they can not nowe without damnation go from it and they that be driuē vnto it by necessitie make it to be voluntarie yf they trust not in thē selfes but in hym from whō euery good thing commethe Some doe clyme vp to thys gyfte of continēcy for the cause of more glorie that they might attein some greater rewarde other some flye vnto it for y e care and thoughte of their finall saluation leste they shulde perishe and be condemned but let thē bothe remayn let bothe walke euen to the laste end in that state they haue cōmed vnto let thē be feruent in studye and desire let thē be suppliant in prayer because y e one sorte muste thinke vpon their saluation beware they faul not from that their will hathe chosen and the other sort may not dispaire of greater glorye yf they loue to persyste and continue in y e state that necessitie hathe brought thē vnto For it may be possible come to passe that by god fearing and exhorting conuerting and replenishinge mans affection may he chaūged vnto the better and y t they shuld vowe to lyue moste cōstātely to their liues end without mariage without any carnall copulation and experience of filthy and vnclene pleasure y t althoughe y e dissolutiō of mariage by death gyue them occasion to marie other wifes yet it shulde be shut boūd by vowe that was opē and free by lawfulnes ▪ and y t it shuld be made perfite by charitie that was begō by necessitie to suche truely lyke rewarde shall be gyuen as to thē that by mutual consent with their wyfes doo vowe continencye or els beynge vnmaried haue chosen continēt life for the greater good But yf they liue continently after this sorte that they be in minde to marye other womē yf their wyues dye by whose lyfe they be stopped from suche mariages truely althoughe they departe before oute of ther bodyes in that kynd of cōtinent lyfe yet it can not be imputed but for chastitie in mariage for the whiche they doo not y t they wold doo yf it were lawfull For to lyue continently with thys intent is lytle to the atteynynge of y e rewarde of continencie whiche is frely chosen yet it is sufficient to auoyd adulteries See that you remembre that I speake these thinges of bothe the kindes of man womā but specially for mē which therfore thinke thē selfes to be superiours to women lest they shuld vouchesafe to be like in chastitie wherin they ought to go before y t their wyues myght folow thē as their heades And seinge the lawe forbiddethe adulteries yf the excuse of carnall infirmitie be admitted vnder pretence of incontinēcie there shall be an occasion of sinne destruction giuen to many vnder the name coloure of fained lawfulnes and impunitie For women also haue fleshe as men haue to whom men will not any suche thing shuld be lawfull as thoughe it wer lawful to them because they be men But god forbid that any thyng shulde be due to the honour of mā being the better kynd that is a derogation to the chaste honestye of the same seyng y t iust honor is due to vertue not to vice And truely seinge men require so great chastitie of women hauinge fleshe as they haue y t when they haue been very longe absent frō their wiues yet they wold haue thē passe ouer the heate of their youthe vndefiled with any adulterouse companie of man and very many moste chaste women specially in Syria passe ouer their youthe honestely whose husbandes beinge occupied about y e gaines of merchaundise leaue their wiues very younge and scarsely at laste returne again old men to their old wifes by this facte they proue euidently that it is not vnpossible whiche they alledge for thē selfes that they can not doo For yf the infirmitie of man can not doo it moche lesse the weker kind of women can doo it For which cause when we put thē in feare that thinke the excellencie of man is nothing but a licence to sinne leste by the means of adulterouse maryages they myghte perishe for euer more we are woont to sette y e cōtinencie of clerkes before thē which often times are taken againste their wils to beare that burden whiche when they haue taken it performe it by godes helpe euen to the due end of their lifes And therfore we say to them what yf you also be taken by the violence of the people to beare this burden wolde you not kepe y e office which you haue takē vpon you chastely beinge sodenly conuerted to purchase strengthe of the Lorde whyche you neuer thought of before But say they honour dothe comforte thē muche we answer againe let feare temper and bridle you the more For yf many of gods ministers take sodenly and at vnwares thys office that is laid vpō them hoping that they shall more bryghtly shyne in y e inheritaunce of Christe howe moche more oughte you beinge ware of adulteries to lyue continently fearinge not to shyne lesse in the kyngdome of god but to burn more in the fyre of hell These and suche lyke as we can we say vnto them that going frō their wiues by any means or puttynge them away for adultery will nedes marry other and when they are forbid they alledge to vs the infirmitie of their fleshe But now thys booke also is to be ended and god is to be prayed that either he wolde not suffre them to be tempted by the separation of their wiues or els suffre them so that the feare of their saluation whiche is in daunger may be an occasion of greater or more approued chastitie Here endeth the second booke ¶ Imprynted at London in Fletestrete at the Signe of the George next to saynt Dunstones Churche by Wyllyam Powell Cha. 1. 1. Cor. 7. Cha. 2 ▪ 1. Cor. 7. Math. 5. Cha ▪ 3. 1. Cor. 7. Cha. 4 Cha. 6 Cha. 7 ▪ Cha. 8. Cha. 9 Cha. 10. Cha. 11 Cha. 12 Cha. 13 1. Cor. 9. 1. Cor. 6. 1. Cor. 10 1. Cor 8. Ro. 14. Cha. 15 1. Cor. 7. Cha. 16 Cha 17 Psal. 72 Cha 18 1. Es. 10. 1. Cor. 7. Cha. 19 Cha. 20 1. Cor. 7 Gala. 5. Cha. 21 Deut. 7. 2. Cor. 13 Cha 22 Cha. 23 Rom. 5. cha 24 Psal. 75 1. Tim. 5 Cha. 25 1. Cor. 7. Luke 6. cha 26 Rom. 14. Mat. 7. cha 27 1. Cor. 3. Ihon. 16 Cha. 28 Cha. 1. Cha. 2 Cha. 3 Cha. 4. Cha. 6 Cha. 7 Cha. 8 Cha ▪ 9 Cha. 10. Mark v. Cha. 11. Cha. 12. Eccle. iii. Gene. xxxviii i. Tim. v. Cha. 13. Cha. 14. Eccle. xxviii Matt. vi Rom. xii Cha. 15. Cha. 16. Cha. 17. Cha. 18. Mat. xix Cha. 19. Cha. 20.
is giuen to a fewe she gaue place to incontinencie and toke an husbande and yet an adulterour maried an adulteresse Bothe be giltie bothe are to be cōdemned both she that was maried her husband beinge alyue and he that maried her that had an husbande alyue Doe we here call Christes lawe vnmercyfull wherby she is made giltye of so great a cryme and is punyshed whom her husband put away without any former fornication of her parte because to liue continently is giuen to few in putting her away he compelled her to mari Why doe we not here say that the man is to be cownted as dead that by puttīg her wrongfulli away brake first the bond of matrimony For by what reason will you saie that he brake the bond of matrimonie that althowgh he be an adulterour dyd not put away his wife that he brake the bond of matrimonie that did put away his wife beīg chast but I sai that the bond remaineth in them both wher by the woman is bowndē so long as her husband liueth be he a continent liuer or an adulterour and that therfor the woman which is put away cōmitteth adulteri if she marie and that he is an adulterour that mariethe a woman put away whether her husbande that put her away be an adulterour or a continent liuer because the womā is bowndē so long as her husband liueth But now we dispute of the cōplaintes of incontinent liuers What is thought mor right wise thā the complaint of this woman that saithe I am put away haue not put away and because to liue continently is giuen to few I haue not liued continētly but leste I shuld cōmitte fornication haue maried yet I am sayde to haue cōmitted adulteri because I haue maried Shal we for this woman as it wer a iuste complaint thinke the lawe of God is to be chāged y t we shuld not iudge this womā to be an adulteresse god forbid But ye wyll answere that the woman ought not to haue been put away for that no cause of fornication was giuen before You say truth For y e lord expressed her husbādes syn wher he sayd he that putteth away his wife excepte the cause of fornication maketh her to cōmit adultrie But did not she therfore synne after in marieng because he synned befor in putting her way Therfor what dothe it profit him that the woman not liuinge continently complayneth of the lawe of Christe excepte he for hys murmuringe be punyshed Nowe let vs see those thynges that ye added in an other place wold haue me to make answer to them Where it moueth you and you haue pitie of that man that although it be not for that he liueth not continētly yet at leaste for the necessitie to beget children is compelled to lye with an adulteresse if it be not lawful for hym so to put her away that he may marie an other she being alyue Wher vpon you shulde be iustely moued yf it were not adulterye to marye an other his adulterouse wyfe beynge aliue But yf it be adulterie as the thinges before disputed haue taught why is the cause of bygettynge chyldren pretended We may not therfore permit and giue a licence to heynowse crimes and we may not so auoyd to dye without yssue of chyldren as we muste choose laboure to lyue oure selfes for euermore And adulterers be not suffred to lyue euermore who after y e firste death muste nedes be condēned by y e eternitie of the secōd deathe This excuse and allegation for the bygettinge of chyldrene compellethe men to put away not onely adulterouse women but also moste chaste womē yf perchaunce they be bareyn and to mary other which thing I suppose pleasethe not you Wherfore yf adulteries be not to be excused for y e cause of not liuing cōtinently how moche lesse are they excusable for the cause of bygettinge of children This infirmitie of incōtinent liuinge y e Apostel wold haue releaued by y e honestie of mariage for he saithe not yf she haue no chyldren let her marye but yf she lyue not cōtinently let her marye The generation of children is a recompence for that she giuethe place to incontinēt life by marienge For incōtinency is a vice but mariage is no vice therfore by this good the other is made veniall euell Seing therfore mariage is institute for generation for that cause oure fathers wer maried y t onely for generation not vnlawfully dyd company wyth women For than ther was a certaine necessitie of procreation whiche is not nowe because ther is a tyme of embracing as it is written which truely was than and ther is a time of absteininge from embracinge which is now Of the which tyme the Apostell speakynge saithe frō hence forthe brethren the tyme is shorte it folowethe that they that haue wyues be as not hauynge wiues Wherupon at this time it is very wel and aptly said he that can take let him take and she that liuethe not continently let her marye Continencye than descended to the offyce of matrimonie for the generation of chyldren but nowe the bonde of mariage releauethe the vyce of incontinencye that of them that lyue not continentlye shulde come the generation of children not by the dishonestie of fornications but by the honestye of mariages Why than saythe not the Apostell yf she haue no chyldrē let her marye because at this tyme of absteynyng from embracīg it is not necessarily to bygette children And why saithe he if she liue not continently let her marye Truely therfore leste by her incōtinencie she be compelled to cōmit fornication Yf therfore she liue cōtinently let her neyther marye nor bring forthe childrē but if she liue not cōtinētly let her marie lawfully leste she bring forthe chyldrē vnlawfully or els leste she vsing carnall copulation more vnlawfully bring forthe no children at al. Althoughe thys that I sayde laste some men doo it that be also maryed lawfulli For a mā lieth with his lawful wife vnlawfully dishonesteli wher the cōceiuyng of a child is auoided Whiche thynge Onan y e sonne of Iudas dyd for y e god killed him Therfore y e generatiō of childrē is the first natural cause of maryage for that cause they y t be maried by reason of incontinencie oughte not so to temper moderate their euel that they bānyshe the goodnes of mariage that is to say the fruite of childrē For the Apostell spake of incontinent liuers whē he said I wil that the yonger vydowes doo marie bring forthe chyldrē be huswifes to gyue no occasiō to the aduersarie of euel speakinge For now certayn be turned backe after Sathā When he said I wil y e yōger to mary he counseyled yt. to stay the fal of incontinencie but leste peraduenture they shulde thynke onely of the infirmitie of carnall concupiscēce whiche onely muste be serued releaued in the
A woorke of the holy bishop S. Augustine concernyng adulterous mariages written by him to Pollentius diuided into two bookes very necessary to be knowen of all men and women LONNDINI ANNO. 1550. The fyrst booke RIGHT welbeloued brother Pollētius the firste questiō of those which you writyng vnto me intreated as by way of consultacion is that the Apostle sayth To those that bee in mariage I commaunde not I but the Lorde that a wyfe do not go from her husbād but if she go from him that she remayne vnmaried or els be reconcyled to her husband again And that an husbande putte not away his wyfe Whether it ought so to bee taken and vnderstonded that the womā is prohibited to marye whiche goeth from her husband without cause of fornication for that is your opiniō or els as I thought in those bookes whiche manye yeres ago I wrote vpon the sermon in sainct Mathewes gospell whiche our sauiour made vpō the mountaine that he commaunded those women to remaine vnmaried which did go from their husbandes for that cause whiche is only permitted that is to say the cause of fornication For you thynke that a woman goyng frō her husbande ought not than to marye if she go away beyng not compelled by any fornicatiō of her husband And you considre not if her husband geue no cause of fornication that than she ought not to remaine vnmaried if she go away but she ought not at all to go frō him For truely she that is cōmaunded to remaine vnmaried if she go from her husband hath not the libertie of goyng awaye taken from her but the libertie to be maried Whiche saiyng of you if it be true than is libertie geuen to those women that be disposed to liue in continencie not to tarry nor regarde the consent of their husbandes that the saiyng of the Apostle let not a woman go frō her husband should seme to bee commaunded to theim that may chose not continencie but suche a deuorse as may bee lawfull to ioyne with other in mariage Therfore it shal be lauful to those women that loue to desyre no company of mā nor to beare the yoke of mariage to forsake their husbandes yea without any cause of fornication and accordyng to the Apostles saiyng to remain vnmaried And men likewyse for there is like forme in both if they wyl liue continētly may without the consent of their wyues forsake them remaine without any mariage For than as you thynke they may seke newe mariages if the deuorse be for the cause of fornication But when that cause is not than it foloweth after your mynd that the wyfe either ought not to go from her husband or if she go from him to remaine with out mariage or els to returne to her former husband again Therfore whan there is no cause of fornication it shal be lawful to either of theim to chose one of these thre thynges either not to go one frō the other or if either parte go away to remaine so or if they do not remain so then not to seke thē another but to returne to their former husband or wyfe againe And where is than that the same Apostle would not y t either of y e maryed parties shuld defraud the other in their carnall debt no not for a tyme for this cause also that they might wholy with more feruent diligēce applie them selues to praier but by their mutual consent Howe shall this be saued that the Apostle sayth But for fornicatiōs let euery husbād haue his wyfe euery wife haue her husband And let the husbād pay his debt to his wyfe and likewyse the wyfe to her husbande The wyfe hath not power of her body but the husband likewise the husband hath not power of his body but the wyfe How shal this be true except when the one partie wyll not the other partie may not liue in continencie For if the wyfe may so put away her husband that she may remain vnmaried then the husbād hath not power of her body but she her self Whiche is also vnderstāded of the husband Moreouer when it is sayd whosoeuer putteth awaye his wyfe exceptyng the cause of fornication maketh her to bee an adultresse Howe shall wee vnderstande this saiyng but that a man isprohibite to put away his wyfe if there be no cause of fornication and it is tolde why lest he make her to bee an adultresse Truely therefore because although she put not him away but be putte away her selfe she shall be an adultresse if she marry Therfore for this great harme and inconuenience it is not lawfull for a man to putte away his wyfe but for the cause of fornication For then in puttyng her awaye he dothe not make her an adultresse but putteth away an adultresse What if the man say I put away my wyfe without any cause of fornication but for that he wyll liue chast in continencie shal we therfore say that he dothe lawfully that he dothe Who dare say so that vnderstādeth the wyll of the Lord saiyng that he would not haue the wyfe put away no not because the mā would liue sole and chast which excepted only the cause of fornication But lette vs returne to the very wordes of the Apostle saiyng To theim that bee in mariage I commaunde not I but the Lord that the wyfe go not from her husband but if she go to remaine vnmaried And let vs aske of him as it were consult with him beyng present Why diddest thou say O Apostle if she go frō her husband let her remayne vnmaried Is it lawful for her to go away from him or is it not lawful If it be not lauful why doest thou commaunde her goyng from her husbād to remain vnmaried But if it bee lawfull than truely there is a cause why it should be lawfull This cause with no serchyng is founden but onely that which our sauiour excepted that is to say the cause of fornication And therfore the Apostle cōmaunded not a wyfe that did go from her husband to remaine vnmaried except she went from him for that cause for whiche onely it is lawfull for a wyfe to go from her husband For where it is sayd I commaunde her not to go away but if she do go away to remaine vnmaried God forbyd that she that so goeth away that she must remaine vnmaried should do any thyng against this commaundement Howe therfore is she commaunded to remaine vnmaried if she go away except ye vnderstād her that may lawfully go away which is not lawful to any wyfe but in case her husband committe fornication Who is it that wyll say if a wyfe go frō her husband without cause of fornication let her remain vnmaried seyng that she may not at all go frō him but for fornication Therefore I thynke that you nowe perceiue howe muche this your vnderstādyng is contrarie to the bonde of mariage where
God would not that continencie should bee taken on hand but by the mutual agrement cōsent of both the parties But let vs open the matter a lytle playner and as it were sette the thyng before our eyes Put the case that continent life pleaseth the woman but not the man The woman goeth from him and begynneth to liue cōtinently she for her part wil liue chast but she shal make her husband an adulteror which God wyll not because he whē he will not liue cōtinētly wyll seke another woman What shall wee say to the woman but that the churche sayth in an holsom doctrine pay thy debt to thy husband lest whyles thou sekest howe to be more honoured he do fynde howe to bee damned For this would we say to him also if he would liue cōtinently without thy good wyll For thou hast not power of thy body but he like as he hath not power of his body but thou Do not defraude one another but by comon consent When we haue sayd these other thynges that pertain to this purpose doth it content you that the womā should answer vs after your opinion I am obediēt to the Apostle that sayth I commaunde a wyfe not to go from her husband but if she do go to remaine vnmaried or els to be reconciled to her husband Loo I haue gone from my husbande and I wyll not bee reconciled but wyl remaine vnmaried For he sayth not if she go away lette her remaine vnmaried tyl she be reconciled to her husbād but let her remaine vnmaried or els be reconciled to her husbande And he sayth let her do either this or that He hath permitted one of the two to be chosen cōpelleth not to take the one I haue chosē to remaine vnmaried and so do I fulfil the cōmaundement Correct me blame me refuse me vse what seueritie you wyll if I do marry What can I say again to this woman but this Thou doest not vnderstand the Apostle well For he would not haue commaunded the woman to remayne vnmaried if she go frō her husband but only suche a womā as may lawfully go frō him that is to say for that one cause whiche is therfore not expressed there because it is most knowen whiche is fornication For god our master excepted that cause onely when he spake of puttyng away a wyfe did geue vs to vnderstande that the lyke forme was also to be kept in the husbande for not onely the wyfe hath not power of her body but the man but also the mā hath not power of his body but the wyfe Therefore when thou canst not accuse thy husbād of fornication howe doest thou thynke to excuse thy goyng frō him by liuyng vnmaried from whom it is not lawfull for the to go at all When the woman shal heare these thynges of vs I suppose she wyll answer vs thus againe and say that she remaineth therfore vnmaried because she went from her husband without any fornication on his part For if he had doone fornication then it had been lawfull not onely to go from him but also to marry againe She can not say this seyng that you are ashamed to geue that licence to women For you sayd if a mā put away his wyfe for adultry and marry another the woman onely shall haue the shame But if a wyfe put away her husband for the same cause and bee married to another not onely the man but also the womā shal haue the shame For whiche your saiyng you made this reason That men wyll say she went therfore from her husbande because she would marry another man And if that man be perchance suche as the other was for it is likely and easely for menne to faull into that kynde of vice if she put him also away marry to the thyrd then they wyl say more and more that she desireth to haue a gret nūbre of husbandes And by this reason you cōclude say These thinges thus intreated and discussed the woman must tolerate her husbād or els remayne vnmaryed You haue geuen good counsail to womē that seyng they know that it is permitted vnto them to marry other if they put away their former husbādes for fornication yet thei shuld not do it for the shame but rather tolerate their adulterous husbandes lest by this occasion they might seme to haue a wyl to be ioyned with many men because it is hard for a womā not to fynd suche a man to marry as he was whom she put away because men be prone to this vyce Seyng therfore we say that it is not lawfull for a womā that putteth away her husband for fornication to marry another and you say that it is lawful but not expedient Than wtout doubt we both say that she ought not to marrye that putteth away her husband for fornicatiō But this differēce there is that when both the parties be christened wee say that a womā puttyng away her husbād for fornication may not marry an other and that she may not put away her husband without the cause of fornication But you say that a woman may not marry an other if she put away her husbād without any cause of fornicatiō But if she do putte him away for that cause that than it is not expedient for her to marry because of the shame and reproche And so you permit a woman that shal not marry to go from her husbād be he a fornicator or none at all But because the Apostle or rather Christ by the Apostle dothe not permitte a woman to go from her husbād that is no fornicator therfore he forbiddeth her to mary that goeth away whō he suffereth to go away for fornication For she of whom it is sayd if she go away let her not marry is suffered vnder that condicion to go away that she should not marry If therfore she chose not to marry there is no cause why she shuld be prohibited to go away as she of whom it is sayd if she liue not continently let her marry and so is permitted to liue not continētly vpon this condicion that she marry If therfore she chose to marry she cannot be compelled to liue cōtinently Lyke as a woman refusyng to liue continently is compelled to marry that her incontinent life may not be damnable so she goyng frō her husband is compelled to remain vnmaried that her goyng away may be not culpable But she shall be culpable if she go frō her husband without fornication although she remain vnmaried Therfore she is commaunded to remayne vnmaried if she go away that goeth away frō a fornicator Seyng these thynges be thus if we vnderstand the Apostle after that sorte that we say to women go not from your chast husbādes but if ye wyl go see that ye remain vnmaried than wyll all those that delite to liue continently suppose that they may lawfully go away without the consent of their husbandes Whiche thyng seyng wee
ought not to permitte than it foloweth that the saiyng of the Apostle if she go away let her remaine vnmaried we ought to teache that it is spoken of her whō we haue lerned may lawfully go away for no cause but for fornication Lest if we teache otherwyse by pretence of cōtinentliuyng we trouble christen mariages and lest against the most mercifull cōmaundement of our Lord we compel driue into adulteryes menne that wyl not liue continently without their wiues when thei be forsakē of their wyues that wyll not liue continently And so likewyse of women Than this that the lord sayth not in that sermon I expounded but in another place Whosoeuer putteth awaye his wyfe but for the cause of fornication and marieth another committeth adultery if we vnderstande it this waye that whosoeuer putteth away his wyfe for fornication and marieth another doth not commit adultery Than it semeth in this matter y t there is not like forme reason betwene the husbād the wyfe because the wyfe although she go from her husband for fornication marieth another yet she doth adultery but y e mā if he putteth his wyfe awaye for the same cause marieth another doth no adulteri But if ther be like forme in both than both be adulterours if thei marry other although thei separate theim selues for fornication And that there is like forme in this matter betwene the man the wyfe the Apostle sheweth there wherof I must often make menciō wher when he had sayd the wyfe hath not power of her owne body but the man he added and sayd likewyse the man hath not power of his owne body but the woman Than say you why did Christ adde to his saiyng the cause of fornication did not rather say generally whosoeuer putteth away his wyfe marieth another committeth adultery if he also cōmitteth adultery whiche putting awaye his wyfe for fornication marieth another I thīke because Christe would make mencion of that whiche is the greater fault For who denieth but it is more adultery to putte his wyfe away without cause of fornication and marry another than puttyng her away for fornication to marry an other not because this is no adultery but because it is lesse adultery whē after the fyrst wyfe put away for fornication the second is maried For sainct Iames the Apostle vsing a like speche sayth To him that knoweth to do well and do not it is synne Is it therfore no synne to him that knoweth not to do well and therfore doth it not yes truely it is synne but this is greater if he bothe knowe and do not And this is not therfore no synne because it is lesse But to speake then both after one sort like as whosoeuer putteth away his wife excepting the cause of fornication and marieth another cōmitteth adultery Euen so whosoeuer knoweth good doth it not synneth But like as it cā not be well sayd here therfore if he knowe not he synneth not for there be also sinnes of those that bee ignoraunt although thei be lesse than of those that knowe Euen so it can not be well sayd there Therfore if he putteth away his wife for fornication and maryeth another he cōmitteth no adultery For there is adultery also of theim whiche marry other forsakyng their former wyues for fornication but yet lesse than of those that marry other forsakyng their wyues not for fornication For like as it is sayd to him that knoweth good and dothe it not it is synne euen so this also may bee sayd to him that forsaketh his wife without cause of fornication and maryeth another it is adultery Therfore like as if we say whosoeuer maryeth a woman that is forsaken of her husband not for fornication cōmitteth adultery without doubt we say true and yet we do not deliuer him from that cryme that marieth a woman whiche is putte awaye for fornication but doubte not but bothe bee adulterors Euen so we pronounce him an adulteror that wtout cause of fornication forsaketh his wyfe marieth another and yet wee doo not therfore defend him from the spot of that cryme that putteth away his wyfe for fornication maryeth another For although one be more than another yet we knowe theim bothe to be adulterors For there is no man so vnreasonable that wyll deny him to bee an adulteror that marieth a woman whom her husband hath put away for fornication when he wyll call him an adulteror that maryeth her that is putte awaye without fornication After this sorte therfore these be both adulterors Wherfore when we say whosoeuer maryeth her whō her husband hath put away without cause of fornication committeth adultery we speake it of one of theim yet do not therfore deny him to bee an adulteror that marieth her whom her husband hath putte away for fornication So when both be adulterors that is to say both he that puttethaway his wyfe without cause of fornication and maryeth another and also he that puttyng awaye his wyfe for fornicatiō coupleth him selfe to another Truely when we reade this of one of them we may not vnderstande it so as though by him the other wer denyed to be an adulteror because he is not expressed But if sainct Mathewe the Euangelist make this hard to be vnderstāded by expressyng the one kynde and kepyng in silence the other did not the other Euangelistes comprehēd both so generally that it may be vnderstanded of bothe For in sainct Markes gospel it is thus written whosoeuer putteth away his wyfe and maryeth another committeth adultery vpon her and if the wyfe putteth away her husbād and bee maryed to another she cōmitteth adulterye And in sainct Lukes gospel thus Euery mā that putteth away his wyfe and maryeth another is an adulteror and he that marieth her that is put away of her husbande is an adulteror Than what are wee that do say there is one that puttyng awaye his wife mariyng another is an adulteror And there is another that doyng the same thyng is no adulteror seyng the gospel sayth euery manne is an adulteror that doth it Therefore if whosoeuer dothe it that is to say puttyng away his wyfe maryeth another is an adulteror without doubte than they bee bothe adulterors both he that without fornication and he that for fornication putteth away his wyfe For that is whosoeuer putteth away that is to say euery one y t putteth away And whē I brought furth the wordes of S. Mathewes gospel I dyd not skyppe ouer that was writtē and maryeth another and sayd thus he commytteth adultery as I can not tell why it is thought so to you but I put in the wordes whiche be red in the long sermon that the Lord made vpō the mountaine For that toke I on hād to intreate vpon which wordes bee there red so as I put theim that is to say whosoeuer putteth away his wyfe except the cause of fornication causeth her to commit adultery he
cause which you put in your letters y t the Lord forbiddeth Christians to be maried to infidels for that is no cause in this matter where we speke of persōs maried not of persons to be maried If therfore you haue found no cause why the Lorde shulde not forbid that the Apostle forbiddeth for you see nowe as I suppose that it is no cause which you thought before was one then consyder whether this be y e cause which I thought was it and was then to be spokē and now to be defended that the Lorde sayth that thinge whiche rightwisnes before him permytteth which may not be trāsgressed by any meanes that is to say whiche the Lord so cōmaundeth or forbiddeth y t it is not lawfull at all to do otherwyse For what thyng he permitteth to the libertie of mans free wyl either to do or not to doo lawfully therin he semeth to geue place to the counsail of his seruauntes that they shuld rather coūsel that they shal see expediēt Let this rule be first and specially kept that no vnlawful thynges be done And where any thyng is lawefull after that sorte that to do otherwyse is not altogether vnlawful Than let it be done that is expedient or that is more expedient For that the Lord sayth as the Lord that is to say not by the aduice of a coūsailor but by the cōmaundement of a ruler it is not lawfull to do those thynges therfore not expedient The lord comaundeth a woman not to go away from her husbād but if she go away that is to say for that cause for whiche it is lauful so to do to remain vnmaried or els to be reconciled to her husbād For a maryed woman her husband beyng aliue is bounden to the lawe and duryng his life she shal be called an adulteresse if she be w t another husband because the woman is boūden so long as her husbād liueth Wherfore if a wife put away her husbād marierh another she cōmitteth adultery and he that maryeth her that is put fro her husbād is an adulteror And so by y e same cōmaundement of the lord let a man not put away his wife for he y t putteth away his wyfe without cause of fornication maketh her to cōmitte adultery but if he put her away for that cause yet let him remain so For euery man that putteth away his wyfe marieth another is an adulteror These constitucions of y e Lord must be obserued without any breach or retractiō For righteousnes before God wylleth these thynges whether men allowe them or disalow thē And therfore it may not be sayd that they ought not to bee kepte lest men be offēded or lest men be stopped frō that saluacion which is in Christ. For what christian man dare say lest I offend men or to wynne men to Christ I wyll cause my wife to cōmit adultery or I be my self an adulteror For it may come to passe that a christen mā when he hath put away his wife for adultry may be thus tempted that a certaine woman whiche hath not yet receiued the faith desiryng to be maried to hī do promise that she wyll become a christian not deceitfully but in very deede if he wyll marry her And when the man refuseth this mariage the tempter may make this suggestion the Lord sayth whosoeuer putteth away his wif without the cause of fornication and marieth another is an adulteror But if thou that hast put away thy wyfe for fornication do marry another thou shalt not cōmit adultery To this suggestion let him wisely answer that he cōmitteth more greuous adultery y t puttyng away his wyfe without the cause of fornication maryeth another but yet he that after his wyfe putte away for fornication hath maried another is not therfore no adulteror because he hath put away an adulteresse as he is an adulteror that maryeth her y t is put away without cause of fornication nor yet therfore he is no adulteror that maried her whō he found put away for the cause of fornication And for that cause y t which in S. Mathew is put very darkely wher the whole is signified by y e part is set furth plainly in other that haue expressed the hole generally as it is red in S. Marke whosoeuer putteth away his wife marieth another cōmitteth adultery And in S. Luke Euery mā that putteth away his wife and marieth another cōmitteth adultery They say not some do cōmyt adultery and not other some that put away their wyues and marry other but whosoeuer putteth away euery mā say thei without exception that putteth away his wife and marieth another cōmitteth adultery But if the christiā answer thus to the tempter vnderstāding that it is lawfull for him to put away his wife for fornication but not lawful to marry another What if that tempter say cōmit this sinne for this intent to wynne the womans soule to Christ that is dead by infidelitie who is ready to be made a christian if she be maried to thee what can the Christian answere els or say but that if he do it he can not escape cōdemnacion which y e Apostle made menciō of saiyng And as some report vs to say let vs do euil that good may come whose iudgement is iust Howe can she be a true christian womā that shal liue in adultery with him that maried her Adultery is not only not to be committed which not certain mē commit but euery man that putteth away his wife and marryeth an other althoughe he marry her for this intēt to make her a chrystian But also whosoeuer beinge not bounden to a wyfe hath vowed to God to liue contynentlye ought by no menes to sin by this pretence and recompence that he shulde beleue therefore he myght marry her to his wife bicause she that desyreth his maryage hath promised to becom a Chrystyan For that thyng that is laufull to any man before he hath vowed is not lauful whē he hath vowed he wil neuer do it if he vow that thynge that he may vowe as for example perpetuall virginitie or els continent life after the experience of matrimony when the parties be losed from the bond of mariage or by the mutual cōsent of the parties liuing and relesynge carnal debte one to an other both the parties beyng faythfull and chast whiche thing is not lauful for the man to vowe without the wyfe nor the wyfe withoute the man These thinges and suche other as may be vowed very well after that men haue vowed them may be broken by no condicyon which were vowed without any cōdicion For we must vnderstād that y e Lord cōmaunded so wher it is red vowe performe your vowes to your lord God Whervpon the Apostle cōcernyng certain women that vowed continēcie and afterward would marry whiche before they had vowed was lawfull for thē to do sayth Hauyng damnation because thei haue made voyde their first fayth and
than truely she shall not be called an adultresse duringe her husbādes lyfe yf she be wyth an other man but hauinge no husband she may be maryed to her own husbād He that is of thys minde doo you not see how moch he thinketh agaīst y e Apostles minde Which thing is not your opiniō but this folowethe your opiniō Chaunge therfor the antecedēt yf ye wil beware auoid y e cōsequēt And say not y t the dead man or dead wife may in this place be vnderstāded for the man or wife cōmittinge adultery Wherfor after y e holsom doctrine teachinge the womā is bownden so longe as her husbād lyuethe y t is to say is not departed oute of hys body For a woman maried be of the Apostles mind that we say not a man committing adultery is to be counted as a dead man and y t therfor it is lawful for his wife to marye an other man For although adulterie be death not of y e bodye but of the soule whiche is worse yet the Apostle spake not of that deathe when he sayd yf her husband be dead she may marie to whom she will but of that onely deathe wherby a mā departeth oute of his bodye For yf by the mans adulterie the bōd of matrimonye be dissolued than foloweth that absurditie which I tolde before ought to be auoided that the wife also by her fornication shuld be loosed from y e bond yf she be loosed she is free from the law of her husband and therfor which thing is moste foulishly spokē she shall be no adultresse yf she be with an other man because by her own adultery she is departed frō her former husband Which thinge yf it be so far wide of truthe y t no man I speake not onely of Christianes but no commen wit will admit it than truely the womā is bownden so long as her husband liueth and to speake more plainly so long as her husband is in his bodye And after lyke forme and maner the husbād is bownden so longe as y e womā lyuethe in her bodye For whiche cause yf he wil put away the adultresse let hym not marye an other womā leste he him selfe doo cōmit y t he blameth in his wif. Likewise yf the woman put hym awaye let her not couple her selfe to an other for she is bownden so longe as her husband lyueth nor she is not delyuered from the law of her husbande except he be dead that she be no adulteresse if she be with on other man And wher as it is thought hard to you that after adoulterye the one partye shulde be reconciled to y e other it shal not be herd yf faith be present For why shulde we reken them as yete adulteroures whome we beleue be eyther wasshed bi baptisme or healed by penaunce Thes crimes in the olde lawe of God wer purged by no sacrifyces which by the bloud of the new testamēt without any dowbte are purged therfore than it was prohibyte all to gyther to take agayne hys wyfe after shee hade been defyled by an other man althoughe Dauid as beynge a prefigurer of the new testamēt without any delaye tooke agayne the dowgther of Saul which her father had separated from Dauid gyuen to an other But nowe after that Christe hathe sayd to the woman taken in adulterye And I also wil not condemne the go thy ways synne no more hereafter who vnderstādeth not that the husbande owghte to forgyue that he seeth y e Lord of them both dyd forgyue and that he oughte not now to call her an adulteresse whose crime at her penance he beleueth is forgiuen by the mercyfulnes of God But the vnfaythfull mens vnderstanding abhorreth thys in so moch that some hauing litle faith or rather beynge enemyes of true faithe fearing as I suppose that libertye to synne without punishemēt is giuen to their wyfes wold pul out of ther bokes that which the Lorde dyd in pardonyng the womā takē in adulteri as though he had permytted and giuen libertye to synne that said syn no more herafter or els that the woman ought not to be made hole of god the phisyciane by the remission of that synne lest they being infected not wholle myght be offended For these men that be displeasede with thys fact of the Lord be not them selfes chaste nor yet chastitie dothe not make them so seuere extreme but rather they be of that numbre of men to whom the lord said which so euer of you is with out synne let him first cast a stone agaynste her sauyng that they afrayed bi their own cōsciēces went away ceased to rempte Christe or to persue the adultresse but these bothe beyng sicke thē selfes reprehend the Phisicyane also beynge adulterours be cruell against women committing adulterie to whom yf it wer saide not as it was to the Iewes he that is without synne for who is wythout sinne but he that is without this sinne let him first cast a stone against her than perchaunce they that wer greued for not kyllynge the adulterouse woman wold consider with what great mercy of god they them selfes wer spared and fauored that beynge adulterours yet wer alyue When we say these thynges to them not onely they wyll remyt nothinge of ther seueritie but be more ouer angrie at y e veritie and truthe it selfe and speake and answer thus but we be men Shall the dignitie of our kynde beynge men susteyn thys iniurie that we shulde be compared to women in sufferynge of punishment yf we commit any fornicatiō with other women besyde oure wiues As though they ought not therfore the more to refreyn lyke men theyr vnlawfull desires and lustes because they be men as though they ought not therfore the more to gyue them selfes as examples of thys vertue to ther wifes because they be menne as though they ought not therfore the lesse to be ouercommed with filthy pleasure because they be men as thoughe they ought not therfore the lesse to serue the wātones of the fleshe because they be men And yet they be angrie yf they heare that adulterouse men doo suffre lyke punyshment wyth adulterouse women saynge they ought to be punished so moche the more greuously as it perteynethe more to them bothe to ouercom women in vertue and to rule them by example I speake to Chrystē men that with faithe heare thys saiyng the man is the head of the woman wher thei knowlege y t thei ought to be the guydes and the women to be the folowers And therfore the man muste beware that he go not that way by thys lyuinge that he fearethe hys wyfe wyll go by folowynge But they that be displeased that lyke forme of chastytie be kepte betwen man and wyfe and chose rather specially in thys matier to be vnder the lawes of y e world than of Christe because the ciuill lawes of the world seme to bynde men not with the same bondes of chastitie that
thīke we ought to beware leste mē by this opinion shuld learn to cōpell their wyues to cōmit adultery which wyfes for other innumerable causes they can not beare that whē the bond of matrimonie is as you suppose by their fornication dissolued it may be lawfull for the men to marie other for y t they cōpelled their wiues to cōmit adulterie eyther to be washed by baptism or healed by penaūce for bothe grace medicine shal be denied to thē so longe as they shall lyue in adulterie w t their second wifes hauing put away their former wyfes besyde y e cause of fornication Excepte perchaunce some man say y t no man can cause hys wife to cōmytt adultery yf she be chaste and yet y e lord saithe euery man y t putteth away hys wyfe beside y e cause of fornicatiō maketh her to commit adulterye therfore truely because when she lyued chaste w t her husbande ▪ yet being put away she is cōpelled in y t she lyuethe not continently to be coupled w t an other man her former husband beyng alyue y t is to cōmitt adulterie And yf she doo not thus yet he for as moche as perteynethe to hym caused her to doo it god will impute that sinne to him althoughe she remain chaste But who knowethe not howe few there be y t lyue so chastely w t their husbādes y t although they be put from thē yet doo not seke for other husbādes For wtout cōparison y e number of women is greater that where as they lyue chastely wyth their husbādes yet yf they be put from their husbādes doo not differ to be maried againe Therfore whē men shall beleue god saiyng Euery mā that putteth away hys wyfe besyde the cause of fornication causeth her to cōmyt adultery if they beleue also you saiyng yf the woman cōmyt fornication her husband may lawfully marie an other wyfe whosoeuer for any other kynde of grefes wold lacke hys wyfe w t whom he is ioyned firste he causeth her to cōmit adulterie by puttinge her away wtout cause of fornicatiō that he myght than marye an other when she by marienge is an adultresse so he beyng deliuered eyther by baptisme or by penaunce frō the first synne wherby he caused her to cōmitte adultery myght seeme to haue inioye wtout any adulterie of hys parte the second wyfe which he maried after the adulterie of y e first the bond of matrimonye by y t meanes beinge as it wer dissolued Which thing yf any mā shal attempte or interpryse bothe he shal cause his wyfe to commyt adulterye he shall be an adulteroure hym selfe althoughe he marie an other after the adulterye of hys wyfe and it shall profite him nothing that he beleued you and not rather hym y e saithe without any exception euery man that forsakethe hys wyfe and mariethe an other commyttethe adulterye All whiche thinges wel considered and intreated it folowethe y t they y t heare these thīges diligētly shuld say to vs y t same y t was said to the lorde yf thys be y e state of a man w t his wyfe it is not expediēt to marie Tho whom what shulde we answer again but y t he answered euery man takethe not thys worde but they to whō it is giuē There be Eunuches y t be so borne from their mothers wōbe there be Eunuches y t be made so of mē there be Eunuches y t gelde them selfes for y e kyngedome of heauē He y t may take let him take Therfore he y t may take let hym take whiche all men take not but they may take to whom the secrete iust mercy of God geueth y e gyft But amōg all these that geld thē selfes for the kyngdome of heauen there be some of bothe kyndes y t neuer knewe carnal copulatiō some that haue had experiēce of it are turned frō it refusyng it other som y t haue proued it partely lawfully partely vnlawfully Morouer of thē y t haue proued it laufully som there be y t haue proued onely lawfully some bothe vnlawfully and lawfully For amonge them there be some y t knowe onely their own wyfes some that know also other women all kynde of adulterie But they y t after carnall copulation w t their wyfes geld them selfes for the kyngdome of heauen eyther loose their wife 's by deathe or professe to lyue continently w t thē by mutuall consent or by necessitie of diuorses leste by mariēg of other their wyfes beinge alyue they shuld cōmitt adulterye doo geld thē selfes for the kyngedome of heauen not y t they myghte be more clere purer there but that they can not otherwise be there for they y t lyue cōtinently not for this necessitie but for desyre of y e greater good may be ther euē keping styll the chastitie of mariage althoughe in lesse rewardes yet within the kyngdome of heauen But they that lyue therfore continently because they feare to be maried to other their former wyues beinge aliue ought to take more care for their own saluation than they tooke that loued continencie for greater reward For than they shall be there if they be not adulterers And yf they doo not lyue continently they shall be adulterours for during the lifes of their former wiues they shal not ioyne theim selues with other lawfull wyues but with adulterous women And yf they shall be absent from the kyngedome of heauen where shal they be but wher they shall not be saued ▪ These men therfore do I speake vnto that what thyng they ought to do yf thei had their wiues liyng sicke and consuminge in a continuall diseasse or els absent in a place where they coulde not come vnto them or els of some vnlawfull stomake refreynynge to kepe carnall cōpany with thē the same thinge they shulde doo yf their wyues dyd committe fylthy adulterie and for that cause diuorsyng them selues from their wyues cōpany shuld not seke newe mariages because they shall not be mariages but adulteries For seing ther is lyke forme in this bond of matrimonie betwē y e husbād the wyfe like as y e wyfe duryng here husbandes lyfe shall be called an adultresse if she be w t another mā euen so the man during his wifes lyfe shal be called an adulterer yf he be w t an other adulterouse womā For althoughe it be more greuouse sinn beside y e cause of fornicatiō yet euery mā y t putteth away his wife mariethe an other committethe adulterie Let not y e burdyn of continencye feare them it shall be a lyghte burden yf it be Christes it shal be christes yf faith be presēt which obteineth of christ y e cōmaunder y e performing of the commaundemēt Let it not moue thē that their continent lyuynge semethe to be of necessitie not of wyl for they also that haue chosen continēcy by their wyl haue made it to be of necessitie because