treat of the difference betwixt the lawe and the Gospell, shewinge no­thinge lesse in youre boke, openinge a pe­relouse dore to Adulterers to sinne vnpunished, putting them not vnder the law.

‘Who is so ignorant in the scriptures, that knoweth not Moses lawes to be geuen,’ but for a time, and but to the Iewes [Page] Euen your selfe so ignorant, which kno­weth not the onely ceremonial lawes to be geuen but for a time to thē. And the la­wes Iudiciall and moral, whiche con­tayne in them Goddes worshippe oure fayth and loue, to be the perpetual will of God geuen to al naciōs. And that the transgression of the same lawes must be punished according to the grauite of the synne. Shew vs, where Christ tempered or minished in any wordes of his the punishment for blasyhemers, false prophe­tes for murtherers and Adulterers, and woulde the Magistrates to not punishe them with death? bringe forth your scri­ptures. For we know that he hath geuen the rulers the swerde,Roma .xiij. and that not in vayne. The law of God abrogateth not the lawes of nature but confirmeth thē, but the lawe of nature punished adulte­ry with deathe, as it is before shewed, or els why is the punishment of adulterye more abrogated then the punishemente for theft a [...]d murther? are they not all a lyke preceptes? Thou shalt not kill, nor [...]tele, nor committe adultery? Adulterye was thought once of God to be as gre­uouse a sinne as was blasyhemy, false [Page] doctryne, witchcraft, enchauntings, sinitinge and killinge of father and mother, and therfore was punished a lyke. And is adultery now no synne or a lesse sinne then it was in Moses tyme? Then he sayth:

‘What is more true and i [...]ste [...], then the lawe of God, whiche procedeth of it self, righteous [...]es? And though god punished it sharpely, yet may it not be sayde he did it vniustly.’

Yf Goddes lawe procedeth out of righ­teousnes, and his righteousnes endureth for euer: why then wyl ye abrogate hys euerlastinge rightwyse wyl and lawe to punishe adultery? will ye exalt your selfe aboue God and his righteous [...]es? Sinne is now as odiole to God, as euer it was and with greuoser plages are they wor­thy to be punished, whiche knowe no we his wyl, & wil not obey it. Suerly all the rethryke ye haue, can not defende youre Adulterers from the iuste punishment w^t deathe, but to folis and to men corrupte with the same filthy scabbe, perchaunce your boke may seme somwhat plausible and pleasaunt. In some places ye wonl [...] seme to haue them punished, but not w^t [Page] death, and in some vnpunished, for that ye set them not vnder the lawe, and the lawe to be abrogated, and the sinne to be healed by Gods worde with softenes, and le [...]ite and mercifully to be forgeuen because they are after you vnder grace, maried to Christ. So that your colours of corrected contradicions and contrary correccions fyght greately emonge thē selues, yf the state of your cause & scope of youre argumentes be diligently obserued. Then thus ye saye:

‘Christ abolisheth not the former lawes as vniuste, but with le [...]ite he tempereth the seuerite and rigore of them, so that now they be put in vse not to dampne by strength, to rule, and not to by [...]de, to pryke, and not to kyll Christians.’

It is no poynt of a wryter to entitle and propoune one thi [...]ge, and to deduce his arguments into another contrary ende. Althoughe the lawe condemp [...]e not iust Christiās, yet canne ye not delyuer your Adulterers from the condempnacion, se ueryte, rigore, bonde, and pryke to kyll them, proue by Goddes worde, that the punishment decreed in Moses lawe for Adulterers is abroga [...]ed, and stand not [Page] in stre [...]gth, proue that Gods lawes are cruell, rigorose to sharpe for t [...] synne cō mitted. Proue where by his worde they should be tempered with le [...]ite and pity vpon anye obstinate accustomed Adul­terer the [...]e or murtherer.

‘Ye saye, that nowe those lawes be put in vse not to damp [...]e, to rule and not to bynde, &c.’

But what and yf Goddes lawe can neyther rule nor bynde, nor with prickynge nor kyllinge bringe and pluck men from their open adultery theft and murther? What wyll ye then do with youre softe leuite and pity to youre adulterose Chri­stians, as ye call them? Here ye argue cō ­trary to your instituciō of the vse of the lawe concerninge iuste men and Christi­ans for whom the lawe iudiciall is not ordined (as Paul sayth) as thoughe the lawe had the sawe vse, strength and ef­fect vpon iust and vniust, wysely.

Then he bringeth in the example of the brason serpent cōpared to Christ, which ‘(the price payd for synne) shoulde put y^e law out of strength & effect for malefac­tors saying: No nother wyse the serpēts styng taken away, the serpent abydeth, [Page] may hisse but to stinge he can not.’

Lo, the lawe may hisse at his Adulterers that is, geue them a flap with a foxtaile, and hurte them not. He woulde the iuste lawes of God to lese their strengthe by Christes cominge (whiche came to ful­fyll them, and not to breake them) that they shoulde not condempne Adulterers wherof Paul sayth, the letter, that is, the lawe slayth. But he sayth, the lawe now ruleth: whome? Euen them that will not be ruled, and not to bynde them to their owne wiues. What a regimēt and bond of the lawe this man dremeth, I can not tel. Paul sayth out of Osee: That nether the stinge of death, whiche is synne, nor the strength and power of the sin, which is the lawe, shal not be taken away, tyll Christ hath put al his enimies vnder his fete, and delyuered vp his kingedome to his father. But be lyke this man imagi­neth suche an holy churche in this world as shalbe after domes daye: when all rightwisnes onlye shal dwell upon the earthe .ij. Pet .iij. But ye shall knowe, when Christ came, he payd the price for al penitent synners, and true beleuers y^t receyued the benefite of their redempciō [Page] and not for comon Adulterers that will not receyue Christ and his lawes. For Christ is no gift to them, that wil not receyue him. Christes bloude is no suche a gift to them that thrust it from them by infidelite, trede it vnder their fete, con­tempne so rich a redempcion. Of which sorte are they, that thincke adultery to be no synne, ne punishe worthy, but with­oute all feare of God and man persiste in their filthy lyuinge. Christ expowned that similitude of the brason serpent far otherwyse, then this man wresteth it for Adulterers. He applyed it to y^e beleuers in him, sayinge: As Moses exalted the serpent in the wyldernes, so must the sonne of man be lifted vp on the crosse, that al that beleue in him peryshe not: he sayth not, that Adulterers (whose lyfe sheweth them not to beleue in Christ) pe­rish not, nor yet to not be deliuered frō y^t iuste punishment of the lawe. For they that loked not vp to the serpēt Christ by fayth, hanginge vpon the crosse, dyed of the serpents stinginge. Neyther is the stinge of the lawe plukt out of them that loked not vp to the brasen serpent. And therfore ye are but a peruerter of Chri­stes [Page] wordes. Then in alledginge Austen ye condempne your selfe. For he speketh there playnely of the heauye multitude & burden of ceremoniall lawes, and not of the iudicial and moral lawes. And thē to vse youre colour of correccion or ra­ther contradiccion, ye saye:

‘Here I wyll not play the patrone of car­nal lycence to cause men to synne vnpu­nished, which wil not repent.’

When ye contende to proue and defende nothinge more.

‘Neyther do ye twyche (ye saye) the publyk ordinary lawes, &c.’

When ye do al that ye maye to destroye them. Yf ye take awaye the iudicial and moral lawes, as ye abolish them altoge­ther. For he that taketh awaye all lawes of God, wherof all lawes and Magi­strates be grounded, taketh awaye the Magistrates and the ministers of the lawes.

‘But ye condempne (ye saye) this importunite in diuines, whiche so sharpen and whet the ciuill lawes beyonde all neces­ [...]ite.’

And then to correct your saying (a iuste and plain writer with a good conscience [Page] neuer v [...]eth so many correccions) ye say:

‘Yea verely, beyonde their profession.’ But is it not euery Christen manis pro­fession, so to loue the glory of God, the healthe, peace, integrite and tranquilite of the Christen churches, cities and re­almes, and so to promoue suche open in­iuries and enormities to the rulers by exhortacions, sermones and monicions, that al suche putrefyed, pestelent corrupt members, destroyers, and s [...]launderers of Christes congregacion may be cut of and punished according to Gods word? Then he sayth:

‘It is the part and dutie of the professors of the worde, to preache the forgeuenes in the Gospel and to inuite the people to repentaunce, to lead the weake with the spirite of softenes, and the hardnecked obstinat, impenitent, inflexible to leade them from their synnes, and not from their lyues.’

And is it not the parte of a preacher first to preache thē the law to shewe thē their synnes, ere they preache them the Gos­pell of forgeuenes? men muste knowe and acknowledge their synnes with re­pentaunce, er they be forgeuē. But what [Page] and youre Adulterers will neyther hear lawe nor Gospell, nor any repentaunce preached, but wilbe soner led from their lyues, then from their synnes? muste not those obstinate, hardnecked Adulterers be k [...]t of with the swerde, aud that by Goddes worde? And wyl not you haue vs to preache, and to teache this lawe of God? Ioan and Christ began at the law to preache the Gospel. Wherfore els do the Magistrates beare the swerde, but therwi [...]h to correcte and cut of them, whom Goddes worde can not refrayne from their open wikednes? God first to represse oure affectes, commaundeth vs not to lust, ne to desyer, or to haue anye concupiscence of any other thinge, then oure owne. Whiche barre, yf it can not holde vs yet he setteth before vs another barre to brydle vs from the acte saying: Thou shalt not commit adultery, nor steall, nor kyl, &c. And yf this barre wil not hold vs, then hath he constituted the Magistrates wyth his lawes to punish the transgressors with death, whiche is the last remedy to destroye the offender. But yf we could kepe the first and most perfit lawe, so neded we not the seconde, [Page] nor the third. But when God did foresee that nether the first nor the second barre coulde brydle such prefracte Adulterers and murtherers from the externe acte, but that they woulde brydelles runne into the opē dead vnto the great destruc­cion of the comen wealth and intolera­ble corrupcion of the Christen societe, thē he added the thirde and last remedy both holsom, profitable and necessary, & not so rigorose ne cruell, as this man wryteth. Yf it be lawful for the Magistrates to e [...]ecute death vpon them, why is it not as lawful for the preacher to exhorte thē to their lawful office, yf they neglecte it? God commaundeth vs not to be angrye which natural sore and vice in vs to heal it, and that it shoulde not breake forthe into the hurt of my neyghboure. He commaundeth vs not to kyll, whiche yoke yf we cast of, and slaye the man, then is there the thirde degre present, euen the slayer to be slayne And this is the thirde part and last degre of the lawe so adioy­ued and annexed in the seconde that the one can not be abrogated without the o­ther. And therfore to be sure, this man abrogateth the whole law for his Adulterers [Page] sake. Yf ye suffer all adulterers and malefactors to syn, tyll they be all slayn wyth the swerde of this new broched spirit, Englād is lyke to s [...]arme ful of the­ues and Adulterers to. For what and yf these synners wyl not be touched wy [...]h the very swerde of Goddes spirit, [...]ut so violently resist it, that they will turne the poynt therof into the bellies of the true teacher? Truly your spirit is al to weak to enter, where Christes spirit taketh no place. Christe commaundeth not to geue so holye thinges to dogges, nor to cast perels before swyne. But you wyll haue your incurable Adulterers not by feare of death to be brought to continen­cie but by the worde, whiche they wyll neyther heare, ne beleue, but thrust it frō them.

‘The original vice and sore of adultery (sayth he) lyeth depe in our concupiscēce whiche must be first cured.’

I praye you in whiche of all the moste perfitest, iustified was the original con­cupiscence so cured, that he nether lusted ne desired at any tyme contrary to gods wil? your presupposicion is impossible, wherof ye know what foloweth.

[Page] ‘But and yf the fleshe be corrupt wyth concupiscence, the seuerite and crueltie of the externe lawes shal do nothinge.’ Yisse verely, for whome the feare of god refrayneth not, yet the feare of the lawe whiche is death, holdeth them from the externe acte. For what feare, the swerde borne of the Magistrates smyteth into malefactors hertes,R [...]man. xii [...] Paul expresseth with many terrible sentences, and much more feare it bringeth, when it is iustely with­oute affeccions and respecte of persones ministred and truely executed, yea and that when the inwarde lustes and concupiscence rage, and is not mortified.

‘This spiritual sore (meaninge the con­cupiscence) sayth he, muste be healed w^t spirituall medicines, that is with the worde of God.’

Yf this be true, so woulde ye haue no se­clare Magistrates, whiche thinge the Anabaptistes holde. For what synne is there, but it cometh oute of the concupis­cence of the spiritual part of man, which is his soule consenting to synne? Wher­of synne gendred, and death folowinge, the man is called fleshe, and the synnes the workes of the fleshe. Now call them [Page] carnal or spirituall sores as ye lyst. Be­lyke ye call lechery a spiritual sore, be­cause the spiritualtie, after they had for­saken their own wyues and vowed their chastite, and consyderinge none so lyke to lyue in adulterye as them selues, then they deuolued the iudgementes of this spirituall sore of adultery from the laite into their owne spirituall courtes, that one lecherouse stalland might [...]law eche others bake. And now was lechery called nomore a carnall sore, but a spiri­tual, to be healed with a spiritual medi­cyne: with what thyncke ye? with the worde of God? No, for they knew it not. They layd their own syge leaues therto that is their dayly darck confessions, pe­nances, satisfaccions, and misses, and as they dayly synned, so were they daye by day in healinge and neuer cured. But he that was foule, was euery daye the fil­thier, as Ioan write [...]hi [...] his Apo. Then this man argueth thus:

‘That because in many men adultery cā not be healed, ne Adulterers brought to repentaunce, ne corrected with the word therfore yet it may not be punished with death, but permitted.’ [Page] But ye shoulde haue argued thus. Be­cause they contempne the medicyne of the worde, and persist in their wicked­nes, therfore ought they to be punished with the swerde.Luce .xii [...]. And here he bringeth in the wordes of Christ directely agay [...]ste him selfe, rendinge oute a pese of the parable that semeth for him, but the effecte and scope therof is playne agaynst him, whiche he leaueth out for feare, and per­uerteth the text, sayinge:

‘The Lorde forbiddeth the roten tree to be cut donne.’

But the texte is: The Lorde not fynding frute in the tre, commaundeth it to be cut doune. Neuertheles at the desyer of the keper of the vi [...]eyarde prayinge him to suffer it, to be dunged at the rote this one yeare, and then yf it brought notfrute, to be cut doune by bothe their consentes. And in another place Christ not finding frute in the fyg tre, accursed it, and it wi­thered deade, neuer more to bryng forth frute. And what then thyncke ye, is hys sentence vpon them, that with no moui­cions no teachinge, no dunginge wylbe fruteful, but wyl despyse his labor and brynge forthe euyl frutes, seynge, he [Page] commaunded the fruteles trees to be cut doun? here ye se, how he peruerteth Christes wordes sayinge: Chiste forbiddeth, whiche he playnely commaundeth. Thē he maketh this wyse argument:

‘Hole men haue no nede of a phisicion, but they that are sicke, ergo Adulterers ought not to be punished with death, but must be healed with Goddes worde.’

Suche an argument may he make for al theues and murtherers, and so noman to suffer, but be healed with Goddes word which is not els but to abolish the ciuile lawes, and al Magistrates. Suche a li­cenciouse common weale dreame the A­nabaptistes this day. But and yf the sick despyse the holsome medicyne, beynge a purryfyed member, then Ihon Baptiste and Christ commaunde suche trees to be cut doune and cast into the fyer.

‘But here this man calleth suche obsti­nate, hardnecked, incurable Adulterers, but weake brethren, and but sickly per­sons. Asking what phisicion ministreth his diligence to the sycke man to slaye hym, whose cure he taketh in hande?’

And here I aske him agayne: what Phi­sicion is to solishe that taketh an incura­ble [Page] sore in hande? or will heale that sor [...] otherwyse, or with any other medicyne then Gods worde prescribeth him: with what medicyne commaundeth God the Magistrates to heale murther, adultery theft, and suche lyke pestilences to the comon wealthe? Al this manis argumētes brought for Adulterers tende into the fa­uoure of suche that gladly receyue hol­som counsel beinge obedient to the word whē they are monished of the preachers do feare God, amende their lyues. And make nothinge for Adulterers to be not punished of the Magistrates. He brin­geth in manye exāples of mercy shewed of Christ to the faythful penitent confes­singe their synnes, which all make no­thing for opē obstinat malefactors. Ne­ther do those examples take awaye the ciuil iustice, nor the swerde from the ma­gistrates to be executed vpon Adulterers but that the thefe and murtherer and Ad­ulterer must neuerthelesse suffer death although he repented him an hundred ty­mes w^t him that was hanged by Christ. And muche iuste execucion was done of thē in Christes dayes & sences, albeit the gilty & condempned persone died a re­pentant [Page] iust mā before God, whose death Christe nor his apostles letted not as the priestes do now with bokes and sanctuaries. And as for the roytose sonne, whō this man bringeth in for the defence of Adulterers. He confessed hys synne, w^t greate repetaunce to his father, or he receiued him. He spent but his own good in excesse of meates and drynckes. And was no open hurt to the comon weal as are theues, Adulterers, &c. he hurted on­ly him selfe. And therfore this example is but racked & wrested for his purpose [...] I cā not meruel ynough at the forgetfulnes of this mā to see himselfe swarue so far frō the stacion on his cause, to proue y^• thing with scriptures nothing pertay­ning to y^• title of his boke. When Peter asked Christ, how oft he should forgeue: he expressed his brother, y^• by weakenes sinneth dayly priuately one offending a­nother, & not suche as sin incorrigibly a­gainst the hole cōgregacion customably which for his obstinacy deserueth not y^• name of a christē brother. But & yf I for­geue my brother steling my horse or oxe, yet shal [...]ot my forgeuenes deliuer him frō the ciuil iugemēt & frō the galows: & [Page] yet bringeth this man Peters seuē seuēty forgeuenes of his brother for y^• vnpunishmēt of adulterers. He wold galdly be fe­low to christ in so rich & often forgeuenes of adulterers: litle remēbring what god saith to al iuges of y^e i [...]dicial lawes, that whē any mā breake his lawes, thou shal punish him, and not haue mercy on him. Let not thyue eye spare him,Deute .x [...] but cut and rote him out of the comon weale that o­ther may take e [...]sample, & be afrayde to trāsgresse gods laws. He loketh so much of gods mercy, that he forgetteth his iu­stice & iudgementes, whiche sayde: That whoso offend but one of his litle ones, that beleue in him. It is expedient a mill stone be hanged about his [...]ecke and be drowned in the depest of the sea. What paynes of death then woulde Christe to be executed vpon him, that offende the whole churche and especially, that man whose wyfe is kept in adultery. Then he sayth:

‘That forebecause Christe bode Peter suffer the darnel to grow with the wheat therfore he woulde Adulterers, and all suche criminose synners to be permitted vnpunished among the Christen societe.’ [Page] Who seeth not the fonde ignoraunce; (shall I call it) or the manifest wicked­nes of this man? Christ neuer sayde this to Peter. But the housholder to his ser­uaunts expressing no particlare persone, but this is nt y^• mater, The kocle or darnel is ther hersies & false doctrine sown by the deuil, which christ would not haue pluckt vp; where perel is, therwith to be pluckte vp also the good corne. For yf paul had ben pluckt vp a pharisei, he had neuer haue ben the apostle & preacher of Christ. Wherfore Christe willeth not in my wise these kocles or darnel of heretiques, and not of Adulterers and theues, &c? to be permitted, but heretiques, wher their vproting is turned into the destruccion or hurt of the good and of the whole churche. It behoueth (sayth Paule) her­sies to be amonge you, that they whiche be proued be knowne amonge you. But and yf suche men (yf they shoulde conti­newe) would be the subuersion of many good men, and of the whole church, they must rather be smiten doune with the swerde and sithe of iustice: nowe loke & Adulterers corrupt not holy matrimony other menis wyues doughters, &c.

[Page] ‘What and Christ shoulde now come agayne, and wryte in the foreheades of these men that woulde so earnestly haue adultery punished their owne filthines and Adulteries? Or yf he shoulde wyth Moses cruell extremite stone them to death, as many as he knoweth gyltie of this synne, beginninge at these men that woulde so fayn haue adultery punished. I meruel yf they shoulde be a lyue.’

Yf this be not a blasphemy to call and attribute cruel extremite to oure God of all goodnes, mercy and clemency, there was neuer blasphemy. Is God chāged from a mercifull father to a cruell lawe geuer? to so vniust a iudge, that he wil­leth nowe not the same synne to be puni­shed with lyke paines? brynge forthe his wordes of the change ro abrogacion of the paynes of Adultery yf ye can? or els let his lawe stande ferme and fast iuste in it self, for euer as the holy Ghost tea­cheth vs in his Psalmes, and God also in his bokes of his lawes, iudgementes, and preceptes. But is this a good argu­mēt for the defence of your Adulterers?

‘God to come and wryte other menis secrete faultes in their foreheades?’

[Page] God is not so cruell, as ye woulde haue him, or els he might shame by such waies as perfit a man as ye are your selfe. But here may men see the burning charite of such mē y^• so set forth Gods [...]enite to de­stroy his iustice & iust iudgements [...] wher is that charite which should couer y^e multitude of sinnes? M. Latemer [...]temer. in the kin­ges daies that dead is, did openly before him and his nobles viheme [...]tly & continually imieye in his sermons agaynste adultery, & did see it so spred, that he per­swaded & exhorted him, & his counsell to punish it according to Gods lawe or by the swerd. The bishop of [...] Dauids that nowe is, of lare in his sermons, & diuerse other godly and learned preachers exhorted the sinne to be punished right greuos­ly And the learned preachers in Germany consent all, that it ought to be puni­shed with death, as well as murther or theft. And yet woulde this patrone and defender of adultery haue such men for their good zele to chast matrimony, and for their desper of the iuste execucion of Goddes lawes openly shamed, and his open Adulterers to synne vnpunished. I my self in priuate communicacion, whē [Page] the question hath bene asked me, conside­ringe the bolde shameles continuall fre­quence of the sinne without al feare and shame of God & mā, haue sayd my mind contrary to this man, whishing the Magistrates to make it death accordinge to Gods cōmaundement, wherof this mā answerd that lawe to be geuē to the Ie­wes, & not to vs, & that the iudgementes ceremonials & iudicials al, as he here writeth, ar abrogated. Whereof I perceiued afterwarde, y^• this man was kindled to write this his boke partely against my sentēce & twitcheth me therin, albe it not by name. But here I tell him agayne, but nameles: That yf he knoweth anye suche cryme, whiche he woulde haue it wryten in my foreheade, let him wryte it in his nexte answere, and so accuse me iustelye, yf he canne. And I shalbe ready at al tymes to come forthe vnto myue answere before anye iudge. But wherfore woulde he not haue the same done to his Adulterers defamed by their owne fylthye actes. Yf the Magistra­tes be negligente and ceasse from their office, shoulde not the publyke mi­nisters of the worde exhorte and warne [Page] them of their dutye? They are commaunded to cry & not to cease to tell euery state their offences. But litle regardeth this man the terrible comminacion of God, sayinge: [...]zechiel .iij. Yf I say to the wicked: Thou shalt dye. And thou (preacher) premoni­shest him not telling him it, that he may be turned from his synne. Surely he shal perish in his synne, but his blode wyl I requyre at thy hand. This wryter so wi­sely vnderstandeth the scriptures, that where so euer he findeth, that we be commaunded to forgeue our brethren aud fe­low seruaunts their priuate mutual, quotidian faultes, these textes he wresteth to the open crimes cōmitted against y^• hole comonaltie & church, and woulde haue them so forgeuen, that the ciuil iustice shoulde lese her strength. We are bound verely to forgeue our detterstoward our selues, but the comon dette requyred by the law, & they worthy to pay it for their open murther or adultery, I being a pri­uate man, can not dispense with it, or els wherfore are lawes and magistrates or­dined? Yf my forgeuenes should deliuer the thefe from the galhose. He would not the publik ministers of y^• word to preach [Page] that adultery, theft & murther be synnes worthy to be punished with death. The kynges were commaunded, that the Le­uites aud Priestes shoulde read to them the lawe, that therby as by the iust rule, they shoulde iudge and geue sentence, whiche al is wryten for theirs and oure doctryne, or els let vs cancel al the old, testament, & then what doctryne is there left of the lawes blotted oute of the boke of God, and of menis mindes? As wold [...]ow a certayne sect lately sprongen vp, which are so perfit to thē selues in their lyuing, that they can not syn after they be regenerated & once iustifyed, for they are immediatly taught, I can not tell of what spirit, so that they nede nether boke wryten, ne externe worde, preachers nor Magistrates seclare.

‘Bryng forth any o [...]e place, wher christ or a [...]y of his apostles cōmaunded Ad­ulterers to be s [...]ayne [...]or els did consente to their deathe.’

Brynge you forth any one worde for the abrogacion for the stoning or punishmēt with death of the Adulterers, or where Christ commaunded the prechers to not excite the Magistrates to their office, or [Page] where we shoulde not consent to the iust execucion of Goddes iust lawes? Peter in his sermon sharpely rebuketh the Ie­wes for quiting and askinge the delyue­raunce of a murtherer & crucifyinge the autor of lyfe. Christ and his apostles al­ledged euery where Moses law, and the fearful exāples of deth therin to confirm their doctryne, and sayd that it was or­dined to punishe malefactors, ergo they consented to the deathe of them that of­fend it. And Christ beynge God & man did consent to the lawes, which he made and to the execucion of the same, and cō ­maunded the kinges to se his iustice iud­gementes a [...]d equite ministred. And where they were corrupted by the Pha­riseis. He delyueringe thē from their false gloses so constantly confirmed the punishment for the vtterwarde acte that euen for their anger and obprobriose wordes to their brethren he pronounced them worthy iudgement. He tolde the Iewes seking occasyons to kil him, that Moses did accuse & condēpne them. He told Peter sinitinge of the bishoppes seruauntes right eare (whiche bishops seruants neyther the bishops them selues sence hard [Page] a ryght, but s [...]nistrely Goddes worde [...] biddinge him to put vp his swerd. That who so smyteth with the swerde, should perysh with the swerd, ergo Christe, & his apostles consented to the iust punishment with death of the malefactors. But what law was it, that Christ came to fulfil, & not to break it? And what law was it, that Paule affirmed to be ordined for Adulterers and murtherers, slayers of parentes, &c? It must nedes be the la­wes of Moses, which was death. He cō ­sented to this lawe iudicial of Moses, y^• he gaue the swerde to the Magistrates to be executed vpon these adulterers and malefactors. Then sayth he of him selfe.

‘Scio quid dictat lex Mosaica, &c. That is, It is I that knowth the mynd of Moses lawe, but as for these cruel vnlerned (I knowe the contempte lurkinge in the pronowne, Isti) litle vnderstande they or perceyue y^e office of Moses, litle know they the mistery of the wil of god, which cōstituted Moses [...] y^e [...]eder of our church.’ It is this lerned man alone that knowth the mistery of Goddes wil Lo, a merue [...]oule high knowledg & a profound strāg spirit vsurpethe this man to hym selfe. [Page] I neuer hearde ne red of anye learned man, neyther olde nor newe of this opi­nion. Yf we had not Moses the leader & vsher vnto Christ, we should neuer come to him. Who cometh to Christe, but he firste by Moses lawe of the preceptes: knoweth his synnes, confesseth thē aud repēteth? The office of Moses was with the lawe to lede Goddes people to that degree, where Iosua taketh them at his hande to brynge them into the promised lande, whiche figured the gospel. What nacion,Deuter .iiij. saith God, is there so great, that hath iudgementes and lawes so ryghte­ouse, as are the lawes and iudgementes, whiche I set before the this daye? Yf Goddes lawes and iudgementes which bothe be thus ioyned together thorowt the repeticion of the whole law, be thus righteouse, as no nacion els can make or vse: dare anye Christen man abrogate, change or abolishe, yea or neglecte these iudgementes of God? Yf any man dare do it, he must geue vs in their places, iudgementes beter more necessary and pro­fitable: but what are they that geue vs none at al? Verely suche persones, as woulde constitute a lawles licenciouse [Page] libertie to synne vnpunished. God neuer abrogated any law but he placed a beter and perfiter in her stede, as for circumci­sion he gaue vs baptisme, for the passouer lambe, the eatinge of his laste souper, wherin his deathe is remembred with immortall thankes. Now yf the punish­mēt for Adulterers be abrogated, let this man shew vs what other stronger payn Christ hath set in stede therof to represse the synne. The spiritualtie did geue vs in sted of it a thrise goying in shirt about the church yarde before the procession to be displed at the foure corners thereof. But & yf the iudicialles be al abrogated by God, so may there no man vse, ne ex­ercise them a yen, or els we might vse circumcision, & offer vp beastes ayen. God commaundeth bothe priuate and publik iudgementes to be instituted accordinge to his word,Deu .vi. & .xi [...] & not after this, or any mās fantasy, He would haue his iudgemētes writē in our herts to feare vs frō y^• trās­gressiō of his preceptes, which teacheth vs not to be so light things as to be ether forgoten or neglected, or to be called, as this man calleth them (exotica) that is strange as neuer to be hearde, ne rede, ne [Page] vsed of vs. He is not conte [...]t [...]

‘That we shoulde make Moses the led­der of our churche.’

As though Moses churche & ours were not both one churche of God, ledde and taught of one & the same spirit, broughte into the same waye, that sayde: I am the waye, veryte and lyfe. And as thoughe ihey and we had not bothe one couenant and the same commaundemētes. What thing in the very substance of our fayth was geuen thē by Moses & the prophe­tes, but the same is geuen vs? He taught thē one God for al sufficie [...]t. Him one­ly to be worshipped in spirite, in faythe and innocency of lyuinge, and to be one righteous making & one redempcion tho­row Christ the only very Priest & [...]rewe sacrifice, him to be bothe God and man, to be hoped for of God, the resurreccion of oure bodyes and sonles to be immor­tall. And what man is there nowe to be led vnder the gospel and grace of Christ b [...]t the same must haue Moses firste his leader, as the scolemayster to bryng him vp takinge him forthe from vnder the lawe vnto an hygher lesson euen vnto Christ. [...]ala .iij. Then he sayth:

[Page] ‘For what els is Moses, thē propheticall shadowe of Christ?’

Whether he taketh Moses here for his persone, or for his lawe, yet was he not Christes shadowe. But the ceremoniall sacrifices were the figures and shadows of Christe to come. For Christe came to fulfill the lawe, which non els could do. And in the office of teachinge and decla­ring Gods wil, it is thus writen:Deu .xix. A pro­phet out of the middes of thy naciō, euē out of thy brethren lyke vnto me, sayth Moses, shall thy Lorde God stere vp, whome see that ye heare. It was Iosua, which in name & office figured Christe. And Moses shadowed the lawe in thys accion & office of leading. For as Moses dyed in the desert, & coulde not bring the people into the promysed lande, so could not the law bringe vs to perfeccion & to our promised heretage. But as Iosua after his death brought the people into that rest, so did Christ bring his faithfull into y^• eternal rest.The opinion of a certayne secte nowe sprongen vp Thou shalt therfore know (christen reader) that there are now a certayn sprited sorte of sectes: of which som vnderstād by the letters al things writē in the olde testament, which men admit [Page] nothing in their reasoninges, but that as is contayned in the new testamēt. For that they say, the letter slayeth. Another sort grau [...]t & admitte both the testamēts But by the letter they vnderstande the playne litterall sence and sentences. And y^• spirit, they cal what so euer their owne affectes or mynde, corrupt with any euill opinion or sect, moue them to vtter and to teache it. With these men the spirite is, what soeuer their selues fayne and i­magine: yea, they dare saye the spirite to be their owne moost impudent errone­ouse corrupcion & wrestinge of the plain scripturs. And yf thou preasse vpon these spirites with any neuer so playne place of scripture, whiche confoundeth and cō uinceth their errours, so that they haue not to answer. Then they fle to this shift. The lawe of Moses is but the cruell letter that slayth, it is abrogated, it is but a shadow. It is the spirit that quickeneth. This mater must therfore be vnderstādē spiritually. For what els are al that Moses wrote but y^• letter shadows, say they aud figures, yea & that euen the ten com­maundementes are but shadowes of a spirituall lawe. Of what spirite, thinke [Page] ye, speke and wryte these sprites? Verely of the sprite of phrenesy and hypocrysye. For this sect abrogateth and passeth not vpon carnal adultery, nor theft, &c. But al vpon spiritual adultery, theft and spi­ritual murther. And wil haue al spiritu­al punishment for them. Whose spiritu­al paines are so subtile that they hurt not a carnal body. And therfore do they fon­dely and peruersely, whiche in this our corrupt and peruerse worlde teache li­bertie, before they haue learned them selues, and are taught, what thing is faith. For sithe the nature of man, naturallye be prone to slyde from labor to luste, it will folowe the libertie of the fleshe, and headlongs fall into al voluptuousnes & mischief wrapped in the mier of errours and al filthines. And why? verely they want the bridles of feare, fayth and loue of God and of our neighboures. Wher­fore yf writers were wyse now a dayes, before they teache men to be fre Christi­ans from Moses lawes, they should in­cu [...]ke the feare of God into their hertes, the fear of the punishmēt decreed of god for synne, and the obedience to faith and to the law: which thinge Erasmus con­sideringe. [Page] ful diligently, dyd wryte thus most wysely eloquently and godly say­inge: Moses lawe, because for very feare of payne and punishement, it helde men in their dutie and office refrayninge thē from their lustes, it is seruyle, Moses face is couered, whiche couer or veyle was a token of bondage. But where as the spirit of our Lorde Iesu, whych bringeth to suche secrete prickes, that mē wil vnboden gladly lyue pure and innocent­ly. There there is the verye lybertye. No man is compelled to beleue. But who so truly beleueth, the same will willinglye and redilye estiewe all vnclennes and embrace Godly purite, and will euen of feruente loue accompleshe more of the lawe willingly, then coulde be extorted of the Iewes for the very feare of pu­nishement. But returne to this man say­inge thus:

‘What els were the ten comman [...]de­mentes of God, then a certayn figure of Christ and of the spiritual lawe?’

Here is fyne figurynge. Paul calleth the lawe of the preceptes, all spirituall. Ro. vij. euen the eternall spiritual wyll of God requiringe our spiritual affectes, & [Page] hertes [...] and not oure externe dedis onely For the lawe is cont [...]ary to oure carnall affectes, sayinge: Thou shalt not luste. The dedes of the law are the frutes of y^e spirit. I woulde knowe what thing was fygured by this precept: It is I that am the Lorde thy God. Thou shalt haue no strang gods in mi sight? I know but one of the ten preceptes to be a figure of the verye true reste and Sabbothe from sin and from oure owne willes as Isaie ex­powneth it. For, the law and Christ haue contrary operacions, as haue Moses & the Gospel, wherfore one can not be the figure of the other. The lawe workethe wrathe. The Gospel & Christ reconcile vs to God. That law maketh syn to en­crease, Christ remitteth it. The lawe ac­cuseth and dampneth, Christ wyth hys Gospell delyuereth and saueth. And yet sayth this man [...]

‘That al Moses dedes, al his wrytings yea and all his lyfe were not els, but a mystik figuratyue ymage and similitude of Christ to come.’

Belyke this man is vniuersally sene in al the scriptures & namelye in al Moses lawes & gestes, non except, that he dar so [Page] vniuersally compare them with Christe making the one holly y^e figur of the other when the one is in working & effecte con­trary to the other, as is the lawe to the gospel, the letter to the spirite, and death to lyfe. [...], Corin .iij. But and yf he would admit thys diuisiō of Moses his lawes into ceremonials, iudicials and morals, taking Mo­ses for his ceremonial sacrifices, prist he it tabernacle, &c. Then had Moses ben the shadowe of Christe, as Paule treateth it in the pistle to the Hebr. or els is his say­ing false. For this his saying so absolut­lye abrogateth the ten preceptes, The fi­gures are al abrogated at the presence of the bodye so shadowed, which is Christ. [...]olossen .ij.

‘Moses was a minister & not a may­ster of the churche, and yet prince of all the Prophetes.’

Yf a mayster be a cōmaunder, a teacher and a ruler, then was Moses a mayster and chefe gouerner of the church of Israell, which church was taught & ruled by the same spirit of fayth and religion in Christ to come as is ours in Christ past. He cōmanded the same preceptes which are now cōmanded to vs by Christ & his apostles. And yf he taketh a master for y^• [Page] heade of the churche: so was Moses the mayster therof. And then he sayth:

‘Because the disciples of christ saw non example of Christ to put Adulterers to deathe, therfore Christes disciples maye put no man to deathe.’

Are not al christen kinges & magistrates applying thē selues to be taught of christ and folowinge his doctryne christes di­sciples? and why theu may it not stande with Christes disciples to minister in Christes comon weale and execute Christes lawes? Then woulde he proue the whole tables of the ten commaundemē ­tes to be abrogated. And why?

‘Because (sayth he) Christ brake the Ie­wishe ceremoniall of the Sabboth daye.’ Shoulde we not kepe the other commandementes, as to haue on strang goddes. To make vs no image, &c. because christ abrogated the ceremuniall shadowe and sower barke of the Iewes Sabboth? It appereth here what learninge this man hath, as to erre in so playn a place of the scriptures. He should haue learned of I­saye, whiche is the very Sabboth. Fo [...] the prophetes are the expowners of the lawe. There is it declared, what is oure [Page] perpetuall Sabboth and reste from oure owne affectes and will, from [...]he confi­dence in our own worckes, and to suffer God to worcke his will in vs. And how the externe obseruance of the Sabothe, taught them, & is the spiritual reste, he shoulde haue learned, into what respec­tes the Sabboth is ceremoniall, & wher it is morall? And wherfore Christ beinge the body present woulde cause vs, and them to ceasse any lenger to beholde the shadow, and to loke vpō the body being the Lorde of the Sabboth. For the cere­monial part, therof was the scole master vnto the spirituall obseruance thereof. Then he bringeth in the text Gal. vi. cō ­foundinge the priuate mutual dayly of­fences of brethren preuented, with synne done of weakenes of man, with the open obstinat impenitent adultery, and sayth:

‘That because Paul biddeth them, that are more spirituall and perfit to heale suche weake brethren that of fraylte be preuented vnwarres of their fleshe, or temptore, aud so fall into some fault.’

Therfore we may not exhorte and moue the Magistrates to take away open acocustomed obstinat hore mōgers, whiche [Page] sclaunder and poyson both the churches of Christ and the whole comon weal. No syr. These your punishementes to suche Adulterers as ye defende ar to smal for them. And I dout not but some good magistrates are spirituall, and yet wil they punishe open indurate Adulterers with a sharper weapen, then spirit [...] lenitatis, or els the realme shoulde sone swarmeful of malefactors incurably.

Then he bryngeth in the example of ‘the Samaritans and of Christes Disci­ples, whiche woulde haue had fyer to haue fallen doune vpon them, for which Christ rebuked them.’

But the offences, were not a lyke. The Samaritans of ignorance not knowing Christe to be Messias denyed hym hys harbour, because he went to worshippe at Hierusalem. Nether came Christ then to hurte, but to saue, as he there told thē willinge so greate a punishment for so litle a fa [...]t. The disciples then would haue had Christe to declare his almightye Godheyt vpon them by myracle where it pleased him not so to do at their instance into the hurt of any man. And yet was he contēt with the tower that fil [Page] vpō the .xviij. in Siloo, and with slaugh­ter of the Galilens destroyed of Pilate. And told them that brought him the ty­dinges. That excepte they repented they altogether should perishe [...] But let him shewe vs, where euer Christ or his apo­stles letted, or delyuered frō the galhouse any man iustely co [...]dempned by the magistrates for his opē offence ether of ad­ultery, or murther or theft. He sayd: who so stryketh with swerd, shalbe slayn therwith, lo: is not here a plaine sentence of death, out of Christes mouth? ergo he consented to the punishment of synne wyth deathe, contrary to this manis dreame.

I knowe these whordomes and Adulteries to be spred as wide as th [...]y are vnpunished, ‘and to deserue to be with vio­lence repressed with the moste stronge barres of the lawes.’

Knowe ye so? And yet neyther wyll ye counsell them to be punished, nor yet o­ther ministers to moue the Princes to punishe them. Be lyKe ye fauour them grea­tely, and loue synne more, then Godly­nes, or els haue ye but a could zele to the Christen religion, comon wealth and honesty. Paule commaundeth vs to prose­cute [Page] with hatred that as euil is. Yf yourselfe, beinge a professor of the Gospell, shoulde nowe counsell the Magistrates to punish adulterers as ye do, so do yourselfe contrary to your owne boke, which would al the professors of Christ to haue lenite, mercye and pietie, no man by their counsel and mocion to be punished, but forgeuen and healed with the spirite of softenes, and by preachinge the worde. And then ye saye.

Albeit, it is not lawful for the prechers to put forth the powr, which the humane ‘v [...]cion swadeth: yet with the spirit of le­nite it must be moderated, rekening with thē selues, not what is lawfull, but what is expedient.’

‘As though albeit, It were lawful to thē to moue the Magistrates to punish sinne’ yet is it not expedient. I would ye could ioyne these two contradictories in this cause. Beleue ye that it is not charite and dewe obedience to God, for his minister to execute Goddes lawes? Is it not ex­pedient. yea and necessary, that such co­mon malefactors be taken out of the co­mon weale. Greater is the charite, that extendeth her to many, then to one man [Page] or woman: and which extendeth her self to the preseruacion aud tranquilite of the whole churche and comon weale, then it whiche is but a fonde folish piete to saue an Adulterer or a murtherer, whiche hurreth y^• whole comonaltie, which ones delyu [...]red continuinge in his mischief and wickednes encreaseth his crymes into the great hurt of many. Thus hast thou (Christen reader) these false argumentes that Adulterers should not be punished with death soluted, with the soluciōs al­so, that the professors & preachers should not moue the Magistrates so to punishe this gre [...]ouse cryme, addinge that the decree and lawes of God be abrogated & of no strength so to punish the syn. And yet are they not so abrogated, but they y^• rulers and princes may now execute the same lawe, yf they wyll, whiche thynge spedely with al diligence to do, god geue thē grace therby to rote out this pestilēt and n [...]oste detestable cryme, out of Christes churche, that holy matrymony may be restored to her dewe honor integrite and purite accor­dinge to Gods institu­cion. So be it.