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 littp://www.archive.org/details/christianmanualoOOwoolricli, 
 
THE 
 
 CHKISTIAN MANUAL; 
 
 OR, 
 
 OF THE LIFE AND MANNERS OF 
 TRUE CHRISTIANS. 
 
 JOHN W0 0LT0-N,.O.:D., . 
 
 BISHOP OF EXETER. 
 
 EDITED FOB 
 FOR THE PUBLICATION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 WORKS OF THE FATHERS AND EARLY WRITERS OF THE 
 REFORMED ENGLISH CHURCH. 
 
 CAMBRroGE : 
 
 FRINTBD AT 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY PRES 
 
 M.DCCaLL 
 

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE. 
 
 John Woolton, or (as it is sometimes written) Wolton, 
 was born at Wigan in Lancashire in the year 1535, 
 parentihus honestis, sed nobiliori matre^. It seems to 
 have been by his motlier's side that he was a nephew of 
 the justly celebrated Dean Nowel^; and with him, after 
 spending some years at Oxford, as a student of Brase- 
 nose College, apparently without proceeding to any de- 
 gree, he travelled in Germany during the persecutions 
 of Mary's reign. After his return to England on the 
 accession of Queen Elizabeth, little is heard of him 
 till the year 1578; in which year, through the influence 
 of Dean Nowel, a new charter was granted to the col- 
 legiate Church of Manchester, and Woolton was named 
 the first Warden. This post however he occupied less 
 than two years, as he was preferred to the bishoprick of 
 Exeter in 1579, and consecrated by Archbishop Grindal 
 at the beginning of August in that year. At the time 
 
 * Godwin, de Praesul. Angl. Comment. 
 
 ' Avunculum suum, Godwin, ibid, who, being his son-in-law, 
 ;s no doubt strictly accurate. 
 
 ivii7?;^93 
 
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE. 
 
 of his advancement to the episcopate he was a canon 
 residentiary of the same church 3; and in Yowel's or 
 Hooker's catalogue of the bishops of Exeter, published 
 in that year, he is spoken of as "a Professor of Divinity, 
 and a preacher of the Gospel, and universally seen in all 
 good letters^/' He appears to have been a strenuous 
 opponent of the Puritans in the unhappy disputes which 
 were then harassing the Church of England ; but, apart 
 from the unpopularity which this circumstance occa- 
 sioned him with many, it seems that he was much re- 
 spected for his conscientious zeal and diligence in his high 
 office. 
 
 The account of his death (March 13, 159f ) furnishes 
 an interesting illustration of his character. His complaint 
 was asthma ; and two hours before his departure he was 
 dictating a letter on important business, when being ad- 
 monished to be careful of his health, he replied with an 
 adaptation of the well-known words of the emperor 
 Yespasian, that a bishop "ought to die standing^:" soon 
 after which, as he was walking in his chamber, he 
 suddenly fell, and expired in the arms of those who 
 hastened to his support, at the age of 58. 
 
 3 Antony Wood (Athen. Oxon. Vol. i. p. 230) states that he 
 was admitted to the church of Spaxton in the diocese of Wells, in 
 1563, " being about that time canon of Exeter," and that he was 
 consecrated Bishop in 1575 : but in p. 609 he gives the date of 1574 
 for this latter event, and again in the Fasti, p. 746, assigns it to 
 1579; 
 
 ^ Strype, Annals of Reformation. Fol. 1725. Book ii. chap. 19. 
 Vol. IT. p. 611. 
 
 ^ See Suetonius, Vespasian, cap. 24. 
 
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE. 
 
 The following is the list of his works, as given by- 
 Watt in his Bihliotheca Britannica: — 
 
 1. The Christian Manuell, or of the life and maners 
 of true Christians. London. 1576. (See the full title 
 infra, p. 2.) 
 
 2. An Armour of Proufe ; very profitable as well 
 for princes, noblemen and gentlemen, as all other in 
 authoritie, shewing the firm fortress of defence and haven 
 of rest in these troblesome times and perilous dayes. 
 Lond. 1576. 8vo. 
 
 3. A Treatise of the Immortalitie of the Soule; 
 wherein is declared the origine, nature and powers of 
 the same, together with the state and condition thereof, 
 both as it is conioyned and dissolved from the bodie. 
 Lond. 1576. 16mo. 
 
 4. A Newe Anatomic of the whole Man, as well of 
 his Bodie as of his Soule, declaring the condition and 
 constitution of the same in his first creation, corruption, 
 regeneration and glorification. Lond. 1576. 8vo. 
 
 5. The Castell of Christians and Fortress of the 
 Faithfull besieged, and defended now almost sixe thou- 
 sand yeares. Lond. 1577. 8vo. 
 
 To these Wood (Athen. Oxon.) adds : 
 
 6. Discourse of the Conscience. 8vo. J 576. 
 
 As the operations of the Parker Society are now 
 drawing to a close, the present is intended to be the con- 
 
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE. 
 
 eluding volume of the 12mo series. In this series of 
 smaller books it has been designed to exhibit the spirit 
 and principles of the Reformation in their various forms 
 of developement, as they influenced the literature and 
 character of the age. The first of these publications was 
 an illustration of its devotional character ; the second, of 
 the poetical, as poetry lent its aid in furtherance of the 
 great struggle for spiritual and intellectual emancipa- 
 tion ; the third, of the directly spiritual and experimental 
 working of religion ; the fourth, of its controversial phase 
 on a smaller scale; and the fifth and last, of the appli- 
 cation of its principles to the practical duties of indivi- 
 dual and social life. In all these different aspects they 
 present a combined testimony to the power and value 
 of the blessed Reformation. 
 
i 
 
 THE 
 
 CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 QWOOLTON.] 
 
THE CHRISTIAN 
 M^nmll, ov of ti)t lift 
 
 anlr mmtx% of true 
 
 Christians. 
 
 a twati^c, fejcte.tt i^ plcntttullg 
 
 tieclawU, 5o&) ntcticfuU tt fe for tje 
 
 ^crbauttt^ of €5oti to mamf^gt anti tie- 
 
 dare to tjc ioorlti : t\)m faitj l&g t^dr 
 
 Ijeetcg, tjdr ftjorti^ bg t Jnr toorlt^, 
 
 anD tjctr profe^gfon i&g tjeir con- 
 
 bcr^atiott^ 
 
 Written by Jhon Wool- 
 ton Minister of the Gospel, 
 in the Cathedral Church 
 ofEXCETOR. 
 
 Imprinted at London by J. C. 
 
 for Thomas Sturrtippe t}M= 
 
 ling in ^aules ^fjurc^ gartre, 
 
 at tfje signe of tfje George* 
 
 1576. 
 
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL 
 
 SIR WILLIAM CORDELL, KNIGHT, 
 
 MASTER OF THE EOLLS, 
 
 JOHN WOOLTON WISIIETH PROSPEROUS 
 
 SUCCESS IN ALL WORLDLY AFFAIRS, 
 
 AND IN THE LIFE TO COMB 
 
 JOY AND IMMORTAL 
 
 FELICITY. 
 
 Amongst those seven wise men of Greece, 
 there was one that commended to his hearers 
 this posy, " Follow God :" which sentence 
 he willed them to have continually before 
 their eyes, to the end that they might be 
 stirred up with an earnest desire to know, 
 love, and serve God, who is the last and 
 perfect end of true wisdom. For whereas 
 there be two principal parts of true wisdom, 
 after the opinion of philosophers ; the first, 
 that a man should know himself; the se- 
 cond, that he should know God, wherein 
 true felicity is (as it were a mark or goal) 
 proposed and offered unto us : the wise man 
 had good cause and great reason, in that 
 pithy clause, to commend the last and per- 
 fect end of true wisdom unto his scholars 
 and disciples. 
 
 The precept therefore is most commend- 
 able and profitable : but when he came to 
 
 A philoso- 
 phical posy. 
 
 Two princi- 
 pal iiaris of 
 wisaom. 
 
 ^V 
 
 Oji'^-^ 
 
 J— 2 
 
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 The philoso- 
 phers igno- 
 rant in the 
 practice of 
 their precept. 
 
 Isai. xxix. 
 xxxiii. 
 1 Cor. 1. 
 
 True wisdom 
 is only in 
 God's church. 
 
 1 Cor. i. 
 
 the action and execution of this imitation, 
 the wise man swerved very much from that 
 scope and mark which himself had purposed. 
 He could not by his wisdom attain to the 
 knowledge of God, neither find out the right 
 way ; neither yet had he any guide to lead 
 him out of that deep darkness in the which 
 he was more than drowned: whereby it 
 came to pass, that he wandered miserably, 
 sometime on the left hand, and sometime 
 on the right hand, from God, whom he 
 willed his disciples to follow. For the wis- 
 dom of this world is so weak and infirm, 
 that it cannot bring man unto the fountain 
 of goodness and felicity, even whose fruition 
 is his right and perfect blessedness. Which 
 thing is found true both by experience in 
 all worldly wise men, and also by the tes- 
 timony of St Paul, who speaketh out of 
 God's mouth : '^ I will destroy the wisdom 
 of the wise, and will cast away the under- 
 standing of the prudent." Although then 
 the wise man gave a good precept, yet no 
 man came to blessedness thereby; which 
 thing should have comen to pass, if he had 
 been able to point out the way unto his 
 followers. This true wisdom the church 
 of God only hath and knoweth. Whereof 
 the same apostle speaketh after this man- 
 ner : " For after that in the wisdom of 
 God the world through their wisdom knew 
 not God, it pleased God through foolishness 
 of preaching to save them that believe." 
 That is to say, because that men in the 
 frame and workmanship of the world, 
 wherein the singular wisdom of God is 
 
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 Psal. XXX vi. 
 
 John viii. 
 
 engraved and open to the eyes of men, did 
 not know God; it pleased God of his free 
 and infinite goodness to deliver unto the 
 world his wisdom beforetime unknown, 
 even the gospel of his Son Jesus Christ, 
 whereby he purposed to save all believers, 
 that they might thereby through grace at- 
 tain to the perfect end of their condition, 
 which, by reason of their corrupt nature 
 through original sin, they could of them- 
 selves never come unto. Of this light spake 
 the prophet David, saying, " In thy light 
 shall we see light ;" and Christ himself more 
 plainly : " I am the light of the world ; he 
 that followeth me shall not in any wise 
 walk in darkness, but shall have the light 
 of life." 
 
 In which sentence our Saviour Christ 
 calleth his servants from the imitation of 
 all others, and willeth them to set him 
 before their eyes as a perfect pattern and | pie^r usto*" 
 absolute example for them to follow. The ' f°J{h mIH 
 ancient writers and best expositors have well 
 observed, that in the holy scripture Christ 
 is proposed and set out as an example and 
 rule to follow two manner of ways. First, 
 they teach us that he is the author and 
 giver of remission of sins, justice, life, and 
 eternal salvation to all believers; which 
 thing is so proper and peculiar unto him, 
 that no part or portion thereof may be in 
 any respect imparted unto others without 
 manifest sacrilege and blasphemy : secondly, 
 they describe him as an exquisite type and 
 rule of a godly and christian life, framed 
 after God's most holy law; which as he 
 
 life. 
 
 Christ an 
 example in 
 our life. 
 
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 John xiii. 
 
 2 Tim. iii. 
 Rom. ii. 
 
 1 Thess. iv. 
 
 taught with month and voice, so did he 
 fulfil the same in his own life, and proposed 
 himself as an example to all tliose that 
 would be accounted, and be in deed, Chris- 
 tians : whereof we have a plain testimony 
 in the gospel of St John: ^^I have given 
 you an example," saith Christ, " that you 
 should do as I have done unto you/' 
 
 That our heavenly Master was much 
 unlike those whom St Paul describeth to 
 "have a form of godliness, but deny the 
 power thereof;" and again, "Thou kno west 
 God's will, and allowest things that be ex- 
 cellent, and hast the form of knowledge 
 and of the truth of the law : thou therefore 
 which teachest another, teachest not thy- 
 self; and making thy boast of the law, 
 through breaking of the law dishonourest 
 God/' But Christ said and did, taught and 
 followed ; to the end that all his scholars 
 might learn to perform in work that which 
 they profess in word. The apostles of 
 Christ also, the best expositors of their 
 master's will, as they always teach men to 
 believe and trust in him, being the fountain 
 and well-spring of justice and life, so do 
 they everywhere urge them with earnest 
 exhortations to follow his life and conver- 
 sation. St Paul saith, that he " hath not 
 called us to uncleanness and filthiness of 
 life, but to holiness." Neither was he made 
 to believers wisdom and justice only, but 
 also sanctification and redemption. For as 
 by his wisdom and justice he hath expelled 
 darkness, naturally bred in man's breast, 
 and hath kindled the true light of the 
 
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 knowledge of himself and his Father, and, 
 forgiving our sins, doth adorn us with his 
 own justice, wherewith we being covered 
 and clothed please God his Father ; even 
 so doth he give unto us the Holy Ghost, 
 who doth regenerate and renew our minds, 
 whereby they do conceive holy desires and 
 affections, which at the last are plentiful 
 and fruitful in bringing forth good works. 
 A godly life is always conjoined with a 
 lively faith, in such sort that these two 
 cannot be separate one from* another, no 
 more than light can be divided from the 
 sun, or heat from the burning fire. For 
 Christ, as the apostle saith, "gave himself 
 for us to purge us a peculiar people to him- 
 self, zealous ^ of good works, and to redeem- 
 us from all iniquity." And if philosophers 
 give rules and precepts of manners, not so 
 much to make men learned, as to make 
 them virtuous; how much more ought 
 christian philosophy to proceed further, 
 not only to put into men s minds the know- 
 ledge of piety and godliness, but also sanc- 
 timony and holiness itself! Every one there- 
 fore endued with a true faith ought to feel 
 Christ so working in him by his holy 
 Spirit, that he may say with the apostle, 
 " Now live not I, but Christ liveth in me." 
 And as the body endued with a living and 
 reasonable soul receiveth, feeleth, and prac- 
 tiseth the actions thereof ; so he that is en- 
 grafFed in Christ, and is his member, cannot 
 choose but be partaker of his Spirit, virtue, 
 and holiness. Whereupon the apostolic 
 [1 Reasons, Orig. Edit, of 1576.] 
 
 f<. 
 
 \ Christian 
 \philosophy 
 most perfit. 
 
 Gal. ii. 
 
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 1 Thess. V. 
 
 Profession 
 approved by 
 conversation. 
 
 De zelo et 
 livore et 
 aliis locis. 
 
 V 
 
 and catholic faitb nameth the body or 
 society of the church " the communion of 
 saints : ** plainly importing thereby, that 
 those men only appertain to that society, 
 who meditate and study how they may live 
 well, and labour with all their might, that 
 they may be that whereunto the apostle ex- 
 horteth the Thessalonians, "altogether sanc- 
 tified, perfect in spirit, and such as may be 
 blameless against the coming of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ." And all those that are other- 
 wise aiSected, and frame not their life to 
 that end, and yet desire to be named Chris- 
 tians, they dissent from themselves, and 
 with their life argue their tongue of untruth 
 and falsehood. 
 
 Moreover, a man's profession is not so 
 much to be weighed by his tongue and talk, 
 as by his deeds and life. The apostle speak- 
 eth of such impostors, saying : " They that 
 profess themself to know God, but with 
 their deeds they deny him." And that holy 
 martyr St Cyprian hath a fine saying, that 
 " the testimony of a man s life is more efiec- 
 tual than that of his tongue; and that works 
 have after a sort their lively speech and elo- 
 quence, albeit the tongue be silent, and move 
 never a deaP." And he that professeth with 
 his mouth, and walketh contrary in his 
 life, may right well be compared to an un- 
 wise builder, who layeth on mortar with the 
 
 \} Doctorem quoque eum maximum in regno 
 coelorum vocari, qui fecerit et sic docuerit; tunc 
 praedicanti profuturum quod bene atque utiliter 
 praedicatum fuerit, si id quod ore promitur factis 
 sequentibus impleatur. — Cypr. de Zel. et Liv. Opp. 
 Oxon. 1700. p. 155.] 
 
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 one hand, and pulleth down stones with the 
 other. Of such kind of builders our Lord 
 and master Christ speaketh after this man- 
 ner : " Therefore whosoever heareth my say- 
 ings and doth them, I will liken him unto 
 a wise man, who built his house upon a 
 rock ; and the rain descended, and the floods 
 came, and the winds blew, and beat upon 
 that house, and it fell not, because it was 
 grounded upon a rock. And every one that 
 heareth of me these sayings, and doeth them 
 not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, 
 which built his house upon the sand ; and 
 the rain descended, and the floods came, 
 and the winds blew, and beat upon that 
 house, and it fell, and great was the fall of 
 it," &c. St Augustine, speaking against car- 
 nal and lip-gospellers, saith thus : " In vain 
 doth he assume the name of Christ, that 
 followeth not Christ. To what purpose is 
 it, if thou be called that which thou art not, 
 and to usurp a strange name ? But if thou 
 delight in that name, then do those things 
 which appertain to Christianity, and then 
 thou mayest with good cause challenge the 
 name of a Christian'." 
 
 Now if we view Christians after this 
 rule, if we examine men s daily life and con- 
 versation, and try the same with the touch- 
 stone of God's commandments, that number 
 
 [2 Quod nomen illud frustra sortitur, qui Chris- 
 tum minime imitatur. Quid enim tibi prodest vocari 
 quod non es, nomen tibi usurpare alienum ? Sed si 
 Christianum te esse delectat, quae Christi sunt gere, 
 et merito tibi Christiani nomen assume. — De Vit. 
 Christ Lib. cap. i. inter August. Opp. Tom. ix. p. 
 361. Colon. Agripp. 1616.] 
 
 Matt vii. 
 
 In Lib. de 
 Vita Chris- 
 tiana, qui 
 falso ascri- 
 bitur August 
 
 The small 
 number of 
 perfit 
 Christians. 
 
10 
 
 THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 The fruits 
 of true 
 Christians. 
 
 Matt. xii. 
 Mark iii. 
 Luke viiL 
 
 
 >{ 
 
 Chrysost. in 
 Horn. 
 
 will appear small, and a true Christian will 
 almost be as rare as a black swan upon the 
 earth. For neither the negligent and vo- 
 luptuous magistrate, nor the idle bishop, 
 nor the cruel husband, nor the bitter wife, 
 nor the careless father, nor the rebellious 
 child, nor the merciless master, nor the un- 
 faithful servant, with many other of that 
 sort, cannot by any means be rightly named 
 Christians. But those rather, even by the tes- 
 timony of Christ himself, are so to be called, 
 that " hear his word and keep it." And 
 although our salvation issueth from God's 
 grace and goodness, yet he requireth at our 
 hands trust and confidence in him, a prompt 
 an^~ready will to obey his word, diligence 
 and industry in our vocation, prayer an^ 
 invocation of his holy name, accepting our 
 imperfect disobedience, and forgiving our 
 infirmities for his Son Christ's sake. /All 
 those that then desire to be true Christians, 
 ought to be sorry for their sins, to fly unto 
 Christ, and to repose sure trust and confi- 
 dence of salvation in the mercy of God 
 through him, to bring forth worthy fruits 
 of repentance, and to lead a life agreeable to 
 the gospel. For those that be true Chris- 
 tians do always wrestle with vices, and 
 fight with concupiscence and lust ; they en- 
 deavour to bridle wicked affections; and, 
 contemning earthly things, do bend and fix 
 their minds upon heavenly things. ! Where- 
 of Chrysostom writeth thus : " O Christian, 
 thou art too delicate a soldier, if thou think 
 to vanquish without battle, and to triumph 
 without fight. Wherefore call to mind thy 
 
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 11 
 
 condition, and that warfare wherein thou 
 hast professed thyself a soldier: which if 
 thou do, then shalt thou well perceive, that 
 all those worthy wights, whom thou dost so 
 much esteem and reverence, have by fight 
 and battle vanquished and triumphed^,** &c. 
 
 And because true Christians cannot 
 worthily requite Almighty God for his 
 innumerable benefits, neither satisfy them- 
 selves in piety toward him ; yet they are 
 careful and endeavour, to their uttermost, 
 never to alienate* God's grace and favour 
 from them, neither to do that which will 
 be displeasant unto his majesty : but con- 
 trariwise, through the aid of God's Spirit, 
 they labour to do those things which are 
 acceptable unto him, working their salva- 
 tion with trembling and fear; and frame 
 all their actions not so much after the 
 liking of human reasons as after the pre- 
 script of God's holy will and command- 
 ment. And because in actions no man can 
 determine what is good, unless he first 
 know what is true ; and for that the same 
 cannot be otherwise had than from the 
 mouth of God in his word ; they turn over 
 the holy bible, they study the monuments 
 of tlie prophets and apostles, and meditate 
 [• Unde tu, Christiane, delicatus es miles, si putas 
 te posse sine piigna vincere, sine certamine trium- 
 
 phare Considera pactum, conditionem attende, 
 
 militiam nosce,...cui nomen dedisti. Hoe enim pacto 
 quos miraris cuncti pugnarunt, hac conditione uni- 
 versi vicerunt, hac militia omnes triumpharunt. — 
 Chrjsost. Opp. (Lat.) Paris. 1556. J)e martyribus, 
 quod aut imitandi aut non laudandi sunt, tSermo, 
 Tom. III. col. &34. d.] 
 
 [2 Alivate, 1576.J 
 
 The care and 
 study of 
 Chmtians. 
 
12 
 
 THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 X 
 
 i 
 
 The repent- 
 ance of 
 Christians. 
 
 God*s law both day and night : whereby 
 Christians only come unto the knowledge 
 of the truth and understanding of God's 
 will; which to know is perfit wisdom, 
 which to do is true virtue, and wherein to 
 continue is the only and eternal felicity. 
 Those then that know not the will of God, 
 as the ethnicks in times past, and Turks 
 and Jews now-a-days, cannot have any sure 
 and comfortable warrantise of their life and 
 learning. For the Christians only, taught 
 in God's school, know his will, and in all 
 their life rather respect the same than their 
 own will and reason, and repute it to be the 
 greatest virtue to please and obey him, 
 and to follow his precepts and command- 
 ments. 
 
 And if at any time, through human in- 
 firmity and weakness, they offend and slide 
 awry ; by and by they desire pardon and 
 forgiveness of God through Christ, and ap- 
 prehend by faith mercy promised in him, 
 and comfort themselves with a quiet and 
 cheerful mind in the same. Oh, happy is 
 that man that so stayeth himself in an 
 assured trust of God's mercy in Christ, 
 that humbly and heartily agniseth^ his 
 faults and offences, that carefully endea- 
 voureth to walk in newness and holiness of 
 life. But Oh, most unhappy are those 
 that wander in diffidence and distrust, that 
 think too well of themselves, boasting with 
 the Pharisees their acts and deeds, that 
 neglect an honest and godly life; unto 
 whom the Lord will say at the last day : 
 [^ Agniseth : acknowledgeth.] 
 
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 13 
 
 " I never knew you ; depart from me, you 
 workers of iniquity, into everlasting fire, 
 which is prepared for the devil and his 
 angels." Whereas, on the other side, the true 
 Christians shall hear that joyful speech: 
 ''Well done, thou good and faithful servant; 
 thou hast been faithful over few things, 
 I will make thee ruler over many things : 
 enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Come, 
 ye blessed children of my Father, inherit 
 the kingdom which is prepared for you 
 from the beginning of the world." 
 
 Of the which two sorts of men, to wit, 
 of false Christians in name and title only, 
 and of true Christians in word and work, I 
 have written more largely in this treatise 
 following; which I thought good to pre- 
 sent unto your worship, moved thereunto 
 for divers and sundry causes: first, with 
 the common and universal report of that 
 great wisdom and justice, wherewith God 
 hath endued you, by the one discerning be- 
 tween right and WTong, by the other put- 
 ting the same in execution, in your office 
 and calling : which is said by Cicero to be 
 the lady and queen of all virtues; and of 
 Aristotle, to be more beautiful and bright 
 than the day-star itself. Secondly, in re- 
 spect of that great care, which you have 
 now a long time used, for the good estate 
 of colleges and houses of learning in the 
 university: which thing Plato said espe- 
 cially to belong unto a good magistrate, 
 to provide that children bom to common 
 society should be well brought up for the 
 common commodity. Thirdly, for that it 
 
 Matt vii. et 
 
 XXV. 
 
 Matt XXV. 
 Luke xix. 
 et xxi. 
 
 'Z^ 
 
14 
 
 THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 hath pleased God to appoint me the pastor 
 and shepherd of men's souls in one of 
 those manors, where the title and interest 
 of temporal lords and livings, together with 
 the regiment of men s manners in a civil 
 life, is under the prince committed unto 
 your worship ; where the states of many of 
 your poor tenants being tickle ^ and doubt- 
 ful, yet you join pity and clemency with 
 justice and equity : which, as that reverend 
 father St Augustine writeth, " is the inhe- 
 ritance of children, the joy of the commons, 
 and the comfort of the poor." And as no 
 time in this world shall be able to consume 
 this true honour and virtue of yours; so 
 will not the same be unrewarded in that 
 great day at the hands of the almighty 
 and eternal God ; who increase you in all 
 honour and dignity. At Whymple, the 20 
 of November, Anno Dom. 15/6. 
 Your worship's humble 
 
 John Woolton. 
 
 [* Tickle : ticklish, weak.] 
 
A CHEISTIAN MAITOAL. 
 
 The very name of a Christian is most 
 beautiful and honourable, and the bare word 
 carrieth a certain majesty : but as our Lord 
 and Saviour Jesus Christ rebuked the Jews 
 vainly vaunting of their father Abraham, 
 " If ye were Abraham's children, ye would 
 do the works of Abraham;" so will he 
 answer wicked men with sharp speech at 
 the great day : If ye had been Christians, 
 ye would have followed my example; "I 
 never knew you, depart from me, ye work- 
 ers of iniquity." And albeit we read that 
 the apostles gave many excellent titles unto 
 those that believed in Christ, embraced his 
 gospel, and joined themselves to his church 
 and congregation, as the name of "brethren," 
 "saints," and "disciples ;" yetat Antioch they 
 obtained first that noble and royal name of 
 Christians; a title which in honour and 
 dignity not only comprehendeth, but also 
 far passeth all other styles and inscriptions. 
 
 Eusebius Pamphilus, commending chris- 
 tian faith and religion unto the world, ex- 
 toUeth the same not only for the reverend 
 majesty, which the name importeth, but 
 also for the antiquity and ancientness, as 
 having been always since the creation of 
 the world, and whereby only all holy men 
 have pleased God, and attained to ever- 
 lasting felicity. Whose sentence and judg- 
 
 The honour 
 of the word 
 Christian. 
 
 John viil. 
 
 Matt vU. 
 
 The foun- 
 dation of 
 christian 
 religion was 
 laid long 
 before 
 Christ's in- 
 carnation. 
 
16 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Luke iii. 
 
 Christ's 
 treasures 
 more plainly 
 opened after 
 his incarna- 
 tion. 
 
 Isal. ix. 
 1 Pet. 1. 
 
 ment may happily seem strange to some 
 simple and unlearned persons, carried with 
 that vain opinion, that christian religion 
 did first begin in the days of Tiberius 
 Caesar ; moved, as it is likely, with St Luke 
 his gospel, where it is written, that John 
 the Baptist began to preach in the fifteenth 
 year of Tiberius; and also, because histo- 
 ries generally almost consent that Jesus 
 Christ, the Saviour of the world, was 
 crucified the eighteenth year of the same 
 emperor. 
 
 It cannot verily be denied, but that all 
 prophecies were complete and true salva- 
 tion perfected in that time. And it must 
 needs be granted, that Christ's most precious 
 treasures were then opened and communi- 
 cated unto the world more plainly and 
 plentifully than ever before. Yet the same 
 salvation was shadowed long before by the 
 prophets, and promised unto the fathers in 
 Christ Jesus : where it came to pass, that 
 they did foresee in their spirit Christ to 
 come, and, as we now do, put their whole 
 trust and confidence in him only. These 
 things are proposed, offered, and exhibited 
 indeed most absolutely and clearly unto us 
 under the new Testament, and in the time 
 of grace ; which they under the law had in 
 hope, and that certain, albeit somewhat 
 more obscurely than we now have, and 
 looked for the same with most constant and 
 ardent minds. The words of Eusebius, 
 touching this matter, are as foUoweth. 
 
 " Now, lest any man should think that 
 Christ's doctrine is strange, or lately devised 
 
X CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 17 
 
 of some new-fangled fellow, we mean to 
 write of this matter somewhat more largely. 
 Whereas now a good space the coming and 
 presence of our Lord Jesus Christ began to 
 shine as it were to the world, a new nation 
 and profession sprung up, not few in num- 
 ber, nor weak in strength ; not shut up in 
 a corner of the world, but gathered of all 
 countries; who in serving and honouring 
 of God were most zealous and religious, 
 obtaining the name of Christians. Which 
 thing was spoken of before by one of the 
 prophets : * Who ever heard or saw/ saith 
 he, ' any such things ? Doth the ground 
 bear in one day ? or are the people born all 
 at once, as Sion travaileth in childbirth, and 
 beareth her sons ?' And in another place : 
 ' Then shall the Gentiles see thy righteous- 
 ness break forth as the shining light, and 
 their salvation as a burning lamp: thou 
 shalt be named with a new name, which the 
 mouth of the Lord shall shew/ Therefore 
 making a supputation upward, even from 
 Abraham unto the first man Adam; albeit 
 they had not in very letters the bare name, 
 yet in effect and truth they were Christians. 
 For in four years after Christ's ascension, 
 the disciples obtained the name of Christians. 
 Now if the name of a Christian importeth 
 one that believeth in Christ, and that pur- 
 sueth faith, piety ^ and justice by his word, 
 surely the holy patriarchs were such men, 
 and therefore to be accounted amongst the 
 number of Christians*." Hitherto Eusebius. 
 
 pity, 1576.] 
 
 "li/a fxt} ce TT/V oidaa-KoXtav avTov viav elvai 
 
 [' 
 
 Isai. Ixii. 
 
 Acts xi. 
 
 ^WOOLTON.] 
 
18 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 The name 
 Christian 
 given by 
 God. 
 
 Acts xL 
 
 But touching the word Christians, it 
 may be gathered by that which hath been 
 spoken before, that the faithful were so 
 named first at Antioch, because they pro- 
 fessed Jesus Christ to be the Son of the 
 living God. And although that may seem 
 to have come to pass by an imitation of the 
 philosophers, who were divided into divers 
 sectSj and received names after their masters; 
 yet no doubt this name was given to the 
 faithful by the inspiration of God's Spirit, 
 
 Kal ^evrjv, tJs av viro veov kol firjSeu twv XoiiruiV 
 Cia(f>€povTo^ dudpooTTbov a-varTdcraVy VTTovot'iaeie ti5, 
 0epe (3paxea Kal irepl tovtov diaXdftcofjLev. upri 
 fihv ofxoXoyovfieva)^ t^s tov cwt^/jos tj/xwj/ XpLcrrov 
 irapovaria'i veiacrTi irdcriv dvQpioiroi^ eTTLXanxxj/dcrrj^f 
 veov bfxoXoyovfxevta^ edvo^ ov puKpov ov8' darOeve^, 
 ovd' 67rt ywi/ias Trtjy^s l6pvp.evov, dWd Kal irdvTwv 
 g6vu)V 'JToXvavOpiaTTOTaTOv re Kal Qeocre^earTaToVy 
 TavTTf TC dvooXeOpov Kal ai/TTtjToi/, 77 Kal ea-ael t^s 
 Tff f' Q^ou ^opdeia? TvyWi/et, -xpovcDV irpoQecrfxiai^ 
 dppijTOL^ ddp6a}9 oi/Tws avaTre^rjve, to irapd toTs 
 irdari t?? tov X/ottrxoi/ irpoa-riyopia TeTLfxtifxevov, 
 TovTo Kal irpocpTjToJv KaTeirXdyrj tis deiov irvev- 
 /xttTos ocpdaXjULcp TO /uLeXXov earea-dai 'TrpoSewprjVa?, 
 to? Kal TaSe dvadtdeyPacydai' Tis vKovae TOLavTa : 
 Kai Tis eXaAtjarev outws; ei cooive yrj ev fxia iifxepa^ 
 Kal el cTex^V eOvo^ eiaraTra^. VTroa-nfxaivei 64 irwi 
 Kal T^v fxeXXovcrav 6 auTos m-poai^yopiav^ Xeyuiv' 
 Tols ^6 ^ovXevovari fxoi KXtidrjareTai 6vop.a Kaivov, o 
 
 €vXoyi]dr]aeTai, iirl t?}^ yrj-s irdvTa^ de CKelvov^ 
 
 dLKaioavvri fxefxapTvpt\ixevov9^ e^ avTov tov 'A^padp. 
 GTrl TOV "vrpooTov dvLovcnv dvdpcoTrov, epyut X/oiCTia- 
 voiiiy el Kal p.7] 6v6p.aTt, irpocreLirtav xis ovk dv c/cxos 
 ^dXoL T^s dXrjdeia^, o yap toi SrjXovv edeXei tov- 
 vop-a TO JipLOTTLavovy dvdpa Sid ttJ9 tov X/OKTToy 
 yvoSarecos Kal didacrKaXia^ arcocppoarvvri Kal SiKaLoavvr! 
 KapTcpia Te ^lov Kal dpcTrj^ dvdpia evare^eia^ tc 
 bpoXoyia ei/os Kal povov tov eirl irdvTOiv Geou ^la- 
 'TrpeireLVy tovto ttuv CKeivOi? ov yeTpov i^pwv ea-Trov-^ 
 dd^cTo — Eccles. Hist. Euseb. Lib, i. cap. 4, fol. 4, 
 5. Lut. Par. 1544.] 
 
▲ CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 19 
 
 the doctor and guider of his church. For 
 after the gospel was carried out of the bor- 
 ders of Jewry, and spread itself far abroad, 
 the faithful rejoiced in this name, as it may 
 appear by the saying of king Agrippa, 
 moved with St Pauls oration, " Thou dost 
 almost persuade me to be a Christian ;*' and 
 St Peter, " See that none of you be pun- 
 ished as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an 
 evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's 
 matters. If any man suffer as a christian 
 man, let him not be ashamed; but let him 
 glorify God on this behalf." 
 
 The wicked men were carried with a 
 wonderful malice and hatred against this 
 name. Tertullus, that prating sycophant, 
 termed odiously the profession of the gospel. 
 The heresy of the Nazarites. And it ap- 
 pearetii by Justin the Martyr, Tertullian, 
 Eusebius, and such like, the very profession 
 of this name was accounted a thing worthy 
 of condemnation ; and the denial of the same 
 obtained absolution : as though the name 
 carried with it an offence, to be continued 
 or deposed with the same. AVhich was 
 nothing else but a blind furor in those whose 
 eyes Satan, the god of this world, had put 
 out, so that they could not see the clear 
 light ; neither consider, as Athenagoras wit- 
 tily answered. That "names are not worthy 
 hatred,, but the fact and fault ^ :" or, as Jus- 
 
 {} ovShv dh ovofxa e<^* kavrov kol Si avTOv ovtc 
 irovtjpou OUT6 'Ypr]<yT6v t/o/ni^eTai, Cid de Tcts viroKei- 
 fievai auToIs 7j Troi/Tjpas i] dyadd^ Trpd^eii »/ cf)\avpa 
 17 dyadd ^o/ce?.— Athenag. Athen. Philos. Christ. 
 Apol. pro Christiania. Paris. 1636. p. 3.] 
 
 Acts xxvi. 
 1 Pel. iv. 
 
 The name 
 wa^ hateful 
 to the 
 wic'ketl. 
 Acts xxiv. 
 
 2—2 
 
20 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 The effect or 
 working of 
 this name. 
 
 Ephes. V. 
 1 Pet. ii. 5. 
 
 tinus the Martyr writ, " That the bare name 
 ought neither to procure credit nor dis- 
 credit \" Such was the opinion of profane 
 men of the name Christian, even the green 
 herb and first spring of the gospel. 
 
 But the sense and judgment of the godly 
 was far otherwise : who accounted no name 
 or title more reverend and honourable. They 
 were persuaded that this name was invented 
 and given by God himself; partly for a 
 difference between them of the old and new 
 Testament, and partly to kindle and in- 
 flame their faith in Christ, being by the re- 
 membrance and recital of the very name 
 moved to be thankful for his unspeakable 
 benefits. For every man ought to consider 
 with himself, that he hath the name of a 
 Christian, because he is engrafi*ed in Christ, 
 as the branch in the stock, or as the mem- 
 ber in the head; and so to receive of his 
 moistness and life, and to be partaker of his 
 benefits. For there is no other word, that 
 doth more significantly express the entire 
 conjunction which is between Christ and 
 his church (which is lively set out in the 
 parable of the marriage, whereby we are 
 said to be "flesh of his flesh, and bone of his 
 bone"), as doth the word Christian* 
 
 As soon as we hear that sweet sound, we 
 call to memory, that we are made a lively 
 " priesthood, to ofi*er spiritual sacrifices." 
 So that this word is as it were a sacrament 
 
 [^ 'Oi/o/iiaTos /u€i/ ovv irpoa-oovvfiia ovtc dyadov 
 ouTc KaKov KpivcTai dv€v Tcoi/ VTTO'TrnrTOvarcov to) 
 ovofiaTL irpd^etav. — Just. Mart. Apol. I. Opp. Par. 
 1742. p. 45.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL* 
 
 21 
 
 assuring all professors of the gospel of the 
 accomplishment of that holy unction, where- 
 of David maketh mention : for God is good 
 and true, and doth not deceive them that 
 put their trust in him. And he gave the 
 name of Christ to his only-begotten Son, 
 and answered the same in deed : he anointed 
 him " with the oil of gladness above his fel- 
 lows." He therefore hath also anointed us 
 his fellows, heirs, and brethren with the 
 same oil; albeit not so plentifully as their 
 elder Brother. 
 
 The title therefore is honourable and 
 comfortable, as all those right well perceive 
 that have any taste and feeling of God's 
 mysteries. AVhat a sweet speech of God is 
 this: " Touch not my Christs l" Doth he not 
 plainly declare that he dearly loveth those 
 whom he adometh with that name ? Surely 
 St Hierome thinketh this to be that name, 
 which the living God by the mouth of his 
 prophet promised to give his servant, that 
 in place of the manifold names of Israel, 
 Epliraim, Joseph, Jacob, they should be 
 called Christians^. Howsoever therefore this 
 name hath been contemned and hated of 
 profane men ; yet amongst the servants of 
 God it hath always been accounted most 
 honourable, and preferred to all other titles. 
 St Hierome writing to Furia, happening to 
 make mention of her father, addeth ex- 
 pressly, that he honoured him more for the 
 [* Nomen antem novum sive aliud nullum est, 
 nisi quod ex Christi nomine derivatur, ut nequaquam 
 vocetur populus Dei Jacob, et Judas, et Israel, et 
 
 Ephraim, et Joseph, sed Christianus Hieron. in 
 
 Esai. cap. Ixv. 15. Opp. T. iv. p. 218. Antverp. 1578.] 
 
 Psal. cxli. 
 
 Psal. cv. 
 
 Isai. Ixv. 
 
 A poor 
 Christian is 
 more ho- 
 nourable 
 than an hea- 
 then prince. 
 
 Hieron. ad 
 Furiam. 
 
22 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 The name of 
 a Christian 
 may not be 
 blemished 
 with wicked 
 deeds. 
 
 Isai. Hi. 
 Ezek. xxxvL 
 
 name of a Christian, than because he had 
 either been a senator or a consul \ 
 
 But we ought always to use this con- 
 cord, that we be in deed such men as we 
 would be accounted and called. For the 
 very name doth admonish men, not only of 
 their honour and dignity, but also of their 
 office and duty. And as by sacraments, 
 which St Augustine calleth visible words ^ 
 men are put in mind of their calling ; even 
 so are Christians by that name admonished 
 of their parts and functions. And as the 
 unworthy partakers of sacraments receive 
 the same to their own damnation ; even so 
 those that usurp this noble name, and per- 
 form it not in their living and manners, shall 
 feel the heavy hand of God for their pre- 
 sumption and wickedness. Whereof St 
 Paul rendereth a reason, saying, " For the 
 name of God is evil spoken of amongst the 
 Gentiles through you ;" and the prophet, 
 " My name is always blasphemed ;" and in 
 another place, " They came unto the Gen- 
 tiles, and profaned my name amongst them ;" 
 and again, " My name is great amongst the 
 Gentiles, but you have profaned it." In 
 which place the people are charged w4th 
 two great offences : first, that they made 
 God as a reproach; secondly, that they 
 
 [^ Pater tuus, quern honoris causa nomino, iion 
 quia consularis et'patricius, sed quia Christianus est. 
 — Hieron. ad Furiam, de Vid. Serv. cap. 2. 0pp. 
 T. I. p. 30.] 
 
 [^ Accedit verbura ad elementum, et fit sacra- 
 mentum etiam ipsum, tanquam visibile Terbum. — 
 August, in Joann. Evang. Tract. 80. Opp. Tom. ix. 
 p. 159. Colon. Agripp. 1616.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 23 
 
 abused his name and law, wherewith in 
 his mercy he vouchsafed to honour them. 
 Whereby we may easily perceive, what an 
 heinous offence it is to brag and boast of the 
 name of Christians and of the word of God, 
 and yet in daily violating and transgressing 
 the same to profane God's name amongst 
 the people ; which is no other thing but to 
 play and dally with his reverend name 
 and majesty. This is nothing else but the 
 subtle practice of our enemy the devil, who 
 by his sleights and temptations bringeth it 
 to pass, that those things which should serve 
 to God's glory and our own salvation, we 
 by profanation and abuse convert to our 
 own destruction. Which thing we see too 
 often verified in these our sinful times, 
 whiles many lip-gospellers and protestants 
 have commonly in their mouths Jesus Christ 
 his gospel and faith, and yet so live that 
 the name of Christ and his gospel is evil 
 spoken of. 
 
 But this grievous accusation of carnal 
 gospellers is ancient and general, used as we 
 see by the prophets against the Jews, and 
 by tlie apostles against the Gentiles : so that 
 we may easily thereby gather, that the pro- 
 fessors of God and true religion have been 
 always of two sorts, Christians in title and 
 name only, and Christians in words and 
 works : between whom there is no small or 
 obscure difference. For the former sort 
 bend all their study and endeavours to che- 
 rish their carnal carcass, and desire to excel 
 others in honour, wealth, riches, power, 
 authority, and dignity; neither are they 
 
 Christians 
 always of 
 two sorts. 
 
M 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Ephes, ii. 
 
 Rom. xiii. 
 Gal. iii. iv. 
 Ephes. iv. 
 Rom. vL 
 
 A difference 
 between 
 false and 
 faithful 
 Christians. 
 
 Iren. Lib. v. 
 
 led with any fear of God to bridle and re- 
 strain their filthy desires and concupiscences, 
 but in their whole life do run headlonaj into 
 all mischief, and, as the apostle saith, be- 
 ing yet alive, are "dead in their sins and 
 trespasses." The second sort, led with the 
 Holy Spirit, seek God with all their heart, 
 and, lifting up their souls to him, covet 
 heavenly things, and contemn earthly things : 
 their chief care is not for riches, honour, 
 and worldly glory ; but they put off the old 
 man, and clothe themselves with the new 
 man : they die to sin, and live to righte- 
 ousness ; or at the least do not suffer original 
 sin and corruption to rule in their mortal 
 bodies. 
 
 Of this difference between the carnal 
 man and the spiritual, or between the 
 false and faithful Christian, that ancient 
 father Irenaeus writeth excellently: whose 
 words, being somewhat prolix and long, I 
 have in sum and effect gathered. "Those," 
 saith he, " that bear the earnest and pledge 
 of God*s Spirit, renouncing the flesh, and 
 submitting themselves unto the Spirit, are 
 aptly called by the apostle spiritual. But 
 those that profess themselves believers in 
 God, and yet never meditate his word, nor 
 clothe themselves with the works of right- 
 eousness, but, like swine and dogs, give 
 over themselves to all sensuality and wick- 
 edness, are called of the apostle carnal; of 
 the prophets, beasts ; and in the law, un- 
 clean things ; and Christ himself pro- 
 nounceth such men dead already : ' Let the 
 dead,' saith he, ' bury the dead :' for they 
 
A CHRISTIAN ItfANUAL. 
 
 25 
 
 have not God's Spirit quickening them'." 
 We see then that false Christians and car- 
 nal gospellers have been always from the 
 beginning of Christ's church. And now- 
 a-days all men brag and boast of faith, but 
 few declare it in godly life and conversation. 
 All of us would be named and accounted 
 Christians, which very name should stay 
 us from violating God's holy law ; but few 
 of us frame our lives after Christ's ex- 
 ample. We " confess God in word," as the 
 apostle saith, "but in deeds we deny 
 him," and cause his name to be evil spoken 
 of amongst the nations. For how can the 
 Turks be persuaded to think well of chris- 
 tian religion, when they behold us by* com- 
 mitting manifest idolatry? or how can they 
 
 [^ Qui ergo pignus Spiritus habent, et non concu- 
 piscentiis carnis serviunt, sed subjiciunt semet ipsos 
 Spiritui, ac rationabiliter conversantur in omnibus, 
 juste Apostolus spirituales vocat, quoniam Spiritus 
 
 Dei habitat in ipsis Qui enim sunt tales, 
 
 in Patrem quidera et Filium dicunt se credere, 
 nunquam autem meditantur eloquia Dei, quemad- 
 modum oportet, neque justitiae operibus sunt ador- 
 nati ; sed, quemaamodum prajdiximus, porcorum 
 et canum assumpserunt vitam, immunditiae et gulao 
 et reliquae incuriee semet ipsos tradentes. Juste igi- 
 tur tales omnes, qui propter suam incredulitatem et 
 luxuriam non adipiscuntur divinum Spiritum, et va- 
 riis characteribus ejiciunt se vivificans verbura, et in 
 suis concupiscentiis irrationabiliter ambulant. Apo- 
 stolus quidem carnalesetanimales vocavit: prophetae 
 autem jumenta et feras dixerunt; consuetudo autem 
 pecora et irrationabiles interpretata est : Lex autem 
 
 immundos enuntiavit Propter hoc autem et 
 
 mortui tales dicti sunt a Domino : " Sinite ** enim, in- 
 quit, "mortuos sepelire mortuos suos ;" quoniam non 
 habent Spiritum vivificantem hominem. — Iren. adv. 
 Haer. Lib. v. capp. viii. ix. pp. 445, 6. Lut. Par. 1675.J 
 
 [2 Either by must be omitted, or something is lost 
 before it.] 
 
26 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 The Turks 
 hate us for 
 some gross 
 opinions. 
 
 In Metaph. 
 
 Simon Paulus 
 in Moth. , 
 locorum 
 com. 
 
 De Nat. Deo- 
 rum, Lib. iii. 
 
 favour our profession, which we deface with 
 our wicked and abominable behaviour ? 
 
 There is nothing that hath so greatly 
 incensed, and kindled the immortal malice 
 and deadly fiend of the Saracens and Turks 
 against Christians, as the presumptuous 
 and manifest breaking of the second com- 
 mandment, in making and worshipping of 
 idols and dumb images, and in teaching 
 the impanation of God, and that caperna- 
 tical opinion in devouring of him. Aris- 
 totle, being very godless in many things, 
 yet could he not abide that God should be 
 represented with any corporal likeness \ 
 The Turks and Saracens cannot bear any 
 image in their synagogues^; and, as some 
 write, have appointed great punishment for 
 the carvers and makers of the same. And 
 even so they have detested that opinion of 
 carnal and real presence of Christ in the 
 sacrament, and have abhorred from peace 
 and society in religion with the Christians, 
 for that also amongst other causes. For, as 
 Cicero writeth, '^ Who is so witless to be- 
 lieve that to be God which he eateth^?" 
 
 [* Tct dh XoiTTa fLvdiKco9 fjdri, k. t. e . . . . dvdpw- 
 TToei^ets T6 yap toutous Kal nroou dXXcoi/ ^tooov bixoi- 
 ov<s Tial Xeyouari, K.T.k. — Aristot. Metaphys. Lib. 
 XI. cap. 8. fin.] 
 
 [^ Imperator Turcicus Solimannus aliquando ex 
 legato imperatoris Romani Caroli V. quaasivit, qujs- 
 nam esset Lutherus. Cum is responderet taxare eum 
 multos impios cultus, et praecipue eum reprehendere 
 idola pontificia, invocationes hominum mortuorum, 
 a quibus omnino abhorrent Turci, &c. — Methodi 
 aliquot locorum Doctrinae EcclesiaB Dei illustratae, 
 &c. Per Simonem Pauli Suerinensem. Secunda Pars. 
 Magdeburgi. 1573. Method, xx. p. 191.] 
 
 [^ Ecquem tarn amentem esse putas, qui illud, 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 27 
 
 And Averrois, because the Christians eat 
 that God whom they worship : " My soul 
 shall be with the philosophers'*/' He con- 
 ceived by means of that gross doctrine of 
 Rome, that the Lord's supper was like 
 Polyphemus* banquet, foaming with red 
 blood about men s mouths. For so Nicolas 
 the bishop of Rome compelled Berengarius 
 with bloody words to recant and confess, 
 that the body of Christ is handled and 
 broken sensually, and bruised with the 
 teeth : which words the gloss misliketh, 
 and admonisheth the reader to understand 
 the same warily, lest he fall into a greater 
 error than Berengarius held*. 
 
 And as the heathen have misliked our 
 religion by reason of such gross and absurd 
 opinions, so have they been more and more 
 alienated from the same by reason of the 
 dissolute and filthy life of such as desired 
 
 Juo vescatur, credat Denin esse? — Cic. de Nat. Deor. 
 lib. III. cap. xvi.] 
 
 [* Averroe, Translatio et Notae in libros Aristot. 
 Metaphys. Patavii, 1483.J 
 
 [* Ego Berengarius, &c Consentio autem 
 
 sanctae Romana3 et apostolicae sedi, et ore et corde 
 profiteer de sacramento Dominicae mensae eandem 
 fidem me tenere, quam dominus et venerabilis papa 
 Nicolaus et h;ec sancta synodus auctoritate evange- 
 lica et apostolica tenendara tradidit, mihique firmavit: 
 scilicet paneni et vinum, quae in altari ponuntur, post 
 consecrationem non solum sacramentum, sed etiam 
 verum corpus et sanguinem Domini nostri Jesu 
 Christi esse, et sensualiter, non solum sacramento, 
 sed in veritate, manibus sacerdotum tractari, frangi, 
 et fidelium dentibus atteri. — Corp. Jur. Canon. De- 
 cret. III. Pars. De Consecr. Dist. 2. can. 42. 
 
 Dentibus, Nisi sane intelligas verba Berengarii, 
 in majorem incides haeresim quam ipse habuit. — 
 Gloss, in loc] 
 
 Averrois in 
 12 Metaph. 
 
 The recanta- 
 tion of Be- 
 rengarius in 
 Coiic. Verc 
 In Decret. 
 de Consecr. 
 Dist. 2. 
 Kro Bereng. 
 Gloss. Decret. 
 
 The corrupt 
 life of Christ- 
 ians hath 
 made some 
 contenm 
 their religion. 
 
28 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Ex Ferr. 
 Mont, de 
 Republ. 
 Lib. iv. 
 
 The corrupt 
 life of the 
 papists in 
 Rome. 
 
 The punish- 
 ment of lip- 
 gospellers. 
 
 Matt xi. 
 Lukex. 
 
 to be accounted the principal and chief 
 amongst Christians. And here it is worthy 
 to be noted, what " befel to Innocentins the 
 fourth bishop of Rome; who by embas- 
 sadors moved the great prince of Tartary, 
 named Batus, to cease from the cruel per- 
 secution of Christians, to acknowledge God 
 the creator of all things, and to receive 
 christian religion. The Tartarian, as they 
 say, when he had demissed the bishop's 
 embassadors, sent his own to Rome and 
 other cities of Italy, to search the form of 
 their belief, the manners and conversation 
 of Christians : who at their return brought 
 him word, that they were an idle people, 
 wicked in life, and worshipped they knew 
 not what images, so much disagreeing from 
 the doctrine they did profess, that they 
 appeared rather to be a flocking together of 
 beasts than an assembly of men. At which 
 report the Tartarian straightway received 
 the Saracens, who easily persuaded him to 
 neglect Christ, and to receive into his do- 
 minions the abominable religion of Ma- 
 homet, as a mistress of manners^." 
 
 O great wickedness and ingratitude, 
 worthy destruction ! That which our Sa- 
 viour Christ menaced unto the cities, which 
 contemned his divine miracles, wholesome 
 doctrine, and would not repent, shall fall 
 upon such profaners of God's name at the 
 last day: "It shall be more tolerable for 
 
 j-i «^ Woorke of loannes Ferrarius Montanus, 
 touchy nge the good orderynge of a common -weale. 
 Englished by William Bauande, Lond. 1559.'* Book 
 IV. Chap. iii. fol. 63.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 29 
 
 Sodom and Gomorra at the day of judg- 
 ment, than for you/' O dear brethren, 
 let us not with like thanks quit Almighty 
 God for his great benefits bestowed upon 
 us in these our days ; as for the glad 
 tiding of our salvation, so plainly and plen- 
 tifully] uttered by the restitution of his 
 holy word. Let us remember that when we 
 lay drowned in our sins, and were not able 
 to lift up ourselves, God of his mere mercy 
 saved us in his Son Jesus Christ ; and, to 
 bring the same to pass, he gave his only 
 and most dearly-beloved Son to the vile and 
 shameful death of the cross. His goodness 
 and favour was so great toward us, that 
 he chose us, and predestinated us to be in- 
 heritors of his eternal life, before the begin- 
 ning of the world. L^t us be moved with 
 these his incomprehensible benefits, to live 
 in this world honestly and godly : for he 
 hath not done these great things for us, 
 that we should still wallow and tumble in 
 wickedness. When Aulus Fulvius had taken 
 his own son as he was running to the camp 
 of rebellious Catilina, and commnaded him 
 to be executed with death ; " I," quoth he, 
 " begat thee not to serve Catilinae, but thy 
 country^.'* Even so God hath regenerated 
 us from sin, not that we should henceforth 
 come into the same again; but that we 
 should die to sin, and live to righteousness. 
 Let us then, in every of our vocations, re- 
 joice in that " faith, which worketh through 
 love :" let our faith, as St James saith, be 
 " made perfect with works : for as the 
 [2 Vid. SaUust. Bell. Catil. cap. 40.] 
 
 A. Fulvius. 
 
 Gal. V. 
 Jame> ii. 
 
30 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 August, de 
 Spin et Lit. 
 cap. xxix. 
 Aquinas in 
 2 cap. Jacobi. 
 
 Men ought 
 to shew good 
 works as 
 tokens of 
 their faith. 
 
 2 Tim. iii. 
 
 body without the spirit is dead, even so 
 faith without works is dead/' In that he 
 would have us to make perfit our faith by 
 works, he meaneth, as St Augustine and 
 Aquinas expound it, that we should de- 
 clare ourselves to the world to be justified 
 by our works, and by the fruits to testify 
 abroad that we have a lively faith \ 
 
 For although we are justified before God 
 freely, without works, either going before 
 or coming after, through and for the me- 
 rits of Jesus Christ only our mediator, 
 which we apprehend by faith ; yet the im- 
 mutable will of our God is, that all justi- 
 fied men should walk in a new obedience, 
 doing those works that are acceptable to 
 God, beautifying their profession with a vir- 
 tuous conversation. But because in these 
 latter days charity waxeth cold, and ini- 
 quity everywhere aboundeth ; those preach- 
 ers and writers cannot choose but lightly 
 please God and good men, that press the 
 world to wear their badges, and to shew 
 forth as it were their passport in this their 
 peregrination, in eschewing vice and follow- 
 ing virtue, albeit neither merit nor justifica- 
 tion nor salvation came thereby. 
 
 For, as St Paul writeth, these are " the 
 
 [^ Ita multa multitudo dulcedinis ejus, hoc est 
 lex fidei, caritas ejus conscripta in cordibus atque 
 diffusa, perficitur sperantibus in eum, ut anima sa- 
 nata, non timore poense, sed amore justitiae, operetur 
 bonum — August, de Spir. et Lit. cap. xxix. fin. Opp. 
 Tom. III. p. 279. Colon. Agrip. 1616. 
 
 (Et ex operibus) s. sequentibus fidem (Fides con- 
 summata est) id est, augmentata et comprobata et 
 ostensa. — Thom. Aquin. in Canon. Epist. Comment, 
 in Jacob, ii. Paris. 1543. fol. 25.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 31 
 
 which are perilous, and men love 
 themselves ; having a shew of godliness, 
 but have denied the power thereof." Where- 
 fore, to the end that the effectual causes 
 may be known which may stir men to 
 piety*, virtue, and innocency of life, I have 
 thought good to comprehend in this treaty 
 the duties of every vocation and calling, 
 and as^ virtues, which as ornaments and 
 precious stones do beautify and garnish the 
 same. But before I come particularly to 
 every estate and condition, I judge it most 
 convenient to put down in few words the 
 causes and commodities of good works, so 
 much the rather, for that I said before, 
 that works do not deserve neither merit 
 justification nor salvation: whereby my 
 readers may haply be discouraged from that 
 whereunto I bend all my study, to move 
 and inflame them, or at the least to leave 
 [no] occasion to the papists to cry out with 
 open mouths, that our doctrine is a doc- 
 trine of licentiousness and liberty. 
 
 What we teach and think of good 
 works, those homilies written in our En- 
 glish tongue of salvation, faith, and works, 
 by that light and martyr of Christ's church, 
 Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, do 
 plain testify and declare; which are built 
 upon so sure a foundation, that no syco- 
 phant can deface them, nor sophister con- 
 fute them, while the world shall endure : 
 unto whom I remit the reader desirous of 
 an absolute discourse in this matter. As 
 for the reproachful speeches of the papists, 
 [2 pity, 1576.] [3 Perhaps all] 
 
 The effect of 
 this work. 
 
 Cranmer, hit 
 Homilies. 
 
32 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 The doctrine 
 of faith 
 justifying 
 expounded. 
 
 Good works 
 not rejected. 
 
 A similitude, 
 declaring 
 how faitn 
 apprehend- 
 eth justifi- 
 cation. 
 
 who cry out and say, that the position, 
 Only faith justijieth^ is impious, blasphem- 
 ous, and new, never used of any evangelist, 
 apostle, or doctor of Christ's church, and 
 very pernicious, because it excludeth good 
 works, and ministereth occasion to licence 
 and liberty; all this, I say, I might an- 
 swer in one word, as Cicero said, Pro 
 Cluentio^ Magnum et impudens menda- 
 cium^, "They are impudent slanders, and 
 untruths;'* (for my purpose at this time is 
 rather to instruct than to convince:) yet I 
 will shortly put down what all godly men 
 think in this matter. 
 
 And first : Whereas many take offence 
 with this proposition, which we preach and 
 teach. That men are justified by faith 
 only in Christ; it is because they do not 
 understand our doctrine in that behalf. For 
 we mean nothing less than to reject or take 
 away good works and honest actions ; but 
 we only exclude confidence and trust in 
 men's works, which have no place at all 
 in justification. And that dignity is as- 
 cribed to faith, because it is as it were an 
 instrument to apprehend Christ ; and is 
 much like a conduit-pipe, whereby, as by 
 a mean, the water of life, that is, justice in 
 Christ, is conveyed and communicated unto 
 us: by whose merits we have remission 
 and forgiveness of sins, and are adopted 
 and made the children of God. Faith by 
 her own dignity and worthiness doth not 
 demerit justice and righteousness; but re- 
 ceiveth and embraceth the same offered unto 
 [^ Cic. pro Cluent. 168.] 
 
X CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 33 
 
 US in the gospel : so that in the free mercy 
 of God, and merits of Christ, who in shed- 
 ding of his precious blood, hath made satis- 
 faction for the sins of the whole world, we 
 ought to repose all our trust and confidence. 
 But our adversaries object, saying: If 
 you do not exclude the. promises, why do 
 you say that faith only justifieth ? And 
 they add : Let faith justify, in God's name, 
 so that you say not faith onli/ justifieth. 
 Whereunto we answer: That we speak 
 after the usual manner, without device of 
 new terms and phrases, following the autho- 
 rity of the brightest lights that have since 
 Christ's time shined in the church. For 
 the words of Christ our master, and of his 
 apostles, carry the same witli great efiicacy 
 and force in sense ; albeit in form of words 
 and stamp of letter they have it not. Christ 
 himself, speaking to the sinful woman, saith, 
 "Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace:*' 
 and to Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, 
 ' " Fear not ; believe only, and she shall be 
 made whole :** and to the blind man, " Re- 
 ! ceive thy sight ; thy faith hath saved thee." 
 I And St Paul, " Where is the rejoicing ? it 
 is excluded. By what law? of works? 
 Xay, but by the law of faith. Therefore we 
 conclude that a man is justified by faith 
 without the works of the law." And again : 
 " We know that a man is not justified by 
 the works of the law, but by the faith of 
 Jesus Christ." And again : " By grace are 
 ye saved through faith, and that not of 
 yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of 
 works, lest any man should boast." 
 
 [WOOLTON.] 
 
 The objection 
 of the ad- 
 versary. 
 
 The proof 
 of this doc- 
 trine out of 
 the scripture. 
 
 Matt. Ix. 
 Luke viiL 
 
 Luke xviii. 
 
 Rom. iii. 
 
 GaL IL 
 Eph. IL 
 
34 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 The consent 
 of the fathers. 
 Origen. Lib. 
 iii. ad Bom. 
 
 Hieron. in 
 Rom. X. 
 Ambr. in 
 Rom. \iii. 
 
 Idem in 
 1 Cor. i. 
 
 Theod. ii. 7. 
 de Sacri. 
 
 Besides this, that phrase is usual and 
 common in the works of ancient writers. 
 For we find in Origen: "He saith unto 
 the woman, by no works of the law, but 
 by faith only, thy sins are forgiven thee^." 
 And St Hierome : " God justifieth us by 
 faith only 2." And St Ambrose: ^' All ce- 
 remonies are taken away, and we are justi- 
 fied by faith only 3." And again: " Grace 
 is so given in Christ Jesus, that whosoever 
 believeth in him should be saved without 
 works, receiving remission of sins by faith 
 only^.'* And Theodoretus : " Neither have 
 we gotten these heavenly blessings by our 
 own merits, but by faith only^." And Gi- 
 selbertus : " What should we conjecture of 
 
 [* Jesus autem dixit ad eum parabolam quingen- 
 torum vel quinquaginta denariorum, et ex nullo legis 
 opere sed pro sola fide ait ad earn, Remittuntur tibi 
 peecata tua; et iterum, Fides tua te salvam fecit, 
 vade in pace. — Orig. Opp. in Scriptur. Comm. Basil. 
 1571. Tom. II. p. 504.] 
 
 [2 Ignorantes quod Deus ex sola fide justificat. — 
 Hieron. in Rom. x. ver. 3. Opp. Tom. viii. p. 190. 
 Antverp. 1578.] 
 
 [3 The passage does not appear on the 8th chap- 
 ter :' perhaps the following is meant : Gentilem dicit 
 hominem pro certo haberi quod justificetur credens, 
 nulla faciens opera legis, id est, sine circumcisione, 
 aut neomeniis, aut veneratione sabbati. — Ambros. 
 Opp. Comment, in Rom. iii. v. 28. Tom. v^ p. 188. 
 Basil. 1555.] 
 
 [^ Quae gratia sic data est in Christo Jesu, quia 
 hoc constitutum est a Deo, ut qui credit in Christum 
 salvus sit sine opere, sola fide gratis accipiens remis- 
 sionem peccatorum. — Id. in 1 Corinth, i. v. 4. ibid, 
 p. 24.] 
 
 [^ oif yap di] Sl epyoop d^ieTraivwVf dWd Bid 
 fiovr]^ TTitTTews Twv fxva-TLKuiv TeTux^/Ka/xei/ dya- 
 
 dt^iv Theod. Op. Lut. Par. 1642-84. Graec. Affect. 
 
 Cur. Serm. vii. Tom. iv. p. 587.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 35 
 
 their salvation, that died before the eigh- 
 teenth^ day? We must believe that they 
 were saved by faith only." And St Ber- 
 nard : " I confess myself either to under- 
 stand aright, or to be deceived, with those 
 who think that faith only is able to save a 
 man'^." And St Augustine, who was St 
 Ambrose his scholar, and a diligent reader 
 of the old writers, saith : ^* If justice came 
 by the law, therefore Christ died in vain : 
 but if he died not in vain, the sinful man 
 is justified by him alone, to whom believing 
 faith is imputed unto righteousness^/' 
 
 JVIany other authorities are cited by that 
 famous man P. Martyr; and yet he hath 
 not gathered all which might be alleged to 
 this purpose. But amongst the ancient 
 writers there is none that hath written 
 more earnestly of this matter than Chry- 
 sostom. *' I am able," saith he, *' to shew 
 a faithful man that hath lived and comen 
 to the kingdom of heaven without works : 
 but never did any man, at any time, obtain 
 Hfe without faith. The thief believed only, 
 
 [® Most probably an error for the eighth. But 
 i the Editor has not found the passage either in the 
 
 Disputatio Judcsi cum Christiana (ap. Anselm.), or 
 the De Altercatione Ecclesice et Synagogcs (ap. Au- 
 gust.), it cannot certainly be deterrained.J 
 
 [7 Cum his (Augustino et Ambrosio), inquamjme 
 aut errare aut sapere fateor, credens et ipse sola fide 
 honiinem posse salvari. — Bern. Epist. 77. 0pp. Lut. 
 Par. 1640. col. 1458.] 
 
 [8 Nam si per legem justitiay ergo gratis Christus 
 mortuus est : si autem non gratis mortuus est, in illo 
 solo justificatur impius, cui credenti in eum qui jus- 
 tificat impium deputatur fides ad justitiam. — August, 
 de Nat. et Grat. cap. i. Tom. vii. p. 278. Col. Agripp. 
 1616.J 
 
 Bemardus 
 Epist. 77. 
 
 De Natura et 
 Gra. cap. i. 
 
 In hem. de 
 Fide et Lege 
 Naturs. 
 
 3—2 
 
36 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Lib. ii. de 
 Jacob, et 
 Vita beata, 
 cap. 2. 
 
 and was justified of the merciful God\" 
 Neither is their reply to any purpose, that 
 he wanted time to work righteousness : the 
 controversy is not in that point. But this 
 I constantly affirm, that faith only saveth. 
 For if he had lived yet longer, and had 
 neglected good works, he should have fallen 
 from salvation. Surely St Ambrose hath 
 excellently set out this our justification by 
 faith only in Christ by an example of the 
 blessing of Jacob : for as Jacob deserved 
 not the birthright, but, hiding himself in 
 the habit of his elder brother, and clothed 
 with his apparel, which gave a sweet scent, 
 did insinuate himself to his father, and for 
 his gain feigned himself another person, and 
 so obtained the blessing ; even so it beho- 
 veth us to lie hid under the hem of Christ's 
 vesture, that by him we may be justified 
 in God's sight. But because the words 
 carry with them an especial comfort, I 
 thought to express them, which are as fol- 
 lows : "In that Isaac did smell the sweet 
 odour of the garments, happily the mean- 
 ing may be, that we are not justified by 
 works, but by faith : for man s carnal in- 
 firmity is an impediment to our works ; 
 but the fair whiteness of faith hideth the 
 error of our deeds, which procureth pardon 
 for our offences^." 
 
 [^ dvev 7rL(TT60o<3 Tov epyaX^ofxevov epya BiKaiO" 
 crvvY\^ ov dvvri nrapacTricraL ^T/o-ayra, avev de epycov 
 TOV TTLcn-dv 6uva[xaL SeT^uL Kal ^rjaravTa /cat (3aaL- 
 Xems d^LoodevTa. ovdeU dvev iricrTeta^ e'^rja-ev' 6 Se 
 \r]<TTi]9 TTio-TCucras fxovov ediKai(joQv\. — De Fid. et 
 Leg. Natur. (ascribed to Chrysostom) Opp. Par. 
 1718-38. Tom. i. p. 826.] 
 
 [2 Et odoratus est odorem vestimentorum ejus. Et 
 
A CHRISTIAN HAN0AL. 
 
 37 
 
 If then in so many testimonies they 
 cannot content themselves, but continue 
 their severe censures over our phrases ; let 
 them condemn the ancient writers of the 
 same fault : and, if they list, let them set 
 Christ, his apostles, and the fathers of the 
 primitive church to school for such speeches. 
 If there be any inconvenience therein, we 
 have learned and received the same from 
 them. 
 
 Now when we have made the people 
 acquainted with the phrase used in effect by 
 our chief Master Jesus Christ, and in very 
 form of letters by the best and most sincere 
 writers^ and expositors of the holy scripture ; 
 and told them that this dignity of justifi- 
 cation is not of faith itself, but by virtue 
 of the object which it respecteth, to wit, 
 Christ ; and that is not the work of man, 
 but the gift of God* ; we call upon them 
 for good life, and tell them again and again, 
 that faith will not nor cannot be a barren 
 mother, but, as Chrysostom divinely calleth 
 
 fortasse illud est, quia non operibus justificamur, sed 
 fide: quoniam earnalis infirmitas operibus impedi- 
 mento est ; sed fidei claritas factorum obumbrat erro- 
 rem, quae meretur veniam delietorum. — Ambros. de 
 Jacob, et Vita Beat. Lib. ii. cap. 2. fin. 0pp. Paris. 
 1836. Tom. i. p. 313.1 
 
 [3 Written, 1576.J 
 
 t* Et ne ipsam saltern fidem sic sibi homines arro- 
 garent, ut non intelligerent divinitus esse donatam, 
 ...hie quoque adjunxit atque ait: Et hoc non ex 
 vobis, sed Dei donum est; non ex operibus, ne forte 
 quis exiollatur.— August. Opp. Enchirid. ad Laur. 
 cap. xxxi. Tom. iii. p. 62. And see ibid, de Eccles. 
 Dogmat. cap. xlii. p. 331. But this latter work is 
 not Augustine's.] 
 
 August En- 
 chir. ad Lau. 
 cap. 31. et 
 Eccles. Dog. 
 cap. 42. 
 
 Eph, il. 
 SThes8.ii. 
 
38 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Against an 
 
 hypocritical 
 
 faith. 
 
 An answer to 
 the objection 
 of the papist 
 touching 
 liberty of life. 
 
 her, the nurse of all good deeds and actions, 
 and working always through charity \ 
 
 We say that faith cannot be in that 
 man that liveth ungodly, and walloweth in 
 wickedness against his own conscience ; and 
 that neither murderers, nor thieves, nor 
 adulterers, nor covetous persons, nor proud 
 men, nor drunkards, without repentance 
 can enter into the kingdom of God. And 
 whereas the believers, as St John saith, 
 "overcome the world;'* such as persevere 
 in wickedness are not conquerors thereof, 
 and therefore there can be no faith in them, 
 but a kind of hypocrisy and a vain dream 
 of faith only : and finally, that faith is lame 
 and unperfect, if honest actions, good life 
 and conversation be wanting. But we ex- 
 clude only from good works hope of deme- 
 nting, justification, and propitiation for sins, 
 which Cometh unto men by faith only in 
 Jesus Christ, and that by the free mercy of 
 God, without any worthiness on man s part. 
 
 As touching liberty and licentiousness 
 of life, whereof they complain, and impute 
 the occasion to the word of God, so plen- 
 tifully preached unto the world; one of 
 their objections is too true, whereof we 
 complain as earnestly as they : the other is 
 utterly untrue and slanderous. For it 
 cometh to pass by the mere malice of the 
 devil, that our hearers walk not in that 
 path which out of the monuments of the 
 
 n a-TTo ^6 TTiO'Tews el\iKpivov9 r] dydirtj TiKTeTai* 
 b yap oi/Ta)5 els Qeov iriarTeuoov ovk dvixeTai ttotc 
 TauTtjv d(peLvaL. — Chrysost. Opp. Paris. 1718-38. 
 In 1 Tim. cap. i. Horn. ii. Tom. xi. p. 655.^ 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 39 
 
 prophets and apostles, yea, and of Christ 
 himself, we open and shew forth unto them. 
 We exhort our hearers alway to repentance 
 and amendment of life, to fly from the 
 vengeance to come, and to bring forth the 
 fruits that belong to repentance. And we 
 give unto them, to have always in readiness 
 against all kind of sins, certain remedies, as 
 it were against sicknesses and diseases. For 
 he that beareth malice and envy against his 
 neighbour, heareth: "Every man that 
 hateth his brother is a murderer." Tlie 
 backbiter heareth : " "Whosoever saith to 
 his brother. Thou fool, shall be guilty of 
 hell fire;" and, " Cursed speakers shall not 
 possess the kingdom of God." The im- 
 patient and he that desireth to revenge, 
 heareth: "Love your enemies; pray for 
 them that curse you, do good to them that 
 hate you, &c., that you may be the chil- 
 dren of the Highest: and if you do not 
 forgive other men their offences, neither 
 shall your heavenly Father forgive you 
 your offences." He that is altogether given 
 to riotous voluptuousness, heareth the para- 
 ble of the rich glutton and the poor man 
 Lazarus. He that is busied in heaping to- 
 gether riches, heareth the parable of the 
 rich man filhng his bams, and purposing to 
 take his ease for many years; and that 
 which the apostle saith, " Having food, and 
 wherewithal to cover ourselves, let us be 
 therewithal content. For those that would 
 be rich fall into temptations and snares, 
 and into many unprofitable and hurtful 
 desires, which drown men in perdition 
 
 Admonitions 
 useti in pul- 
 pits against 
 all kind of 
 sins. 
 
 1 John ill. 
 Matt V. 
 1 Cor. vi. 
 
 Matt. V. 
 
 Luke xvi. 
 
 1 Tim. iii. 
 1 Tim. vi. 
 
40 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Heb. xiii. 
 
 Luke xviii. 
 
 Matt. xii. 
 
 Eph. iv. 
 Colos. iii. 
 
 Matt. xxiv. 
 
 Luke vi. 
 
 Luke xxi. 
 
 Isai. V. 
 
 1 Cor. vi. 
 
 and destruction." Those that keep no 
 hospitality hear this saying: "Be mindful 
 of hospitality ; for hereby have many una- 
 wares received angels into their houses." 
 The proud and ambitious man heareth: 
 "He that exalteth himself shall be brought 
 low;" and, "God resisteth the proud, but 
 giveth grace unto the humble." The bab- 
 bler and talkative man heareth : " Men 
 shall give an account at the day of judg- 
 ment of every idle word;" and, '^Let no 
 filthy communication proceed out of your 
 mouths." The secure and careless man 
 heareth : ^' Be you therefore ready, because 
 the Son of Man will come in an hour you 
 know not." 
 
 The usurer heareth : " Lend, looking 
 for no reward, and great shall your reward 
 be in heaven." The drunkard heareth: 
 "Overwhelm not yourselves with wine, 
 wherein there is riot, and beware that your 
 hearts be not overcomen with surfeiting;" 
 and, "Woe be to you that rise early to 
 drunkenness, and to carouse until the even- 
 ing, that you may be hot with wine ;" and, 
 " Be sober and watch, because your adver- 
 sary the devil walketh up and down like a 
 roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 
 The fornicator and adulterer, or he that is 
 spotted with any like crime, heareth, that 
 " neither fornicators, nor adulterers, neither 
 softlings, shall have the inheritance of the 
 kingdom of God;" and again, "For you 
 know this, no whoremonger, nor unclean 
 person, nor covetous man, nor he that is a 
 worshipper of images, shall have any in- 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL, 
 
 41 
 
 heritance in the kingdom of God and 
 Christ;" and, "Marriage is honourable 
 amongst all men, and the bed undefiled; 
 but as for fornicators and adulterers, God 
 will judge them." Those that neglect the 
 works of charity hear : " Depart from me, 
 you cursed, into eternal fire, which is] pre- 
 pared for the devil and for his angels. For 
 I was hungry, and you fed me not : I was 
 thirsty, and you refreshed me not : I was a 
 stranger, and you lodged me not : I was 
 naked, and you clothed me not : I was sick, 
 and you visited me not." To be short, we 
 repeat and urge earnestly that of the holy 
 apostle : " We shall all appear before the 
 tribunal-seat of Christ, that every one may 
 receive as he hath done in his body, either 
 good or evil." 
 
 Moreover, we admonish and call upon 
 every vocation for the fruits and virtues 
 appertaining to their estate. The prince 
 and magistrate heareth: "You carry not 
 the sword in vain; for the magistrate is 
 God's minister, to punish the evil, and to 
 cherish the good:" and, "Princes are not 
 a terror to those that do well, but to those 
 that do evil." The subject heareth : " There 
 is no power but it is of God : whosoever 
 therefore resisteth power, resisteth God's 
 ordinance ;" and, ^' We ought not to obey 
 for fear only, but also for conscience ;" and 
 again, " Pay tribute to whom tribute be- 
 longeth." The husband heareth : " You 
 husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter 
 unto them ;" and, " So men ought to love 
 their wives, as their own bodies." The 
 
 Heb. xiii. 
 
 Matt. XXV. 
 
 Rom. xiv. 
 2 Cor. V. 
 
 Rom. xiii. 
 Exhortations 
 used in 
 pulpits to 
 mflame men 
 to virtue. 
 
 Rom. xiii. 
 
 Eph. V. 
 Colos. iii. 
 
42 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Eph. vi. 
 
 1 Pet. V. 
 
 Luke iiL 
 
 A difference 
 of works, 
 taken of the 
 persons 
 working. 
 
 wife heareth : ^' You wives, be subject to 
 your husbands, as unto the Lord, because 
 the man is the woman's head ; and as the 
 church is subject to Christ, so ought wives 
 to be subject to their husbands in all things." 
 The parents heareth : " Provoke not your 
 children to wrath, but bring them up in 
 the discipline of the Lord." Children hear: 
 '^Obey your parents in the Lord." The 
 servants hear : '' Obey those that are your 
 masters, according to the flesh, with fear 
 and trembling, with simplicity of your 
 hearts, as it were to Christ." And masters 
 hear: "You masters, use your servants 
 with courtesy and gentleness, knowing that 
 you have a master in heaven." The preacher 
 readeth : " Feed the flock of Christ as much 
 as in you lieth ; not taking care thereof by 
 coaction, but willingly; not desirous of 
 filthy lucre, but with a ready mind." The 
 publican heareth : " Require no more than 
 that which is appointed for you." The sol- 
 dier heareth : '^ Strike no man, neither speak 
 evil of any man, but be content with your 
 stipends." 
 
 These and many such texts of the same 
 sort we repeat and inculcate most earnestly, 
 and with all our diligence exhort the people 
 to virtue and godliness : which do plainly 
 prove and argue that we are free from those 
 crimes which our adversaries most untruly 
 charge us withal. 
 
 There are some kind of works indeed, 
 that we write and speak against, because 
 they cannot be accounted amongst the num- 
 ber of good works: and to the end our 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 43 
 
 dealings herein may be more evident, it 
 shall not be from my purpose to distinguish 
 between the divers orders of men bringing 
 forth good works, and between works them- 
 selves ; whereby the process of my matter 
 will be more facile and easy. And touch- 
 ing the persons working, they may be re- 
 duced to three sorts. 
 
 1. Of the first kind are miscreants 
 and unbelievers, not received into Clirist s 
 church with any sacraments: in whom 
 the dignity of natural reason is not so dimly 
 obscured, but that most commonly with 
 great endeavour they convert things exter- 
 nal honest, and detest things dishonest, 
 preferring with grave judgment virtue to 
 vice, as is most convenient. Whereof the 
 Apostle speak eth, saying, that "the Gentiles 
 by nature do those things which appertain 
 unto the law," "Wherefore, albeit the works 
 of heathen men are not to be compared with 
 the good works of faithful men engraffed in 
 the Church of Christ ; yet for many causes, 
 and principally for that without all contro- 
 versy all good gifts and endowments, even 
 in the paynims, are God's good gifts, they 
 have the title and name of good works in 
 some respects given unto them. 
 
 2. Of the second sort those are who 
 have received the sacraments, and are 
 written as it were in the register-book of 
 the church of God : amongst whom there 
 is also some difference: for some are very 
 atheists, and with their abominable life 
 deny him in their deeds, whom they confess 
 with their mouth, and are in name only 
 
 Three sorts 
 of men 
 working. 
 
 Rom. ii. 
 
 The second 
 sort of men 
 working. 
 
44 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Euripides. 
 
 Ps. xiv. 
 
 Christians. Others are hypocrites, making 
 a shew of good works, and covering the 
 wickedness of their hearts with outward 
 glosses; not respecting God's honour and 
 glory, but that themselves may be seen and 
 glorified of men. And finally, others do 
 good works with a pure and sincere heart, 
 proceeding of faith and fear of God, having 
 their eyes fixed upon God's glory and the 
 profit of their neighbour : and in these the 
 Spirit of God, which they have already re- 
 ceived in justification and regeneration, is 
 fruitful and efi*ectual. Now let us view 
 these men s works that are in the fellowship 
 and communion of Christ's Church : for of 
 the works of infidels and Gentiles I will 
 speak somewhat afterward. 
 
 First, the atheists, who think in their 
 heart, that there is no God, do loose the reins 
 of liberty to all filthy lust and beastly 
 pleasure, contemn all honest and godly 
 actions, and with the sycophants plainly 
 grant, "We know no other god but our 
 bellies, unto whom we will offer sacrifices, 
 oxen, sheep, and all other delicious things-" 
 Of the which epicurism the holy prophet 
 David complaineth : " The foolish body 
 hath said in his heart. There is no God;" 
 and afterward accuseth and bewaileth the 
 frightful corruption of human nature, carry- 
 ing about daily, either ignorance not know- 
 ing God, or security neglecting God, or 
 distrust running away from God. Of these 
 men's works I shall not need to speak any- 
 thing in this my exhortation ^ to good 
 [1 Eurip. Cycl. 333, 4.] [^ exhortations, 1576.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 45 
 
 works, seeing they bend themselves only to 
 work wickedness. 
 
 Hypocrites, albeit now and then they 
 shew some works of mercy and pity, and 
 observe the commandments according to 
 the outward letter, yet most commonly 
 their whole study is occupied about super- 
 stitious ceremonies, rites, and external exer- 
 cises ; wherein they think that a christian 
 man's life doth chiefly consist. Of the which 
 sort are, to go in pilgrimage bare-footed, hang- 
 ing jewels upon stocks and stones, offering 
 of incense and wax candles, invocation of 
 saints, and many other like toys, conjoined 
 either with great impiety and idolatry, or 
 with great lightness and folly ; which were 
 never ordained by God, that we should 
 walk in them : against which kind of works 
 we preach and teach most earnestly, as we 
 are commanded in the holy scripture. 
 
 Hypocrites have also an especial delight 
 and pleasure in other works, good doubtless 
 in some sort, but such as belong to disci- 
 pline and exercise of the body, rather than to 
 true godliness : as an abstinence from dainty 
 meats, in often fastings, watchings, lying 
 upon the ground, and to live after some one 
 man's prescript and order; whereby the 
 loftiness and courage of the flesh is some- 
 what abated and subdued : which exercises 
 we like very well of also, although we as- 
 cribe not so much unto them as the vulgar 
 sort were wont ; but we prefer very much 
 those works, which come more nighly to 
 sincere godliness, of the which I will speak 
 hereafter. And the common and ignorant 
 
 Ilypocntes 
 anci their 
 works. 
 
 Hypocrites 
 delight 
 chiefly in 
 works cere- 
 moniaL 
 
46 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 The judgment 
 of the vulgar 
 touching 
 works cere- 
 monial. 
 
 H3rpocrites 
 puffed up in 
 their own 
 conceit. 
 
 Hypocrites 
 sometime do 
 moral works, 
 and after 
 what sort 
 
 Hagg. ii. 
 Isai. i. Iviii. 
 Prov. XV. 
 
 people undoubtedly, if they see any men 
 lean with absfcinency, broken with labours, 
 spent with watching, they wonderfully es- 
 teem such, and conceive an especial conceit 
 of their sanctimony and holiness. 
 
 And yet it cometh to pass oftentimes, 
 both that men swell in their own opinion 
 of that credit which they have with the 
 vulgar for those external shews; and in 
 continuance of time do observe the same 
 with superstitious, yea, judaical mind, as 
 though true godliness did consist therein : 
 whereas in very deed they are of no mo- 
 ment, unless those perfit works, which 
 Christ and his apostles do so often require, 
 be annexed unto the same. And it may be, 
 nay, usually we have and do see it so to be, 
 that those who chastise their bodies with 
 abstinence, labour, and watching, that of 
 their own accord have renounced in diet, 
 flesh, and strong drink, do not abstain from 
 woman's flesh, ambition, envy, and malice, 
 emulation, and such like ; and yet in the 
 meantime have stolen the hearts of the sim- 
 ple into their great admiration, and, tickled 
 with the vain applausion of the ignorant, 
 are taken in amaze and forget themselves. 
 
 Hypocrites sometime do the works out- 
 wardly of the commandments: they pray 
 and hold up their hands to God, but from a 
 filthy and corrupt heart : against whom the 
 prophet Esay crieth very sharply : " When 
 you shall stretch out your hands, I will turn 
 mine eyes away from you ; and when you 
 shall multiply your prayers, I will not hear 
 you, for your hands are full of blood : wash 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 47 
 
 you, make yourselves clean, and take away 
 the wickedness of your cogitations." These 
 men did all things to be seen of the world ; 
 against whom our master Christ is most 
 earnest, and sheweth that they are detested 
 of God. They are no better than the Gentiles, 
 but rather much worse : first, because they 
 have obtained more ample knowledge than 
 they, and yet are no whit better ; secondly, 
 because they do not good^ in good order and 
 manner, and yet ambitiously seek the title 
 of sanctity and holiness : wherein they are 
 twice guilty ; for it is well said of Gregory : 
 " Counterfeit holiness is a double iniquity^." 
 Against such kind of works we preach and 
 teach, and that, as you see, not without 
 many authorities and grave examples. 
 
 Let us now come to the works of in- 
 fidels and unbelieving persons, and consider 
 how we ought to esteem of them also. 
 Concerning the infidels, whether we view 
 their excellent and noble knowledge and 
 skill in arts both liberal and manuary, or 
 their honest actions and virtues in civil life, 
 we may not gainsay but that they are the 
 good blessings and gifts of God ; which he 
 coUateth upon whom it liketh him, for the 
 public profit of all mankind. And if it 
 were needful that Beseleel and Oliab should 
 have understanding and wisdom poured 
 
 P gad, 1576.] 
 
 [2 The following from Augustine, which pos- 
 sibly Gregory may have borrowed, seems to be the 
 passage intended : Simulata innocentia non est inno- 
 centia : simulata sequitas non est aeqiiitas, sed duplex 
 iniquitas; quia et iniquitas est et simulatio. — ^Enarr. 
 in PI. Ixiii. Tom. viii. p. 234.] 
 
 Matt vi. 
 xvi. xxiii. 
 
 Hypocrites 
 worse than 
 infidels. 
 
 Gregory. 
 
 Works of 
 infidels. 
 
 Bezeleel and 
 Oliab could 
 not build the 
 tabernacle 
 before they 
 were taught 
 by God. 
 Exod. xxxL 
 
48 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Rom. viii. 
 
 1 Cor. iii. 
 Eph. iii. 
 
 2 Tim. i. 
 
 Lactan. Li. 3. 
 cap. 19. 
 
 The great 
 wisdom, 
 learning, 
 and virtues of 
 the heathen 
 are the gifts 
 of God. 
 
 into them by God's Spirit, that they might 
 be able to frame and perfit the tabernacle ; 
 much more we ought to think, that those 
 things which are most excellent in human 
 society spring and flow ^ from the Spirit of 
 God. Neither ought that place of scripture 
 to make any man stagger, which affirmeth 
 that the Spirit of God dwelleth in the 
 faithful : for that is to be understood of 
 the Spirit of sanctification, whereby we are 
 consecrated the temple of the living God. 
 For he doth move, replenish, and quicken 
 all creatures with the same Spirit, according 
 to every of their properties, which he gave 
 unto them in the law of creation. 
 
 And in like manner, we ought to think 
 of their worthy actions and virtues : for we 
 ought not to be so dull and senseless, to think 
 that there is no difference between Cato and 
 Catiline 2 ; between the justice, equity, and 
 moderation of Titus and Trajan, and the 
 savage and cruel lousiness of Caligula and 
 Nero; or between the beastly lust of Ti- 
 berius, and Vespasian scontinency; between 
 the conservation and contempt of laws. 
 What thing can there remain in good order, 
 if we should hold such a confusion ? God 
 therefore hath engraved in man s heart a 
 distinction between honest and unhonest 
 actions, and, as it were, ratifies^ the same with 
 the dispensation of his providence. For we 
 
 P show, 1576.] 
 
 P Quod igitur erit discrimen virtutis ac sceleris, 
 si nihil interest utrumne Aristides sit aliquis an Pha- 
 laris, Titrum Cato an Catilina? — Lactant. Divin. In- 
 stit. Lib. III. de Fals. Sapient, cap. 18.] 
 
 [3 ratify, 1576.J * 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 49 
 
 see him bestow temporal blessings upon 
 those that follow virtue : not that the ex- 
 ternal image and shew of virtue doth de- 
 serve any thing at all ; but it pleaseth him 
 to make manifest unto the world that way, 
 in what price he hath the true and internal 
 justice of the heart, whiles he suffereth not 
 the external to go unrewarded : whereof it 
 followeth, that those virtues, or rather 
 images and shadows of virtues, in the infi- 
 dels are God's gifts, because there is nothing 
 laudable and praise- worthy in any respect, 
 but that only which cometh from him. 
 
 And yet let us take St Augustine's 
 lesson with us, which he giveth touching 
 their works after this manner: '^All that 
 are strangers from the rehgion of the one 
 and everliving God, howsoever they seem 
 wonderful through the opinion of virtues, 
 not only deserve no reward, but rather 
 punishment, because the pure gifts of God 
 are spotted in their filthiness*." For albeit 
 the virtues of the painims in outward sliew 
 be great, and may cause many Christians to 
 blush, when they see themselves so far 
 excelled of them in a civil life; yet there 
 are many defects and filthy spots in their 
 
 [* Ex quo colligitur etiam ipsa bona opera, quae 
 faciunt infideles, non ipsorum esse, sed illius qui bene 
 utitur malis ; ipsorum autem esse peceata, quibus et 
 bona male faciunt, quia ea non ndeli, sed infideli, 
 
 hoc est, stulta et noxia faciunt voluntate August. 
 
 con. Julian. Pelag. Lib. iv. cap. 3. Opp. Colon. 
 Agripp. 1616. Tom. vii. p. 362. This is not a direct 
 quotation ; but much of what precedes and follows 
 in Augustine is compressed or loosely referred to 
 through several of the succeeding pages of Wool- 
 ton.] 
 
 God recom- 
 pcnstth 
 moral virtues 
 with tern- 
 poral bless- 
 ings. 
 
 Lib. iv. 
 contra Jul. 
 
 The virtues 
 of the infidels 
 be to no 
 jnir]iose in 
 matters of 
 salvation. 
 
 ^WOOLTON.] 
 
50 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Defects in 
 the virtues 
 of infidels, 
 and especially 
 the ignorance 
 of God. 
 
 They knew 
 notliing of 
 God as he 
 revealed him- 
 self in his 
 word. 
 
 True faith, 
 hope, and 
 prayer 
 wanted in 
 them. 
 
 Infidels igno- 
 rant of 
 original sin, 
 the cause of 
 man's misery. 
 
 deeds and actions. That principal point 
 which is all in all, I mean the knowledge of 
 God and right religion, was so wanting 
 unto them, that all other things, were they 
 never so excellent, could profit them no- 
 thing to salvation: for as is the body 
 without the head, so were the virtues of 
 the ethnicks without the knowledge of 
 the living God. Some of them haply were 
 half persuaded, that there is a God, who 
 both created and yet conserveth the world, 
 whereof those divine sentences of theirs dis- 
 persed here and there in their works are 
 found concerning God, religion, faith, and 
 such like; so with some knowledge of 
 divinity seemed to be bred in them natu- 
 rally: yet they were not certainly per- 
 suaded of one God, and they wanted that 
 divine wisdom wherewith the fathers and 
 prophets were inspired, which is to be had 
 only out of the holy scripture, and to be 
 understood by the aid of God*s Spirit, 
 wherein the salvation of mankind is con- 
 tained. They knew nothing of God as he 
 revealed himself in his word even from the 
 beginning, than the which benefit none can 
 come or be more wished of mankind. These 
 chief and principal virtues then, the true 
 knowledge of God, love, fear, and reverence 
 of God, together with perfit trust and 
 confidence in God, calling upon him in dis- 
 tress and necessity, was wanting unto them. 
 Besides this, they knew nothing of ori- 
 ginal sin and natural corruption : they knew 
 nothing of the cause of sin; nothing of 
 man's misery ; nothing of true and effectual 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 51 
 
 consolations, either against calamities or 
 against death itself. They knew nothing 
 of the redemption of mankind by Christ ; 
 nothing of the tyranny of the devil ; no- 
 thing of the reparation of God's image; 
 nameQy] nothing of the old man in Adam, 
 and new man in Christ. They knew nothing 
 of the resurrection of the dead ; nothing of 
 the day of doom ; nothing of the eternal 
 bliss and immortality which the faithful 
 shall enjoy in body and soul in the heavenly 
 kingdom. 
 
 Albeit then the acts and deeds of the 
 ethnicks give outwardly a godly shew ; as 
 Aristides and Phocion in justice and equity, 
 Socrates in piety^, Xenocrates in continency, 
 Lucretia in love of chastity, which they 
 pursued (let us grant so much) to some 
 good end ; admit, not for any desire of glory 
 and renown, but first, because the very 
 face and countenance of virtue seemed ho- 
 nourable unto them ; secondly, to leave 
 unto their countrymen domestical examples 
 which they might follow ; lastly, to stir up 
 in others an emulation and desire of virtue : 
 if, I say, all these good things were in them, 
 yet we see how far they were from perfec- 
 tion. The crown and garland, as it were, 
 wanteth in their works ; to wit, the know- 
 ledge of God, and an heart purified by 
 faith. Wherefore St Augustine spake of 
 them after this manner : " There is no good 
 thing without the chief goodness: and 
 where the true knowledge of the eternal 
 truth wanteth, there is no true virtue ; no, 
 [» pity, 1576.] 
 
 They knew 
 nothing of 
 man's re 
 demptionand 
 r^eneration. 
 
 Igno 
 ther 
 
 lorant of 
 resurrec- 
 tion. 
 
 Lib. iv. 
 contra JuL 
 
 4—2 
 
52 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Prosper, de 
 
 vocatione 
 
 gentium. 
 
 Reason and 
 will corrupt. 
 
 V 
 
 Infidels in 
 their actions 
 never respect 
 the last end. 
 
 not in the best manners^/' And another : 
 "Without the religion of the true God, 
 that which seemeth to be virtue is vice : 
 neither can any man please God without 
 God 2, &c;' 
 
 For those that are ignorant of the true 
 God cannot have true and perfit virtue, 
 but only a shew or shadow thereof vanish- 
 ing away. And whereas reason and will 
 do concur in all honest and good actions ; 
 the one admonishing what men ought to 
 do, or not to do, the other pursue th and 
 practiseth the same ; it is most certain that 
 human reason after his fall is oppressed 
 with great ignorance and error, and there- 
 fore most commonly judgeth corruptly; and 
 will also to be carried to the worst in the 
 execution of all things. The knowledge of 
 God then purifying the heart is doubtless 
 the origin and fountain of all virtues which 
 is pleasant and acceptable unto God. It is 
 that which illuminateth and informeth rea- 
 son rightly, and, correcting corrupt will, 
 reneweth a man after God in justice and 
 true holiness. Moreover, the ethnicks in 
 their deeds respect not the right end, which 
 makers] a true and perfit difference between 
 all actions. For example sake : to relieve 
 and give alms to the poor is accounted, and 
 
 [^ Nihil est bonum sine summo bono: ubi enim 
 deest agnitio seternae et incommutabilis veritatis, 
 falsa virtus est, etiam in optimis moribus. — De Vera 
 Innocentia, cvi. ad calc. Opp. August. Tom. x. col. 
 155. Antwerp. 1701.] 
 
 [2 Sine cultu enim veri Dei, etiam quod virtus vi- 
 detur esse, peccatum est, nee placere uUils Deo sine 
 Deo potest — Ignot. Auct. De Voc. Gent. ap. Prosp. 
 Opp. Par. 1711. Lib. i. cap. vii. col. 853.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 53 
 
 indeed is, a virtue, if it proceed from the 
 love of God and man : but if it proceed of 
 a desire to purchase praise and commen- 
 dation of the world, it is sin and hypocrisy. 
 
 We do not reject in the meantime their 
 political virtues in human society; but 
 commend and embrace them so far forth, 
 as they swarve not from right reason and 
 judgment of the mind, and especially from 
 the ten commandments. But we admonish 
 therewithal, that Christians ought to have a 
 far other respect than the ethnicks had : for 
 they avoided vice, and followed virtue, 
 through desire of praise, honour, and glory, 
 or through desire of dignity and authority, 
 or for common concord and quietness; or 
 else through reverence of men, and fear of 
 the laws, or some such like matter : where- 
 as the Christians direct all their doing to the 
 glory of God and profit of their neighbours. 
 They weigli more the fear of God than 
 worldly glory, the love of justice than de- 
 ceitful praise, and eternal bliss more than 
 temporal pleasures. The ethnicks, if there 
 were any notable thing in them, vaunted as 
 of their own gifts : but the Christians ac- 
 knowledge God to be the giver and author 
 of all good gifts. The virtue of humility 
 then, which Christ so earnestly requireth of 
 us, was wanting in the infidels. 
 
 The same that hath been said generally 
 of the ethnicks, may be particularly ex- 
 tended to the Jews and Turks : who would 
 seem to acknowledge one God only, to de- 
 test all idols, and to excel in holiness of 
 life ; yet because they worship not God as 
 
 How the 
 virtues of 
 infidels are 
 commend- 
 able and 
 profitable 
 m human 
 society. 
 
 What Chris- 
 tians ought 
 to resptct 
 in their 
 actions. 
 
 Of the works 
 of Jews, Sara- 
 cens, and 
 Turks. 
 
54 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Joh. [v.] 
 
 he hath revealed and appointed in his word, 
 neifher believe that Christ is the Son of the 
 living God, all their works must needs be 
 foul in God's sight. For without that there 
 is no true virtue, no knowledge of God, 
 nor sincere worshipping of God ; no pure 
 love toward God, nor toward our neigh- 
 bour. They feign unto themselves a God, or 
 rather an idol, who is not the Father of our 
 mediator and redeemer, Jesus Christ. There- 
 fore they worship not God aright ; for '' he 
 that knoweth Qionoureth] not the Son, 
 honoureth not the Father," nor yet calleth 
 upon his name. And because the Holy 
 Ghost is given for the Son s sake unto be- 
 lievers, to stir up new motions in their 
 hearts ; it is evident how far from all good- 
 ness Jews and Turks are ; whiles they 
 despise the Son of God, who only sendeth 
 the Holy Ghost unto men, to breed in them 
 all perfit goodness. Moreover, for that 
 the true love of God (from whence all love 
 toward our neighbour is derived) riseth in 
 us upon that abundant mercy, which he 
 hath shewed in giving his only Son Christ 
 to be crucified for our sins, whom the Jews 
 and Turks contemn and blaspheme ; it can- 
 not be that they, contemning him, should 
 sincerely love God or their neighbour for 
 God's sake. 
 
 So then both Jews and Turks want the 
 chief and principal virtues of Christians, the 
 true knowledge and fear of God, faith, 
 charity, hope, invocation of God's name, 
 giving of thanks, obedience in sorrows and 
 miseries, with others of that sort. And if 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 55 
 
 haply there be any shews or pictures of 
 politic virtues in them, those are so defiled 
 and spotted with impure affections, that 
 they lose all their beauty. We see in beasts 
 themselves something resembling virtue ; as 
 in the lions clemency toward suppliants, in 
 the dog faith ful[|ness] toward his master, 
 in sheep softness and meekness ; and yet 
 these are not true virtues : it is even so 
 almost in the infidels, whose reason, being 
 void and destitute of the light of God's 
 Spirit, wandereth in ignorance and dark- 
 ness, and can do no true and sincere virtue, 
 but haply now and then some vain mask 
 and shew of virtue. And thus much of the 
 works of paynims and infidels. 
 
 Thirdly and lastly, those good works 
 are to be considered, which are done of 
 those, who from the bottom of their hearts 
 embrace true holiness and righteousness. 
 And it were requisite, if a man would 
 prosecute everything exactly, diligently to 
 consider the signification of the word 
 works : 'but because that matter in English 
 would rather seem to be vain ostentation, 
 than serve to edification ; I will omit the 
 same for this time, and with some de- 
 scription open the meaning or signification 
 of good works. Good works are actions 
 wliicli are done of men regenerate, by the 
 aid of God's Spirit, through faith, according 
 to the rule of God's word, having their 
 respects as chief uses and ends, to wit, the 
 honour and glory of God, the ornament and 
 honesty of our lives, and the profit and 
 commodity of our neighbours. 1 will open 
 
 A similitude. 
 
 Of the works 
 of faithful 
 Christians. 
 
 The defi- 
 nition of 
 good works. 
 
56 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Good works 
 are establish- 
 ed, and not 
 rejected, by 
 the doctrine 
 of justifica- 
 tion by faith. 
 
 Godrequireth 
 good works 
 of his ser- 
 vants. 
 
 every part of this description largely ; after 
 I have shewed how earnestly almighty God 
 in his word requireth of his servants good 
 works, which are established, and not re- 
 jected, by faith. 
 
 First therefore, all sincere and faithful 
 professors of the gospel ought most cer- 
 tainly to persuade themselves, that they 
 are adopted freely by God, and already 
 justified through Christ by faith, and re- 
 generate and sanctified by God's Spirit, 
 that they might in word and deed express, 
 and somewhat resemble, the nature and 
 disposition of their heavenly Father ; and 
 therewithal declared^ unto the world by 
 their works, that they are the sons of God. 
 For that cause I have again and again 
 repeated before, that a christian faith ought 
 to be garnished with all kind of good 
 works. And therefore, as the apostle St 
 Paul, after that proposition, "We gather 
 therefore that a man is justified by faith, 
 without the works of the law,*' in the way 
 of questioning, saith, "We make the law 
 therefore in vain through faith ?" he an- 
 swereth by and by, " God forbid ! nay, we 
 estabHsh the law :" even so I presently 
 affirm, that we do not now-a-days dissolve 
 good works by the doctrine of faith justify- 
 ing, but we rather establish the same. For 
 without faith there can be no good works : 
 and faith cannot be unfruitful or idle in 
 those that are justified. 
 
 Moreover, almighty God himself re- 
 quireth of his servants the good works of 
 \} Perhaps either declare, or be declared.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 57 
 
 a true faith; and grievously accuseth and 
 condemneth by the prophets and apostles 
 those that are negligent and slothful. Moses 
 saith in the law : '' And now, Israel, what 
 doth tlie Lord thy God require of thee, but 
 that thou should fear thy God, and walk 
 in his ways, and love him ; and serve the 
 Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with 
 all thy soul, and keep the commandments 
 of the Lord, and his ceremonies, which I 
 command thee, that it may be well with 
 thee T* What should I speak of that, that 
 the law of God is given from heaven, that 
 it may shew unto them their infirmity and 
 offences, their natural corruption and just 
 condemnation ; and so leadeth us, as it 
 were by the hand, from trust and confi- 
 dence in ourselves to depend upon Christ? 
 And yet that is but one scope or use of the 
 law, which was given to the end that it 
 might be a rule of man's life, exhibiting a 
 perfect discipline to those that are justified 
 by faith. So saith the prophet in the book 
 of Psalms: "Blessed is that man, whom 
 thou, O Lord, instructest in thy law." And 
 again: "He hath given a testimony unto 
 Jacob, and a law unto Israel, that the pos- 
 terity may know, and put their trust in 
 God, and not forget the works of God, but 
 keep his commandments." 
 
 The prophets everywhere teach a true 
 faith in God and his Son Christ ; and also 
 call for good works of the true worshippers 
 of God. " Blessed is he," saith Jeremy, 
 '"that trusteth in the Lord: he shall be 
 like a tree planted by the waters, which 
 
 Deut X. 
 
 Ps. xciv. 
 
 Jer. xvii. 
 
58 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Luke iii. 
 Matt. iii. 
 John Baptist. 
 
 Luke i. 
 
 sendeth his moisture unto the roots, and 
 he shall not fear when summer cometh. 
 And his leaf shall be green, and he shall not 
 be in danger in the time of drought, neither 
 shall he cease to bring forth fruit." Which 
 word he translated, no doubt, out of the first 
 Psalm. And in Esay the prophet mention 
 is made of a vineyard that was planted to 
 bring forth fruit. And John Baptist, the 
 forerunner of the Lord, appointed discipline 
 and order of life to those that asked of him 
 what they should do : and amongst other 
 things he spake thus to the Pharisees and 
 Sadducees: " Ye generation of vipers, who 
 hath taught you to fly from the vengeance 
 to come ? bring forth the fruits of repent- 
 ance." And Zachary, his father, sung and 
 said before : " That we being without fear, 
 and delivered out of the hands of our ene- 
 mies, might serve him in holiness and righ- 
 teousness all the days of our life." 
 
 Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in 
 that Jiis sermon made unto his disciples in 
 the mountain, exhorteth them, and in them 
 all the faithful, to good works ; but espe- 
 cially in the end, concluding with these 
 words : " Not every one that saith unto 
 me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king- 
 dom of heaven ; but he that doth the will 
 of my Father who is in heaven." And im- 
 mediately after he subjoineth two parables, 
 of one that built his house upon a firm 
 rock, and of him that laid his foundation 
 upon the sand. The hearers and doers of 
 the word of God are like unto them; the 
 hearers only resembled unto the others. And 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 59 
 
 when a woman cried out, saying, " Blessed 
 is the womb that bare thee, and the paps 
 that gave thee suck ;" our Saviour answer- 
 ed : '' But blessed are they that hear the 
 word of God and keep it/' And even the 
 like answer he gave unto the Jews, boasting 
 that they were Abraham's sons : '^ If ye 
 were Abraham's children, ye w^ould do the 
 works of Abraham : you are of your father 
 the devil, and fulfil the desires of your fa- 
 ther." -A nd again : " I am the true vine, 
 and my Father is the husbandman : he cut- 
 teth off every branch that doth not bring 
 forth fruit in me; and every one that 
 bringeth forth fruit he purgeth, that he 
 may bring forth fruit more plentifully." 
 
 In like manner the holy Apostles, com- 
 mending the doctrine of their master to all 
 nations, do most earnestly call for good 
 works. " As obedient children, not fashion- 
 ing yourselves unto the former lusts of your 
 ignorance; but as he which called you b 
 holy, even so be ye holy also in all manner 
 of conversation. And if so be that ye call 
 on the Father, which without respect of 
 person judgeth according to every mans 
 work, see that ye pass the time of your 
 dwelling here in his fear : forasmuch as you 
 know how that you were not redeemed 
 with corruptible things, as silver and gold, 
 from your vain conversation, which ye re- 
 ceived by the tradition of your fathers ; but 
 with the precious blood of Christ, as of a 
 lamb undefiled and without spot." And in 
 his latter epistle, after the rehearsal of cer- 
 tain virtues, he addeth : " For if these things 
 
 Luke xi. 
 
 John viii. 
 
 Tlie apostles 
 call tor good 
 worlu. 
 
 1 Pet. i. 
 
60 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 1 Thess. iv. 
 
 2 Tim. ii. 
 
 ] J oh. i. 
 
 be among you, and be plenteous, they will 
 make you that ye neither shall be idle nor 
 unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these 
 things is blind, and cannot see far off, and 
 hath forgotten that he was purged from his 
 old sins. Wherefore, brethren, give the 
 more diligence for to make your calling 
 and election sure ; for if ye do such things, 
 ye shall never fall." 
 
 St Paul in like manner writing to the 
 Thessalonians saith : " We beseech you, bre- 
 thren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, 
 that ye increase more and more, as ye have 
 received of us, how you ought to walk and 
 please God. For you know what command- 
 ments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For 
 this is the will of God, your holiness, that 
 ye should abstain from fornication; that 
 every one of you should know how to pos- 
 sess his vessel in holiness and honour, &c." 
 And in his epistle to Timothy ; "This sure 
 foundation of God endureth, having this 
 sign, The Lord knoweth who are his : and 
 let every man that calleth upon the name of 
 the Lord depart from iniquity. If a man 
 therefore purge himself from these things, he 
 shall be a vessel sanctified to honour, ap- 
 plied to the use of the Lord, and prepared 
 to all good works." But speaking of the 
 hypocrites, he saith thus: "They profess 
 that they know God, but in their deeds they 
 deny him, being abominable and disobedi- 
 ent, and reprobate to all good works." The 
 blessed apostle and evangelist saith thus: 
 " If we say we have fellowship with him, 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 61 
 
 and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not 
 the truth. And if we walk in the light, as 
 he is in the light, we have mutual fellow- 
 ship with him." And St James: "Be you 
 doers of the word, and not hearers only, 
 deceiving yourselves ; for if a man hear the 
 word, and express not the same in his deeds, 
 he is like a man that beholdeth his face in 
 a glass : for beholding himself, he goeth his 
 way, and forgettetli his similitude." Judas 
 also, the brother of James, and apostle of 
 Christ, is very angry with those that abuse 
 the grace of our God to wantonness, and 
 saith, that such "have already manifestly 
 denied God, and his Son Christ." 
 
 This doctrine of good w^orks I have spe- 
 cified and collected out of the holy prophets 
 and apostles, lest some might report of us, 
 that we are very copious in the doctrine of 
 justification by faith, but bare and barren in 
 the other part of christian doctrine, concern- 
 ing good works ; and principally, lest syco- 
 phants might cavil, that we are despisers 
 and enemies to good works. The apostles 
 of Christ the Lord, and namely St Paul, 
 the doctor of tlie Gentiles, and vessel of 
 election, have notably set out God's grace, 
 and very often inculcate, that men are justi- 
 fied before God by faith, and not by the 
 law ; by grace, and not by w^orks ; and yet 
 notwithstanding they urge most earnestly 
 the works of faith. "Ye were sometime 
 darkness, but now are you light in the 
 Lord; walk as children of light, (for the 
 fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righte- 
 ousness and truth,) approving that which 
 
 Jude, 1. 
 
62 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 The preach- 
 ing of grace 
 reproachful 
 to the wicked. 
 
 Rom. iii. v. 
 
 Peter's judg- 
 ment touch- 
 ing Paul's 
 epistles. 
 
 1 Pet. ii. 
 
 is acceptable unto the Lord. And have 
 no fellowship with the unfruitful works of 
 darkness, but rather rebuke them/' 
 
 And as the preaching of God's grace is 
 now-a-days objected unto us as a reproach; 
 even so was it in the time of Paul the 
 apostle, when many objected and said, 
 that the apostles taught men to '' do evil, 
 that good might come thereof." There were 
 moreover hypocrites and false gospellers, 
 who abused the preaching of grace, faith, 
 and christian liberty, to satisfy their carnal 
 lusts : and yet the apostles continued most 
 constantly and earnestly in teaching that 
 doctrine ; neither did they inhibit the doc- 
 trine of justification, because that some men 
 had no regard of good works : but they 
 sharply rebuked such ; and admonished the 
 faithful to beware of such perverse liberty. 
 In consideration whereof St Peter is thought 
 to have uttered these words : " And sup- 
 pose that the long-sufi'ering of the Lord is 
 salvation, even as our dearly beloved brother 
 Paul also, according unto the wisdom given 
 unto him, hath written unto you, speaking 
 of such things; amongst which are many 
 things hard to understand, which they that 
 are unlearned and unstable pervert, as they 
 do also the other scriptures, unto their own 
 destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing 
 ye be warned aforehand, beware lest ye 
 also, being led away with the error of the 
 wicked, fall from your own stedfastness." 
 And the same apostle in another place: 
 "For so it is the will of God, that with 
 well-doing ye may stop the ignorance of 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 63 
 
 foolish men: as free, and not as having the 
 liberty for a cloke of naughtiness, but even 
 as the servants of God." 
 
 Hereunto agreeth the saying of St Paul: 
 " Brethren, ye have been called into liberty; 
 only let not liberty be an occasion unto the 
 flesh, but by love serve one another." And 
 almost the like w^as uttered before of our 
 Saviour Christ : " Verily, verily, I say unto 
 you, that whosoever committeth sin, is the 
 servant of sin. And the servant abideth 
 not in the house for ever: but the Son 
 abideth for ever. If the Son therefore shall 
 make you free, then shall you be free in- 
 deed." Wherefore Christians, who are made 
 free in true christian liberty, are delivered 
 from the devil, sin, and condemnation, that 
 sin may not rule in their mortal bodies, 
 (albeit the dregs and remnants of natural 
 corruption remain in them ;) neither are they 
 subject to the sentence of eternal death, 
 albeit they die corporally ; and to be short, 
 that they may not serve sin and devil, but 
 grace and Christ. 
 
 And having spoken thus much of the 
 necessity of good works, it consequently 
 followeth, that I, returning to the definition 
 of good w^orks, should shew what works 
 are allowed or disallowed in Christ's church. 
 And first, we do not derive the same out of 
 the decrees of men ; but acknowledge God to 
 be the fountain and author of the same. 
 For all men by nature are liars, corrupt and 
 sinful; and how can that which is evil 
 bring forth good ? Therefore from God only, 
 who alone is good, all good works do 
 
 Gal. V. 
 
 Against the 
 abuse of 
 christian 
 liberty. 
 Joh. viii. 
 
 True chris- 
 tian liberty. 
 
 The origin of 
 good works. 
 
64 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 James i. 
 
 Phil. ii. 
 Joh. XV. 
 
 Joh. iii. 
 
 Isai. xxvi. 
 
 Good works 
 are of God, 
 and yet in 
 some respect 
 they are 
 called our 
 own works. 
 
 How good 
 works are 
 wrought. 
 
 spring. The blessed apostle St James saith : 
 "Every good gift and every ^ perfit gift is 
 from above, descending from the Father of 
 lights." St Peter also w^riteth to the same 
 end: "The God of all grace, w^ho hath 
 called you to his eternal glory through 
 Jesus Christ, strengthen and confirm you." 
 And St Paul : " It is God that wrorketh in 
 you both the will and the deed." Our 
 Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ saith : " He 
 that abideth in me, and I in him, the same 
 shall bring forth much fruit." And in an- 
 other place : " He that doeth truth cometh 
 unto the light, that his works may be 
 manifest, that they are done by God." The 
 prophet Esay also, inspired with Christ's 
 Spirit, saith : " Lord, thou shalt give us 
 peace, for thou hast wrought all our works." 
 Now although we hold that good works 
 proceed from God, as the fountain and 
 origin ; yet he doth not these things with- 
 out us, but rather worketh by us and in us, 
 so that the works of God done by us are 
 also our own works. For God doth regene- 
 rate his elect and chosen servants with his 
 Spirit, and giveth them faith. Then they, 
 being so regenerate, like God's obedient chil- 
 dren, do yield and apply themselves to please 
 him with a holy life and conversation. And 
 the Holy Spirit which is in them is effec- 
 tual, stirring up their power and will to all 
 good works in all parts and course of their 
 life. Faith also, whereby men's hearts are 
 purified, is not idle and sluggish, but doth 
 her part, and is a vigilant and diligent 
 [1 any, 1576.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 65 
 
 keeper of integrity of mind and virtuous 
 conversation throughout all their life ; and 
 doth as it were put them in mind, that 
 they, being once purified in the blood of 
 Christ through the Holy Ghost, should 
 keep themselves unspotted in the filthy 
 world from all pollution of the flesh, never 
 to abuse the gifts of the body, but to pre- 
 serve the same as a vessel of honour. The 
 regenerate therefore watch and work right- 
 eousness, neither do they make a small ac- 
 count of sin, as wicked worldlings do : for 
 they right well and deeply consider, that 
 God who sent his Son into this world to be 
 a propitiation for sin, and gave him to 
 death, even the death of the cross, doth 
 both hate sin as a thing abominable, and 
 also love justice and purity of life. And 
 for that cause they also hate sin, and love 
 righteousness, detest impiety, and embrace 
 piety", and so study to practise the same all 
 the days of their life. 
 
 But in this labour and endeavour of the 
 children of God there are many lets and 
 hinderances ; and holy men are afflicted, as 
 it were with a grievous and daily battle, 
 which is never ended before the day of 
 death : for that deadly and crafty enemy ^ of 
 ours, Satan the devil, rusheth upon us with 
 great vehemency, and undermineth us with 
 a thousand temptations. And he is assisted 
 with many mighty confederates. For our 
 
 [2 pity, 1576. But this error is so uniform in the 
 old edition, that it will be needless to note it any 
 more.] 
 
 [3 envy, 1576.] 
 
 [[WOOLTON.] 
 
 Impediments 
 of good 
 works. 
 
 A continual 
 batUe. 
 
66 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 God aideth 
 us every 
 moment. 
 1 John V. 
 
 own flesh is slow and dull to all goodness, 
 and prone to all viciousness. The flattering 
 and deceitful world also urgeth us mightily 
 with company, pleasures, honours, which are 
 most vain. There are also many world- 
 lings, who with their pernicious examples 
 do carry the simple sort into destruction. 
 What should I say of fear and hope, which 
 do exceedingpy] exercise and afflict the 
 minds of the regenerate, in such sort, that 
 unless God's Spirit did every hour assist 
 them, and confirm their faith, they could do 
 no good work at all ? Against these, and all 
 other temptations that disciple, so dearly 
 beloved of Christ, do[th] comfort us, saying, 
 " This is the love of God, that we should 
 keep his precepts, and his commandments 
 are not heavy. For every one that is born 
 of God overcometh the world. And this 
 is the victory that overcometh the world, 
 even your faith. Who is he that overcom- 
 eth the world, but he that believeth that 
 Jesus is the Son of God?" And St Paul: 
 " If his Spirit that raised up Jesus Christ 
 from the dead, dwell in you, he that raised 
 up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken 
 your mortal bodies by the power of his 
 Spirit dwelHng in you." By the which 
 word all faithful men may easily gather the 
 cark and care which God's Spirit dwelling 
 in the hearts of the faithful taketh, that 
 justice may overcome and injustice be van- 
 quished. And Christ our Saviour promis- 
 eth that he will pour his Spirit most plenti- 
 fully upon us ; and doth also command us 
 to ask the same of him with ardent and 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 67 
 
 continual prayers. The faithful therefore, 
 and such as are regenerate by God's Spirit, 
 continue in prayers without intermission. 
 They keep their bodies in subjection with 
 moderate fasting and abstinency, that their 
 prayer may be more zealous. For prayer 
 and fasting are as it were preparatives to 
 good works. 
 
 Now as these impediments above speci- 
 fied do hinder men from doing of good 
 works ; even so there are many things 
 which further and help us toward the 
 practice of the same : amongst the which is 
 especially God's Spirit ; then a true and 
 perfect faith, and afterward continual and 
 earnest prayers ; whereunto we may add, the 
 sincere doctrine of all times and ages, as 
 well under the old as new Testament ; and 
 moreover the innumerable examples of the 
 servants of God, and of Christ, the Lord and 
 Saviour of the whole world, who amongst 
 other things saith : "I have given an ex- 
 ample imto you, that as I have done, so 
 should you do." Besides these things, the 
 very filthiness of vices, terrifying us from sin, 
 and the praise and fair beauty of virtue, 
 inviting us to the study of piety; the wrath 
 of God also, and the severity of his judg- 
 ments ; the fearful threats of pain and tor- 
 ments as well temporal as eternal, will pluck 
 us from vices. On the other side, the favour 
 of God, the merciful countenance of that eter- 
 nal judge, his bountiful promises and hope 
 of blessings, as well temporal as eternal, 
 will encourage us to pursue and practise 
 vdrtue. For the faithful will not be ingrate 
 
 Helps and 
 furtnerances 
 to do good 
 works. 
 
 John xiii. 
 
 5—2 
 
68 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 What man- 
 ner of works 
 the godly do. 
 
 Eph. ii. 
 
 John XV. 
 
 Matt. xxii. 
 Luke X. 
 
 for God's innumerable benefits ; neither will 
 they offend their brethren with their filthy 
 lives, for whom the Lord Jesus suffered such 
 grievous pains and torments. These, and 
 such other like considerations, do both stay 
 men from vice, and further them to virtue. 
 But the godly use a choice and discre- 
 tion in doing works (as I have once or twice 
 already spoken), accounting of those only 
 that are appointed by God: wherein that 
 elect vessel St Paul giveth us a good lesson, 
 writing to the Ephesians : "We are created 
 in Jesus Christ to do those works which he 
 hath prepared for us to walk in." First he 
 affiirmeth notably, and with great weight 
 »of words, that we were "created in Christ 
 Jesus to do good works.'* We answer not 
 then our end, if we rot and putrefy pn] evil 
 and filthy sin, and return not to God by 
 true faith and hearty repentance, and con- 
 fess we draw our lively moisture from him ; 
 we can never bring forth any good fruit : 
 for so Christ himself beareth witness. The 
 Apostle, therefore, speaketh with great 
 weight and efiicacy, in that he saith that 
 we were " created in Christ Jesus to do 
 good works.*' Then, lest we should be ig- 
 norant what good works the Apostle would 
 have, he addeth: "Which he hath pre- 
 pared []for] us to walk in.*' What be those 
 which he hath prepared for us to walk in, 
 but those which he hath revealed unto us in 
 the holy law of his commandments ? And 
 therefore our Saviour Christ, demanded in 
 the gospel by a certain man, " What shall 
 I do to possess eternal life ? and what is the 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 greatest commandment in the law ? " he an- 
 swering sent liim unto the law, whereof this 
 is the sum : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy 
 God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, 
 and with all thy mind. This is the first 
 and great commandment. The second is like 
 unto this : Thou shalt love thy neighbour 
 as thyself: for in these two commandments 
 consist the whole law and the prophets." 
 
 I repeated once or twice before, that the 
 ten commandments are the most certain 
 and most absolute platform of good works. 
 Wliich thing that it may more evidently 
 appear, I will by a brief enumeration (as 
 it were in a table) note and point out the 
 same. Unto the first commandment we 
 may refer the fear of God, faith, love, and 
 assured hope in adversity, together with 
 patience and constancy. The second com- 
 mandment containeth all true worshipping 
 of God, and the avoiding of all superstition 
 and idolatry. The third commandment 
 comprehendeth the reverence of God's name, 
 together with invocation and confession of 
 the same. And the fourth commandment 
 calleth for the preaching of God's word, 
 public prayers, and for external worship- 
 ping and serving of God; allowing also 
 seemly and moderate ceremonies, and espe- 
 cially such as may tend to edifying in the 
 church of God. Unto the fifth we may 
 refer piety toward our parents, country, and 
 kinsfolks, lawful obedience unto the magis- 
 trate and all superiors, and the offices in 
 civil life. The sixth commandeth justice 
 and judgment, the defending of the father- 
 
 The ten com- 
 mandments 
 are an abso- 
 lute rule of 
 good works. 
 
70 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 10. 
 
 Matt. xxiL 
 
 The law 
 requireth 
 internal 
 obedience. 
 
 less and widows, and the deliverance of 
 those that be oppressed, beneficency, and 
 innocency. The seventh comprehendeth 
 faith and truth between married persons, 
 and duties of matrimony, honest and godly 
 education of children, the love of chastity, 
 and sobriety. We may refer unto the 
 eighth justice in contracts and bargains, 
 munificency, liberality, and hospitality. 
 Unto the ninth we may refer the love and 
 study of truth throughout all our life, faith 
 in v/ord and deed, learned, honest \ and 
 profitable communication. And under the 
 tenth are contained good and godly affec- 
 tions, together with all holy and honest co- 
 gitations. And this is a very brief and 
 compendious form and rule of good works ; 
 which if you would have more contract 
 and short, you may consider the speech of 
 Christ dividing the same into two general 
 parts : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God 
 with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, 
 and with all thy strength, and thy neigh- 
 bour as thyself:" and, "Whatsoever you 
 would that men should do unto you, even 
 so do you unto them." 
 
 Wherein this is principally to be ob- 
 served, that the divine law, the sum or 
 effect whereof is the love of God and our 
 neighbour, doth not require of those that 
 be justified only external works and disci- 
 pline; but also the interior and spiritual 
 motions of the heart, consonant to the holy 
 will of almighty God, as our Saviour 
 Christ himself beareth witness, saying: 
 [1 honesty, 1576.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 71 
 
 " You shall be perfect, even as your hea- 
 venly Father is perfect/' For prave and 
 corrupt affections, and cogitations of the 
 inner man, are rebuked and informed by 
 the law of God ; and therewithal external 
 discipline is planted ; insomuch that by the 
 rule of the ten commandments all men and 
 all orders and vocations of men are informed 
 and instructed in their duty, in all times 
 and places. All estates, sexes, and ages, 
 as princes, prelates, husbands, wives, mas- 
 ters, servants, fathers, children, men, women, 
 bond, and free, are directed and guided by 
 the law of the ten commandments. 
 
 The last part of the description of good 
 works remaineth touching their end. For 
 I said that all the good works of the re- 
 generate ought to respect the glory of God, 
 the ornament of our lives, and the com- 
 modity of our even Christian 2. The faith- 
 ful do not good works to be justified thereby, 
 or to obtain remission of their sins, or to 
 procure unto themselves and others eternal 
 life : they do them not to be seen of men, 
 but rather, that God might be glorified 
 amongst men ; tliat they might shew their 
 obedience in walking worthy of their vo- 
 cation, to the comfort and profit of their 
 brethren. The Lord and Saviour Christ 
 saitli thus in the gospel : " Let your light 
 so shine before men, that they, seeing your 
 good works, may glorify your Father who 
 is in heaven." He speaketh significantly : 
 " That they may see your good works, and 
 glorify your heavenly Father;" not that 
 
 [2 Even Christian : equal, or fellow-Christian.] 
 
 MatUvL 
 
 The ten com- 
 mandments 
 are a rule of 
 life, and as 
 it were a 
 lodesman 
 to all sexes 
 and degrees. 
 
 The ends of 
 good works. 
 
 Matt. V. 
 
 God is glori- 
 fied by our 
 good works. 
 
72 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Rom. ii. 
 
 Luke xvii. 
 
 .In doing 
 good works 
 we are grate- 
 ful to God. 
 
 they may worship and glorify you. For 
 touching those that do their works that 
 they may be seen of men, our Saviour 
 speaketh in the same gospel : " Take heed 
 that you do not your alms before men, that 
 you may be seen of them. For if you do 
 so, you have no reward with your heavenly 
 Father." In the which he teacheth us ex- 
 cellently, that to do good works in secret 
 is to do them with a mind void of vain- 
 glory, seeking only to please God» And 
 as God is glorified in good works, so is 
 he dishonoured with evil works, as St Paul 
 allegeth out of the prophet : " The name 
 of God is evil spoken of through you 
 amongst the gentiles." 
 
 Moreover, the godly are always thank- 
 ful to God for his benefits : which thing is 
 plainly declared in that worthy example of 
 the Samaritan, who, as soon as he saw that 
 he had recovered health, returned immedi- 
 ately, and falling down at the Lord's feet, 
 with a loud voice glorified God. Which 
 thing all those also do that are purged with 
 Christ's blood, and shew themselves grate- 
 ful in word and deed to so bountiful a Lord 
 and Saviour. And Christ himself declareth 
 how odious ingrateful men are unto him, 
 in that speech of his unto the Samaritan : 
 " Were there not ten cleansed ? and where 
 be those nine ? There are none found that 
 returned to glorify God, but only this 
 stranger.*' And St Paul: "Do you not 
 know that to whom you give yourselves 
 servants to obey, his servants you are, whom 
 you obey, either of sin to death, or of obe- 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 73 
 
 dience to justice V* The faithful, therefore, 
 being now made the servants of Jesus Christ, 
 apply themselves to obedience, do righteous- 
 ness, depart from iniquity and Satan, from 
 whose tyranny they are delivered by the 
 obedience of Christ. 
 
 Besides these things, the godly do good 
 works, to confirm their faith, and to assure 
 and certify their consciences of their elec- 
 tion. " Endeavour, my brethren," saith St 
 Peter, '^ to make your vocation and election 
 certain." And St Paul counselleth his 
 scholar Timothy to stir up, and as it were 
 to kindle, the gift of God in him : for as 
 fire increaseth and burnetii hotter by the 
 adding of wood ; even so is piety and faith 
 augmented and confirmed by the exer- 
 cise of good works. " God hath not called 
 us unto uncleanness, but to holiness ;" nei- 
 ther into darkness, but out of darkness into 
 the holy light : whereunto those words of 
 the Apostle seem to serve : " We cease not 
 to pray for you, that you would walk wor- 
 thy of the Lord, that you may please him 
 in all things, fructifying in all good works, 
 increasing in the knowledge of God, con- 
 firmed with all strength, according to the 
 power of his glory, to all sufi*ering and 
 patience with hope." And in another place : 
 " Ye were once darkness, but now are you 
 light in the Lord : walk as children of the 
 light : for the fruit of the Spirit consisteth 
 in all goodness, justice, and truth, allowing 
 that which is acceptable to God : and have 
 you no fellowship with the unfruitful works 
 of darkness, but rather rebuke them." 
 
 Good works 
 confinn our 
 faith in us, 
 and assure 
 us of our 
 election. 
 
 2 Pet. i. 
 
 2 Tim. i. 
 
 An apt 
 similitude. 
 
 Colos. i. 
 
 Ephes. V. 
 
74 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Works serve 
 for the profit 
 of our neigh- 
 bour. 
 Phil. ii. 
 
 For what 
 cause good 
 works please 
 God. 
 
 Rom. viii. 
 
 Therefore, as the Apostle commandeth the 
 faithful to walk worthy of their vocation, 
 and sheweth them also how they may do 
 the same ; even so the godly alway do those 
 things which they are commanded, and 
 direct their works to this end, that they 
 may declare themselves to be the children 
 of the light. 
 
 The children of God also in their works 
 labour to profit all men and to hurt none. 
 " Let no man," saith the Apostle, " seek 
 those things that be his own, but that which 
 is another's ; as I in all things please all 
 men, not seeking my own gain, but the 
 profit of many, that they may be saved." 
 
 And these works of godly men do ex- 
 ceedingly please the Lord our God : but not 
 of their own dignity and worthiness, if ye 
 weigh them in respect of men, or in them- 
 selves ; but because they are done of those 
 that are reconciled to God in Christy by 
 faith and new obedience. And if now and 
 then through the corruption of our nature 
 we fall into sin and wickedness, whereby we 
 stain and pollute the good works ; yet God, 
 such is his goodness, winketh (as it were) 
 at such escapes, covering our filthiness and 
 spots with the garment of his Christ; he 
 washeth and cleanseth the same with his 
 most precious blood: whereof the Apostle 
 speaketh thus : " There is no condemnation 
 to those that are in Christ Jesus, who 
 walk not after flesh, but after the Spirit." 
 And, "Who shall lay any thing against 
 the elect's charge ? It is God that justifi- 
 eth ; who is he that will condemn," &c. 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 75 
 
 And that these good works of Christians 
 are acceptable to God, and please him, it 
 appeareth by that, that God rewardeth and 
 crowneth the same with great honours and 
 rewards, both in this life and in tlie life 
 to come. "Observe and hear," saith the 
 Lord, " all those things which I command 
 thee, that it may be well with thee and 
 thy children after thee, when thou shalt do 
 that thing which is good and acceptable in 
 the sight of the Lord thy God/' The pro- 
 phet also, speaking beforehand of the Chris- 
 tians, " I will bring them," saith he, "into 
 my holy mountain, and I will cheer them 
 in the house of prayer; their offerings and 
 oblations shall please me upon my altar." 
 Whereunto the Apostle no doubt had re- 
 spect, saying: "I beseech you, brethren, 
 by the mercifulness of God, that you would 
 offer your bodies a quick, holy, and ac- 
 ceptable sacrifice to God, which is your 
 reasonable serving of God." And the pro- 
 mise made by God unto Abraham, and all 
 the faithful in him, is most comfortable, in 
 that he saith, he will be their *' defence and 
 plentiful reward." And the Apostle saitli, 
 that '^godliness hath promise both in this 
 life, and in the life to come." And again : 
 "The just judgment of God shall be de- 
 clared, which will reward every man ac- 
 cording to his deeds : to them which by 
 continuing in well-doing seek for glory, and 
 honour, and immortality, Qeternal life y] but 
 unto them that are contentious, and do not 
 obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, 
 shall come indignation and wrath, tribu- 
 
 God reward- 
 eth the works 
 of faithful 
 men. 
 
 Isai. Ivi. 
 
 Gen. XV. 
 
 1 Tim. iv. 
 Bom. IL 
 
76 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Heb. vi. 
 
 In what 
 respect God 
 rewardeth his 
 servants. 
 
 An apt 
 similitude. 
 
 lation and anguish, upon every soul of man 
 that doth evil," Wherefore, we see it most 
 evident, that God hath prepared most plen- 
 tiful and liberal rewards, as well in this 
 life as in the life to come, to all those that 
 hate sin, and w^ork righteousness: and the 
 Apostle approveth God's justice by the 
 same, whiles that he saith : " God is not 
 unjust, that he will forget your work." 
 
 These and many other such places of 
 scripture do sufficiently declare that God 
 rewardeth the good works of godly men. 
 And yet it is not to be inferred or collected, 
 that they may trust to be justified and saved 
 thereby : for the godly do freely and willing- 
 ly confess, that their works are rewarded of 
 grace, and not of their own merit ; especial- 
 ly for that they ever do feel and perceive, 
 that through human infirmity their works 
 are never so perfit, but that they have need 
 of God*s mercy to mitigate the rigour of 
 his justice and examining their good works. 
 Therefore in consideration of their hire or 
 reward, the godly extol God's grace and 
 mercy, who giveth to the undeservings as 
 though they had deserved ; and, perceiving 
 imbecility and wickedness in themselves, 
 are humbled in minds, and cry with the pro- 
 phet : " If thou, O Lord, mark our iniqui- 
 ties, who is able to abide it?" Almighty 
 God's doing in this, and many other mat- 
 ters, may be resembled to carnal parents ; 
 who having sons to be their heirs by law of 
 nature and birth-right, yet they inflame and 
 kindle virtue, setting before their eyes gifts 
 and rewards : whose gracious and virtuous 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 children acknowledge themselves to owe 
 all even of duty to their parents without 
 rewards, and therefore they refer all such 
 benefits and rewards to the mere bounty 
 and liberality of their parents. They look 
 not for hire and rewards, as servants and 
 hirelings, but only for the favour and love 
 of their heavenly Father. And as the sons 
 of the free-woman, and not the sons of the 
 bond- woman, are heirs; even so the king- 
 dom of God is not the stipend of servants, 
 but the reward and heritage of children. 
 
 To conclude this matter of merit and 
 reward : the merciful and gracious Lord re- 
 ward eth his loving children for their good 
 works, not for the perfection and dignity of 
 the said works, but because the doers of 
 those good works are sons and children. 
 They are made sons and heirs by adoption 
 in Christ; and therefore their works are 
 acceptable to God, not in respect of them- 
 selves, but for Christ's sake, in whom they 
 are engrafFed, and of whose moisture (as it 
 were of heavenly dew) they are partakers : 
 so that all their rewards are of necessity 
 referred to the grace and mercy of God. 
 And although we grant remuneration and 
 reward of good works, yet merits or deserts 
 cannot be inferred thereof, that by our works 
 we are able to procure eternal life. For 
 the scripture seemeth of purpose in all places 
 to avoid the word merit. " The stipend of 
 sin is death, but eternal life is the gift of 
 God through Jesus Christ :" and therefore 
 St Augustine writ very excellently : '' Wilt 
 thou fall from grace ? then boast thy own 
 
 The sum or 
 effect of the 
 premises. 
 
 Rom. vi. 
 
 August, in 
 Psal. xxxi. 
 
78 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 et in Psal. 
 IxxxviiL 
 
 Good works 
 not hindered, 
 but furthered 
 by this 
 doctrine. 
 
 Ad Valenti- 
 nijm Epist. 
 46. 
 
 merits." And again : " When a man seeth 
 that all his goodness cometh not of himself, 
 but of God; he easily acknowledgeth all 
 that which is praiseworthy in him, not to 
 be of his own merits, but of the mercy of 
 Godi." 
 
 Neither yet is the earnest and ardent 
 desire of working righteousness extinguished 
 and quenched by this doctrine, as our ad- 
 versaries slanderously lay unto our charge. 
 For as we deny man s merit, so do we teach 
 God's reward, which we refer to his grace 
 and mercy. We add also, that God's holy 
 Spirit, dwelling in the faithful, works effec- 
 tually in their hearts, that they bring forth 
 good fruits. For God hath given unto his 
 servants "not the spirit of fear, but of 
 power, love, and sobriety." So that the 
 godly, being endued with holy moderation 
 and humility, are afraid to ascribe that to 
 their own merits which of right belongeth 
 to the grace of God and the merits of his 
 Son Jesus Christ. Hereunto consenteth the 
 holy father St Augustine: ^^Let no man 
 say that grace is given unto him by his 
 merits, as heretics falsely affirm. Not be- 
 cause there is no good merit of the godly, 
 nor evil merit of the ungodly ; for if it 
 were so, how should God judge the world ? 
 But the grace and mercy of God converteth 
 
 [^ Si vis esse alienus a gratia, jacta merita tua. 
 
 August. Enarr. in Psal. xxxi. Opp. Tom. viii. p. 
 68. Colon. Agripp. 1616. 
 
 Et cum viderit homo, quicquid boni habet, non 
 se habere a se, sed a Deo suo ; videt quia totum quod 
 in illo laudatur de misericordia Dei est, non de meritis 
 ipsius. — Id. in Psal. Ixxxiv. p. 334.] • 
 
A CHRISTLIN MANUAL. 
 
 79 
 
 man, whereof the psalm speaketh : * The 
 mercy of my God shall prevent me*^/* 
 Which thing seeing it is most evident, let 
 no man leave the only and perfect founda- 
 tion which is Christ, through whom we 
 are justified by faith, and not by works : 
 and yet we being settled upon this foun- 
 dation, as lively stones, ought, like wise 
 builders, to lay upon the same, in right 
 and decent order, true and perfit good 
 works. 
 
 It appeareth by that which hath been 
 spoken before, wliat great difference there 
 is between the virtues of Christians and in- 
 fidels. Surely, so great as there is between 
 a beast and a child ; between a wise man 
 and a fool ; or between a blind man and one 
 that seeth well. For unto Christians is the 
 secret will of God revealed, and that mys- 
 tery, which, as the Apostle saith, "was hid 
 many ages." Unto Christians God the Father 
 of glory hath by his Spirit in his word re- 
 vealed wisdom and the knowledge of him- 
 self. To conclude. Christians are translated 
 "out of the power of darkness into the king- 
 dom of his dearly beloved Son, by whom 
 we have redemption through his blood, and 
 
 [2 Nee quisquam dicat meritis operum suonim, 
 vel meritis orationum suarum, vel meritis fidei suae, 
 sibi traditam Dei gratiam, et pntetur verum esse 
 quod illi haeretici dicunt, gratiam Dei secundum me- 
 rita nostra dari ; quod omnino falsissimum est : non 
 quia nullum est meritum, vel bonum piorum, vel 
 malum impiorum ; alioquin quomodo judicabit Deus 
 mundum? sed misericordia et gratia Dei convertit 
 hominem, de qua psalmus dicit, Deus mens miseri- 
 cordia ejus prceveniet me.— August. Epist. xlvi. ad 
 Valentinum. 0pp. Tom. ii. p. 65. vel vii. p. 469.] 
 
 Psal. Ixxviii. 
 
 Great differ- 
 ence between 
 the faithful 
 and unfaith- 
 ful. 
 
80 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 remission of sins ; in whom it hath pleased 
 the heavenly Father to dwell with all ful- 
 ness, and by him to reconcile all things to- 
 ward himself, and all things pacified through 
 the blood of his cross, whether they be in 
 heaven or in earth." 
 
 Seeing then the excellent dignity of 
 christian men is such ; let them also think, 
 that their life and conversation ought to be 
 most excellent, and to pass all other nations 
 or professions. For paynims and all faith- 
 less people do lead a life without any faith 
 or hope ; they know nothing of eternal life. 
 And although amongst many of them some 
 do hold the immortality of the soul; yet 
 their arguments depend of natural reason, 
 and have not force and effect to persuade 
 weak minds. Neither touching matters of 
 this life do they proceed any further than 
 the bare letter of the second table of God's 
 commandments, and so much as appertaineth 
 to the sliado w of honesty in external manners 
 and actions. They, being overcome with 
 the lusts of the flesh and drawn into vices, 
 know not the occasion of the same, much 
 less the mean to amend the same : nay, they 
 often freely confess, that they are violently 
 drawn with their filthy appetites : they see 
 better things, and allow of them, but they 
 choose and embrace the worst ; they desire 
 those things that are forbidden them, they 
 pursue such things as fleet away, and refuse 
 those things that are offered unto them. 
 Such is the corrupt nature of all men, that 
 live without the direction of God's Spirit 
 and the light of the gospel. 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 81 
 
 But the Christians, believing in the Son 
 of God, and walking in the clear light of 
 his gospel, do know that they are redeemed 
 not with any corruptible things, as silver 
 and gold, but with such a matter, whose 
 life hath no end, doubtless even with the 
 blood of Jesus Christ. And forasmuch as 
 he, being both God and man, liveth for 
 ever, and therefore became man to redeem 
 us and couple us imto himself ; we do know 
 that we shall live in him throughout all 
 eternity : and in this faith we look for eter- 
 nal life, when as God shall be all in all. 
 And in this life we resist carnal concupis- 
 cences, and suffer not sin to bear rule in 
 our mortal body. We resist not the Holy 
 Ghost, we serve not the flesh, but that 
 serveth us : yea, and although sometime 
 this carnal nature of ours will shew itself, 
 yet we account it a thing unworthy to fol- 
 low the bent thereof; and, being the chil- 
 dren of God, are led with God's Spirit 
 only. 
 
 Let us, for example sake, view these 
 great courtiers and noblemen placed in dig- 
 nity and authority, who, puffed up with 
 ambition and haughtiness of mind, through 
 a vain conceit of their office and counte- 
 nance, contemn the acquaintance and fami- 
 liarity of poor simple men, or use them only 
 to serve their turn and gain. Some other 
 are become so doltish and arrogant, that 
 they will not vouchsafe a beck or nod to 
 those that with both legs most humbly sa- 
 lute them. They are grown into all mad- 
 ness and folly ; blinded with their high office 
 
 I^WOOLTON.] 
 
 The excel- 
 lent know- 
 ledge of 
 Christians. 
 
 An apt 
 similitude. 
 
 A similitude. 
 
82 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Hugo. 
 
 Man is most 
 precious in 
 God's sight. 
 
 Rom. xiii. 
 
 and calling, which is a thing mere vain; 
 for it is not their own, but another's ; not 
 in them, but without them, as all other the 
 goods of fortune are. Which thing if such 
 men do in their fleeting and miserable esti- 
 mation of this fickle world, why do not 
 Christians a great deal more call to mind 
 their dignity and estimation, who are al- 
 ready redeemed with the pure and precious 
 blood of Christ, the Son of God ? Surely 
 it is our parts once to begin to have consi- 
 deration of our worthy office and calling. 
 We are the sons of God; why do we 
 therefore give the reins to sin and wicked- 
 ness ? For, as a certain writer finely saith : 
 " I may not account myself vile, in whom 
 God Avas so greatly delighted, that he chose 
 death rather than he would lose me^." We 
 are now the sons of God, endued with the 
 justice of God, and washed from our sins 
 by the blood of his Son. Let us then re- 
 sist wicked and impure affections ; and let 
 us think them to be too vile for us to obey ; 
 to the which end those words of the Apos- 
 tle do serve : " Have no care for your flesli, 
 to satisfy the lusts of it." Be you, saith 
 he, masters, and let the flesh be your ser- 
 vants ; for the servant of the flesh wandereth 
 in darkness. But '' the night is passed, and 
 the day ahineth upon us Christians : let us 
 
 \} Redemisti . j^ro^vio sanguine.. .. Homo, appende 
 te ex pretio. — Hugon. Cardinal. Tom. ii. fol. 187. 4. 
 in Psal. 73 (74). 2. Venet. 1600— Homo deberet 
 appendere et considerare dignitatem suam ex pretio 
 quo redemptus est, scilicet in sanguine Jesu Christi, 
 Agni immaculati et incontaminati. — Ibid. Tom. iii. 
 fol. 45. 4.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 83 
 
 cast away the works of darkness, and put 
 upon us the armour of light : let us walk 
 honestly, as in the day-time :" let us give 
 continual thanks to our merciful and loving 
 Father, who hath promoted and called us 
 into the most noble and divine fellowship 
 of his Son Christ. Let us have a careful 
 care, that we never commit anything un- 
 worthy so excellent a calling; and with a 
 kind of holy and heavenly contempt despise 
 this wicked world, with the prince thereof. 
 Let us keep ourselves unspotted of the 
 same, and suffer not ourselves to be taken 
 with glittering and vain shews of worldly 
 things. For it is the will of God that we 
 should covet and aspire after high and hea- 
 venly things, and contemn and tread under 
 foot all mundane and earthly things. 
 
 Hitherto I have spoken of the necessity 
 of good works, and for what cause Chris- 
 tians ought to do the same ; of the difference 
 between the works of the faithful and un- 
 faithful ; and last of all, of the dignity of 
 christian men s works, passing and much 
 excelling the actions of all other nations 
 and professions. Now it resteth that I de- 
 scend particularly to the works of those 
 three callings and conditions, in one of the 
 which all good men ought to settle them- 
 selves ; being the scope and end whereunto 
 all young men s studies and labours ought 
 to be directed and referred: I mean the 
 state ecclesiastical, political, and oeconomi- 
 cal. For touching the works comprehended 
 in the commandments of the first table, 
 properly respecting our duty towards God, 
 
 6—2 
 
84 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Man ought to 
 have great 
 care of him- 
 self, whether 
 he be alone, 
 or with com- 
 pany. 
 
 Company of 
 the vulgar 
 dangerous. 
 
 Seneca, Epist. 
 7- ad Luci- 
 lium. Lib. i. 
 
 out of the which these other issue and flow, 
 I shall peradventure speak more in their 
 proper place : now my bent and purpose is, 
 to deal with those virtues which are branch- 
 es of the second table, and incur, ^d, as 
 it were, shew themselves in the eyes of the 
 world, in every estate and vocation^ 
 
 And because in what state or vocation 
 soever men live, they have either to do 
 publicly with others, or meditate and 
 study privately with themselves; I think 
 it very needful to admonish them of their 
 duty, as well when they are at home and 
 in their closet, as when they be abroad in 
 company, and confer with others : of the 
 which two things whether men ought to 
 have greater care, because of the perils and 
 temptations, which in every time and place 
 do assault and molest them, it seemeth very 
 hard to judge and pronounce. 
 
 There hath been some, I know, that 
 thought it a great furtherance to virtue, if 
 a man would sequester himself from the 
 world, and as much as it is possible to 
 avoid company. One of the philosophers, 
 whose name cometh not now to my remem- 
 brance, used this kind of speech : ^^ I never 
 was more unlike a man, than when I came 
 from the multitude of men." Seneca, writ- 
 ing to his friend Lucilius, counselleth him 
 after this manner : " Thou dost demand my 
 opinion, what I think most convenient for 
 thee to avoid. I would have thee come 
 seldom or never amongst the vulgar ; for 
 their conversation is hurtful unto man : thou 
 shalt come from them either more covetous. 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 85 
 
 cruel, or uncourteous. Thou must i;ieeds 
 either follow them, or hate them^." The 
 company and example of men doubtless 
 doth both offend honest natures, and, unless 
 they be very well stayed, spotteth and cor- 
 rupteth them : that we may justly account 
 the troop and multitude of men to be that 
 broad and wide gate, which leadeth into 
 eternal destruction. 
 
 Again, man being alone is subject to 
 many grievous temptations and perils.) 
 Crates the philosopher, when he saw a 
 young man walking alone, asked of him 
 what he did alone. '' I talk with myself," 
 quoth the young man. " Yea,'* said Crates, 
 "but beware then that thou talk not with 
 an ill man^. " We are wont to watch and 
 keep men, either distract or grievously sick, 
 lest they then hurt or mischief themselves ; 
 how much more ought we to have an eye 
 to ourselves, when we are alone, grievously 
 taken and infected with original sin ! And 
 it is out of all controversy, that mo^ sine, 
 both in weight and number, are committed 
 by them that live solitarily, than by those 
 that frequent the society of men. Eve being 
 alone was tempted and vanquished by the 
 serpent. Murders, robberies, and thefts are de- 
 vised in solitariness. David in his chamber 
 alone is carried to commit great wickedness. 
 The devil tempted Christ in solitariness. 
 
 God created man to society, and not to 
 solitariness. They were created two, male and 
 
 [^ Sen. Epist. Lib. i. Ep. vii. The passage is 
 extracted from different parts of the Epistle.] 
 [2 Ibid. Epist. X. init.] [^ Mo : more.] 
 
 Seneca, Epist 
 10. Lib. i. 
 
 Man is in 
 great peril, 
 being solitary 
 and alone. 
 
 Man created 
 of God to 
 society, not 
 to solitari- 
 
86 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 The duty of 
 man's mind. 
 
 female, of whose marriage God hath built 
 and derived his church : and our Saviour 
 Christ promiseth that he will be present 
 with two or three gathered together in his 
 name. And even so were sacraments ordain- 
 ed in the church for the society of men. 
 
 But I break off this comparison between 
 solitariness and society: for it appeareth 
 by these few words, that neither of them are 
 without grievous temptations and dangers ; 
 and therefore both of them to have great 
 need of instruction and consolation. 
 
 I will therefore speak first of man's duty 
 being alone in his study and bedchamber, 
 as he is sequestered from all fellowship and 
 company of men. 
 
 And because man consisteth of soul and 
 body, I will say somewhat briefly of both 
 those parts. The mind of man is to be 
 garnished and informed with the science 
 and knowledge of many excellent matters ; 
 but especially with those which are available 
 to a blessed life, to correct and frame man- 
 ners to true religion and sincere worshipping 
 of God : for unto this end ought we to refer 
 all our studies and endeavours. And with- 
 out these things no man can rightly have 
 the name of a Christian, nor enjoy assured 
 hope of eternal salvation, nor yet a quiet 
 and peaceable conscience. Let our minds 
 diflFer very much from the purposes and in- 
 tents of the infidels, who neither seek nor 
 do these things perfectly or sincerely, not 
 led with the love and fear of God ; but are 
 kindled to virtue either with desire of vain- 
 glory, or are stayed from vice for fear of 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 87 
 
 punishment ; and respect nothing less than 
 the glory of God, the profit of their bre- 
 thren, or the salvation of their own souls. 
 But we that profess Christ ought most ar- 
 dently to embrace virtues, inflamed with an 
 earnest desire to enlarge and set out God's 
 glory : neither ought we to respect external 
 discipline only ; but to do w^ell with a single 
 eye in the sight of the living God, and to 
 be fruitful in good w^orks before men, having 
 always the assistance of God's Spirit, to 
 lighten our reason, and to guide our will. 
 So it shall come to pass that, faith shining 
 and burning like a bright lamp before our 
 actions, we shall not be pufi'ed up with a 
 vain conceit and opinion of ourselves, but 
 shall acknowledge our own corruption, and 
 behave ourselves humbly before God and 
 man ; daily desiring mercy and remission of 
 sins, and reposing all our confidence and 
 hope of salvation in the mercy of God 
 through his Son Christ. The solace and 
 comfort, which ariseth of actions and virtues 
 thus done in christian men's breasts is so 
 great, that no tongue or pen can counter- 
 poise the same, albeit I have endeavoured 
 before to shadow (as it were) and give a 
 gleamish^ thereof. And thus much I thought 
 good to speak of the mind : now I will come 
 to man's body also. 
 
 Let every man so diet and govern his 
 body, that he may conserve the same safe 
 and sound, so far as he possibly may. For 
 we ought to have a care of our health, to 
 the end that we may be more ready to do 
 [^ Gleamish: glimpse.] 
 
 WiU. 
 
 The ordering 
 of the body. 
 
88 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Wilful mur- 
 der com- 
 mitted 
 against 
 ourselves. 
 
 our duty in our vocations and callings. It 
 belioveth us to regard, that we neither cor- 
 rupt our bodies with riot and surfeiting, 
 (for we ought to eat and drink so much 
 that our power and strength may be re- 
 freshed and not oppressed,) nor yet that we 
 do not enervate and weaken the same with 
 over much abstinence and famine; for in 
 both these there is sin and offence. There- 
 fore, as in all other things, so in this also, 
 mediocrity is a commendable and necessary 
 virtue : although besides a certain perpetual 
 sobriety and temperancy in diet, which we 
 ought to observe, we must sometime, as 
 occasion offereth, compress and subdue the 
 wanton looseness of our flesh with fasting, 
 abstinence, and spare diet; because' most 
 commonly lust is a companion of gluttony. 
 The body must be chastened therefore, and 
 brought into subjection; neither may we 
 lawfully "take care for the flesh, to satisfy 
 the lusts of it." 
 
 And as those that impair and decay 
 their health with riot and surfeiting, breed- 
 ing diseases, and hastening their own end, 
 are murdereres of themselves; even so they 
 that weaken and utterly destroy their bodies 
 with immoderate abstinence and other aus- 
 terity of life, are in no less fault, whiles 
 they make their bodies unable to execute 
 anything, unto whom the Apostle chargeth us 
 to give honour ; and therefore did write unto 
 his scholar Timothy, that he should " drink 
 no more water, but to use a little wine for 
 the weakness of his stomach '" albeit I shall 
 not need to speak many words in this be- 
 
A CHKISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 half; for few there are found now-a-days, 
 that offend in that part. Every man there- 
 fore must guide his body with skill and dis- 
 cretion ; and beware that he destroy not 
 that which God hath given unto him to 
 cherish and conserve. All the order of our 
 diet, motion, and exercise, together with all 
 trimming and dressing of the body, ought 
 to respect sanity and good health ; but with- 
 out delicacy and nice pleasure. 
 
 A§ in diet it is a fault, and almost Epi- 
 curism, to seek delicacy with all our care ; 
 so to mislike cleanliness, and to refuse good 
 and pleasant meats, which both content our 
 nature, and conserve the same, is a point 
 of mere folly: whereof Seneca writeth very 
 finely. *'As," saith he, "earnestly to de- 
 sire delicate things is a point of liquorish- 
 ness ; so to refuse things usual and profitable 
 is madness. Philosophy requireth frugality, 
 and not misery." He doth well, verily, that 
 drinketli water to keep himself low : and 
 he doth as well, that drinketh wine for the 
 weakness of his stomach. He that eateth 
 salads and herbs doth well : and he doth as 
 well that eateth flesh, boiled or roasted. 
 In which sense Seneca also hath written 
 thus : " He is a worthy man that so useth 
 earthen vessels, as though they were plate : 
 and he is as worthy that useth plate, as if 
 it were earthen vessels. That is a weak and 
 infirm mind, tliat can not use well riches^.*' 
 Even so let us think that to be but a super- 
 
 [^ Sen. Epist. v. Quemadmodum delicatas res, 
 &c....non pGenafn... Magnus ille est, qui fictilibus, &c. 
 ...pati non posse divitias.J 
 
 God hath 
 
 given us 
 lings not 
 only for 
 necessity, 
 but aUo for 
 lawful 
 pleasure. 
 
 Seneca de 
 Paupertate. 
 
90 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 How things 
 indifferent 
 be abused. 
 
 Calv. Inst. 
 Lib. iii. 
 cap. 16. 
 
 Tit. L 
 
 stitious mind, that dare not eat delicate 
 meats, especially such as may without great 
 cost and labour be obtained. For "all 
 things are clean to those that are clean," 
 and " nothing is to be refused, if it be taken 
 with giving of thanks." For " that which 
 entereth in at the mouth doth not defile a 
 man." 
 
 And yet I would not that any man 
 should use my words as a cloke and defence 
 to lust, riotousness, and prodigality, where- 
 unto now-a-days most part of men are given 
 without any measure : I mean nothing less, 
 and this world hath no need of pleasant 
 pillows and soft cushions. For now even 
 many [^who] are most precise make no 
 scruple to tumble and wallow in all kind of 
 prodigality, as in dainty fare, in costly ap- 
 parel, and sumptuous building : and for the 
 most part of them, they make no conscience 
 in spoiling houses of learning and study, and 
 in taking away the patrimony of Christ's 
 church. But touching the first part, they 
 answer that "meats, apparel, and buildings, 
 are matters mere indifferent, and defend 
 them with the cloke of christian liberty. 
 They are tilings indiiferent, I confess, if a 
 man do so use them. But when they are 
 coveted with extreme greediness, shewed 
 forth with ostentation, and wasted prodi- 
 gally ; the things that were lawful in their 
 own nature, are now polluted and abused. 
 The Apostle maketh an apt and evident 
 distinction between things indifierent : ' All 
 things,' saith he, 'are clean to those that 
 are clean ; but to those that are spotted and 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 91 
 
 unbelievers nothing is clean, seeing their 
 mind and conscience are polluted and de- 
 filed/ And why are the rich men cursed, 
 who have their consolation, who are full, 
 who laugh, who sleep in ivory beds, who 
 join land to land, whose banquets are full 
 of harmony and music? Doubtless, ivory, 
 gold, meats, and music, are the good gifts 
 of God, appointed by his providence for the 
 use and comfort of man, and there is no sin 
 in their natures. But when God hath bless- 
 ed us with these his good gifts, if we use 
 them vnth excess, filthy pleasure, vain jac- 
 tation ; and, being never satisfied, do still 
 groan and gape after more ; we abuse God's 
 good gifts, and pollute our bodies and con- 
 sciences. Let men cut ofi^ then, in the use 
 of these things, immoderate lust, prodigal- 
 ity, vanity, and arrogancy, and frame their 
 natures to sobriety; and the use of God's 
 creatures shall be both lawful and holy. 
 And this my counsel I oflfer as well to the 
 poor husbandman, as to the gentleman: for 
 they in their callings, so far as their ability 
 will stretch, exceed in prodigaUty and riot ; 
 and if they keep a better stay herein than 
 others, it is rather for want of power than of 
 will. And that vulgar speech is commonly 
 verified, 'Under a frieze coat oftentimes 
 there lurketh a purple mind;' and again, 
 ' Under purple and silk an humble and 
 gentle nature.* This is the best then, for 
 every man to live according to his calling 
 and order, either homely or worshipfully; 
 but therewithal to remember, that all men 
 are fed and sustained of God, not to riot. 
 
 Luke VI. 
 Amos vt. 
 Uai. V. 
 
92 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Philip, iv. 
 
 Lib. xxi. 
 Epist. 16. 
 Necessity and 
 pleasure 
 conioined in 
 God's crea- 
 tures. 
 
 but to live ; and to learn with the Apostle, 
 to 'be content with that they have, &c.'i" 
 
 Seneca inveigheth very earnestly against 
 the abuse of necessary things : his words in 
 sum are these : " Nature hath commanded, 
 that we should have a care of ourselves ; but 
 to be over-careful it is a fault. Nature hath 
 mingled pleasure with things necessary, 
 not that we should desire them; but that 
 those things, without the which we cannot 
 live, might be more welcome unto us. If 
 pleasure come alone, it is looseness ^i we 
 ought then to withstand the beginning: it 
 is more easy to keep them out at the first, 
 than afterward to expel them. Yea, but 
 thou wilt say, bear with me but a little : 
 but this little encroacheth, and when you 
 would, you can not make an end^." 
 
 Therefore, seeing we know so perfectly 
 our own imbecility, let us be quiet, and 
 stay ourselves. Let us commit our weak 
 mind neither to wine, women, delectation, 
 ambition^ adulation, neither to any vain 
 pleasure. It is wisdom to avoid deep and 
 slippery places : our feet are ticklish enough 
 upon the firm ground. Thou wilt haply 
 object that common voice of the Stoics: 
 '* You promise great things, and you com- 
 mand overhard things. We are men, and 
 cannot thus bridle ourselves. We will la- 
 ment but a little, we will desire but a pit- 
 tance. We will be angry, but soon pleased." 
 
 [^ This whole passage is a translation from Calvin, 
 Institut. Lib. iii. cap. xix. § 9. 
 
 [* Latin, Si suo veniat jure, luxuria est.] 
 [^ Sen. Epist. exvi.J 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 93 
 
 But dost thou know why we cannot do 
 these things ? Wc cannot, because we think 
 that we cannot. For the truth is otherwise : 
 we defend our faults, because we are de- 
 lighted in doing of them, and we had rather 
 nourish them than neglect them. Ill will 
 is the cause, and we pretend want of power. 
 But to return to the matter. The godly 
 make no difference of meats in respect of 
 salvation: for they know right well that 
 Christianism consisteth not therein, but in 
 other fiir more weighty matters. To con- 
 clude, we must drive away hunger and 
 thirst with those meats and drinks; and 
 such diet and apparel are to be used as the 
 constitution of men's bodies and conservation 
 of their health seemeth to require: for no 
 certain and exquisite precepts can be pre- 
 scribed in these matters. 
 
 And if it come to pass that we fall into 
 some sickness and disease, let us desire the 
 physician's counsel and help ; whose know- 
 ledge and aid yet we ought so to use, that 
 we put our chief confidence in the heavenly 
 physician, the living God: lest the same be- 
 tide us that came upon Asa king of Israel, 
 who was stricken with a disease in his legs, 
 whereby he was exceedingly pained and tor- 
 mented, [and] sought not for help at God's 
 hand. Men ought first of all to crave God's 
 aid and lielp, and then to seek for the phy- 
 sician. For the wise Sirach commandeth 
 men to honour the physician, whom God 
 hath created for our necessity: he addeth 
 that this art was given by God to men, 
 that he might be praised in his wonders, 
 
 Physic neces- 
 sary, and 
 physicians to 
 be esteemed. 
 
 2 Chron. xvi. 
 
 Ecclus. 
 xxxviii. 
 
94 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Cicero. Lib. 
 ill. Officio- 
 rum. 
 
 Great care 
 for ourselves 
 being alone. 
 
 Epist IJ. 
 Lib. i. 
 
 Epist. 41. 
 Lib. i. 
 
 and they recover their health. Let us mark 
 those words which follow a little after: 
 " My sou" saith he, '* in thy sickness call 
 upon the Lord, and he will heal thee. 
 Cease from sin, and cleanse thy heart from 
 all offences: then send for the physician, 
 for the Lord hath created him ; neither let 
 him depart from thee at such time as thou 
 hast need of him/' I thought good to use 
 thus much speech in this matter, because 
 of some men, that both think and speak 
 amiss of physicians ; and in the physician 
 impiously contemn God, and in physic a 
 singular gift of God's goodness toward man. 
 For by the physician, as by a minister, God 
 expelleth diseases; and by physic, as by 
 an instrument, he conserveth health, and 
 restoreth the same again, being lost. 
 
 Great consideration we ought to have 
 then of our duty toward ourselves, when 
 we are alone. Marcus Cicero highly praised 
 Scipio the African, for that he was wont to 
 say that he " was never less idle than when 
 he had leisure, nor never less alone than 
 when he was alone ^." Which was a wor- 
 thy speech, saith he, and fit for such a man. 
 And the Epicure is commended by Seneca, 
 for that he willed his scholars always to 
 imagine that they had one at their elbow, 
 viewing their doings. " Many offences are 
 avoided," saith he, "if a witness stand by 
 us 2." But Seneca his counsel in another 
 place is more grave and wholesome: that 
 
 n Cic. de Offic. in. i. init.] 
 
 [2 Hoc, mi Lucilij Epicurus praecepit, etc Sen. 
 
 Epist. xi. prop, fin.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 95 
 
 we should certainly persuade ourselves that 
 God is always present. His words are 
 these : " So I say indeed, Lucili, the Holy 
 Spirit sitteth within us, as it were, a watch- 
 man and an observer of our life ; and as we 
 behave ourselves toward him, even so he 
 dealeth with us. Surely there is no good 
 man without God 2." Which lesson let 
 every christian man learn, and think with 
 himself, as the troth is, that when he is 
 most alone, he hath many witnesses and 
 eyes watching and beholding him : for into 
 what secret place soever he withdraw him- 
 self, he hath present with him the living 
 God, his holy angel, his own conscience, 
 from whom it is not possible with any po- 
 licy to hide and keep secret his cogitations 
 and actions. 
 
 When therefore we have shut our closet- 
 doors and windows, and drawn the curtains 
 of our beds, and fall to devise or do any- 
 thing; let us first consider whether it be 
 honest or unhonest: if reason tell us that 
 it is foul and vile, and yet wanton will and 
 furious affections forcibly carry us to do 
 that which reason dissuadeth, the rather 
 because we see no man present to control 
 us ; then let us remember that God's eyes 
 are open upon* our doings, and his presence 
 in all places, and therefore not absent from 
 us. That saying of St Augustine is memo- 
 
 P Ita dico, Lucili. Sacer intra nos spiritus sedet, 
 malorum bonorumque nostrorum observator et cus- 
 tos : hie prout a nobis tractatus est, ita nos ipse 
 tractat. Bonus yir sine Deo nemo est. — Id. Epist. 
 xli. prop, init.] 
 
 [* even, 1676.] 
 
 Man is never 
 alone. 
 
 God seeth our 
 deeds and 
 thoughts. 
 
 ^^ 
 
96 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 A just and 
 profitable 
 examination 
 of ourselves. 
 
 rable : " God is in himself, as the beginning 
 and ending; in the world, as the author 
 and governor; in the angels, as sweetness 
 and comeliness ; in the church, as the good- 
 man is in his house ; in the soul, as a bride- 
 groom in his chamber; in just men, as a 
 helper and defender; in wicked men, as 
 terror and horror^/' And St Gregory : 
 " God is absent from no place, and yet he 
 is far off from evil mens cogitations: for 
 he is not far distant where he is most ab- 
 sent: where he is absent in grace, he is 
 there present in vengeance^/' 
 
 Now if we would be loth to have a 
 man or a little child to come upon us as we 
 are working wickedness ; how much more 
 ought we to stand in awe and reverence of 
 God's majesty ! Do we blush at the eyes 
 of a child, and care we not for the sight of 
 the living God ? especially seeing that he, be- 
 ing now a witness, will one day be our judge. 
 
 Let us pause a little, and as it were 
 reason the matter thus with ourselves : Shall 
 I make the Holy Spirit sorrowful, that the 
 wicked spirit may rejoice? Hath Christ 
 therefore redeemed me with his precious 
 
 [' Deus et in seipso sicut A et Q ; inmundo sicut 
 rector et auctor ; in angelis sicut sapor et decus ; in 
 ecclesia sicut paterfamilias in dome ; in animo sicut 
 sponsus in thalamo; in justis sicut adjutor et protec- 
 tor ; in reprobis sicut pavor et horror. — August, super 
 illud, Matth. vi. Pater noster, &c.J 
 
 [- Qui nimirum cum sit semper omnipotens, sic 
 intendit omnibus, ut adsit singulis ; sic adest singulis, 
 ut simul omnibus nunquam desit. Nam etsi quosdam 
 peccantes deserit, eisdem tamen ipsis adest per judi- 
 cium, quibus deesse cernitur per adjumentum. — Gre- 
 gor. Magni Papae i. Opp. Par. 1705. Moral. Lib. xvi. 
 in cap. xxii. B. Job. cap. viii. 12. Tom. i. col. 505.] 
 
A CHKISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 97 
 
 blood, that I should wilfully become Satan's 
 bond- slave? Shall I come to the Lord's 
 table with this life ? Shall I thus look for 
 the coming of Christ? Shall death take 
 me in this case ? These and such like con- 
 siderations if we use in the middle of temp- 
 tation, we shall not so forwardly commit 
 sin and wickedness. 
 
 Hereunto we may add this worthy con- 
 sideration and admonition, that we are made 
 the sons and heirs of God, and the fellow- 
 heirs of the Lord Jesus. Which dignity 
 in God's mercy if we remember (as we 
 never ought to forget the same), we shall 
 be moved with a certain liberal fear and 
 shamefacedness to abstain from vice. Surely 
 he that calleth to mind, that he is the son 
 and heir of God, and the brother and fel- 
 low-heir of Jesus Christ, will repress sin, 
 and stay himself from wickedness, not so 
 much for fear of the last day and torments 
 of hell, as lest he should oflfend and dis- 
 please so loving and merciful a Father. He 
 that believeth with St Paul, that his body 
 is the temple of the Ploly Ghost dwelling 
 in him, will not wilfully wallow in ini- 
 quity. He that believeth that he is a citizen 
 with the saints in heaven, will follow the 
 virtues in the saints, both in piety toward 
 God, and charity toward his neighbour. 
 
 Tlie second witness or watchman of 
 man's doings, when he is alone, is the holy 
 angel, whom God hath appointed to be his 
 guarder and guider. And what care ought 
 we to take, that with our filthy and abo- 
 minable life we do not alienate and drive 
 
 [^WOOLTON.] 
 
 A considera- 
 tion that we 
 are the sons 
 of God. 
 
 A considera- 
 tion of the 
 holy angel 
 alway be- 
 holding us. 
 
98 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Chrysost. in 
 Psal. 1. 
 Bernard. 
 Plato. Lib. i. 
 de Bepub. 
 
 away from us so faithful a keeper ! For 
 the good spirits are not delighted with 
 shameful and detestable deeds, as devils 
 are, but with pureness and holiness of life. 
 The Apostle St Paul, writing to the Corin- 
 thians, saith that a woman ought to be co- 
 vered in the congregation, whereby she may 
 acknowledge and testify, that she is subject 
 to her husband : and he addeth, " because 
 of the angels," shewing that if she be not 
 moved with the shame and reverence of 
 men, she should yet peel] that she ought 
 to do it in respect of the angels present and 
 beholding her. 
 
 Whatsoever therefore thou hast in hand, 
 if thou desire to avoid the light and to 
 work the deeds of darkness, yet remember, 
 I say, the clear eyes of the bright angel 
 viewing and beholding thee ; and let the 
 awe and reverence of him stay thy enter- 
 prise, restrain thy appetite^, and bridle the 
 unlawful concupiscence. The walls and 
 doors may keep back man, that he cannot 
 come unto thee; but the subtle nature of 
 an angel will pierce the strongest and thick- 
 est places. God then is present, and his 
 angel seeth thee, O wicked and damned 
 man, if thou contemn such overlookers. 
 
 The third witness whereof I made men- 
 tion before, which registereth and as it 
 were enroUeth all and every of our thoughts 
 and actions, is the conscience; and Chry- 
 sost om and Bernard nameth her as^ a 
 witness, a judge, a tormentor : who if she 
 sleep for a time, yet she breaketh out at 
 [^ is, 1576.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAX. 
 
 the last, especially at the hour of death, 
 and giveth a thousand evidences against 
 men 2. The conscience, in usual and com- 
 mon speech, is accounted instead of a thou- 
 sand witnesses. Seneca, amongst many 
 other golden lessons, writeth hereof after 
 this manner: "Thou mayest then think 
 thyself happy, when thou canst live openly, 
 when thy house covereth thee, but doth 
 not hide thee: for many men make walls 
 and houses, not so much to live commo- 
 diously, as to sin covertly. I will speak 
 but one thing, whereby thou mayest judge 
 of men s manners and conditions : thou 
 shalt scarcely find one man in a country, 
 that will live with his gates open. A guilty 
 conscience, rather than arrogancy and safety, 
 built doors and gates. But what availeth 
 it to lie secret, and to avoid the eyes and 
 ears of men ? For a good conscience calleth 
 company, whereas an evil conscience is 
 careful and fearful being alone. If our 
 doings be honest, what matter is it if all 
 men know them ? but if they be unhonest, 
 what commodity is it that others are igno- 
 rant of that which tormenteth thyself? A 
 wretch and a miser art thou, if thou con- 
 
 P 'O yap ddeKaa-TOi ^(KacTrjs, t<5 orvvetdoi Xeyto, 
 — Chrysost. in Gen. Horn. xvii. Tom. iv. p. 134. 
 Opp. Par. 1718-38. 
 
 Nulla poena gravior est prava conscientia. Mala 
 
 conscientia propriis agitur stimulis Bernard. Opp. 
 
 Lut. Par. 1040. p. 1083. De Inter. Domo, cap. xlv. 
 
 EiTreioau tis eyyus y tou olerdai TeXeuxtjcreii/, 
 eiarepxeTaL avTio deo9 Kal (f>pov'rhj etc... .6 fxeu ovv 
 €vpL(TKU)v eavTov ev T(m ^ico TroWd a5i/c>i/txaTa, Kal 
 eK TMV virvoiv^ warirep oi TraT^e?, dap-d eyetpo/xei/os, 
 etc.— Platon. RespubL i. § 5. (in. i. 10. Bek.)j 
 
 Our con- 
 science 
 always 
 walcheih us. 
 Seneca. £pist. 
 43. Lib. V. 
 
 7—2 
 
100 
 
 A .CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 A similitude. 
 
 Conscience 
 resembled to 
 a creditor. 
 
 J 
 
 temn such a witness, &c.^" Many other 
 notable sentences are left unto us in the 
 works of the ethnicks touching this witness, 
 the conscience; which because I have cited 
 plentifully in my book of the conscience, I 
 will omit to collect any more into this room. 
 And for that, as I have said before, our 
 conscience seemeth sometime either to sleep, 
 or to give us a lovely and friendly counte- 
 nance ; much like a creditor who upon some 
 considerations now and then beareth with 
 his debtor, and giveth him a longer day of 
 pay, but if his patience be too much abused, 
 and no day observed and kept, he bringeth 
 him to an outlawry; even so conscience 
 looketh stern at the last, and calleth his 
 debtor to a hard and weighty account. 
 
 The wise and well-meaning debtor, who 
 goeth either upon the score or book, hath 
 oftentimes an eye unto the score, lest he be 
 over-reckoned, and run in the lash : even so 
 we, if there be any forecare in us to depart 
 this world quietly, and to make an even 
 reckoning, ought oftentimes to resort unto 
 our creditor, the conscience, and to have 
 an especial regard, that we may well pass, 
 our account with him. Let us then every 
 day once at the least, and especially at 
 night, when we go to bed, open our tables 
 and notes of remembrances, and take a view 
 as it were, how we have spent that day. 
 And when we have laid down our actions 
 severally, let us inquire of our conscience 
 her judgment and opinion : and she out of 
 
 [1 Sen. Epist. Lib. i. Ep. 43. Tunc felicem to 
 esse judica, &c.] 
 
A CaBRISTIAN MiNtTAB, 
 
 101 
 
 hand will open unto us, wherein we have 
 either done well or evil. So shall we, as 
 the Apostle exhorteth us, " work our sal- 
 vation with trembling and fear :'* we shall 
 shake oft' security and carelessness, and 
 sincerely walk in our vocation and calling. 
 
 Which order was diligently observed, 
 even amongst the ethnioks : for we read that 
 Pythagoras gave in commandment to his 
 scholars, that they should straitly keep his 
 custom 2. And Seneca hath a like example 
 of one Sextius ; whose words, being full of 
 wit and godliness, must needs be both plea- 
 sant and profitable to the readers. " This 
 was Sextius' fashion, every night, when he 
 went to rest, to examine himself, saying : 
 What fault hast thou mended this day? 
 what vice hast thou resisted ? wherein art 
 thou better ? Stay thy hasty nature, and 
 thou slialt come with more moderation be- 
 fore the judge. In this disputation thou 
 wast over hot and contentious : meddle not 
 with the ignorant henceforth. Thou dealt 
 oversharply with that man, and hast rather 
 offended him than amended him : hereafter 
 take care, not only to say the truth, but 
 also consider, whether thou speak to one 
 that will and can abide to hear it, &c. 
 This is my manner, and thus I use to do 
 when the candle is put out : I search and 
 sift my words and deeds, I hide nothing 
 from myself, I pass nothing over : for why 
 should I, moved either with fear or shame, 
 
 [^ /itj5' vTTVov fxaXaKoltriv kir ofx/iacn irpoaSe^- 
 aadai, liplv toSu t'lfxepLvuiv epyoav Tpl^ cKaaTov 
 e-rreXdelv, &c. — Pythag. Aur. Carm. 40, sqq. Poet. 
 Min. Gr. Tom. i.j 
 
 Pvthafjoras' 
 scnolars, 
 when they go 
 to bed, call 
 themselves to 
 a reckoning 
 for the day 
 spent. 
 
 Seneca, Lib. 
 iii. de Ira. 
 
J02 
 
 j^ CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 The heathen 
 men shall 
 condemn 
 impenitent 
 Christians at 
 the last day. 
 
 do so ? seeing I may safely say unto my- 
 self, I forgive thee now, but amend this 
 gear, and see thou do so no more." And 
 Seneca addeth of his own immediately: 
 ^' What can be more commendable," saith 
 he, '^ than this kind of trial and examina- 
 tion? What a golden, sound, and quiet 
 sleep must needs follow ; when as the mind 
 is either commended, or amended, with the 
 grave and upright information of a man s 
 own manners M" 
 
 These heathen men shall rise against us 
 at the last day, and condemn us : for they, 
 moved with love of civil virtues, have daily 
 and deeply looked into their lives spent ; 
 but we, that profess Christ, are secure and 
 negligent, and never cast our eyes upon 
 yesterday, nor purpose to perform anything 
 the day following. If we would inure our- 
 selves to this custom, and practise the same 
 but a few days ; it would in short space be 
 both most pleasant unto us, and, unless I 
 be deceived, would also breed and bring 
 forth the fruits agreeable to a christian call- 
 ing and profession. 
 
 But how do we now-a-days most com- 
 monly pass the time ? Yerily we feast and 
 banquet one with another, day by day, and 
 night by night, so long, that neither eye, 
 tongue, hand, nor foot can do their duty ; 
 for we are drowned and even buried in sur- 
 feiting and drunkenness : so that scarce 
 once a year, much less once a day, we ex- 
 amine our conscience, and record with our- 
 selves, how we have run our race, and spent 
 [* Sen. de Ira, Lib. iii. cap. 36.J 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 103 
 
 our age. And yet nightly we lay us down 
 to sleep, and securely snort and snore in our 
 sins : in which case if sudden death should 
 take us in the neck (as no man hath a 
 charter to live until the next morrow), we 
 are but cast-aways and damned creatures. 
 But alack ! we think not once upon these 
 matters, blinded with a vain hope of long 
 life : whereof albeit we might receive daily 
 admonition by the example of others, yet 
 we wilfully deceive ourselves, whiles we 
 think that we are exempt out of the com- 
 mon number, and to have a certain especial 
 and particular privilege granted unto us. 
 
 If the cause of this security and con- 
 tempt of good life were demanded of me, 
 I would answer, that continual and daily 
 custom of wicked and sinful life, which ob- 
 taineth almost the force of nature, is the 
 occasion thereof. And as it is a very hard 
 thing for a man to subdue his own nature ; 
 so is it not very easy to alter use and cus- 
 tom, which they truly account to be almost 
 another nature: experience teacheth, that 
 those vices which are bred and brought up 
 with us, are with much ado pulled up by 
 the roots. Hereunto cometh the nice ten- 
 derness of parents in the education of their 
 children; whom they acquaint with all 
 kind of delights and pleasures, even from 
 their infancy. They teach them not to 
 abstain from unchaste and un reverent speech 
 against God and man. They set them out 
 with sumptuous and gorgeous apparel of 
 divers colours, sometime like routers, some- 
 time like ruffians, but seldom like honest 
 
 Evil ctistom, 
 cause of 
 security. 
 
 Corrtipt 
 parents. 
 
104 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Children 
 shall accuse 
 their parents 
 for their 
 negligent 
 education. 
 
 folks. They breed in them fierceness, bold- 
 ness, and impudence : they neglect rever- 
 ency, comeliness, and honesty. Whereby it 
 Cometh to pass, that they cast away care of 
 obedience to their parents, lowliness to their 
 elders, and courtesy toward their equals, 
 and in every thing think their lust to be 
 law. So are they not reclaimed from vice, 
 either with fear of God or shame of man : 
 they have no care of religion and piety 
 toward God, much less of virtue and ho- 
 nesty toward the world. For why? the 
 parents now-a-days do corrupt and cast 
 away their children with domestical exam- 
 ples in the beginning; so that afterward, 
 when they would, they are not able to re- 
 form the same : whereas godly and virtuous 
 parents ought not to say or do any thing in 
 presence of their children, that may give 
 a shew of wantonness and dishonesty ; but 
 so to frame their lives and behave them- 
 selves, that in them, as in a perfect pattern 
 and example, their children might see what 
 is fair and beautiful. Otherwise it shall 
 come to pass that their own flesh and blood 
 shall exclaim and accuse them v/ith that 
 young man who said : " I may impute my 
 loose and riotous nature to my father ; for 
 he kept me not in subjection, nor gave me 
 any good example of life, but rather in- 
 flamed me to pursue my appetite.*' Of 
 those youths, then, that are thus depraved 
 in tlieir young years, as it were in the green 
 herb, either with evil parents or schoolmas- 
 ters, what good can be looked for at their 
 hand, when they come to mans estate? 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 105 
 
 Surely, surely, so many adulterers, robbers, 
 stealers, cutpurses, coggers, carders, dicers, 
 sellers of lands, and bankrupts, issue out of 
 that lake and filthy puddle of negligent and 
 perverse education; whereas carnal and 
 senseless men impute it, blindly and un- 
 truly, to the preaching of the g<^spel, so 
 brightly shining amongst us, and condemn- 
 ing all dishonesty and wickedness. 
 
 Away then with wicked use and cus- 
 tom, especially in young and tender age; 
 which will be a let and stay from virtue, 
 when men come to ripe years. That holy 
 martyr St Cyprian said truly: "No man 
 can shake off that suddenly or quickly, 
 which by continuance of time hath grown 
 into use. For when will that man follow 
 frugality, who hath been accustomed unto 
 two or three courses of delicate dishes ? Or 
 how will he be content with coarse and 
 simple apparel, who blazed and shined in 
 purple and gold, when he was a child ? But 
 rather love of wine will lej^d them, pride 
 will puff them up, anger will inflame them, 
 greediness will prick them forward, am- 
 bition will delight them, and lust will 
 destroy them^." So that it will be a matter 
 exceeding hard to bridle offences, which by 
 custom are almost turned into nature. 
 
 And yet we must labour and endeavour 
 to restrain our carnal appetites, if we hope 
 to be saved. You will ask of me, how shall 
 
 [' Qui possibilis, aiebani, est tanta conversio, ut 
 repente ac perniciter exuatur, quod vel geiiuinum 
 situ materiae naturalis obduruit, vel usurpatum diu 
 senio vetustatis inolevit?. .. Quando parsimoniam, 
 &c. — Cypr. ad Donat. Opp. p. 2. Oxon. 1700.] 
 
 A hard thing 
 to break 
 evil custom. 
 
 Cyprlanus. 
 
 The com- 
 inodity of 
 good custom. 
 
106 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Matt. [xL] 
 
 Stilpho. 
 
 we do this? I answer: Accustom your- 
 selves but a while to good things, as you 
 have a great while to evil things, and you 
 shall find no small profit. The matter may 
 haply seem hard in the beginning : but 
 there is nothing, as Seneca saith, invincible 
 to mans mind. In process of time the 
 pleasure that a man must needs feel in this 
 exercise will mitigate the pain and labour ; 
 and we shall find the words of our Saviour 
 Christ, spoken to his disciples, to be true to 
 our comfort : " My yoke is sweet, and my 
 burden is light." For, as St Hierome saith : 
 " The custom of vices causeth the way of 
 virtue to seem hard and unpleasant-^: which 
 if we apply to the better part, the way of 
 justice will be found more smooth 2." 
 
 And if Stilpho (of whom Cicero writ- 
 eth), being naturally given to the love of 
 wine and women, was able through the 
 precepts of philosophy so to master and 
 bridle his vicious and carnal nature, that no 
 man could never by his behaviour con- 
 ceive any suspicion of drunkenness or 
 whoredom'; why should Christians think 
 it impossible with the assistance of God's 
 grace and holy Spirit to tame and subdue 
 the old man, that he may not reign in our 
 mortal bodies, and to expel wicked and 
 corrupt custom ? Could a paynim vanquish 
 
 P Unplenty, 1576.] 
 
 P Asperam enim nobis et insnavemTirtutum viam 
 nimia facit vitiorum consuetudo : quae si in partem 
 alteram transferatur, sieiit scriptura dicit, semita 
 justitiae levis. — (Paulinus ap.) Hieron. Epist. xiv. ad 
 Celantiam. Opp. Tom. i. p. 42. Antverp. 1579.J 
 
 [3 Cic. deFato, 5.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 107 
 
 nature, and cannot Christians bridle custom ? 
 especially if they endeavour earnestly, and 
 labour diligently to withstand pleasures. 
 And if through human imbecility they now 
 and then slip, and lose (as it were) their 
 handfast ; yet let them not quail therefore, 
 but call for his help, who always putteth to 
 his hand, and will not suffer those utterly 
 to fall away from him. For he sendeth 
 unto them his Holy Spirit, who stirreth up 
 in their hearts heavenly motions, and guid- 
 eth their studies and endeavours to an effect 
 and purpose. 
 
 All good men see and perceive, by that 
 which hath been spoken before, how need- 
 ful it is for Christians to use a certain rever- 
 ence toward themselves, when they are 
 alone, and to beware, that they neither do 
 nor think any thing unhonest. Of this 
 duty Cicero had a consideration, in that he 
 wrote to his son Mark : " There is no part 
 of man's life, neither in public nor private 
 matters, neither in conference with others, 
 neither in meditating with yourself, that 
 can want duty; and in observing thereof 
 doth the honesty of man's life consist, 
 and dishonesty in neglecting the same*." 
 For although the fear and reverence of God's 
 majesty, present in all places, and searching 
 man s reins and hearts, and therewithal the 
 holy angel our keeper and watchman, ought 
 to stay and fear us from sin and wicked- 
 ness ; yet besides those things, that duty 
 and reverence, which we owe unto ourselves 
 ought to bridle and let the same. 
 [* Cic. de Offic. i. 2.] 
 
108 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Sextius' 
 custom. 
 
 Considera- 
 tions moving 
 men to 
 godliness. 
 
 Psal. xc. 
 Isai. xl. 
 Job xiv. 
 1 Pet. i. 
 James i. 
 
 Wisd. V. 
 
 And to the end that we may imitate 
 and follow Sextius his use and custom, and 
 shew that shamefacedness and reverence, 
 which is convenient for ourselves, when we 
 are solitary and sequestered from company, 
 let the shortness of our life, and the in- 
 numerable perils and dangers, which com- 
 pass us in on every side, be set always 
 before our eyes. The ethnicks have set out 
 the same with many fine similitudes : but 
 because they may have less weight with 
 Christians, I pray them to consider the holy 
 scriptures, who compare our life to green 
 grass withering, to the flowers of the field 
 fading away, to a deluding dream. 
 
 But the wise man seemed of purpose to 
 have gathered them all into one room, 
 which we ought to read and ponder deeply, 
 that in consideration of the extreme vanity 
 of our life we may be more circumspect in 
 our conversation, and be inflamed with an 
 ardent desire to come to our perpetual and 
 heavenly habitation. The life of all men, 
 saith he, even of those that are most 
 wealthy and mighty, but especially of the 
 ungodly, "vanish away like a shadow," 
 (than the which there can scarcely any 
 thing be found more transitory; and yet 
 Pindarus, extenuating man's life significant- 
 ly, termeth man but ^"a shadow's dream ^.") 
 2, Mans life flieth away as "a noise or 
 cry, which suddenly vanisheth away : " 3, 
 or like a ship, which cutteth the waves of 
 the sea, and leaveth no sign of passage 
 behind it: 4, and as a bird which flieth 
 [• cKtas ovap. Pyth. viii. 95.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 109 
 
 through the air, and leaveth no token of her 
 passage : 5, or as the arrow shot at a mark 
 leaveth not any trace: 6, as the dust is 
 scattered with the wind : 7, as the frost is 
 dissolved with the heat of the sun : 8, as 
 the smoke is blown away with the wind : 
 9, or as a guest is forgotten of his host, 
 where he lodged but one night: 10, as the 
 bells which bubble up in the water, whereof 
 some are greater, and some lesser, but all 
 break and fall in a moment: even so, a- 
 mongst men, some are great and mighty, 
 some learned and rich, and other some are 
 poor, abject and miserable; but in what 
 state soever they be, they die without any 
 exception, one after another : so that, as the 
 prophet saith, " although we come to three- 
 score and ten, or fourscore years, yet the pas- 
 sage of our life is swift, and we fly away." 
 
 ' But those that are loth to restrain the 
 delights of tlie flesh will answer, that they 
 will repent when they fall sick and lie on 
 their dcath-bed. I grant they may do so, 
 and God's mercy is never shut up: but I 
 would have them also consider, how many 
 impediments and stumbling-blocks lie in the 
 way, hindering them from true repentance. 
 For, that I may omit the care about a man's 
 will and testament, for his wife and children, 
 and the grief and pain of the disease, and 
 many other such things which may seem to 
 be matters of smaller importance: what 
 assaults doth Satan use to give in that case, 
 and what policies doth he not practise to 
 bring the seely sick man into dreadful de- 
 spair of his salvation ? For then even in a 
 
 6. 
 
 7. 
 
 8. 
 
 9. 
 10. 
 
 PsaL xc. 
 
 Against 
 deferring of 
 repentance. 
 
110 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 The practice 
 of Satan at 
 our last hour. 
 
 Those that 
 repent not 
 when they 
 may, cannot 
 when they 
 would. 
 
 moment he calleth to mans remembrance, 
 and setteth before his eyes, whatsoever he 
 hath thought, purposed, said or done through- 
 out all his life : and such offences as he hath 
 committed, being ill enough in themselves, he 
 amplifieth and augmenteth, that he may 
 shake their faith, and pluck from them the 
 anchor of salvation and eternal life. Here- 
 unto may be added the agony of a guilty 
 conscience, the grievous fear of death at 
 hand, the heavy and bitter cogitation of the 
 judgment-seat of God, and the horror of 
 hell-fire; all which things are wonderful 
 obstacles to true repentance : so that it were 
 nothing else but mere presumption to defer 
 it to the last hour. And surely repentance 
 in such sort extorted is not voluntary, but 
 compulsive, and most commonly lame and 
 unperfit. If we be wise, let us amend and 
 repent, when we can offend : otherwise the 
 common saying will be verified of us, " Sin 
 hath forsaken man, and not man sin.*' And 
 it is to be feared, lest, if we amend not when 
 we may, we cannot when we would. The 
 judgments of Almighty []God] are profound 
 and unsearchable in punishing men's faults. 
 For as in his goodness and mercy Qhe] giv- 
 eth time and space to men that are willing 
 to repent, and endureth offenders with great 
 patience and longanimity, to bring them to 
 righteousness of life ; so when he seeth a man 
 wilful, obstinate, and contemning his mercy, 
 he withdraweth his grace .and favour, and 
 givetli him over into a reprobate sense, and 
 looketh not any more for his conversion. 
 And God hath appointed unto every man 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Ill 
 
 his time and measure, beyond which they 
 cannot proceed in their mischiefs, and be- 
 yond the which he will not contain and stay 
 his plagues and punishments: the remem- 
 brance whereof ought to move us to walk in 
 innocency and holiness of life; to use that 
 dutiful reverence toward ourselves, which 
 is requisite, when we are solitary and alone ; 
 and to contain and stay ourselves from sin 
 and wickedness. 
 
 But there is nothing more effectual to 
 bridle and restrain men from devising and 
 doing filthiness and sin, when they are soli- 
 tary and alone, or when they have over- 
 lashed themselves and done amiss, Qthan] 
 with Sextius, before they take their rest, to 
 examine and call an account how they 
 passed the day : then the often consideration 
 and remembrance of sudden deaths, where- 
 withal many mortal men have pitifully and 
 dreadfully perished in all times and ages. 
 Pliny in his natural story hath a whole 
 chapter intituled, " Of sudden deaths," and 
 so hath Valerius Maximus^; where they 
 write that many upon most light causes 
 have suddenly died. One at Rome, as he 
 went forth at his chamber-door, did but 
 strike his finger a little on the door-cheek, 
 and immediately fell down dead. Another 
 did but stumble as he went forth, and died 
 by and by. An embassador of the Rho- 
 dians, after he had declared his message to 
 the senate, departing forth of the council- 
 
 [1 Plin. Hist. Nat. Lib. vii. cap. 52. (51.) Tom. 
 III. p. 200. Paris. 1827. Valer. Max. Lib. ix. cap. xii. 
 De mortibus non vulgaribus.^ 
 
 We ought to 
 consider our 
 short time 
 and fickle 
 state. 
 
 Plinius Hist. 
 Lib. vii. cap. 
 52. Val. Max. 
 
 Examples. 
 
112 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Acts xii. 
 
 chamber, fell down by the way, and sud- 
 denly died. iEschylus the poet lying on 
 sleep bare-headed near the sea, a great sea- 
 fowl, thinking his bald head to be a stone, 
 whereon he might break the shell-fish which 
 he carried, let it fall upon his head, where- 
 with he was killed out of hand. Lucian, a 
 man learned and eloquent, but a derider of 
 all religion, and namely a blasphemer of 
 christian religion, travelling by the way, 
 was suddenly set upon by dogs and wor- 
 ried ; a death meet for such a blasphemer, 
 and a terrible example to all contemners 
 and deriders of religion and godliness. 
 
 The scriptures also want not examples. 
 The churlish rich man Nabal, who at his 
 sheep-shearing held a feast in his house like 
 a king, but denied to relieve David then 
 persecuted and in distress, within ten days 
 after was smitten of the Lord, and so died, 
 Ananias and Sapphira, pretending that they 
 gave their whole patrimony to the relief of 
 the poor in the primitive church, but indeed 
 reserving a portion to themselves, and so 
 lying to the Holy Ghost, were immediately 
 stricken of God, and so ended their lives, to 
 the fearful example of all hypocrites and dis- 
 semblers, and specially in matters pertaining 
 to religion. Her odes Agrippa, being in most 
 glorious magnificence, and contented to hear 
 himself extolled to be rather a god than a 
 man, was suddenly smitten by the angel of 
 the Lord, and died a most miserable death. 
 The rich man of whom mention is made, 
 that he intended to pull down his barns and 
 granaries, and to build larger, " said to his 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 113 
 
 soul, Soul, thou hast provision laid up in 
 store for many years; and therefore take 
 thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry : " but 
 what became of him ? '* God said unto 
 him : Thou fool, even this very night shall 
 thy soul be taken from thee ; and then who 
 shall have that which thou hast provided ?" 
 The example of Nabucodonozor is very terri- 
 ble, who walking in his palace, and glory- 
 ing in his strong and stately city Babylon, 
 whiles the words were yet in his mouth, 
 was suddenly stricken with a plague worse 
 than death : for the use of reason was tak- 
 en away from him, and himself, turned 
 amongst beasts, became as a beast, eating 
 hay like an ox : to teach all posterity en- 
 suing, not to glory in things of this world 
 which are but vain, but that " he which 
 glorieth should glory in the Lord/' 
 
 Nevertheless I grant it to be true, that 
 as well the godly as the ungodly sometime 
 are taken with sudden death, as that 
 famous and godly Humphrey duke of 
 Gloucester suddenly died in his bed (albeit 
 not without some suspicion of violence); and 
 much like to that was John^ Hunne, and 
 many others. But howsoever the godly die, 
 dear and acceptable is their death in God's 
 sight; and at what time soever they are 
 taken, they are in ease and refreshing : 
 whereas wicked and ungodly men s death, 
 especially their sudden death, is as the scrip- 
 ture saith. Mors peccatorumpessima; which 
 
 \} A mistake seemingly for Richard. See Foxe, 
 Acts and Mon. Vol. iv. pp. 183, &c. ed. 1837 ; and 
 for Duke Humphrey, ibid. Vol. in. p. 715.] 
 
 CWOOLTON.] 
 
 Luke xii. 
 
 Humphrey, 
 Duke of 
 Gloucester. 
 
 John Hunne. 
 
 Psal. xxxiii. 
 
114 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 The sura or 
 conclusion, 
 with a simili- 
 tude. 
 
 Ecclus. vii. 
 
 fearful speech ought to keep good men in 
 awe and fear of God, in reverence toward 
 themselves, and in examining surely of their 
 lives and conversations. 
 
 To conclude this part of reverence and 
 duty toward ourselves, when we are se- 
 questered from company: let us observe 
 and mark what men do in great pestilences 
 and mortalities, how sorrowful they are for 
 their sins, and careful to amend their lives : 
 even so mortal man in consideration of his 
 manifold perils and dangers, which hang 
 over his head every hour, ought to use all 
 diligent consideration to amend and to con- 
 tinue in well doing. But as it fareth in 
 these worldly and temporal matters, so 
 cometh it to pass in spiritual matters. For 
 in adversity, as in pestilences, famine, war, 
 earthquakes, men acknowledge God's just 
 wrath and indignation against sin: but 
 when things go as they would have them, 
 they abuse his goodness and mercy; and 
 never think, neither of the hour of death, 
 nor of the day of doom, nor of the trump 
 of God, nor of the torments of hell, nor yet 
 of the gnashing of teeth, and worm of the 
 conscience which never dieth : the remem- 
 brance of which things should never slide 
 out of our minds, whether we rise in the 
 morning, or lay us down to sleep in the 
 evening ; whether we dine or sup, whether 
 we enterprise weighty matters, or are wil- 
 ling to sport and recreate ourselves : in all 
 these things we should observe the precept 
 of the wise man, " Whatsoever thou takest 
 in hand, remember thy end, and thou shalt 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 115 
 
 never do amiss." — And hitherto have I writ- 
 ten of that duty and lionesty which a man 
 ought to use, when he is soHtary and alone. 
 Now I will descend to that which is re- 
 quisite and necessary for him that will live 
 in public and common society. 
 
 The office and duty of a Christian, as he 
 liveth publicly, and hath to do in the world, 
 is of two sorts, to wit, either particular in 
 respect of some state and vocation in the 
 which he liveth, being either a master or a 
 servant, a father or a child, a husband or a 
 wife, &c.; or else general in that he is a man 
 and a christian man, w^hereby he is linked 
 to others with that fast knot of humanity 
 and pity, wherein he excelleth all other 
 earthly creatures. Of men's degrees and 
 functions I shall (if God permit) entreat 
 hereafter: now I will touch briefly that 
 decent, honest, and godly behaviour of 
 Christians, which ought to shine like a 
 lamp in the eyes of men, that they behold- 
 ing the same "may glorify God in the day of 
 visitation." The matter is plentiful, and as 
 it were a large field to walk in ; but to ob- 
 serve any certain order or method in it, is 
 very hard to please all men : I will there- 
 fore select out of the holy scripture that 
 which seemeth unto me most convenient to 
 this purpose, and (as I said) shortly and in 
 few words; minding to give unto my 
 readers an occasion and admonition only of 
 further study and cogitation. 
 
 That elect vessel of salvation, St Paul, 
 writeth hereof after this manner : "I beseech 
 you, brethren, by the mercifulness of God, 
 
 The second 
 part of this 
 treatise. 
 
 Bom. xii. 
 
 8—2 
 
116 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 that you give up your bodies a quick sacri- 
 fice^, holy, acceptable unto God, which is 
 your reasonable service. And be not ye 
 fashioned like unto this world, but be you 
 changed in your shape by the renewing of 
 your mind, that you may prove what is 
 the good and acceptable and perfit will of 
 God.** The Apostle exhorteth us to dedicate, 
 consecrate, and vow ourselves wholly to 
 God, that we should offer our bodies as a 
 sacrifice to our God, in mortifying the 
 flesh, in crucifying the old man, in denying 
 of ourselves, and in submitting us totally to 
 his worshipping and service, in obeying 
 him in holiness and righteousness, all the 
 days of our life. And immediately after 
 he saith : " Love without dissimulation, 
 hating evil, cleaving to good: affectioned 
 one to another with brotherly love, in 
 giving honour going one before another; 
 not lyther in business, fervent in spirit, 
 serving the Lord ; rejoicing in hope, patient 
 in trouble, instant in prayer : distributing to 
 the necessity of the saints, given to hospi- 
 tality. Bless them which persecute you; 
 bless, I say, and curse not. Rejoice with 
 them that rejoice, and weep with them that 
 weep ; being of like affection one towards 
 another, being not high-minded, but making 
 yourselves equal to them of the lower sort. 
 Be not wise in your own opinions. Re- 
 compense to no man evil for evil, providing 
 aforehand things honest, not only before 
 God, but also in the sight of men. If it be 
 possible, as much as lieth in you, live peace- 
 ably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 117 
 
 not yourselves, but rather give place unto 
 wrath. For it is written, Vengeance is 
 mine, and I will reward, saith the Lord. 
 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him ; 
 if he be thirsty, give him drink : for in so 
 doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his 
 head : be not overcome of evil, but overcome 
 evil with good." How many notable and 
 excellent virtues hath the Apostle couched 
 in this place! as charity, brotherly love, 
 patience, perseverance in prayer, benefi- 
 cence, hospitality, meekness or gentleness, 
 modesty, desir6 of peace, and concord, pity, 
 and clemency, with many other of that sort. 
 
 Hereunto you may add those things 
 that follow in the next chapter: "Owe 
 nothing to no man, but to love one anotlier ; 
 for he that loveth another hath fulfilled 
 the law. For this. Thou shalt not commit 
 adultery, Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt 
 not steal. Thou shalt not bear false wit- 
 ness. Thou shalt not lust, and if there be 
 any other commandment, it is in few words 
 comprehended, namely. Thou shalt love thy 
 neighbour as thyself. Charity worketh not 
 evil to his neighbour; therefore the ful- 
 filling of the law is charity." 
 
 In this text all the commandments of 
 the law are referred to the love of our 
 neighbour; to wit, in that part that the 
 law was given to restrain injuries respecting 
 civil society and fellowship of men : namely, 
 that no man should be so bold to endam- 
 age his neighbour in his body, fame, goods, 
 or any other way that might redound to 
 his annoyance. For he that loveth an- 
 
 Bom. xiii. 
 
118 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Gal. V. 
 
 other from the bottom of his heart is so 
 far from doing injury and wrong, that he 
 will endeavour with all his might to be 
 profitable to his neighbour. And whereas 
 we are commanded to love our neighbour 
 even as ourselves, in this one word not only 
 sincere love is discerned from hypocrisy, 
 but also all duties of charity are exacted 
 and required. The same Apostle writeth 
 also to the Galatians in this wise : " Walk 
 in the Spirit, I say, and ye shall not fulfil 
 the lusts of the flesh : for the flesh lusteth 
 contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit con- 
 trary to the flesh; these are contrary one 
 to the other, so that ye cannot do that 
 which you would. The deeds of the flesh 
 are manifest, which are these: adultery, 
 fornication, uncleanness, wantonness, wor- 
 shipping of images, witchcraft, hatred, va- 
 riance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, 
 sects, envyings, murders, drunkenness, glut- 
 tony, and such like: of the which I tell 
 you, as I have told you in times past, that 
 even they which do such things shall not 
 inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit 
 of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suff*er- 
 ing, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, 
 temperancy : against such there is no law. 
 They truly that are Christ's have crucified 
 the flesh with the afibctions and lusts. If 
 we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in 
 the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain- 
 glory, provoking one another, envying one 
 another." The words of the Apostle are 
 plain enough, and need not any exposition. 
 And his counsel is in sense the very same 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 119 
 
 which he giveth to the Romans; that we 
 should tame the flesh, and earnestly resist 
 carnal affections. *' If you live after the 
 flesh," saith he, ''you shall die: but if 
 through the Spirit you mortify the deeds of 
 the flesh, you shall live. For those that 
 are led with the Spirit of God, those are 
 the sons of God." And in the same epis- 
 tle : " For I delight in the law of God 
 after the inner man ; but I see another law 
 in my members, rebelling against the law 
 of my mind, and subduing me to the law 
 of sin, which is in my members." And the 
 same author to the Ephesians: "I there- 
 fore as a prisoner in the Lord exhort you, 
 that you walk wortliy of the vocation 
 wherewith you are called, with all lowli- 
 ness and meekness, with long-sufi*ering, 
 forbearing one another in love; endeavouring 
 to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond 
 of peace." And a little after : " This I say 
 therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye 
 walk not henceforth, as other gentiles walk, 
 in vanities of their mind; darkened in 
 cogitation, being aUenated from the life of 
 God by the ignorance which is in them, 
 through the blindness of their hearts: who, 
 being past feeling, have given themselves 
 over unto wantonness, to work all unclean- 
 ness with greediness. But ye have not so 
 learned of Christ ; if so be that you have 
 heard him, and have been taught in him, 
 as the truth is in Jesus ; to lay down ac- 
 cording to the former conversation the old 
 man, which is corrupt according to the 
 lusts of error ; to be renewed in the spirit 
 
 Rom. vii. 
 
 Ephes. [iv.] 
 
120 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Ephes. V. 
 
 of your mind ; and to put on the new man, 
 which after God is shapen in righteousness 
 and holiness of truth. Wherefore, putting 
 away lying, speak every man truth unto 
 his neighbour, forasmuch as we are mem- 
 bers one of another. Be ye angry and sin 
 not. Let not the sun go down upon your 
 wrath. Neither give place to the devil. 
 Let him that stole steal no more, but let 
 him rather labour, working with his hands 
 the thing which is good, that he may give 
 unto him which needeth. Let no filthy 
 communication proceed out of your mouths, 
 but that which is good to edify withal, as 
 oft as need is, that it may minister grace 
 unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy 
 Spirit of God, by whom ye are sealed unto 
 the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, 
 and fierceness, and wrath, and crying, and 
 evil speaking, be put away from you, with 
 all naughtiness. Be ye courteous one to 
 another, merciful, forgiving one another, even 
 as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.*' 
 To the same purpose tend those words 
 of his in the next chapter : " Be you there- 
 fore followers of God as dear children ; and 
 walk you in love, even as Christ loved us, 
 and hath given himself for us, an ofibring 
 and a sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savour of 
 God. But fornication and all uncleanness, 
 let it not be once named amongst you, as it 
 becometh saints; neither filthiness, neither 
 foolish talking, neither jesting, which are 
 not comely, but rather giving of thanks. 
 For this you know, that no whoremonger, 
 neither unclean person, nor covetous person, 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 121 
 
 which is a worshipper of images, hatli any 
 inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and 
 God. Let no man deceive you with vain 
 words : for because of such things cometh 
 the wrath of God upon the children of dis- 
 obedience. Be ye not therefore companions 
 of them. For ye were sometime darkness, 
 but now are you light in the Lord : walk as 
 children of light ; (for the fruit of the Spirit 
 Qs] in all goodness, and righteousness, and 
 truth;) approving what is acceptable unto 
 the Lord. And have no fellowship with 
 the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather 
 rebuke them; for it is a shame even to name 
 those things which are done in secret," 
 
 Herein may we easily perceive what 
 difference there is between divine and phi- 
 losophical precepts touching manners. For 
 wheresoever the scripture exhorteth men to 
 good works, it adjoineth by and by some- 
 thing out of the first table of the ten com- 
 mandments: as for example, of the fear 
 of God, of faith, of charity, of obedience 
 toward God, of his promises and threats, of 
 Christ's benefits toward his servants, and of 
 his punishments toward the obstinate and 
 rebellious : which thing profane writers do 
 not touch, when they entreat of civil duties. 
 They speak not a word in their precepts of 
 the will of God, of the worshipping of God, 
 neither of faith, which is the mother of all 
 christian virtues. Neither do they teach men 
 to do well for God's honour and glory, which 
 thing is chiefly inculcate in the scriptures : 
 neither do they refer all things to one God, 
 neither make him the end of their actions. 
 
 A difference 
 between 
 divine and 
 philosophical 
 precepts. 
 
122 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Coloss. iii. 
 
 neither yet do they look for rewards at his 
 hands. So that briefly and by these few 
 words we may see an apparent difference 
 between the philosophical and apostolical 
 precepts concerning virtue. 
 
 The same Apostle writeth also to the 
 Colossians, saying : " Mortify therefore your 
 members which are upon earth, fornication, 
 uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil con- 
 cupiscence, and covetousness, which is wor- 
 shipping of images : for which things' sake 
 the wrath of God cometh on the children 
 of disobedience : in which you also walked 
 sometime, when ye lived in them. But 
 now put ye off also all wrath, fierceness, 
 maliciousness, blasphemy, filthy communi- 
 cation out of your mouth. Lie not one to 
 another, seeing that ye have put off the old 
 man with his work ; and have put on the 
 new man, which is renewed into knowledge, 
 after the image of him that made him : 
 where is neither Greek nor Jew, circumci- 
 sion nor uncircumcision. Barbarian, Scy- 
 thian, bond, free, but Christ is all and in all. 
 Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy 
 and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, 
 humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffer- 
 ing; forbearing one another, and forgiving 
 one another, if any man have a quarrel 
 against any: even as Christ forgave you, 
 even so do ye. And above all things put 
 on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 
 And let the peace of God have the victory 
 in your hearts, to the which also we are 
 called in one body ; and see that ye be 
 thankful." That which the Apostle naraeth 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 123 
 
 unto the Romans the mortifying of the 
 body through the Spirit, he doth explain, 
 saying, that it is no other thing than to 
 master the lusts of the flesh, whereof lie re- 
 hearseth divers sorts: and elsewhere he call- 
 eth them the works of the flesh, with whom 
 we ought to contend and wrestle in such 
 sort, that sin may not rule in our mortal 
 bodies ; that we should not " give over our 
 members as weapons of unrighteousness to 
 sin ; but that we should yield ourselves to God, 
 and our members armour of righteousness/' 
 The same Apostle continuing his ex- 
 hortation addeth : " Let the word of Christ 
 dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching 
 and admonishing your own selves in psalms, 
 in hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with 
 grace in your hearts unto the Lord. And 
 whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all. in 
 the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks 
 to God and the Father by him." And to the 
 Thessalonians : " We beseech you, brethren, 
 and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that ye 
 increase more and more as ye have received 
 of us : for ye know what commandments we 
 gave you in the Lord Jesus. For this is 
 the will of God, even your holiness, that 
 you should abstain from fornication: that 
 every one of you should know how to keep 
 his vessel in holiness and honour ; not in the 
 lusts of concupiscence, even as the gentiles, 
 which know not God : that no man oppress 
 and defraud his brother in any matter : be- 
 cause that the Lord is the avenger of all 
 such, as we also have forewarned you and 
 testified. For God hath not called us unto 
 
 1 Thess iv. 
 
 2 Thess. ill. 
 
124 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 uncleannesSjbut unto holiness." And to Titus 
 he writeth thus : " For there hath appeared 
 the grace of God, which is healthful to all 
 men ; Teaching us that, denying ungodhness 
 and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, 
 and righteously, and godly in this present 
 world : Looking for that blessed hope and 
 appearing of the glory of the great God and 
 our Saviour Jesus Christ ; which gave him- 
 self for us, that he might redeem us from all 
 unrighteousness, and purge us a peculiar peo- 
 ple to himself, zealous of good works. These 
 things speak and exhort, and rebuke with 
 all authority, &c." 
 
 In these few words the Apostle declareth 
 very plainly, what manner of life a christian 
 man ought to lead: expressing the chief 
 and principal virtues both toward God and 
 man. First, he would have us live soberly, 
 that is to say, honestly, shamefacedly, chaste- 
 ly, temperately, and frugally ; not uncomely, 
 not wantonly, not immodestly, not inconti- 
 nently : wherein he exhorteth us to subdue 
 and vanquish all kind of concupiscence and 
 lusts, and to withdraw as it were our mind 
 from the society and contagion of the body. 
 Secondarily, he willeth us to live justly 
 with our neighbour, that is, innocently, 
 gently, meekly: not to covet any man's 
 goods, not to be injurious to any man ; but 
 to render unto every man his own, to profit 
 whom we can; and, to conclude, as we would 
 wish that other men should deal with us, 
 let us even so deal with them; and that 
 which we would not have others to ofier 
 unto us, let us not offer to do unto any. 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 125 
 
 Thirdly, he calleth on us to live godly and 
 religiously toward God : that is, in the true 
 knowledge of God, in worshipping and ser- 
 ving of God according to his will, in giving 
 him thanks for his benefits, in following vir- 
 tues, and in fleeing of vices ; in dieting all 
 our words and works to his honour and 
 glory. For this is true piety and godliness. 
 Two things there are, which are needful 
 for us to regard in the execution of these 
 things : the one hindering, the other helping 
 us, in doing of honest actions and virtues. One 
 which especially hindereth is wicked and 
 ungodly company, from the which we ought 
 to sequester ourself, and to keep company 
 with those that be good; and, as one doth 
 admonish us, to be conversant either with 
 those whom we may amend, or who may 
 amend us. Neither ought any man to 
 think, that good custom and company are 
 in small moment to practise virtue. For 
 as with the fellowship of evil men we are 
 infected (as it were) with some contagion ; 
 even so with the daily conversation of those 
 that fear God we are reformed and amended. 
 If our desire then be to live well, let us 
 haunt and frequent honest and godly men's 
 company: whereunto we are exhorted by 
 the wise Salomon. " Come not,** saith he, 
 " into the path of the ungodly, nor walk in 
 the way of the wicked." And St Paul, 
 writing to the Corinthians, is so earnest in 
 persuading men to avoid evil company, 
 that he would not have men to eat and drink 
 with such : " If any that is called a brother 
 be a fornicator, or coveteous, or a worship- 
 
 Two things 
 to be con- 
 sidered in 
 this matter. 
 
 First hin- 
 deranees and 
 impediments. 
 
 Prov. i. iv. 
 1 Cor. V. 
 
126 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Evil com- 
 pany to be 
 avoided. 
 
 Ecclus. xii. 
 
 Ecclus. xiii. 
 
 Chrysost in 
 7 Matth. 
 Horn. xix. 
 
 Basi. mag. 
 Quod Deus 
 non sit auctor 
 mali, et Pro- 
 copius in 
 Gen. cap. 3. 
 
 per of idols, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an 
 extortioner, with him that is such eat not/' 
 
 I am not ignorant that there are some 
 other causes, why such men's companies 
 should be avoided, either to declare that we 
 mislike their conversation, or else that they 
 moved with shame should amend; but surely 
 this is not the least cause, lest we should be 
 infected with their naughty company. For 
 as a little leaven maketh a great lump of 
 dough sour ; even so the example of one man 
 oftentimes corrupteth many. 
 
 The words of the wise man are notable 
 and worthy to be marked : ''Who will have 
 pity upon the charmer that is stinged with 
 the serpent, or of all such as come nigh 
 the beasts ? Even so is it of him that keep- 
 eth company with an evil man, and lappeth 
 himself in his sins." " Whoso toucheth pitch, 
 shall be defiled therewith. As the wolf 
 agreeth with the lamb, so doth the ungodly 
 with the righteous." We know that " under 
 good trees all kind of beasts rest and 
 shadow themselves ; but under thorns and 
 brambles there come nothing commonly but 
 serpents^" Even so good men and bad may 
 dwell nigh the godly ; but there is no peace 
 nigh godless and graceless persons, but only 
 for serpents, that is to say, for devils, who 
 as in a mansion dwell in their hearts. And 
 in the matter it cometh to pass, '' as in pes- 
 tilent and contagious places, where the air 
 
 [^ Sub arbore bona et bestiae et animalia requi- 
 escunt : sub spinis autem nullum animal requiescere 
 potest, nisi tantummodo serpentes. — Chrysost. 0pp. 
 Par. 1718 — 38. Op. Imp. in Matt. Hem. xix. ex 
 cap. vii. Tom. vi. p. xcv.j 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 127 
 
 being taken and drawn casteth men s bodies 
 into sudden sickness ; even so through wick- 
 ed company many evils and mischiefs are 
 learned, albeit the inconvenience be not felt 
 in the beginning 2." It may haply seem 
 hard to some men to shake off old and fa- 
 miliar acquaintance, with whom we have 
 lived pleasantly long and many years : yet 
 we ought to labour and wrestle to avoid 
 those hurtful and dangerous companies. 
 
 Amongst many examples whereby we 
 may the rather be induced to follow this 
 precept, there can none be found more me- 
 morable than that of Henry, the fifth king 
 of England of that name ; of whom the 
 chronicles write after this manner : " This 
 was the man indeed, who taught even at 
 the first, that honours ought to change 
 manners. For as soon as he was crowned 
 king, considering how expedient it was for 
 him to begin a new trade of life, he re- 
 moved and expelled far from his court all 
 such as were his mates and companions 
 with him in his youthful days, which are 
 
 [^ cJs ydp €V Tols VOfTOTTOloli \0}pioi9 6 KUTa 
 
 fi€po<i dvaTTueo/iieifo^ dr]p Xauddvovaav vorrov toTs ev- 
 dtaLTtojuievoi^ evairoTideTai, outws tj tt/o^s tu (f>av\a 
 (Tui/j/deta fJLcydXa KaKU xais \}/vx<i^^ euatpiijai, Kav 
 T»jV TrapavTLKa aladrja-Li/ to (SXa^epov ^ta^euy?;.— 
 Basil. Horn. Quod Deus, <^c. Opp. Basileae, 1551. p. 
 165. 
 
 Quapropter pulchre se habet ilia sententia, Cor- 
 rumpunt mores bonos colloquia prava. Quemadmo- 
 dum ex parum salubribus locis aer homines afflans 
 clandestinos morbos hominibus suo afflatu concitat; 
 sic usu venire solet ex pravis colloquiis et commercio 
 pessimorum hominum. — Procop. Gaz. in Octateuch. 
 Comm. (No place or date given, only Apud Gesneros 
 fratres.) In Gen. cap. iii. p. 70.J 
 
 A notable 
 example of 
 king Henry 
 in casting off 
 evil com- 
 pany. 
 
 Polyd. in 
 Hen. V. 
 
128 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 commonly spent in looseness and wanton- 
 ness ; and appointed in their rooms grave, 
 prudent, and valiant counsellors. He knew 
 right well, that it was beseeming a prince to 
 excel other men in courage, counsel, gravity 
 and carefulness; and that a kingdom is 
 rather a burden than an honour : and there- 
 fore, distrusting his own wit, he thought 
 good to have about him such men as might 
 help him in tolerating that burden, and 
 by whose advice [he might] not only rule 
 others, but himself also, and become a sin- 
 gular spectacle and example to his subjects. 
 For evil princes do oftentimes hurt more 
 with their example than with the fact it- 
 self: for there are always many followers 
 of princes* fashions ; whereby it cometh to 
 pass (as Cicero writeth), that the evil fact 
 of a prince is not so great (albeit great 
 enough in itself), as in that he corrupteth 
 others ; and is the cause that as the prince 
 changeth his life, so do the people change 
 their manners. Verily he that ruleth is 
 therefore advanced and honoured, to govern 
 providently, to correct and reform the 
 manners of the people, and to care for those 
 things which may be honourable for himself 
 and profitable for his people; not to put 
 chief felicity in pleasures, which are com- 
 mon with the vulgar and rascal sort. Which 
 things if he will not, care not, or cannot 
 do, surely then he is rather to be accounted 
 a servant than a prince. And what can be 
 more dishonourable for him that should 
 govern others, to be governed himself as a 
 pupil, being now past nonage? Such a 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 129 
 
 one was Richard the Second, who at the 
 first gave good hope to many, but in the 
 end was subverted by wicked companions 
 and counsellors. Much like unto him was 
 Edward the Second. But both of them 
 had an unhappy end : by whose examples 
 haply king Henry being taught to be- 
 ware, abandoned such old acquaintance of 
 his as were given to filthy pleasure, and 
 planted in their places virtuous and noble 
 counsellors*." 
 
 That speech uttered by a certain eth- 
 nick is profitable for us to remember, that 
 we may the rather avoid wicked company: 
 '' We receive fashions and conditions of our 
 companions ; and as diseases pass from one 
 body to another by touching, even so doth 
 the mind pour her infections into her neigh- 
 bour^.*' The drunkard leadeth his guests 
 into drunkenness. Eifeminate men and 
 softlings cause the stout man to wax ten- 
 der. Covetousness transferreth her poison 
 into cohabitants. And on the other side, 
 the force of virtue hath her efibct. Now 
 if our old acquaintance, together with their 
 pastimes and pleasures, with other their 
 youthful and ruffians' tricks, come unto our 
 mind, let us then appose and set against 
 them the vanity of pleasure and the con- 
 tinuance of the shame : let us consider the 
 shortness of our life, the imcertainty of the 
 hour of death, the dreadful day of doom, 
 and the endless torments of hell. So shall 
 
 [^ Polyd. Verg. Angl. Hist. Lib. xxii. init. p. 
 439. Basil. 1556.] 
 
 [2 Sen. de Tranquill. Animi, cap. vii.] 
 
 QWOOLTON.] 
 
 Idem habct 
 Scne. Epjst. 
 Lib. II. lipi. 
 .59. et de 
 Tranquillit. 
 Vita, Lib. i. 
 cap. 7. 
 
130 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 1 Pet. V. 
 Isai. V. 
 
 The second 
 let is idleness. 
 
 Lucianus in 
 dialog. Vene- 
 ris et Cupid, 
 
 we, according to the proverb, with one nail 
 drive out another ; so that, if old pleasures 
 and delights tickle us, let us reason thus 
 with ourselves: My old mates and com- 
 panions do allure me to accustomed plea- 
 sures : but my Saviour biddeth me beware 
 that my heart be not oppressed with surfeit- 
 ing ; and the holy Apostle St Paul willeth 
 me not to oppress myself ''with wine, 
 wherein is riot ;" and again, " Gluttons and 
 drunkards shall not be heirs of God's king- 
 dom." And St Peter biddeth me to "be 
 sober and watch." And the prophet crieth 
 in my ears, '^ Woe be unto those that arise 
 early in tlie morning to follow drunken- 
 ness ! " By this means God's Spirit shall 
 strengthen our reason to overcome lusts ; 
 and our will shall follow and obey right 
 understanding. And indeed we may not 
 forget at any time, that it is our parts to 
 give ear to the voice of God, and to stop 
 our ears against loose and vain pleasures; 
 to obey the holy angel aiding and guiding 
 us, and to withstand the foul fiend tempting 
 us. "Which things if we weigh and ponder 
 aright, [^we"] shall soon withdraw ourselves 
 from wicked fellowship and company, and 
 easily prefer endless bliss before vain and 
 momentary pleasures. 
 
 Another great obstacle there is, that 
 detaineth men from good and virtuous ac- 
 tions, to wit, idleness and recklessness, 
 whereunto our nature is exceedingly given. 
 There is one that sheweth very finely, that 
 love and filthy lust can have no place with 
 those who eschew idleness, and are always 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 131 
 
 busied about some C^^^^^gl* ^or out of all 
 doubt idleness breedeth in us a desire of ban- 
 queting, of pleasant and wanton company, 
 and leadetb us headlong into all kind of lust 
 and intemperancy. We shall do then very 
 well to be diligent in the works of our 
 vocation ; if we study, and read the word 
 of God, if we pray incessantly, if we crave 
 his daily aid, if w^e be thankful unto him 
 for his goodness ; and, to conclude, if we 
 occupy ourselves always about some good 
 thing. And if haply we have nothing to 
 do at home (which notwithstanding will 
 argue our evil husbandry), let us repair 
 unto the church, and hear common prayer 
 and sermons : let us confer with our friends 
 about matters of divinity ; let us visit the 
 sick and comfortless: so shall we not faint 
 and fall under the temptations of Satan. 
 Cato his saying is much commended, " In 
 doing nothing a man shall learn to do evil :" 
 according to that of the holy man, " Every 
 idle man is busied in the desire of plea- 
 sures." 
 
 Hereof proceed those often and earnest 
 exhortations in the holy scriptures to care, 
 vigilancy, and diligence. As that parable 
 of our Saviour, of a man going into a far 
 country, who at his departure delivered cer- 
 tain goods unto his servants, and at his re- 
 turn willed those whom he found diligent 
 to enter into the joy of their master. And 
 so the Apostle exhorteth him that ruleth to 
 ^' rule with diligence :" and again, " Dili- 
 gent in study, and fervent in the spirit." 
 The prophet Jeremy pronounceth him ac- 
 
 Exhortations 
 to labour and 
 diligence. 
 
 9—2 
 
132 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 cursed that " doetli his master s business 
 fraudulently." 
 
 Many such speeches occur in the holy 
 scripture, which stir up those that are re- 
 generate in Christ to do their duty, to care- 
 fulness, to avoid sin, and to desire to live 
 well. And surely it is lamentable to consider, 
 how rare this virtue of study and dihgence 
 is now-a-days amongst those that desire to 
 be accounted Christians ; seeing that with- 
 out we use the same in the regiment of our 
 life, God will neither hear our prayers, nor 
 guide us with his holy Spirit. Let us shake 
 off therefore this reckless slothfulness, and 
 conjoin our labour with God's help, in sub- 
 duing natural corruption, and repressing our 
 carnal lusts, in avoiding the enticements of 
 the world, and in resisting the temptations of 
 Satan. Let us not think that God will ab- 
 solve the matter, if we sleep ; but let us, as 
 Christ saith, " set our hands to the plough," 
 and, according to that of the Apostle, " with 
 trembling and fear work our salvation." For 
 those that are careless in this world, and 
 suffer sin to bear dominion in their mortal 
 bodies, or run headlong after the lusts of 
 the flesh and delights of the world, do with- 
 out doubt make the Holy Ghost sorrowful, 
 driving him away from them, and, being so 
 forsaken of God, perish through their own 
 default. Labour therefore and care is most 
 needful in the regiment of our life, and in all 
 our counsels and actions : for wheresoever 
 our Saviour Christ commandeth us to watch 
 (which he does in many places of the gos- 
 pel,) there he awaketh men snorting and 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 133 
 
 sleeping in sin ; he shaketh off security, he 
 kindleth men (as it were) to diligence and 
 care for their salvation. 
 
 And these are the chief lets and impedi- 
 ments that hinder men from the execution of 
 virtue : it now remaineth, that I also shew 
 helps and furtherances to the same. 
 
 If recklessness and carelessness of our 
 duty be a mother of sin and impiety, then 
 a diligent consideration of the same must 
 needs be a nurse of virtue and godliness. 
 Let us then have always a diligent medita- 
 tion of heavenly things, from whence we 
 draw our origin and offspring. For it be- 
 hoveth a Christian to advance and lift up his 
 mind from earthly things, and to meditate 
 heavenly things : in which consideration the 
 godly are often pierced with such joy, that 
 tiiey bray (as it were) and pant to see him 
 face to face, whom ^ they presently behold but 
 in part, and as it were in a riddle. Such a 
 desire was in those three disciples, who were 
 with Christ in the mountain in his trans- 
 figuration, when as they saw Elias and 
 Moses, unknown unto them, with spiritual 
 eyes, as the christian poet writeth^ : 
 
 Ignotis oculis videnmt, lamine cordis. 
 
 At what time Peter ravished said, "It is 
 good for us to abide here." This study and 
 contemplation of divine and heavenly things 
 breedeth those three worthy and excellent 
 virtues, commonly coupled together; I 
 
 n When, 1576.] 
 
 [2 Sedulius. Carm. Lib. iii. Tom. v. p. 338. of the 
 Collectio Pisaurensis.] 
 
 Contempla- 
 tions of hea- 
 venly things 
 do further to 
 virtue. 
 
 Three princi- 
 pal helps to 
 virtue. 
 
134 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Of prayer. 
 
 Matt. vii. 
 
 mean, prayer, fasting, and alms-deeds; which 
 never go alone, but have many other virtues 
 attending upon them.* Of which notable 
 ornaments of all true Christians I will say 
 somewhat, but briefly, and so much only as 
 may seem to serve this my present purpose. 
 
 I call invocation of God*s name, or prayer, 
 an elevation or lifting up of our minds to 
 God, when we are desirous to obtain any 
 thing at his hand ; namely, to give us good 
 things, and to turn evil things away from 
 us. Christ himself hath commanded us to 
 desire such things in many places of scrip- 
 ture (all which to recite were a matter need- 
 less), and hath promised that our prayers 
 should not be denied. "Ask," saith he, 
 '' and it shall be given unto you, seek and 
 ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened 
 unto you.*' And in another place he bindeth 
 himself as it were with an oath to hear us, 
 saying: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, 
 whatsoever ye ask my Father in my name, 
 he will give it you." And the prophet 
 David : " He doeth the will of those that 
 fear him, and heareth their prayers, and 
 saveth them." But of all places which de- 
 clare the virtue and efficacy of prayer, that 
 of Sirach is most notable, continued almost 
 through one chapter, and addeth this say- 
 ing as a clause unto the rest : " The prayer 
 of him that humbleth himself goeth through 
 the clouds : till she come nigh, she will not 
 be comforted, nor go her way; till the 
 highest God have respect unto her, give 
 true sentence, and perform the judgment.*' 
 
 Of this matter Chrysostom also writeth 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 J 35 
 
 worthily : " If thou enjoy prosperity, pray 
 to God that it may be firm and stable^/' 
 If thou fear a great tempest, pray to him to 
 blow over the same. If thou art heard, be 
 thankful : if thou be not heard, yet perse- 
 vere that thou mayest be heard. For if 
 the Lord defer a certain space, he doth it 
 not enviously, but to keep thee with him 
 longer. And in another place : "As the body 
 being knit together with sinews is firm; 
 but if you cut the same, the harmony of the 
 body is dissolved: even so devout minds 
 continue firm through prayer. But if you 
 take from them prayer, then they are much 
 like fishes taken out of the water 2." For as 
 the water is unto them life, so are prayers 
 to the soul. 
 
 Secondarily, I would have men to use 
 often fasting, which is not a choice of some 
 certain sorts of meats, but a perpetual so- 
 briety and temperance of life, to the end 
 they may the rather bridle and keep under 
 carnal lusts and concupiscences. Our Sa- 
 
 [^ *Ae2 yap Koi dSiaXeiiTTta^ evxetrQai Yptj..-TOi; 
 /uty ev dve<T€i Kai TroWois dyadoT^^ 'Lva dKivi]Ta kol 
 d/JLeTufSXriTa Taura fxevrj Kai /urjotTroTe ^eTairecrri. — 
 Chrysost. 0pp. Par. 1718-38. De Prof. Evang. Tom. 
 III. p. 308.] 
 
 [^ uxTirep ydpj dlfiai, t^ (roofxa Sid toov vevpoov 
 cuyexerai, Kai Tpe\€i, kol '/o-xaTai, Kai t>7, Kai iri- 
 iTTjyeu' dv 5e Tauxa xis e/cre/uj;, irdcrav t»/i/ dpfxoviav 
 dtaXvet Tov aco/jLaTO^' outws al \|/^yx"' ^'■^ '^'^^ dyicov 
 irpocrevyjMv dpfxoXflVTaiy Kai <TVve(TTr\Ka(XL, Kai tov 
 dpofJLOV XT/s eucre/Setas Tpe)(pv(Tiv ev^'^pw's' dv 8e t^s 
 TrpoffeuYTys ctTrotrTe/orjo-Tys aavTov, TavTov Trouicreis, 
 ojoTTrep av el tov Ix^^" ^'^ "^^^ i/^axos e^iiyayei. — 
 Id. ib. De Precat. Orat. ii. Tom. 11. p. 785. These 
 orations De Precat. are placed among the dubia 
 by the Benedictine editor.] 
 
 Horn, de 
 profectu in 
 evang. 
 
 Horn, de 
 diverais. 
 
 Fasting. 
 
136 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Isai. V. 
 
 Lib. 3. de 
 
 virg. velan- 
 dis. 
 
 Horn. 58. in 
 Matth. 
 
 vioiir Christ therefore biddeth us beware 
 that our hearts be not oppressed with sur- 
 feiting. And his Apostle: "Oppress not 
 yourself with wine, wherein is riot." Fast- 
 ing is commended unto us in the examples 
 of Moses, Elias, Daniel, Christ, and his 
 Apostles. Let us never forget that woe of 
 the prophet : " Woe be unto those that rise 
 early in the morning to follow drunkenness !" 
 And that of Ambrose is worthy remem- 
 brance : '* Use a little wine to avoid infirm- 
 ity, not to augment pleasure : wine and 
 youth kindle a flame. But fasting doth 
 bridle young years ; and a spare diet doth 
 keep under lust and carnality ^'* And St 
 Chrysostom : " He that coupleth fasting and 
 prayer hath two wings, which will make 
 him able to pass the winds in swiftness^." 
 
 Thirdly, alms-deeds are commendable 
 and needful : and it is to be observed, that 
 of these three virtues, prayer is properly 
 referred unto God, fasting to ourselves, and 
 alms to our neighbour. And for that many 
 now-a-days do err and are deceived in the 
 name of alms, thinking that to be only 
 when a piece of money, meat, or cloth, is 
 given unto the poor; I think it not amiss 
 
 [^ Modico itaque vino utere, ne infirmitatem cor- 
 poris augeas, non ut voluptatem excites ; incendunt 
 enim pariter duo, vinum et adolescentia. Infraenent 
 etiam teneram aetatem jejunia, et parsimonia cibi re- 
 tinaculis quibusdam indomitas cohibeat cupiditates. 
 — Ambros. de Virgin. Lib. iii, cap. ii, init. Opp. 
 Tom. III. p. 243. Par. 1836.] 
 
 P 'O evxofievo^ fxeTci i/rjo-Tetas dLirXa^ e^^ei Ta^ 
 TTTepvyai Kai tcHv dvijxwv avTvov Kov(f)OT€pa9. — 
 Chrysost. Horn, in Matth. lvii. (al. lviii.) Tom. vii. 
 p. 581.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 137 
 
 to put down Augustine's mind touching 
 this matter; who doth not account only 
 those vulgar matters to be alms, which I 
 rehearsed before, but these also, " to forgive 
 the offender, to amend others with repre- 
 hension and correction: for many alms 
 are given to those that are unwilling to re- 
 ceive them, when we rather respect men's 
 welfare than wilfulness 3." Touching the 
 commendation of this virtue, let us hearken 
 to the prophet, saying : " Break thy bread 
 to the hungry, and bring the poor and 
 stranger into thy house ; when thou seest 
 one naked, cover him, and despise not thine 
 own flesh : then shalt thou pray, and the 
 Lord shall hear thee." And Salomon: 
 " Give of thy firstfruits unto the poor : so 
 shall it come to pass that thy bams shall 
 be filled, and thy wine-press with wine." 
 And again: "He that giveth unto the 
 poor lendeth unto the Lord." And To- 
 bias : *' Prayer with alms and fasting is 
 very good." Basilius Magnus openeth with 
 a fine similitude, how acceptable alms is 
 unto almighty God. " Even as seed," saith 
 he, " which is cast into the ground, bring- 
 
 [^ Non solum autem qui dat esurient! cibum, siti- 
 enti potum, nudo vestimentum, peregrinanti hospi- 
 tium, fugienti latibulum,aegro vel incluso visitationem, 
 captivo redemptionera, debili subvectionem, caeco 
 deductionem, tristi consolationem, non sano medelam, 
 enranti viam, deliberanti consilium, et quod cuique 
 neeessarium est indigenti : verum etiam et qui dat 
 veniam peccanti, eleemosynam dat*; et qui emendat 
 verbere m quem potestas datur, vel coercet aliqua 
 
 disciplina Multa enim bona praestantur invitis, 
 
 quando eorum consulitur utilitati, non voluntati. — 
 August. Enchirid. ad Laurent, cap. lxxii. Opp. 
 Tom. III. p. 68. Colon. Agripp. 1616.J 
 
 Enchirid. 
 ad Lauren- 
 tium, cap. 
 72. 
 
 laai. [Ivill] 
 
 Prov. [ill. 
 
 xix.] 
 
 Tob. [xii.] 
 
 In Lucam. 
 
138 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Lib. vi. cap. 
 13. 
 
 In giving 
 alms we 
 ought to be 
 liberal of 
 our own. 
 
 Aug. Enchi- 
 rid. 22.3 
 
 eth increase to the sower, so doth alms 
 bring forth great commodity afterward^." 
 And Lactantius: "If the worshippers of 
 false gods do deck and trim idols and 
 images, and bestow upon them the most 
 precious thing they have; which things 
 can neither give them thanks, nor yet use 
 those things that are put upon them ; how 
 much beseeming Christians is it to deck 
 and trim the images of the living God 1 who 
 as they are both able to use them, and to be 
 thankful for them, even so God, in whose 
 sight thou doest those things, will both allow 
 thy fact, and requite thee with reward ^/^ 
 
 But amongst many cautions in giving 
 of alms, this is not the least or last to be 
 observed of faithful Christians : that we be 
 liberal and bountiful toward the poor of 
 our own goods, truly gotten ; and that we 
 spoil not one to relieve another. Where- 
 fore if any man have unjustly gotten any 
 
 {} "Qairep yap 6 otTtos eh ti]v yrjv ireixtov Kepoo<s 
 TW Trpocfxevw yii/CTai, ovtw's 6 olpTO? 615 tou iretvcov- 
 Ta KUTa^Xtjdeh ttoXv^ovv Ttiv ocxpeXeiav eis vtrrepov 
 duadidcoaiv. — Basil. Magn. Horn, de Avarit. (in Luc. 
 XII.) Opp. Basilese. 1551. p. 153.] 
 
 [2 Nam si deorum cultores simulacra insensibilia 
 excolunt, et quicquid pretiosi habent, in ea conferunt, 
 quibus nee uti possunt, nee gratias agere, qui acce- 
 perint ; quanto justius est et verius viventia Dei si- 
 mulacra excolere, ut promereare viventem 1 Quae 
 sicut usui habent quicquid acceperint, et gratias 
 agunt ; ita Deus, in cujus conspectu bonum feceris, 
 probabit et mercedem pietatis exsolvet.— Lactant. 
 Divin. Institut. Lib. vi. de Vero Cultu. cap. 13. fin.] 
 
 [^ Possumus enim et furando aliquando alicui 
 prodesse, si pauper cui palum datur sentit commo- 
 dum, et dives cui elam toUitur non sentit incommo- 
 dum : nee ideo tale furtum quisquam dixerit non esse 
 peecatum. — August. Enchirid. cap. xxii.J 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 139 
 
 goods, he ought rather to restore the same 
 to the true owner than to succour needy 
 strangers therewith. Tobias therefore char- 
 ged his son to give alms of his own sub- 
 stance. And Salomon : *' Honour God with 
 thy own substance, and give unto the poor 
 of the fruits of thy own corn." And Za- 
 cheus the publican, when he had promised 
 to give half of his goods to the poor, he 
 addeth, that "if he had done any man 
 wrong, he would make restitution fourfold." 
 Some man, desirous to find a cloke 
 to cover his extortion, may peradventure 
 object that of our Saviour: "Make you 
 friends of the unrighteous mammon ; " and 
 again, the commendation of the unjust 
 stew^ard, that he had done very wisely. 
 But the answer is plain and easy : that he 
 nameth mammon (which in the Syriac 
 tongue signifieth riches) unrighteousness, 
 either because they are commonly gotten 
 unjustly ; whereof cometh that speech, 
 " A rich man is either unjust, or the heir 
 of an unjust man :" or else, because they 
 are the occasions of many mischiefs: or 
 else, for that the abuse of them is diverse 
 and manifold in this our nature depraved 
 with original sin, the parent of all evil and 
 wickedness. For whereas we should use 
 riches modestly as our servants, for our 
 own and our neighbour's behalf; we abuse 
 the same in prodigality and lasciviousness, 
 and turn often God's gifts to his reproach. 
 Christ's meaning therefore was not that men 
 should injuriously get riches to give alms 
 thereof, neither is it needful that all parts 
 
 Tob. ii. 
 Prov. iii. 
 Luke xix. 
 
 Luke xvi. 
 
 Mammon. 
 
140 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL, 
 
 The day of 
 doom to l>e 
 considered. 
 
 of the parable should be like: for in the 
 application of a similitude we ought to pon- 
 der the principal scope, and not to respect 
 any^ circumstance and particle. The chief 
 state or scope of the similitude is not in the 
 collation of a fraudulent mind, not in infi- 
 delity or theft, but in the wise and provident 
 forecare in purchasing friends, whose exam- 
 ple therein our Saviour would have us to 
 follow. He did this that, being put out of 
 his office, those whom he had gratified would 
 receive him into their houses. This ought 
 we to do in spiritual matters, that when we 
 shall have need, we may be received into 
 everlasting tabernacles. Christ our Saviour 
 blameth then ^ in that place man s contempt 
 of celestial and eternal things ; whose dili- 
 gence and care is great and always busied 
 about things needful for his body, which are 
 but worldly and temporal. 
 
 But to return to my matter, which is, 
 that we ought to be Christians, not only in 
 word, but also in deed : that we may be 
 feared from vice, and allured to virtue, let 
 us set before our eyes always that dread- 
 ful day, which the prophet together with 
 the apostle nameth the day of affliction and 
 anguish, the day of calamity and misery, 
 the day of darkness and blackness, the 
 day of cloud and whirlwind; when as God 
 shall reward unto every man according to 
 his work. Again, let the joys of heaven 
 and crown of glory allure us to virtue and 
 godliness, whereof the prophet also and the 
 apostle speaketh thus: "The eye hath not 
 [» every?] [^ them, 1576.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 141 
 
 seen, the ear hath not heard, neither have 
 the joys entered into man's heart, which 
 God hath prepared for them that love 
 him." Let us remember that we must 
 once, will we, nill we, forsake this world, 
 but we wot not when nor how soon. 
 "Death," as one writeth, "by means of un- 
 certain chances is always imminent';" at 
 what time God will requite every man ac- 
 cording to his deserts ; either with plagues 
 and punishments endless in justice, or joys 
 and blisses eternal in mercy. Let us then be 
 alway ready against that day, and joyfully 
 look for death, which can never be far ab- 
 sent, by the example of St Paul, who de- 
 sired "to be loosed and to be with Christ :'* 
 which thing cannot come to pass in us, un- 
 less we lead our life according to God's will, 
 and repose all trust of salvation in the mercy 
 of God through the merits of Christ. And 
 if at any time we slip, and slide into sin and 
 iniquity, (as by nature we are prone to do 
 evil;) yet let us not suffer that to rule in 
 our mortal body, but endeavour to salve 
 such sores with good deeds, and with repent- 
 ance and newness of life. 
 
 But most part of mortal men now-a-days 
 have no regard at all of temperance and so- 
 briety, but give themselves to rioting and 
 surfeiting, and run headlong into all kind 
 of mischief, having no fear of God before 
 their eyes : they follow their filthy lusts, 
 they snatch, they steal, they swear and for- 
 swear, they lie, they deceive, and, to be 
 short, do all things saving that which is law- 
 [^ Sen. Controvers. xvi.J 
 
 The wicked- 
 ness of our 
 time. 
 
142 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 A painst pre- 
 sumption in 
 God s mercy. 
 
 ful. And yet in the mean time they will 
 needs be accounted Christians, and gospel- 
 lers, and earnest favourers of true religion. 
 But Christians ought not be moved with 
 these worldly and wicked examples ; but 
 bend all their power to live godly and holily, 
 to follow the will of their heavenly Father, 
 and with a certain liberal and commendable 
 fear of God to be detained from doing of 
 evil : lest they either should give an occa- 
 sion to the adversary to slander their pro- 
 fession; or lest the name of God should 
 for them^ be evil spoken of amongst the 
 gentiles. And if at any time unawares, or 
 through human imbecility, they fall and go 
 astray ; they will immediately acknowledge 
 their error, and pacify their merciful Fa- 
 ther through true repentance, and with their 
 hearty prayers procure his mercy toward 
 them. For he is gentle and ready to forgive, 
 if he see us sorry and penitent ; and as "if 
 we have offended grievously, so if we lament 
 our faults bitterly^" according as St Cyprian 
 writeth. Whereunto we may add this, as 
 a special consolation and comfort, that we 
 have a mediator in heaven, even the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, w^ho is our advocate and pa- 
 tron, to purchase peace for us, and to make 
 an atonement between his Father and us. 
 
 In which consolation and comfort, not- 
 withstanding, all faithful Christians ought 
 to have this caution ; not so to trust in God's 
 
 r^ them that be, 1576.] 
 
 [2 Quam magna deliquimus, tam granditer defle- 
 amus. Alto vulneri diligens et longa medieina non 
 desit. Poenitentia crimine minor non sit.— Cypr, de 
 Laps. prop. fin. p. 98. Oxon. 1700.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 143 
 
 mercy, that they either fall into presump- 
 tion, or to live negligently and carnally, or 
 not gospel-like. For there are many now- 
 a-days, that flatter and deceive themselves, 
 whiles they greedily embrace all such sen- 
 tences in the bible, which set out God's 
 great mercy; but in the mean season neglect 
 and pass over lightly such places, as exhort 
 them to newness and holiness of life. The 
 Lord is merciful indeed, but to those that 
 repent. The Lord would not the death of 
 a sinner ; but he would also that he should 
 convert and live. He that witnesseth Christ 
 to be the Lamb that taketh away the sins of 
 the world, doth also will us to repent our 
 former lives, and to bring forth fruits worthy 
 repentance. He that affirmeth us to be saved 
 through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 exhorteth us also to repent and convert, 
 that our sins may be done away. He that 
 saith that "Christ came into this world to 
 save sinners," doth also say that fornicators 
 and adulterers, and other heinous offenders, 
 " cannot inherit the kingdom of Christ." He 
 that writeth that Christ did " bear our sins 
 in his body upon the cross," doth add also 
 " that we should die to sin, and live to right- 
 eousness." He that witnesseth that Christ 
 gave himself for us, annexeth, "that he might 
 redeem us from all iniquity, and purify a 
 people peculiar to himself, following good 
 works." He that saith that Christ died for 
 us, addeth also, "that those that live should 
 not live unto themselves, but to him that 
 died and rose again for them." Hereunto 
 serveth that of Ezechiel the prophet: "If the 
 
 Ezek. iii. 
 xviii. xxxiii. 
 
J 44 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 1 Tim. i. 
 1 Cor. vi. 
 
 wicked man repent him of all his sins, and 
 keep all my precepts, and do justice and 
 judgment, he shall live and not die." 
 
 By which words we may easily gather 
 that he cannot trust in God's mercy, that 
 doth not repent him of his wickedness : 
 neither can he be rightly called a penitent 
 person, or a Christian, that persevereth in 
 ungodliness : neither can sound and perfect 
 faith be in him, who wittingly and willingly 
 worketh against the testimony of his own 
 conscience. Let us not be Christians there- 
 fore in name and title only ; neither brag 
 and boast of faith with bare words : but let 
 us repent truly, and from the bottom of our 
 heart ; let us turn to God in deed, and cor- 
 rect vices with virtues, and with holy life 
 and conversation abolish the remembrance 
 of our sins and iniquity. Let those words 
 of Christ be always in our minds : " Not 
 every one that saith. Lord, Lord, shall enter 
 into the kingdom of heaven, but he that 
 doeth the will of my Father who is in hea- 
 ven.'* And if we believe that which St Paul 
 saith to be true, ''that Jesus Christ came into 
 this world to save sinners ;" let us also be- 
 lieve that other speech of his, that " witches, 
 adulterers, fornicators, murderers, thieves, 
 extortioners, covetous persons, proud men, 
 drunkards, backbiters, contentious men, shall 
 not inherit the kingdom of God and Christ." 
 And surely, if we persuade ourselves that St 
 Paul saith true, as well in the one place as 
 in the other ; we shall easily perceive, that 
 wicked livers cannot conceive any hope of 
 God's mercy and of eternal life: for, as faith 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 145 
 
 believeth that God is merciful to the peni- 
 tent, so doth it tell us, that he is a punisher 
 of the impenitent. 
 
 There is no cause then for sinful men to 
 presume on God's mercy : they must repent, 
 and amend their lives, before they take com- 
 fort of that matter. Ambrose hath included 
 them both in one sentence, whiles that he 
 saith, "No man can rightly repent, unless 
 he trust in God's mercy ^" So no man can 
 trust in God's mercy, unless he repent. 
 That saying of the Hebrew is memorable, 
 and never to be forgotten : " Say not, Tush, 
 the mercy of the Lord is great, he shall for- 
 give me my sins, be they never so many : 
 for like as he is merciful, so goeth wrath 
 from him also, and his indignation cometh 
 down upon sinners. Make no tarrying to turn 
 unto the Lord, and put not off from day to 
 day: for suddenly shall his wrath come, and 
 in the time of vengeance he shall destroy 
 thee." Let every man therefore have good 
 regard for himself, that his christian profes- 
 sion be confirmed with christian conversa- 
 tion, that his work answer to his word, his 
 deed to his title. Let every man beware of 
 presumption in God's mercy. Let them 
 take heed that through carnal security and 
 contempt of the gospel they fall not away 
 from the spirit to the flesh, from heaven to 
 the world, and from God to 13elial. Let 
 them take heed that they make not a mock 
 of the passion of Christ, that they tread not 
 
 [* Nemo enim potest bene agere poenitentiam, 
 nisi qui speraverit indulgentiam, — Ambros. de Poenit. 
 Lib, I. cap. i. fin.] 
 
 [[WOOLTON.] 
 
 Ambrose. 
 
 [Ecclus. v.] 
 
 10 
 
J 46 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 > 
 
 his blood Tinder their feet, that, being puri- 
 fied and washed with his precious blood, 
 they wallow not wilfully in sin and wicked- 
 ness, and of the children of God become by 
 their own default the bond- slaves of Satan, 
 and firebrands of hell everlastingly. 
 
 And hitherto I have spoken of a chris- 
 tian man's duty privately toward himself, 
 and publicly toward others. Now remain- 
 eth the last part of the duty of a Christian, 
 living either in the estate ecclesiastical, 
 political, or oeconomical: in one of the which 
 three callings all good men endeavour to 
 lead their lives, as the scopes and ends 
 whereunto all man s studies and labours are 
 to be directed and referred. But because 
 that matter requireth a long and diligent 
 tractation, if God permit, I will handle the 
 same in another volume. 
 
 Glory be to God. 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 147 
 
 An Addition translated out of that learned 
 Father of the Greek church, Clemens 
 Alexandrinus, who wrote within three 
 hundred years after Christ : wherein the 
 whole duty of a christian man is com- 
 prehended in a hrief sum, necessarily serv- 
 ing for the practice of such precepts as 
 are contained in the former treatise^. 
 
 Let every man then learn his duty, and 
 "pass the time of his pilgrimage in fear 
 and humility; knowing that we are re- 
 deemed not with corruptible things, of silver 
 and gold, but with the precious blood of 
 the immaculate and unspotted Lamb, Jesus 
 Christ." *^For it is sufficient that we have 
 spent the time that is past of the life after 
 the will of the gentiles, walking in wan- 
 tonness, lusts, in excess of wines, in excess of 
 eating, in excess of drinking, and abomina- 
 ble idolatry." We have Christ his cross as 
 our mark and limit, with whom we are 
 crucified, and by whom we have remission 
 of our former sins. 
 
 Let us fix our minds therefore upon the 
 truth; let us repent and amend our lives. 
 For " the eyes of the Lord are open upon 
 the just, and his ears unto their prayers. 
 The countenance of the Lord is upon them 
 that do evil. And who is it that will hurt 
 you, if you do well ? " The best education 
 or institution is moderation, which is perfit 
 comeliness, together with stable and ordinary 
 
 [^ This "Addition" is an abridged translation of 
 the PcBdagogus of Clemens Alexandrinus, Lib. iii. 
 cap. xii.] 
 
 Ex Lib. iii. 
 Pa?dagogi. 
 cap. 12. 
 
 Psal. xxxiii. 
 1 Pet. iii. 
 
 10--2 
 
148 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Prov. xxiv. 
 Isai. V. 
 Ezek. xviii. 
 
 Isai. i« 
 
 1 Cor. ii. 
 
 Matt. xix. 
 Exod. ii. et 
 
 power; rightly distributing those things 
 that are coherent amongst themselves. Now 
 if you do not mark those precepts which 
 are given, you shall die the death : but if 
 you do attend, you shall enjoy the blessings 
 of the earth, — meaning, no doubt, health, 
 wealth, riches, food, and strength. For 
 those be true and perfit good things, which 
 neither the "eye hath seen, nor the ear hath 
 heard, neither yet hath entered into the 
 heart of man." But to return to the way 
 and life of a perfit Christian : the heavenly 
 scholar comprehendeth briefly his office and 
 duty : " As you would that men should do 
 unto you, even so do you unto them." And, 
 as Christ himself saith, all the command- 
 ments may be referred to these two pre- 
 cepts : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God 
 with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and 
 with all thy might ; and thy neighbour as 
 thyself: for herein consist the law and the 
 prophets." And when one asked him, 
 what he should do to possess eternal life, 
 he answered : " Knowest thou the com- 
 mandments?" and when he said, "Yea," 
 " Do this,'* quoth he, " and thou shalt be 
 saved." 
 
 But we will more particularly lead you 
 through the plentiful store of treasures, to 
 the end you may have alway some whole- 
 some precepts in readiness. First, let us 
 behold the decalogue given by Moses: 
 " Thou shalt not commit adultery, thou 
 shalt not worship idols, thou shalt not 
 steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, 
 honour thy father and thy mother ;" with 
 
A CHRISTIAK MANUAL. 
 
 149 
 
 many other such precepts as are contained 
 in his holy law. And by the mouth of his 
 prophet Esaias he saith : "Wash yourselves, 
 and be clean, and take away the foreskin of 
 your hearts from before my eyes : learn to 
 do good, seek judgment, deliver him that 
 suffereth wrong, help the fatherless to his 
 right, let the widow's complaint come be- 
 fore you." And then, " Go to," saith the 
 Lord, " let us talk together." Many other 
 like precepts occur every where : as for ex- 
 ample sake, of prayer and good works. 
 Tlie holy scripture much commendeth 
 prayer, and the form or manner of mak- 
 ing our prayers is expressed. "When 
 thou seest the naked, cover him, and hide 
 not thyself from thy own flesh. Then shall 
 thy light break forth as the morning, and 
 thy health flourish right shortly : righteous- 
 ness shall go before thee, and the glory of 
 the Lord shall embrace thee. Then if thou 
 callest, the Lord shall answer thee ; if thou 
 criest, he shall say, Here I am." And of 
 fasting he speaketh thus : " Behold, when 
 you fast, your lust remaineth still ; for you 
 do no less violence to your debtors : lo, you 
 fast to strife and debate, and to smite with 
 your fist without mercy: now you shall 
 not fast thus, that your voice may be heard 
 above. Think you this fast pleaseth me, 
 that a man should chasten himself for a 
 day? and to hang down the head like a 
 bulrush, and to lie upon the earth in an 
 hair cloth ? should that be called fasting, or 
 I a day that pleaseth the Lord ? Doth not 
 this fasting rather please me, that thou loose 
 
 Isai. i. 
 
 Acts i. 
 James iv. 
 Isai. Iviii. 
 
150 
 
 A CHRISTAN MANUAL. 
 
 Ecclus. XXXV. 
 
 Matt, xviii. 
 
 Luke iii. 
 
 the wicked bands, that thou ease the over- 
 heavy burdens, that thou let the oppressed 
 go free, and break all manner of yoke ; to 
 deal thy bread to the hungry, and to bring 
 the poor wandering home unto thy house V 
 when thou seest the naked, that thou cover 
 him, and hide not thyself from thine own 
 flesh, &c." 
 
 And of sacrifices he speaketh thus also : 
 "Why offer ye many sacrifices unto me, 
 will the Lord say? I am full of the burnt- 
 offerings of wethers, I have no pleasure in 
 the blood of bullocks, lambs, and goats. 
 When ye come to appear before me, tread- 
 ing in my courts, who hath required this at 
 your hands ? Offer me no more oblations, 
 for it is but lost labour : incense is an abo- 
 minable thing unto me: I may not away 
 with your new moons. When ye hold out 
 your hands, I will turn mine eyes from 
 you ; and though you make many prayers, 
 yet will I hear nothing at all; seeing your 
 hands are full of blood.'* How shall I then 
 sacrifice unto the Lord ? A contrite spirit is 
 a sacrifice unto God. What incense shall I 
 offer unto the Lord? He is an odour of 
 sweet smell unto the Lord, that glorifieth 
 his Creator. And as concerning patience, 
 Christ himself saith: "If thy brother 
 offend thee, rebuke him ; and if he be sorry, 
 forgive him. If he offend thee seven times 
 in a day, and return seven times, saying, I 
 am sorry, forgive him." The soldier hear- 
 eth, " Be content with your wages ;" and the 
 publicans, "Require no more than your duty." 
 The judge hath this commandment: "Thou 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 151 
 
 slialt not accept one person in judgment. 
 Bribes do blind the eyes of those that see, 
 and cornipt just words, to deliver him 
 that hath done wrong." Housekeepers and 
 masters of families are taught, that ** pos- 
 session gotten with iniquity fleeteth away." 
 Of charity it is written, that '' love cover- 
 eth the multitude of sins." Of magistrates 
 it is written : " Give unto Caesar those things 
 which belong to Ca?sar, and to God those 
 things that are God's." Of oaths and re- 
 membering of injuries: "Have I com- 
 manded your fathers coming out of the 
 land of Egypt, that they should offer sacri- 
 fice and burnt- offerings ? but I commanded 
 this rather, that every one should forget 
 injuries and offences, and to love no untrue 
 oath." Liars and proud men hear this 
 threateaing : " Woe unto those that call 
 sweet bitter, and bitter sweet;** and again : 
 " Woe be unto them that are wise in their 
 own conceits;" and, '^He that humbleth 
 himself shall be exalted, and he that exalt- 
 eth himself shall be brought low.** Those 
 that shew pity and mercy are pronounced 
 blessed, because " they shall obtain mercy." 
 Envy and displeasure is accounted a hurt- 
 ful thing, because it destroyeth those that 
 be wise. And as for enemies, we are com- 
 manded to love them, to bless those that 
 curse us ; and, " Unto him that smiteth thee 
 upon the one cheek, offer unto him the 
 other.*' Our servants are to be used gently; 
 for they are men as we be, and '' there is no 
 respect of persons before God." 
 
 Vain-glory is also beaten down : " Woe 
 
 Deut. xvi. 
 
 Prov. xiii. 
 xxviii. 
 Hab. li. 
 
 Matt. xxii. 
 
 Levit. xix. 
 Ecdus. X. 
 
 Isai.T. 
 
 Luke xiv 
 
 Matt V. 
 Ecclus. iii. 
 
 Mattv. 
 
152 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 Matt. XXV. 
 
 Eph. iv. 
 
 Eph. V. 
 
 Eph. vi. 
 
 be unto you, Pharisees, because you love 
 the highest seats in the synagogues, and salu- 
 tations in the market-places." Of alms-deeds 
 it is written : " Come, ye blessed children of 
 my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for 
 you from the beginning of the world : for I 
 was hungry and you gave me meat ; I was 
 thirsty, and you gave me drink." Faith 
 and truth in word and deed are highly 
 commended : " Wherefore laying aside lies, 
 let every one speak truth unto his neigh- 
 bour, for we are members one of another : 
 let not the sun set upon our wrath, neither 
 let us give place to the devil. He that 
 stole, let him steal no more, but rather let 
 him labour with his hands, that he may be 
 able to give unto the needy. Let all bitter- 
 ness, and wrath, and fierceness, and cursed 
 speaking, be removed from amongst you, 
 with all that which is evil. Be gentle and 
 merciful one toward another, doing good 
 one to another, as Christ hath done good 
 unto you. Be you wise, and followers of 
 God as dear children, and walk in love, as 
 Christ hath loved you." " You wives, be 
 subject to your own husbands, as unto the 
 Lord. And, you husbands, love your wives, 
 as Christ loved his church. You sons, 
 obey your parents. Fathers, provoke not 
 your children to wrath, but bring them up 
 in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 
 You servants, obey your masters after the 
 flesh with trembling and fear, in simplicity 
 of your hearts, as it were serving Christ 
 from your hearts with good will. And you, 
 masters, do well unto your servants, remit- 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 153 
 
 ting threats, knowing that hoth their master 
 and yours is in heaven, and is no accepter of 
 persons." " If we live in the spirit, let us 
 walk in the spirit. Let us not be desirous 
 of vain-glory, envying one another, and pro- 
 voking one another. Let us bear one an- 
 other's burden. Let us not deceive our- 
 selves, for God is not deceived." And 
 again: "We beseech you, brethren, warn 
 them that arc unruly, comfort the feeble- 
 minded, lift up the weak, be patient toward 
 all men. See that none recompense evil for 
 evil unto any man; but ever follow that 
 which is good, both among yourselves, and 
 unto all men. Rejoice ever, pray con- 
 tinually^ in all things give thanks ; for it is 
 the will of God in Christ Jesus toward 
 you. Quench not the Spirit, despise not 
 prophesyings. Examine all things, hold 
 fast that which is good; abstain from all 
 appearance of evil." " Let your speech be 
 always in grace, powdered with salt, to 
 know how you ought to answer every 
 man." And again: "Godliness is profit- 
 able to all things, having promises of the life 
 that is now, and of that which is to come." 
 And of servants it is written : " And they 
 which have believing masters, let them not 
 despise them because they are brethren; 
 but rather let them do service, forasmuch as 
 they are believing and beloved, and par- 
 takers of the benefit." And that general 
 exhortation is worthy remembrance : '* See- 
 ing that we have diverse gifts, according to 
 the grace that is given unto us ; either pro- 
 phesy after the measure of faith, either office 
 
 Gal. V. 
 
 Gal. vi. 
 
 1 Tim. iv. 
 
 I Tim. vi. 
 
 Bom. xii. 
 
154 
 
 A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 
 
 in administration, or he that teacheth, in 
 teaching, or he that exhorteth, in exhort- 
 ing, he that giveth, in singleness, he that 
 ruleth, in diligence, he that is merciful, in 
 cheerfulness. Love without dissimulation, 
 hating evil, cleaving to good : aiFectioned one 
 to another with brotherly love, in giving 
 honour go one before another : not lyther in 
 business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord : 
 rejoicing in hope, patient in trouble, instant 
 in prayer, distributing to the necessity of 
 saints, given to hospitality. Bless them 
 which persecute you, bless and curse not. 
 Rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep 
 with them that weep : being * like-afFec- 
 tioned one towards another: be not high- 
 minded, but making yourselves equal to 
 them of the lower sort ; not wise in your 
 own opinions. Recompense to no man evil 
 for evil, providing aforehand things honest, 
 not only before God, but also in the sight of 
 all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth 
 in you, have peace with all men." 
 
 These few things I have chosen from 
 amongst many, out of the holy scripture, 
 which I thought good to offer unto my 
 scholars, that they might learn to pluck 
 up sin and iniquity by the roots. The 
 body of the holy scripture containeth a 
 plentiful store of many other precepts, meet 
 for all kinds and callings of men ; for the 
 clergy, and for the laity, for princes, for 
 priests, for governors and for subjects: of 
 the which occasion may peradventure be 
 given to speak more aptly in another place. 
 [1 of like, 1576.] 
 
A CHRISTIAN MANUAL. 155 
 
 Our heavenly Father hath left his will 
 unto us in his holy word. And whereas 
 the horse is broken with the bit and bridle, 
 the ox with the yoke, the wild beast is 
 cau^rht with the net, the fish with the 
 hook ; he hath ordained his word to alter 
 and transform reasonable men. Let us most 
 humbly beseech him to give us his grace, 
 that we may obey his word, and follow his 
 precepts and commandments; that we may 
 wade through the floods of sin, and come 
 into the quiet haven of eternal peace, there 
 to be thankful, and always to extol the 
 heavenly Father, with his only Son, to- 
 gether with the Holy Ghost, world without 
 end. Amen. 
 

 INDEX 
 
 OF 
 
 AUTHORS CITED 
 
 AND PERSONS REFERRED TO. 
 
 
 JEschylus. 112. 
 
 Gregory, Pope. 47. 96. 
 
 
 Ambrose. 34. 36. 136. 145. 
 
 Henry V. 127, 8. 
 
 
 Aquinas. 30. 
 
 Hugo. 82. 
 
 
 Aristotle. 13. 26. 
 
 Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. 
 
 Athenagoras. 19. 
 
 113. 
 
 
 Averroe. 27. 
 
 Hunne, John (Richard). 113. 
 
 
 Augustine. 14. 22. 30. 35. 37. 
 
 Irenaeus. 25. 
 
 
 47. 49. 62. 78. 79. 96. 137. 
 
 Jerome. 21. 22. 34. 106. 
 
 
 138. 
 
 Justin Martyr. 20. 
 
 
 Pseudo-Aug. 9. 
 
 Lactantius. 48. 138. 
 
 
 Basil, Magn. 127. 138. 
 
 Lucian. 112. 131. 
 
 
 Berengarius. 27. 
 
 Nicolas, Pope. 27. 
 
 
 Bernard. 35. 99. 
 
 Origen. 34. 
 
 
 Canon Law. 27. 
 
 Peter Martyr. 35. 
 
 
 Calvin. 90, seqq. 
 
 Pindar. 108. 
 
 
 Catiline. 29. 
 
 Plato. 13. 99. 
 
 
 Chrysostom. 11. 36. 38. 99. 126. 
 
 Pliny. 111. 
 
 
 135. 136. 
 
 Polydore VergU. 129. 
 
 
 Cicero. 13. 27. 32. 94. 106. 107. 
 
 Procopius. 127. 1 
 
 Clemens Alexandrinus, his Pce- 
 
 Prosperus, (de Vocat. Gent.) ' 
 
 dagoguSf iii.xii. abridged. 147, 
 
 52. 
 
 
 seqq. 
 
 Pythagoras. 101. 
 
 
 Cranmer. 31. 
 
 Richard II. 129. 
 
 
 Cyprian. 8. 105. 142. 
 
 Sallust. 29. 
 
 
 Edward 11. 129. 
 
 Scipio Africanus. 94. 
 
 
 Epicurus. 94. 
 
 Seneca. S5. 89. 92. 94. 95. 1 
 
 30. 
 
 Euripides. 44. 
 
 102. 129. 141. 
 
 
 Eusebius. 15. 16, seqq. 
 
 Sextius. 101. 108. 
 
 
 Ferrarius Montanus. 28. 
 
 Simon Paulus. 26. 
 
 
 Foxe, Acts and Mon. 113. 
 
 Stilpo. 106.' 
 
 
 Fulvius, A. 29. 
 
 Theodoret. 34. 
 
 Giselbert. 35. 
 
 Valerius Maximus. 111. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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