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A13311
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An apologie or defence agaynst the calumnacion of certayne men which preferring wylfull wyll and carnal reason before the playn trueth of Gods gospel, (do sclaundre those men, which for the better seruinge of God with a more pure conscience, according to his holy word) haue abandoned theyr liuinges and vocacion, abydinge as exyles in poore estate oute of theyr natyue cou[n]trye.
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I. T., fl. 1555.
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1555
(1555)
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STC 23619; ESTC S103238
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12,085
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24
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those holy men to coÌmauÌde vs to auoyde the coÌpany of Idolaters is written in vayne to no purpose Truely in my simple iudgement as my conscience testifieth to me ruled by Gods holy spirite They ar written specially for our dayes that we shoulde be without al excuse wheÌ as God shal lay make open euery mans dedes ij Cor. vi S. Paul hath the lyke saying Come out froÌ amonge them separate your selues froÌ them saith the Lord reade out the Chap. and note the wordes well And lette your conscience witnesse with you who hath the right It is a thig very difficile to touche pitch Eccl. xiij and not to be defyled I wylknitte vp the first parte of your matter obiected against me with this coÌclusioÌ The. viij Chap. to the Romains and so consequentely all the whole Scripture through doth teache these two poinctes That fyrst God the father in his free mercy by hyâ sonne Christ hath chosen vs withoute any deseruing on oure partes accordinge to this sayinge Those which he appoynted before them also he called which he called them also he iustified which he iustified them also he glorifyed Secondly he dyd it to this ende that as the scripture sayth they might be made like to the Image of his sonne in suffring with him Now my freÌd yf we wil persâade our selfes to be chosen in Christ and wyl not suffre with him and yet thinke to raygne with him I pray God we beguyle not our selues To come to the second part In that ye layd agaynste me the doynges of other men which being both good and godlye obserued the order of this tyme. Laying to my charge why I shoulde be more precyse and scrupule of conscience then other men they beyng godly To that sayinge I aunswere The doynges of men is no presidente for a Christen man to folowe how good soeuer they be called onles they dyrecte theyr wayes according to Gods holy worde Howbeit folowing the counsayle of S. Paule I wyll reporte well of them as Christen charitie woulde to iudge the beste in hid thinges Therfore for that I can not know with what mynd they do it I muste folow the admonicioÌ of the Apostle to thinke wel of theÌ Onely this I know am not ignoraunte of by experience do proue taste in my fraile life and corrupt nature which is altogether sinneful that terrour of lawes maketh vs to stoupe and decline to thinges sinning agaynst knowledge for the preseruacion of this vncertayne life keping of our goodes O that we would remembre this saying i. Petri. i. All fleshe is as grasse all the glorie of man is as the flowre of grasse which sentence wel wayed would kepe vs froÌ dissembling in that thing whereof our coÌscieÌce accuseth vs to the which my harte in no wise can agree to consent Mat. xvi Christ sayeth who soeuer shal lose his life for my fake shal find it More I am a ialous God Exod. xx that cannot suffre my honour to be geuen to any other nor no part therof The Lord in these wordes doeth accommodate him selfe to vs as oure weake nature can know him Our fleshe is in no one cause so sone moued or prouoked to wrath as in that fighte that may styrre vs to ialowsye which offence we can almost by no intercession or sute skantly remitte or pardon And God which seeth al our doynges before whose presece al thiges are open beholdeth howe we dissemble with hys loue makinge familiar freÌdship league with his enemies Wel these wordes I am a ialous god require in vs an vpright pure vndefiled couer sacioÌ lest by our dissimulacion we prouoke the lord to anger i. Petri. i. O my frend the god which in hys mercy hath so dearely bought vs not with corruptible gold or syluer but with his moste holy precious harte bloud requyreth of vs our whole maÌ with mind coÌuersacion to serue him âccording to this saying âe holy Leuit. xix i. Petri. 1. ij Cori. vi for I am hoââ be not partakers with the vngodly for what âncorde hath Christ with Belial ãâã or howe aâreeth darkenes with light Now thy frende âamen these wordes well iudge whether it âe the acte or parte of him that would âe repuâd taken for a perfect Christen man to comâunicáte be partaker with ydolaters and to ââire his âaââe into the boke among them to yeâreat sclaundre of Gods Gospell In that the âapistes may triumphe that all me and speciâlly such as were called Feruent gospellers do âmbrace and folow the order of this vnhappy âyme whereby they boasââ glorie their reliâion to be most trew On the other part consyââe how ye wound offende the conscience of âour weake brother not yet growen to ful perâection of knowledge who hath his eyes open âpon you who seyng you to do the same thinâeth it a lawful acte so ye are the cause of his âall S. Paul sayth when ye sinne agaynst the ârethren wounde their weake conscience i. Cor. viij ye finne agaynst Christ Reade the Chapt. yf S. âaul had that mynde in lawfull thinges that âather then he would offend the conscience of âis weake brother he woulde neuer âate fleshe while he liued how much more my freÌd ought âe to haue a conscience to offend your brother ân an vnlawefull thinge We be to him sayeth âhrist that offendeth one of these little ones It were better for him to haue a mylstone tied ât his necke so cast into the sea Luk. xvij Cal to youre remembraunce digest well the worthy commendacion geueÌ to Eleaâaâ in Gods boke called the Bible That were as his freÌdes moue with peuishe pitie hauinge no taste of an vp right conscience perswaded him for the sauâ garde of his lyfe to eate swynes fleshe 2. Mac. 6 whicâ in no wise he would do for that it was againâ the lawâ of God his conscience And whââ his frendes perceyned that for no perswasioâ he would not eate it they earnestly oportunââ and counsayled him to make a countenauÌce aâ though he had eaten some which dissimulaciâ EleÌazar knowing it to be against Gods woââ aswel fearing the yll president example thâ might grow thereof to other men beyng yoâ weake and vnperfect in Gods worde as alâ remembring his honorable lyfe good conueâ sacion old age would in no case make counâ nannce to eate nor vse any such dissimulacioâ but rather presarâed to dye theÌ he would coâ terfect suche hypocâisie Loke reade the terâ calling for wysoo knowledge to God Coâming to the boke with a pure myâde ye shaââ easely perceaue whether the obseruers of thâ tyme walke in that puritie of lyfe whiche ãâã châfely requyrâd in him that in time past haââ bene called a gospeller There is another noâ and lesson in Eleagar to be marked ⪠that whââ his frendes paâaiued the constancie and