The texte.

BUt surely albeit in the vse of suche thinges there be no difference nor choyse among suche as are in the fayth of Christ throughly instructed, so that they vse them* not for pleasure, but for neede, as I before tolde you, yet if there be peraduenture any suche among you, as for exāple, a Iewe borne, whiche by reason of his long continued custome and trade of life, is some what sctu∣pulous, and not yet so growen vp to that ripenes of fayth, that he can forgoe al the rules of his old law, suche one may not by & by disdainfully be reiected, but rather with gentle and courtise maners allured and no∣rished, vntyl that he like wyse profite, and in fayth growe stronger, wher∣vnto ye shal muche rather bryng him by fauourable meanes, than by cō∣tencious reasonyng and disputacions.

Page  xxxviiiConsidre in suche matters, how vnmete a thing it is, that suche actes, as may without offence be done, should streight be taken in the worse parte. But to thentent that peace and cōcorde may among you be main∣tained and stedfastly abyde, certaine thinges must be wynked at, some thinges must be suffered, and some thinges must gently be takē. Suche gentle & fauorable takyng of thinges vpholdeth and preserueth the felowship of this our comen lite.

And synce mennes mindes among them selues are sondry and diuers, surely in a multitude neuer wyl there be stedfast peace, vnlesse in diuers* pointes one geue place to an other. For he that is without all serupulo∣sitie, thynketh it lawfull without any difference to eate what meate him lust, in that acte nothyng els regardyng, but what nature requireth. Againe he that is yet weake and somewhat supersticious, lest he might chaunce either vpō fishe or other meates forbidden either by the Iewes lawe, or offered vp to idols, liueth with herbes. Suche thinges among you ought not so to be regarded, that for them brotherly peace be broken. Let him that is strong, & eateth al meates, so vse his strength, that yet he* dispise not the weaker, whiche feareth to eate. Let him againe, whiche fo∣lowyng the weakenes of his mynde abstaineth from certayne kyndes of meate, neither judge nor condemne him, whiche without difference ta∣keth whatsoeuer is sette before him. But rather lette him that is strong, beare with the weake, in this sence takyng it: this errour conceiued and gathered by long custome of his former life, cannot sodainly be plucked out of his minde, it wyll by litle and lytle weare away, & as in him godly∣nes groweth, supersticion wyll vanishe and auoyde. Lykewyse he that is scrupulous, when he seeth an other eate all kyndes of meate, let him this wyse thynke with him selfe: what matter maketh it to me, what this man doeth▪ and likely it is, that he doeth it of a good mynde, synce God hath receiued and taken him vnto him, and made him his owne, at whose* pleasure heliueth, against whom onely he offendeth, if there be in suche thinges any offence, as of them selfe are not cuil.

Now if it be an arrogant point to dispise the weakenes of him, that is supersticious, and deceiued through rudenes, how muche more intolle∣rable pride wyl this be (thinke ye) if suche one as in y^• fayth is but weake, take vpō him to iudge and condemne him that is stronger, euen as the rule and custome of vnlearned people is, whiche thinke nothing rightful* but that them selfe do, and thinke all that good, that they allowe? Maye not a man wel say to suche one, what art thou, that iudgest and condem∣nest an other mannes seruaunt? There is but one lord and maister of al, Iesus Christ. To him stādeth he▪ if he be strong in fayth, & to him falleth he, if he offende, as thou thinkest, he doeth. For he in dede for this shall not fall, but rather be stablished to continue in his strong fayth. His maister is sufficiently able and mete to strengthen his seruaunt, that he stagger not at all.