A Treatise of the Cohabitation Of the Faithful with the Unfaithful | Page 6

required / that we do go about the same
with an vpright and perfect mynde and will. S. Paul / therfor / doth not
simply permitt this going / but with certayn circumstances. Which ar /
to go with a goode will to enstruct the vnfaythfull: Agayn to go with an
assured purpose / not to be, and taste of such strenghthe / that he shall
not be ouerthrown. And thus this proposicion remaynith true / that the
man whiche ys weak and vnlearned / must separate himself from the
company and famyliar conuersacion of the vnbeleauers / so mutch as
cyuile and naturall businesses and affaires will suffer / and as the
necessitie of lyfe shall require (as I saide before). Lykewise all
houshold duties and offices appointed in gods worde must be obserued
/ els shall he offend / for as Paule saithe:
[[1. Timo. 5.]]
He that prouidith not for hys / and especially for them of hys own

howshold / the same hath denied the faithe / and ys wors then an
Infidell. And to proue farther / that this vnlearned and weake man must
abstayn from the familiar companie of the vnbeleauers / yea thoughe
they be most deere vnto hym / that Rule doth serue / which Christe our
Sauiour gyuithe sayinge.
[[Matt. 5. 18.]]
If thy hande or fote offend the / and hinder the / cut yt of / and cast it
from the / &c. If thyn eye offend the / plucke yt out / and caste yt from
the. We ar not commaunded in this place / to cut of the outward
membres of our bodie / as Origen (yf it be true that sum do report of
hyme) dyd vntruly thincke / but as the sownd interpretours do write /
thos frends and thinges / which ar most nighe and deere vnto vs /
Theise ar they which must be cut of plucked out / and cast awaye from
our familiaritie and companie / when they do plucke / and separate vs /
from the true waye of saluacion / or be such a hinderaunce vnto vs as
puttinge impedimentes and lettes in our waye / do hynder vs from
walking in gods lawe. Chrisostom entreating this matier / writithe.
[[In Ioan. hom. 15.]]
If the membre which ys misioined vnto the bodie must be cut of / ar not
then euell frends mutch nore to be cut of? And agayn / he saith / If we
do cut of that membre which ys rotten / and incurable from the bodie /
for feare les yt shuld corrupt the other partes therof / (which we do not
bicause we do neglect it / for who yet did euer hate his own fleshe, but
to saue the rest) how mutch more is this to be done to them which ar
euell ioyned vnto us? Which yet we must not do as thoughe we did
despise them / but to prouide that our helthe and saluacion be not
brought in daunger by them, after that we do see that we can not profite
them at all. To this also belongith the lawe which christe did giue:
[[Matth. 18.]]
That he which will not heere the brethern admonishing him / And doth
contemne the voice of the churche when it reprouith / and correctith
hym: he is then to be estemed and taken as an ethnicke / and a

publicane.
[[1. Cor. 5.]]
Which thing Paule puttith in practise when he biddith / that the
Corinthians shuld excommunicat the fornicator / les that a litill leauen
shuld soure the whole lumpe of dowe. To the same pupose he usith the
vearse of the poete Menander.
[[1. Cor. 15.]]
Euell wordes do corrupt goode maniers. Ther Paul teachith that the true
doctrine of the Resurrection was greatly hindered amonge the
Corinthians / which wer but newly turned vnto christe / bicause they
dyd to lightly gyue eare to the vngodly argumentes and reasons of
philosophers / or rather of heretiques / which did contend and stryue
agaynst that doctrine. No man can sufficiently consider / how the
bewitching of wicked tales / and talkes / do shake and hurt the tender
conscience and weake faithe / of the foeble and weake brother. Wherfor
it is most necessari and profitable to admonishe them which ar weake /
that they do abstayn / and withdrawe them selues / from the felowshipp
and familiar companye / of the vnbeleauers. The phisicions / do
cowncell when a contagius disease hath enfected any nigh place / that
thei which as yet ar sownd and not enfected / shuld not comme vnto
them that be enfected alreadye and sicke / bicause that in the bodies of
men / and the temperatures