Certain Sermons or Homilies (First Book of Homilies)

Now, where are those people, which so lightly esteem breaking of wedlock, whoredom, fornication and adultery? It is necessary, sayeth the holy ghost, the blessed Apostles, the elders, with the whole congregation of Christ: it is necessary to salvation (sayeth) to abstain from whoredom. If it be necessary unto salvation, then woe be to them, which neglecting their salvation, give their minds to so filthy, and stinking sin, to so wicked vice, to such detestable abomination. But let us hear, what the blessed Apostle saint Paul saith to this matter. Writing to the Romans, he hath these words:¹ Let us cast ⟨image 75⟩away the works of darkness, and put on the armours of light.² Let us walk honestly as it were in the day time, not in eating and drinking, neither in chambering and wantonness, neither in strife and envying, but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts of it. Here the holy Apostle exhorteth us to caste away the works of darkness, which (among other) he calleth gluttonous eating, drinking, chā bearing and wantonness, which all are ministries unto that vice, and preparations to induce & bring in, the filthy sin of the flesh. He calleth them the deeds and works of darkness, not only because they are customably done in darkness, or in the night time,³ (for every one that doth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh he to the light, least his works should be reproved) but that they lead the right way unto that utter darkness,⁴ where weeping and gnashing of teethe shall be. And he sayeth in another place of the same Epistle: They that are in the flesh, cannot please GOD. We are debtors to the flesh, not that we should live after the flesh, for if ye live after the flesh,⁵ ye shall dye. Again he sayeth, fly from whoredom, for every sin that a man committeth, is without his body, but whosoever committeth whoredom, sinneth against his own body.⁶