A    ^noteAs concerninge, wherof ye wrote vnto me, it is good for a man, not to touche a wom&abar;. Neuerthelesse to avoide fornicati&obar;, let euery m&abar; haue his wyfe: and let euerye woman haue her husbande. Let the man geue vnto the wyfe due beneuolence. ^noteLykewyse also the wyfe vnto the man. The wyfe hath not power ouer her owne bodie, but the husb&abar;de.

And lykewyse the man hath not power ouer his owne bodye, but the wyfe. Withdrawe not your selues one from another, excepte it be wyth consente for a tyme, for to geue your selues to fastinge, and prayer. And afterward come agayne to the same thinge, leste Sath&abar; tempte you for your incontinencye. &cross3;

B   &rhand; Thys I saye of fauoure, and not of commaundement. For I woulde that all men were as I my selfe am: but euerie man hath hys proper gyfte of God, one after this maner, another after that. I saye vnto the vnmaryed men and wyddowes: it is good for them, if they abyed euen as I do. But and if they cannot abstayne, let them mary. For it is better to mary, then05Q1450 burne.

^note&rhand; Vnto the maryed comma&ubar;ded not I but the Lorde: that the wyfe separate not her selfe from the man. Yf she separate her selfe, let her remayne vnmaryed, or be reconcilied to her husband againe. And let not the husband put away his wife from him.

C   &rhand; To the remnaunte speake I and not the Lord. Yf anye brother haue a wyfe that beleued not, if she be contente to dwel with hym, let him not put her awaye. And the woman, which hath to her husband an infidele, if he consente to dwell with her, let her not put him awaie. For the vnbeleuinge husb&abar;de, is sainctified by the wyfe: and the vnbeleuinge wife, is sainctified by the husbande. Or els were youre chyldren vnclene: but nowe are they 05Q1451 pure. But and if the vnbeleuinge departe, let him departe.

D   A brother or a syster is not in subieccion to suche. God hath called vs in peace. For howe knowest thou O woman, whether thou shalt saue that man or no? Other howe knoweste thou O man, whether thou shalt saue that woman or no? but euen as God hath distributed to euery man.

^{note note}As the Lorde hath called euery person so let him walke: and so ordeine I in all congregations. If any man be called beynge circumcised, let him adde nothing thereto. If any be called vncircumcised: let him not be circumcised. Circumcison is nothinge, vncircumcision is nothinge, but the kepinge of the commaundementes of God is altogether. &cross2; Let euery man abyde in the same state, wherin he is called. ^noteArt thou called a seruauntes, care not for it. Neuertheles if thou maiest be fre, vse it rather. For he that is called in the Lord beynge a seruaunte, is the Lordes freman. ^noteLykewyse he that is called beynge fre, is Christes seruaunte. Ye are dearlye bought, be not05Q1452 mennes seruauntes. Brethr&ebar; let euery m&abar; wherin he is called, therin abide with God. &cross3;

E   As concerninge virgins, I haue no commaundemente of the Lorde: yet geue I counsel, as one that hath obteyned mercy of the Lord to be faithfull. I suppose that it is good for the presente05Q1453 necessitie. For it is good for a man so to be. Arte thou bounde vnto a wife? seke not to be loused. Arte thou loused from a wife? seke not a wife. But and if thou take a wyfe, thou sinnest not. Lykewise if a virgine mary: she sinneth not. Neuerthelesse such shal haue trouble in theyr fleshe: but I fauoure you.

&rhand; This saye I brethren the tyme is short. It remaineth that they which haue wiues, be as though they had none, and they that wepe be as though they wept not, and they that reioyse be as though they reioysed not: ∧ they that bye, be as though they possessed not: and they that vse this worlde, be as though they vsed it not. For the fashi&obar; of this world goeth away.

F   &rhand; I would haue you without care. The single man careth for the thinges of the Lorde howe he maye please the Lorde. But he that hath maried, careth for þe; thinges of þe; worlde howe he may please his wyfe. There is difference betwene a virgine and a wyfe. The single woman careth for the thinges of þe; Lorde, that she maye be pure both in bodye and also in spyryte. ^noteBut she that is maried, careth for the thinges of the worlde, howe she maye please her husbande. This speake I for youre profite, not to tangel you in a snare, but for þt; whiche is honeste and comely vnto you, and that ye maye quietly cleaue vnto the Lorde without separacion.

G   &rhand; If anye man thinke that it is vncomelye for his virgine if we passe þe; tyme of mariage, and yf so nede require, let hym do what he listeth, he sinneth not: let them be coupled in mariage. Neuerthelesse, he that purposeth surely in his herte, hauing none nede, but hath power ouer his owne wyll, and hath so decreed in his herte that he wyl kepe his virgin, doeth well. So then he that ioyneth his virgine in mariage doeth well. But he that ioyneth not his virgine in mariage doeth better. The wife is bounde to the lawe as longe as her husband liueth. If her husbande slepe, she is at libertye to mary with whome she wyll, onely in the Lorde. But she is happyer if she so abyde, in my iudgemente. And I thinke verely that I haue the spirite of God.

Previous section

Next section