glorious and most assured after the example of our Sauiour Christ who for the great excellencie of the glorie that was set before him despysed al aduersities afflictions and death and notwithstanding that hee was the son of God yet lerned obedience by the things that he suffered For as saith the holy scripture If we suffer with him we shal also be glorifyed with him VVherevnto that both you and we may attayne I beseech him to graunte vs abundantly the grace of his holy spirite Amen VVritten at London the xvj of Ianuary 1576. ¶ A TREATISE concerning the conflict of the godly against the Flesh the VVorld and the Deuil which may be intytled the Warfare of Christians HOw great the weaknesse of mankinde is in withstanding vice and wickednesse it may be perceiued by many things specially in this that if at any time we do neuer so fully purpose and determine with our selues to liue hencefoorth according to gods wil and to obey his commaundementes yet notwithstanding wee be not able to continue long and much lesse to holde out to the end in the things that were very wel intended and determined The causes whereof it is not hard to finde out or to discouer the grounde of this so great tendernesse infirmitie and feeblenesse of mans minde For if a man looke well to it he shall finde that the causes thereof are chiefly three namely first the corruptnesse that is bred and borne in al men or the forwardnesse to sinning that sticketh fast in the very bowelles and marie of vs which the diuines doe commonly terme by the name of the Flesh. Secondly the worlde which offereth continually innumerable causes and occasions of all manner of vice leudnesse and naughtinesse And finally that great Dragon the olde serpent called the diuel and Satan which leadeth away the whole worlde as saith the Apostle in the Apocalips For he also is woonte to stirre vp driue forewarde and inforce men to horrible deedes to al maner of mischief to vnnaturalnesse and to blaspheming of god These three that is to wit the fleshe the world and the diuell are the spytefullest and deadlyest enimies of mankind with whom we haue continuall battel and endlesse conflict in this life so that wee scarsly haue so much respit as to take breth neither are they to be ouercome at any time but by the helpe ayde and grace of the holy ghost giuen of the heauenly father for our Lorde and mediatour Iesus Christes sake to suche as craue it and call to him for it Therfore let vs briefly saye somewhat of euery of them and in as fewe words as may be shew the continuall incounter against thē withont ceassing and by what meanes they must alwayes be withstood resisted Nowe then we must first of all beare in minde as I gaue incling euen nowe that mannes life is a certaine continuall warfare vpon earthe which is not to be finished but by death that wee must spende our whole time as it were in the Campe as long as we liue heere And therefore it is not to be abidden that euer we should giue our selues to idlenesse or mispēd our time in royot voluptuousnesse while we serue in the campe of the church vnder the standered and Ensignes of our Graundcaptaine Iesus Christe but wee muste alwayes stande vpon our garde armed with spiritual weapons against the force and assaults of our enimies and be euer redye in minde to ioyne battel Let vs cal to remembraunce our baptime whereby we gaue our names into our captaines musterbooke and bynding our selues by othe professed and auowed ourselues to serue him as his souldiers al our life long Let vs consider with our selues howe good howe wise howe valiaunt howe inuincible of how great corrage authoritie skil howe rightly noble victorious triumphante how rightly holy princely a captaine generall of our wars we haue worthy to be reuerēced worshipped and honored euen of the very Angels for the greatnesse of his glorye and maiestie It is as I sayde the almightie sonne of God being himselfe both God man and the conqueror of sin death Satan euen our Lorde and sauiour Iesus Christ. Let vs bethinke vs what rewardes how great how large we must looke for vppon the getting of the victorie as euerlasting tryumph in heauē endlesse life peace and saluation and moste blissed immortality matched with abundance of al good things These vndoubtedly are the things whiche as sayth the prophete nother eye hath seene nor eare hard nor hart of man conceiued prepared of God for them that loue him And therfore the Apostle hath iust cause to thinke that the afflictiōs of this world are not worth the glorie that shal be opēly bestowed vpō vs Go too thē let vs by Gods good helpe buckle our selues to the spiritual battel let vs thinke continually vpon the fyght let vs bee of stoute and valiant courage in the Lord let vs as saith the Apostle put on the complete armor of God through the furniture and defence wherof through the protection helpe of our God we may at length get the vpper hande The thing is done in the sight of our Graund captaine who is present euery where a great incoragement for vs to deale valiantly He both harteneth vs to fight and helpeth vs to winne and relieueth vs when we faynt and crowneth vs when wee haue gotten the victorie as Austine sayth very trimely Of the Fleshe THe first enimie as I sayde is the flesh that is to say the corruptnesse or naughtinesse that remaineth in man through original sinne by the fall of our first fathers which is as a certaine firewood as diuines terme it by reason whereof all of vs are forewarde to sinne and vice some more and some lesse according to the state and disposition of euerye mans bodie as the serchers of natural causes teache vs For the affections of mens mindes doe follow the temperature of the humors in the body which thing as the Philosophers do affirme so doeth experience playnely proue it Heereby we see that they in whome bloud ouerruleth are commonly prone to lecherie and royot they in whom choler aboūdeth are giuen to anger and pride nother doth melancholike and flewmatike persons want their vices whervnto they be proner by nature than other men are And therewithall it is not to be denyed that a great part of this pronenesse vnto sinne commeth of the euil trayning and bringing vp of children through vntoward nuzzeling aud misnurturing of them and by suffering them to haue companie and familiaritie with leude folke For so it is auouched by Maro in his husbandry saying So great a thing it is to be inured from the shel And also by Aristotle in his Ethiks where he sayth Not a little but very greatly doth it skil whither we inure our selues one way or other frō our childhood Howe great strength the acquaintance and companie of yll disposed persones hath to corrupte mens
forgiue and forget it and rather go to lawe than lose any peece of their right For the world doth commonly terme patience by the leude name of cowardlynesse and lasinesse and deeme the desire of reuenge to be a kinde of valiantnesse and stoutnesse meete for a man To be shorte after the same sort there are innumerable who to eschewe the brute of pouertie bycause they take that to be reprochfull doe seeke goods by all meanes possible whither it be by periurie vsurie or any other leude slightes not passing at all howe they come by them so they may haue them For if any do heap vp riches by hooke and by crooke and inforce themselues to the vttern oâ—t to get abundante of welth those doth the world deeme to be men of forcast and pollicie and it taketh almost them only to bee wise and only worthie to be accounted of As for honest pouertiâ— it despiseth it making no reckening of such as eschew it not by al meanes possible And so by inflaming meÌ„ with dâ—sire of welth and riches it bringeth to passe and obteyneth that like as in all other things so also in this men direct the doings and deuices of their whose life cheefly by the iudgement of the world and neglect the commaundementes heauenly doctrine of God running blyndly and madly into al sin corrupted by example one of another Looke what I haue sayde of riches thinke the same to be spoken of power dominion and authoritie to the atteynment of which things whosoeuer do beÌ„de theÌ„selues with all their harte them doth the world gape gaze at aboue all others as men of greatest corage Whiche dealing when well dispozed men and such as feare God doe see who else are woont to despize such things and to make none account of them they also are somwhat moued at it and tickled with a certaine desire of the same things the whiche notwithstanding they doe easily put away and shake off by and by in respect of Gods will which they labour to obey To be short which way so euer a man turne him in the worlde vndoubtedly he shall euery where meete with somewhat whereby the mindes of the godly may be sore offended if they take not heede and which may wonderfully defyle atteynt and mar them with the foule infectioÌ„ of noysome example bee they neuer so pure sound and cleere so as a man may rightly say that the worlde is after a sort the wide gate broad way that leadeth to destruction and is woont to be alwayes troden haunted of most men wherof our Sauiour maketh mention in the Gospel But I will not stande any longer vpon these things Of the Diuell THen let vs come to the third enemy which is at deadly foade with vs continually Uerily he is the old serpeÌ„t which is called Satan and the Diuel as Iohn writeth in the Apocalips This is hee that raungeth continually vp and downe in Christes sheepefolde as an hungerstaruen Lyon seeking whom to deuour whom Peter willeth vs to withstaÌ„d stoutly by fayth This is he that seduceth the whole worlde This is the author of sinne which allured the first father of mankinde into deceyt This is he whoÌ„ our sauior witnesseth in a certaine place bothe to haue bene a murtherer from the beginning and also to be a lyer and the father of Lyes This is hee of whome Iohn saith The diuell sinneth from the beginning This is bothe the prince of the world as Christ termeth him in Iohn also the euill wherefro we desire in the Lords prayer to be deliuered He therefore to come to the matter not only tempteth vs to the meane vices and wicked doings suche as I haue rehersed alredy and wherevnto both the fleshe of it owne accord is foreward and the world ministreth innumerable causes and occasions but also laboreth to driue and inforce vs to some greater sinnes and horribler wickednesse as Epicurish contempt of God the neglecting of gods woord vnbeleefe distrust often despayre false perswasion of ourselues trust of our owne strength wilfull stubornnesse in euill blaspheming of God the withstanding of the knowen truthe hypocrisie superstition Idolatrie periurie treason aduoutrie inceste murther kylling of a mannes owne father or mother impoysonyng witchcraft and other infinite sinnes such wicked and vngodly deedes as cannot be conteyned within any number He laboreth to infeeble our trust in God and also to weaken or rather to take quite away the hope of our saluation and to quenche our loue towardes God and our charitie towardes our neybour To bee shorte hee neuer leaues assaulting of vs both within and without hee preasseth and pursueth vs and neuer giues vs any respite at all And whome he cannot ouercome by sodaine assault them he indeuoreth to tyre with long continuance and with holding on stil. He prompteth our mindes with filthy shamful and wicked thoughtes and inflameth vs with sundrie heates of lustes within and afterward he trumpeth such things in our way outwardly as may easily eyther corrupt vs by example or offend vs vnwares eyther in word or deede Finally he trieth al the ways to the woode that looke to what vice a man is most prone by nature and custome hee may throwe him headlong into it and so finally destroy him And not that onely but moreouer he laboureth by all meanes to coniecture and knowe what euery man thinketh in his owne minde by some outwarde signes and tokens Therefore of all things it is the hardest for a man to resist his so sundry greate temptations vnlesse god helpe our infirmity And the diuel assalteth vs not only in respect of the minde that is to witte by prouoking vs to innumerable sinnes and by thrusting vs headlong oftentimes into most horrible wicked deeds but also indeuoreth to the vttermost of his power to hurt our bodies to appaire hinder our helth to procure sicknesses to infect the ayre to rayse noysome tempestes to stirre vp deadly warres great vprores and troublesome seditions and to minister causes and occasions of hatred hartburning and enimitie both publique priuate wherof diuers times doe rise very great slaughters And he is not more to be feared when he assaulteth vs openly than when he stealeth vpon vs as it were by vndermining neither is be more to be dreaded when hee sheweth himselfe as he is than when he transformeth himselfe as sayth the apostle into an angel of light He dealeth with vs openly when he goeth about to driue vs to outwarde sinnes and wicked deedes as rape aduoutrie incest manslaughter witchcrafte and such like And he stealeth vppon vs by vndermyning when he assayleth vs vnwares by secrete traynes making vs negligent and in manner carelesse in hearing of gods woorde and slowe and slouthfull in trew godlynesse and honest dooings as in the deedes of charitie in praying to God in giuing him thankes and in executing euery man the dueties of his owne vocation and so oppresseth vs as it were in a sleepe And
are comonly healed by contraries Therefore he layeth before him this saying of our God and Lord Iesus Christ. Beware that your hartes be not ouer loden with surfetting And likewise this of the Apostles Ouercharge not your selues with wine wherein is superfluitie Again Drunkardes and Gluttons shal not inherite Gods kingdome And this saying of saint Peters Be sober and watch for your aduersarie the Diuell goeth about lyke a roaring Lyon seeking whom to deuoure c. And again this of Esay Wo be to you that rise early to fall to bibbing and to drunkennesse vntil night that yee may boyle in wine And the godly man bateth and abhorreth these vices of the belly the mouth so much the more bycause they prouoke the Flesh which is to vnruly alredy of it owne accorde to whoredome aduoutrie such other shamefull deeds according to this saying of the olde Poet VVhere wine is not there is no lecherie Neyther did Terence say amisse VVhere wine and daintie fare do want Dame Venus games wexe cold and scant For this cause Valerius Maximus witnesseth that in olde time the Romane womē were not acquaynted with wine verily least they might fall into any dishonestie bycause the next steppe of intemperance from wine is woonte to be to vnlawfull lecherie Also in that trifler of Africa Venus termeth sobrietie hir enimie threatening that she will vse hir seruice to disarme Cupid withal And in the Epistle to the Romans Paule hauing made mention of feasting and drunkennesse dothe by and by without putting any other words betwixt adde wantonnesse and vnchastitie poynting as it were with his finger that these do cōmonly followe of the other And that is euen the very cause why the holy men were woont to fast so often so long in olde time namely to the intent they might by any meanes the easilyer withstand the ouerlustinesse of their fleshe represse the rage of it brydle the lust of it kepe the filthy desires of it in awe and finally weaken and subdue the force of it And notwithstanding this their seking of remedie against the vnrulines of their flesh by abstinēce fasting theyr indeuoring to liue after a sort out of the Flesh being styl in the flesh in manner to ouermayster nature yet neuerthelesse they resorted humbly vnto God for helpe and succour in that harde incounter prayed vnto him continually reposing more hope trust in gods defēce thā in their own fasting The same do I counsell thee to do whosoeuer thou beest Now let vs speake of ydlenesse whervnto our Flesh is very prone likwise as which findeth nothing sweter thā slothfulnesse sleping lasinesse vnlustinesse loytering drowsinesse lithernesse It liketh hir wel do nothing to be cumbred with no businesse but to rest frō all care toyle But the man that is godly no lesse a christian in deede than in name beareth in minde y idlenesse is cause of al noughtinesse specially that filthy lusts are nurrished with ryot and ydlenesse as one witnesseth in a tragedie And therefore rightly doeth the wittie Poet say in the Remedie of loue By mine aduice shunne idlenesse the first of all For idlenes bredes loue loue in state maintains It is both cause food wheron the mischiefe feeds Take idlenes away and Cupids bowe is broke And al his bronds lye quencht both voyd of heate and light Hereto belongeth that which followeth anone after in the same place And thou that sekest end of loue be doing stil And thou art safe for loue giues place to paineful toyle Demaūdest thou wherfore Aegistus wedlock brake The cause apparant is he livde in idlenesse Ful trimme doth Lucian shewe in his dialoge of Venus and Cupid that loue and filthy lust can take no place in them that neuer rest from labour but are alwayes occupied about some businesse and woorke For any manne may easily see that that is the mark which the dialoge ameth at Besides this idlenesse dothe commonly cause vs to delight in feastings fellowshippes to follow ryot and fursetting to spende whole dayes in playing at dice too seke to make ourselues merry with fond talke ribaudly iesting and wanton and scoffing speeches to delight ourselues with gaudes shewes and with such dities notes and playing vppon instruments as are filthie both in wordes deedes and gestures and more ouer in dauncing frisking and al manner of leaping and finally to runne headlong into al kind of voluptuousenesse and vnrulynesse as dayly experience teacheth and the matter it selfe bewrayeth openly Therefore thou shalt do wel and rightly if thou be alwayes occupyed a-about some honest businesse as in studying in reading in following lustily the doinge of thy vocation and there withal poure out thy prayers oftentimes vnto God and crye vnto him for helpe likewise if thou thanke God for his benefits and if thy minde runne continually vpon the shortnesse vncertainetie of this life vppon the looking for death almost euery minute vpon Gods iudgement-seate vpon the paynes of hell and vppon the ioyes of the heauenly kingdome Again if thy minde bee occupyed in often musing vppon Christes comming in the fleshe vppon hys suffering of death for our saluatiō vpō his rysing again vnto life vpon his ascēding into heauen And finally if thou be not idle at any time but alwayes occupyed in some exercise And if thou haue nothing to occupie thy selfe vpon at home and yet how can that be get thee to some Churche bee at the hearing of some sermon bee at the cōmon prayers eyther mornings or euenings sing Psalmes hymnes to God in the congregation of the godly be present at the christning of children ioine with others in praying followe some corse to burial and cal to minde thine owne frayltie talke with thy godly acquaintance concerning diuine things call the poore to thy table visite the sicke comfort them incorage them to death or do some other thing beseeming a christian man And so thou shalt not be in perill of yeelding to the temptations of the fleshe or the Diuel For I am afrayd lest the getting of thee into the countrie thy walking about thine owne groundes the doing of some handworke the going abroad a hauking hunting fishyng the tending of gardines such other things wil helpe the matter very little But yet are not those things also without their cōmodities it is better to do those things than to doe nothing For in doing nothing men learne to doe euil according to Catoes oracle Euery ydle body is ful of conceyts sayth the holy man as I sayd the vnmeasurable desire of feasting and gaming with gluttonie surfetting do spring of ydlenesse And out of them flowe whoredome aduoutrye and other synnes worthy of euerlasting punishment as witnesseth holy writ Therefore by al meanes eschewe ydlenesse and assuring thy selfe of Gods helpe resiste the fleshe which is foreward of it selfe to ydlenesse lazinesse and slothfulnesse and allureth thee sweetly therunto Now let
rayler and a slaunderer beware that thou neyther say nor doe any thing vnbeseeming a Christen mā through anger nor stryue with him in scoldyng and brawlyng Unto these and suche other lyke thyngs the mynde must alwayes bee armed aforehande that nothing may seeme straunge to vs nor any thyng happen vnthought of or vnprouided for For as one sayth a sodeyne storme abassheth men more than the storme that is forescene For the auoyding of these and suche other things bycause the shunnyng of them in the open worlde seemed verye harde The godlye in tymes paste did shet vp themselues in some solitarie place wher ther might be no roome for so many occasions and causes of sinning nor for so many corruptions and stumbling blockes Not vnwisely certesse nor vnwarely did they deale in myne opinion but yet if all other men should doe the lyke who should gouern the common weale who should ouersee the Churche of God who should trayne vp youth in godlinesse nurture and learning who should incorage men to vertue by example Howsoeuer the case standeth yet must thou wrestle with the world wheresoeuer thou becommest vnlesse thou intend to liue altogither among the dennes of wyld beastes as the men that loued God did in the noble dayes of the auncient tymes Whom though thou imitate neuer so neerly yet am I afrayd that thou shalt fynde a world euen without the world that the very solitarinesse shall comber thee more than if thou leddest thy lyfe where as is most stirring and soughtest the common commoditie of others What remaineth then but that we liue in the world as out of the world that is to say that we kepe our selues vndefiled of the world as sayth S. Iames neyther loue the world nor the things in the world as saith S. Iohn And as the same Apostle addeth immediatly The things that are in the world are such as these namely the lust of the flesh the likings of the eyes and the pride of life And by those are meant all manner of lewde desires that fight against Gods law al inticements of pleasure all kindes of lusts and likings all couetousenesse ambition straungenesse all pride full of a certayne statelinesse and vayne brauerie and all troublesomnesse of life And these in very deede are the things that wee haue professed our selues to renounce in our Baptim and from the whiche all men must flee and keepe them selues pure and vndefiled at leastwise if they minde to be taken for Christians and to be so in deede For the loue of the worlde and the loue of God cānot agree togither bycause as sayth Sainte Iames the frendship of the worlde is enmitie against God so that whosoeuer will be frende to the worlde is made an vnfrende to god Now for the auoyding of the seuerall sinnes wherof bothe the causes and occasions doe spring of the worlde let euery man beare in mynde the sayings of the Scripture as for example against hatred and hartburning towards our neybor this saying of Saint Iohn Whosoeuer hateth his brother is a manslear and you knowe that no māslear hath euerlasting life abiding in him And if any man say I loue God and hateth his brother he is a lyar Against wrath thys saying of our Sauiors Whosoeuer is angry with his brother vnaduisedly shall be in danger of iudgement Against rayling and mis-speaking Whosoeuer calleth his brother foole shall bee in daunger of Hell fire And this of Paules Euill speakers shall not possesse the kingdome of god Against impatiēce and desire of reuenge this saying of Christes Loue your enimies wishe well to them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them that hurt you and persecute you that ye may be the sonnes of your father which is in heauen And agayne if ye forgiue not men their misdeedes neyther will your father forgiue you your misdeedes I will not pursew these things any further Let vs remember that the occasions and as yee woulde say the handles whereby to take hold of these sinnes are giuen vs of the world but the roote of them all is fastned deepely in the flesh and that the world doth oftentimes cause the vices to brust out whiche lie hidden within in the flesh Dung sayth one doth not alwayes cast an ill sent but stirre it and thou shalt smell it Euen so wee whiche seeme to our selues to bee meeke gentle godly and christianly in deed do by and by bewray what wee bee as soone as the worlde ministreth occasion For then true speech doth from the hart proceede The vizor gone the thing remaynes in deede That is to say the naughtynesse and sinfulnesse which cleaueth fast to the bowels and maree of vs bursteth out whensoeuer occasion is giuen and bewrayeth it selfe so as the secret vices that lay hid in the innermost nookes of the mind appeare and the priuie thoughtes of the hart whiche lay wrapped vp in darknesse as sayth the Apostle are brought to opē light so as a man may nowe in manner feele with his handes the faultinesse stayning and corruption that is bred within vs by nature The world sheweth foorth riches welth glory honor and pleasure These stirre vp the inward lurking couetousnesse ambition sensualitie and other lustes and affections and bewray a man to be farre otherwise than hee pretended to be A man is at a deyntie fyne and sumptuous feast wher there wanteth neyther pleasant meate nor most excellent and noble wine In this cace perchance he that tooke himselfe to be very sober and well stayd by nature shal finde in him some pronenesse and forwardnesse of his flesh to riot and surfetting For the vice that lay lurking within indeuoureth to burst foorth into act vnlesse ye meete it by the way and resist it and fight against it with all your power as the wel disposed sort such as feare God haue bin wont to do So likewise that I may alledge another example the beholding of a fayre and welfauored woman shall peraduenture cause a man which douted nothing lesse before to feele some filthy inclination of his flesh vnto wickednesse whyche eyther he was vtterly ignorant of before or at leastwise beleeued it not to be of so great force to set him on fire Therefore let no man let no man I say trust too much to him selfe but let euery man suspect himselfe and acknowledge both the wonderfull forwardnesse of the flesh vnto all sin and wickednesse and also the weakenesse and frailtie of man to withstande it and to the intente he may eschue the sinnes them selues let him according to the commō saying eschue the occasions of sin but yet let him in any wise call always vppon God for help and succour and so liuing in a cleane body let him labour and trauel towards heanenly things in his mind And inespecially looke what vices euery man is most giuē vnto by nature let him diligently shun both the causes and occasiōs of them in the world Let him