and faythe in Christe. And this they muste not leaue of to do so longe as they be dwellinge and familiar with them. To the end also that they maye do this the better / yt ys not vnlawfull / but moste conuenient for them to shewe them selues frendlie / gẽtill / and louinge unto the vnbeleauers withe whõ they are familiarlie conuersaunte / and dwellinge / So that theise maye perceyue that the faythfull do loue thẽ: els ys yt to be feared that they shall do no good withe them. for that doctrine ys moste redylie receyued of the hearer / which cõmeth from him / of whom the hearer ys persuaded / that he ys hys frende / and that he louithe hym indeede.
2 The second thinge that the faythfull must take heede of / ãd Rule which they must obserue ys this: That they do lyue an holy lyfe / and that amonge the vnbeleauers their conuersacion be so godly / graue / comely / and agreing with their profession / that in no wise they do gyue any offence through the wickednes of their lyfe: for yf by their lyfe the vnfaythfull shuld be offendid / then shuld their mynistery be vnprofitable to the vnbeleuers / for that by their euell doings they shuld ouerthrowe what soeuer they labored to builde vpp in wordes.
3 The thred thinge that theise men must take heede of / and Rule which they must obserue is. That they do not communicate / with the vnfaythfull in their supersticiõs and idolatries / nor iet do so mutch as outwardly to seame to allowe them. Thys ys not to be doone in ony wise / no not in hope therby
to wynne the vnbeleauer from hys supersticion / and Idolatrie: Ro. 3 For this Rule of the holy ghoste doth euer remain certain / Euell things ar not to be doone / that goode maye comme therof. This vnchaungeable rule must not be broken.
4 The fourth and last thing that theise men must take heede of / and Rule which they must obserue is this. That they haue not ther familiar conuersaciõ with the vnbeleuers for their own cause / as for their pleasure and recreacion / or for their gayn and profite / but only in respect of wynnynge them to the gospell of christe. Neither ys this conuersacion and companie / contynually to be hadd and kept with the vngodly and vnbeleuers / but so long as ther is goode hoope of wynninge / and conuerting thẽ to the gospell of christe. For yf the vnbeleauers shall shew themselues so obstinate in their euell / that they giue iuste cause to despaire of ther amendement / then ar they vtterly to be forsaken / and no conuersacion or cõpanie is to be hadd with them / farther thẽ the necessitie of lyfe enforcith either partie. As yff the vnbeleauers shuld be in such extreme necessitie / that they could not be releaued but at the hand of the faythfull: or yf theise shuld be in that necessitie / that they could not otherwise obtain thinges necessarie but of the vnfaithfull. Also in byinge and selling thinges necessarie for the lyfe / as garmentes / victuals / and such like: Agayn in such thinges as cyuile estates / and condicions do require / as of princes and Rulars to demaunde
lawfull defence / and to obey them in thinges lawfvll: to fathers / maried folke / masters / ãd such lyke / to do thos duties which ar appointed in godds worde. In theise thinges to vse the vnbeleauers / or to minister vnto them / ys not vnlawfull.
Thus and in thys manier / yt ys lawfull for a priuate mã / which is lerned / ãd constãt in godds truithe / being in that place wher no man ys compelled to be partaker of wicked supersticions / to dwell together / and vse familiar conuersacion with the vnbeleuers and vnfaythfull / as theise named Rules and condicions / do appoint and suffer. And so haue ye this proposiciõ declared and opened / The same ys cõfirmed / by the example of Christ our Sauiour. He dyd resorte to the dyners / and feastes / where scribes and pharisees / publicanes and synners were / to thys ende onlie / euen to teache them and to winne them vnto the Gospell. So saieth hierom. Hiero in Matt. cap. 9. The lorde dyd go vnto the feastes of synners / that he mighte haue occasion to teache them and that he mighte gyue spirituall meates to them which dyd bydde hym: and after speaking how christe went ofte to feastes / Theare ys (saithe he) no other thinge reported / but what he dyd / and what he taughte there. That bothe the humblenes of the lorde in goinge to synners / and the power of hys doctrine in conuertinge the penitents / mighte be declared.
After the same maner / the prophetes in the olde tyme were conuersaunte with the Idolatrous people.
So were the Apostles famyliarlie conuersaunte with the vnbeleuinge Iues / and went also emõgest other vnbeleuing nations and men. Act. 17. S. Paule when he came to Athens / dyd not thinke skorne so famyliarlie to behaue him selfe that he went in to the temples of their Idolls / and verye curiouslie searched the corners of the same / he dyd viewe their altars / the titles and inscriptions of ther altars / so that he founde owte that title / Ignoto Deo which was an altar dedicated vnto the vnknowen God / wherof he dyd take occacion to make that same hys sermon in which he preached Christe vnto them euen as yt were owt of their own bokes.
And thus / I thinke / that this our proposition / (which of yt owne selfe ys plaine and euident ynoughe) ys sufficientlie proued. Namelie thys / that a priuate man / learned / and constaunte in the truithe / beinge in that place where no man ys compelled to communicate with wicked supersticions / maye be familiarlie conuersante with the vnbeleuers / so longe as in hys conuersation he doth obserue and kepe / the conditions before mencioned. Cõuersation vuith men excõmunicate. Here I thinke good to adde / as yt were by the waye of admonicion / that kepinge these rules and conditions / yt ys lawfull for the godlie to be conuersaunte with them which be excommunicate / euen to call them in to the waye of godlynes / and not to communicate with them in any euill or synne. The secũd proposition. Nowe will I put forthe an other proposition or sentence / whiche shalbe of those persons whych