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Whether Chryst be not able to giue vnto those the gyft of cha∣stitie, 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?
AS it oughte not to bée* 1.1 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 obser∣ued in Chrystes Churche, that it follo∣weth not that he dothe all things that he can: but wée must diligently marke what he commaundeth and byddeth vs 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 haue 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 intan∣gle no man. 1. Corinth. 7. And howe di∣ligently they applye their Bookes in Monasteries, howe they labour, and what abstynence they vse in meates and drinkes, I leaue it to the iudge∣ment of any wyse man to discusse. For it is euident, that they seldome apply their. Bookes, but gyue them selues al∣togither to idlenesse, dayntinesse, and satisfying of their paunche. In déede their talke hathe a goodly shewe, but yet wyse men can well ynoughe per∣ceyue what they are, and therefore wyll not suffer them selues to bée se∣duced alwayes wyth thys spirituall babbling, when they so manyfestlye perceyue their wyckednesse. But if there bée any that wyll bée wyl∣full blynde, then let their owne confusion fall on their owne pate.
Whither god giueth chas∣titie to euery man bicause he cā giue it.