¶ These thinges reache & echorte. If eny man folowe other doctrine, and enclyne not un∣to the wholsome wordes of our Lorde. Iesu Christe, and to the doctrine whiche is accor∣dyng to godlynes, he is puft vp, & knoweth nothing: but wasteth his braynes aboure que∣tions and stryfe of wordes, wherof sprynge enuye; stryfe, raylynges, euyll surmy synges, vayne dysputacions of men that h••••e corrupte mindes, and that are robbed of the trueth: whiche thincke, that lucre is godlynesse. From them y• are soche separate thy selfe. God∣lynesse is great rychesse: yf a man be conten•• with that he hath: For we brought nothynge into the world, nether maye we cary any thing out. But when we haue fode and ruyment we must therwith be content. They that wythe ryche, fall into temptacion and snares o•• the deuyl, and into many folysshe and noysom lustes, whiche drowne men into perdicion and destruccion. For courteousnes of money is the rote of all euyll: whiche whyle some lasted after, they erred from the faith, and tangled them selues with many sorowes. But thou man of God, flye suche thinges. Folowe ryghtewesnes, godlynes, faith, loue▪ paci∣ence, meaknes. Fight the good fyght of faith. Laye hande on eternall lyfe, wherunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
These thinges teache with autoritie: vnto these thinges exhorte them that be slacke. This doctrine is a true gospellyke doctrine, that maketh vnto god∣lynes of lyfe, & maketh vs bothe accepted of god and beloued of men. Yf any man bryng in a contrarye doctrine vnto this, and geueth not himselfe vnto the moost true wordes of the Lorde Iesu Christe, nor obeyeth vnto this doctrine whiche beyng agreable vnto the gospell calleth not men vnto supersticious questions but vnto offices of godlynes: suche one the lesse true knowledge he hathe, the more he taketh vpon him. For lyke as knowledge is a modest thinge, euen so there is nothing more hyghe mynded or stubburne than folyshe igno∣raunce. And he y• is taken with that dysease, and is turned awaye from the syn∣ceritie of the gospell, outrageth about triflynge questions, without considera∣cion of the lyfe, braullyng with wordes, which are so lytel auayleable vnto true godlynes, y• they rather engendre a mischiefe of Christiā godlynes, bycause that of suche maner brablyng strifes arryseth enuie, whyle by dimynisshynge of o∣ther mens autoritie we seke autoritie vnto our selues: There aryse also cōten∣cions, whilest by reason of hoot chiding wordes none wyll geue place vnto an other: there aryse also scoldinges as often as the mattre groweth in to outrage: there aryse also wycked suspicions against god, whā those thinges, that ought to be beleued without questionyng, are called by humayne reasonynges in to question as doubtefull thinges. And many there be that as it were with a con∣tagiousnes are infected with the rubbyng of this scabbe of men, whose myndes are infecte with naughtye couetous lustes, and beyng blynded therwith they see not the trueth of the gospel, nor conferre their doctrine to this ende, but rather they measure godlynes and religion by their owne gayne, and woulde haue the thing to seme moost holye, not that maketh other men more acceptable to God, but that can bryng them selues to be best set by, & get them mooste auauntage. But thou mayest not in any wyse thinke, y• those men can be ouercommen with