erted vnto the faithe of christe / euen so / yea mutch more
easilie it maye comme to pas / that they which ar weake and
vnlearned / may vnder vnbeleauinge masters / be drawn from
christe to vngodlynes.
Wherefor seing that this can not be doone without great perill
and daunger / that such a weakling shuld vse an vnfaithfull
Master / I thincke that he shuld abstayn alltogether from suche.
Sum do heere obiect and saye / that S. Paul to the Corinthians
doth appoint no such Rule condicion not exception / as I haue
spoken of / vnto the weake and vnlearned: but he playnly saith.
[[1 Cor. 10.]]
If ony of them which beleaue not / do bidd you to a feaste / and
yf ye will go / whatsoeuer ys sett before you that eate / &c. In
which wordes he teachith / that it is lefte vnto our own will as
a fre thinge to go / or not to go. I answer / that ye must
marcke well thos wordes of Paule / (and yf ye will go.)
[[Hovv theise vvordes, and if ye vvill go, ar to be
vnderstonded.]]
He doth not grant vnto euery mans will thys libertie / and
fredom / but vnto a goode and a right will he gyuith libertie to
go. For yf a man wold go thether to drincke droncken /
glotonusly to fill the belly / or to gyue the tongue to filthie
and vncomly talke / without doubt that man shuld syn / euen for
the wickednes of hys will / and for hys corrupt entent and
purpose. Euen so / yf a man dowbted hys own strenghth /
and dyd certaynly perceyue that he could not profite them that
shuld be there / and yet wold go thether / vndowbtedly with a
safe conscience and with a goode will he could not take that
thing in hande / for he can not direct hys doing to the glorie of
godd / as he ys commaunded to do. Wherefor though Paul expressely
doth not adde that rule / yt folowith not therfor / that yt is
not to be added: yea that yt ys to be added I will proue by
other places of the Scripture. And to thend that we do not herin
depart from Paul / the same thing / and doctrine of will /
[[1. Cor. 7.]]
he teachith in the .7. chapter of the same epistle: wher he
entreating of gyuyng or not gyuinge a virgine to mariage
saithe / That he doth well which keapith his virgin / and that
purposith it surely in his harte / (addinge this condicion)
hauing no neade / but that he poure ouer his own will: for if he
shuld do otherwise then his daughter either wolde / or then her
necessitie required / then shuld he neither will / nor do well.
Thus to do a goode worcke
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