The catechisme that is to say, ane co[m]mon and catholik instructioun of the christin people in materis of our catholik faith and religioun, quhilk na gud christin man or woman suld misknaw: set furth be ye maist reuerend father in God Iohne aschbischop of sanct Androus legatuit and primat of ye kirk of Scotland, in his prouincial counsale haldin at Edinburgh the xxvi. day of Ianuarie, the yeir of our Lord 1551. with the aduise and counsale of the bischoippis and uthir prelatis with doctours of theologie and canon law of the said realme of Scotland present for the tyme.

The xxiiii. Cheptour.

NOn domum, non agrum, non seruum,* 1.1 non an∣cillā, non bouem, non asinū, nec vniuersa que illius sunt. Thow sall nocht cowet thi nycht∣bouris house, nor his croft or his land, nor his ser∣uand, nor his hyir womā, nor his Ox, nor his Asse, nor ony vther thing, quhilk pertenis to him. How kepis thir twa last cōmandis ordour with the laif? Men mycht trow that thai had kepit the laif of the commandis, quhen thai had nocht oppinly brokin thame in deid, as the Iewis traistit that thai fulfil∣lit yai twa commandis quhilk forbad adultery and thift, gif yai had nocht committit siclik in deid. God thairfor be his seruand Moyses, to put away yat errour fra the Iewis and al vther men and wemen, he schawis thame be thir twa last commandis, yat thai synnit than to, quhen thai desyrit thair nycht∣bouris wyfe, or watchit and waitit be wylis for yair geir. Amang the Iewis maisteris had power apō thair bond seruandis bodeis, as apon thair bestis, quhairfor the bond men and wemen was comptit a∣mang thame part of thair possessioun or temporal geir. Attour, amang the Iewis it was tholit for the hardnes of thair hart, that a man mycht put a∣way his wyfe for ony deformitie. Sa, and a man

mycht haif lauchfully luffit his nychtbouris wyfe,* 1.2 he mycht a fischit ane cause to ••is wife, to put hir away & tak ane vther, or sche also quhen sche desyrit ane vther, wald mak faltis to hir husband, to get hir leif. Sa mycht thai fynd mony suttill inuentionis to get vther mennis wyffis, housis, landis, geir, seruandis & bestis, quhairfor to schaw thame, that to desyre siclyke was nocht lef••ll, suppose thai had nocht got••in thair purpose in deid, thir twa commandis was giffin. Ar thir twa last commandis exponit in the haly scripture? Ʒe, our saluiour exponis the nynt command,* 1.3 sayand thus: Ego autem dico vobis, quia omnis qui viderit mulierem ad cōcupi∣scendū eā, iam mechatus est eam in corde suo. Bot I say to ʒow, quhasaeuir beholdis ane vther mannis wyfe, {fleur-de-lys} 1.4 to desyre hir, he hais cōmittit adultery with hir ellis in his hart. And as sanct Peter the Apostil sais: Oculos habentes plenos adulterii. Thai haif thair eyne full of adultery. Quhair is the tent exponit? In the Euangil of sanct Mathew, quhair our saluiour sais thus: Nō potestis deo seruire et māmone.* 1.5 Ʒe may nocht serue God & Mammon. Ideo dico vobis, ne soli∣citi sitis anime vestre quid māducetis, ne{que} corpori vestro quid induamini. Thairfor be nocht careful quhat ʒe sal eit or drink.* 1.6 And agane he sais: Soli¦citudo seculi istius, & fallacia diuittarū ^suffocat ver∣bum, et sine fructu efficitur. The carefulnes of yis warld and the desaitfulnes of riches, smoris the word that it beris na frute.

Quhat is the rycht keping of thir twa com∣mādis? To haif ane cleir ee,* 1.7 and ane clein hart A cleir ee, is the rycht iugement of reasone, and intentioun of our mynd, quhilk suld dereck, or∣dour & gyde all our deidis to be doine to the ple∣sour of God and profit of our nychbour, accor∣ding as the Apostil techis sayand:* 1.8 Siue ergo mā∣ducatis, siue bibitis, vel aliud quid facitis, omnia in gloriam dei facite. Quhiddir ʒe eit or drink, or do ony vther thing, do all to the honour and glore of God. And agane: Omne quodcun{que} facitis in verbo aut in o{per}e, oīa in noīe dn̄i nostri Iesu Christi facite. All thingis quhatsaeuir ʒe doin word or deid, do all in y^e name of our Lord Iesu Christ, yat is, quhen ʒe speik ony gud word, or dois ony gud deidis, lat ʒour intentioun be, to do yame, nocht to ʒour awin glore and singular profite, bot principally to y^e glore of God.* 1.9 Our saluiour declaris this in the Euangil, in the deidis of al∣mous, praying and fasting. Of this ee of our intentioun, our saluiour sais thus: Lucerna corporis tui, est oculus tuus. Si oculus tuus fuerit simplex, totum corpus tuum lucidum erit. Si au¦tem oculus tuus fuerit nequā, totum corpus tuum tenebrosum erit. Si ergo lumen quod in te est te∣nebre sunt, ipse tenebre quante erunt? Thi ee is the lycht of thi body. Gyf thi ee than be simpill and clein all thi bodie sall be full of lycht, bot and gyf thine ee be wykit, all thi body sall be full of myrknes. That is to say, gif thi

intentioun be rycht, thi deidis, quhilk ar nocht eu••l and repugnand to the law of God, ar rycht plesand to God, bot & gif thi intētioun be wrang, thi deidis ar maid displesand to God. A cleir ee to thi nycht∣bour,* 1.10 is to haif this intentioun, to do to him as yow wald that he of resone suld do to the, and to do na thing to him, quhilk thow wald nocht yat he of re∣sone suld do to the. Schortly, in al thi deidis intēd thi nychtbouris weil and profite, as thi awin.

* 1.11A clein hart is yat quhilk hais na inordinat de∣syre of warldly geir, bodelie lust & warldly honour. A clein hart is that quhilk is content to serue God▪ nocht principally for ony warldly plesour or profite, bot rather for his awin lufe & gudnes. A clein hart is that quhilk is hail giffin to the lufe of God and our nychtbour. A clein hart is yat quhilk luffis his nychtbour lykwais nocht for his geir, or vther car∣nal affectionis, bot maist of all for the lufe of God.

* 1.12And contrarie, that man hais ane foule hart, quhilk luffis him self allanerly, sa and he be weil he curis nocht quhat becum of his nychtbour, quhilk singular and priuat lufe, is the rute of all euil. Schortly, the rycht keping of thir twa commandis is to be blyth of thi nychbouris honour and profite, desyre the samyn, and help him thairto.

* 1.13Quha brekis thir twa commandis? Fyrst, quha yat with a deliuerit mynd and full consent, desyris to haif thair nychtbouris wyfe, to commit adultery with hir. Lykwais, quha yat with ful consent wald fulfill thair carnal lust with ony woman quhilk is nocht his mareit wyfe. Quha lykwais wald haif

his nychtbour partit fra his lauchfull wyfe, that he mycht haif hir, or ony vther vngodly cause. Quha inuies his nychtbour, yat he hais ane honest womā to his wyfe. Quha cowattis inordinatly thair nychtbouris geir, desyr and with full consent, to get geir fra him vniustly, or by vnlauchfull con∣trackis, be suttiltie, falsat and desait. Quha wald haif ony mānis seruand fra his maister vniustly, & by his maisteris wil. Quha inuies yair nychbours, beand blyth of his hurt and aduersitie, and sorie of his weil and prosperitie. Schortly al lycherous, in∣uious, & cowatous men, brekis thir twa cōmandis.

How may a christin man fulfill thir twa last cō∣mandis?* 1.14 Trewly it is exced and difficill to refrain our hart fra vnlauchfull desyre of wemen, warldly geir and honour, because that in our corruppit na∣ture is rutit concupiscence, lust and desyre of thing{is} forbiddin be the law of God. And suppose the same concupiscence remaine in vs, quhilk ar baptisit in Christ Iesu, or that ar reconcilit to God efter ou•• actual syn be trew penance. Ʒit it is in vs na syn, quhil we consent with a deliuerit mynd to fulfill in deid the same cōcupiscence, or ellis to haif lang de∣lectatioun in the same concupiscence without deid. According as the wismā sais:* 1.15 Post concupiscencias tuas nō eas, et a voluntate tua auertere. Thow sal nocht gang efter thi concupiscence, that is to say, thow sal nocht consent to fulfil the vnrasonabil lust and desyre of thi flesch.* 1.16 To this agreis S. Iames sayand: Vnusquis{que} vero tēptatur a concupiscentia su••, abstractus et illectus, deinde concupiscentia cū

cōceperit, parit peccatū, peccatū vero cum consum¦matum fuerit generat mortē. Ilk man is tēpit of his awin concupiscence, drawin away and en∣tyscit. Syne the concupiscence consaillis and bringis furth syn, quhen syn is completit it ge∣neris dead. Vnderstand heir, that the concupi∣scence cōsaillis be suggestioun & delectatioun, & bringis furth syn be consent. Se that suppose we feil suggestioun to syn, other be euil thochtis remembrance, sycht, heiring, smelling, sauering, tasting & tweching, or be ony euil counsel giffin to vs, be our enemie or ony other. Secundly, suppose we begin to haif sum plesour & delecta∣tioun in the same euil, ʒit gif we incontinent re∣f••ane out will fra consent to do the same euil, nocht only we cōmit na deadly syn, bot we pleis God in resistence of y^e same. That this doctrine is trew,* 1.17 sanct Paule teichis plainly: Nihil ergo nunc dānationis est his qui sunt in Christo Iesu, qu•• nō secundū carnē ambulāt. Thair is now (sais he) na damnatioun vnto thame that ar in Christ Iesu, quhilk gangis nocht efter the flesch, bot efter the spirit.* 1.18 Agane: Non ergo regnet peccatū in vestro mortali corpore, vt obediatis concupiscen eiis eius. Lat nocht syn regne in ʒour mortal bo∣deis, that ʒe suld obey the lust of it. Declara∣tioun of this matter we haif in the historie of A∣damis fall and first syn.* 1.19 The serpent come and maid suggestioun and gaif counsel to breik the command of God. Eue the woman, begane to haif delectatioun in the sycht of the frute for∣biddin.

Adame willing to content the mynd of the woman, consentit, and eit it, and sa braik the com∣mand of God, to the gret dammage & skaith of him self and all his posteritie. The same proces is daily found in cōmitting of our synnis. The serpent sig∣nifyis the deuil quhilk tempis and prouokis vs to breik the cōmand of God, prouok and other a thing or vthir forbiddin be God. Eue betakins y^e flesche, quhilk begynnis to haif plesour and delectatioun in the thingis sa proponit. Adame signifyis the fre will of man, quhilk quhen it cōsentis and deliueris to do the deid, syn is completit and fulfillit. Thus we conclude, that sa lang as we abstane fra the cō∣senting to the suggestioun and tystyng of our cōcu∣piscence, we syn nocht.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Exo. xx. Deut. v.
• * 1.2

  Deut. 24
• * 1.3

  Math. 5.
• {fleur-de-lys} 1.4

  or ony other wo∣mā by his awin wife 2 Perer. 2
• * 1.5

  Math. 6.
• * 1.6

  Math. xiii
• * 1.7

  The rycht keping of thir com∣mandis.
• * 1.8

  1. Cor. 10. The cleir ee of our intētioun to God. Colos. iii.
• * 1.9

  Matg. ••.
• * 1.10

  The cleir ee of our intētioun till our nychbour
• * 1.11

  The de¦scriptioun of ane clein hart
• * 1.12

  Descrip∣tioun of ane foule hart.
• * 1.13

  Quha bre¦kis this tvva com∣mandis.
• * 1.14

  Hovv may a christin man fulfill thir tvva last com∣mandis.
• * 1.15

  Eccle. 18.
• * 1.16

  Iaco. i.
• * 1.17

  Roma. 8.
• * 1.18

  Roma. 6.
• * 1.19

  Gene. iii.