A Treatise of the Cohabitation Of the Faithful with the Unfaithful | Page 4

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.
[[Conuersation vuith men excommunicate.]]
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 secund proposition.]]
Nowe will I put forthe an other proposition or sentence / whiche shalbe
of those persons whych be of a priuate estate and are subiectes / of that
cohabitacion which ys fre wher no man is compelled to communicate
with wicked supersticions / and of suche men as be vnlearned in the
knowledge of gods truithe / weake in faythe / and therfor vnable to
make a christian confession of truithe. Thys collection agreeth with that
which I gathered before / of which I made my former proposition /
sauinge that wheras there / with the priuate estate and free dwellinge
[[Ignoraunnce in men is intollerable.]]
/ I coupled men that were learned and stronge to confesse the truithe /
heare I do adde in the place of them / men vnlearned / vnable / and to
weake to confesse the truithe. But herin thincke not that I do alowe
suche ignoraunce and vnablenes in men. Suche ignoraunce in men is
sharply to be reproued / for ther is none so veri an idiote / so simple and
vnlearned amonge Christianes / but he ys bounde in conscience to be
able to rendre an accompte of hys faythe / and also to be somwhat able
to teache and instructe others / yea and to saye somwhat for the truthe /
in all the principall poyntes of the christian faythe / which he may do yf
he be but meanlie instructed in the Catechisme. But bicause / partlie
throughe the peruersnes of the ministers which do not their office to

instructe men / partlie throughe the negligence of men which do not
their dutie in seekinge to be instructed / suche ignoraunce there is / I
admytt therfore into this my collection those ignoraunte / vnable / and
weake men. And so I make this proposition. Those men which are of a
priuate estate and condition / dwellinge or beinge in a place where they
be not compelled to communicate with wicked supersticions. And are
them selues vnlearned and vnable to confesse and defende the truithe /
maye not vse famyliar conuersation with the vnbeleuers.
These men ar not in that condition that the learned be / of whom I dyd
speake before / for they cannot teache the vnbeleuers / yea they be not
able to defende the gospell of christe from the blasphemie of the
vnbeleuers / neither can they deliuer them selues from suche false
snares as the vnbeleauers shall laye for them: Wherfor they must not
haue familiar conuersacion with them / through which they shall thus
throwe themselues into perill / and ieoperdie: Except that they can
assure themselues of such strenghth / that they shall not yealde vnto the
wickednes of the vnbeleuers. Otherwise / if they shall happen to dwell
togither in one place with the vnfaithfull: Lett them take goode heede
that they do lyue an holy lyfe amonge them: And for the rest / let them
so far as the necessitie of lyfe / and ciuile businesses and affaires shall
suffer them / vtterly abstayn from the companie of the vnbeleauers.
[[A question.]]
But heere risith a question: Whether that such a weake and vnlearned
man / maye learn ony of the liberall artes / or philosophie / of such a
master as is an vnbeleauer.
Vnto which I answer: that forbicause