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This holy sacrament of matrymonye was bygonne by god in paradyse, and whych when he bygan, he there instytuted to sygnyfye the coniunccyon bytwene hym selfe and mannys soule, and the coniunccyon bytwene Criste and his chyrch / for whych saynt Paule sayth that yt is a great sacrament, and for such euer more hath yt bene taken in Crystes chyrche.1 And though in those whyche for his sake forberyth yt he coupleth hym self to theyr soules with more grace: yet in that couplyng of matrymonye (yf they couple in hym) he coupleth hym selfe also to theyr soules wyth grace, accordynge to the sygne that is to wyt the maryage whyche he hath set to sygnyfye that grace / and wyth that grace yf they applye to worke therewyth, he helpeth them to make theyr maryage honorable, and theyr bedde vndefyled. And wyth that grace also he helpeth them towarde the good educacyon and bryngynge vp of such chyldren as shall come bytwene them.
And to this effecte wayed that holy blessynge that god2 gaue our fyrst father and mother in paradyse / whyche blessynge reason wyll yt we take and vnderstande to haue bene geuen by god, accordyng the kynde of them that yt was geuen to / that is to wytte to worke not in the bodye onely of reasonable folke, but mych more effectually to exercyse his strength in the resonable soule. where as Tyndale wyll that goddys blessynge was no better to mankynde then to the kynde of dogges and cattes / wherby sholde yt allmoste folowe that in generacyon vsed onely for respecte of goddys commaundement, had ben towarde god no more meritoryouse then to those other kyndes of brute bestes, the gettyng of a whelpe or a kytlynge.
And where saynte Paule for those holy sygnifycacyons sayth that matrymonye is a great sacrament, Tyndale dare say nay to his teeth / and sayth he can make as good a sacrament of leuen, of kayes, of mus[…]d seed, or ellys of a net. He sholde rather yet leste the grace get oute perde make yt of a sakke. But there is no grace therin sayth he. And why say we. Bycause sayth he that god hathe none promysed[…] whereby wote you yt saye we. For I neuer redde yt in scrypture sayth he. where rede you then in scripture say we that god hath made you a promyse that he neuer made promyse nor neuer none wolde make, but he wold fyrste sende you worde by wrytyng. what Tyndale can saye to this I can not tell. But tyll he can say better to this then euer hym self or his mayster eyther could say to yt yet, or euer shall saye whyle they lyue / euery man may sone se what menne may say to hym.
Luther yet in his boke of Babilonica, where he sayth as Tyndale now sayth that matrymonye where saynte Paule sayth yt is a great sacrament, hath no grace nor is no sacramēt: he answereth sayn[…] Paule well and pertely and sayth, that saynte Paule sayed yt peraduenture of his owne hed not of goddes spiryte. Then when the kynges grace had answered hym, and that he saw that for aught he could do mē wold beleue saynt Paule better then hym, & that styll folke toke matrymony for a sacramēt, and that they though that to faythfull folke god wyth that holy knot gaue grace towarde the kepynge and ordeyned yt hym selfe so to do: he swore then in great anger and made a great vowe that he wolde playnly proue the contrary, and ranne out of religyon and wedded fleynge cate his nunne, to shew to the world hym selfe a matrymonye of his owne makynge, that was neyther any holy sacrament nor had any grace therin. And tyll that Tyndale do ye same as he sayth prestes both may & muste: he shall neuer any other waye proue his conclusyon trew whyle he lyueth.
Of the sacrament of aneylynge, these be his wordes.
Footnotes
Chapter 26 of 95