Certain Sermons or Homilies (First Book of Homilies)

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 And our saviour saith, every one that committeth sin, is the servant of sin. If whoredom had not been sin, surely S. John Baptist, would never have rebuked king ⟨image 74⟩Herod, for taking his brothers wife: but he told him plainly, that it was not lawful for him, to take his brothers wife. He winked not at the whoredom of Herod, although he were a king of great power but boldly reproved him, for his wicked and abominable living, although for the same he lost his head. But he would rather suffer death (then see GOD so dishonoured, by the breaking of his holy precept) then to suffer whoredom to be unrebuked, even in a King. If whoredom had been but a pastime, a dalliance, and a thing not to be passed of (as many coumpt it now a days) truly, John had been more then twice mad, if he would have had the displeasure of a king, if he would have been cast into prison, and lost his head for a trifle. But John knew right well, how filthy, stinking, and abominable, the sin of whoredom is, in the sight of GOD, therefore would not he leave it unrebuked, no, not in a king. If whoredom be not lawful in a king, neither is it lawful in a subject. If whoredom be not lawful in a public officer, neither is it lawful in a private person. If it be not lawful, neither in king, nor subject, neither in common officer, nor private person, truly, then is it lawful in no man, nor woman, of whatsoever degree, or age they be.