a marke in marriage and that men should know that hee had a care of it. Seeing it is so, let vs take good heede that wee make not God our e∣nimie and aduersarie partie, which doubtlesse we shall doe, if wee falsifie the faith of marriage. If a man lay waite for an other mans wife, if a wo∣man giue her selfe ouer to a whoremonger, bee shee married or be she betrothed, if they falsifie the promise which they plighted, and breake ye faith which they gaue; it is all one as if they wa∣ged [ 10] battle with God, and they shall feele that they deale with too hard a match. Let vs there∣fore walke in such stayednesse, as our Lord may accept of vs, and that we may finde fauour in his sight: Let euerie of vs resist his wicked lusts, and not giue our selues the bridle to ouer leape our bounds so farre as to venter to corrupt so holy an order.
Nowe if the punishment be so grieuous when a maide which is but betrothed committeth for∣nication: [ 20] much more reason is it that it should bee so in a married woman, as I saide afore. And why? Because shee wrongeth her husband, shee setteth him out into open shame, shee spoi∣leth also the name of his house, shee robbeth the children which are yet vnborne, shee robbeth those which are alreadie begotten in lawfull wedlocke. When a woman is become such a diuell, what other remedie can there bee, than to roote out the whole mischiefe? And this is the [ 30] cause why it is expresly saide, Thou shalt put away the euill from thee. Heereby our Lorde ment to giue vs to vnderstande, that if men suffer a wo∣man vnpunished whē she is growen to such wic∣kednesse as not to pitie her owne children, they suffer a monster to liue. For what may one think that woman to be but a monster, which hath no regarde of her children, and which maketh no account to haue bastardes mingled with lawfull children? And that is a thing contrarie to al na∣ture. [ 40] So then (as I haue tolde you) the fault must needes be extreme, when the punishment is so grieuous, that God will haue it serue vs for an example, and that they which haue been of∣fensiue by their life, shoulde serue for an instru∣ction vnto others by their death, that they may learne to keepe themselues chast. Thus yee see what we haue to beare in minde.
Nowe touching whooremasters, they are guiltie of the like. Indeede the woman shall [ 50] not be spared, because she hath falsified her faith towardes her husbande, and hath committed an vnpardonable crime. If a man rifle his neighbours coffer, hee shalbe punished, & that not as a single thiefe, but as a robber. But the whorehunter commeth to defile ye whole house, hee commeth to infect it with whoredome, hee commeth to robbe his neighbor of his honour, credite, and good name, and in steed of the right seede, hee through cursed and villanous false∣nesse, [ 60] deliuereth a straunge and bastarde seede. Therefore if a man commit such a robberie, I pray you is it a sinne to bee punished with eight dayes imprisonment onely; and peraduenture by being put to breade and water, that is to say, to be feasted at the tauerne? For wee see that the punishmentes which are vsed nowadayes a∣gainst adulterers and fornicatours are but a meere mockerie both of God, and of Iustice, and of Lawes, and of all ciuil order. For when a man is put in prison for committing adulterie, or for playing of ye fornicator, it is al one as if he were put there for men to bring him euerie man his glasse of wine and to say, Taste which is the best. If he were in his owne house, he would be con∣tented with ordinarie: but there hee shal bee at greater choyce than if he were in a common ta∣uerne. Euerie man will come to visite him, yea forsooth, the poore prisoner must be pitied. Yee see what is ordinarily done in this behalfe. And as for my selfe, I haue prayed God that whore∣dome might rather goe vnpunished, than pro∣ceede in that order as we see it doth nowadayes. For it is a setting of Iustice forth to open shame, and skorning of God and of all his commande∣mentes. And therefore wee neede not to mer∣uaile if whoredoms be so rife, seeing they which offende are sent so to the tauerne. But let vs put the case that the Lawe were obserued, and that adulterers and fornicatours were locked vp in close warde, there to fast with breade and water. What is al that? O, saies one, they shal fast three dayes or (as some say) nine dayes. Yea but if a thiefe be taken and accused, he shal be indited, he shalbe clapt vp by the heeles in the stocks, he shalbe manacled and tyed with an halter, and in the ende sent to the gallowes: or when hee sca∣peth best for some pettie filching, hee shall bee whipt. And why? Oh he is a thiefe, he hath robbed a man, hee hath cut a purse in the open market place. And what hath the whooremun∣ger done? Questionlesse hee hath done worse in entering into the bedde which God had hallow∣ed in his owne name, than if he had committed all the theeueries in the worlde. Hee hath mar∣ched himselfe in whoredome like a beast: and is not this an intollerable offence, and such a one as ought to bee punished to the full? If wee open not our eyes to beholde it, yet the Lawe of Mo∣ses must needes condemne vs. But besides this, the Painims (who haue obserued a better order than wee, and haue had lawes to punish whore∣mongers and to cause wedlocke to be kept vn∣defiled) euen they shal rise vp against vs in the latter day, and shall proue that we offended not of ignorance, or for lacke of warning, but of wil∣full malice, because wee woulde foster such wic∣kednesse.
True it is indeede that this wicked custome is come from great antiquitie, as the Papistes will say that wee are not vnder the Lawe but vnder grace, and therefore we must not punish whore∣dome. But it is a mocking of God when we take the Law of grace for a Lawlesse libertie to com∣mit all wickednesse. And albeit our Lorde Ie∣sus Christ punished not the woman which was taken in adulterie; wee may not say therefore, that he hath giuen vs leaue to commit adultery. For why? Hee refused also to bee Iudge: and be∣ing desired to part the inheritance betweene two brethren, he woulde not doe it. Must wee therefore say that such partings are not lawfull?