How our matri institution. for ane litil displesure was reddye to slay thair wyffis. Thairfor to keip thame fra the gretar syn, quhilk was slaying of thair wyffis, he tholit thame to commit the les syn, quhilk was partising with thair wyffis. Bot quhen the tyme of grace was cum, quhairin it plesit the father eternal to restore be his sonne our salviour thai thingis that was in hevin and erd, he restorit also matrimonye to the perfectioun of the first institutioun. Thairfor he sais: Qui fecit hominem ab initio, Math. xix. masculum et feminam fecit eos deus, et dixit, Propter hoc di- salviour mittet homo patrem et matrem, et adhærebit uxori suæ, et erunt restorit duo in carne una. Itaque jam non sunt duo, sed una caro. monye to Quos igitur deus conjunxit, homo non separet. He that maid the first man in the beginning, maid thame man and woman, and said: For this cause sall a man laif father and mother, and adheir and cleif to his wife, and thai twa sall be ane flesche. Now ar thai nocht twa than, bot ane flesche. Lat nocht man thairfor sevir or put syndry that, quhilk God hes couplit togidder. And a litill eftirhend he sais: Moyses ob duritiam Math. xix. cordis vestri permisit vobis dimittere uxores vestras, ab initio autem non fuit sic. Quamobrem quicunque dimiserit uxorem suam, nisi ob fornicationem, et aliam duxerit, mœchatur. Moyses because of the hardnes of your hartis sufferit yow to put away your wyffis. Nochttheles fra the begynning it was nocht sa. [Fol. clxvi. b.] Bot I say to yow, quhasaevir puttis away his wyfe (except it be for fornicatioun) and maryis ane uthir, breikis matrimonye, and quhasaevir maryis hir that is devorsit, committis adultery. Thir wordis of our salviour ar expounit be his discipil and Apostil sanct Paule, sayand: Iis qui matrimonio 1 Cor. vii. juncti sunt, præcipio, non ego sed dominus, uxorem a viro non discedere, quod si discesserit manere innuptam, aut viro suo reconciliari. To thame that ar maryit lawfully, command nocht I bot our Lord, that the wyfe depart nocht fra hir husband, bot and gif sche depart fra him, lat hir remane unmaryit with ane uthir man, or ellis to be recounselit agane to Twa her awin husband. Of thir auctoriteis quhilk we have alledgit singular to yow of our salviour and sanct Paule, we may gaddir twa tiouns of singular conditiouns of that mariage, quhilk is amang christin the mariage that The ane is, that matrimonye is allanerly betwene twa is amang personis, that is say, a man and a woman, sa that it is nocht christin lawful for a man to have may wyffis than ane at anis: Erunt men. condi men and wemen. [Fol clxvii. a.] duo in carne una. Thai sall be twa personis in a flesche, 1 Cor. vii. quhilk may be confirmit be the wordis of sanct Paule: Mulier potestatem corporis sui non habet, sed vir, similiter et vir potestatem corporis sui non habet, sed mulier. The woman hes nocht powar of hir bodye, bot hir husband, and lykwise the man hes nocht powar of his body, bot the woman hes it. Sa it followis that the man can nocht geve the powar of his body, to may than ane. And quhen our salviour said, Quhasaevir puttis away his wife (except for fornicatioun) and maryis ane uthir, he committis adulterie, he teichis plainly, that a man may nocht have twa wyffis. For and gif it war lawful to have twa wyffis at anis, that man committit nocht adultery in mariage of ane uthir, his first beand alyve. Now our salviour sais plainly, that quhen he maryis ane uthir, sche beand alyve, he committis adultery. The secund conditioun, is that the band of matrimonie anis lauchfully contrackit, may nocht be dissolvit and lowsit agane be ony divorcement or partising, bot allanerly it is lowsit be the dede of the ane of thame, for trewly the partising and devorsing, quhilk our salviour sais may be done for fornicatioun, suld be understand allanerly of partising fra bed and borde, and nocht fra the band of matrimony, as it is plain be the wordis of S. Paule, quhilk sais, Lat hir be recounsalit agane to hir husband. And in the meane tyme quhasaevir maryis hir, he committis adultery. It is to be notit also, that for the same twa singular conditiouns afore reliersit, matrimonye may weil be callit a sacrament, that is to say, a takin or signe of ane haly thing, quhilk is conjunctioun of haly kirk with Christ Jesu. For as in matrimonye ane man hes bot ane wyfe with quhom he suld remane without ony partising, sa Christ Jesus hes cowplit to him self the universal kirk of christin men and wemen as ane spiritual wyfe, and will nevir parte fra hir, bot will be joynit with hir evir, heir be grace and in hevin be glore. Mairouir a sacrament is callit a sensibil and effecteous clxvii. b.] signe of invisibil grace, quhilk is gevin to thame that worthily ressavis the same sacrament. Now it can nocht be denyit bot that grace is gevin in the sacrament of Matrimonye to thame that ar lawfully mary it togidder, be vertew of the quhilk grace thai may keip the band maid betwene thame, that thai may lufe ane ane uthir as Christ luffit the kirk, that [Fol. of wordis mariage. thai may with diligence bring up thair barnis to the service. of God, that thai may thole paciently all molestatiouns and tribulatioun of the warld, quhilk ofttymes chancis to maryit personis, that thai may thole ane ane uthir, and ane beire ane utheris imperfectioun. All thir thingis can nocht be had without the grace of God, quhilk is gevin in the sacrament of matrimonye, as it apperis plainely be the wordis of our salviour, sayand: Quos Deus conjunxit, homo non separet. Thai quhom God hes joynit in mariage togedder, lat na man sevir. And how can thai want the grace of God, quhom God joynis togidder, gif thai keip thair mariage conforme to the law of God? Mairouir, as in ilk ane sacrament thair is ane sensibil matir, and ane certane forme of wordis groundit apon sum special promis of God, sa thair is in the sacrament. of matrimony. The sensibil matir, is the man and the woman The sensibil signe quhilk ar faithful personis able to contract mariage. The of mariage. forme of wordis is that, quhairby the ane giffis to the uthir The forme powar of thair bodye, exprement thair consent to the same be usit in the wordis of the present tyme. Quhen the man sais to the contract of woman, I tak the to my weddit wyfe, and the woman sais to the man, I tak the to my maryit husband, baith of thame [Fol. ending thir wordis be invocatioun of God, sayand: In the clxviii, a.] name of the father, and the sonne, and the haly spreit. This consent in to carnal copulatioun, expremit be the wordis of the present tyme, is the cause of matrimony. And eftir that consent, quhen thai conjoine togidder in carnal deid, mariage is consummat and endit. The promis of God annexit to this The promis of grace sacrament may be gadderit be the wordis of S. Paule, quhilk annexit to he writis to Timothe on this maner, spekand of the woman: mariage. Salvabitur per filiorum generationem, si permanserit in fide, et 1 Tim, ii, dilectione, et sanctificatione, cum sobrietate. Sche sal be saffit be generation of barnis, gif sche perseveris in faith and lufe, and sanctificatioun with sobernes. And na dout bot the same promis is maid to the man, because he concurris with the woman to the generatioun of barnis be the institutioun and ordinatioun of God. Quhat is the vertew or, propir effect of matrimony? S. Augustine sais that thair is thre gret gudis The frutis of matrimony. The first is ane sacrament, be the quhilk we of mariage. understand that the band of matrimonye suld nocht be lowsit be ony maner of wyse til dede of the ane parte lowse it, as I or effectis we declarit to yow afore. The secund is fidelite or faithfulnes, quhairby we understand that maryit personis suld keip thair promis faithfully ane to ane uthir, sa that the man suld nocht have carnal deid with ony uthir woman sa lang as his lawful wyfe leiffis, and lykwise the woman suld nocht have carnal deid with ony uthir man, sa lang as hir lawful husband leiffis. The thrid is barnis, and be this we understand that gif God send thame barnis, that thai suld bring thame up in nurture and vertew, that thai may be servandis to God. And clxviii. b.] this is the principal end and cause of matrimony. And to [Fol. How ane maryit man may ken gif a maryit man may syn with his wyfe, ye sall note four pointis. First that quhen mary it personis convenis togidder intendand to bring furth barnis to the service of God, nocht only thai syn nocht bot thai bave merit and pleise God in sa doing. Secundly, quhen a maryit man hes carnal deid with his wyfe intendand allanerly to keip hir fra fornicatioun and adultery, requirit to do the same be hir, lykwise he synnis nocht, bot dois ane deid of justice and rychteousnes. Thridly, quhen ane maryit man hes carnal deid with his wyfe, nocht intendand procreatioun of barnis, nother eschewing fornicatioun of his wyfe, bot movit with the fragilitie of his nature, intendand to keip him self fra fornicatioun, lykwise he synnis nocht. Fourtly, quhen he kennis his wyfe carnally, nocht intendand procreatioun of barnis, nor eschewing of fornicatioun of synne with his wyfe or of him self, bot intendand principally to fulfill the his wyfe. lust of his body, and thairin puttis his felicitie, he synnis grevously. Thairfor lat thame abstene for a tyme (eftir sanct I Cor. vii. Paulis counsale) to pray and to ressave Christis body. To quhom be all honour. Amen. DE MODO ORANDI DEVM. OF THE MANER HOW CHRISTIN MEN AND WEMEN The first Cheptour. [Fol. clxix. a.] xviii. with ane NTE orationem præpara animam tuam. The wisman Eccles. giffis the counsale, O christin man and woman, to prepare thi mynd afore thi prayer. That is to say, afore thow begyn to mak thi prayer, tak gud tent that thow mak it with sic ane mynd, that it may be acceptabil to God, and hard of him. Thairfor thow sal understand, that thair is thre vertewis, quhairwith thou suld prepare thi mynd afore thi prayer. The first is faith. The secund is hoip. The thrid is Praer suld cherite. First that thi prayer may be plesand to God and be maide hard with him, mak it with ane trew faith. For sen prayer treu faith. is nocht ellis bot lyfting up of thi hart to God, and to ask fra him all thingis, quhilk becummis the to ask, quhow can thou pray gif thow want faith? quhow can thow lyft up thi mynd to God without faith? According as Sanct Paule sayis: Quo- Rom. x. modo invocabunt, in quem non crediderunt? Quhow can Faith men mak invocatioun and prayer to God, in quhom thai have thingis ne. na beleif? Veraily it can nocht be. Thi faith O christin cessarie to be hade man teichis the twa thyngis. in making techis twa clxix. b.] of our licht of our our awin The ane is to ken thi awin povertie, thi awin myserabyll [Fol. stait, quhairin thow standis baith in body and saule. Thy faith techis the on the uther part, the hie Majestie of God, his praer. almychty powar and gud wyll towart the. Quhairfor O Be the christin man afore thou begyn to mak thy prayar, prepair thy faith we mynd with faith, consyddir the gret myster, quhilk thou hes sulde knaw of the helpe of God. Set afore thy eine al thy infirmiteis. gret miseRemembir that thow art erd, and to the erd thow sall gang. Consyddir that all men ar lyke unto the grene girss, and al Esaye xl. the glore of man is lyke to the flour that growis amang the gyrss, as sayis the Propheit Esaye. Quhair to aggreis King David sayand in the Psalme: Man is maid lyke unto vanite, R rie et povertye. |