fall from the maniers of the grecians / through which he did sustayn great reproche amonge the wise / and mutche hatred amonge his souldiours / ãd 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 / ãd 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 ãd condẽned / 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 euẽ 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 conuersaciõ / 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 thẽ 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 cõpanie of vnbeleauers / these weaklinges do not / yea darre not vse it / les they in ther sayings / shuld be snatched vpp / ãd 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 tẽple 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 thẽ aske this question. The lorde commaunded that the Iues shuld
make gardes in the quartiers of their garmẽts / ãd 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 circũcision 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 thẽ / 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 inhabitãtes of that lande: This he did partli bicause / that through this they shuld not be brought by the Cananites / into the daũger 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 commãdement 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 Whẽ 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 lamẽt / 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