Saint Augustine his enchiridion to Laurence, or, The chiefe and principall heads of all Christian religion a most profitable booke to all those which desire to haue a most compendious briefe of Augustines doctrine, out of Augustine himselfe, when he was old, being repurged, by the old manuscript, of many faults and vnusuall wordes, wherewith it formerly flowed.

CHAP. 78.

That certaine things seeme little in respect of the kinde and qua∣litie thereof: which are sinnes notwithstanding, albeit re∣puted in the number of lesser sinnes.

IT resteth in the iudgement of God, and not of man, to deter∣min of sins, which of them be lit∣tle, & which be great. For we see that certain things were permit∣ted by the Apostles thēselues by way of pardō; as was that which venerable Paul saith vnto man and wife, Defraude not one ano∣ther except it be with consent for a time, that ye may giue your selues to prayer, & againe come togither that Satan tempt you not for your incontinencie. It might be thought not to be a sin for a man

to haue carnall knowledge with his wife vpon any other motion then to beget children (which is the good of matrimonie) but for carnall pleasure, that therby the weakenesse of those which can∣not liue chastly might auoyd the deadly sin of fornication, adulte∣rie, or any other kinde of vncleā∣nesses (too filthie to bee vttered, and whereunto lust may inforce vs through the tentatîon of Sa∣than) therfore might be thought not to be a sinne as I saide, but that he addeth afterwardes, This I say of fauour and not of commā∣dement. Who now denieth it to be a sinne, when as the authority of the Apostle confesseth that they are to haue toleratiō which do the same? It is also of the like nature where it is said, Dare any of you hauing businesse with an o∣ther, be in aged vnder the vniust, & not rather vnder the Saints? And a little afterwards, If then yee haue iudgement of things pertai∣ning to this life, set vp them to

iudge which are least esteemed in the Church. I speake it to your shame; Is, it so that there is not a wise man among you, no not one that shall be able to iudge between his brethren? But brother go∣eth to lawe with brother, and that vnder the vnbeleeuers? For, there it may be thought, that to haue sued one against another, were no sinne: but because hee would haue his cause iudged out of the Church, therfore in the prosecu∣tion of that matter, he saith fur∣ther, Now, therfore there is vt∣terly a fault amongst you, be∣cause yee goe to lawe one with an∣other. And, lest any man should excuse this sinne in this sort: say∣ing, that he hath iust occasion to goe in law in suffering a wrong which hee seeketh to auoide by the sentence of such as set in place of authoritie; by and by hee meeteth with such surmises, and excuses: saying, Why rather sufferre not wrong? Why rather suffer yee not barned? To come to

that again which the Lord spea∣keth, saying, If any man will sue thee at the law to take away thy cloake, let him haue thy coat also. And in another place hee sayeth, Hee that taketh from thee those things which be thine, doe not seek them againe. Hee therefore for∣bad those which were his, to goe to law with other men for world∣ly things. Out of which doctrin the Apostle saith that it is sin to sue: Howbeit, when hee suf∣freth such trials of lawe to passe betweene brethren, brethren being iudges, but vehemently forbiddeth the same out of the Church; It appeareth here, what by leaue may be granted to the weak. In respect whereof, and of the like sins, with others though lesse then these committed through offences growing out of our owne words or thoughts (The Apostle Iames saying and confessing for in many thinges wee all affend) It is necessarie that wee dayly and often pray (vnto

the Lord, saying, Forgiue vs our trespasses: not lying in that which followeth, as wee for∣giue them which trespasse against vs.