The Governance of Virtue, Part 2 · Section 20
Against Fornication and adultry.
IF at any time thou be tempted of the Deuill of the world, and the flesh, to defile thy selfe with fornication, adultery, whoredom, incest, or with any other vncleannes: call these sentences and examples of the holy Scripture to remembraunce, and valeantly resiste those most wicked temptacions.
Sentences out of the olde Testament.
Thou shalt not commit adultery. ThouExod. 10. shalt not lye with thy neighbours wife to defile her with sede.
Thou shalt not make thy doughter com mon, that thou wouldest cause her to bee an whore.
The man that breaketh wedlocke with an other mans wife, euen he that breaketh wedlock with his neighbors wife let him be slain, both ye aduoterer & ye aduoutres.
If a priests daughter fall to playe theLeuit. 21 whore, she defileth her father: therfor must she be burnt with fyre.
If a man be found lying with a woman that hath a w…dded husband, they shall die eyther of them, both the man that lay with the wife, and also the wife: & so shalt thou … away euell from Israell.
Cursed be he that lieth with his neighbouresDeut. …7 wise, and all the people shall saye. Amen.
There shalbe no whore of the daughtersDeut. 23 of Israel, nor no whoremonger of the sonnes of Israell.
An whore geueth swete wordes, forsakethPro. 2 the husbande of her youth, and forgetteth the couenaunt of her god. Her house is enclined vntounto death, and her pathes vntounto hel. All they that go into her, come not againe, nether take they hold of the way of lyfe.
The lips of an harlot, are a droppingPro. 5 honye combe, and her necke is softer then oyle: but in the ende she is as bitter as wormewood, and as sharpe as is a swerd. Her feete goe downe vntounto death, and her steps hast them into hell.
Wherefore deare childe geue eare vntounto me, and swarue not from my wordes. Fly frō her wayes, and come not once so niegh …s vntounto her dores.
Kepe thee from the euill woman andPro. 6 from the flattering tong of the harlot, that thou lust not after her beauty in thine hart and le…t thou be takē with her faire lokes.
An harlote will make a man to beg hys breade, but a maried woman wyll hunt… for the precious life.
May a man hide fire in his bosome, and his clothes not be burnt? Or can one go vponupon coales, and his feete not be hurt? Euen so, whosoeuer goeth into his neighbours wife, and toucheth her, cannot be vngilty.
He that is an whoremonger, is a foole and bringeth his life to destruction. He getteth himselfe also shame and dishonor, such as shall neuer be put out.
He that accompanieth himselfe with anPro. 9 whoore, shall go downe vntounto hell: but he that goeth away from her, shalbe saued.
He that medleth with an whore, is aProu. 18 foole and without wit.
He that maintaineth whores, shal comeProu. 29 vntounto beggary.
If mine hart hath lusted after my neighbours…b. 31. wife, or if I hauehave laid waight at his doore: Oh then let my wife grind vntounto another man, and let other men ly… with her. For this is a wickednes and sinne that is worthye to be punished, yea a fire that should vtterly consume and … out al my substaunce.
My sonne, kepe thee well from all whor…ob. 4 dom, and beside thy wyfe see that no …aut be found in thee.
Cast not thy mind vponupon harlots in any manner of thing, least thou destroye both thy self and thy heritage.
Go not about gasinge in eueryevery laneEccle. … of the City, neither wander thou abroade in the streates therof.
Turne away thy face from a beautifull woman, and looke not vponupon the fayrenes of other.
Sit not with another mans wife by any meanes, lye not wyth her vponupon the bedde, make no words with her at the wine, lest thy hart consent vntounto her, and thou wyth thy bloud fall into destruction.
A man that breaketh wedlocke, and reEccle. 23 gardeth not his soule, but sayth, tush, who seeth me? I am cōpassed about with darke nes, the walles couer me no body seeth me Whome nede I to feare? the highest wyll not remember my sinnes. He vnderstandeth not that his eyes, see all thynges, for all such feare of mē, driueth away the fear of God from him. For he feareth onelye the eyes of men, and considereth not that the eyes of the Lorde are clearer then the Sunne, beholdinge all the wayes of men, and the ground of the deepe, and loking euen to mens hartes in secrete places. &c. Reade forth the Chapiter to the ende.
Examples out of the olde Testament.
God drowned once all the whole worldGe. 7 (eight persons only excepted) for the sinne of vncleannes.
God poured downe from heauen waterGe. 19 fyre, and brymstone vponupon the Sodomites, Gomorrians and such other, and destroyed them al for their abhominable vncleanes.
When Sychem the sonne of Hemor hadGene. 34 violently defloured Dina the doughter of Iacob, her brothers hearing of the matter, slew not only Sichem and Hemor, but also al the men and men children that were in the city, and afterward spoiled the city. And when Iacob their father talked with them of the matter, they answered, should they deal with our sister, as wt an whore?
When it was told Iuda, that ThamarGen. 28 his doughter in law had played the whore and with playing the whore was become great with child. Iuda her father in lawe answered and said, bring her forth that she may be brent.
Ioseph feared god and woulde not consenteGene. 29 vntounto his Lordes wyfe in any pointe of vnclenes, but chosed rather to be cast into prison, then he would commit so great wickednes, and defile his Lordes wyfe. Therfore did God bless him, and brought him to hyghe degree.
There were slayne in one day of y• IewesNum. 25 24. thousand, for the whoredom that they committed.
For the defloring of a certayne LeuitesIudith. 2 wife, there were destroyed mo thē an hun dred thousand people.
Dauid committed adultery with Bethsabe2. Reg. … Urias wife, but he escaped not vnplaged
Salomon before he doted in louelove of womē 3. Reg. …was wholy geuen to the setting forth of Gods honor, but beyng once nous…ed with theyr louelove, he dyd not onelyonly neglecte the glory of the alone true and lyuynge God, but he also thoroughe the entisment of these women, fel vntounto the worshippyng of straunge godes and so he prouoked the highe displeasure of God agaynst him and his realme.
Susan feared God, and desired ratherDan. 1… to be stoned vntounto death then she should de file her husbandes bed or once consent to the two filthy Iudges, and so become an whore, god therfore preserued her.
Sentences out of the new Testament:
Ye hauehave heard that it was sayde to thē …ath. 5of olde tyme, thou shalt not commyte adultry. But I say vntounto you, that whosoeuer loketh on another mans wyfe to luste after her, hath committed adultry already with her in his harte.
It semeth good to the holy ghost, and to…ct. 15 vsus, to charge you that ye abstayne from whordome.
Kepe no company with whoremongers.Cor. 5
If any that is called a brother, that is to say, a christen man, be an whorehunter, with such one se that ye eate not.
Neither whoremongers nor adulterers,…. Cor, 6 nor weakelynges neyther abusers of them selues with mankinde, shall inherite the kingdom of god.
Knowe ye not that youre bodyes are the members of Christe, shall I now take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. Do ye not know that he whyche coupleth him? selfe with an harlot, is become one body. For two saith he shalbe one fleshe. But he that is ioyned to the Lorde is one▪ spirite whoredome. EueryEvery sinne that a man doth is without the body. But he that is a whoremonger sinneth against his own bo dy. Knowe ye not how that youre bodyes are the temple of the holy ghoste, whiche dwell in you whome ye hauehave of god, and how ye are not your own. For ye are dearly bought. Therfore glorify god in your bo dyes and in your spirits, which are gods.
To auoyd whoredome, let eueryevery man1. Cor. 7▪ hauehave his wife, and let eueryevery woman hauehave her husband.
It is better to marry then to burne.Gal. 5 Adultery, fornication, vnclennes, wanton nes. &c. are workes of the flesh and whosoeuer doth them, shall not inherite y• kingdome of god.
Let not whoredome or vnclennes beEphe. … once named amōg you. For this ye know that no whoremonger or vncleane person hath inheritance in the kingdome of christ and of god.
This is the wil of god that ye abstain1. Thes. … from whoredome. For god hath not called vsus vntounto vnclennes, but vntounto holynes.
Kepe thy self pure and honest.
Auoyd the lustes of youth, but follow righteousnes, faithe, louelove, and peace, wyth them that call on the Lorde with a pure hart.
Wedlock is honorable among all mē:…eb. 13 and the bed vndefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers god wil condemne.
Whoremongers shall hauehave their part…poc. 21. in the lake that burneth with fire and brim stone, which is the second death.
¶ Sentences out of the new Testament.
WHoredome was the occasion that Herodias…ath. 14. Herods whore sought so dilygently the death of godly Iohn Baptiste, which reproued them of their abhominable liuing.
Thorow whoredome and kepinge of…ke. 15 riotouse company the prodigall sonne was ted away his goodes, and fel vntounto such necessitie, beggerye and misery, that he was glad to kepe swine, and would faine hauehave filled his bellye with the coddes that the swine did eat, but he could not be suffered
Learne of this history what the ende of whoredome is.
Saint Paule did excommunicate thatCor. 5 man of Corinth, which vngodlye kept his fathers wife. and woulde not suffer that any of the faithful should kepe him company, nor yet eat or drink with him.
The ende of the whore of Babilon isApo. 18. described of Saint Iohn to be wonderfull wretched, miserable and dampnable.