A Treatise of the Cohabitation Of the Faithful with the Unfaithful | Page 8

companie / and felowshipp keapt
betwene the weake in faithe and knowledge / and the vnbeleauers. In
the Primitiue churche forthwith after christes ascension / because the
Iues which wer conuerted vnto christe did lyue a great while with thos
gentils which hadd receyued the gospel / ther begon a very Iuishnes.
For the Iues did enforce the ceremonies of Moses lawe / myngling them
with the doctryne of the gospell / through which they did infect many
congregacions of the christians so sore / that scarsely and hardely at
lenghth could that euell be roted out: Yea that euell hath so preuailed /
that euen vntill our tymes / in Spayn namely / and in sum other places
also / ther be many which do not only holde still the ceremonies of
Moses lawe with the profession of christe / but they do thincke them to
be necessarie vnto Saluacion. They emongst the Spaniards which be of
this mynde / ar called Marrani. And vnto this daye the churche of India
is enfected with the same vice. But let the examples of the holy
scripture / I praye you / teache vs euen the same. The Israelites which
wer captyues in Babilon / by the space of 70. yeares / when they hadd

libertie gyuen them furst of Cyrus / then of Darius / thos two most
noble Kinges to return / they did not all forthewith return / but a great
number of them / such namely as wer weaker in the lord then other /
being delighted with the commodities and pleasures of their houses /
feildes and traffique of merchandize / did abide still amonge the
chaldees: Which men how sharpely they wer reproued of Esdras /
Nehemias / Zacharias / and other prophetes / it dothe playnly appeare in
the scripture to them that liste to seake and knowe it. How the Israelites
wer infected throughe that conuersacion which they hadd with the
Egiptians / it appearith playnly by this / that whilest they wer in the
desert / when as yet the wonderfull benefites of godd wer euen before
ther eyes / they did fall from the lord their dilyuerer vnto Idolatrie / and
vnto that kinde of Idolatrie / which they wer acquaynted withall in
Egipte. Ther they hadd seene howe the Egiptians worshipped an Oxe /
[[Exod. 23.]]
they therfor violently trauailed with Aaron when Moses was absent /
that he shuld make them a calf to worshipp: which when he hadd doone
/ then began they ioyously to crye: Theise ar the godds / O. Israell /
which brought the out of the lande of Egypt. Agayn / when by the
desert wild and barren places /
[[Numer. 25.]]
they wer comme to the coastes of the Moabites / and began to waxe
more familiar with them then became the poeple of godd / through that
familiaritie they wer brought to this / that not only they did committ
most vile whordom with thos beastly women / but also that they
sacrificed vnto their most shamefull Idoll / Baalpeor / and suffred
themselues to be coupled vnto his sacrifices. for which they suffred
many miseries and calamities.
[[Math. 26.]]
Peter likewise / when he camme into that wicked court of the cheif
prest and was ther conuersant emongst thos damsels and vngodly
seruantes / most miserablie did he denie and forsweare his master

christe our Sauiour: which his fault / after he departed from thence / he
did bewaile with abundaunce of teares. By these histories ye may
playnly see / what happenith vnto the weake through that familiar
conuersacion which they haue with the vnfaithful.
[[Esaiae 6.]]
Esaye the prophet / when he did se the lorde sitting vppon his seate of
glorie / with his Angels about hym most purely publishing his prayse /
though he semith not to thincke hymself greatlye gyltie of ony notable
cryme or fault / yet cryeth he out / O wo is me / &c. I dwell amonge a
poeple that hath vncleane lyppes. This man of godd truly did thincke /
that he hadd gotton no small corruption and infection / bicause he hadd
lyued long with an vncleane poeple.
The histories of the heathen do teache vs the same thinge. Alexander
that gret and mightie kinge of Macedonia / who by the force of armes /
and most notable victories / hadd subdued the greatest parte of the
whole worlde / Euen he hymself was ouercomme with the maniers of
the Persians.
And vppon whom of right / as vppon a conquered poeple / he shuld
haue laied lawes / to haue brought them to that seuere kinde of lyfe
which the Macedonians vsed / euen he as a man conquered and
ouercomme