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WHā our Lord Iesus Christ in the r•…•…r. of Mathewe, was spoken to in •…•…ertayne poyntes concernynge wedlocke, he hadde a respecte behynde hym in to the olde Testament, & gaue answere
oute of Moses, that he sayd, howe that wedlocke at the beginynge was ordyned of God himselfe. For as muche therfore as I nowe also am myn ded to speake of the begynnynge and fyrst origi∣nall of holy wedlocke, I •…•…owe no better, thā in lyke manner to stablysh the same out of ye ryght excellēt Prophet of God Moses, who writeth & testifieth in the secōd Chapter of his fyrst boke, yt God made the mā Adā altogyther perfect, set h•…•… in the Paradise or garden of pleasure, and after ward sayd immediately: It is not good that mā should be alone. I wyll make hym a fellowe hel∣per to stand nexte by hym. For whan the Lorde * 1.1 had shapen man oute of the earth, he brought vn to hym all maner of beastes, that he myght giue euery one his right name, howe it should be cal∣led, & that he might looke vpon thē. But among thē al found he none apte to be ioyned vnto him selfe, none that he could set his harte vpon, none lyke hym selfe, none that he myghte dwell by as by an helper and conforter. And vpon this sayd God: It is not good, that man should be alone. And therfore determined he withe hym selfe, to make an helpe and conforte vnto man. In the whiche processe we perceaue alreadye, where ho∣ly * 1.2 wedlocke was instituted, namely in the Pa∣radise and garden of pleasure: yea and whan it was ordined, euen in the begynnyng of ye world
before the fall of mā in all prosperite. Of whom also it was instituted euen of no Aungel or mā but of God hymselfe, doubtles to mannes great conforte and healpe. For in as much as god him selfe sayth: It is not good for man to be alone: It followeth, that it is good for man to haue his owne lawfull mate. As for that cu•…•…l which some tyme is sene and sound among maried parsons, it commeth not chefely of holy wedlocke, but of the misusyng therof, and because men do not as God commaundeth and as they shulde do.
Nowe wyll we farther consyther, howe God dyd institute holy wedlocke, & he hymselfe made a companion for man, and brought him a wife. It followe the thus in Moses: Then the Lorde God cast a slomber on Adā, and he slepte. And * 1.3 he toke out one of his rybbes, and in stede therof hefylle•…•… vp the place wyth flesh: And thus oydde God make the woman, out of the rybbe that he had taken from Adam. Of this maner dyd god make for man a companion, lyke vnto hymselfe, and mete for hym. Here nowe ought we to consi der the occasion, why GOD made the woman out of the slepynge man, and not whyle he was awake. Of the rybbe, & not as well of the earthe, as he had made the man to fore. For all this ser ueth to the declaracion of our purpose.
Fyrst in the slepe of Adam, dyd he set forthe y•
death of Christ, out of the which (vnto the same Lorde Christ) there is prepared a pure and holy spouse in the Fountayne of water thorowe the worde, as Paule sayth to the Ephesians y• fyfte Chapter Of suche health and grace of GOD should marryed folkes also haue vnderstādynge and knowledge. Moreouer his mynde is to sig∣nifye vnto vs that in takyng holy wedlocke in hand, all tētacions should slepe. The ordinaūce regard, and feare of God, ought to ioyne them togither, that are disposed to marry. The wo∣man was taken from and out of the syde of mā and not from the earthe, least ony man shoulde thyncke that he had gotten his wyfe oute of the myer: but to considre, that the wife is ye husbon∣des flesh and bone, and therfore to loue her. yet was she not made of the head. For the husbond is the head and master of the wyfe. Nether was she made of the feete (as thoughe thou mighteste spurne her away frō the, & nothyng regard her) but euen out of thy syde, as one that is set next vnto man, to be his helpe & companion. And as the bone of the flesh is strong, so ought the hus∣band to be the strengthe, healpe & conforte of the wyfe. Therfore was she also taken and created oute of the ryb or bone, and not out of the fleshe.
But in the circumstaūce that followeth, shal euery thing be more playne afterward. For now
it followeth howe God gaue the woman vnto man, and how that he receaued and toke her.
God brought the woman vnto Adam, and as it is euident in the fyrst Chapter) he blyssed them and sayde vnto them, growe and multiplye, and * 1.4 fyll the earth. Out of the which wordes we may perceaue clerely, that God was the fyrst causer of wedlocke, and fyrst dyd knyt them togyther, & blyssed them. Nowe as soone as the womā was brought vnto Adam, & gyuen vnto him, he sayd immediately: this is once bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. Afore dyd Adam beholde & con∣sidre all beastes and lyuynge creatures here vpō earth, and gaue euery one his peculiare name ac cordyng to his kynde, but among all thynges ly∣uynge he found none, to whome he myght beare an harte and mynde, namely to dwell by it, to loue it, and of it to procreate one lyke vnto him selfe. And therfore is it reason, that wythe fyre they be punyshed vnto death, which agaynst all kynde and nature of man, haue to do with bea∣stes, and not only with women.
As soone now as the woman was set before Adā, he knowledged immmediatly, that she was * 1.5 for his purpose, that he lyked her well, & that he could fynde in his harte to loue her, as one that was of his owne kynde, of his owne bloud, flesh of his fleshe, and bone of his bone. For thoughe
he slepte, and the woman was created out of his rybbe, yet sawe he well that she was lyke hym & suche one as he hytherto had not found amonge all other lyuynge creatures. God also had plāted thē the kynde, the loue, the harte, the inclinacion & naturall affeccion that it besemeth the one to haue towarde the other. Lyke as Adā nowe had •…•…yuen all other beastes theyr names according to the fyrst originall & operacion of theyr kynd, so gyueth he nowe a name also vnto the wyfe, & calleth her Ischa, that is to say, of man, because she was taken out of the man.
Thē foloweth it farther in Moses. For this cause shall a mā leaue his father and mother, & cleaue vnto his wyfe, & they two shalbe into one flesh. These wordes doth Adam (or t•…•…s Moses) * 1.6 speake yet out of the mouth of God, & therby de clarethe the dewty knot and couenaūt of maried folkes, namely that the hyghest loue, bonde and vnite among them, should be this, that no man separate them asunder, but only deathe. This de clareth he with two speciall poyntes. Fyrst, the•…•… is no mā (nexte vnto God) derer vnto vs by all reason, thē is our father and mother. But whā they wyll make discorde betwene maried folkes, God commaūdeth a man in that behalfe to for∣sake father & mother, & to kepe hym to his wyfe. The loue therfore in mariage ought to be nexte
vnto God) aboue all loues. The seconde: They two, saythe he, shall be into one fleshe, that is to saye, one body. Nowe lyke as the greatest loue, the moost excellent and vnpayneful seruyce, di∣ligence and earnest labour, is in the partes of a mās body, one doyng for another, one louynge, defendyng, helpyng & forbearynge another, suffe rynge, also lyke ioye & lyke payne one with ano∣ther. Euen so ought it to be betwene man & wo man in wedlocke. And lyke as the partes of a mans body seperate not thē selues one frō ano∣ther afore death, euē so must wedlocke be a knot vnlooseable. And lyke as the partes of a mans body, whan they are sundred one from another conceaue an exceadynge great anguysh, dolour and payne, euen so ought it to he an exceadynge grefe for marryed folkes to be seperated.
And thus Moses, ouer & besydes that he de∣clareth ye fyrst originall of holy wedlocke, layeth also the foundacion of lawes matrimonyal, out of the which all other statutes are taken. After the fall of Adā & Eue, there was nothyng added further vnto wedlocke, neyther altered in those thynges that were ordyned, sauyng that, by rea∣son of the faull and synne, there was sorow and payne layd vpon thē both, and vpon vs all. For vnto man it was sayd: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread. &c. And vnto the womā
sayde God: I wyll surelye encreace thy sorowe whan thou art with chylde, & wythe payne shal•…•… thou be delyuered, and to ye husbande shalt thou haue respecte, and vpon his pleasure depende. Neuertheles thorowe thy vnfayned fayth in Ie∣sus Chryst, all these & other grefes are minished in them that beleue, and therby vnperfectenesse is helped, in so muche that they come to a verye prosperous olde age many tymes.
Thus much thought I to shew out of Moses that excellēt seruaūte of God, whā, where, how, of whom, & partly for what intent, holy wedlock was instituted namely, how that God himselfe in Paradyse, at y• begynnyng of the world (euē in the tyme of mās innocēcy & prosperite) ordey∣ned thus for the welth of mā, that one mā & one womā ioyned togither shulde be one bodye, one to loue the other aboue al thinges next vnto god the one to be coupled to the other without sepa∣racion, one to helpe & socour y• other, and in the f•…•…are of God to bring vp theyr childrē, And this is in a maner the whole summe of the one parte of this boke.
The p•…•…ate Gen. ii. Playnelye •…•…ed
Wed locke was institu∣ted of God 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•…aradyse.
The creaci•…•… of the wom•…•…
Adā & Eu•…•… were maried togither.
Occasion of loue and con sent into ma riage.
The knotte & coueuaunt of mariage.