The duties of wiues & husbands to each other. 9 None to doe or speake euil by their
persecutours, 15. but to ansser them alwaies with modestie, and specially with innocencie, after
the example of Christ most innocent: whose body though they killed, yet his soule liued and
preached afterward to the soules in Hel (namely to those in the time of Noes floud being a
figure of our Baptisme) rose againe, and ascended.
1.
✟
How wiues should behaue themselues toward their husbands.
IN like manner also
*
Eph. 5,28. Col. 3,18.
1. Tim. 2,9.
let the women be subiect to their husbands: that if any beleeue
not the word, by the conuersation of the women without the word they may be wonne,
2. considering your chast conuersation in feare.
3.
✟
Against the proud, curious and costly attire of women, wherin this il time of ours
exceedeth.
Whose trimming let it not be outwardly the plaiting of haire, or laying on gold
round about, or of putting on vestures:
4. but the man of the hart that is hidden, in the incorruptibilitie of a quiet and
a modest spirit, which is rich in the sight of God.
5. For so sometime the holy women also that trusted in God, adorned themselues, subiect
to their owne husbands.
6. As
*
Gen. 18.
Sara obeied Abraham, calling him Lord:
✟
ἧς.
whose daughters you are, doing wel, and
not fearing any perturbation.
7.
✟
How husbands should behaue themselues toward their wiues.
Husbands likewise, dwelling with them according to knowledge, as vnto the weaker
feminine vessel imparting honour, as it were to the coheires also of the grace of life: that your
praiers be not hindred.
8.
⋮
The Epistle vpon the 5. Sunday after Pentecost.
And
✟
'in faith'
in fine al of one mind, hauing compassion, louers of the Fraternitie, merciful,
modest, humble.
9.
*
Pro. 17,13. Mat. 5,44.
not rendring euil for euil, nor curse for curse: but contrariewise, blessing: for
vnto this are you called, that you may by inheritance possesse a benediction.
10.
*
Ps. 33,13.
For he that wil loue life, and see good daies, let him refraine his tongue
from euil, & his lippes that they speake not guile.
11. Let him decline from euil, and doe good: let him enquire peace, & follow it:
12. because the eyes of our Lord are vpon the iust, and his eares vnto their
praiers: but the countenance of our Lord vpon them that doe euil things.
13. And who is he that can hurt you, if you be emulatours of good?
14. But
*
Mat. 5,10.
& if you suffer ought for iustice, blessed are ye. And the feare of them feare
ye not, & be not troubled.
15. But sanctifie our Lord Christ in your harts, ready alwaies to satisfie euery one
that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you:
16. but with modestie and feare, hauing a good conscience: that in that which they
speake il of you, they may be confounded which calumniate your good conuersation in Christ.
17. For it is better to suffer as doing wel (if the wil of God wil haue it so) then
doing il.
18.
⋮
The Epistle vpon friday in Easter weeke.
Because Christ also died once for our sinnes, the iust for the vniust: that he
might offer vs to God, mortified certes in flesh, but quickned in spirit.
19. In the which spirit comming he preached to
✟
' those spirites'
them also that were in prison:
20. which had been incredulous sometime,
*
Gen. 6.
Mt. 24.
when they expected the patience of God in
the daies of Noe, when the arke was a building: in the which, few, that is,
*
Gen. 7,7.
eight soules were
saued by water.
21. Whereunto Baptisme being of the like forme now saueth
✟
'vs'
you also: not the laying
away of the filth of the flesh, but the examination of a good conscience toward God by the
resurrection of Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Christ.
22. Who is on the right hand of God, swallowing death, that we might be made heires
of life euerlasting: being gone into Heauen, Angels and Potentates and Powers subiected to him.
ANNOTATIONS.
Cʜᴀᴘ. III.
19. To them that were in prison. ) Christ in soule descended vnto hel, whiles his body
lay in graue.
Augustin in his 99. Epistle in principio, confesseth this place
to be exceeding hard to vnderstand, & to haue many difficulties which he coiild neuer
explicate to his owne satisfaction. Yet vnto Heretikes this and al other texts be easie,
not doubting but that is the sense which themselues imagin, whatsoeuer other men deeme
thereof. S. Augustin only findeth himself sure of this, that Christ's descending into Hel
in soule after his death, is plainely proued hereby. Which thing he declareth there, to be
conformable to diuers other expresse words of holy Writ, and namely to this same Apostles sermon.
Act. 2.
The Caluinists denying the same, are (by S. Augustin's iudgement) infidels.
And at length he concludeth thus, Quis ergo nisit infidelis negauerit fuisse apud inferos
Christum? that is, Therfore who but an infidel, wil deny that Christ was in hel?
Caluin then (you fee) with al his followers are infidels, who insteed of this descending
of Christ in soule after his death, haue inuented another desperate kind of Christ's being
in Hel, when he was yet aliue on the Crosse. S. Athanasius also in his epistle cited by
S. Epiphanuis her. 71. in principio, and in his booke de incarnatione Verbi propius
initio. S. Cyril de recta fide ad Theodosium, Oecumenius, and diuers others vpon this place,
proue Christ's descending to Hel. As they likewise declare vpon the words following, that he
preached to the Spirits or soules of men deteined in Hel or in prison.
Certaine difficulties whereof S. Augustin doubteth.
But whether this word Prison or Hel be meant of the inferiour place of the damned, or
of Limbus patrum called Abraham's bosome, or some other place of temporal chastisement;
and, to whom he preached there, and who by his preaching or presence there were deliuered, and who
they were that are called Incredulous in the daies of Noe; al these things
S. Augustin calleth great profundities, confessing himself to be vnable to reach vnto it:
only holding fast and assured this article of our faith, that he deliuered none deputed to
damnation in the lowest Hel, and yet not doubting but that he released diuers out of
places of paines there.
Purgatorie.
Which can not be out of any other place then Purgatorie. See the said Epistle, where also he
insinuateth other expositions for explication of the manifold difficulties of this hard text, which
were too long to reherse, our special purpose being only to note briefely the things that touch the
controuersies of this time.
20. Incredulous sometime. ) What were the incredulous persons of whom the
Apostle here speaketh.
They that take the former words, of Christ's descending to Hel, and deliurring certaine
there deteined, doe expound this, not of such as died in their infidelitie or without al faith in God,
for such were not deliuered: but either of some that once were incredulous, and afterward repented before
their death: or rather & specially of such as otherwise were faithful, but yet trusted not Noes preaching
by his worke and word, that God would destroy the world by water. Who yet being otherwise
good men, when the matter came to passe, were sorie for their errour, and died by the floud corporally,
but yet in state of saluation, & being chastised for their fault in the next life in the next life, were
deliuered by Christ's descending thither. And not they only, but al others in the like condition. For
the Apostle giueth these of Noes time but for an example.
21. Of the like forme. ) Noes Arke & the water, a figure of Christ's Crosse &
Baptisme.
The water bearing vp the Arke from sinking, and the persons in it from
drowning, was a figure of baptisme, that likewise saueth the worthie receiuers and
from euerlasting perishing. As Noe (saith S. Augustin)
with his, was deliuered by the water the wood, so the familie of Christ by Baptisme signed
with Christs Passion on the Crosse. Li. 12. Cont. Fanstum c. 14.
Ibid. c. 17.
Baptisme receiued of Heretikes or Schismatikes, when damnation, when not.
Againe he saith, that as the water saued none out of the Arke, but was rather
their destruction; so the Sacrament of Baptisme reciued out of the Catholike Church at
Heretikes or Schismatikes hands, though it be the same water & Sacrament that the Catholike
Church hath, yet profiteth none to saluation, but rather worketh their perdition.
Which yet is not meant in case of extreme necessitie, when the partie should die without
the said Sacrament, except he tooke it at an Heretikes or Schismatikes hand. Neither
is it meant in the case of infants, to whom the Sacrament is cause of saluation, they being
in no fault for receiuing it at the hands of the vnfaithful, though their parents and freinds
that offer them vnto such to be baptized, be in no smal fauIt. S. Hierom to Damasus Pope
of Rome compareth that See to the Arke, & them that communicate with it, to them that were saued in
the Arke: al other Schismatikes and Heretikes, to the rest that where drowned.
Ep. 57.
21. The examination of a good conscience. ) The ceremonies of Baptisme, namely
Abrenuntio. &c.
The Apostle seemeth to allude here to the very
forme of Catholike Baptisme, conteining certaine interrogatories and solemne promises
made of the articles of the Christian faith, and of good life, and of renouncing Satan &
al his pomps and workes. Which (no doubt) howsoeuer the Caluinists esteeme of them,
are the very Apostolike ceremonies vsed in the ministration of this Sacrament. See S.
Denys in fine Ec. hierarchiæ. S.Cyril. li. 12. in lo. c. 64. S. Augustin ep. 23. S. Basil de Sp. sancto
c. 12. and 15. S. Ambrose de ijs qui mysterijs initiantur c. 2. 3. 4.