¶ The Warfare of Christians: Concerning the conflict against the Flesh, the World, and the Devil. Translated out of Latin by Arthure Golding.  
¶ Imprinted at London for john shepherd. Anno. 1576.   

To the right worshipful and his special friend, sir William Drewrie knight, Arthur Golding wisheth health with increase of worship and prosperity in Christ jesus.  
SOMEwhat later than I gladly would, howbeit not with less forwardness too acknowledge how much I am beholden unto you, nor with less confidence of your friendly accepting of my small travel, I offer to your courtesy this token of my good will, For besides your other friendly dealings, both before and since, I confess your goodness to have been such and so great towards me all the while I sojourned at Berwick, in the time that you were Marshal there, as I may not forget it without just blame of unthankfulness. Resting therefore assuredly upon the continuance of the same, which I perceive by divers proves to be both deeplier settled in you, and more increased towards me: I am bold to put forth this little treatise under your name. The rather because I am fully persuaded, that unto you which have been trained up well-near as it were from the shell in martial affairs of this world, and there through have had experience of adversities and troubles, and do delight still to hazard yourself for honour in the service of your prince & country, it will be neither tedious nor unacceptable to hear and consider of this kind of Warfare also. For although it be not of like nature, nor to be achieved with like furniture, pomp and brute, as the wars of this world are wont too be: Yet doth it far pass them, both in nobleness of captains, in valiantness of soldiers, in greatness of peril▪ in certainty of conquest, and in reward of victory. For in those wars, the captains (be they kings or keyzars) are but mortal men, subject to all the same inconveniences that the rest of their soldiers are, neither able to defend their soldiers nor themselves from the stroke of Mars and death: but in this, the Captains are God the maker of heaven and earth, and his son jesus Christ, the Lord of life and death, whom no sword, spear, arrow, currier nor can●n can hurt, not nor hit, and which is able both to save his servants from death, and too raise them when they be dead. In those the soldier doth in deed endure travel, labour, watching, hard fare, cold, wet, heat, long siege, penury, thirst, famine, wounds, & death, howbeit all these have often intermissions, and long ceasings, and commonly an end by victory in few battles: But in this, besides the suffering of all the said inconveniences and many more, the soldier must stand continually armed, continually watching, and continually fighting: then most aware to defend himself, when he seemeth most to have foiled his enemy: scarce attaining so much as a breathing time, and never looking for final victory, but by his own death. In those, the soldier is at peace with himself, he hath fellows to stick to him and to help him, and he hath none other enemies than such as are of Flesh and blood, as himself is: but in this, he must be at utter defiance with himself, he must hate himself, he must abide the brunt alone without help of mortal wight, nay all mortal helps are so far from doing him good, that they rather hurt him: and more over, he must maintain battle both against visible and invisible enemies: and being but one, he must evermore encounter hand to hand against three, of whom the weakest is able to subdue a whole world of people, if God assist them not from above. In those, the greatest perils are but the loss of health, limbs, liberty, possessions, & life, which being dispatched by death (the end of all worldly misery) shallbe restored again in their due season: or else the loss of honour and good name, the stain and infamy whereof is outworn and ceaseth in length of time. But in this, he that cowardly yieldeth himself to his enemy, and is finally overcome without recovery, foregoeth the freedom of a good conscience, casteth himself into all kind of wretchedness, & lozeth both body and soul, to be plunged in everlasting darkness, torment, confusion, sorrow, and shame. In those, neither the multitude of soldiers, nor the strength of munitions, nor the store of artillery, nor the wisdom & policy of the Captains, nor the advantage of the ground, nor the aid of mighty friends and alliances, can warrant victory: but in this, whosoever hath but only an assured faith in jesus Christ, is sure to outstand all assaults, to abide all brunts, too bear back all darts, to ward all blows, and finally to wade out of all dangers with glad conquest & joyful victory. To be short, in those, the reward of victory is but either the spoil of the enemy, the gain of some City or country, the satisfying of hateful cruelty by beastly revenge, or (which the world counteth the greatest price of all such perils) the blazing abroad of the name with renown, while the heart broileth inwardly in the conscience of his own misery: but in this, to him that getteth the upper hand is given quietness of conscience in the mids of woe, mirth of heart in the mids of sorrow, joy of mind in the mids of torment, happiness in the mids of mizerie, comfort in deepest distress, a gladsome life, a blissful death▪ and after death (which in deed is no death, but a sweet and joyful rest) a crown of everlasting glory, a garland of righteousness, a name of eternal honour, a rob of unappayrable innocency, a sceptre of incomparable strength, a throne of heavenly majesty, the fruition of the tree of life the perpetual presence of God, the company of jesus Christ, the fellowship of the holy Angels, the society of all gods children, the inheritance of heaven, the possession of Paradise, endless joy, felicity and blessedness, and finally unutterable abundance of such good things, as no eye hath seen, ear heard, nor heart of man is able to conceive. This is the war that becometh a noble mind, a wise mind, a valeant mind, a godly mind. This is the right way to the true worship, honour and renown, which can neither be had by inheritance, nor given or taken away at the will of mortal men, but cometh of god. It is not for cowardly, for childish, for nice, for tender, nor for effeminate folk too deal herewithal. Strong chalendges require stout Champions. Stout I say not in words or countenance nor in peevishness or pride of heart, but in faith, in spirit, and in patience through the knowledge of Christ and his glorious gospel. Therefore according to that knowledge and wisdom which God hath given you by the often hearing and reading of his word (see how the goodness of the matter carrieth me into great boldness with you) buckle yourself to this encounter of all other the most honourable, most glorious, and most assured, after the example of our Saviour Christ, who for the great excellency of the glory that was set before him, despised all adversities, afflictions and death, and notwithstanding that he was the son of God, yet learned obedience by the things that he suffered. For (as saith the holy scripture) If we suffer with him we shall also be glorified with him. Whereunto that both you and we may attain, I beseech him to grant us abundantly the grace of his holy spirit. Amen. Written at London the xuj of january 1576.   

¶ A TREATISE concerning the conflict of the godly against the Flesh, the World, and the Devil, which may be entitled the Warfare of Christians.  
HOw great the weakness of mankind is in withstanding vice and wickedness, it may be perceived by many things, & specially in this, that if at any time we do never so fully purpose and determine with ourselves to live henceforth according to gods will, and to obey his commandments: yet notwithstanding we be not able to continued long, and much less to hold out to the end, in the things that were very well intended and determined. The causes whereof it is not hard to find out, or to discover the ground of this so great tenderness, infirmity, and feebleness of man's mind. For if a man look well to it, he shall find that the causes thereof are chief three: namely, first the corruptness that is bred and borne in all men, or the forwardness to sinning that sticketh fast in the very bowels and marry of us, which the divines do commonly term by the name of the Flesh. Secondly the world, which offereth continually innumerable causes and occasions of all manner of vice, lewdness, and naughtiness. And finally, that great Dragon the old serpent, called the devil and Satan, which leadeth away the whole world, as saith the Apostle in the apocalypse. For he also is wont to stir up, drive forward, and enforce men to horrible deeds, to all manner of mischief, to unnaturalness, and to blaspheming of God. These three, that is to wit, the flesh, the world, and the devil are the spytefullest and deadliest enemies of mankind, with whom we have continual battle and endless conflict in this life, so that we scarcely have so much respite as to take breath, neither are they to be overcome at any time, but by the help, aid, and grace of the holy ghost, given of the heavenly father for our Lord and mediator jesus Christ's sake, to such as crave it, and call to him for it. Therefore let us briefly say somewhat of every of them, and (in as few words as may be) show the continual encounter against them without ceasing, and by what means they must always be withstood & resisted. Now then, we must first of all bear in mind (as I gave incling even now) that man's life is a certain continual warfare upon earth, which is not to be finished but by death, & that we must spend our whole time as it were in the Camp, as long as we live here. And therefore it is not to be abidden, that ever we should give ourselves to idleness, or misspend our time in riot & voluptuousness, while we serve in the camp of the church, under the slandered and Ensigns of our Graundcaptaine jesus Christ: but we must always stand upon our guard armed with spiritual weapons, against the force and assaults of our enemies, and be ever ready in mind to join battle. Let us call to remembrance our baptism, whereby we gave our names into our captains musterbooke, and binding our selves by oath, professed and avowed ourselves to serve him as his soldiers all our life long. Let us consider with ourselves, how good, how wise, how valiant, how invincible, of how great courage authority & skill, how rightly noble, victorious & triumphant, how rightly holy & princely a captain & general of our wars we have, worthy to be reverenced worshipped and honoured even of the very Angels, for the greatness of his glory and majesty. It is (as I said) the almighty son of God, being himself both God & man, and the conqueror of sin, death & Satan, even our Lord and saviour jesus Christ. Let us bethink us what rewards & how great & how large we must look for upon the getting of the victory: as everlasting triumph in heaven, endless life, peace and salvation, and most blessed immortality matched with abundance of all good things. These undoubtedly are the things, which (as saith the prophet) nother eye hath seen, nor ear hard, nor heart of man conceived, prepared of God for them that love him. And therefore the Apostle hath just cause to think, that the afflictions of this world are not worth the glory that shall be openly bestowed upon us. Go too them, let us by God's good help buckle ourselves to the spiritual battle, let us think continually upon the fight, let us be of stout and valiant courage in the Lord, let us (as saith the Apostle) put on the complete armour of God, through the furniture and defence whereof & through the protection & help of our God, we may at length get the upper hand. The thing is done in the sight of our Grand captain, who is present every where, a great encouragement for us to deal valiantly. He both harteneth us to fight, and helpeth us to win, and relieveth us when we faint, and crowneth us when we have gotten the victory, as Austin saith very trimely.  

Of the Flesh.  
THe first enemy (as I said) is the flesh: that is to say, the corruptness or naughtiness that remaineth in man through original sin by the fall of our first fathers, which is as a certain firewood (as divines term it) by reason whereof all of us are forward to sin and vice, some more, and some less, according to the state and disposition of every man's body, as the searchers of natural causes teach us. For the affections of men's minds do follow the temperature of the humours in the body, which thing as the Philosophers do affirm, so doth experience plainly prove it. Hereby we see, that they in whom blood overruleth, are commonly prove to lechery and riot: they in whom choler aboundeth, are given to anger and pride: nother doth melancholic and flewmatike persons want their vices, whereunto they be proner by nature than other men are. And therewithal it is not to be denied, that a great part of this proneness unto sin, cometh of the evil training and bringing up of children, through untoward nuzzeling and misnurturing of them, and by suffering them to have company and familiarity with lewd folk. For so it is avouched by Maro in his husbandry, saying: So great a thing it is, to be enured from the shell. And also by Aristotle in his Ethics, where he saith, Not a little, but very greatly doth it skill, whither we enure ourselves one way or other from our childhood. How great strength the acquaintance and company of ill disposed persons hath to corrupt men's natures, Seneca showeth in a certain place, saying: manners are taken up of conversation, and like as certain diseases pass from one body into another by touching, so doth the mind convey over his vices too such as are nearest about it. The drunkard draweth his companion too the love of wine. The company of unchaste folk effeminateth an honest man, though he be never so constant. Covetousness sheddeth his poison into such as are next about him. In like case is it with virtues on the contrary part, and so forth. But yet for all that, neither good bringing up & nurture be it never so duly ministered, nor the study & instruction of the best sciences, nor the continual company with the best men, can bring to pass or attain, that the vices whereto each man is naturally most inclined, should be so utterly rooted up, as no inkling of his own disposition may remain behind. For rightly doth Lucretius say: 
We must not think that vices can be plucked up root and rind.  
To furious wrath more hastily one bursteth out by (kind.)  
Another is to soon inclined to bashfulness & fear,  
A third is overfondly given all injuries to bear.   
Now although the vices that are planted in us by nature be not utterly taken away by the means aforesaid: yet are they repressed by them, and as it were restrained with a bridle▪ so as they do not easily burst out into act: Accordingly as it is reported of Stilpo, that whereas he was naturally given to wine and women, yet he did so subdue and bridle his vicious nature by learning, as no man ever saw him delight in wine, nor perceived any inclyng of lechery in him, as Cicero writeth of him. The like is reported of Socrates if my memory fail me not. But now let us come to the reckoning up of the vices and faults of the flesh.  
First & foremost our inward & homebred enemy which is called the flesh, never ceaseth to entice us to foul & unhonest lusts, to filthy pleasures, to whoredom, wantonness, malapartnes & all other such things. Grievous undoubtedly & painful in this case is the encounter of a Christian man against the flesh, insomuch that he is fain to fight after a sort with himself, by reason that the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. For the man that feareth God, knoweth that whoredom is to be eschewed, as Paul, or rather as the holy ghost teacheth by Paul. He knoweth that he aught to live chastely and honestly as God biddeth in the ten commandments. Therefore his desire is to follow God's will and commandments as heavenly hests. But the infirmity of the flesh being overforewarde to shameful voluptuousness, carrieth him another way against his will, do what he can. What should the wretch do in this case? or whither may he turn himself in this temptation and assault of the flesh which withstandeth the spirit? Truly if he be wise he will without delay flee to the heavenly father for help, and by godly studies, honest exercises, and often (howbeit moderate) fastings, endeavour to bridle the rage of his flesh by some mean or other, and to suppress and subdue the wantonness of it with continual temperance of life. For I take that to be both an excellent and an healthful remedy above others to keep lust in awe. And for this cause doth our saviour among other things, will us to beware that our hearts be not overladen with surfeiting & drunkenness, commanding us also to watch and pray, jest we fall into temptation. The apostles likewise exhort men to sobriety and stay of themselves, forbidding them gluttony and drunkenness. Yet are not those the only means to cool and quench lust: it must be matched with the help and aid of the holy ghost, and specially with earnest mindfulness of God's word, with faith, and with prayer. For first of all in our temptations God must be called upon, and that fervently and heartily. God's threatenings must be set before the eyes of our mind, to fray us from sin. We must forethink what evil may ensue upon the committing of wickedness. We must call to mind the examples of God's wrath, whereof there is store in the holy scriptures. Then is not the overlustiness of the flesh restrained alonely by fasting and spare diet, but much rather (as I said afore) by indeveriug to subdue, or (as the apostle termeth it) to mortify the lusts & sinfulness of the flesh, by arming ourselves with God's word, faith, & prayer, and with the rest of the spiritual weapons whereof saint Paul speaketh to the Ephesians. And if all these means boot thee not, (howbeit that thou must not leave off though thou speed not at the first,) the last shoot anchor that remaineth for thee to flee unto, is honest & lawful marriage granted of God to such as have not stay of themselves, according to this saying. For avoiding of whoredom let every man have his wife, and again, It is better to marry than to burn. But what if the flesh be still inclined & prove to adultery even in marriage, as sometimes it happeneth? God almighty shield us of his mercy from so great mischief, and from so cursed and ugly wickedness. For surely that were not now a simple provocation of the flesh, whose infirmity wedlock might remedy: but rather a temptation of the devil, enforcing to wicked and abominable lechery. And therefore with great stoutness must that enemy be withstood, so as we must never give him leave to found us idle or weltering in sloth full ease, but be always occupied in godly exercises and labours. And in especially we must take diligent heed, that we out of hand discharge our minds of all filthy thoughts and of what so ever else the devil prompteth us withal and putteth in our heads, so as we feed not our own humour with them, ne stand long musing upon them, but flee apace to God's help, pouring out our prayers before him, and driving out those evil thoughts, with better thoughts, as one nail is driven out with another. Call to mind the shortness of this life, the approaching of death every minute of an hour, the judgement seat of the Lord, the pains of hell, the fire that shall never be quenched: And contrariwise, the innumerable benefits of God, the cross of Christ, the dwelling of the holy Ghost in us, and the Angels that are appointed of God to shield us, the shame and reverence of whom aught too restrain thee always from wickedness, for asmuch as they are ever present with thee, having a continual care of thee, and furthering thee unto all goodness. Also bethink thee of the sayings of holy writ, which do threaten God's wrath too whoremongers, adulterers, & all others that are defiled with like wickedness. For what meaneth the sixth commandment, by saying, Thou shalt not commit adultery? verily it forbiddeth all uncleanness and unhonest lusts, and it requireth honesty and chastenesse, and therewithal temperance and sobriety, whereby this cleanness both of mind and body is maintained. What sayeth Paul? Nother whoremongers, nor adulterers, nor nycelings, shall inherit the kingdom of God: again, ye know that no whoremonger or unclean person, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Hereunto also belongeth this saying: It is the will of God that you should be holy and abstain from all fornication. And this, Eschew whoredom: what so ever other sin a man committeth, it is without his body: but he that committeth whoredom, sinneth against his own body. Hereunto pertaineth this saying to the Hebrews. Honourable among all men is wedlock; ● the undefiled bed: but whoremongers & adulterers God will judge. Remember what that chaste and shamefast youngman jacob's son answered to his mistress, when she would have had him to be nought with her. How may I (quoth he) do this so great wickedness, and not sin against God: You see how the fear of GOD calleth joseph from naughtiness. And anon after, when his mistress would have compelled him, he fled away from her & left his cloak in her hand. Likewise Susanna being led by the fear of God, chose rather to die a shameful death, than to consent to adultery. And Sophronia of whom Eusebius writeth, struck herself through with a knife, to the intent she would not bedefiled with whoredom. Call too mind how grievously God punished David for adultery. Remember how the tribe of Benjamin was slain almost every mother's son, for defile a levites wife: and here I omit a thousand other more, because I will not be to long. Here peradventure thou wilt answer, that thou callest all these things to mind, and yet art not able to withstand thy flesh, or to bridle thy lusts, that thy continual praying unto god doth not greatly avail thee, that thy painful studying, thine honest exercises, and thy godly occupying of thyself, do nothing profit thee, & finally that thine often abstinence, fasting, & watching, thy soberness, advisedness, and continual keeping of company with good men that love god, do boot thee nothing at al. Wretch that I am therefore, what shall I do, sayest thou? I see brother, I see whosoever thou art, that thou bearest with thyself too much: surely thou art too fleshly minded, sith that not even wedlock the wholesomest remedy of all others, and ordained of God for the redress of such diseases: (as the Apostle declareth) can quench thy lust and call thee back from whoredom.  
Therefore such cowardliness and niceness of mind must be put away, and thou must wrestle lustily against the motions of the flesh, with invincible courage of Gospellike mind, and not foade thyself in thine own feebleness. strain thyself, not only to bear the brunt and assault of a short time, but also to bear out the linger tediousness of long continuing temptation: neither fainting as overcome or tired with the devils long holding out in assailing thee, nor despairing of God's help, who doubtless will secure thee in time convenient, as sayeth the Psalmist. He is too tender a carpetknight, which will needs have victory of his enemy, without putting of himself too any stress or labour. No man is crowned (sayeth the Apostle) except he perform his challenge lawfully. And truly I confess that man's weakness is over great too withstand the flesh and the Devil, if he have an eye too his own strength: but yet (as sayeth the Apostle) we be able too do all things through jesus Christ, who strengtheneth us. Therefore let us lean to the help and defence of Christ, let us humbly pray to Christ for his assistance, let us continually and incessantly beseech God the father for our Lord jesus Christ's sake, that he suffer us not too be overcome of temptation, but rather that he deliver us from evil, that is to say from the Devil, for his son our saviours sake, according as Christ commanded his disciples to pray. And let us not doubt but that when we ask so according too his will, God will hear us, and that he is able to do abundantly above all that we can crave or wish. Remember that when thou wa●t baptised, thou didst enter thy name into the musterbooke of thy captain Christ, and wart sworn unto him: that thou promisedst to serve him in his wars all thy life long, and that thou forsookest the world and the Devil. Now therefore stick stoutly to thy tackling, and show thyself a man, whensoever the case requireth it at thy hand, in this so great encounter against the Devil. Thinkest thou that thou shalt be crowned without getting the victory? Or that thou shalt get the victory without battle? Or that thou shalt fight without enemies to assail thee? And what else is their challenge in the end, but ground of everlasting glory, if thou buckle thyself to the battle with a stout and princely courage, upon trust of God's help? Go too then, be valiant in the Lord, and in the mightiness of his strength, as the Apostle counseleth the Ephesians to be. Put on the whole complete armour of God, that thou mayest be able to stand against the devils assaults. Take to thee the shield of faith, wherewith thou mayst ward all fiery darts of that wicked find. Take to thee the spiritual sword, which is God's word, as the same apostle teacheth us: and in resisting the Devil, look not alonely to human weakness, but look for Gods help with great assuredness. How effeminate is he which can not bridle his lust and refrain from adultery, having entered into wedlock, which the apostle counseleth for avoiding of fornication? But surely he can, yea ver●ly can he, so he be unfeignedly minded, and do earnestly endeavour it, neither cockering his own niceness, nor discouraging himself through despair of the heavenvly help, which never faileth such as pray heartily and continually for it. For God helpeth our infirmity, so we shake off cowardliness & sloth, and fight manfully and with stout courage against Satan: neither doth God at any time suffer us to be tempted above our power, but tempereth the success of the temptation in such wise, as we may be able to bear it out, (as saith Paul:) nay rather he giveth us victory of our enemies by our lord jesus Christ if we flee to him for succour, and call upon him trustfully for help, without any doubting at all, as saith saint james.  
But let us proceed to the rest of the vices among which the first that us is the vice of the belly and the mouth, which is called gluttony or riot. Wonderfully in good sooth is the flesh prove thereto, and is very loath to be bridled of it. She loveth to live delicately, tenderly, riotously, feastingly, and not sparely, stayedly, and soberly. But the man that is rightly well disposed and feareth GOD, persuadeth himself that Gods will is to be followed, rather than the flesh to be pampered, and thereupon endeavoureth to repress gluttony and surfeiting, with the contrary virtues of sobriety▪ staidness, & temperance of diet. And in deed if we may believe Physicians, contraries are commonly healed by contraries. Therefore he layeth before him this saying of our God and Lord jesus Christ. Beware that your hearts be not over laden with surfeiting. And likewise this of the Apostles. Overcharge not yourselves with wine wherein is superfluity. Again, Drunkards and Gluttons shall not inherit God's kingdom. And this saying of saint Peter'S: Be sober and watch, for your adversary the Devil goeth about like a roaring Lion, seeking whom to devour, etc. And again this of Esay: Woe be to you that rise early to fall to bibbing and to drunkenness until night, that ye may boil in wine. And the godly man bateth and abhorreth these vices of the belly & the mouth so much the more, because they provoke the Flesh (which is to unruly already of it own accord) to whoredom, adultery, & such other shameful deeds, according to this saying of the old Poet, Where wine is not, there is no lechery. Neither did Terence say amiss, 
Where wine and dainty fare do want,  
Dame Venus' games wax cold and scant.   
For this cause Valerius Maximus witnesseth, that in old time the Roman women were not acquainted with wine, verily lest they might fall into any dishonesty, because the next step of intemperance from wine, is wont to be to unlawful lechery. Also in that trifler of Africa, Venus termeth sobriety her enemy, threatening that she will use her service to disarm Cupid withal. And in the Epistle to the Romans, Paul having made mention of feasting and drunkenness, doth by and by (without putting any other words betwixt) add wantonness and unchastity, pointing as it were with his finger, that these do commonly follow of the other. And that is even the very cause, why the holy men were wont to fast so often & so long in old time: namely to the intent they might by any means the easilier withstand the overlustiness of their flesh, repress the rage of it, bridle the lust of it, keep the filthy desires of it in awe, and finally weaken and subdue the force of it. And notwithstanding this their seeking of remedy against the unruliness of their flesh by abstinence & fasting & their endeavouring to live after a sort out of the Flesh being still in the flesh, & in manner to overmaster nature: yet nevertheless they resorted humbly unto God for help and secure in that hard encounter, & prayed unto him continually, reposing more hope & trust in god's defence than in their own fasting. The same do I counsel thee to do whosoever thou be'st.  
Now let us speak of idleness whereunto our Flesh is very prove likewise, as which findeth nothing sweeter than slothfulness, sleeping, laziness, unlustiness, loitering, drowsiness, & litherness. It liketh her well do nothing, & to be cumbered with no business, but to rest from all care & toil. But the man that is godly & no less a christian in deed than in name, beareth in mind that idleness is cause of all noughtiness, & specially that filthy lusts are nourished with riot and idleness, as one witnesseth in a tragedy. And therefore rightly doth the witty Poet say in the Remedy of love.  
By mine advice shun idleness the first of all,  
For idleness bredes love & love in state maintains.  
It is both cause, & food whereon the mischief feeds  
Take idleness away and Cupid's bow is broke.  
And all his brands lie quenched, both void of heat and light.  
Hereto belongeth that which followeth anon after in the same place.  
And thou that seekest end of love, be doing still,  
And thou art safe: for love gives place to painful toil  
demandest thou wherefore Aegistus wedlock brake?  
The cause apparent is, he lived in idleness.  
Full trim doth Lucian show in his dialogue of Venus and Cupid, that love and filthy lust can take no place in them that never rest from labour, but are always occupied about some business and work. For any man may easily see, that that is the mark which the dialogue aimeth at. Besides this, idleness doth commonly 'cause us to delight in feastings & fellowships, to follow riot and fursetting, to spend whole days in playing at dice, too seek to make ourselves merry with fond talk, ribaudly jesting, and wanton and scoffing speeches, to delight ourselves with gauds & shows, and with such ditties, notes, and playing upon instruments, as are filthy both in words, deeds, and gestures: and more over in dancing, frisking, and all manner of leaping, and finally to run headlong into all kind of voluptuousenesse, and unruliness, as daily experience teacheth, and the matter itself bewrayeth openly. Therefore thou shalt do well and rightly, if thou be always occupied about some honest business, as in studying, in reading, in following lustily the doing of thy vocation, and there withal pour out thy prayers oftentimes unto God, and cry unto him for help: likewise if thou thank God for his benefits, and if thy mind run continually upon the shortness & uncertainty of this life, upon the looking for death almost every minute, upon God's judgement-seat upon the pains of hell, and upon the joys of the heavenly kingdom. Again, if thy mind be occupied in often musing upon Christ's coming in the flesh, upon his suffering of death for our salvation, upon his rising again unto life, & upon his ascending into heaven. And finally, if thou be not idle at any time, but always occupied in some exercise. And if thou have nothing to occupy thyself upon at home, (and yet how can that be?) get thee to some Church, be at the hearing of some sermon, be at the common prayers either mornings or evenings, sing Psalms & hymns to God in the congregation of the godly, be present at the christening of children, & join with others in praying, follow some corpse to burial, and call to mind thine own frailty, talk with thy godly acquaintance concerning divine things, call the poor to thy table, visit the sick, comfort them encourage them to death, or do some other thing beseeming a christian man. And so thou shalt not be in peril of yielding to the temptations of the flesh or the Devil. For I am afraid jest the getting of thee into the country, thy walking about thine own grounds, the doing of some handwork, the going abroad a hawking, hunting, & fishing, the tending of gardens, & such other things will help the matter very little. But yet are not those things also without their commodities: & it is better to do those things than to do nothing. For in doing nothing men learn to do evil, according to Cato's oracle: Every idle body is full of conceits, saith the holy man: & (as I said) the unmeasurable desire of feasting and gaming, with gluttony & surfeiting, do spring of idleness. And out of them flow whoredom, adultery, and other sins worthy of everlasting punishment, as witnesseth holy writ. Therefore by all means eschew idleness, and assuring thyself of God's help, resist the flesh which is forward of itself to idleness, laziness, and slothfulness, and allureth thee sweetly thereunto.  
Now let us come to the vice which also is reckoned of the Apostle among the works of the flesh, namely to wrathfulness or desire of revenge, wherewith there is no, man but he is sometime, yea & that very often cumbered, some man more and some man less, according as every man's nature is. For partly all men, but specially those in whom choler aboundeth, are most of all subject to that vice. Therefore let every man endeavour with all earnestness, to repress that affection as much as he can And because (as one saith) the mind is commonly overtaken of anger, before reason can provide to disappoint it, let every man reclaim himself long afore, & continually bethink himself how to resist the affection, & not to do any thing in anger. Let him call to mind this saying to the Romans▪ dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but bridle your anger. And this to the Ephesians: Be angry and sin not, let not the sun go down upon your wrath. And sith we read that many of the heathen men of old time, were wont to bridle their anger with incredible modesty and gravity: were it not a shameful & unseemly thing for us christians, if Gods will should not win that thing at our hands which reason won at theirs, namely that we should not yield to that incumberance of mind. For although this affection cannot be plucked up by the root, and quite and clean taken away, it is so deeply planted in us: yet must such rage be ever restrained & as it were bridled, and not let loode. And that lieth (partly) even in a certain willingness & enforcing of the mind by earnest endeavour and diligent heedetaking, (for exercise, myndfulnesse, and custom, and much rather reason and discretion, do greatly prevail in this behalf) but specially in Gods: help and grace, if a man crave them humbly with earnest supplication and prayer. And anger is to be restrained and with stood at the first brunt: so much the more, because other evils do breed: and grow of it, as hatred, enmity, and strife, which fight full butt against the christian profession, and wherewith the son of God would have his to be utterly unacquainted, teaching them almost every where to maintain mutual love & charity.  
There are yet other vices of the flesh, whereof I will treat in their due place: and specially, carelessness, & overlustiness in prosperity, whereby it cometh to pass, that our hearts forget God, so as we endeavour not, neither to call heartily upon him, nor to give him thanks for his benefits, nor finally feel his wrath towards us for sin, ne give ourselves to the furthering of our salvation in fear and trembling, by minding the amendment of our life. In this case the godly man must strain himself, both to shake off that carelessness which accompanieth, prosperity, and also to retain modesty, and to repress his overlustiness, by considering with himself that all things may be turned upside down in the twinkling of an eye if God list. And because that like as the flesh becometh proud of prosperity, so it droupeth in adversity, or else taketh it unpatiently. Let the man that feareth God, keep some measure in that behalf also & not shrink in heart, nor pine away with sorrow & heaviness, nor yet storm and chafe against God. But let him ever behight himself amendment of his state, upon trust of God's goodness, & call upon God with great assuredness through the mediator jesus Christ.  
Among the vices or rather (as the Apostle termeth than) works of the flesh, we must chief reckon covetousness, which is a lusting after another man's goods & not after his own. For the flesh doth willingly seek her own advantage, and covet other men's goods. Hence spring wiliness, craft, deceitfulness, cozenage, extortion, thievery, & such other naughtiness. But the godly man beareth in mind how it is forbidden in the ten commandments, that he should not covet any other man's goods, neither house, nor wife, nor man servant, nor maidservant, nor Ox, nor ass, nor aught else that is his neighbours. Neither is he ignorant how the Apostle saith, that covetousness is the root of all mischief. And therefore be laboureth by all means to keep down his affection & lust of the flesh, & so he have meat & drink, & cloth to cover his body, he is fully persuaded that he aught to hold himself contented with them. Thus much concerning the Flesh, which is wont to stir men up, and to thrust them forward to follow & enjoy all manner of pleasures, to deal unhonestly & naughtily, and finally to give themselves to overcome all vices and lewdness. Whose untameable proneness to concupiscence whosoever hath overcome, hath doubtless attained the greatest and most glorious victory that can be: concerning which matter one of the ancient divines writeth thus: There is no greater victory (saith he) than that which is gotten of a man's own lusts. He that hath overcome his enemy▪ is stronger, howbeit than another man, but he that hath overmastered his own lusts, is stronger than himself, He that overthrown his enemy, hath vanquished but a foreigner: but he that hath tamed his own lust, hath subdued a household enemy. It is easier to overcome any mischief than voluptuousness. For all other are terrible, but this is fair spoken. He that vanquisheth his lusts, triumpheth over sin etc. The Apostle willeth to mortify the deeds of the Flesh by the spirit, that is too say, to fight with all our heart and with all earnestness of mind, against the sinful lusts whereunto our Flesh is naturally forward, so as we endeavour to bridle the flesh which is prove to all vices, and runneth headlong to all sensuality, and after a sort offer violence to our own nature, in crucifying the Flesh with the affections & lusts thereof, as the same Apostle saith. For if ye live after the Flesh (saith he) ye shall die: but if ye mortify the deeds of the flesh through the spirit, ye shall live: For they that are gods children, are led by God's spirit. Whereby he showeth, that such as follow wicked lusts, & restrain not their sinful motions with the fear & dread of God as it were by bridling them, shall be in danger of god's wrath & of endless death. For we must fight fiercely against the motions of the flesh, & not do any thing against conscience. For that do they which witingly & willingly rush forth of set purpose into sin & wickedness, breaking Gods commandments, shrinking through faynthartednesse, & driving away & (as saith the Apostle) discouraging the holy spirit of God. Hereto belongeth this saying of the same Apostle, let not sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof: nother yield ye your members to sin, as weapons of unrighteousness: But give over yourselves to god, as raised from death and give over your members as weapons of righteousness unto God. And again. They that are after the flesh (saith he) do mind the things that belong to the Flesh: & they that are after the spirit, do mind spiritual things. Surely to be fleshly minded is death, but to be ghostly minded is life & peace: because that Fleshlymindednesse is enmity against God: for it is not obedient: to God's law, neither can be. They therefore that are in the Flesh cannot please God. The same Apostle, to the galatians saith thus: Walk in the spirit & ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. For the Flesh lusteth against the spirit, & the spirit against the flesh. And those two are at strife one against another, so as ye cannot do what ye would. And again: They that are Christ's, have crucified the Flesh with the affections & lusts thereof, To be short, the Apostle warneth us almost every where, to keep continual battle against the Flesh when we be once regenerated, and to strive with all earnestness to hold down and subdue the sinfulness and corruption of our nature sticking still in our Flesh by the spirit of God, to crucify that old man of ours with Christ, to cleanse away the old leaven daily more and more, and (that I may use the Apostles own words) to mortify our earthly members, as lechery, uncloanesse, niceness, and evil concupiscence. Therefore let us not promise' ourselves rist & safety in this life: we must stand always as it were in battelray, so long as we carry the old man about us and we must fight against the Flesh without ceasing, that the body of sin may be done away and perish, as the Apostle saith to the Romans: And they that are sanctified by the spirit, must not in any wise so deal, as sin may reign and bear sway in them: but they must with all force withstand the sinfulness and forward inclination to offend, which is bred in them: and (as S. Peter sayeth) they must abstain from fleshly lusts, which maintain war against the spirit▪ and they must not abandon their members as servants too uncleanness & unrighteousness, from lewdness to lewdness, but as servants of righteousness unto holiness. Nother must they run forward with blind braid whither so ever the flesh driveth them, nor heap sin upon sin: but they must fight (I say) continually against the flesh as long as they live. They must subdue their naughty affections, and not cocker themselves in their overtendernesse, nor give head to their lusts. Finally we must by all means endeavour, to put off the old man according to that former conversation which is corrupted with deceitful lusts: & to be renewed in the spirit of our mind, so as we put on the new man, which is created to Godward in true holiness & righteousness, (as Paul saith to the Ephesians) I say, to put off the old man with his deeds, and to put on the new, which is renewed to the knowledge and image of him that made him, as the same Apostle saith to the Colossians, and lastly to forsake all ungodliness & worldly lusts and to live soberly, uprightly, and godlily in this present world, waiting for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and saviour jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all unrighteousness, and to cleanse us for a peculiar people to himself, that we might be followers of good works, as the same Apostle writeth to Titus.  
I will add this one thing more, before I make an end. There hath been some strife in our days, who are rightly to be taken for fleshly, and who for ghostly. I will touch the matter shortly. He therefore is said to be Fleshly, which straineth not himself to the uttermost of his power, to keep down the corruption and naughty affections that are in the flesh, and as it were to purge away the old leaven: but is carried by them into all kind of lewdness and wickedness, and rusheth wittingly and willingly against the precepts of the ten commandments: and shaking off the force of god, beareth too much with himself, being a servant to his body, and (that I may use the words of the apostle Jude) walking after his own lusts Contrariwise he is spiritual, which being stirred up by God's spirit, endeavoureth with all his heart to live a holy life, to obey God's commandments, to keep himself undefiled of the world, to put off the old man, to subdue the sinfulness that is bredin him & (as saith the Apostle) to kill the deeds of the body, thorough the spirit and which feeling his f●esh striving there against, doth yet after a sort offer violence to his own nature, and suffereth not himself willingly to be overcome of his own lusts, in so much that if he can do no more, at leastwise he suffereth not sin to reign in him, but upon trust of God's hope, endeavoureth to live out of the flesh being in the flesh: in the mean while bewailing his own infirmity and weakness, and because he cannot put away the renants of sin that stick fast in his flesh, he prayeth too have them pardoned for Christ's sake. For let no man look too pluck up quite and clean, or too remove whole away the inbred corruption which is as the root of all sins. Always there remains some behind, until the flesh be brought again into dust and consumed to nothing. For only death is it that dispatcheth that mischief. In respect whereof Augustine sayeth thus: there is always a fight in the body of this death, because the concupiscence wherewith we be borne, cannot be ended as long as we live. It may daily be diminished, but ended it cannot be: Concerning this difference between the fleshly & the spiritual man, I will city a few things out of Irenaeus, who in his fifth book against the Heresies of Valentine writeth in manner thus: They that have the pledge of the spirit, & serve not the lusts of the flesh, but submit themselves to the spirit, & lead their life in all points agreingly too reason, them doth the Apostle rightly call spiritual, because God's spirit dwelleth in them. And after a few other words, the union of the soul and body (saith he) taking Gods spirit unto it, maketh a man spiritual. But as for them that reject and forsake the counsel of the holy Ghost, & serve the lusts of the flesh, & live not according too reason, but are carried headlong into all sensuality, and being utterly destitute of the breath of God's spirit, do live after the manner of Swine and Dogs: them doth the Apostle justly call fleshly, because they mind nothing but Fleshly things, & so forth.  
The same Author anon after saith thus: For they that are such, do bear men in hand that they believe in the father and the son, but yet do they never set their minds upon God's word, as they should do, neither are they beautified with the works of righteousness: but (as I said afore) they live like swine and dogs, giving themselves to uncleanness, gluttome, and all other vices. justly therefore doth the Apostle term all such men fleshly and sensual, forasmuch as ●●ey take not hold of God's spirit by reason of their unbelief and sensuality, but walk unreasonably after their own lusts. And the prophets call them cattle & wild beasts: & common custom termeth them brute beasts without reason, and in all the Law itself calleth them unclean. And anon after: For the same cause (saith he) the Lord termeth them dead men. For he biddeth them let the dead bury their dead, because they have not the spirit in them that quickeneth the man. Contrariwise, as many as fear God and hope for the coming of his son, and settle the holy Ghost in their hearts by faith, shall justly be called men, and clean, and spiritual, and ghostly, and alive to God: because they have the spirit of the father which maketh a man clean, and raiseth him up to the life of God.  
Many things doth Irenaeus allege there concerning this matter, which are in deed worthy to be read, but yet am I compelled to omit them for avoiding of tediousness. Nevertheless I thought it good to set down some part of them, for the better understanding of the things that I have alleged out of Paul concerning the Flesh & the spirit, only so far forth as belongeth to the present purpose.   

Of the World.  
NOw followeth that we treat of the World, which provoketh men to many evils, and commonly ministereth occasions & opportunities of all kinds of sin, corrupting men by example, & undoing them by stumbling blocks. First of all therefore the World stirreth up the Flesh (which of itself runneth a main as is said) to vainglory, prid●, & overweening. For whereas all of us are naturally desirous of glory, more or less according to every man's disposition: that World quickeneth up pricketh forward, and as it were wakeneth that affection by innumerable ways. No man can willingly find in his heart to be unnoble & unrenoumed, & much less to be utterly despised as a rascal: there is no man but he coveteth to place & put himself forth before others. And there be a great sort, who looking to be alonely magnified & honoured of all men, not only despise other men's meanness in comparison of themselves, and make no reckoning of them: but also do always, either by open resistance, or by privy undermining, malice, and guile, bite their equals and matches, for very spite and cankered evil will, because they envy their virtue, praise, and glory: as in manner daily examples show. And oftentimes it falleth out, that when we see other men in honour, authority, and credit, we also strive to be equal with them, and whatsoever it be whereby renown, authority, or dignity may be gotten, we give ourselves to it with might and main to attain the same, and envy other men for them. For commonly Pride is accompanied with spitefulness. But it cannot be said how great a vice Ambition or Pride is, nor how many mischiefs spring of it. Therefore that the godly man may eschew pride let him bethink him of this saying of our Saviour in the Gospel: He that exalteth himself shall be brought low. And of this in the Apostle Saint Peter: See that ye have lowliness of mind settled in you, for good withstandeth the lofty, & giveth grace to the lowly. Therefore humble yourselves under gods mighty hand, that he may lift you up when time serveth. Saint james as it were pointing with his finger to this saying of S. Peter's, saith: Humble yourselves in the sight of the lord, & he will exalt you. There are other texts of scripture besides these, which are able to scare men from pride. And certes it is very hard for a man to assuage and repress this loftiness of mind, & to think lowly & humbly of himself. For the root of it is fastened deep in man's breast, springing out of the blind self-love which is engraffed in all men by nature: Hereof cometh the estimation and trust of our own virtues, power, and wisdom, and the misknowing of man's weakness and infirmity. This doth oftentimes breed the despizing and oppressing of others. A branch hereof is that vice whereof the Devil rather than the world is the breeder, namely the hypocritical pride & pharisaical overweening, where through men do not only conceive some singular opinion of their own: righteousness, but also despise other men as ungodly, in comparison of themselves. Of the which matter there is a parable in S. Luke, wherein Christ speaking of the praying of the pharisee and of the Publican, addeth this after speech in the end of it, that whosoever exalteth himself shallbe brought low, and whosoever humbleth himself shallbe exalted. herewithal agreeth the saying of the blessed virgin and mother of God, that god lifteth up and exalteth the lowly, and pulleth down the mighty from their seats. But now let us proceed to the rest.  
Like as the Flesh is naturally given to riot, unruliness, & wantonness: even so the world ministereth sundry furtherances of lust, nurrishments of unstaidness, and firebronds of lechery to the Flesh, adding fire to fire, and oil to the flame. It setteth all kinds of pleasures before it, and whereas of it own accord it gapeth to greedily after such things: it not only quickeneth it up with the smooth enticements of them, but also tolleth it on, and holdeth it snared in captivity to them. Whatsoever the Flesh liketh, of what sort soever it be, be it right or wrong, the world doth in all points feed the humour of it, most perniciously soothing, following, smoothing, and commending all things, and suffering it to be carried headlong into all mischief, by foading the vices and lewdness of it. And verily the World is to the Flesh as a fit cover for such a pot, as the proverb saith: so jump do they agreed together in all points, as I will show more plainly in due place. Oftentimes also the World yieldeth both causes and occasions of spiting, of backebiting, of hatred, of revenge, of heart-burning, of malice, of anger, of impatience, of enmity, of quarreling, of slandering, of scolding, of railing, and of innumerable other sins. And this is so true and manifest, as it can neither be denied, nor aught to be set forth with more words. Therefore let us be ever in a readiness as it were to some battle, whensoever we, intend to set foot out of doors and to go abroade●. Let us always set sure watch upon ourselves and upon our own minds, and when we shall have to do with other men, let us look well about us upon all our sayings and doing, as though we were among the thickest of our enemies. Let us eschew Stages, gamings, sights, Dancing schools, and throngs of people, lest any thing happen to come in our sight, which may either corrupt us by example, or hurt us by giving us offence. Thou meetest a woman of very good favour and beauty: beware thou fasten not thine eyes upon her. For he that looketh upon a woman to lust after her, is an adulterer already in his heart, saith our saviour. Thou meetest with a railer and a slanderer: beware that thou neither say nor do any thing unbeseeming a Christian man through anger, nor strive with him in scolding and brawling. Unto these and such other like things the mind must always be armed aforehand, that nothing may seem strange to us, nor any thing happen unthought of or unprovided for. For (as one saith) a sudden storm abasheth men more than the storm that is forescene. For the avoiding of these and such other things: because the shunning of them in the open world seemed very hard: The godly in times paste did shut up themselves in some solitary place, where there might be no room for so many occasions and causes of sinning, nor for so many corruptions and stumbling blocks. Not unwisely certes nor unwarely did they deal, in mine opinion: but yet if all other men should do the like, who should govern the common weal? who should oversee the Church of God? who should train up youth in godliness, nurture, and learning? who should encourage men to virtue by example? Howsoever the case standeth, yet must thou wrestle with the world wheresoever thou becomest, unless thou intent to live altogether among the dens of wild beasts, as the men that loved God did, in the noble days of the ancient times. Whom though thou imitate never so nearly, yet am I afraid that thou shalt find a world even without the world, & that the very solitariness shall cumber thee more, than if thou leddest thy life where as is most stirring, and soughtest the common commodity of others. What remaineth then, but that we live in the world as out of the world? that is to say, that we keep ourselves undefiled of the world, (as saith S. james) & neither love the world, nor the things in the world, as saith S. john. And as the same Apostle addeth immediately, The things that are in the world are such as these, namely the lust of the flesh, the likings of the eyes, and the pride of life. And by those are meant all manner of lewd desires that fight against God's law, all enticements of pleasure, all kinds of lusts and likings, all covetousness, ambition, strangeness, all pride full of a certain stateliness and vain bravery, and all troublesomeness of life. And these in very deed are the things that we have professed ourselves to renounce in our baptism, and from the which all men must flee, and keep themselves pure and undefiled, at leastwise if they mind to be taken for Christians, and to be so in deed. For the love of the world and the love of God cannot agreed together, because (as saith saint james) the friendship of the world is enmity against God: so that whosoever will be friend to the world, is made an unfrende to God. Now for the avoiding of the several sins, whereof both the causes and occasions do spring of the world, let every man bear in mind the sayings of the Scripture: as for example, against hatred and heart-burning towards our neighbour, this saying of Saint john: Whosoever hateth his brother is a manslayer, and you know that no manslear hath everlasting life abiding in him. And if any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar. Against wrath, this saying of our saviour's: Whosoever is angry with his brother unadvisedly, shall be in danger of judgement. Against railing and misspeaking: Whosoever calleth his brother fool, shall be in danger of Hell fire. And this of Paul's. Evil speakers shall not possess the kingdom of God. Against impatience and desire of revenge, this saying of Christ's: Love your enemies, wish well to them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that hurt you and persecute you, that ye may be the sons of your father which is in heaven. And again: if ye forgive not men their misdeeds, neither will your father forgive you your misdeeds. I will not pursue these things any further.  
Let us remember that the occasions, and (as ye would say,) the handles whereby to take hold of these sins, are given us of the world: but the root of them all is fastened deeply in the flesh: and that the world doth oftentimes 'cause the vices to burst out, which lie hidden within in the flesh. Dung (saith one) doth not always cast an ill sent: but stir it, and thou shalt smell it. Even so we which seem to ourselves to be meek, gentle, godly, and christianly in deed, do by and by bewray what we be, as soon as the world ministereth occasion, 
For then true speech doth from the heart proceed:  
The vizor gone, the thing remains in deed.   
That is to say, the naughtiness and sinfulness which cleaveth fast to the bowels and maree of us, bursteth out whensoever occasion is given, and bewrayeth itself, so as the secret vices that lay hid in the innermost nooks of the mind appear, and the privy thoughts of the heart which lay wrapped up in darkness (as saith the Apostle) are brought to open light, so as a man may now in manner feel with his hands the faultiness, staining, and corruption that is bred within us by nature. The world showeth forth riches, wealth, glory, honour, and pleasure. These stir up the inward lurking covetousness, ambition, sensuality, and other lusts and affections, and bewray a man to be far otherwise than he pretended to be. A man is at a dainty, fine and sumptuous feast, where there wanteth neither pleasant meat, nor most excellent and noble wine. In this case perchance he that took himself to be very sober and well stayed by nature, shall find in him some proneness and forwardness of his flesh, to riot and surfeiting. For the vice that lay lurking within, endeavoureth to burst forth into act, unless ye meet it by the way, and resist it and fight against it with all your power, as the well disposed sort & such as fear God have been wont to do. So likewise (that I may allege another example) the beholding of a fair and well-favoured woman, shall peradventure 'cause a man (which doubted nothing less before) to feel some filthy inclination of his flesh unto wickedness, which either he was utterly ignorant of before, or at leastwise believed it not to be of so great force to set him on fire. Therefore let no man, let no man (I say) trust too much to himself, but let every man suspect himself, and acknowledge both the wonderful forwardness of the flesh unto all sin and wickedness, and also the weakness and frailty of man to withstand it: and to the intent he may eschew the sins themselves, let him (according to the common saying) eschew the occasions of sin: but yet let him in any wise call always upon God for help and succour, and so living in a clean body, let him labour and travel towards heanenly things in his mind. And inespecially, look what vices every man is most given unto by nature, let him diligently shun both the causes and occasions of them in the world. Let him forbear the fellowship, familiarity, and company of unthrifts, let him not willingly be at any sumptuous and excessive banquets, feasts, or meetings, unless he be in manner compelled. And if he must needs be at them, let him be well aware of himself, that he neither do, nor say any thing there, which may justly as ill become a Christian, as it may perhaps well become the liberty of feasting. At a word, let the godly man endeavour this at all times, and all places, that (as sayeth saint james) he may keep himself undefiled of the world. Although this be easier to be spoken than to be done, yet may it be done in part by the help of God's grace. Let us strain ourselves earnestly to the uttermost of our power, and out of all doubt God will further our endeavour. Let us remember how Saint john sayeth, that the world passeth away with the lust thereof: but he which doth the will of God, endureth for ever. Wherefore let us not love the world, nor the things that are in the world, though they seem never so fair and full of all kind of sweetness. Of which fort are these things wherewith the world is wont to entrap men unwares: filthy pleasures, shameful lechery, glittering and sumptuous furniture of feasts, deyntinesse of meats, riches, wealth, dominion, power, honour, greatness, glory, dignity, and (to knit up the matter in few words,) the delights of the flesh, the pleasuring of the senses, the allurements of the eyes, and the pride and pomp of life. As for all these things, the well disposed man that feareth God, deemeth them not to be true and substantial goods as they be commonly taken to be, but empty images of good things, or rather some juggling tricks, and even as a poisoned and deadly honey, or else a deathful draft of meath, as the Proverb saith: and therefore he refuseth, forsaketh, and scorneth them, and (as Saint james counseleth) keepeth himself unstained of the world, and (as saith Saint Peter) fleeth from the corruption of lusts that is in the world. He knoweth that all the world is set upon naughtiness, as john witnesseth. Therefore according to Saint Paul's doctrine, he seeketh the things that are above, he careth for the things that are above: he passeth not for earthly things, nor for the things that are put to him by the world, which he is not ignorant that he renounced in baptism, together with all the pomps, allurements and pleasures thereof. And all these things doth the well disposed man strain himself to do, upon trust of God's help. But yet for all that, it is a thing of great difficulty and labour, by reason of the naughtiness and sinfulness that is thoroughly settled and rooted in his corrupt nature: wherethrough it cometh to pass, that look what lewdness and wickedness so ever the World occasioneth and offereth, the Flesh doth greedily catch hold of them out of hand without sticking at it. For the senses and thoughts of man's heart are forward to naughtiness even from his childhood: and all the imaginations of his mind are bend at all times unto evil, as that grave Author Moses witnesseth in Genesis. Great therefore and painful always is the godly man's fighting against the proneness of his own flesh unto sin, which is utterly incredible, and against his own weakness in withstanding the allurements of the world, by reason of the unwieldy and unbridled moods of the flesh, which willingly followeth, (I will not say outrunneth) whithersoever the world calleth it, & giveth no ear either to the sovereignty of the mind, or to the commandments of God: in so much that Paul said truly, I know there dwelleth no good in me, that is to say, in my flesh: for, to be willing is present with me, but I found no ability to do thee good: for I do not the good which I am willing to do, but I do the evil which I am loath to do. And a little after: I agreed to God's law (saith he) as in respect of mine inward man: but I see another law in my members, which warreth against the law of my mind, and leadeth me prisoner to the law of sin that is in my members. Wretched man that I am, who shall set me free from this body of sin? I thank God through jesus Christ our Lord. Thus much hitherto.  
Now than that the world doth both mar with examples, and undo with stumblingblocks, for as much as it is out of all doubt, I need not to use many words to make it plain. A poor woman sees a rich Lady glittering in gold and purple, and clad in apparel of sundry colours, and by and by she being inflamed with desire of like gayness, stretcheth herself beyond her ability, & hath no measure of her costliness and superfluity. So great mischief is there in example, whereof the world yieldeth occasion. In the mean while there is no more regard had of that which the Apostle Saint Peter saith, than of the man in the Moon, as saith the proverb. His will is that the attire of Christian women should not be outward, in braiding of their hear, in wearing of gold, and in apparel of costly raiment, but inward and secret, that the inner man which is in the heart, be clear from all corruptness, so as the mind be mild and quiet, etc. Also Paul's mind in his Epistle to Timothy is, that wives should clad themselves in sober apparel and attire, with shamefastness and chastity, not with curling of their hear, not with gold, not with pearl, nor with sumptuous raiment, but as becometh women that show forth godliness by good works. Besides this, the vice, wickedness and lewdness wherewith the world doth always swarm and overflow, do often hurt by example, casting stumblingblocks in men's ways, and ministering occasion of falling, as, Lavish and ryotrous expenses, daily bellycheere, glorious and fine furniture of feasting, ravishing and deflowering of maidens, adultery, incest, Church robbing, blaspheming of God, and specially these, swerings, cursings, & bannings, by the cross, wounds, and blood of Christ, which alas are too too breeme and rife nowadays. I omit how the world inhonoreth vices with the names of virtues, calling riot liberality, unshamefastness, valiant courage, stubornes, stoutness: & crafty deceitfulness, fineness of wit. Contrariwise they deface virtues with the names of vices: calling staidness, sturdiness: thriftiness, nigardliness: shamefastness, sheepishness: mildness, cowardliness: and wareness, fearfulness. How many be there think you, which to eschew the report of too much sparing and nigardship, do after the example of other men, maintain princely cheer, and far for a Pope, with all sumptuousness and royalty? Thus the world ministereth both cause & occasion, wherethrough, they that else would live soberly, thriftily, and stayedly, do live overdaintily, finely, & sumptuously, too the intent too scape dispraise. So likewise ye shall find other some, which to eschew the report of cowardliness & faynthartednesse, because it is counted an unseemly thing for a man to be so, will rather revenge injury than forgive and forget it, and rather go to law than loose any piece of their right. For the world doth commonly term patience by the lewd name of cowardliness and laziness, and deem the desire of revenge to be a kind of valiantness and stoutness meet for a man. To be short, after the same sort there are innumerable, who to eschew the brute of poverty, because they take that to be reproachful, do seek goods by all means possible. whither it be by perjury, usury, or any other lewd slights, not passing at all how they come by them, so they may have them. For if any do heap up riches by hook and by crook, and enforce themselves to the uttern o●t to get abundante of wealth, those doth the world deem to be men of forcast and policy, and it taketh almost them only to be wise and only worthy to be accounted of. As for honest poverty, it despiseth it, making no reckoning of such as eschew it not by all means possible. And so by inflaming men with desire of wealth and riches, it bringeth to pass and obtaineth, that like as in all other things, so also in this, men direct the doings and devices of their whose life, chiefly by the judgement of the world, and neglect the commandments & heavenly doctrine of God, running blindly and madly into all sin, corrupted by example one of another. Look what I have said of riches, think the same to be spoken of power, dominion and authority: to the atteynment of which things whosoever do bend themselves with all their heart, them doth the world gape & gaze at above all others, as men of greatest courage. Which dealing when well disposed men and such as fear God do see, who else are wont to despise such things, and to make none accounted of them: they also are somewhat moved at it, and tickled with a certain desire of the same things, the which (notwithstanding) they do easily put away and shake off by and by, in respect of Gods will, which they labour to obey. To be short, which way so ever a man turn him in the world, undoubtedly he shall every where meet with somewhat, whereby the minds of the godly may be sore offended, if they take not heed, and which may wonderfully defile, attaint, and mar them, with the foul infection of noisome example, be they never so pure, sound, and clear: so as a man may rightly say, that the world is (after a sort) the wide gate & broad way that leadeth to destruction, and is wont to be always trodden & haunted of most men, whereof our Saviour maketh mention in the Gospel. But I will not stand any longer upon these things.   

Of the Devil.  
THen let us come to the third enemy, which is at deadly foade with us continually. verily he is the old serpent, which is called Satan and the Devil, as john writeth in the apocalypse. This is he that rangeth continually up and down in Christ's sheepfold, as an hungerstarven Lion seeking whom to devour: whom Peter willeth us to withstand stoutly by faith. This is he that seduceth the whole world. This is the author of sin, which alured the first father of mankind into deceit. This is he whom our saviour witnesseth in a certain place, both to have been a murderer from the beginning, and also to be a liar, and the father of Lies. This is he of whom john saith, The devil sinneth from the beginning. This is both the prince of the world, as Christ termeth him in john: & also the evil, wherefrom we desire in the Lord's prayer to be delivered. He therefore (to come to the matter) not only tempteth us to the mean vices and wicked doings, such as I have rehearsed already, and whereunto both the flesh of it own accord is forward, and the world ministereth innumerable causes and occasions: but also laboureth to drive and enforce us to some greater sins and horribler wickedness, as Epicurish contempt of God, the neglecting of god's word, unbelief, distrust, often despair, false persuasion of ourselves, trust of our own strength, wilful stubornnesse in evil, blaspheming of God, the withstanding of the known truth, hypocrisy, superstition, Idolatry, perjury, treason, adultery, incest, murder, killing of a man's own father or mother empoisoning, witchcraft, and other infinite sins, & such wicked and ungodly deeds, as cannot be contained within any number. He laboureth to enfeeble our trust in God, and also to weaken or rather to take quite away the hope of our salvation, and to quench our love towards God, and our charity towards our neighbour. To be short, he never leaves assaulting of us both within and without: he presseth, and pursueth us, and never gives us any respite at all. And whom he cannot overcome by sudden assault, them he endeavoureth to tire with long continuance and with holding on stil. He prompteth our minds with filthy, shameful, and wicked thoughts, and inflameth us with sundry heats of lusts within: and afterward he trumpeth such things in our way outwardly, as may easily either corrupt us by example, or offend us unwares either in word or deed. Finally he trieth all the ways to the wood, that look to what vice a man is most prove by nature and custom, he may throw him headlong into it, and so finally destroy him. And not that only, but moreover he laboureth by all means to conjecture and know what every man thinketh in his own mind by some outward signs and tokens. Therefore of all things it is the hardest for a man to resist his so sundry & great temptations, unless god help our infirmity. And the devil assaulteth us not only in respect of the mind, that is to wit, by provoking us to innumerable sins, and by thrusting us headlong oftentimes into most horrible wicked deeds: but also endeavoureth to the uttermost of his power, to hurt our bodies, to appair & hinder our health, to procure sicknesses, to infect the air, to raise noisome tempests to stir up deadly wars, great uproars, and troublesome seditions, and to minister causes and occasions of hatred, heart-burning and enmity both public & private, whereof divers times do rise very great slaughters. And he is not more to be feared when he assaulteth us openly, than when he stealeth upon us as it were by undermining: neither is be more to be dreaded when he showeth himself as he is, than when he transformeth himself (as saith the apostle) into an angel of light. He dealeth with us openly, when he goeth about to drive us to outward sins and wicked deeds, as rape, adultery, incest, manslaughter, witchcraft, and such like. And he stealeth upon us by undermining, when he assaileth us unwares by secret trains, making us negligent and in manner careless in hearing of god's word, and slow and slothful in true godliness and honest doings, as in the deeds of charity, in praying to God, in giving him thanks, and in executing every man the duties of his own vocation, and so oppresseth us as it were in a sleep. And truly Satan's wiliness in assaulting us is wonderful. For one while in tempting us to sin, he speaketh us fair and smileth upon us, lessing the heinousness of the offence, and taking away the feeling of God's wrath for sin, by removing his grievous threatenings out of our remembrance, and not suffering us to mind the punishments that God hath executed upon sinners in old time. To be short, he maketh the sinner careless on all sides, and (as sayeth Cyprian) he sootheth to deceive, smileth to smite, and allureth to kill. Otherwhiles on the contrary part, he wonderfully enhanceth our sins beyond all measure, and driveth us almost to despair by the feeling of God's displeasure: he setteth before our eyes the examples and punishments of other men. & thereupon he biddeth us gather what we our selves aught to look for, endeavouring in conclusion to bereave us of all hope of forgiveness, & to draw us to endless destruction Those undoubtedly be the devils fiery darts, which S. Paul speaketh of in the Epistle too the Ephesians.  
Also this is a wonderful wile of the devil above all the rest. For like a craftsmayster and cunning forger of all mischief as he is when, he cannot, overcome us by his own feats, and by the vices that he provoketh us unto: then laboureth he to overcome us by our own welldoings. O how dreadful an enemy is he, which maketh even virtue an occasion of sinning? This will become the plainer by an example, When he tempteth a man to surfeiting and drunkenness, if the man yield unto him, then hath he won him to the fulfilling of his lust, whereof he ministered matter unto him to perform it withal. And if the party withstand it, then doth he make him proud in his heart, for having so good stay of himself, And so the devil overcometh even in being overcome. Likewise when he goeth about to inflame a man with love of money, if the man take not good heed he is like to fall into the crime of covetousness, which (as saith the Apostle) is the serving of Idols. But if to spite Satan withal, he become the bountyfuller and kynderharted to the poor, then shall he hardly shifted from swelling up with some secret pride. Thus doth Satan commonly cut every man's throat with his own sword, (as they say▪) and like a wily and old wringer as he is, he maketh them to use his own tricks and subtle sleights. In fleeing from the smoke men fall into the fire. By reason whereof, he is no less to be feared when he is overcome, than when he overcometh. divers times he feigneth himself to be overthrown and out of strength, to the intent to step up again the fiercer. He runs away to draw men into ambush, and to give them the counterbuff unwares. He giveth place openly, to vanquish by stealth. To be short, whom he cannot catch with sweetness and delight, him he compasseth with the conceit and well liking of his own virtues. Hereof sprang this boasting of the pharisees: I am not a robber, a wrong dealer, nor an adulterer, as other men are. I fast twice a week: I give tithes of all that I have. Rightly doth Ambrose in a certain place warn us, that all other vices prevail by evil deeds: but only pride is to be taken heed of even in well doings. And surely there is not any man that can be ready enough to beware of pride. Even virtue itself (as I said) doth oftentimes minister occasion to this vice, yea and it cometh to pass divers times, that we vaunt ourselves to loftily in the overweening of our own mildness, and in the humbling of our hearts by bearing a low sail: insomuch that even in misliking of our pride, we do after a sort swell secretly in ourselves for misliking of our pride. And so we fall into the same vice that we shunned most of al. Warily therefore must we work, warily must we prevent Satan's temptations, and we must labour to espy the intent and drift of our most wily enemy, yea and (as sayeth Saint Paul) to know the very thoughts and conceits of Satan. What then shall a christian man do in so many, so divers, and so great assaults of his most merciless enemy? Sooth he must flee to the majesty of God for help, he must pray without ceasing, and he must with earnest and hearty supplication, beseech the eternal God the father of our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ, to deliver us for his son our mediator and high priests sake from the evil, which never ceaseth one minute of an hour, but assaulteth us continually: and not too suffer us to fall or to quail under temptation. Also we ourselves putting from us the overtendernesse of our hearts, must with singular stoutness resist the Devil that assaileth us, & maintaining war against him upon assurance of gods help, beware of the ambushes that he hath laid ready for us, and not give him any occasion to set upon us unwares. Moreover, let us call to mind the examples of the saints that have withstood the Devil manfully & the punishments, that have been executed upon sinners, & the grievous threatenings of the holy scriptures: that in so doing we may by the help of the holy ghost, be able to overcome the temptations of the Devil the easilier, & to vanquish our most subtle enemy, who assaulteth us, not only by himself, but also by the world, and chief by our own flesh, that is to say, by our own selves and in our own selves.  
Neither let us hope for peace out of hand when we happen to have gotten once the better hand of him. What then? We must (as ye would say) stand continually in battle ray: for we cannot be discharged of the danger of the devils assaulting, until we be dispatched of our life. Of which matter I think it very expedient to add here the words of that holy man & martyr of Christ, saint Cipryan. Simeon (saith he) avoweth that God's servants are then at peace, & in free and quiet rest, when they be taken out of the turmoils of this world, & are arrived in the haven & dwelling place of the everlasting safety, & when they have put away this death & are come to immortality. For that is our peace, our sure rest, & our stable, firm, & continuing safety. But as for the world, what else do we in it than keep continual war against the devil? than stand in continual conflict against his darts & weapons? we have to encounter against covetousness, against unchasteness, against anger, against vainglory, we have a continual, endless, & cumbersome wrestling to endure against fleshly vices & worldly allurements, man's mind being besieged & as it were trenched in with the noisomeness of the devil, is scarce able to encounter him & to withstand him in all places. As soon as covetousness is overthrown. Lechery steps up: as soon as lechery is suppressed, ambition takes his place: if ambition be shaken off, anger waxeth fierce, pride puffeth up, tippling enticeth, envy breaketh concord, & jealousy cutteth off friendship. Thou art compelled to speak evil, which the Law of God forbiddeth. Thou art driven to swear, which is not lawful. So many persecutions doth the mind daily suffer, and with so many dangers is the heart distressed: and yet doth it delight thee to stand still here among the devils swords, when thou shouldest rather wish and desire to high thee unto Christ, by the help of speedy death? and so forth.  
Now like as thou must not be proud, if thou have at any time overcome thine enemy through the help of God: so must thou not be out of heart, though he overthrow thee, & (as it were) dash thee against the ground but thou must rise up again the lustilier against thine enemy, and not suffer him to go his way unfoyled. And that shalt thou do, if thou pray often and heartily unto God and crave the help of the holy ghost at God the father's hand for jesus Christ's sake, & henceforth look more nearly to thyself, walking circumspectly and warily in all things, and looking every way aduizedly about thee, that thou offend not unwares, ne dash against any thing: if thou be strong in the Lord, & by the power of his strength, as saith the apostle: & finally if thou always and above all things be mindful of man's frailty, that whereas thou seemest to thyself to stand, thou look thoroughly & substantially to it that thou fall not, and employ thyself to thy salvation with fear and trembling.  
But to return to our former matters, in the devils tempting of us, when he pricketh us forth to any of the things aforesaid, we must first and foremost take to us the sword of the spirit, which is god's word, after the example of our saviour jesus Christ, who being tempted of the devil, resorted to the mystical scripture, by means whereof he brought to pass that the devil went away vanquished, and did let him alone, as the story of the gospel witnesseth. The like must we do. As for example (thereby to make the thing more manifest) if he go about to bring a man to the neglecting of God's word, & of holy assemblies, the man of God by and by fearing himself, must bethink him of his saying to S. john. He that is of God heareth god's word. etc. My sheep hear my voice. If he go about to drive us to despair for the unmeasurable number of our sins: Let us call to remembrance this saying of our Saviour in john: God so loved the world, as he gave his only begotten son, to the intent that whosoever trusteth in him should not perish, but have life everlasting. And this saying of the same our saviour in Matthew: Come unto me all ye that are weerye and overladen, and I will refresh you. Also this which is written in the first Epistle of S. john: If any of us sin, we have an advocate with the Father, even jesus christ the righteous, and he is the atonement for our sins. Again, herein appeared God's love towards us, that God sent his only begotten son into the world, too the end that we might live by him, etc. So likewise, in all other of the devils temptations and suggestions, the godly man must (as I said afore) take to him the spiritual sword, to encounter his enemy withal, and he shall go away with victory in all conflicts through the help of God. For without God's grace, man's endeavour is vain and to no purpose. For all our ability cometh of God, it is Gods every whit of it, as saith that blessed man Cyprian. Neither can we hope for any victory against the Devil by reason of the feebleness and infirmity of our own strength: unless God help us. And that is the very cause why our Lord commandeth us to desire of God the father, that he should not lead us into temptation, but as often we flee unto him, deliver us from that evil wight, which suffereth us not to be in rest and quiet one minute of an hour. The same Lord of ours exhorteth us to watch and pray, lest we fall into temptation. Yea the Apostle Peter quickeneth us to sobriety and watchfulness, because of our adversary the Devil, who goeth about like a roaring Lion, seeking whom to devour.  
But now to finish this part of the devils temptation, I will briefly set down what Tertullian saith of that most sturdy enemy of mankind. He never suffereth his malice to rest (saith he:) he matcheth, he assaulteth, he besiegeth: if he may by any means either strike the eyes with fleshly concupiscence, or snare the mind with worldly enticements, or overthrow faith with fear of earthly authority, or writhe one from the sure way by untoward traditions: he spareth no stumblingblockes, he spareth no temptations. To the same purpose also maketh this of saint Cyprian: Our adversary with whom we be at wars, is old, & on ancient enemy. It is full six thousand years ago since the devil did first fight against man. He hath now learned all kinds of tempting, and all slights and tricks to overthrow, even by the long continuance of his practice. If he find Christ's soldier unprepared, raw, not heedful, nor watching with all his heart: he windeth about him unwitting it, he beguileth him unwares, he deceiveth him for want of skill. But if a man that keepeth God's commandments & sticketh stoutly unto Christ do cope with him, he must needs be overcome, because Christ whom the man confesseth is unvanquishable. The same man in another place saith thus. We must keep watch my dear brethren, and labour with all our power, that we may with all heedfulness and wakernesse withstand our enemy in his rage, who shooteth his darts at us to strike us and wound us in all parts of our body. He goeth prying about every one of us, and like an enemy that besiegeth the walls of a town, he spieth and trieth whither any part of our members he less steady and assured than it should be, that he may break in at it to the inner parts. He offereth the eyes alluring shapes and delightful pleasures, to destroy chastity by sight. He tempteth the ears with shirle music, that the sweetness of the sound may lozen and soften the courage of the Christian by hearing. He provoketh the tongue to misspeaking, he pricketh forward the hands to malapertness of slaughter, through provocation of wrongs. Too make a man a deceiver, he faceth him with unjust gain. Too catch the soul with covetousness, he thrusteth in hurtful commodity. To bereave a man of the heavenly honour, he promiseth him worldly honour. To steal from him the true things, he showeth him the false things. And when he can not beguile covertly, he threateneth openly and apertly, menacing with terror of troublesome persecution, as one that is always enemy to God's servants, & always restless in seeking to subdue them. In peace he is sly, & in persecution violent. Therefore my deerebeloved brethren, our minds must stand armed & weaponed, as well against all the devils deceitful slights, as against all his open menaces, as ready always to fight against him, as our enemy is always ready to assail us. Thus much sayeth saint Cyprian.  
And this enemy is so much more to be feared than the flesh or the world, not only because he almost never ceaseth to assault us on all sides all our life long, but also putteth us to our plunge at the point of death, when we be ready to give up the ghost. At that which instant he laboureth to drive us to despair, by setting our sins before our eyes, & by enhancing them wonderfully above measure. Moreover, at the same time, he bringeth importunately to our remembrance, the judgement seat of the Lord, the torments of hell, the fire that shall never be quenched, & furthermore God's rigour, & the examples of God's dreadful wrath in punishing of sinners, that he may drive the wretched ma to despair of his salvation. Also he casteth in a chokepeare to make him doubt of god's mercy, and putteth perilous thoughts in his head, of predestination. To be short, he striveth to weaken the belief of the things that are to be believed, and maketh to call all the whole doctrine of our Religion into doubt: that he may so at length throw him headlong into endless damnation. Or if he perceive himself to win nothing that way: then he transformeth himself into an Angel of light, and whom he could not perchance drive to despair, him he stirreth up to a certain ungodly selftrust, and to a presuming upon his own deserts, and so laboureth to oppress him unwares with carelessness, yea and even standing in a fond conceit of his own good deeds. Of the which matter, forasmuch as I have spoken sufficiently in my book of the comforting of the sick, I will add no more of it here.  
These are almost all the things that came to my mind concerning the conflict of the christian man against the flesh, the world, & the devil, which I thought good too put forth. Great undoubtedly is man's unability to resist these enemies: but yet (as I said) we be able to do all things through him that strengtheneth us: and that is the son of God, our Lord and saviour jesus Christ. Be of good cheer (saith be,) I have overcome the world. Therefore let us be of good courage, and call continually upon God for help, and (as our saviour counseleth us) let us not be weighed of praying, let us eschew all occasions of sinning, let us forthwith t stop the temptations at their first entrance, & let us never suffer them to gather strength. For when men stand or tarry any thing long upon filthy thoughts, they run in danger of being overcome at the length. When we have gotten the upper hand, let us buckle ourselves new again to the battle, and not imagine the conflict to be come yet to a final end. For we must look still for one temptation in another's neck. And if we be overcome, let us not be out of heart for it. For as it is true that one said, that is too wit, that the man which runs away may fight again: so is it as true, that the conqueror hath oftentimes been overcome of the vanquished. Let us do our endeavour, that whatsoever occasion our enemy giveth us of sinning, we may take hold of it to do well, and (as the proverb sayeth) let us cut his throat with his own sword. Right hard and difficult surely is the combat with our enemy, but yet is the victory easy by the help of God. Only let us withstand him manfully and with stout courage, and God will help our endeavour, & (that I may use the Apostles words) he will tread down Satan under our feet. When our enemy tempteth us, let us always call to mind the shortness and uncertainty of this life, the presentness of death at all times and in all places, the peril of unrepentantnesse, & the endless punishments of hell, but specially and above all things, Gods being present everywhere, and the presence of the Angels whom our most merciful father hath appointed to keep us. Let us bear in mind that we be the temple of God▪ and that God's spirit dwelleth in us. Therefore let us not (I say) let us not vnhallow Gods holy temple, neither let us (as saith the Apostle) grieve the holy spirit of God by following our filthy lusts, and running forth whithersoever our enemy the Devil calleth us. Let us not drive away the Angels, whom God hath set to be our keepers for the maintenance of welfare, the reverence of whom aught of right to call us back from sin and wickedness. Let us be ashamed to do those things in the s●ght of the angels, which we would be loath to do in the sight of a man. Let the pureness and holiness of the Angels keep us somewhat in awe from sinning. Nay rather, let God himself who is present every where, who is the searcher of men's reins and hearts, and which looketh into the innermost conceits of our minds let him (say I) ●ray us not only from all lewd & wicked deeds, but also from thinking upon any thing that is unhonest, filthy, or unclean, if we be not utterly godless & stark Epicures Finally, let us endeavour to be sober, & beware that our hearts be not overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness. But as the Church of God sing in hymns, 
I say, more sparely let us use  
Our words, our meat, and eke our drink,  
Our sleep and Play, that we may stand  
Moore stiffly still upon our guard,  
And let us shun all naughty things▪  
Which overthrow the wavering minds▪  
And let us give our wily foe  
No room to use his tyranny.   
Last of all, let us assure ourselves, that in this hard and dangerous encounter against our inbred coruption & proneness to sin against the innumerable enticements of the world, & against the prince of darkness, and god of this world, which maintaineth unreconcilable war against us, the holy ghost helpeth not the cowards & heartless sort, nor the sluggards and slothful sort, nor such as sit loitering and idle as it were with their arms folded one within another. Therefore let us not sooth ourselves in our own weakness, neither let us cocker our own niceness: but being armed & weaponed with the spiritual furniture that saint Paul maketh mention of in the Epistle too the Ephesians, let us join battle cheerfully, as valiant in the Lord, and by the mightiness of his strength as saith the apostle. Let us not give bridle wilfully to our affections, neither let us at any time shrink willingly from God's grace. They that strain themselves are helped from above as they say. God giveth his holy spirit for Christ the meadiators sake, to them that crave it. Through whose aid and help, man's infirmity which else had been utterly unable through the only powers of nature, is now enabled by power from heaven, if it submit itself thereto: at leastwise so we fail not ourselves, but beware in any wise that we receive not God's grace in vain. For although we cannot by any means utterly root out▪ & quite & clean take away the corrupt naughtiness that is bred in us, nor pluck up (as ye would say) all the rootestrings of it, so as nothing should be left: yet surely we may be able by the furtherance of God's help, to keep it down and after a sort to subdue it, so as although we cannot utterly overwhelm it & quench it that it might never rebel, yet we may keep it, in the mean while from reigning & from overmastring of us. So likewise may we be able to refuse the enticements of the world if we endeavour it with all our power: & to withstand Satan, if we put away the overtendernesse of our hearts: and finally to get the upper hand of our enemies, if we enforce ourselves to it with all our heart and all our endeavour: howbeit, not we (as the Apostle saith) but the grace of God with us. Therefore: let us evermore crave this grace at God's hand trustfully and without doubting: let us flee thither for succour, upon acknowledgement of our own unability to resist: and let us also yield ourselves thereunto. So will it come to pass, that the victory which we could not attain by our own power, we shall attain by the help and furtherance of this grace, and that through our Lord jesus Christ, under whose antsignes we fight in the camp of his Church, and unto whom we have given ourselves in baptism, renouncing there the world and Satan the Lord of the world, with all the pomps and pleasures thereof. Let us follow this rightly noble, victorious, and triumphant Grand captain, who both encourageth us to fight, and enableth us to win: and both relieveth them that faint, and crowneth them that overcome. For this is he which saith in the apocalypse, To him that overcometh, I will give to eat of the tree of life that is in the mids of the Paradise of my God. And again Be faithful unto the death, and I will give thee a crown of life. The same Lord promiseth to him that getteth the upper hand, both deliverance from the second death▪ and hidden Manna, and the writing of his name in the book of life, and the sitting by him in his throne, and the right of God's children, & the possession & inherlting of all good things. Whom would not so great rewards encourage, were he never so rank a coward? whom would they not thrust forward, were be never so heavy a sluggard? If we be christians, let us believe God the fetter forth of such rewards for us, and let the same rewards kindle our courages to deal lustily. For as for him that is not moved with such rewards, surely he is little better than an Epicure, and an utter dispyzer of religion, and a man whose salvation is well near past recovery. God the eternal father of our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ, be ever our aid and help in our continual battle against the Flesh, the World, and the Devil, and suffer us not to sink or give over, but deliver us when we flee unto him, from that wicked wight which leadeth away the whole world after him. To be short, we beseech him to vouchsafe to make us able by his grace, to overcome the frailty of our flesh, to eschew the enticements, corruptions and infections of the world, and to beware of the baits, slights, and deceits of the devil. And so, unto him with the son and the holy Ghost, be all praise, honour and glory for ever and ever world without end. Amen. Amen.    

¶ IMPRINTED at London by Henry Einneman, for john Shepherd. Anno. 1576.