Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	ghost_n	holy_a	mind_n	7,027	5	5.7568	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68233	The determinations of the moste famous and mooste excellent vniuersities of Italy and Fraunce, that it is so vnlefull [sic] for a man to marie his brothers wyfe, that the pope hath no power to dispence therewith; Gravissimae atque exactissimae, illusstrissimarum totius Italiae, et Gallicae academiarum censurae. English	Fox, Edward, 1496?-1538.; Cranmer, Thomas, 1489-1556, attributed name.; Stokesley, John, 1475?-1539. aut; Burgo, Nicholas de, b. 1506. aut	1531 (1531)	STC 14287; ESTC S107438	118,498	310

blinded and darkenedd a certayne prudence or commune wytte ingendred in hym grauen in him bi god his maker at his first creation and this wyt or reason they calle naturall light light of vnderstanding the light of the visage of god the ymage of god the eye of the reasonable mynde a parceiuinge of good euil right wronge finally they call it natural reson ¶ Beside this ther be writē in the hart of man with the finger of god certain rulis or lawis of general iustice vertue honestie whiche they cal the fyrst principils to liue by accordinge to vertue the fyrste rules to do iustly whiche were to man as exēplars or patrons for to folow to shewe him howe he shuld do iustly the first truthes sedes of vtues sparcles of nature imperfecte vnderstondinges general knowleges cōmun sense or perceuerāce cōmun wisdome finalli beginninges to al moral iustice vertue Nowe the office of the forsaid natural reson prudēce is to shew that we ought to do or leaue those thingꝭ what so euer these rules of cōmune iustice or vertue doth shew vs. And bicause that the same rules of general iustice cōteine the perfecte true nature of vtue they teache that those thingis only whiche in the maners of al men vniuersally be good or euil right or wrōge ought to be folowed or auoided euin for the thinges them selfe and for obteining of euerlastinge blis For this rule is no other thynge in dede then a certain line leading vs to honestie and vertue and frō disonestie and vice So that what so euer is done accordynge to this reule it muste nedes haue the name of vertue by the whiche vertue man is called good what so euer is done contrary to this rule it must haue the name of vice This reule therfore ioyned with that commune prudence or wysedome we call the lawe of nature If thou wilte defyne it it is a general knowlege and iudgement whiche god dyd graue in the mynde of euery man to helpe hym for to fourme and facion his maners and lyuynge And it nedeth not vs to go farre to seche the profe of these thynges that we haue spoken seing that there is no man but that he hath in him sometime an examynation and remembraunce of hym selfe and remorse or conscience that dothe iuge cōdēne hym and wher so euer these be there muste nedes also be some lawe frō whose techynge the misdoer maye perceyue that he hath swarued and that he hath not performed tho thynges whiche the lawe cōmaunded him And as for this lawe both Paule hym selfe and almoste al the diuines and the philosophers call the lawe of nature and sey that it is a certayn commune sentence or iudgement condemnynge or allowinge the dedes of men the whiche god did graue in the herte of man with his fynger In so moche that vnto vs truly the lawe of nature to speake of it generally semeth to be no other thynge but these fyrste reules and fyrste iudgementes that man hadde whiche were made with man or rather borne with him grauen in hym of god But to speake of it specially and properly and to shewe howe it differethe from all other thynges these two thinges folowynge seme to vs to haue ben added to the definition very conueniently and to the purpose that is to saye whiche god dyd graue in euery mans mynde and agayne whiche is fytte and conuenient to forme and facion the maners and lyuynge of men The fyrste is added bycause we shulde vnderstande that they onely be naturall lawes whiche haue ben writen with the fynger of god or rather borne in the harte of man stablysshed and confyrmed by agrement of all nations and not made by the ordinance of men or by their lawis their counnynge opinion or reasonynge nor finally by no vsage or custome of men The seconde is added bicause that where there be many knowleges and iugementes in vs all alyke can not be called lawes of nature But to open this thynge some what plainly you shal cōsider that in mās reason there be .ij. partes the one is occupied about study of sciencis that is called Speculatiue the other about the ordring of his life whiche is called Actiue And as this parte that longeth to studie hath his natural principils and them most true and so plaine of them selues that they nede nor can not be proued by none other meanes but onely by them selfe of whose trewthe and knowelege hangeth the trouthe and knowlege of all other thinges that be treated in any of the speculatiue sciences So truly god that is moste good moste wisest moste of power after that he had made man vnto his owne image lykenes richt and without any crokednes without any vice streicht wayes he put in hym his spirite and holy goste whiche shuld enflame and kyndle hym to goodnesse and vertue and dyd by and by graue in his mynde in the other parte of his reasone that serued to the orderynge of his lyfe certeyne generall knoweleges and generall reules vpon vertue and vpon all thinges that he shulde do whiche shulde be as you wolde saye certeyne principilles groundes and chiefe conclusions and that as it were certeyne moste sure and moste true reules to iudge by with richt and according to reason vpon all the maners and dedes that belonge to man And truely these generall rules of cōmune iustice or vertue we calle lawes of nature ¶ Nowe to shewe you what is the moralle lawe of god what so euer is commaunded of god in holy scripture and is shewed vnto vs inwardly in our hartes bi these fore sayde generall rules or that in a good and formal reason folowith of them or elles that agreeth with them thoughe it dothe not folowe of them all these the Diuines calle the lawes morall whiche lawe they defyne and determyne on this maner ¶ The morall lawe of god is the worde or mynde of god cōmaundynge those honeste thynges and forbyddynge those vnhoneste thynges whiche the naturall reasone of man lychtened with the lychte of the worde of god dothe accordynge to the rules and teachynge of commune iustice or vertue teache vs to do or to leaue and whyche the same naturalle reasone selfe so lightened dothe shewe vs that we be bounde to kepe them al thoughe they were neuer cōmanded by none other lawe ¶ These thinges well knowen and vnderstande it shal be easy and playne to knowe the difference betwene the lawes moralles and iudicials For the lawes morals were graffed and planted in man bi nature or at the least came of naturall reason and this natural reason euer and at all times before any lawe was wrytten or any citie made god hym selfe dyd plante in man but the Iudicial lawes were shewed to man afterwarde nor stonde not by nature but by ordinaunce and makynge Ageyne morall lawes serue to order according to the rule or prescript of general iustice all vertuous dedes by the which a

Therfore seyng that from this dede nother the ylnes of it can be taken awaye nor any goodnes put vnto it by any other maner of meanes but that the mynde and wyll of the lawemaker must be chaunged truely there can none dispense with suche lawe but he that shal be able to chāge also the wyl and minde of the lawemaker For the dyspensation causeth that he with whom we dispense is not bounde to that thinge to the whiche before it apered that he was bounde by the wordes of the law But no pope of Rome can change the wyl of god For he seinge he is Christis vicar oucht to folowe Christe to do as Christe did and not to contrarie him in any thing nor in any thynge to swarue from his doynge and Christe nother did nothing nor sayde nothinge but onely that he had taken of his father nor brake nothing of thē whiche his father commanded and wolde haue done And seinge that the pope hath taken of Christe shepe and lambes to fede with the lernynge of the churche or of the gospell and is onely made a minister and Almoysnar or dispenser by Christe of the sacramentes which be ordined of god and Christe Finally seynge our lorde did commaunde hym to teache all men to kepe all maner of thynges what so euer he hadde commaunded them god forbyd that the Pope of Rome shulde thynke it lefull for hym to chaunge the wyll of god and that he hadde power to couple those persones to gether by mariage whom the law of nature of Moses wherof god him selfe is the auctor hath forbiddē to be coupled to gether For if he shulde do it plainly he shulde not be that blessed and faythefull almosynar and dispenser of the worde of god gyuynge in tyme measure of corne by the whiche mens spirites shulde be refresshed and their soules shulde lyue but he shulde rather be a wretched vnhappy waster and a spender that shall be cast out in to extreme darkenes and shulde be the enuious felowe whiche sowed amonge the good corne that is to say ī the scripture of god plenty of Cockel or Darnel and suche other wedes whereby the soules shulde waxe lene and perisshe for euer For Christ him selfe saith HE that hath my COMmandemētes and kepeth them that is he that LOueth me and he that LOuith me not doth not kepe my commandementes ¶ Vpon the which sayenge Cyril writeth thus These thinges saith he hāge merucilously well to gether so that the tone must nedes folowe of the tother For if to kepe the cōmandmētes of god is to loue god it must nedes be that to breke the cōmandemētꝭ of god is to hate god and seing that no mā can loue god and breke the cōmandementes of god howe then by any maner of iuste and laufull cause maye the Pope gyue lycence that a man shulde discouer the foulenesse of his brother the whiche dede nature and the lawes of god do abhorre except he wyl runne into that moost rychtefull condemnation whiche Paule threteneth them whiche do euyl thynges that there may come some good of them ¶ Truely pope Zosimus saythe That the auctorite of this seate of Rome can change nothynge ageynste the decrees of the holy fathers ¶ Also pope Leo writeth to Anatholius and saith that the ordynaunce of the Nicean counsaile coulde in no case be dispensed withall at any tyme. ¶ And so Isodor in the boke of the councels citeth that pope Damase sayth Bicause that suche persones may and that not without reason sayth he be thought to blaspheme and speake vnreuerently ageinst the holy gost whiche constreined by no necessite but of their owne plesure and of a frowardenes do take vpon them any thinge that is ageynst the holy canons or els consent willyngly to other that wyl do any suche thynge Therfore the rule of the holy canons whiche be consecrate by the spirite of god and by the reuerence and allowyng of al the worlde we oucht faithfully to knowe and we must handle them diligentely lest that we do breake by any meanes whiche god forbyd the statutes and decrees of the holy fathers without ineuitable necessitie ¶ And the selfe same Pope Damas wold not take vpon him to determine the cause of Bonosius the bishoppe by cause that the Synod of Capua had committed it be fore to be examined of other iudges playnly shewynge that it was not his parte to medle with those matters in the whiche the Synode had medled before ¶ And finally pope Hilarius wolde haue his decrees confirmed by the counsell ¶ By all the whiche reasons it is euident and playne that euin in those lawes whiche be only the constitutions and ordinances of the holy fathers the Pope can not dispense without in euitable necessitie and suche necessite as can not be other wyse auoyded Nor truly it is not conuenient for a prince or a reuler to desire to abrogate and adnull without consideration cause that thinge that a nother prince or gouernour hath ordyned with great studye and peyne and for weighty causes howe moche lesse than oucht that to be suffred that other the pope him selfe doth ageynst the lawe of god or gyueth lycence to other men to do it Specially seynge it is not founde in no place of goddes lawe nor yet in the ordynances of the fathers that any suche power is graūted to the pope ¶ For by these wordes VVHAT so euer he shal lose vpon erthe shall be loosed in heuē And VVHAT so euer he shal binde in erthe shall be bounde in heuen he hath doubtles power giuen him not wherby he micht reuoke the lawe of god or breke and dispense with any parte of it but he hath power to bynde mennes synnes and that not generally and in all cases but fyrste it muste be supposed that he vseth his Keye with such discrecion and richt iudgement as he ouchte to do Therfore Christe before he spake these forsayde wordes sayde thus as folowethe I SHAL gyue the the keyes that is to saye I shall gyue the power to discerne and iudge leprye from no leprie and power to lette in and shutte out from the kyngedome of heuen all suche as thou haste so iudged by rychte And nowe what discrecion and rychte iudgemente shulde this be if the Pope wolde take vpon hym for to coupul to gether in mariage by his dispensacion those persones whome the lawe of god of nature doth forbyd to come together seynge GOD hath commaunded that his commaundementes shulden be kepte to the vttermoste poynte Truely though in the orderynge of those actes whyche of them selfe be indyfferent and nother good nor badde his Keye of power in a maner reuleth more thanne his Keye of lernynge and scyence yet for all that in the determinacion and orderynge of thoo thynges that perteyne to our beleue to honestie to vertue and to good maners it is contrary For in these thinges his power determineth nothing but that lerning hath determined

persones so coupled to gether maye forsake suche maryages And if they wyll not take the good lernynge and counsaile of theyr bisshop but wyl folowe their owne voluptuous plesure than at the last the bysshoppe ouchte to plucke forthe his spirituall sworde of excommunication and cursyng and to shake it vpon suche persones and to be take them to the diuol to the punisshement of their flesshe so that their spirite or soule be saued in the day of our lorde Iesus accordynge to the cōmaundment of Christe and the exemple of Paule For els howe shal these prelates do the dutie of bysshoppes and ouerseers as they oucht to do if that for the cruelte thretes of the popes they shall not dare calle backe theyr shepe in to the waye of truthe that be out of the wey and loste for whom they shal gyue a compte in the terrible and dredefull iudgement of god Or how shal they escape the greuos sharpe punysshementes of god with the whiche god thretneth them that wyll not shewe the wycked synner his fautes nor wyll not crye and gyue warnynge whan they se the swerde commynge that the synner may be conuerted frō the wronge wey to the richt wey and to the trouth I AM alyue saith our lorde bycause that my flocke is rauysshed and my shepe deuoured of al beastes of the felde bicause they had no herdeman nor ouerseer For trewely the sheperdes soucht not for their flocke that that was weake and feble they did not strēgth that was sycke they didde not heale that was broken they dyd not bynde to gether and that that was lost they did not seke for it BEHOLDE saith our lorde I shall aske a count of my shepeherdes for the death of my flocke and I wyll cause them to ceasse and to feade my flocke no lenger ¶ And nowe euin as bisshops for bicause of their office and duetie oucht not to here or obey the popes cōmandmentes in those thinges that we haue rehersed before euin so truely al other christian men be thei neuer so meane or of lowe degre as many as beinge toucht by the holy gost do ones playnely perceiue that they do kepe suche mariages as be incest they may yea and are bounde for the loue and religion that they owe to god not only to breke streicht wey suche mariages but also with a stable and stedfast stomac and suche as a christian man oucht to haue be bonde to with stande and resyste valiantly the Pope all thoughe he wolde threten them by a M. cursynges and excōmunications that they shulde do the contrary ¶ For there be two lawes saith pope Vrban one public an other priuate And the public lawe is that whiche hath ben confirmed by writynge of the holye fathers The priuate lawe is the lawe that is written in mennes hartes by the inspiration of the holye goste as thapostoll speaketh of certeyne VVHICHE haue the lawe of god written in theyr hartes ¶ And in an other place he sayth VVHAN the heathens which haue no lawe do NATurally that is to say by the inspiration of the holy goste onely without any lawe writen tho thynges that the lawe commandeth they be the lawe to them selfe Therfore if any of these saith Vrbane hath people in his gouernaunce vnder the bysshop in his churche and dothe lyue secularly and if that he inspired with the holy goste wyll saue him selfe in some monasteri or amōge regular chanons bicause this man is moued by the priuate lawe of his conscience that is by the motion of the holye goste there is no reason that he shuld be bonde to the public lawe For the priuate lawe is of more dignitie than the publike lawe FOR doubtlesse the spirite of god is the lawe and THEY that be ledde by the spirite of god be ledde by the lawe of god and VVHAT persone is it that can of richt withstande the spirite or holy goste Therfore who so euer is led with this spirite lette hym go his wayes free euen by our auctoritie yea although his bysshop say nay FOR there is no lawe nor bonde made for a richtwyse and a good man but where as is the spirite of god there is libertie and fredome and IF ye be led with the spirite of god ye be not vnder the law that is to saye if we folowe the motion of the holy spirite and of our conscience we be not vnder the commune lawe whiche euer ouchte to gyue place to the pryuate law For in tho thinges that be forbidden by the lawe of god we must obey our conscience and in other thinges the churche Nowe fyrst the churche can not binde any persone to synne by her commaundement Seconde it can not be auoyded but that suche persons whiche by the lawe of god nature be vnlaufull to marie and yet be coupled by mariage or at the leste that is presumed to be mariage do lyue in synne onely excepte that they be maried by ignorance and that by such ignorance as could not be auoyded Finally Paule saith HE that putteth difference betwene meate and meate if he eate then he is condemned by cause that that he dothe is not done with faith and good conscience For all that is not done with faith is synne ¶ Of these .iij. reasons it foloweth that al christian men if their priuate conscience lichtned with the holy gost and knowlege of holy scripture as it ought to be hath moued them vnto it they may without any ieopardie yea and are bonde to make a diuorse with her whom bothe nature and the lawe of god doth forbid them to haue to their wyfe and to delyuer them selfe from that vntrue and onely presumed and pretēsed mariage the cōmune lawe what so euer it be notwithstandyng and cōmandynge the contrary Lykewise as a secular preest moued by his owne conscience and not by any lichtenes or inconstancye maye laufully go to an other bysshoppryke ageynste his owne Bysshoppes wylle no maner of decree of the fathers to the contrarye withstandynge and as a regular professed or the bysshoppe of a churche thouch his prelate and the pope be ageinst it maye laufullye go to a streyter maner of lyuing the cōmun lawe notwithstanding and byddynge the contrarye For suche a one as Innocente sayde after that he hathe asked lycence of his prelate to go his waye vpon his priuate lawe whiche is to be preferred before the commun lawe he is absoyled and losed and may frely fulfyll his purpose of a more holier lyuing the sayenge nay and frowarde forbiddyng of his indiscrete prelate not withstandinge For who so euer abuseth the power that is giuē him deserueth to lese his priuilege And euen so it is in the maryage that if a mans conscience moue him to diuorse that he diuorse hym selfe thoughe the churche say cōtrary For truly al though the churche doth not declare suche maner of diuorsis yet the churche is bonde of deute to declare them to bid openly such diuorsis to be made And all though the Pope by his prepensed expresse acte doth not agre to this diuorse yet for all that by his secrete acte of duetie he vtterly agreeth vnto it ¶ AND HITHERTO we haue shewed well and sufficiētly by very many reasons as far as it perteyneth to this pourpose that the prohibition THAT we shulde not mary our brothers wyfe whiche is deade without issue is not suche a ꝓhibition as stondith by constitution of man but as nature fyrst did plant in mannes mynde and afterward chastite and reuerent sham facidnesse hathe kepte it before the lawe and our lorde shewed it vnto his chosen people by Moses and such as the custome of christian men with great consent and agrement of them that vseth it hath from the beginnynge of the christian fayth many yeres folowed and obserued whiche hath so often ben renewed by counsayles receiued and confyrmed by latter lawes And fynally we haue proued that the Popes auctoritie can not stretche so far that he may dyspense with suche maryages whether they be made all redye or be yet to be made The whiche thinges moste gentyll reder bycause we truste they will so satisfye and content the that we thiinke it but labour vtterly loste to seke for ayde any farther in this matter either of holy scripture or of the decrees of the churche or of the determinatiōs of the vniuersities that be in Italye Fraunce and Englande or of the suffragis and voycis of the greatteste lerned men that be as yet there be a great many behynde it semeth to vs beste here to conclude and make an ende of our worke and not to tary the any longer in rekenninge them vp And this one thinge moste indifferent reder we beseche the for the loue that thou haste to god to vertue goodnes that as thou seest the consente and agrement of so many vniuersities the fauour and studies of so great lerned men to bende and inforce them selfe so louingly and religiously onely to mainteine and defende the auctorytie of the lawe of god that thou agayne bothe with thy lerninge and auctoritie will farther and set forward theyr enterprises wylles and desires by all meanis that thou canste remembrynge howe fearfull and greuous that punisshement is whiche Christe threatenith them withall that vsurpe and wrongfully take vpō them the key of godly cnowlege lerninge nother they them selfe do entre in to it and yet do let stoppe out other whiche do all that they can to breke in to it ¶ Imprinted at London in the house of Thomas Berthelet printer to the kinges most noble grace the .7 day of Nouembre 1531 CVM PRIVILEGIO

man is made good And as for those iudicial lawes serued not but onely to the orderynge of the Iues amonge them selfe and in those thynges onely that belonged to particular Iustice. The lawes morall haue of them selfe a naturall and morall cause generally to all nations why they were made but there was no cause why the iudiciall lawes of god were made but only the state or condicion of the Iues. The lawes moral be perpetual and vnchaungeable by the consent of al nacions and so remayne and endure by cause they haue their strength and power by the teachynge of naturall reason so illightened although they were neuer commanded by none other lawe These iudiciall lawes be vsed and accustomed onely by ordynaunce ❧ The syxte Chaptre BVt of the licht and trouth of our two worthye groundes principilles that is the definicion of the lawe morall and the lawe iudicial of the whiche two we wyll make a sylogisme or perfecte reason we haue spoken sufficientely Therfore nowe we wyll go forthe with other thinges that pertein to our purpose and shal endeuour our selfe to shewe and declare that tho Leuiticall prohibitions whereby we are forbydden to marye our brothers wyfe and to shewe his filthines is a lawe moral comminge of nature And this thinge we shall brynge to passe perauenture if we make you a reason out of the definitions after this maner ¶ Euery sayenge of god that commaundethe honeste thynges and forbyddethe vnhoneste thynges whiche the naturall reason of man clered by the lychte of the worde of god commaundeth to be done or to be eschewed accordynge to the rule and teachynge of generall Iustyce or vertue and that hath auctoritie and strength euen by naturall reason onely all thoughe it hadde neuer ben ordyned by none other lawe is a lawe diuine morall and naturall But these Leuitical prohibitions be sayenges of god that do forbydde vnhonest thynges whiche the natural reason of man lychtened by the worde of god commandeth to be eschewed after the rule of generall iustice and vertue and haue their auctoritie and strengthe euen by naturall reason onely all thoughe they had neuer ben forbydden by none other lawe Therfore they be godly morall and naturalle lawes ¶ But if that any man here by chaunce wyll by his crafty witte reason and bolde stubbournely that some of those thynges whiche we haue taken to proue our cōclusyon with all be not trewe the texte and the order of the historie and of the place that we haue before rehersed out of the Leuiticall shall sone ouercome him ¶ For truely fyrst of all that those lawes be sayenges cōmaunded to the reasonable creature not by the wyl of man but by the auctoritie or teachynge of god hym selfe the maner the tyme and causes of theyr institution or fyrst ordynaunce do playnely declare yea and this thinge also that is so often rehersed there declareth sheweth the same that is I your lorde god So that we nede no more to doubte of the auctor or maker of these lawes ¶ Seconde the vniuersall catholyke and apostolyke churche hathe shewed that those lawes were taughte vs by the spirite of god and by god by cause that the churche hath putte the .v. bokes of Moses and amonge them the holle boke Leuiticall in the noumbre of these werkes whiche by vndoubted vsaunce and consent of longe tyme the churche hath approuedde and confyrmedde to haue ben wrytten by the spirite of god This same thinge truely the sacre holy coūsayles the honorable Seanis haue decreed the holy fathers priuatly euery man in his workes hath iudged the same thinge till this day hath ben beleued and receiued of all christian men And forsothe seynge that the catholic church hath approuid this thing as strongly as can be and hath publisshed and wytnessed the same openlye to all the worlde that those prohibitiōs the which we nowe speke of be expressely and plainly written in the boke Leuitical and that the boke Leuiticall which can not erre nor lye dothe playnely shewe and declare that these lawes were shewed and spoken by the spirite of god through the mouthe of Moses to the people of the Iues truely no man can say naye but that these Leuiticall lawes be oracles or sayenges that came oute of the mynde of god nor were not made by the ordinance of any man ¶ Thirde and that these Leuitical prohibitions be sayinges whiche do forbydde suche thinge that of it selfe is nought and agayne honestie and suche a thynge truly as the naturall reasone of man lychtened with the licht of the worde of god dothe shewe shulde be auoyded that is to saye the fylthy foule and shameful couplynge with our brothers wife the pith strēgth of this word MAN sheweth declareth by the whiche worde it is signified that they which so come to their broders wife be no lōger men but brute bestes in so moche that god calleth it fylthines a mischeuous and acursed dede abhomination and infamy and a thynge vnlaufull that any man shulde mary his brothers wyfe And this thynge is playne also by cause that god dothe threten to punysshe greuously and sharpely the breakers of these lawes that is to saye that they shall be blotted and cleane wyped out of the myddes of his people and that they shulde be spued out of their lande and they shall dye without chylderne and yet we wyll not speake one whit of the more greuouse and sorer punisshementes For marke wel god threteneth .iij. maner punysshementes to the breakers of these lawes fyrste temporall punisshmente that they shall be caste and banysshed out of their countrey Seconde that they shal be without children whiche punisshment cometh onely of god And thyrdly euerlastynge punysshement that is the banisshment of the soule out of the company of god for euermore For as this seyinge to be put oute of the myddes of his people meaneth not that we shulde be punysshed by any bodely deathe but that we shall not be reckened nor compted in the nombre of saintes or of chosen people And not onely they were thus punysshed but also their bastardes that came of suche forbydden mariages whiche in Hebrewe be called Manzer were forbidden the temple for the Iues call him Manzer whiche is begotten by any of these forsaid fylthy couplinges reken him as a bastarde and borne of an harlot All these trewely were thoughte vnworthye and vnmete to come in cōpany of the people whiche was gathered to kepe and celebrate the feastes and holy dayes or vnworthie to haue any thinge a do or any office in the churche of our lorde wherof this thynge semeth to haue come vp that nowe vnder the gospell bastardes can not be promoted to holy orders ¶ Therfore seynge that god him selfe here doth plainly pronounce and gyue sentence that the Chananes and the Egyptions did defile their lande and spotted it with filthines while that they didde contracte mariage with their brothers wiues and that he for that

for this thing to encreasse amonge vs loue and charite and ageine seing that he hym selfe dyd cōmaunde vs that our iustice and goodnesse shulde passe the Iustice of the Scribes and Phariseis And be suche iustice as a pure iust man ought to haue and our chastite lykewise Playnely if Christe wolde haue excepte vs from the bondes of these most holy lawes so that they shulde haue no power in these dayes vpon christian men where as we canne not denye but they haue had power strengthe amonge the Iewes in tyme passed forsothe besyde many other absurde and vnresonable thinges these .ij. chieffly shulde folowe The one that the olde law and Moses the auctour therof shulde be farre more perfecte than Christe his newe lawe The tother that Christe hym selfe shuld seme to haue giuen more large and fre libertie to fylthy luste and pleasure euen vnto vs whiche be christian men spirituall people and that lyue by the spirite of Christe and by the holy goste than he did giue before tyme to the carnal Iues. The whiche .ij. thynges it is euidēt playne that they be most absurde and as moche agaynst all reason as can be ¶ For Moses neuer ordined nothinge that doth leade a man immediatly streicht to any vertue or morall perfection but the same thing is also commanded orels confirmed in the lawe of the gospel by Christe him selfe other by expresse wordes orels so that it might be vnderstande And al that euer do expoune this place of Matthewe where he saith I am not come to breke the lawe but to fulfyl it do shewe this thynge as euidently as can be For al they with one voyce and with one spirite or mynde do agree to this thynge that as Christe did take awei none of those lawes that were but sygnes or tokens or shadowes of thinges to come but rather did fulfyl them and that by .iii. meanes Fyrst bicause he did finysshe and ende the fygures of the olde lawe Seconde bicause he did performe them in dede Thyrde bicause he declared what they meaned Euē likewise he did fulfyl al the morall preceptes bothe as touchinge the perfecte knowlege and vnderstondinge of vertue goodnes whiche he hadde and also taught it vs and ageine as touchinge the execution and doynge accordinge to the same knowlege and more ouer as touchinge the relyfe and remedy wherby he saued mankynde from euerlastynge damnation after the fall of Adam or els as Duns saythe in other wordes Christe did not take a wey the morall lawe of Moses but onely did declare it more playnly then the Iues did vnderstonde it and did make adde to more perfecte reamedies for our saluation then Moses ¶ For thus sayth saynte Augustine By cause sayth he the Iues vnderstode manslaughter to be nothinge but onely the sleinge of a mans body wherby he shuld lose his lyfe bycause they thought vnderstod that adultery or fornication was onely the vnlefull bodely copulation with a woman Christe opened taught that all and euery ill motion pourpose will or consent to do our brother harme is compted for a kynde of manslaughter and that euery vnlefull desyre to bodely pleasure is fornication adultery Ageyne THESE PROVD folke whiche iustify them selfe and in their owne conceit thinke them selfe good the lawe hath got them in her bondes and daunger by their gylte and faute of transgression or breakyng the lawe and so the lawe increasseth their syn in that it byddeth them to do that whiche they be not of power to fulfyll and therfore the iustice or goodnes that the law doth teche vs is fulfylled and perfourmed by the spirite of Christ. And bicause truly it is harde euen for them that be vnder the grace of god and be ruled by the grace of god to fulfyl and vtterly to kepe this that is writen in the lawe Thou shalte not desyre Christ became the sacre prest bi the sacrifice or offerynge vp his body dothe get vs perdon remission and forgyuenesse of our synnes and so he dothe fulfylle the lawe in this poynte for vs so that that thinge whiche we be not able to do our selfes bycause of our infirmite and weakenes is recouered made vp by the perfect goodnes of him whiche is our heed and al we christian folke membres to the same heed For the hole church of Christ or al christiā people make one body wherof Christ is heed ¶ To the whiche sentence agreethe also saint Ireneus Our lorde saith he did not fordo the natural preceptes of the lawe by the which a man is iustified made good the whiche lawe euen syns it was gyuen all they kepe that were iustified by theyr faith and pleased god Our lorde I saye dyd not adnull them but he dyd extende and enlarge them ye and fulfilled them or made them perfecte as is playne by his owne wordes which be these It was said to the Iues in the olde lawes thou shalte not commytte adulterye but I saye vnto you that who so euer dothe loke vpon an other mans wyfe with mynde and wyll to medle with her hath committed adultery nowe al redy euin in his harte All these wordes truly sayth Ireneus do not contrarye nor anull these thynges that were writen before in the olde law as they whiche folowe Marcion saye but fulfyll and make them perfecte as Christe hym selfe sayth Excepte your iustenes and goodnes passe the iustyce and vertue of the scribes and Phariseis you shal not haue the king dome of heuen And wherin sayth Ireneus shuld we passe and excelle the Scribes and the Phariseis Firste truely that we shulde beleue not onely in the father but also in his sonne whiche is nowe manifestly knowen amonge vs. Moreouer that we shulde not onely speake well and after the lernynge of Christe but also do accordyng to the same which the scribes and Phariseis dyd not whiche somtyme spake well and did not therafter Last of all that we must absteine not onely from yll dedes but also from the thoughtes wylles desires of all euyll And as for these thynges he taught not as contrary to the law but put them vnto it to fulfyll and make it vp and to roote in vs the iustifications and perfectnes of the lawe For where as Christe did cōmande vs to abstein not only from those thynges that were forbydden by the olde law but also from the noughty lustes desires and wyll of the same this thynge is not contrari to the lawe as we said before nor breketh not the lawe but fulfilleth and increasseth the lawe ¶ Therfore by cause all the naturall preceptes be commune to vs and to them and we be as well bounde vnto them as they were amonge them trewly they had their beginning first springynge vp in vs they toke their ful perfectnes For truly to submit our selfe vnto god to folow his worde and cōmandement and aboue all thynges to loue him and to absteyne from all euyll doinge