that ryghtwysnesse were done The son of his wyte wyll / suffreth the lesse yuyll / the more to be fled and abydeth synners long by vertue of his incarnacyon The holy goste af his charitable wyl forbedith al vnclennes / than we be confourmed to do the fathers wyll and byddyng / and whan the wysedome of our wyll is tourned to vertuous mercy bothe to our selfe and to other / than sue we Chrystes steppes / but whan the loue of our wyl spedythe in due ordre bothe in heuen and in erthe / as we haue sayde afore / than dwellyth the holy goste in our inwarde man / yf thys knot be truly knyt in wyl of our soule / there is no entre for the deuyll to trouble vs from vnyte As saynt Ierom sayth The deuyll fyghteth not agayne vs with open face / but with gyle for he vseth agayne vs our owne wyll / he takyth hym strenghte of our owne consent / weryeth vs with our owne swerde / he may neuer ouercome vs / but thorough our owne wyl / therfore for the desperacyon / remedy agayne this deuyl is study in holy wryt And to this entent spekyth the wyseman Prouerb .vi. Cōmaundementes ben a lanterne / and the lawe is lyght / and the way of lyfe / a monycyon of lernyng / that it may kepe the from an yuell woman / and from the smothe tounge of a straunger Loke thyne herte conyte not the fayrenesse of her Is it possible for a man to hyde fyre in hys shert and not brenne his clothes or elles walke in the brennynge cooles / and not brenne the sooles of his feete So he that hathe entred in to hys neyghbours wyfe / shall not be clene whan he hathe lecherously touched her For he that is an aduoulterer by the foule gredye desyre of hys herte / shall lese his soule / for he gatheryth to him vnclennes and shame / and hys sclaunder shall not be done awaye / for the zele and wodenesse of the man shall not spare in the day of vengeaunce nor he shall not spare for prayours of any man / nor he shall take no gyftes for hys redempcyon For sayncte Ierome saythe A gloton hathe hys herte on hys wombe / A wanton man on hys lechery / A couetous man on hys wynnynge / Any garde on his holdynge And therfore sayth Salomon Prouerb .iiij. with all dylygence kepe thyne herte / for lyfe passyth from it And saynt shewe sayth In all creatures that bene occupyed vnder heuen in mannes vanytees / there is nothynge hyer than mannes herte / there is nothynge founde lyker to god / wherfore god sekyth nothynge of the but thyne herte Agaynste this commaundement the fende with his cautylles moueth dyscorde in the hertes of them that bene wedded / tyll the desyre haue departyd the one from the other Than the man fayneth a cause to go from the woman / and in thys they ben accursed / as the wyseman saythe Prouerb .xviij. he sekyth occasyons that wol go awaye from his frendes / at all tymes he shal be acursed and worthy rebuke Neuertheles a fole wyll not receyue the wordes of techynge / but yf thou say to hym such thynges as his hert desyreth / and therfore he rennythe forthe in wodnes of his herte for to procure a diuorce betwene hym and his wyfe / he comyth anone to the churche that is cleped lawles / not for the churche but for the offycers / for they ben lawles Anone he chusythe hym a notarye / and payeth hym hys wages to make hym an instrumente of hys forged lesynges / than goyth he to the maysters that sytten on theyr seates with furred hoodes / and fonde heddes / and gyuethe them money greate plentye / and prayeth them to be his aduocates that thys dyuorce wer made / for he wylbe redy at the lawles day to brynge forth his twelue handes afore the iuge / syr Symont and make good with all the courte that he hath no ryght to the womā that he wedded for dedes done afore / than syr Simont geueth dome / to dyssolue trewe wedlocke / and authoryseth lechery to these bothe partyes for to lyue in horedome from that day forthwarde and sendythe them forthe at the dores departed eche fro other But lo what Chryst sayth Mat xix Marc. x. Luc. xvi For matrymony a man shall leue father and mother / and he shall holde him to his wyfe / and they shal be twayne in one flesshe that is for theyr dwellynge shal be to geder Also they bene not than twayne / but one flesshe that is by vertue of the sacrament / wherfore that thynge that god hath ioyned / mā may not departe I say forsothe to you that who so euer hath lefte his wyfe excepte for the cause of fornycacyon / and yf he wedde another he is a lecherour / and who that weddyth this woman that this man hathe lefte / he ledyth his lyfe in lechery / as longe tyme as he holdeth her / sythen that god ioyneth neuer but in lawefull maner how dare ye pursue this dyuorce in a lawles church Saynt Paule sayth to the Romayns in the seconde chapytre whosoeuer synneth without lawe shal perisshe without the lawe For they weren blynde and knewe not the lawe / they myght happely the easelyer be excusyd but now they sayen they knowe the lawe / and done full hardely agaynst the lawe / they haue not excusacyon And therfore the wiseman saith An holsome remedy agaynste thys synne of the herte Eccli xviii Be thou tourned from thyne owne wyll and obey thou to goddes wyll / and than sayth Bernarde thou shalt neuer come in hel / and therfore whyle thou arte hole and soundē wauer not aboute in thoughtes of dyuerse errours / from god and from vertue Bryse downe not only such vnleful couetyse / but also al super flue vnstable thoughtes / and suffre them not on any wise to growe to dede ne to custome And thys semeth to be the sentence of the prophete where he sayth Psal 136. Blyssed is that man that shall holde / and hyrt his youngelynges at the stone / as the werkes of man bene his yongelynges / or sonnes or doughters / after the gostly sence / so tho thoughtes of the inwarde man bene hys yongelynges Than he hyrtyth hys yongelynges at the stone of ryghtwysnes / whā he dystroyeth theyr soden crepynges / in thynkynge of the lyfe of our lorde Iesu Christe For soth this is a specyal remedy to with holde wicked thoughtes / desyres / and wylles that they flowe not to depely withinforth / neyther that they flee to fer without forth / and such traueyles thryuen tho that god hath chosen for they wyl not in any dysease be ouercome neyther cōsente to these cautyles of the deuyl / by which he enprysoneth goddes seruauntes for they kepen these .x. foresayd cōmaundemētes / but saynt Hyllary sayth This propartye hath Christes churche / whan that it is pursued
wete ye welye vycyous prestes that gone from the lorde in vycyous lyuynge and wyll not folowe hys holy steppes but tarynge them from day to day / therfore your prayers ben dispysed as Christ sayth that can not lye Mat. 24. Mat. 24. wo to you scribes and pharyses ypocrites that eaten the houses of wedowes by longe prayers for thys thynge ye shulde take the larger iugement Vpon thys sayth Crisostome / the sleyght or the wyles of ypocrytes women may not only knowe / bycause of theyr relygyon / they wyl sone bowe to theÌ„ for they be nesshe Thys doctour makyth two specyal causes why they drawen to wydowes howses One is for women that ben wedded vnder the power of mannes daunger dare nat geue these worldly goodes wtouten couÌ„sayle of their husbaÌ„des And other wedowes ben ful of pyty / to geue when they be petiously asked / haue no man to werne theÌ„ this dede for her good is at her owne wyll / for thys ende / these flaterynge glosers most haunten wedowes howses Christe wyssheth them wo / warneth our prestes that they forsake thys synneful maner / for it is a cursyd dede to hyde synne vnder paynted relygyon / and clothe wyckednes vnder ypocresye / tyll it be trowed for very pety / and in the armour of IhuÌ„ Chryste They done the fendes workes of hell / whan they largen there longe prayers as nettes that bene sprede abrode and with crafte they catchen awaye the goodes of these sely wydowes These wydowes we shulde vnderstande / both for woman and for meÌ„ that wanten wysdome of Iesu Christ / that which is spouse of mannes soull For Iesu nowe here delytyth but in them that louen his lawe wakers that ben in Christes church / waken in vertue deuout prayers / and auoyden all dyuyses for they wyll not be negligent / but holden and waken there inwarde eye that faythfully seeth the workes of god / then riseth vp As sayncte Paule sayth A newe man fourmed after god / shineth them in these thre vertues / rightwysenes / truthe / and holynes This is wakynge to goddes worshyp to theyr owne saluacion / to ê“fyte of theyr euen christen For thus meaneth Paul in these .iij. wordes Thys watche so chaseth the fende that he fleeth from all such wakers / hath no might for to noye body ne soule / as the wyse maÌ„ sayth The holsome watche of honesty shal make the flesshe melte from syn / and busy thought in this fayre watche shal dryue awaye vnleful dremes Certes the thought of the fore knowynge turneth awaye the wyt from syn a great infirmite makyth a sobre soull But wakers in the fendes churche vsen a foule flesshly watche / for euer they ben slombryng when any good dede is gone / is ouercome with slepe / that bryngeth them to myschyefe / for the wyseman sayth Howe longe shalt thou slepe thou shlowe man / whan shalt thou ryse froÌ„ thy slepe Thou shalt nappe a lytle whyle / thou shalt slumber a lytle whyle / thou shalt knyt thy handes to geder tyll thou fall into dead slepe / and than shall come to the nede / as a wayfayrynge man and pouertye shall stele to the as an armyd man / nappynge / and slumbrynge / daed slepe ben the fendes offycers Than men nappen whan they coÌ„senten to do the fendes stirynge / whan they wyrchen openly that the fende desyreth in the syght of the worlde / than they ben in slombrynge But whan they maynteyne boldly what euer they done amys / than they ben in deed slepe / waken in theyr synnes / changynge the nyght vnto the day / as horys theues trauelyng from place to place to reuel to rout / assayeng wher with that they may leue tokenes of theyr syn Almesdoers in Christes church releuen iÌ„ due tyme with the plenty of theyr catel them that suffren nede as saynct Paule sayth Loke that your habundauÌ„ce fulfyll the nede of other / for ye thus doynge shallen receyue the blessyng of god / as the ê“phete sayth Blessed be he that taketh hede on the nedy poore Vpon this sayth Bernarde Not vpon the couetous man the proude / but vpon the nedy and poore / that is to wyte / those that asken constrayned with nede / takeÌ„ thyr almes with shame geuyng thaÌ„kes to god lyue poorely therby In foure thynges goddes seruauntes medefully done theyr almes First / they seken godes wil done it to his worship The secoÌ„de of true goten good clerely in theyr coÌ„science The .iij. that they knowe theyr brother lyue in gracious lyfe The .iiij. that he suffreth nede wtouten any fayning for yf any of these faylen / they lese both good mede But almysdoers in the fendes churche feden many wretches / as stronge styffe beggers that strykes ouer the lande / groners without cause than neden not of theyr good / ye to mynstrels iuglers and other vayne iapers / that they delen largely theyr goodes to cleppen it an almes / but trewe men seynge all a mys goodes thus spended / for it draweth them to heuen / as a boket into the well / and yf they do any thynge there as nede is / anone they seken vayne glory lese all there mede ☞ Isedor For saynct Isodor sayth whan the poore man is fedde bycause of vayne glory than is the worke of mercy tourned into synne / as Christ saith Luce. 11. yf thyne eye ben aweywarde / all thy body shal be derke / thyn eye is thyn entent that shuld rule thy coÌ„science / and this body is thy worke of entent taketh his lyght Than it is thus to meane / whan thyne enteÌ„t is not wel ruled thou getest no mede what euer thou do / prechours that ben in Chrystes churche / commen frely amonge the people as Chryste came from the toure of heuen and gaue this charge to hys discyples Frely ye haue taken your wysdome ☞ Paule Frely geue it agayne Paul chose rather to be deed / than any man shulde auoyde hys glorye for mede that myght be geuen or taken agayne the gospel of Iesu Christ / and these preachours prechen to edifyethe people in vertues / as Christe commaunded on holy thursday to hys discyples afore the styenge / Mathewe vltimo ☞ Math. vltimo Ye goynge forth into all the worlde preche ye the gospell to eche creature / that is to eche maÌ„ that is chefely eche creature / and they lyuen vertuously them selfe after their prechynge / for to streyght theyr holy wordes / with the spiryte of life / whan they geuen a true ensample in dede after theyr sayenge / and thys is the techynge of Iesu Chryst in the gospell of sayncte Mathewe Loke your lyght shyne so afore men of this world / that they may se your good workes and gloryfye not you but your father that is in heuen / of whome commeth all
that we ben borne / as the commyn glose sayth vpon Genesis Euery cytezyne of the heuenly countre is a pylgreme of thys worlde / for all tyme of thys present lyfe / and whan we trauelyn sore to kepe goddes hestes thaÌ„ we done our pylgrimage / as the prophete sayth Psal 118. Psal 118. Lorde thy commaundementes weren my songes in tyme of my pylgrymage The seconde tyme / we ben pylgrymes when we gone to the churche as it is wrytten Luc. xxiiij Luc. 24. Tu solus peregrinus es in Ierusalem c whan we done in the churche in fourme as god hathe taught vs / than we done our pylgrymage For thus sayth sayncte Luke Luc. 2. Cum sanctus esset Iesus annorum duodecim c. The thyrde tyme we ben pylgrymes / when we vysyte the nedye / and whan we delen almysdede / we done our pylgrimage Luc. xiij ♣ Luc. 13. Go thou forthe anone into stretes and wayes and brynge in to thyne house these thre maner of people / poore feble / poore blynde / poore lame The fourth tyme Prestes bene pylgrymes that studyen holye wryt tyll they haue plenty in theyr mynde of this heuenly wysedome / and than they hyen them fast about in all the brode worlde to dele this gostely treasour amonge the wyttles people that is in poynt to spyll for hunger in wantynge gostly teachyng as it is wrytten Io. 4. Dere frende thou doste ryghtfully what euer thou doste into our brethern / and namely into pylgremes that prechen the gospell / and bene apayde where they come with poore symple lyflode The fyfte tyme tho ben pylgrymmes that wonnen in a towne where is neyther preste ne lorde to teche them / neyther to rule them / and than they gone vnto the place where they may be taught and ruled vnder gouernaunce This is pilgrimage as it is wryten Gene. 12.20 and. 26. There is no other pylgrymage that maye please god out take this that we haue sayd / and all holy wryt berythe wytnesse / for whan the body is layde in graue and the soule forth passyth to blysse or to payne wether that it be than the syxte pylgremage is ended The seconde coÌ„maundemente of god is thus Exo. 20. Thou shalt not take the name of thy god in vaine And Chryste sayth in his gospell Math. 5. Math. 5. Forsoth I say vnto you / not to swere in any wyse / neyther by heuen for it is the trone of god / neyther by the erthe / for it is the stole of his feete / neyther by Ierusalem for it is the cyte of a greate kynge / neyther by thyne heed / for thou mayste not make a heare whyte or blacke / forsothe be your worde / ye / ye / and nay / nay / with herte and mouth accordyng agaynst this coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„t the deuyll in hys members constraynen men to swere and leyen there handes on bokes / than he puttyth them to open shame / and if they leue his byndyng he sayth by lawe they ben relapse / and than they shal be brent And thys is an hydeous clowde vpon this schynefull day to payne men for kepyng of goddes coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes For saynte Austen saith vpon the gospel Christ hath taught that thynge that is of more perfection / that thyng that is of infyrmyte he hath suffred that thynge that is superstycyous he hath cutte away / it is of perfeccyon / not to swere in any maner / it is of infyrmyte for to swere constrayned / but it is of superstycyon to swere vaynly For the wyseman sayth Sap. 14. Swerynge is no vertue but payne of synners / eyther of theÌ„ that wyll not gyue credens / but yf men swere / or elles of them that sweren withouten cause And therfore Crisostome blameth prestes for they bryngen forth bokes / to compell men to swere vpon them / askyth this question whether is not he that settyth an house on brenning gylty of this brennynge whether is not he that bryngeth a swerde with that which man slaughter is done / gylty of this manslaughter So they that bryngen forth bokes on whiche meÌ„ forsweren them ben gylty of this swerynge / and he sayth Yf the people wyll saye the sothe without any othe / wherto shulde they swere And yf they supposen they wolde say false / why shulde they be compelled to forswere them selfes and the greatnes of synne standyth greatly and chyeftly in suche ordynaryes / eyther secler or spuÌ„all as this doctour proueth / nought exceptynge purgacion without such othes / and of this sweryng cometh wyckednes / and goddes greuous vengeance / as the wyseman saythe Aman moche swerynge shal be fulfylled with wickednes / and vengeaunce shal not go from his house Yet enmyes pursuen agayne this coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„t / sayen that Christ him selfe swore / his sayntes also Swere by this boke thou obstinate maÌ„ or elles thou shalt to pryson / thou shalt swere in our courte bycause of thyne infyrmyte as saynctes hath taught when thou arte constrayned to thys we seyen that IhuÌ„ Christ forbedyth on al wyse sweryng by any of these .iiij. thynges that he hym selfe reherseth / that is to say / heuen / or erthe Ierusalem / or by thyne owne hed / whaÌ„ these foure ben out taken / with al that is in heuen / ye shal not grouÌ„de your vicious sweryng / tyll that heuen befallen To this that sayncte Austen sayth Thou shalt swere compelled / we grauÌ„ten wel a fore a iuge / if elles meÌ„ wyl not trowen vs / but neyther on bokes shulde we swere / neyther by goddes creatures but after the fourme that god hath taught by Ieremy the ê“hhete Ieremy iiii Thou shal swere The lorde leuyth in trouth dome / and rightwysnes The lorde lyueth is to mene / by god or by thyne holy dome / or by thy trouth Thus shalt thou not swere but with thre condicions The fyrst is trouth in the conscience of them that swerith without any gyle The seconde / that it be done in dome / to exclude al maner of idle and vayne swerynge The thyrde that it be in ryghtwysnes / and in no maner of deceyte / ne hindrynge to our neybour / ne dyscordyng to the ryghtwysnes of god / but we may in no cause swere by bokes / as we haue sayde afore / neyther by lyfely creatures / as by sayntes or by any such other For the wiseman saith Custome not thou thy mouth to swere by names of sayntes for Chrisostome sayth Omeli 12. He that sweryth by a creature / doth ydolatry / he that swereth by creatures / synneth double folde / ye though it war so / that sweryng were leful / ones / for he swerith / a nother tyme / for he makytst him selfe a false god / for what so euer it be that a maÌ„ sweryth by / that thyng he maketh his god / lorde how mony meÌ„ women maken theÌ„ false goddes / sythen welnye all this
worlde hath custome to swere by one saint or by another Certes these forsaid enemyes ben cause of this blasphemus sweryng / what with theyr sclaūdres somtyme with their sore punysshing freyl people cannot stande / but yelde them to this fēdes temptynges The thirde cōmaūdemēt of god is this Exo. xx Haue mynde to halowe thyn holyday In six dayes thou shalt wyrche do all thyne owne werkes / forsoth the seuenth day is the saboth of the lorde Thou shal not do any seruyle worke These syx shal kepe this holyday Thy son thy doughter / thy seruaūt / thyn hande mayden thy beest / thy straūger / that is wtin thy gates In six dayes god made heuē erthe / the see / al thynges that ben in thē / he in the .vij. day Therfore god blyssed the day of the saboth / and made it holy Agayne this commaundemente the fende in his members gyueth leue to chapeman to bye and sell Ye within the sentuary / on the holy sounday And vytellers of the countre holden commen marketes / yet se thou more what synnes a gaynste this hefte of god / great fayres of the yere for the most parte ben sette on the saboth day by the fendes councell God toke full hydeous wreche vpon the chyldren of Israell when they wrought seruyle worke vpon the saboth daye as it is wryten Eccle. xxxj Halowe ye my holyday / forsothe it is holy to you who that hath defouled it / he shal be deed / he that doth any seruyle werke therin / hys lyfe shall perysshe from the myddes of his people And so for gatherynge of styckes on the saboth day / a man at goddes byddynge was stoned to the deth Therfore Nemias a mā that dreade god wyl suffre none to bye ne sell on the saboth day within the gates of Ierusalem / ney ther aboute the walles / and charged all vytellers that they shulde ceasse / and yf they wolde not take hede they shulde fele his handes / for he thought for to warre on them as on goddes enemyes / but yf they wolde obey to god in halowyng of his saboth day This processe is wryten in the boke of Neemias in the laste chaptre Lo howe streytly the Iewes kepten goddes byddynge / and god smote them with bodely payne whā they dyd forgete But chrysten men maken theyr bost howe they be more parfyte in seruyce of theyr god / then euer were the Iewes who that euer mekely proueth his worde in dede thā may he say boldely that this tyme of grace is of more parfeccyon / by vertue of the sacrementes and fredome of the gospell than was Moyses lawe / and thou a more parfyte man in kepynge this perfeccyon / but thou be in apostatate in brekyng goddes heftes than is thy payne moch the more / as paule sayd to the Romaynes Ro. 11. Forsothe thou standest in the fayth / nyl thou be proude / ne bere the neuer the hyer / but abyde thou mekely in the holy drede of the lorde Forsoth syth that the lord sparyd not the kyndely or naturall braunches / that is to say / the Iewes that he chose to be his kyndely heyres / beware leste be hap he spare not the that camest out of the hethen stocke / and arte planted in by grace of Christ and of his gospell Se now thyne apostasy thou vnkynde wretche and the falsenesse that thou vsyst agaynst Christes gospel Math. 21 Mar. 9. Luce. 19. Io. 2. Iesu entred in to the tempell of god / and he cast out all sellers and byers in the tempell / and the bordes of money makers / and he tourned vpsydowne the chayres of them that solden doues / and sayd vnto them as it is wryten Isaye 6. Myne house is cleped an house of prayer Forsothe ye haue made it a denne for theues Christe forbedyth the layte the vsynge of theyr marchandyse eyther in towne or in churche on the holydaye / and he dampneth more streytly among these vicious prestes byenge of theyr benefyces / and sellynge of theyr sacramētes as the doctour O do sayth / vpon the same gospell / they ben sellers of doues / that sellen spūall thynges / though they crye not with there mouthes neuerthelesse they sayen with Iudas what wyl ye geue / and I wyll betraye hym to you Thus cryen our Monkes other bastarde religyon that sellen / as they may take therfore their habyte / theyr suffrages / and other prestes done also wyckedly that treten deuyne seruyce / and suche ben nowe multiplyed in the church of god / therfore where as thou wenest that the house of prayer is / ther shalt thou redely fynde a denne of many theues Forsothe al that entren not by the dore / that is Christ / but by money or by seculer fauour they ben nyght theues day theues that entre in by a broken wall vnwetynge Iesu Chryste / for he proueth not theyr dedes / and that is vnknowynge For that is the churche nowe all to broken downe / whan the vnable is auaunced to the churche benefyce / eyther for prayer / eyther for pryce / eyther for vndewe seruyce / sythen our lorde Iesu Chryste sayde to his dyscyples that one of them was a deuyll / and mente it by Iudas / be not these apostates that done as yuel as he / worthy to be clepyd deuylles / by the same reason they be great questyoners askers of the lawe / but they wolde not do so moche as put therto theyr fynger / and they bepen charge on othere more than they may bere They bene prayfers of sayntes / and nothynge theyr folowers / they bene herers of the lawe / but nothyng the doers / they bene alwaye lernyng / and neuer wylbe parfyte Thus they bosten in the lawe with worshyp and with wynnynge / but by brekynge of the lawe they done dyspyse theyr god The fourthe commaundemente of god is thys Exod. 20. worshyp thou thy fader and thy mother that thou mayste be longe lyuynge on the erthe the whiche the lorde god shal gyue to the / and it sueth of thys commaundement that they that worshyppen not there parentes shullen haue shorte lyfe here in erthe / and after the londe of myschyefe And therfore Thobye taught hys sonne a lytle afore hys dyenge Thobye 4. Sonne bery thou my bodye / and thou shalt haue worshype to thy moder all the dayes of her lyfe Thou owest for to haue in mynde what parell and howe many she hathe suffred in her wombe for the. Some counten it no synne to take from theyr parentes suche thynges as they haue bycause they bene theyr chyldren But certes thys synne passeth thefte / and more it greuyth god / as the wyseman saith Prouerb xxviij who that withdrawyth any thyng from his fader and moder / and sayth it is no synne / he is pertener of man slaughter / for worshyp of our parētes / standeth in worde