Part 2

Which thing Paule puttith in practise when he biddith / that the Corinthians shuld excommunicat the fornicator / les that a litill leauen shuld soure the whole lumpe of dowe. To the same pupose he usith the vearse of the poete Menander.

[[1. Cor. 15.]]

Euell wordes do corrupt goode maniers. Ther Paul teachith that the true doctrine of the Resurrection was greatly hindered amonge the Corinthians / which wer but newly turned vnto christe / bicause they dyd to lightly gyue eare to the vngodly argumentes and reasons of philosophers / or rather of heretiques / which did contend and stryue agaynst that doctrine. No man can sufficiently consider / how the bewitching of wicked tales / and talkes / do shake and hurt the tender conscience and weake faithe / of the foeble and weake brother. Wherfor it is most necessari and profitable to admonishe them which ar weake / that they do abstayn / and withdrawe them selues / from the felowshipp and familiar companye / of the vnbeleauers. The phisicions / do cowncell when a contagius disease hath enfected any nigh place / that thei which as yet ar sownd and not enfected / shuld not comme vnto them that be enfected alreadye and sicke / bicause that in the bodies of men / and the temperatures / and disposicions of the same / ther is such a common passion and suffering / that the infection doth easily go from them that be infected / vnto the other. And though they which do not take heede and keape them selues from that infection / do not presently feale the poyson and force therof / yeat inasmutch as by lytill and litill the infection / and poyson receyued doth growe / not long after they ar sure to feale the force and strenghthe of it. Seing this is so / and eich man maye worthily and godly take heede to auoide the diseases of the bodie / mutch more diligent heede is to be taken of all men / that they do not from ony man or place gett vnto themselues infecting vices of the minde. Our Nature / and disposicion through our naturall and birthe syn is now so corrupt / (as both the holy scripture doth warn vs / and infinite examples of dayly experience do teache vs) that we neade not to dowt at all / but that we shall easily receyue the poison / and infection of other mens synnes / if we do not fle farr from them: And as with no great labour they will cleaue vnto vs / so after they be ons crept and roted vnto vs / then hardly and not without great payn and labor / will they be thrust out agayn.

[[In Ioemm. hom. 56.]]

Wherefor Chrisostom in the afore named place semith to say well. If (saithe he speaking of the vnbeleauers and wicked) we coulde make them better / and not hurt our selues / all thinges wer to be doone: but when we can not profite them / bicause they be incurable / and such as will not be amended / and yet we hurt our selues / they ar vtterly to be cutt of. And to the end that he might the more strongly confirme his saying / he alledgith that sayinge of Paul:

[[1. Cor. 5.]]

Put awaye the euell from among yowe. Which wordes of Paule ar not to be vnderstonded of the synne / for the greke word is in the masculyne gendre / +ton pone:ron+ / and therfor he meanith by it / the wicked man. The same wordes I will now sumwhat bend / vse / and turn / vnto the profite of you that be weake / and thus saye vnto yowe. Put awaye your own selues from the euell men that ar emongst you: for seing ye ar but priuate men / and vnlearned / and therfor can not put away the euell from among you / yet your selues ye may ridd / and conuey awaye from being emongst the wicked / and the euell men.

Morouer it happeneth that whilest the weake and vnlearned do thus familiarly accompanie the vnbealeuers / They can not chose but they must heare many subtill reasons and see many other thinges which do mutch make against the true religion that they do profes: Which thinges when they se and be not able to disproue and confute / They do it not: And so they ronne into two mischeifs. The furst is / That they ar as it wer witnesses of the blasphemie / and of the reproche that the vnbeleauers do to the truthe: the seconde / that they maie happ to haue summe stinge left sticking in their concience / with which they shalbe longer / more greuusly and daungerusly tormented / then either they thincke of or do feare. Let vs heere therfor the wise man which doth saye.

[[Eccles. 13.]]

Who so touchithe pitche shalbe fyled ther with all / and he that is familiar with the proude / shall become lyke vnto hym: Take not a burthen vppon the / aboue thy poure / neither ioyne thow thi self to hym that is more honorable / and ritche then thiself. These words of the wiseman / do for two causes belong to our purpos. Furst / bicause that they do teache / that other mens synnes ar lyke vnto pitche / which doth stycke vnto the fingars and garments of them that do touche it. Agayn / that eich man shuld well trie and consider his own poure and strenghth. Vppon which cowncell / I do gather two thinges. Furst / that the infirme and weake must not ioyn themselues in familiaritie with the wicked / for wickednes will then cleaue vnto them: Secondly that eich man must so well consider / and iustly trie his own poure and strenghth / that he doth not ouermatch himself.

The churche of godd in all ages hath felt by experience that mutch euell hathe happened through this familiar companie / and felowshipp keapt betwene the weake in faithe and knowledge / and the vnbeleauers. In the Primitiue churche forthwith after christes ascension / because the Iues which wer conuerted vnto christe did lyue a great while with thos gentils which hadd receyued the gospel / ther begon a very Iuishnes. For the Iues did enforce the ceremonies of Moses lawe / myngling them with the doctryne of the gospell / through which they did infect many congregacions of the christians so sore / that scarsely and hardely at lenghth could that euell be roted out: Yea that euell hath so preuailed / that euen vntill our tymes / in Spayn namely / and in sum other places also / ther be many which do not only holde still the ceremonies of Moses lawe with the profession of christe / but they do thincke them to be necessarie vnto Saluacion. They emongst the Spaniards which be of this mynde / ar called Marrani. And vnto this daye the churche of India is enfected with the same vice. But let the examples of the holy scripture / I praye you / teache vs euen the same. The Israelites which wer captyues in Babilon / by the space of 70. yeares / when they hadd libertie gyuen them furst of Cyrus / then of Darius / thos two most noble Kinges to return / they did not all forthewith return / but a great number of them / such namely as wer weaker in the lord then other / being delighted with the commodities and pleasures of their houses / feildes and traffique of merchandize / did abide still amonge the chaldees: Which men how sharpely they wer reproued of Esdras / Nehemias / Zacharias / and other prophetes / it dothe playnly appeare in the scripture to them that liste to seake and knowe it. How the Israelites wer infected throughe that conuersacion which they hadd with the Egiptians / it appearith playnly by this / that whilest they wer in the desert / when as yet the wonderfull benefites of godd wer euen before ther eyes / they did fall from the lord their dilyuerer vnto Idolatrie / and vnto that kinde of Idolatrie / which they wer acquaynted withall in Egipte. Ther they hadd seene howe the Egiptians worshipped an Oxe /

[[Exod. 23.]]

they therfor violently trauailed with Aaron when Moses was absent / that he shuld make them a calf to worshipp: which when he hadd doone / then began they ioyously to crye: Theise ar the godds / O. Israell / which brought the out of the lande of Egypt. Agayn / when by the desert wild and barren places /

[[Numer. 25.]]

they wer comme to the coastes of the Moabites / and began to waxe more familiar with them then became the poeple of godd / through that familiaritie they wer brought to this / that not only they did committ most vile whordom with thos beastly women / but also that they sacrificed vnto their most shamefull Idoll / Baalpeor / and suffred themselues to be coupled vnto his sacrifices. for which they suffred many miseries and calamities.

[[Math. 26.]]

Peter likewise / when he camme into that wicked court of the cheif prest and was ther conuersant emongst thos damsels and vngodly seruantes / most miserablie did he denie and forsweare his master christe our Sauiour: which his fault / after he departed from thence / he did bewaile with abundaunce of teares. By these histories ye may playnly see / what happenith vnto the weake through that familiar conuersacion which they haue with the vnfaithful.

[[Esaiae 6.]]

Esaye the prophet / when he did se the lorde sitting vppon his seate of glorie / with his Angels about hym most purely publishing his prayse / though he semith not to thincke hymself greatlye gyltie of ony notable cryme or fault / yet cryeth he out / O wo is me / &c. I dwell amonge a poeple that hath vncleane lyppes. This man of godd truly did thincke / that he hadd gotton no small corruption and infection / bicause he hadd lyued long with an vncleane poeple.

The histories of the heathen do teache vs the same thinge. Alexander that gret and mightie kinge of Macedonia / who by the force of armes / and most notable victories / hadd subdued the greatest parte of the whole worlde / Euen he hymself was ouercomme with the maniers of the Persians.

And vppon whom of right / as vppon a conquered poeple / he shuld haue laied lawes / to haue brought them to that seuere kinde of lyfe which the Macedonians vsed / euen he as a man conquered and ouercomme of ther maniers / suffered hymself to be so shamefully misused / that he did take vnto hym their kinde of araye / their lowse delicacie / their pompe and pride / and set. furthe hymself to be worshipped of them as godd. And so being corrupted he did allow that fall from the maniers of the grecians / through which he did sustayn great reproche amonge the wise / and mutche hatred amonge his souldiours / and that not vnworthilie. Besids this / we must knowe / that if these men do without ony Rule or godly end keape such companye / and be familiarly conuersant with the vnbeleauers / except that in theise the fruite of their conuercion do quickly appeare / and of the other also it be by all meanes ernestly sought / both in the reprouing of their vnbeleif / and in alluring them to the truithe / It doth happen that ther conuercion is hindred by such companie and familiaritie. For whilest the vnbeleuers do se that the faithfull do lyue so frendly / and familiarly with them / they do iudge forthewith that their supersticion / and vnbeleif / is not so wicked a thinge / nor yet a thinge so to be abhorred and condenned / as it is reported / yea thus maye they be brought to imagin / that they maye be saued though they do perseuere / and contynue in their vnbeleif. For if it wer otherwise (shall they thincke) theise goode and godly men / wold not be thus familiar and frendly with vs.

I do omitt to speake of this / that many other of the brethern ther ar / which by the example of this conuersacion / do persuade themselues that they maye do euen the self same thinge / and so do beare with the wicked / and do wincke at their euell / bicause that they haue seen other men do so before them And thus it commith to pas / that by the example of sum men / this euell spreadith it self abroade so that in the end / our faith and Religion / is euen layed forth for the wicked and vngodly / to mocke / and contempn.

Often tymes also that thing happenith / which we reade to haue happened in Pauls tyme / amonge the Corinthians /

[[1. Cor. 10.]]

that the brethern by this conuersacion / ar brought to be partakers of the wickednesses / vile custumes / and Idolatries of the vnfaithfull: Which familiar conuersacion / dothe not only couple them with the vnfaithfull / but it is a meane to make them Idolatrours: for thauoiding of which / Paule cryeth out in the same place:

[[1. Cor. 10.]]

fle Idolatrie. I do likewise passe ouer with silence / that wher our weake and vnlearned brethern / do thus ioyne themselues in familiar conuersacion with the vnfaithfull / it can not be but betwene them and the vnfaithfull / sumtyme ther will happen communicacion of Religion: And then though it happ so that through want of learninge / our weaklinges do not slyppe and foile them selues / Yeat bicause they can not dissolue / and answer vnto the arguments / and subtile reasons of the aduersaries aptly / ther arisith then contentius stryfes betwen them / and not only this / but euel speakings / reproches / and hatreds / which thinges ar so farr from edifying / that they do altogether hynder and lett it: furthermor in these conflictes it happenith / that our weaklinges at lenghth are putt to silence / so that they neither speake to confes the truithe / nor to reproue that whiche is fals: Now consider heere what a libertie these men do lose: which christian libertie is in free boldenes in speakinge / to reproue that which is fals / as to confes godd / and his truithe. This libertie of free speaking and confessing / no christen man ought so to gyue ouer / but that he in all his talke shuld and might vse it.

But in this companie of vnbeleauers / these weaklinges do not / yea darre not vse it / les they in ther sayings / shuld be snatched vpp / and put to shame. Yet truly no men / nor ony companye of men shuld cause a christian to caste awaye this fredom and libertie.

[[2 Cor. 6.]]

For our purpose also makith that sayinge of S. Paul. Set your selues at large / for what felowshipp hath righteousnes with vnrighteousnes? Or what companie hathe light with darcknes? Or what concorde hath christe withe Beliall? Either what parte hath he that beleauith / with an Infidell? Or how agreith the temple of godd / with Images? These wordes ar so playn that they neede not to be expownded: In which / this conuersacion of which we now do entreate / is most simplye / and playnly forbidden. The figures and ceremonies of Moses lawe ar taken awaye / but yet the thinge figured / which is as I might saye / the strenghth / the pythe / and foundacion of them / doth remayn.

[[Numer. 15.]]

Which thinge being true / I maye then aske this question. The lorde commaunded that the Iues shuld make gardes in the quartiers of their garments / and to put vppon the garde / a ribande of yelow silcke / &c. My question now is. Whi the lorde did commaunde / that the Iues shuld differ from the gentils / not in circumcision only / but euen in their garments also? Euen for this cause verily / that they shuld be taught euen by their gardes also / that they wer gods peculiar people / and that they shulde separate themselues from the gentils / that they shuld not be conuersaunt with them / neither shuld they ioyne themselues in familiaritie withe them / farther then the necessitie of either of the lyues did require. The Iuishe gardes we do reiect / but this which is ment by the gardes we both do and must retayne. In many places the lorde commaunded the Iues also that they shuld not return into Egypte / and that they shuld not aske healpe of the Egiptians / nor of the Assirians: Which he did partly to this end / that through such familiaritie as then must haue beene betwene them and their healpers / the Israelites shuld not be infected withe their vices. The booke of the Iudges / doth playnly inough teache vs this will and pleasure of godd.

[[Iudic. 2.]]

For the Israelites did synne greuusly in this / that they did put to tribute thos Idolatrus nacions / ouer whom the lorde hadd gyuen them uictorie / and did couenant with them / that they shuld dwell amonge them in peace / which thinge godd hadd diuers tymes expressly forbidden them to do / commaunding that they shuld vtterly destroye the inhabitantes of that lande: This he did partli bicause / that through this they shuld not be brought by the Cananites / into the daunger of Idolatrie. Now the cause being such with these weake / and vnlearned men / of whom I now do speake / they must likewise take goode heade to obserue that rule / which the lorde appointed vnto the Israelites. It appearith playnly / that this commandement of god was kept longe tyme amonge the Iues: for they did not vse ony familiaritie / nor keape companie withe the Samaritans which did not truly worshipe the lyuynge godd / no not in christes tyme /

[[Ioan. 4.]]

as it appearith by the talke that he hadd with the woman at the well. Morouer as the goode fathers in olde tyme / did esteme it as their singular ioye / when they might be familiarly conuersant with the godly / so how mutch they sorowed When they could not be so conuersant with the people of godd / and in godds house / Dauid is witnes: Who when he fledd from the face of Saul his persequtour / did mourn / and in the psalmes with most heauie complaintes / doth lament / that he was compelled to be conuersant amonge straungers / such as did not knowe the lyuyng godd / and to be as it wer an exile from godd / and his people. So shuld the companie hadd with the vnfaithfull / be heauy and bitter to the faithfull.

[[Daniel 1.]]

Daniell and his thre felows / might haue lyued / vppon the Kinges table / and haue eaten most fyne and delicate meates / but they did rather chose to lyue together with potage / and water / and vtterly to forsake thos pleasures / and delicacies / then they wold defile them selues with the meates of the vnbeleauers. Moses also / as it is writon in the epistle to the hebrues /

[[Hebr. 11.]]

might if he wold haue beene taken for the Sonne of Pharaos daughter / and so to haue beene in greate hoope of obtaynynge the kingdome of Egipte: but all this sett a parte / he did chose rather / forsaking all theise thinges / to go vnto his brethern / which wer in miserable bondage / seruinge and laboring in claye / and bricke: Which thing to do / as it was a greate triall of his faithe / so the doinge of it doth commend / and sett furth his faithe / and shew what loue he hadd to be conuersant with the people of godd. They which do not folowe these examples / do shew how litell they do regarde the glorie of godd / and the communion and felowship of sayntes / which they will not gayne nor redeame with losse / no thoughe it be of neuer so litill: And in this preferring of their own gayne welthe and commoditie / aboue the glorie of godd / and the felowlie communion of the godlye / they do most wickedly.

[[1. Cor. 10.]]

Do we (saithe Paule to the corinthians) prouoke the lorde? Ar we stronger then he? Theise weake brethern / which do not trie their own strenghth to fele their weaknes so / that they might seeke the encreace of strenghth in them selues / but being weake indeede / both dare and do thus desperatlie committ themselues vnto this familiar conuersacion with the vnfaithfull / they do tempt godd / and do after a sort prouoke hym / as thoughe they wolde becomme stronger than he.

Many more reasons might I bringe to proue this proposicion true. That a priuate man / being in a place wher he is not compelled to communicate with the supersticions of the vnfaithfull / and is vnlearned vnable / and to weake to confesse the truithe / must not ioyne in familiaritie / nor be familiarly dwelling and conuersant together with the vnfaithfull. But bicause I do suppose that it is sufficiently proued by the reasons which I haue alledged / I will now prepare myself to an other proposicion.

The thred proposicion shalbe / of Priuate men and subiectes / which ar lerned and stronge / and of them also which ar weake and vnlearned / of that dwelling which is not fre / wher as men ar compelled by lawes / and Tyrannye to communicate and to be partakers with the wicked in their supersticions and Idolatries: And of theise I make this proposicion / and sentence.

[[The thred proposicion.]]

Priuate men and subiectes be they learned or vnlearned / stronge or weake / which ar dwelling and abyding in that place wher men ar compelled to communicate / and be partakers withe Idolatrors / and to be present at vnlawfull supersticions and Idolatries / defiling themselues with vncleane Religion / maye not dwell together nor be familiarly conuersaunt / they may not ioyne in societie with suche Idolatrors: I saye / that this cohabitacion / and familiar dwelling together is vnlawfull / vngodlye / and not to be kept in ony wise: But in this case a faithfull man must either flye / or dye for the truithe / that he be not compelled to defile himself with Idolatrie. Ther is truly but one truithe / and that same must be holden with a pure conscience / neither must it be forsaken for the pleasure of ony man.

[[1. Cor. 10.]]

S. Paul saith to the Corinthians: flye ye Idolatrie. Then do men flye Idolatrie / when either they do depart from the place wher Idolatrie is committed / or when abiding still in the same place / they do gyue their lyues and suffer deathe bicause they will not committ Idolatrie nor allowe it with ther presence. Paul therfor teachith by this sayinge / that in no wise the faithfull shuld come at the Idolatries of the vnfaithfull / but flye from them: which sentence is so playn to the vnderstondinge of the most symple / that it neadith no exposicion at all. The lawe and the prophetes / the olde Testament and the newe / ar full of such sentences / and commaundementes / which do forbidd straunge worshippinge of godd and Idolatrie.

[[2. Mach. 7.]]

Call to your mynde the historie of the Machabees / which I do not recite as thoughe I wold gyue to that booke ony lyke autoritie with the Canonicall scriptures, but bicause the historie is rehersed not only ther / but also in Iosephus / and the examples of them ar profitable for vs / therfor I do alledge them. That godly Mother hadd rather haue the whole fruite of her bodie to be miserablie destroyed / then ons to taste of swynes fleshe.

[[Gen. 2.]]

Swynes fleshe / and Adams apple / of their very nature ar not so to be abhorred / for eiche of them is a goode creature of godd. But forsomutche as vnto them godd hathe ioyned his worde to forbid the tasting of them / therfor euen as Adam could not eate the forbidden apple / so could not they eate swynes fleashe without committing of greate synne: which rather then they wolde do / the poore babes offer themselues to the deathe / and the godly mother doth most stronglye therto encorage them and most constauntly abide the same herself.

In the church of christe ther haue beene innumerable martirs / as Eusebius / and others do write / which haue most constantly abidden deathe / bicause they wold not depart from the Religion of christe / nor file themselues with Idolatrie: They wold not put one grayne of franckinsence vppon the altars of the Idols / nor throwe one floure / nor ons bowe the knee before them / but suffered rather deathe.

[[Matth. 10.]] [[Luc. 12.]]

They hadd this alwais before ther eyes: Feare not hym that killethe the bodie / &c. And that he speakith of killing the bodie / is likewise to be vnderstonded of taking awaye of goodes and ritches: But he is to be feared / which after that he hath taken awaye bothe lyfe and goodes / can throwe the soule into euerlastinge fire / feare hym.

S. Paule to persuade the Corinthians that they shuld abstayn from meates offered vnto Idols / vsith theise reasons:

[[1. Cor. 3.]]

Bicause they wer the Temple of godd. They wer the membres of christe / and therfor they might not become the membres of an Idoll. Bicause they wer partakers of the lords table of which they could not be partakers and of the table of Deuels also. And the same thing that Paule said vnto the Corinthians / do I also saye vnto these our brethern of whom I do entreate.

[[Daniel. 3.]]