Certain Sermons or Homilies (First Book of Homilies)

For those things, which proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the hart and they defile the man. For out of the hart, proceed evil thoughts, murders, breaking of wedlock, whoredom, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these are the things, which defile a man. Here may we see, that not only murder, theft, false witness, & blasphemy, defile men: but also evil thoughts, breaking of wedlock, fornication, and whoredom.

For those thinges, whiche procede out of the mouthe, come furth from the hart and thei defile the man. For out of the hart, procede euill thoughtes, murders, breakyng of wedlocke, whoredome, theftes, false witnes, blasphemies: these are the thynges, whiche defile a man. Here maie we se, that not onely murder, thefte, false witnes, & blasphemie, defile men: but also euill thoughtes, breakyng of wedlocke, fornicacion, and whoredome.

Who is now of so little wit,¹ that he will esteem whoredom, and fornication, to be things of small importance, and of no weight before God? Christ (which is the truth and cannot lye) sayeth, that evil thoughts, breaking of wedlock, whoredom, and fornication, defile a man, that is to say, corrupt both the body and soul of man, and make them, of the Temples of the holy Ghost, the filthy dunghill, or dungeon of all unclean spirits, of the Mansion of GOD, the dwelling place of Satan. Again, in the Gospel of saint John,² when the woman taken in adultery, was brought unto Christ, said not he unto her: Go thy way and sin no more? Doth not he here call whoredom sin? And what is the reward of sin, but everlasting death? If whoredom be sin,³ then is it not lawful for us to commit it. For. S. John saith:⁴ he that committeth sin, is of the devil.⁵