Acts and monuments of matters most special and memorable, happening in the Church. [vol.…Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol.…

For there be many who while they consider not their own infirmity, & while they strive to achieve greater things than they are able to reach in this their climbing do fall headlong into worse inconvenience, and while they foolishly seek for great things, do lose the less, which before they seemed to have. Which we may well understand by the example of Loth aforesaid: Who what time he left the small City Segor, which he chose before to inhabit, in the which he sought to be saved: went up to the mountain and there abiding fell into the stolen incest of his own daughters, as the scripture witnesseth, saying: Loth went up from Segor and remained in the mountain, and his daughters gave to their father wine to drink that night. And the elder of them went and lay with her father. Which thing had not happened unto him, if he had kept himself still in Segor, where be might have been saved at the bidding of the Angel, as he himself required. But because he forsook that, which was granted to him of the Angel, and presumed to that upon his own will; contrary to the precept of the Angel, which was not gram ted:: therefore he fell into great danger of his soul & committed the grievous sin of incest. No otherwise doth it happen to many other, who while either they forsake the thing which is granted them of God, or ambitiously clime after that which is to them not granted,¹ both they lose that which they had granted unto them, and fall into that which to them was not granted. For divers there be which while they forsake either willingly or against their will, the married life which is to them lawfully permitted, and in which they might be saved, and strive with a presumptuous desire to lead a single life, both they lose that health and safety, which they might have had in one, and incur great danger in the other: so that whereby they suppose most to gain, by the same they lose & fall into the pit of greater ruin. Which thing S Paul the Doctor of the Gentiles well considering, and tenderly providing for the infirmity of the weak Corinthians writing to him for counsel touching this matter, did write to them again in this wise, saying: As concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me, as it is good for a man not to touch a woman. ²Nevertheless to avoid whoredom, let every man have his wife and let every woman have her husband.

For there be many who while they consider not their owne infirmity, & while they striue to atchiue greater thinges thē they are able to reach in this theyr climing do fall headlong into worse inconuenience, and while they foolishly seeke for great thinges, doe lose the lesse, which before they seemed to haue. Whych we may well vnderstand by the example of Loth aforesayde: Who what time he left the small Cittye Segor, which he chose before to inhabite, in the which he sought to be saued: went vp to the mountayne and there abyding fell into the stolne incest of his owne daughters, as the scripture witnesseth, saying: Loth went vp from Segor and remayned in the mountayne, and his daughters gaue to theyr father wine to drinke that night. And the elder of them went and lay with her father. Which thing had not happened vnto him, if he had kept himselfe still in Segor, where be might haue bene saued at the bidding of the Aungell, as he himselfe required. But because he forsooke that, which was graunted to hym of the Aungell, and presumed to that vpon his owne will; contrary to the precept of the Angel, which was not graū ted:: therfore he fell into great daunger of his soule & committed the greuous sinne of incest. No otherwise doth it happē to many other, who while either they forsake ye thing which is graunted thē of God, or ambitiously clime after that which is to thē not graunted,