Catechism for Children, Sermons on the ten commandments · Sermon 6
¶The syxte sermon.
¶An exposition of the syxte commaundement
¶Thou shalte not committe adultery.
ii. Reg. xl.IN ye last sermon ye were taught, how we should behaue ourselfes towarde oure neyghboure that we kyll hym not, neyther in wil, word nor dede, neyther hurte hym in hys goodes or bodye. Now a man (yf he be a man in dede and no monster) next after his owne bodye doeth moost dearely louelove hys wyfe, wherefore nexte foloweth the syxte commaū dement. Thou shalt not committe adulterye, the whiche teacheth vsus, howe we shoulde order our selues towardes oure wyfes, that we shoulde louelove theym, not forsake theym or breake the promyse of wedlocke with theim, but louingly kepe theym companye. Also that we should not luste after an other mans wyfe, neyther wyth faire wordes or gyftes intyse her away from her husbande, but laboure with all diligence that wemen both maried and vnmaryed maye kepe their chastitie vndefyled. For God himself did institute and ordeine mariage, & did halow it with his awne blessyng. Wherfore we maye be sure, that this state of lyfe pleaseth god, and that it is his wyll, to hauehave it kept with out pollucion or dishonestie. For god after that he had made Adā, he sayde thus. It is not good, that Adam shoulde be alone, lette vsus make for him an helpe. And when Adam was a sleape, ye lorde toke one of his ribbes, and made a woman of the Rybbe, whiche he had taken from Adam. And he brought her to Adam, and Adam sayd. This is now bone of my bones & fleshe of my fleshe. For thys cause a mā shall leaue hys father and mother & shall be ioyned with his wife, & they shall be twayne in one fleshe. And the Lorde God blessed theym sayeng. Growe and increace, and replenishe the earth, & tyll it. By this you maye learne good children, that God hymselfe dyd institute mariage wyth hys owne worde. Wherefore there is no doubte, but that thys kinde of lyfe is holy, and doeth hyghlye please God. As thapostell Paule writeth to ye Hebrues. Wedlocke is honourable & the bed therin is vnspotted, but adulterers, and fornicatours god doth cōdemne. Furthermore god saith. Grow & increase. Here he declareth, yt the fruyt of wedlocke, that is to say, children, are ye gifte of God. For yf he had not commaunded thys thing by his worde, then maried folkes could hauehave had no childrē Wherefore ye shall by these wordes chefely learne, that there is a great difference betwene wedlocke and the vnlawfull cōpanye betwixt man and woman. For in mariage the acte of generatyon betwene the husbande and ye wife is no synne (for God hath ordayned it, & it pleaseth him) but fornication & adulterye be sin which God hath forbid, and thei highly displease him. To maried folkes he hathe sayed: Growe, increase and fill the earth, but to horemō gers & harlots he hath not sayed so, but hath cōdēned thē. Childrē begotten in mariage please God, but ye generatiō of bastardes dyspleaseth him, & lacketh his blessyng, wherfore it is muche for the profit of ye commen wealth, that wedlocke shoulde be kept purely and chastely, out of the whiche springeth the fruite of vertuous and honest children, which may proue honest men, and be mete to beare office in their cities and countreys. But where adulterye raigneth, wher yought doth both heare and see vnchastnes, there the infection of vncleanes spreadeth abrode, and doth poyson the multitude, and God at the length doth punyshe suche synnes with hunger, famyne, battayle, pestylence, & suche lyke, vntill he hathe vtterly destroyed ye whole realme or citie. Furthermore marke thys also diligently, yt the Lorde saieth. Growe, increace, replenyshe the earth & digge it. Manye absteyne from mariage, because they be to careful how they shal liue, yf they wer maried. Therfore oure Lorde God doth here plainly shewe, that he wyll minister plentyfullye to maried folkes, all thynges necessarie to the maintenaunce of their lyfe, yf they put their trust in him, and apply their labours diligently. For he saieth, dygge, plowe or tyll the earth, as who shoulde say, I hauehave made for youre sake all thynges that growe vponupon the earthe, I hauehave gyuen to you all kyndes of heastes, fishes, foules, that lyueth in the worlde, onelyonly laboure you that you maye purchase and possesse those my ryches truely and honestly. Nowe good childrē consider this, that it is not in youre awne lybertie, whether you wyll be maried or not. And thus I speake for thys purpose, that you should be the more dilygent to learne in tyme, some craft, way, or science, wherby you might kepe your house and get youre lyuing honestli, both for yourselfes, your wife & your childrē, for god wylleth all those to vse mariage, that can not lyue continētly. And Christ speaketh in the ghospell of saincte Mathewe of .iii. sortes of people that lyue withoute maryage.Math. xix. There are some chaste, which are so borne euen frome theyr mothers wōbe. Some ther be whiche are made chast by menne. Other there be to whome God by a syngular gift hath gyuen the gyft of chastite, which lyue vnmaried for this purpose and entent, that thei myght the better knowe and set furth the kingdome of God. And they that hauehave this excellent gift, let theim thanke God for it, for they maye lyue vnmaried. And Christ also doth praise this kynde of chastitie, sayinge. All men can not take this, he that can, let hym take it.Gene. i. To all other God hath commaunded to vse the helpe of mariage, sayinge. Growe and multiplye.i. Cor. vii. And saincte Paule saieth. He that can not lyue continētly, let him marie, for it is better to marie then to burne. Nowe forasmuche as mariage is a kind of lyfe so holy godly and honest, and yt also it perteineth so muche to ye profit of the commē wealth, that the promyse therein made shoulde be faythfullye obserued, for ye causes aboue rehersed, therfore God with this commaundemēt, as with a stronge bulwerke or fortresse hathe defended wedlocke, saying. Thou shalte be no wedlocke breaker. And to thentēt we mighte the better vnderstāde, what our Lorde God meante by this commaundemēt, Christ him selfe did expounde it, saying. Ye hauehave hearde howe it was sayd to them of tholde lawe. Thou shalt committe no adultery. But I say vntounto you. He that loketh vponupon a woman to lust after her, hath alredy committed adulterye in hys hart. For it is not ynough to absteyne from carnal copulation wt an other mans wyfe, but we must absteyne also frome all wanton communicacion, all vncleane affections and thoughtes. Wherfore this commaundemēt. Thou shalt committe none adulterie, is asmuche to say, as thou shalt not offende with thy neyghboures wife, neyther in acte, nor vncleane wourdes, nor in lokes, wynkes, beckes, or other vnhonest gestures and sygnes, neyther in affection & priuie motion of thy harte. But I cōmmaūd the (saieth God) that yu be shamefast, chast, pure & vndefiled, whether thou be a virgin, wydow or maried. For these thre states of lyfe be holy & pure. Herein also we be commaunded, that we giuegive none aide nor counsel, cause or occasion to other to cōmit adulterie, nor gyue houserome harbour or lodging to such offenders, but as we ought to kepe our awne soules cleane from all suche vyces, so it is our deutie also to monyshe and dissuad al other from suche shameful interprises, both with threates, punyshmentes and all meanes possyble to stoppe and let them from so great abomination.
And thinke not good children, that in this commaundemente, only wedlocke breakyng is forbyd, & that other whordome or lecherie is not forbyd, as some frantike mē do thinke, that single fornication betwene vnmaried parsons is not forbyd, because God in this cōmaūdement speaketh in expresse wordes onelyonly of adulterers or wedlocke breakers, But take hede good childrē, that ye erre not with these vngodlye wicked parsons, but know ye for a suertie, that fornication, whoredome, lecherie and all kynde of vncleanes, by what so euer name or title it be called, is synne, and highly displeaseth god. For Moses sayeth. There shalbe no whore among the daughters of Israel.Deut. xxiii Also he sayeth. There shall be no whormonger among the children of Israel. And sainct Paule saieth in expresse wordes.Ephes. v. Fornication and al vnclēnes let it not be ones named among you, as it becommeth sayntes. For this know for a suertie, that no whoremonger ether vncleane persone hath any inheritaunce in the kyngdome of Christ and God. Let no man deceaue you with vaine wordes, for suche thinges commeth the wrath of God vponupon disobedient childrē.
By these wordes you maye easely perceyue good children, how greuouslye God doeth punyshe whores and whormongers. Wherfore flye whoredome as the pestilence and the deuels poyson. For God dyd forbyd whoredome and all kynde of vncleanes, when he sayde. Thou shalt not committe adultery. And he that is a whore haunter he shall hardelye escape wedlocke breakynge. For he that in his hart excheweth adultery, shall also exchewe fornicatiō. Wherfore if you wyl kepe this commaundemēt trewly, you must order yourselues after this maner. Fyrst of all and chefelye you must beware, that you committe not lecheri in acte and dede, but you muste lyue chastely and continently, vntyll suche tyme as by the healpe of God, consente of youre parentes, and counsell of your frendes, you may be maried lawfully. And then see that you obserue truly the fayth and promise made in matrimony. Wowe not other mēnes wyfes, but kepe companye with youre owne with all dewe louelove and fauoure. For saynt Paule sayeth. The woman hathe not power or lybertie of her owne bodye, but her husbande, lykewyse the husbande hathe not power or lybertie of hys owne bodye, but the wyfe. And let not one maried person be absent from the other, wythoute an vrgente and weyghty cause, neither let the husbande suffer hys wife in peril and daungier to sytte alone wythout his company or comforte, nor the wyfe her husbande lykewyse. For this withdrawynge of the one frō the other, althoughe it be but for a tyme, yet yf it be donne agaynste the wil of ether partie, it is syn, although both of thē kepe their bodies vndefyled. Secondarely yf you wil kepe this cōmaundemēt, you must abstayne frō all fylthye wordes & vncleane cōmunicatiō, you muste not craftely go aboute with flatery and louynge wordes to deceyue the simplicitie of yong women, you must not with fayre promyses or gyftes entise them to foly, neyther with wanton songes or vnhonest dalyance kyndle the fire of lecherie, but asmoche as is possible, you shall auoid all wanton lokes and vnchaste gestures, to muche nysenes in trymmynge and deckynge youre bodyes, and apparellyng them to gorgiously, and all kyndes of craftye entycementes, whiche louers do vse to please ye eyes and myndes of their peramoures, whereby they maye allure them to louelove and lechery. Thyrdly you must eschew all vncleane myndes and thoughtes. For althoughe the worlde doethe neyther see nor punishe the synnes of our thoughtes, yet God which sercheth mens hertes and raynes, doeth both see, and punishe them. Therfore Christe sayth. He yt seeth a woman to lust after her, hath alredye committed adultery in hys harte. You must also diligently auoyde al occasions, by the whiche suche vnlawfull lustes are prouoked as surfetyng, dronkenes, idlenes, wanton daunsing & such like.
For Christe in this sermon of adultery sayeth. Yf thy ryght eye gyue the an occasion to synne, pul it out and cast it from the. For it is better, that one of thy members peryshe, then that thy whole bodye shoulde be cast into hell. Muche more then, yf surfetynge, banketyng or suche other lyke, do giuegive you occasion of synne, you ought diligently to eschew them, lest you fal into so perrellous a daungier. Fourthly you oughte not only to kepe youre owne bodyes and soules chast and pure frome all vncleanes, but also you muste take heede, that you gyue no occasyon, ayde or counsell to anye other, to committe adulterye, but asmuche as lyeth in you, you shall studye that honest and chast lyuyng may be obserued of all men. For these thynges both please God and be moche profitable to euerye cōmenwelthe. You shall therfore vnderhande this commaundemente after thys sorte, that you abstayne frome all adulterye and whoredome, both in hearte woorde, and dede, that you auoyde all euell occasion, bothe by youre selues and by other, that we all maye leade a godly chast and pure lyfe, that the bonde or knot of wedlocke maye not be broken or loosed. Wherby the commen wealthe maye hauehave plentye of good and vertuous children, whiche maye be able in tyme to come, eyther to be preachers and ministers of Goddes most holy worde, or to beare commen office in thadministration of the commen wealth, to the glorie of God and profit of their neighbour. Wherfore good children, when ye shalbe demaunded, how vndrestande you the syxth commaundement, ye shall answere. We ought aboue all thynges to louelove and dreade our Lorde God, and for his sake to lyue chastly in will, worde and dede, and euerye man is bownde to louelove and cheryshe his wife.