Matt. xiii. Mark ix.

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That whoremongers shall have their part with murderers, sorcerers, enchanters, liars, idolaters, and such other, in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. The punishment of the body, although it be death, hath an end; but the punishment of the soul, which St. John calleth the second death, is everlasting; there shall be fire and brimstone, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth; the worm that there shall gnaw the conscience of the damned, shall never die. O! whose heart distilleth not even drops of blood, to hear and consider these things? If we tremble and shake at the hearing and naming of these pains, O what shall they do that feel them, that shall suffer them, yea, and ever shall suffer, worlds without end! God have mercy upon us. Who is now so drowned in sin and past all godliness, that he will set more by filthy and stinking pleasure, which soon passeth away, than by the loss of everlasting glory? Again, who will so give himself to the lusts of the flesh, that he feareth nothing at all the pain of hell-fire? But let us hear how we may eschew the sin of whoredom and adultery, that we may walk in the fear of God, and be free of those most grievous and intolerable Remedies torments, which abide all unclean persons. Now to avoid whereby avoid fornica fornication, adultery, and all uncleanness, let us provide. tion and adul- that above all things we may keep our hearts pure and clean from all evil thoughts and carnal lusts: for if that be once infected and corrupt, we fall headlong into all kind of ungodliness. This shall we easily do, if, when we feel inwardly, that Satan our old enemy tempteth us unto. whoredom, we by no means consent to his crafty suggestions, but valiantly resist and withstand him by strong faith in the word of God: alleging against him always in our heart this commandment of God: Scriptum est, Non mœchaberis: it is written, Thou shalt not commit whoredom. It shall be good also for us ever to live in the fear of God, and to set before our eyes the grievous threatenings of God against all ungodly sinners; and to consider in our mind how filthy, beastly, and short that pleasure is, whereunto Satan continually stirreth and moveth us: and again, how the pain appointed for that sin is intolerable and everlasting. Moreover, to use a temperance and sobriety in eating and drinking, to eschew unclean communication, to avoid all filthy company, to flee idleness, to delight in reading the holy Scriptures, to watch in godly prayers and virtuous meditation, and at all times to exercise some godly travels, shall help greatly to the eschewing of whoredom.

tery.

And here are all degrees to be monished, whether they be married or unmarried, to love chastity and cleanness of life. For the married are bound by the law of God so purely to love one another, that neither of them seek any strange love. The man must only cleave to his wife, and the wife again only to her husband: they must so delight one in another's company, that none of them covet any other. And as they are bound thus to live together in all godliness and honesty, so likewise it is their duty virtuously to bring up their children, and provide that they fall not into Satan's snare, nor into any uncleanness, but that they come pure and honest unto holy wedlock, when time requireth. So likewise ought all masters and rulers to provide that no whoredom, nor any point of uncleanness, be used among their servants. And again, they that are single, and feel in themselves that they cannot live without the company of a woman, let them get wives of their own, and so live godly together: for it is better to marry 1 Cor. vii. than to burn.

And, to avoid fornication, saith the Apostle, let every man have his own wife, and every woman her own husband. Finally, all such as feel in themselves a sufficiency and ability, through the working of God's Spirit, to lead a sole and continent life, let them praise God for his gift, and seek all means possible to maintain the same; as by reading of holy Scriptures, by godly meditations, by continual prayers, and such other virtuous exercises. If we all on this wise will endeavour ourselves to eschew fornication, adultery, and all uncleanness, and lead our lives in all godliness and honesty, serving God with a pure and clean heart, and glorifying him in our bodies by the leading an innocent and harmless life, we may be sure to be in the number of those, of whom our Saviour Christ speaketh in the Gospel on this manner, Blessed are the pure in heart, Matt. v. for they shall see God: to whom alone be all glory, honour, rule, and power, world without end. Amen.

1 Tim. i.

2 Tim. ii.

1 Cor. iii.

THIS

HIS day, good Christian people, shall be declared unto you, the unprofitableness and shameful unhonesty of contention, strife, and debate; to the intent that, when you shall see, as it were in a table painted before your eyes, the evil-favouredness and deformity of this most detestable vice, your stomachs may be moved to rise against it, and to detest and abhor that sin, which is so much to be hated, and pernicious, and hurtful to all men. But among all kinds of contention, none is more hurtful than is contention in matters of religion. Eschew, saith, St. Paul, foolish and unlearned questions, knowing that they breed strife. It becometh not the servant of God to fight, or strive, but to be meek toward all men. This contention and strife was in St. Paul's time among the Corinthians, and is at this time among us Englishmen. For too many there be, which, upon the ale-benches or other places, delight to set forth certain questions, not so much pertaining to edification, as to vain-glory, and showing forth of their cunning, and so unsoberly to reason and dispute, that, when neither part will give place to other, they fall to chiding and contention, and sometime from hot words to further inconvenience. St. Paul could not abide to hear among the Corinthians these words of discord or dissention, I hold of Paul, I of Cephas, and I of Apollos: what would he then say if he heard these words of contention, which be now almost in every man's mouth? He is a Pharisee, he is a Gospeller, he is of the new sort, he is of the old faith, he is a new-broached brother, he is a good catholic fa

The first Part of the Sermon against Contention.

ther, he is a papist, he is an heretic. O how the Church is divided! O how the cities be cut and mangled! O how the coat of Christ, that was without seam, is all rent and torn! O body mystical of Christ, where is that holy and happy unity, out of the which whosoever is, he is not in Christ? If one member be pulled from another, where is the body? If the body be drawn from the head, where is the life of the body? We cannot be joined to Christ our Head, except we be glued with concord and charity one to another. For he that is not of this unity is not of the Church of Christ, which is a congregation or unity together, and not a division. St. Paul saith, That as long 1 Cor. iii, as emulation or envying, contention, and factions or sects be among us, we be carnal, and walk according to the fleshly man. And St. James saith, If ye have bitter emulation or James iii. envying, and contention in your hearts, glory not of it: for where contention is, there is unsteadfastness and all evil deeds. And why do we not hear St. Paul, which prayeth us, whereas he might command us, saying, I beseech you 1 Cor. i. in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you will speak all one thing, and that there be no dissension among you; but that you will be one whole body, of one mind, and of one opinion in the truth. If his desire be reasonable and honest, why do we not grant it? If his request be for our profit, why do we refuse it? And if we list not to hear his petition of prayer, yet let us hear his exhortation, where he saith, I exhort you, that you walk as it becometh the vo- Ephes. iv. cation, in which you be called, with all submission and meekness, with lenity and softness of mind, bearing with one another in charity, studying to keep the unity of the Spirit by the bond of peace: for there is but one body, one Spirit, one faith, one baptism. There is, saith he, but one body, of the which he can be no lively member, that is at variance with the other members. There is one Spirit, which joineth and knitteth all things in one. And how can this one Spirit reign in us, when we among ourselves be divided? There is but one faith; and how can we then say, he is of the old faith, and he is of the new faith? There is but one baptism; and then shall not all they which be baptized be one? Contention causeth division, wherefore it ought not to be among Christians, whom one faith and baptism joineth in an unity. But if we contemn St. Paul's request and exhortation, yet at the least let us regard his earnest entreating, in the which he doth very carnestly charge us, and (as I may so speak) conjure us in this form and manner, If there be any consolation in Christ, if there Phil. ii.

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be any comfort of love, if you have any fellowship of the Spirit, if you have any bowels of pity and compassion, ful fil my joy, being all alike affected, having one charity, be ing of one mind, one opinion, that nothing be done by contention, or vain-glory. Who is he, that hath any bowels of pity, that will not be moved with these words so pithy? Whose heart is so stoney, that the sword of these words, which be more sharp than any two-edged sword, may not cut and break asunder? Wherefore, let us endeavour ourselves to fulfil St. Paul's joy here in this place, which shall be at How we length to our great joy in another place. Let us so read the Scripture, the Scripture, that by reading thereof we may be made the better livers, rather than the more contentious disputers. If any thing be necessary to be taught, reasoned, or disputed, let us do it with all meekness, softness, and lenity. If any thing shall chance to be spoken uncomely, let one bear another's frailty. He that is faulty, let him rather amend, than defend that which he hath spoken amiss, lest he fall by contention from a foolish error into an obstinate heresy. For it is better to give place meekly, than to win the victory with the breach of charity, which chanceth when every man will defend his opinion obstinately. If we be the Christian men, why do we not follow Christ, who saith, Learn of me, for I am meck and lowly in heart? A disciple must learn the lesson of his schoolmaster, and a servant must obey the commandment of his master; He that is wise and learned, saith St. James, let him show his goodness by his good conversation, and soberness of his wisdom. For where there is envy and contention, that wisdom cometh not from God, but is worldly wisdom, man's wisdom, and devilish wisdom. For the wisdom that cometh from above, from the Spirit of God, is chaste and pure, corrupted with no evil affections; it is quiet, meek, and peaceable, abhorring all desire of contention; it is tractable, obedient, not grudging to learn, and to give place to them that teach better for the reformation. For there shall never be an end of striving and contention, if we contend who in contention shall be master, and have the overhand we shall heap error upon error, if we continue to defend that obstinately, which was spoken unadvisedly. For truth it is, that stiffness in maintaining an opinion breedeth contention, brawling, and chiding, which is a vice among all other most pernicious and pestilent to common peace and quietness. And as it standeth betwixt two persons and parties, (for no man commonly doth chide with himself) so it comprehendeth two most detestable vices :

Mat, xã

James iii.