A22612:376
The Confession of the Faith of the Germans
The confession of the faith of the Germans exhibited to the most victorious Emperor Charles the. v. in the Council or assemble holden at Augusta the year of our Lord. 1530. To which is added the apology of Melanchthon who defendeth with reasons invincible the aforesaid confession translated by Richard Taverner at the commaundeme[n]t of his master Thomas Cromwell chief Secretary to the kings grace.The confessyon of the fayth of the Germaynes exhibited to the moste victorious Emperour Charles the. v. in the Councell or assemble holden at Augusta the yere of our Lorde. 1530. To which is added the apologie of Melancthon who defendeth with reasons inuincible the aforesayde confesyon translated by Rycharde Tauerner at the commaundeme[n]t of his master Thomas Cromwel chefe Secretarie to the kynges grace.
Imprinted at London : In fletestrete, by me Robert Redman, dwelling at the sign of the George next to saint Dunstones Churche, 1536Imprynted at London : In fletestrete, by me Robert Redman, dwellynge at the sygne of the George nexte to saynt Dunstones Churche, 1536
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
that man ought to be resisted in likewise as the apostles did resist them which required circumcision / and which went about to lay the burden of Moses law upon christen mens necks. In the mean season yet good men know how to moderate the carnal use and company of their wives, namely when they be busied with public ⟨image 171⟩ministries and offices appertaining to the common weal / with which good men be often times so busied & troubled, that they do caste the thoughts & cares concerning their house out of their minds. Good men know this also that Paul doth bid us to possess our vessels in sanctification. They know also, that sometime they ought to go a sunder / to the entente that they may the better give their mind to prayer / but Paul will not,1 that they should keep in sunder continually. Now such manner continency is easy to them, that be good men and occupied. But that great multitude of idle priests, which be in Colleges, can not fulfil so much as this levitical continency (they live in so great wealth and pleasures) as experience showeth daily. And these verses of the Poet be known well enough. Desidiam puer ille sequi solet, odit agents (that is to say) That lust and desire of bodily pleasure is wont to follow slothfulness but it hateth those that he busy and doing. Many heretics through the misunderstanding of the foresaid law of Moses, have had contumelious and shameful opinions of wedlock. And such were the Encratites, of whom we have spoken before. And it is undoubted and evidently known, that monks and friars have ben wont to sow and spread abroad everywhere many superstitious sentences concerning single life / which sentences have troubled many godly consciences, even because of the lawful use of matrimony. And it should be no hard thing for us to rehearse and tell examples. For albeit they did not utterly condemn matrimony, because of procreation: ⟨image 172⟩yet they did dispraise it, as a kind of living, which scarcely at any time doth please god or at the least wise should not please god but only because of procreation. But single life they did extol and magnify as an angelical kind of living. This they preached to be the most pleasant sacrifice unto god, to merit remission of since / to merit garlands or crowns / to bring forth the hundred fold fruit and other things out of number.