her
they thincke of or do feare. Let vs heere therfor the wise man
which doth saye.

[[Eccles. 13.]]

Who so touchithe pitche shalbe fyled ther with all / and he that
is familiar with the proude / shall become lyke vnto hym: Take
not a burthen vppon the / aboue thy poure / neither ioyne thow
thi self to hym that is more honorable / and ritche then
thiself. These words of the wiseman / do for two causes belong
to our purpos. Furst / bicause that they do teache / that other
mens synnes ar lyke vnto pitche / which doth stycke vnto the
fingars and garments of them that do touche it. Agayn / that
eich man shuld well trie and consider his own poure and
strenghth. Vppon which cowncell / I do gather two thinges.
Furst / that the infirme and weake must not ioyn themselues in
familiaritie with the wicked / for wickednes will then cleaue
vnto them: Secondly that eich man must so well consider / and
iustly trie his own poure and strenghth / that he doth not
ouermatch himself.

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