Math. xxviii. Ordour is ane sacrament. [Fol. I Tim. iv. Promis of grace annexit to Ordour. ministratioun, for the edificatioun of the mistik bodye of Christ, quhil we all mete togidder in ane faith and knawlege of the sonne of God. Heir thow seis plainly, that the office of ministratioun mone be had in the kirk, sa lang as the kirk hes mister to be edifyit in the faith and knawlege of the sonne of God. And trewly that sal be to the end of the warld. Quhairfor the powar of ministratioun of the sacramentis gevin to the Apostillis, was to be had in the kirk quhil the end of the warld. Sa our salviour said to his Apostillis: Ecce ego vobiscum sum usque ad consummationem sæculi. Behald I am with yow quhil the end of the warld. Thirdly, ye sal understand that Ordour quhairin powar is gevin to the ministeris of the kirk, may weil be callit ane sacrament, because it hes lyk uthir sacramentis ane sensibil signe, quhilk is impositioun of handis, it hes ane special forme of wordis usit in the sacrament of the same, and also promis of grace to be assistent in the same sacrament, quhilk promis is expremit be S. Paul writand thus to his dicipil Timothe: Attende tibi et doctrinæ insta in illis, hoc enim faciens teipsum salvum facies et eos qui te audiunt. O my discipil Timothe tak tent to thi self quhow thow suld leif, and also tak tent to thi leirning, quhow thow suld teiche thi pepil, be diligent and perseverand in thame bayth, and sa doand thow sall saif thi self and also thame that heiris the. And agane he sais: 1 Tim. iv. Noli negligere gratiam, quæ est in te, quæ data est tibi, per prophetiam cum impositione manuum presbyterii. Negleck nocht the grace or the gift of God, quhilk is in the, quhilk is gevin to the throw prophecie with the impositioun of the handis of ane preist. And agane he said to him: Admoneo te ut resuscites gratiam dei, quæ in te est per impositionem manuum mearum. I warne the that thow steir up in thi self the grace of God quhilk is in the, be laying on of my handis. Also he wrait to his discipil Tytus on the same maner sayand thus: Hujus rei gratia reliqui te Cretæ, ut ea que desunt corrigas et constituas per civitates presbyteros, sicut et ego disposui tibi. For this cause sais he, I left the at Crete, that thow mycht correck thai thingis that misteris, and to ordane preistis in citeis as I have disponit to the. 2 Tim. i. Tit. i. [Fol. Heir O christin man, thow may understand twa thingis. clxiii. a.] The ane, that the sacrament of Ordour is nocht the inventioun natioun of or traditioun of man, bot that it is the ordinatioun of Christ, and usit be his Apostillis. The uthir is, that the ordinatioun The ordiof ministaris in the kirk of God, belangis to the bischoppis ministers allanerly, and nocht to the common pepil. in the kirk belangis to bischops. ister the sa cramentis. Fourtly, ye sall understand that because the sacrament of Ordour is ordanit to the convenient dispensatioun and ministratioun of the sacramentis, and of all the sacramentis, the haly and blissit sacrament of the Altar is maist principal, maist excellent and maist precious, thairfor the sacrament of Ordour and namely preistheid is principally institute and ordanit to consecrat the sacrament of the Altar, and to dispens and minister the same conveniently to the christin pepil. Mairouir because the pepil may nocht worthily ressave the same sacrament except thai be preparit and maid reddy to it, be faith and ane cleine conscience, thair for the sacrament of The auctorite of Ordour and preistheid extendis also to the ministratioun of ane preist tha sacramentis, quhairby remissioun of synnis is gevin as is to minBaptyme and Pennance, or ellis augmentatioun of grace, as extreme Unctioun and Matrimonye. Sa the maist principal and maist excellent ordour is Preistheid, quhilk is powar to consecrat and minister the sacramentis afore said. And secundly to teiche the pepil the word of God, sa mekil as it To prech is necessarie to thame to knaw, for thair eternal salvatioun. of God. For as it is writtin: Labia sacerdotis custodiunt scientiam et legem requirent ex ore ejus, quia angelus domini exercituum est. The lippis of a preist keipis science and knawlege, and the pepil sal require the law fra his mouth, for he is the angel, that is to say, the messinger of almychty God the Lord of hostis and armyes. And thridly for to pray for the prosperitie of all christin pepil, and specially of thame, quhilk ar committit to thair cuir. In thir thre pointis, that is, to minister the five sacramentis afore rehersit, Baptyme, Pennance, the Eucharist, extreme Unctioun and Matrimony (as for the ministratioun of Confirmatioun and Ordouris, it belangis allanerly to the office of ane bischop, that unite may be kepit in the kirk of God). To preche or teche the word of God, als mekil as is necessarie to the common instructioun of the pepil, and also to pray to God daily for the pepil. Thus suld al preistis haffand cuir and charge of saulis, occupye and exerce thame self at all tymes convenient and necessarie. And the word [Fol. clxiii. b.] Malach. ii. [Fol. suppose the preist leif nocht sa perfitly as he is bound, and also is nocht sa exemplaire to the pepil as is requirit to his vocatioun, yit the pepil suld nochttheles heir his Mes and ressave fra him the sacramentis, because that the vertew and effect of the sacrament standis nocht in the gudnes and meritis of the minister, bot allanerly in the gudnes and meritis of our salviour Christ, sa that the evil of the minister stoppis nocht the effect of the sacrament. The fift thing to be notit in this matir is, that the powar clxiiii. a.] of ane bischop is to minister certane sacramentis, quhilk the simpil preistis may nocht do, and also powar of jurisdictioun in preeminence and dignitie abone ane simpil preist. To the preist that hes allanerly the sacrament of Ordour, pertenis to minister the word of God, and the sacramentis afore rehersit, to pray for the pepil, bot to ane bischop pertenis the same thre effectis specially and principally as successouris of the Apostils. And with that thai have the powar of jurisdictioun, be the auctoritie quhairof thai may excommunicat and curs al thame that committis grevous dedlie synnis oppinly, and ar callit to jugement and will nocht cum, or gif thai cum, thai will nocht obey the sentence of the judge of the kirk. Siclyk personis lawfully may be excommunicate, that is to say, excludit and put out of the company and communioun of faithfull pepil. Quhilk excommunicatioun is nocht gevin to thame as ane distructioun, bot as ane medicyne for thair correctioun, that be sic exclusioun, thai beand eschamit for thair falt, and also that thai ar private the participatioun of the meritis of Christ gevin be the sacramentis and also the meritis of the kirk, may returne to the obedience of the kirk, and be excommunicatioun as be ane medicinabil correctioun may amend thair lyffis, and amang the christin pepil leif lyk christin men. This powar of cursing was gevin be our salviour to the kirk, Math.xviii. quhen he said: Si ecclesiam non audierit, sit tibi sicut ethnicus et publicanus. Gyf a man will nocht be obedient to the lawful command of the kirk, that is to say, of thame that hes auctoritie in the kirk, lat thame be to the as the Hethin and Publicane, that is to say, lat thame be excludit fra the company of christin pepil and thair haly communioun, even as Hethins and Publicanis ar. And as the bischope hes powar to curs siclyk men, sa hes he powar to lowse thame and assolye thame, How cursing weil usit is ane medicyne. [Fol. clxiiii. b.] quhen thai ar penitent and obedient, according to the wordis of Christ sayand: Quæcunque ligaveritis, etc. As for uthir Math.xviii. ordouris and digniteis of the kirk, we think thame nocht necessarie to be exponit to yow, because the knawlege of thame makis nocht mekil to your edificatioun. OF THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONIE. M The xiv. Cheptour. ATRIMONYE was institute and ordanit be almychty God in Paradise afore the fal of Adam, to be ane lawfull conjunctioun of man and woman in ane continual and inseperabil fellowschip of lyfe till dede depart thame, according to the wordis that Adam said: Relinquet homo patrem et ma- Gen. ii. trem et adhærebit uxori suæ et erunt duo in carne una. The maryit man sall laif his father and his mother, sa that he sall nocht be oblissit to dwell with thame, and he sall adheir and dwel with his wyfe, and thai sal be twa personis in ane flesche, because that thai sall bayth concurre in the generatioun of ane barne. convenient the insti monye. Matrimony was institute and ordanit for four principal Four causis. First that it mycht be the first coupil or conjunctioun [Fol. of ane haly, luffand and freindly fellowschip betwene man clxv. a.] and woman, the man to rewle, and the woman to be rewlit causis of and obey the man, thairfor God said: Faciamus ei adjutorium tution of simile sibi. Lat us mak to man ane help, lyk to him self. matriThe secund cause was generatioun and educatioun of barnis Gen. ii. to the service of God. Thairfor God said: Crescite et multi- Gen. i. plicamini et replete terram. Grow and be multiplyit and fil the erd. The thrid cause of Matrimony was eftir the fall of Adam, to eschaip the syn of fornicatioun quhen men hes nocht the gift of chastitie, and to use the plesure of the body in the honestie of mariage. Thairfor sanct Paule sais: Propter 1 Cor. vii. fornicationem unusquisque suam uxorem habeat, et unaquæque suum virum habeat. To eschaip fornicatioun (quhen men hes nocht the gift of chastitie and hes na lawful impediment) lat ilk man have his awin wife, and ilk a woman have hir awin husband. The fourt principal cause of matrimonye was that Ephes. i. [Fol. clxv. b.] it mycht be ane figure or takin of that maist haly and beluffit conjunctioun that was to be betwene Christ to cum and the kirk, quhilk conjunctioun was forsein and preordinate of God befor the beginning of the warld, according as sanct Paule sais: Qui elegit nos in ipso ante mundi constitutionem. God the eternal father hes chosin us in Christ Jesu before the beginning of the warld. And doutles matrimony is ane sacrament, that is to say, ane haly signe or takin of that same conjunctioun that is betwene Christ and his kirk. For as be the first institutioun of matrimonie ane husband is joynit to ane wyfe, with ane band of fellowschip inseparabil till dede depart thame, sa the sonne of God Jesus Christ as ane spiritual husband, and the hail universal congregatioun of faithfull men and wemen as ane spiritual wyfe, ar couplit and joynit togidder with ane inseperabil band of faith. Thairfor S. Paul Ephes. v. sais spekand of the band of matrimonie. Sacramentum hoc magnum est, ego autem dico in Christo et in ecclesia. Matrimonye is ane gret sacrament, bot I say in Christ and in the kirk. And suppose matrimonye was ordanit to sa strait and inseperabil conjunctioun of a man and a woman, yit eftir the fal of Adame in the tyme of the law of nature and also writtin, matrimonye fell fra that perfectioun and was degenerat in twa pointis fra the first institution. For ane man maryit mony wyffes, and sumtyme a man haffand displesure at his wife wald geve to hir a libel of partising and put hir fra him and lowse the band of matrimonye. The first of thir twa pointis, quhilk is that a man mycht have syndry wyffis, specially the haly Patriarchis and kingis, as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, with the laif. It was lauchful be the secret dispensatioun of God, for twa reasonis, the tane is mistik, to be ane figure that the sonne of God Jesus Christ suld cowpil to him self be the spiritual matrimonye of faith bayth ane congregatioun of Jewis, and also ane congregatioun of Gentillis, to be to him ane halye kirk. The uthir reasone is litteral, that swa mycht multiply the pepil of Israel, quhilk was the chosin pepil of God, amang quhom and of quhom the sonne of God was to be incarnate. And as for the secund point quhilk was partising, Moses tholit it to be usit, because of the hardnes of thair hartis, for thair was amang thame mony styf neckit proud and malicious men to thair wyffis, and How the perfection of matri mony was degenerat. [Fol. clxvi. a.] |