A Treatise of the Cohabitation of the Faithful with the Unfaithful

p. 2Whether the dwellinge toge ther and familiar conuersacion of the godly withe the godles / the faithfull withe the faythles / the professor of Christes gospell withe the papiste be lawfull or no.

THe reasons bi whiche many do persuade them selues / and others also / that yt ys lawfull / [Reasons prouing that it is lavvfull.] for the faythfull to haue famylier conuersation / and to dwell together withe the vnfaythfull, are theise.

1 Christe Iesus dyd go vnto the feastes and dyners of publicans and synners / and was there ac companyed and famyliarlie conuersaunte with them. In lyke maner beinge bydden of the phariseis to dyners / he went.

2 Also S. Paule dothe byd / that the faythful whi [1. Cor. 7.] ◊he is ioyned in mariage withe the vnbeleuer shol ◊e not be separated / yf the vnbeleuer will dwell wi ◊he the faythfull.

3 Againe he teacheth / if any of them whiche bele◊e [1: Cor. 10.] not byd you to a feaste / and if ye will go / what ◊oeuer ys sett before you / that eate / rc. In an other ◊lace he likwise sayethe: I wrote vnto you in an epi [1. Cor. 5.] ◊le / that ye sholde not cōpanie withe fornicatours. And I meant not at all of the fornicatours of this worlde / or of the couetous / or of extorsioners / or of the Idolatrors / for then muste ye neades haue gone owt of the worlde. But nowe I haue written unto you / that ye companye not together. If any that is called a brother / be a fornicatour / or couetous / or a worshipper of Images / or a rayler / or a drunkard / or an extorsioner / with him that ys suche / see that ye eate not.

4 Abraham beinge called to go owt of Chaldee / [Genes. 12.] ys commaunded to trauayle in those countries / in whiche the people were altogither vngodlye and wicked Idolatrours / that ys / in the lande of Canaan / and in Egypte.

5 Lot refused to continewe in the housholde / and [Genes. 13.] familiar companie of Abraham / and did chose to dwell amonge the Sodomytes.

6 Naaman the Sirian [4. Reg. 5.] / after that he was healed of his leprosie / dyd returne to his Idolatrous nation.

7 Christ our Sauior dyd not reteyne with him all [Marc. 5.] those whom he dyd heale / but commaunded some of thē to returne vnto their own famyliars / countrymē / and kinsfolkes (which yet were wicked / and infidels) among whom they sholde publishe and declare / what the lorde hade done for them.

8 The Iues both by the ciuile ād canon lawes ar not only permitted to lyue among the christians / but also to haue their synagoges: and tribute is taken of them.

9 Some heretiques haue libertie giuen them by p. 3ciuile lawes / to dwell amonge the faithfull: for the lawes do not apoynte them all to be punished by deathe. We reade that the Nouatians hade their Churches and congregations / permitted in Constātinople / in the tyme of Cōstantine the greate / ād Theodosius / whiche were moste godlie Emperours.

These are the reasons by whiche many do persuade them selues and others / thatyt ys lawfull for the godlie and faythful / to dwell together and to haue familiar conuersation withe the wicked and vnfaythfull /

To proue that their persuasions are false and [The disposition of the Tretise.] vntrulie gathered of thes places / I muste propounde certayn diuisions: whiche beinge done / I shall put forthe certayne propositions or sentences In the prouinge of which to be true / ye shall playn lye perceyue howe these places alledged / are abused of them to maynteyne their falfe opinion.

Firste / I muste deuide betwene the estates and [The furst Diui •… ion] sortes ofmen: Some sortes ofmen / are Magistra tes and rulers: some other be subiectes and of the comen sorte of people. [The secōd Diuision]

The second diuision shalbe of cohabitation or dwelling together / of which one kinde ys free / that ys / where men be not compelled to cōmunica te withe wicked superstitions / vngodly rites and Idolatries.

An other kinde of cohabitation / or dwellinge together there is which ys not free / and that ys whe remen are compelled to communicate withe wicked supersticions / to be presente at Idolatries / and so to defyle them selues.

The thirde diuisiō shalbe of the godlie and faith [The thred diuision.] full men them selues / whiche are thus familiarlie conuersaunte withe the vnbeleuers. Either they are learned stronge and able to confesse the doctrine of truithe in religion / and to reproue and cōumce the false: orels they ar vnlearned / weake / and vnable to stande in the confession of the truithe / and reprouinge of vntruthe.

These three diuisions shall suffice. Nowe will I put forthe certeyne sentencis and propositions. The firste sentence and proposition / shalbe of those which in estate and condicyon are priuate mē and subiectes: Of that cohabitatiō and dwellinge whi che ys free. And of those men which are learned ād stronge: of all wich I make this proposition.

Priuate men and subiectes / which ar learned and stronge / dwellinge in that place where they be [The fvrst proposition.] free and not compelled to communicate withe wic ked supersticions / they maye be famyliarlie conuer saunte / dwell ād liue together with the vnbeleuers This maye they do / but yet vnder certeyn cōditiōs / and obseruinge certeyn rules.

Of which the firste ys this / that they do teache thos vnbeleuers with whom they do liue and are [1 Rules to bekept.] familiarlie conuersaunte / and do instructe them in the truithe / trulye teachinge them and earnestlie callinge them / vnto the knowledge of the truithe / p. 4and faythe in Christe. And this they muste not leaue of to do so longe as they be dwellinge and fami liar with them. To the end also that they maye do this the better / yt ys not vnlawfull / but moste conuenient for them to shewe them selues frendlie / gē till / and louinge unto the vnbeleauers withe whō they are familiarlie conuersaunte / and dwellinge / So that theise maye perceyue that the faythfull do loue thē: els ys yt to be feared that they shall do no good withe them. for that doctrine ys moste redylie receyued of the hearer / which cōmeth from him / of whom the hearer ys persuaded / that he ys hys frende / and that he louithe hym indeede.