A Treatise of the Cohabitation Of the Faithful with the Unfaithful | Page 3

yt to be feared that they
shall do no good withe them. for that doctrine ys moste redylie
receyued of the hearer / which commeth 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 / and 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 supersticions 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
conuersacion 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 them 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 companie is to be hadd with them
/ farther then 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 / and 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 man / which is

lerned / and constant 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 proposicion declared and opened / The same ys confirmed
/ 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
emongest other vnbeleuing nations and men.
[[Act. 17.]]
S. Paule when he