Exposition Upon Matthew 27(1), Matthew 5 · Verse 19
It is ſayde / whoſoeuer put away hys wyfe / let hym gyue her a teſtymonyal of the deuorcement. But I ſaye vntounto you / who ſo euer putteth away his wyfe (except it be for fornycacyō) maketh her to breke wedlocke / and whoſo euer maryeth the deuorced / breketh wedlocke.
Moyſes Deut. 24.Ryght eye. permytted his Iſraelites in extreme neceſſyte, as whē they ſo hated theyr wyues that they abhorred the companye of thē then to put them awaye,Ryght hād to auoyde a worſe inconuenyence, wherof ye rede alſo Nath. xix. And he knytte therto that they myght not receyue them agayne after they hade ben knowen of any other perſones, which lycence the Iewes abuſed and put awaye theyr wyues for euerye lyght or fayned cauſe, and when ſo euer they luſteth. But Chryſte calleth backe agayne and enterpreteth the lawe after the fyrſt ordynaūce and cutteth of all cauſes of deuorcement, ſaue fornycacion of the wyues party, when ſhe breketh her matrymony. In whiche caſe Moyſes lawe pronounceth her dede, & ſo do the lawes of many othercontres, which lawes where they be vſed, there is the man free without all queſtyon. Nowe where they be let lyue / there the man (if he ſee ſygne of repentaunce and amendement) maye forgeue for once. If he may not fynde in hys hart (as Ioſeph as holye as he was coulde not fynde in hys harte to take Chryſtes mother to hym, when he ſpyed hyr with chyld) he is fre no dout to take another whyle ye lawe interpreteth her dede, for her ſyn ought of no ryght to bynde hym.
what ſhal the woman do, yf ſhe repent and be ſo tempted in her fleſhe that ſhe cā not leue chaſte? verely I can ſhewe you nothynge out of the ſcrypture. The offyce of the preacher is, to preache the, x. commaundementes whiche are the lawe natural,The offyce of a preacher. and to promyſe them whiche ſubmytte them ſelues to kepe them of louelove and feare of God, euerlaſtyng lyfe for their labour through faythe in Chryſte / and to threaten the dyſobedyent with euerlaſtynge payne in hell. And this ponyſhment is. yf any man hauehave offended throught fraltye, and when he is rebuked turne and repente, to receyue hym into grace and abſolue hym, and yf any wyll not amende when he is rebuked / to caſt him out among the infydeles. Thys I faye yf the temporall power ſhut her vp, as a conuicte perſon appoyntynge her a ſober lyuynge / to make ſatyſfaccyon to the congregacyon for her dampnable exſample, they dyd not a myſſe. It is better that one myſdoer ſuffer then a comen welthe to de corrupte.
where the officers be neglygent and the woman not able to put herſelfe to penaunce, if ſhe went where ſhe is not knowen and there mary God is the God of mercye. If any man in the ſame place where ſhe treſpaſeth, petyed her & maryed her. I coulde ſuffer it. were it not that the lyberty wolde be the next way to prouoke all othar that were once wery of theyr huſbandes / to commytte adulterye, for to be deuorſed from them / that they myght marye other whiche they loued better. Lette the temporall ſwerde take hede to their charge therfore. For thys is truth,Law / what foloweth the keping of the lawe all the temporall bleſſynges ſet in the lawe of Moyſes for kepyng theyr lawes / as welthe and proſperyte / longe lyfe / the vpper hande of theyr enemyes / plenteouſnes of frutes and chepe of all thynge / and to be without peſtylence / warre and famyſhment / and al maner other abhomynable dyſeaſes and plages / pertayne to vsus as wel as to thē / yf we kepe our temporall lawes.
And al ye curſſes and terryble plages which are threatened through out the lawe of Moſes,Law / what foloweth the breakyng of ye lawe. as honger / derth / warre and dyſſencyon / peſtylence / feuers and wōderfull and ſtraunge ferefull dyſeaſes / as the ſwete / pockes / and fallynge ſyckenes / ſhortynge of dayes / that the ſwerde / honger / and ſuche dyſeaſes / ſhal eate them vppe in theyr youthe / that theyr enemyes ſhuld hauehave the vpperhande / that the people of the lande ſhulde be mynyſhed and the townes decayed and the lande brought vntounto wyldernes, and that a plenteous lande ſhal, be made baren or ſo ordered that derthe ſhall deuoure the enhabyters / and welth be among fewe that ſhulde oppreſſe the reſte / with a thouſand ſuch lyke, ſo that nothyng they begyn ſhulde hauehave a proſperous ende / all thoſe curſſes (I ſaye) partayne to vsus aſwell as to them / yf we breake our temporall lawes.
Let Englande loke about them and marke what hathe chaunced them ſence they ſlue theyr ryght kynge whome God hath annoynted ouer them, Kynge Rycharde the ſeconde.
Theyr people / townes and vyllages armynyſhed by the thyrde part. And of theyr noble bloude remayneth not the thyrde nor I beleue the ſyxte / ye and yf I durſte be bolde, I wene I myght ſaflye ſwere that there remayneth not the ſyxteneth parte. There owne ſwerde hath eaten them vp. And thoughe paſtures be enlarged aboue all meſure, yet rotte of ſhepe, Moren of beaſtes with parkes and warrans, with reyſynge of fynes and rente, make all thynges twyſe ſo dere as they were. And our owne conmodytes are ſo abuſed that they be the deſtruccyon of theyr owne realme.
Tyrantes / why God gyueth vsus vp, and leuethe vsus in the handes of tyrantes & in al myſerye.And ryght, for yf we wyl not knowe god to kepe hys lawes, howe ſhuld God knowe vsus, to kepe vsus and to care for vsus and to fulfyl his promyſes of mercy vntounto vsus? ſayth not Paul. Ro. 1. of the hethen. Sicut non probauerunt habere deum in noticia, it a tradidit illos deus. As it ſemeth them not good, or as they had no luſt / or as they admytted it not, nor alowed for ryght in theyr hertes to knowe God as God, to gyue hym the honour of God / that is, to feare hym as God, and as auenger of all euel, and to ſeke hys wyll, euen ſo God gaue them vp to folowe theyr owne blyndenes, and toke hys ſpyryte and his grace from them / and wolde no lenger rule theyr wyttes. Euen ſo yf we caſte of vsus the yocke of our temporall lawes whiche are the lawes of God and dreuen out of the .10. commaundementes and lawe naturall / and out of louelove thy neyghboure as thy ſelfe. God ſhal caſt vsus of and lette vsus ſlyppe, to folowe our owne wytte. And then ſhall all go agaynſte vsus / what ſo euer we take in hande, in ſo moch that when we gather a perlyament to reforme or amende ought / that we there determe ſhalbe our owne ſnare / confuſion, and vtter deſtruccyon. ſo that all the enemyes we hauehave vnderunder heauen coulde not wyſhe vsus ſo greate myſchefe as our owne councell ſhall do vsus, God ſhall ſo blynde the wyſdome of the wyſe. If any man hauehave any godlye councell, it ſhall hauehave none audyence, Erroure / madnes and daunſynge ſhal hauehave the vpper hande.
And let the ſpyrytualty take hede and loke wel about them and ſee whether they walke as they hauehave promyſed god,An admonycyon. and in the ſteppes of his ſonne Chryſt and of his apoſtles whoſe offyces they bere, For I promyſe them / all the deuelles in hell / if God had let them all lowſe▪ coulde not hauehave gyuen them worſe counſell / then they hauehave gyuen them ſelues thys .xx. yere longe. God gaue vp his Iſraeltites oftentymes when they wolde not be ruled nor knowe thē ſelues and theyr dutye to God / and broughte them into captyuyte vnderunder theyr enemyes / to proue and fele (ſaythe the texte) whether were better ſeruyce, ether to ſerue God, and wyllynglye to obaye hys lawe coupled with ſo many folde bleſſynges / or to ſerue theyr enemyes / and to obaye theyr cruelnes and tyranny ſpyte of theyr hedes in nede and neceſſyte. And let the temporaltye remember, that becauſe thoſe nacyōs vnderunder which the Iſraelites were in capteuyte, dyd deale cruelly with them, not to ponyſhe them for theyr ydolatrye and ſyn whiche they had commytted agaynſt God / but to hauehave theyr landes and goodes and ſeruyce onelyonly, r… ioyſinge to make them worſe and more out o… theyr fathers fauoure, therfore when God had ſcorged his chyldren ynough / he dyd bete the other for theyr laboure.
But to our purpoſe / what yf the man ronne from hys wyfe and let her ſette. Verely the rulers ought to make a law / if any do ſo & come not agayne by a certayne daye / as within the ſpace of a yere or ſo that then he be banyſhed the contry / and yf he come agayne, to come on his hede, and let the wyfe be fre to mary where ſhe wyll. For what ryght is it that a lewde wretch ſhulde take his goodes and ronne from his wyfe without a cauſe and ſytte by an whore ye and come agayne after a yere or two (as I hauehave knowen it) and robbe his wyfe of that ſhe hath gotten in the meane tyme / and go agayne to hys whore? Paule ſayth to the Corinthyans. that if a man or woman be coupled with an infydell / and the infydel depart, the other is free to mary where they luſt. And .1. Timothe. 5. he ſaythe. yf there be any man that prouydeth not for his, and namely for them of his owne houſholde, the ſame denyeth the fayth and is worſe then an infydel. And euen ſo is thys man moche more to be interpretat for an infydel that cauſeles runneth from his wyfe. Let (I ſay) the gouerners take hede howe they let ſyn be vnponyſhed and howe they bringe the wrath of god vp on their realmes. For God wylbe aduenged on all iniquyte and ponyſhe it with plages frō heuen. In lyke maner if the woman depart can ſeles and wyl not be reconcyled, though ſhe cō mytte none adultery, the man ought of right to be fre to mary agayne. And in al other cauſes if they ſeperat them ſelues of impacience that the one can not ſufferthe others infirmite, they muſt remayne vnmaryed. If any parte burne / let the ſame ſuffer the payne or infirmytes of the other And the temporaltye ought to make lawes to brydle the vnruly party.