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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B00888	The Christian manuell, or of the life and maners of true Christians. A treatise, wherein is plentifully declared, how needefull it is for the seruaunts of God to manifest and declare to the world: their faith by their deedes, their words by their works, and their profession by their conuersation. VVritten by Ihon VVoolton minister of the Gospel, in the Cathedral church of Excetor.	Woolton, John, 1535?-1594.	1576 (1576)	STC 25976; Interim Tract Supplement Guide G.1999[2]	81,916	210

all strength according to the power of his glorie to all suffering and patience with hope And in another place Ye were once darknesse but nowe are you lyghte in the Lorde walke as chyldren of the light for the fruite of the spirite consisteth in al goodnesse iustice and trueth allowing that which is acceptable to God and haue you no fellowshippe with the vnfruitful workes of darknesse but rather rebuke them Therefore as the Apostle commaundeth the faithfull to walke worthy of theyr vocation and sheweth them also howe they maye doo the same euen so the godly alway doo those things which they are commaunded and dyrect theyr workes to this ende that they maye declare them selues to bée the chyldren of the lyght The chyldren of God also in their workes labour to profitte all men and to hurt none Let no man sayeth the Apostle seeke those thinges that bee his owne but that which is anothers as I in all thinges please all men not seeking my owne gaine but the profitte of many that they maie be saued And these workes of Godly men do excéedinglye please the Lorde our God but not of their owne dygnitie and worthynesse if ye weygh them in respect of men or in them selues but because they are done of those that are reconcyled to God in Christ by faith and new obedyence And if nowe and then through the corruption of our nature wée fall into sinne and wickednesse whereby we steyne and pollute the good workes yet God such is his goodnesse wynketh as it were at suche escapes couering our fylthinesse and spots with the garment of his Christ hee washeth and cleanseth the same with his most precious blood wherof the Apostle speaketh thus There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Iesus who walke not after fleshe but after the spirite and who shall laye any thing against the electes charge It is God that iustifyeth who is he that wyll condempne c. And that these good workes of Christians are acceptable to God and please him it appeareth by that that God rewardeth and crowneth the same with great honors and rewardes both in this life and in the lyfe to come Obserue and heare sayeth the Lord all those thinges which I commaund thee that it maie be wel with thee and thy children after thee when thou shalt doo that thing which is good and acceptable in the sight of the Lord thy God. The Prophet also speaking beforehand of the Christians I wil bring them saith he into my holie moūtaine and I wyl cheare them in the house of praier their offeringes and oblations shall please mee vpon my aulter Whervnto the Apostle no doubte had respect saying I beseeche you brethren by the mercifulnes of God that you woulde offer your bodies a quick holie and acceptable sacrifice to God which is your reasonable seruing of God. And the promise made by God vnto Abraham in all the faithful in him is most comfortable in that he sayth He wyl be their defence plentiful reward And the Apostle sayth That godlynes hath promise both in this life and in the lyfe to come And againe The iuste iudgement of God shall be declared which wyll rewarde euerie man according to his deedes To them which by continewing in well doing seeke for glorie and honour and immortalytie But vnto them that are contritious and doo not obeye the trueth but obeye vnrighteousnesse shall come indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish vppon euerie soule of man that doth euyll Wherefore wée see it moste euydent that GOD hath prepared most plentyfull and lyberall rewardes aswell in this lyfe as in the lyfe to come to all those that hate synne and worke ryghteousnesse and the Apostle approoueth Gods Iustyce by the same whyles that hée sayeth God is not vniuste that hee vvyll forgette your vvorke These and many other such places of scripture do sufficiētly declare that God rewardeth the good works of godly men And yet it is not to bee inferred or collected that they maye truste to be iustified and saued thereby For the godly do freely and willingly confesse that theyr workes are rewarded of grace and not of theyr owne meryt especially for that they euer doo féele and perceyue that throughe humayne infyrmitye theyr workes are neuer so perfyt but that they haue néede of Gods mercy to mytigate the rigor of his Iustice and examining theyr good workes Therefore in consyderation of theyr hyre or reward the godly ertoll Gods grace and mercy who geueth to the vndeseruinges as though they had deserued and perceyuing imbecillytye and wickednesse in them selues are humbled in myndes and crye with the Prophet If thou O Lord marke our iniquities whoo is able to abide it Almightye Gods dooing in this and many other matters maye bée resembled to carnall parentes who hauing sonnes to be theyr heires by lawe of nature and byrthright yet they inflame and kyndle dertue setting before their eyes gyfts and rewards Whose gracious vertuous children acknowledge themselues to owe al euen of duty to their Parents without rewards and therefore they referre all such benefyts and rewardes to the meere bounty and lyberalytye of their Parents They looke not for hyre and rewardes as seruaunts and hirelings but onely for the fauor and loue of their heauenly father And as the sonnes of the frée woman and not the sonnes of the bondwoman are heyres euen so the kingdom of God is not the stipend of seruauntes but the rewarde and heritage of children To conclude this matter of meryt and reward the mercifull and gratious Lord rewardeth his louing chyldren for their good workes not for the perfection and dignity of the sayd workes but because the doers of those good workes are sōnes and chyldren They are made sonnes heyres by adoption in Christ therefore their workes are acceptable to God not in respecte of them selues but for Christes sake in whom they are ingraffed and of whose moysture as it were of heauenly dew they are partakers so that all their rewards are of necessity referred to the grace and mercy of god And although we graunt renumeration and rewarde of good workes yet meryts or Desertes cannot be inferred thereof that by our workes wee are able to procure eternall lyfe For the scripture seemeth of purpose in all places to auoyde the word merit The stypend of sinne is death but eternall lyfe is the gift of God through Iesus Christ and therefore Sainte Augustine wryt very excellently VVilt thou fall from grace then boast thy owne merites And agayne VVhen a man seeth that all his goodnesse commeth not of him selfe but of God he easely acknowledgeth all that which is prayseworthy in him not to be of his owne merites but of the mercy of God. Neyther yet is the earnest and ardent desire of working righteousnesse extinguyshed and quenched by this doctrine as our aduersaries slanderously lay vnto

in iniquity He that beléeueth that he is a Cyttezen with the Sainctes in heauen wil followe the vertues in the Sainctes both in pyety towarde God and charyetye towarde hys neyghboure The second wytnes or watchman of mans doings when he is alone is the holy Aungell whome God hath appoynted to be his garder and guyder And what care ought we to take that wyth our fylthy and abhominable lyfe we do not alienate and driue away from vs so faythfull a kéeper For the good spirites are not delighted with shamefull and detestable déedes as Deuylls are but with purenesse and holynesse of lyfe The Apostle Saynct Paule wryting to the Corinthians sayeth that a woman ought to be couered in the congregation whereby she may acknowledge and testifie that she is subiect to hir husbande and he addeth because of the Aungels shewing that if shée bée not moued with the shame and reuerence of men shée should yet that she ought to do it in respecte of the Aungelles préesent and beholding hir What soeuer therefore thou hast in hand if thou desire to auoyde the lighte and to worke the déedes of darknes yet remember I saye the cleare eyes of the bryght Aungell vewing and beholding thee And let the awe and reuerence of him staye thy enterpryse restrayne thy appetyte and brydle the vnlawfull concupisence The wales and doores maye kéepe backe man that hee cannot come vnto thée but the subtyll nature of an Aungel wyl pearse the strongest and thickest places God then is present and his Aungell séeth thee O wicked and dampned man if thou contempne suche ouerlookers The third wytnesse whereof I made mention before whiche regestreth and as it weare enrowleth all and euery of our thoughts actions is the Cōscience and Chrisostome and Barnarde nameth her Is a witnesse a Iudge a Tormentor who if shee sleepe for a tyme yet shee breaketh out at the last especially at the hower of death and geueth a thousande euidences against men The Conscience in vsuall common spéeche is accoumpted in steede of a thousande wytnesses Seneca amongst many other golden lessons wryteth hereof after this manner Thou mayst then thinke thy selfe happie when thou canst lyue openlie when thy house couereth thee but doth not hyde thee for many men make wals and houses not so much to liue cōmodiously as to sinne couertly I wyl speake but one thing wherby thou maist iudge of mens maners condicions Thou shalt scarcelye find one man in a countrey that wyll lyue with his gates open A guilty Conscience rather then arrogancy and safety built doores and gates But what auaileth it to lye secreete and to auoyde the eyes and eares of men for a good Conscience calleth company whereas an euyll Conscience is careful and feareful being alone If our doinges be honest what matter is it if all men knowe them but if they bevnhonest what commoditie is it that others are ignoraunt of that which tormenteth thy selfe A wretche and a myser art thou if thou contempne suche a wytnesse c. Many other notable sentēces are left vnto vs in the works of the Ethnykes touching this wytnesse the Conscience which because I haue cyted plentyfully in my booke of the Conscience I wyll omyt to collect any more in to this roome And for that as I haue sayde before our Conscience séemeth som tyme eyther to sleepe or to geue vs a louely and frendly countenance much lyke a Creditour who vpon some considerations nowe and then beareth with his debtour and geueth him a longer daye of Pay but if his patience bee to much abused and no daye obserued and kept he bringth him to an Outlary Euen so conscience looketh sterne at the last and calleth his debtour to a harde and wayghty accoumpt The wyse and welmeaning debtour who goeth eyther vppon the score or booke hath oftentymes an eye vnto the score least he be ouerreckoned runne in the lashe euen so we if there be any forecare in vs to departe this worlde quietlye and to make an euen reckoning ought oftentymes to resort vnto our credytor the Conscience and to haue an especiall regarde that we maye well passe our accoumpt with him Let vs then euerye daye once at the least and especiallye at nyght when wée goe to bedde open our tables and noates of remembraunces and take a viewe as it were howe we haue spent that daye And when wée haue layde downe our actions seuerallye let vs enquyre of our Conscience her iudgement and opynion and shee out of hande wyll open vnto vs wherein we haue eyther done well or euyll So shall wée as the Apostle exhorteth vs worke our saluation with tremblyng and feare wée shall shake of securitie and carelesnesse and syncéerelye walke in our vocation and calling Which order was dyllygently obserued euen amongst the Ethnikes for we reade that Pythagoras gaue in commaūdement to his schollars that they should straightly keepe his custome And Seneca hath a lyke e●ample of one Sextius whose wordes being full of wytte and godlynesse must néedes be both pleasant and profytable to the Readers This was Sextius fashion euerie nyght when hee went to reste to examyne him selfe saying vvhat faulte hast thou mended this daye vvhat vyce haste thou resysted vvherein arte thou better staye thy hastie nature and thou shalt come with more moderation before the Iudge In this disputation thou waste ouer whote and contentious meddle not with the ignoraunt henceforth Thou dealt ouer sharplie with that man and hast rather offended him then amended him Hereafter take care not onlie to saye the trueth but also consyder whether thou speake to one that wyll and can abyde to heare it c. This is my manner and thus I vse to doo when the candle is put out I search and syfte my wordes and deedes I hyde nothing from my selfe I passe nothing ouer for why shoulde I moued eyther with feare or shame doo so seeing I maye safelie saye vnto my selfe I forgeue thee nowe but amende this geare and see thou doo so no more And Seneca addeth of his owne immediatlye VVhat can bee more commendable sayeth hee then this kynde of tryall and examination vvhat a golden sounde and quiette sleepe muste needes followe vvhen as the minde is eyther commended or amended vvith the graue and vpright information of a mannes owne manners These Heathen menne shall ryse againste vs at the laste daye and condempne vs for they mooued with loue of cyuile vertues haue daylye and déepelye looked into theyr lyues spente but wée that professe Christe are secure and neglygent and neuer caste our eyes vppon yesterdaye nor purpose to performe any thing the daye following If we woulde inure our selues to this custome and practyse the same but a fewe dayes it woulde in shorte space be both moste pleasaunt vnto vs and vnlesse I be deceyued would also bréede and bring forth the fruites agréeable to a Christian callyng and profession But howe

he caried let it fall vppon his head wherewith he was kylled out of hand Lucian a man learned and eloquent but a derider of all religion and namely a blasphemer of Christian religion traueling by the waye was sodenly set vppon by doges and worried a death meete for such a blasphéemer and a terryble example to all contemners and deriders of religion and godlynesse The scriptures also want not examples The churlysh riche man Naball who at his sheapshearing held a feast in his house lyke a king but denyed to reléeue Dauid then persecuted and in distresse within ten dayes after was smytten of the Lord and so dyed Ananias and Sapphira pretending that they gaue theyr whole patrymonye to the releefe of the poore in the primatyue church but indéede reseruing a portion to them selues and so lying to the holye ghost were Immediately stricken of God and so ended theyr lyues to the fearfull example of all Hypocryts and dissemblers and speciallye in matters perteyning to relygion Herodes Agrippa being in most glorious magnifycence and contented to heare him selfe extolled to be rather a God then a man was sodenly smytten by the Aungell of the Lorde and dyed amost myserable death The ryche man of who me mention is made that he intended to pul downe his barnes and garnaries and to build larger sayde to his soule Soule thou hast prouision layde vp in store for many yeres and therefore take thine ease Eate drink and be mery but what became of him God sayd vnto him Thou fole euen this very night shal thy soule be taken from thee then who shall haue that which thou hast prouided The example of Nabucodonozor is very terrible who walking in his pallace and glorying in his strong stately citty Babilon whiles the words were yet in his mouth was sodenly stricke with a plage worse then death for the vse of reason was taken away from him him self turned amōgst beasts became as a beast eating hay like an Oxe to teach al posteritis ensuing not to glory in things of this world which are but vaine but that he which glorieth should glory in the Lord. Neuertheles I grant it to be true that aswel the godly as the vngodly somtime are taken with sodden death as that famous and godly Humfery Duke of Glocester sodenly dyed in his bed albeit not without some suspicion of violence and much lyke to that was Iohn Hunne and many others But howsoeuer the godlye dye deare and acceptable is theyr death in Gods syght and at what time soeuer they are taken they are in ease and refreshing whereas wicked and vngodly mennes death especially their sodayne death is as the scripture sayeth Mors peccatorum pessima Which fearful speache ought to keepe good men in awe and feare of God in reuerence towarde them selues and in examyning surely of theyr lyues and conuersations To conclude this part of reuerence and duety toward our selues when wée are sequestred from companye let vs obserue and marke what men doo in greate pestylences and mortabyties howe sorrowfull they are for their synnes and carefull to amende theyr lyues euen so mortall man in consideration of his manyfold peryls dangers which hang ouer his head euery hower ought to vse al dylygent consideration to amend and to continue in well doing But as it fareth in these wordly and temporall matters so commeth it to passe in spirituall matters For in aduersity as in pestilences famyne warre earthquakes men acknowledge Gods iust wrath and indignation agaynst synne but when things goo as they would haue them they abuse his goodnesse and mercye and neuer thinke neither of the hower of death nor of the daye of doome nor of the Trumpe of God nor of the torments of Hell nor yet of the gnashing of teeth and worme of the Cōscience which neuer dyeth The remembraunce of which things shoulde neuer slyde out of our myndes whether wée ryse in the morning or laye vs downe to sléepe in the euening whether wée dyne or suppe whether we enterpryse weighty matters or are wyllyng to sporte and recreate our selues In all these thinges wée should obserue the préecept of the wyse man VVhatsoeuer thou takest in hand remember thy end and thou shalt neuer do amysse And hytherto haue I wrytten of that duetye and honesty whiche a man ought to vse when he is solytarye and alone Nowe I wyll discende to that whiche is requysit and necessary for him that wyll lyue in publyke and common socyety The office and duetye of a Christian as he lyueth publykely and hath to do in the world is of two sortes to wyt either pertyculer in respect of some state and vocation in the whiche he lyueth being eyther a master or a seruant a Father or a chyld a husband or a wyfe c. or else generall in that he is a man and a Christyan man whereby he is lynke● to others with that fast knotte of humanitie and pyttie wherein he excelleth all other earthly creatures Of mennes degrées and functions I shall if God permyt intreate hereafter now I wyl touch briefly that decent honest and godlye behauiour of Christians which ought to shyne lyke a Lampe in the eyes of men that they beholding the same may glorify God in the daye of visitation The matter is plentifull and as it were a large field to walke in but to obserue any certaine order or methode in it is very harde to please all men I wyll therfore select out of the holy scripture the which s●emeth vnto mee most conuenient to this purpose and as I sayd shortly in few words minding to geue vnto my Readers an occasion admonition only of further study and cogitation That elect vessell of saluation S. Paul writeth hereof after this manner I beseech you brethren by the mercyfulnes of God that you geue vp your bodies a quick sacrifice holy acceptable vnto God which is your reasonable seruice And be not ye fashioned lyke vnto this worlde but be you chaunged in your shape by the renewing of your mind that you may proue what is the good and acceptable perfyt wyll of God. The Apostle exhorteth vs to dedycate consecrate and vow our selues wholly to God that we shoulde offer our bodies as a sacryfice to our God in mortefying the fleshe in crucifying the olde man in denying of our selues and in submytting vs totallye to his worshypping and seruyce in obeying him in holynesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life And immediatly after he saith Loue without dissimulation hating euyl cleaning to good Affectioned one to another with brotherly loue in geuing honour going one before another Not lyther in businesse feruent in spirite seruing the lord Reioysing in hope pacient in trouble instaunt in prayer Distrybuting to the necessitie of the Saintes geuen to hospitalitie Blesse them which persecute you blesse I saye and curse not Reioyce with them that reioyce and

woulde haue men to vse often fasting which is not a choyse of some certaine sortes of meates but a perpetuall sobrietie and temperancie of lyfe to the ende they maye the rather bryddle and kéepe vnder carnall lustes and concupiscences Our sauiour Christ therefore byddeth vs beware that our hartes be not oppressed with surfetting And his Apostle Oppresse not your selfe with wyne wherein is ryotte Fasting is commended vnto vs in the examples of Moyses Elyas Daniel Christ and his Apostles Let vs neuer forget that vvoo of the Prophete VVoo bee vnto those that ryse earlie in the morning to followe dronkennesse And that of Ambrose is worthy remembraunce Vse a lyttle wine to auoyde infirmitie not to augment pleasure vvine and youth kindle a flame But fasting doeth bridle young yeares and a spare dyet doth keepe vnder luste and carnalytie And S. Chrysostome He that coupleth fasting and praier hath two winges which wyll make him able to passe the windes in swiftnesse Thirdlye Almes déedes are commendable and needefull and it is to be obserued that of these three vertues Prayer is properly referred vnto God Fasting to our selues and Almes to our neighbor And for that many now a dayes doo orre and are deceyued in the name of Almes thinking that to be onely when a péece of money meate or cloath is geuen vnto the Poore I thinke it not amysse to put downe Augustines mynde touching this matter Who dooth not accoumpt onelye those vulger matters to be almes whiche I rehearsed before but these also to forgeue the offendour to amend others with reprehention and correctition For many Almes are gyuen to those that are vnwyllinge to receyue them when wée rather respect mennes welfayre then wylfulnesse Touchinge the commendation of this vertue let vs harken to the Prophete saying Breake thy breade to the hongrye and bring the poore and straunger into thy house vvhen thou seest one naked Couer hym and despyse not thyne owne fleshe then shalt thou pray and the Lorde shall heare thee and Salomon Gyue of thy fyrste frutes vnto the poore so shall it come to passe that thy barnes shal be fylled and thy wynepresse wyth wyne And agayne He that gyueth vnto the Poore lendeth vnto the Lorde And Tobias Prayer wyth Almes and fastyng is verye good Basylyus Magnus Openeth wyth a fyne symylytude howe acceptable Almes is vnto all myghtye god Euen as séede sayeth he which is cast into the grounde bryngeth increase to the Sower so dooth Almes bring foorth great commodytye afterwarde And Lactantius If the worshyppers of false Gods doo decke and trymme Idolles and Images and bestowe vppon them the moste precious thing they haue whiche thinges can neyther gyue them thankes nor yet vse those thinges that are put vppon them howe much beséeming Christians is it to decke and trymme the Images of the lyuing God who as they are both able to vse them and to bée thankfull for them Euen so GOD in whose sight thou doest those thinges wyll both allow thy fact and requyte thée with rewarde But amongst many cautions in geuing of Almes this is not the leaste or laste to bée obserued of faythfull Christyans That wée bée lyberall and bountyfull toward the poore of our owne goodes truelye gotten and that we spoyle not one to reléeue another Wherefore if any man haue vniustlye gotten any goods he ought rather to restore the same to the true owner then to succour néedy straungers therewith Tobias therefore charged his sonne to gyue Almes of his owne substaunce And Salomon Honour God with thy owne substaunce and geue vnto the poore of the frewts of thy owne Corne. And Zacheut the Publican when hee had promysed to geue halfe of his goods to the poore he addeth that if be had done anye man wrong he woulde make restitution fowre fould Some man desirous to fynde a cloake to couer his extortion may peraduenture obiect that of our Sauiour Make you freendes of the vnrighteous Mammon And agayne the commendation of the vniust Steward that he had done verye wisely But the aunswere is plaine and easy That he nameth Mammon which in the Siriacke tongue signifieth Riches vnrighteousnesse either because they are commonly gotten vniustlye whereof commeth that speach A rich man is eyther vniust or the heyre of an vniuste Man or else because they are the occasions of many myschéefes or else for that the abuse of them is dyuerse and manyfould in this our nature depraued with originall Synne the parent of all euyll and wickednesse For whereas we should vse Riches modestly as our seruaunts for our owne and our neighbours behalfe wee abuse the same in prodigalytye and laciuiousnesse and turne often Gods giftes to his reproche Christes meaning therefore was not that men should Iniuriouslye get ryches to geue Almes thereof neyther is it néedefull that all partes of the Parable shoulde be lyke For in the Application of a Symilytude we ought to ponder the principall scope and not to respect any circumstance and particle The chéefe state or scope of the symilytude is not in the collation of a fraudulent mynde not in Infydelity or theft but in the wyse and prouident forcare in purchasing frends whose example therein our Sauiour would haue vs to followe He dyd this that being put out of his offyce those whome he had gratified would receiue him into their houses this ought wée to doo in spirituall matters that when we shall haue néede we may be receyued into euerlasting Tabernacles Christ our sauiour blameth them in that place mannes contempte of celestiall and eternall thinges whose dyllygence and care is great and alwayes busyed about thinges néedefull for his body which are but worldly and temporall But to returne to my matter which is that wée ought to bée Chrystians not onelye in worde but also in déede that wee maye bée feared from vyce and allured to vertue lette vs sette before our eyes alwayes that dreadfull daye Whiche the Prophete togeather wyth the Apostle nameth the daye of affliction and anguishe the daye of calamytie and myserie the daye of darknesse and blacknesse the daye of Clowde and whyrlewynde when as God shall rewarde vnto euerye man according to his worke Againe let the ioyes of heauen and Crowne of glorye allure vs to vertue and godlynesse whereof the Prophete also and the Apostle speaketh thus The eye hath not séene the eare hath not hearde neyther haue the ioyes entered into mannes harte which God hath prepared for them that loue him Let vs remember that we must once wyll wée nyll wee forsake this worlde but wée wotte not when nor howe soone Death as one wryteth by meanes of vncertaine chaunces is alvvaies imminent At what tyme GOD wyll requytte euerye man according to his desartes eyther with plagues and punishmentes endlesse in iustice or ioyes and blysses eternall in mercie Let vs then bée alwaye readie against that daye