An exposycyon vpon the v.vi.vii. chapters of Mathewe which thre chapters are the keye and the dore of the scrypture, and the restoring agayne of Moses lawe corrupt by ye scrybes and pharyses. And the exposycyon is the restorynge agayne of Chrystes lawe corrupte by the Papystes. Item before the boke, thou hast a prologe very necessary, conteynynge the whole sum of the couenaunt made betwene God and vs, vpon whiche we be baptysed to kepe it. And after thou haste a table that ledeth the by the notes in the margentes, vnto al that is intreated of in the booke.

It is sayde / whosoeuer put away hys wyfe / let hym gyue her a testy∣monyal of the deuorcement. But I saye vnto you / who so euer putteth away his wyfe (except it be for for∣nycacyō) maketh her to breke wed∣locke / and whoso euer maryeth the deuorced / breketh wedlocke.

Moyses Deut. 24.* 1.1 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,* 1.2 to auoyde a worse in∣conuenyence, wherof ye rede also Nath. xix. And he knytte therto that they myght not re∣ceyue 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 bre∣keth 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 ques∣tyon. Nowe where they be let lyue / there the man (if he see sygne of repentaunce and amen∣dement) 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 y^e 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,* 1.3 and to promyse them whiche submytte them selues to kepe them of loue 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 haue offen¦ded 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 exsam∣ple, they dyd not a mysse. It is better that one mysdoer suffer then a comen welthe to de cor∣rupte.

where the officers be neglygent and the wo¦man 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 husban∣des / to commytte adulterye, for to be deuor∣sed 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,* 1.4 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 fru∣tes and chepe of all thynge / and to be without pestylence / warre and famyshment / and al ma∣ner other abhomynable dyseases and plages / pertayne to vs as wel as to thē / yf we kepe our temporall lawes.

And al y^e cursses and terryble plages which are threatened through out the lawe of Moses,* 1.5 as honger / derth / warre and dyssencyon / pesty∣lence / feuers and wōderfull and straunge fere∣full dyseases / as the swete / pockes / and fal∣lynge syckenes / shortynge of dayes / that the swerde / honger / and suche dyseases / shal eate them vppe in theyr youthe / that theyr enemyes shuld haue the vpperhande / that the people of the lande shulde be mynyshed and the townes decayed and the lande brought vnto wylder∣nes, 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 haue a prosperous ende / all those cursses (I saye) par∣tayne to vs 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 army∣nyshed 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 enlar∣ged aboue all mesure, yet rotte of shepe, Mo∣ren of beastes with parkes and warrans, with reysynge of fynes and rente, make all thynges twyse so dere as they were. And our owne con∣modytes are so abused that they be the destruc∣cyon of theyr owne realme.

* 1.6And ryght, for yf we wyl not knowe god to kepe hys lawes, howe shuld God knowe vs, to kepe vs and to care for vs and to fulfyl his pro¦myses of mercy vnto vs? sayth not Paul. Ro. 1. of the hethen. Sicut non probauerunt habere deum in noticia, it a tradidit illos deus. As it se∣meth 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 vs the yocke of our temporall lawes whiche are the lawes of God and dreuen out of the .10. com∣maundementes and lawe naturall / and out of loue thy neyghboure as thy selfe. God shal cast vs of and lette vs slyppe, to folowe our owne wytte. And then shall all go agaynste vs / 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 haue vnder heauen coulde not wyshe vs so greate myschefe as our owne councell shall do vs, God shall so blynde the wysdome of the wyse. If any man haue any godlye councell, it shall haue none audyence, Erroure / madnes and daunsynge shal haue the vpper hande.

And let the spyrytualty take hede and loke wel about them and see whether they walke as they haue promysed god,* 1.7 and in the steppes of his sonne Chryst and of his apostles whose of∣fyces they bere, For I promyse them / all the deuelles in hell / if God had let them all lowse▪ coulde not haue gyuen them worse counsell / then they haue 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 vnder theyr enemyes / to proue and fele (saythe the texte) whether were better seruyce, ether to serue God, and wyllyn¦glye 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 vnder which the Israelites were in cap∣teuyte, dyd deale cruelly with them, not to po∣nyshe them for theyr ydolatrye and syn whiche

they had commytted agaynst God / but to haue theyr landes and goodes and seruyce onely, 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 ru∣lers 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 haue 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 in∣fydell / 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 hous∣holde, 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 cau∣seles runneth from his wyfe. Let (I say) the go∣uerners take hede howe they let syn be vnpo∣nyshed 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.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ryght eye.
• * 1.2

  Ryght hād
• * 1.3

  The offyce of a prea∣cher.
• * 1.4

  Law / what foloweth the keping of the lawe
• * 1.5

  Law / what foloweth the brea∣kyng of y^e lawe.
• * 1.6

  Tyrantes / why God gyueth vs vp, and le∣uethe vs in the handes of tyrantes & in al my∣serye.
• * 1.7

  An admo∣nycyon.