Questions of Religion, Commonplaces · Commonplace 15 – Commonplace 16
The. xv. Common place. Of Matrimonie, Vowes, and Chastitie.
The. liiij. Question.
Whether mariage be lawfull, and free for all men?
The Answere.
OUr Lord Christ after he hadMariage is fr… for al … in the. 19. of Mathewe, taught that a man mighte not put away his wife for eueryevery cause and there vppon the disciples had said, If the matter bee so then is it better not to marie. He answereth: All men cannot receiue thys saying saue they too whome it is geuen: and then making mention of thrée sorts of chast, addeth: Hee that is able to receiue this, let hym receiue it. By which wordes in déed, he testifieth and manifestly teacheth, that the gifte to liue chast and without mariage is not common or giuen to all mē as that any who list might abstein from mariage & leade an acceptable life vntounto God. For eueryevery man ought first too examine him self, whether he hauehave this gifte geuen vntounto him of GOD or not. And then if hée perceiue him selfe too be chaste, that is to say vnfitte for mariage, either by byrthe, or bycause hée was so made by men, or bicause he hath receiued this gift of God to liue chastly, and knoweth that he is able so to doe, then may the same liue without mariage. And I therfore say, that he may if hée can, bycause S. Paule thus writeth. 1. Cor. 7. Neuerthelesse he that stā deth firme in hys harte, that hee hath no neede, but hathe povver ouer his ovvne vvill, and hathe so decreed in his heart, that he vvil keepe his virginitie, he doth vvell. But if any man feele not him self to be suche, to them hath Christ taught, that Matrimonie is the institution of God, that so they which are able thereunto, may liue therein. And in like sort doth Paule in the aleaged place, wryte, saying: Of Virgines or of Virginitie, I hauehave no commaundemente, but I giuegive you my counsell. &c. And againe, But for the auoiding of fornication, lette eueryevery manne hauehave his ovvne vvife, and eueryevery vvoman hir ovvne husbande. Againe: If they hauehave not the gifte of chastitie, lette them marrie: it is better to marrie than to burne. Wherefore wée say that Matrimonie is lefte frée to all menne of God, neyther ought any man to be forbidden the same, if they hauehave not the singulare gifte of God to liue chaste.
In the olde Testamente, no man of any degrée what so euer, no not the Priests which were figures of Christ, were forbidden to marrie.
And in the newe Testamente also, the ministers of the Churche are not forbidden to marrie, as may appeare in 1. Corinthians. 9. 1. Timothe. 3. and Titus. 1. And againe, in the primitiue Churche, there were neither Monkes nor Nunnes that vowed chastitie. And Paule sayeth plainely, if a virgin marrie, shée dothe not sinne. And in his Epistle to the Hebrewes, he speaketh more plaine in the thirtéenthe chapter, saying: Marriage is honorable amongst all menne, and the bedde vndefiled: and as for vvhooremongers and adulterers, God shall iudge them. Wherefore, if matrimonie be holy and honourable, bicause it was instituted of God in Paradise, and if it be a bedde vndefiled and without sinne, truely then, no man ought to be forbidden so good and holy a thing as marriage is. But whoredome, adultery, filthinesse, and wicked lustes, are forbidden, and those are iudged and condemned of God, and not mariage.
The. lv. Question.
Whether vowes are not to be kepte, sith the scripture saythe: If thou haste vowed, perfourme the same?
The Answere.
VOwes for the most partThe vowes which are made in our daies are onelyonly idle woordes without effect or workes. in the olde Testament, wer only external gifts and bodely Sacrifices: And who so euer therefore hadde vowed these things, was bound to performe ye same. But what doothe this appertaine to the Uowes of Priests, Monks & Nunnes, which they make in their Monasteries and Colleges? For these vowes of chastitie, pouertie, and of obedience, were neuer knowne in the scriptures or primitiue church. And therfore they are in déede but vaine woordes and no works amongste our vnspirituall spiritualtie, as the whole world knoweth, proueth, and is forced to confesse. For what chastitie, pouertie, or obedience is in these dayes in their religious houses and monasteries? Truely all filthinesse of lutt, whoredome, gluttonie, drunkennesse, and all impudencie, is bothe secrete and manifestly vsed and séene in them for the moste parte. Those which are poore and néedie in this worlde, leauing the same, and entring into these religious houses, are in them made so riche and mighty, that oftentimes they gouerne in the world, and féele no wante of any thing. Yea, whilest they obey their spirituall Lordes, they doe disobey the lawes of God, the Magistrates instituted of god, yea, & oftentimes theyr natural parents. And what may the Faithfull say of these? Or wherein may they praise them, hauing God and his woord to warrante the same? Why then doe they obiecte againste vsus, Uowes, and the obseruing thereof? Let them rather shewe vsus, that God hathe commaunded these, and that these, which they nowe a dayes do, are acceptable vntounto him. For which of the Prophetes or Apostles, at any time made any suche Uowe? And againe, if their Uowes be so good and holy, why then kéepe they them not thē selues, sith they so straightly vrge them on others? But let vsus sée what they do, or what they kéepe, or what they are able to kéepe. For if they vowe chastitie, there is none other chastitie but of the body and minde, who so therefore hath not this, may marrie, and the same is also called chastitie. Therefore, if they will obserue chastitie, they must either liue chastly in a single life, or else marrie, and so liue from whoredome, drunkennesse, & gluttonie. But if they hauehave vowed pouertie, and woulde kéepe the same, then let them leaue their monasteries and princely palaces, their fatte tithes and yerely rents, let them be called no more Lordes, and lette them not be called poore in name, but be so in déede. But if they Uowe obedience, and will perfourme the same, let them obey God, the lawfull magistrate, their parentes, and the holy lawes of God, then truely shall they not long abide in these places, and this kinde of life, in which notwithstanding they séeke nowe to abide, and that by force, neyther woulde they do that, which is so directly against theyr Uowes.
The sentence whereof they séeme toAl vowes are not acceptable to god neyther yet to be perfourmed. make mention in their Question, is wrytten in the fifth Chapter of Ecclesiastes, thus: If thou haste vovved any thing vntounto God, bee not slacke to perfourme the same. For a foolishe and an vnfaithfull promisse displeaseth him: euen bicause hee hathe no delite in the vnvvise. And it is muche better not to vovve, than after thy vovve not to perfourme. Therefore this place whiche oure aduersaries doe vse in this theyr question, doth rather make for vsus, than agaynste vsus. For Uowes whiche are grounded on Goddes woorde, and are in oure power to be done, vntounto the glorye of God, the profitte of others, and oure owne saluation, are not foolishe Uowes: But what so euer are not after this sorte, are foolishe, as those are whereof we hauehave spoken before, being grounded vppon mannes ordinaunce and tradition: and therfore not acceptable to God.
And not being acceptable vntounto him, he will not hauehave vsus to take them in hande. And therefore by this it foloweth, that in foolishe Uowes we doe offend, and therfore ought not to procéede in the same, least that we double oure offence. For who so sweareth vnaduisedly, offendeth, bicause he did it vnaduisedly, but if he perfourme the euill which he promised by his vnaduised othe, then is his offence thereby made the greater: like as Herode who not only rashely sware to Herodias, but also performed his othe by the killing of John.
One maketh a foolishe Uowe of chastitie, or pouertie, but within a whyle after perceyueth him selfe not able to kéepe them, yea that it is a cause of whooredome, lustes, and manye other sinnes: but he dothe well and godly, if he kéepe not that foolishe Uowe: that is, to saye, if he cut off those causes of sinne. And so the Fathers teache, saying: In euill promisses, breake thy promisse. And that vvhichwhich thou haste vnaduisedly vovved, doe it not. &c.
But that which we do vow with good aduise béeing iust and honest, accordingWe must kepe promis. to the lawe of God, that let vsus faythfully and constantly obserue, without all disceite. For the iuste God is a reuenger of all lying and wicked men, that kéepe no promise wyth God or man. And I speake thys from the bottome of my hart, least any man should mistake our doctrine, and say that we teache lybertie, and that men shoulde not kéepe their fayth and promyse. For wée doo euen from our hearts detest all filthy, and vngodly libertie.
The. lvj. Question.
Whether Chryst be not able to giuegive vntounto those the gyft of chastitie, whiche doo desyre and craue the same frō the bottome of their heart, & chiefly to those which labour and apply them selues earnestly to their studie, and moderate them selues in meates and drinke?
The Answere.
AS it oughte not to béeWhither god giueth chastitie to eueryevery man bicause he cā giuegive it. sought, so may wée not héere séeke what God may or can doo, but what he hathe commaunded, and what he wyll doo. And wée muste moste warely obserue thys precepte: Thou shalte not tempt the Lorde thy God. Wée all knowe, that all thinges are possible to God, and yet muste we knowe, that this rule is for euer obserued in Chrystes Churche, that it followeth not that he dothe all things that he can: but wée must diligently marke what he commaundeth and byddeth vsus to doo. And this rule, if wée apply it to this place, it will appeare that thys is the commaundement of God, that he which perceiueth him selfe to hauehave the gyfte of chastitie, should vse the same, so that he well perceyue that he hathe grace so to doo: and that he which hath not this gyfte, shoulde marry, and not put him selfe in danger, or tempt God. For Saincte Paule speaketh of thys matter, saying: That he would intangle no man. 1. Corinth. 7. And howe diligently they applye their Bookes in Monasteries, howe they labour, and what abstynence they vse in meates and drinkes, I leaue it to the iudgement of any wyse man to discusse. For it is euident, that they seldome apply their. Bookes, but gyue them selues altogither to idlenesse, dayntinesse, and satisfying of their paunche. In déede their talke hathe a goodly shewe, but yet wyse men can well ynoughe perceyue what they are, and therefore wyll not suffer them selues to bée seduced alwayes wyth thys spirituall babbling, when they so manyfestlye perceyue their wyckednesse. But if there bée any that wyll bée wylfull blynde, then let their owne confusion fall on their owne pate.
The. lvij. Question.
If any man be caste into pryson, and fed hardly, he doth not feele any great temptations: Therefore is it not possible he shoulde keepe his vowe which he hathe made to Chrysts church, which keepeth him selfe vnderunder by abstinence?
The Answere.
ALthough you hauehave madeAn exhortation agaynst persecution. no mentiō in these your questions of the imprisoning & torments, with which you hauehave so gréeuously tormented the honest and godly maryed men, either for mariage or for some other poynte of Religion, neuerthelesse those good men whiche lyue nowe in this age, may know, and those which shall lyue after vsus shall manyfestly sée, that you are tootoo cruell in persecuting and tormenting. I beséeche you consider with your selues, why and wherefore you doo it. If it so greatly delight you to chasten naughtie & wycked men with imprisonment and with harde fare, why then doo you not imprison whoremongers and adulterers, and not those which liue chaste in mariage? why do you not looke vponupon you selues? And why doo you not keepe vnderunder with abstinence those drunkards and horrible offendors? But those men you neuer punish, but you punish those whom God cōmaundeth to fauour: and whom God commaundeth you to punish, those you let goe. You are nothing seuere towardes vyce, and too cruell towardes goodnesse, which God hath forbidden to punish. I beseech you remember the auncient Histories of all ages, and you shall sée that God dyd neuer forsake his, for although he kepte them a long tyme vnderunder the crosse, yet at the laste he delyuered them at his pleasure, and they which dyd afflitte them for righteousnesse sake, he terribly rewarded them with moste sharpe and gréenous punishments. You would fayne be called spiritual, and then fauour and mercy would better become you, than thys rigor and crueltie. But if you do rather delight in crueltie, take héede least that corner stone, agaynst whome you thus stryke, bée found ouer harde vntounto you, and least it fal vponupon you, and grind you to péeces. Feare God, and take héede in tyme, for all thinges hauehave an ende. VVoe sayth the Lorde to those that spoyle, for they shall be spoyled. Oftentites in déede it commeth to passe, that in the tyme of miserie, men are least prouoked or moued wyth affections, and that by reason of the gréefe of sicknesse or other myseries, and yet hereby it followeth not, that they should kéepe them selues vnmaryed all their lyfe tyme. Saincte Paule who very well knew and had good experience of the grace and helpe of God, and the infirmitie of our flesh, dyd permit those that are maried to separate them selues for a time, but yet by the consent of both the parties, that therby being in some great distresse, they might the more feruently giuegive them selues to prayer: and yet he addeth héere vntounto, And come togyther agayne, least Sathan tempt you for your incontinencie. And why I pray you doo not these which would so fayne bée called Apostolike men, giuegive suche counsell to those which are troubled: and specially sithe wée hauehave so many wofull examples before our faces of those, which whylest they professe chastitie, fall into suche daunger, that they at the last lose soule, honors, body and goodes.
The. Lviij. Question.
Whether a Priest whiche marieth a wyfe (by name and as he supposeth) contrary to the vowe which he hathe made, do not greeuously sinne: and whether suche a mariage bee not double whordome, and inceste, and ought to be punished by the sworde, according to lawe?
The Answere.
I Beseche you speake more fauourably,The mariage of Priestes is lavvefull. for this kynde of speache is too filthy, declareth what you are, and encreseth most gréeuous iudgement agaynst you. For that mariage whiche is done in the feare of god, and for lawfull causes, is bothe iuste and lawefull, and béeing celebrated betwéene those whom no cause which God hath ordeyned dothe separate. And the lawefull causes are declared Gen. 2. 3. &. Cor. 7. But the vowes of the Spiritualtie are neuer once named amongest the impediments of mariage: wherefore they may marry, notwithstanding their vowes. And the mariage of those are true and holy, and suche a mans wyfe is not a wife onelyonly in name, or by supposition, but is so in déede, except the word of God deceiue vsus. But whereas the authors of these questions whosoeuer they were, dyd call the lawful mariage of such men whordome, or double adulterie, it is horrible sinne, and detestable impudencie, yea haynous blasphemie, and procéedeth from moste bytter malice. I pray you let them remember the words of Esay, saying: VVo be to those which call good euyll, and euyll good. And call you the mariage of such as in tymes paste had made vowes a doubled whoredome and incest, & iudg… yée the lasciuious, wicked, and adulterous life of these spirituall men which neuer a whit obserue their vowes, for a thing of nothing or a trifle? For what hauehave they suffered for any such matter? Or who hurteth thē for any such thing? But those which hauehave maried, yée séeke vtterly to destroy bothe with fire and swoorde, and yet in the meane time yée suffer horrible, and things woorthy to be punished, which for the reuerence of the godly eares I let slippe and wil not once name. But if yée be so bent to the earnest punishing of wickednesse and vngodlynèsse, why then doe yée not punishe those faults which God him selfe, and equitie, and iustice, commaundeth to be punished? For where there is no lawfull impediment founde, no manne ought to be punished for marriage.
But héere they Obiect the saying ofWhether … age vvhichwhich is cōtracted after… vovv be lavv… ▪ S. Paule in his. 1. Tim. 5. where he thus wryteth: But refuse the yonger vvidovves, for they after they beginne to vvaxe vvanton againste Christe, vvill marrie, receiuing dampnation bicause they hauehave broken the firste faithe. But the Apostle doth not say that they sinne bicause they marrie: but bicause (as he plainely saithe) they hauehave broken their firste faithe: that is, bicause they béeing yong, hauehave dedicated them selues to the seruice of the Churche, promising fréely to serue and attende on the necessitie of the poore, and nowe doe it not: and therfore hauehave they damnation, iudgement, and reproche, bicause they were vnconstante in that function which they tóoke vppon them, and not bicause they married.
And yet the order of the yonger widowes in the primatiue Churche is not to be compared with the order of youre Priestes, Munkes, and Nunnes, bicause they hadde their institution from God, but the order of youre Priestes, Munkes, and Nunnes, was neuer instituted by God. Laste of all the Apostle dothe open his owne meaning, saying: Therefore I vvill that the yonger vvidovves marrie to bring forthe children. &c. And that Paule speaketh in this place of them which hauehave dedicated them selues to the ministerie of the Church, the whole circumstances of the woordes doe declare.
When in time paste it was askedCyprians iudgement. of Saincte Cyprian the Martire, what shoulde be done with those Uirgines, which hadde vowed to kéepe their virginitie, but by reason of the continuall resorte of menne, they liued in an euill name: a Synode of godly learned Bishoppes being called together, he aunsweared: If by Faithe they did vowe them selues to Christ, they would continue chaste and vnspotted withoute any deceite. But if they will not, neyther yet canne so continue, it is better they marrie than burne in their vnsatiable lustes. Cyp. lib. 1. Epist. 11. And S. Augustine in his booke de bono viduitatis in his ninthe chap. vponupon the words of S. Paule in his firste Epistle to Timothe, and the fifth chapter, hath interpreted the same place euen as wée hauehave done: and also he addeth more, saying: that those men doe not rightly weighe this matter, which denie suche marriages to be true wedlocke.
Furthermore, these woords of S. Augustine, are recited in the Decrees distinct. 27. beginning at this woord Quidam, thus: Some say, that those which marrie after they hauehave made a Uowe of chastitie are adulterers: but I say to you that they doe gréeuously offende which doe put suche a sunder. But we néed not the testimonies of men bicause there are sufficiente testimonies in the woorde of God which plainely biddeth them to marrie, yée though héeretofore they had made any Uowe to the contrarie.
Wherefore to conclude, I leaue thisAgainst those vvhichwhich sclander and forbid mariage. place to the iudgemente of the wise, to discusse with them selues, whether not onelyonly those which doe forbid marriage, but also those which separate those that are married, and raile at it, calling the same a double whoredome, were not long before thys time described and condemned by S. Paule, when he exhorteth the godly to beware of them, saying: Novve the spirite speaketh euidently, that in the latter times some shal departe from the faithe, and shall geeue heede to spirits of errour, and doctrines of Deuils vvhichwhich speake lies throughe hipocrisie, and hauehave their consciences burned vvith an hotte iron, forbidding to marrie, and commaunding to abstain from meates. &c. 1▪ Tim▪ 4.
The. xvj. Common place. Of extreme vnction called enoyling.
The. lix. Question.
Whether they vse enoyling?
The Answere.
MArke, in the sixth chapterWhat the holy Scripture teacheth of enoyling. of his Gospell, and S. James in his fifthe chapter, make mention of annoynting. But yt kinde of annoynting doth very much differ from that which in our age is vsed in the Romish church to the sicke, of whose life we stande in doubte.
For in the primitiue Churche, theActes. 8. 10. 19. Apostles and their successoures did annoynte the sicke with Oyle, and by that meanes they were restored to healthe. And it was a certaine peculiare gifte of God, and done as it were miraculously: for euen as in the primatiue church, was the peculiare gifte of healing, so also was there the gifte of tonges. For the Apostles laide their handes on the sicke, and they receiued health, & spake with diuers tonges. But as the gifte of tonges is …eaffed in the Churche, so also is that of healing by the annoynting with Oyle: and therefore the ceremonie of imposition of handes, and anointing with Oyle, ceaseth. All men know that in the primitiue Churche there were diuers things necessarily required, as the gift of healing, and of tongs, with other miracles, which wer signes for the vnbeléeuers, and were done to confirme the religion: but nowe, when by the preaching of the Gospell, faithe, and the religion is published and confirmed, the others hauehave ceased, and are quite out of vse.
And therefore the annoynting vsed in the Churche of Rome, is not by this confirmed that S. James and Marke doe speake of annoynting, for their annoynting did muche differre from this, and was neuer instituted by Christe or hys Apostles, but deuised by men, and that a long time after.
The Apostles vsed to annoynt with Oyle, to the ende they mighte restore suche to health: but the Papistes neuer annoynte any, vntill they be paste hope of all recouerie, neyther vse they this theyr enoyling for the healthe of his bodye, but for the remission of sinnes. Yea, and in this their enoyling they pray vntounto diuers Sainctes, which liued long since the Apostles time, and diuers suche other Ceremonyes they vse which were neuer knowne to the Apostles, and therefore sufficientlye proue that this their enoyling was neuer ordained by the Apostles.
And what shall I say of that, which they vse to speake in this their enoyling, when they say: In the name of the father, the sonne, and the holy ghoste, I annoynt thee vvith this holy oyle, that thereby thou maiste receiue remission of al thy sinnes? What ground or forme of institution of this hauehave yée in all the holy scriptures of Christe, and his Apostels? The Apostles taught that ful remission of sinnes was to be soughte in the bloude of Christe, and not in Oyle. And therefore euen by this one pointe it may euidently appeare to the faythfull, that for good consideration we vse not this Ceremonie.
Furthermore, when wée beléeue that one baptisme which we hauehave once receiued, wherein we were once Baptized with water, in the name of the Father, the Sonne, and of the holye Ghoste, is effectuall by the operation of the holy Ghoste, euen all oure life long vntounto death, we thinke it not néedefull to be againe at the pointe of deathe rebaptized of a Baptisme deuised by man: for they call this their annointing the laste Baptisme. But we according to Christianitie visite the sicke, instruct them, admonish them, exhort them, cō fort them, strengthen them, and pray with them, and charitably looks vntounto them. &c.