A Treatise of the Cohabitation Of the Faithful with the Unfaithful | Page 9

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