Certain homilies of m. Joan Calvin containing profitable and necessary, admonitio[n] for this time,…Certaine homilies of m. Ioan Calvine conteining profitable and necessarie, admonitio[n] for this time,…

But surely god gave not me that gift / that j could live a virginal chaste life / but after the manner of hypocrites / and therefore did enter in to the holy state of matrimony / which is honourable among all men / to the end j might serve god in pure chastity of matrimony. ¹And where as they say that although it be the gift of god / yet may we attain it if we will fast and pray for god hath made us a promise that he will here our prayers / and grant our petitions. I grant he will so do if we ask after his will / and if that the thing we crave appear to him that it be profitable for us / for he knoweth before we ask what thing we have need of. And j doubt whether all the priests that say / they have chastity / by this that they pray and fast / as they say / obtain and have it or no? We read in the scripture of many godly men / that earnestly & ⟨image 10⟩faithfully begged of god that thing which they obtained not / and yet god herd them and loved them / but he knew that to grant their petition was not so profitable for them.² As .s. Paul testifieth of him self / how he was vexed with the prick of the flesh / the devils messenger / he did desire the lord thrice to be delivered there from / but he obtained not / but had the assistance of gods grace promised / where withal he was bid den to be content. I will not now enter in to the disputation of this matter / j may be so occasioned that j shall speak of it another time. But j will herein purge myself of this crime where of j & my fellow preachers are accused as carnal / because we are married / and j will purge my self after the order of the canon law / as j saw it put in practise once in Cambridge for the purgation of an holy and learned virgin / if all unmarried priests be virgins. The order was that being accused of whoredom / four or five as honest as him self / and of no lower degree in the university / must after he him self have taken an oath that he is no whoremonger / swear that they think his oath to be true. Which done / the matter stan death clear / and he may justly take an action of slander against them that accused him.

But surely god gave not me that gyft / that j could lyve a virginall chaste lyfe / but after the maner of hypocrites / and therfore did entre in to ye holy state of matrimonye / which is honourable amōg all mē / to the end j might serve god in pure chastitie of matrimony.