A forme of Christian pollicie drawne out of French by Geffray Fenton. A worke very necessary to al sorts of people generally, as wherein is contayned doctrine, both vniuersall, and special touching the institution of al Christian profession: and also conuenient perticularly for all magistrates and gouernours of common weales, for their more happy regiment according to God.

Of Christian amitie, and how ma∣ny sortes of friendships there be. Chapter. iij.

HAuing not yet spoken of the dutie of a friend but in generall sort, nor of Christian charitie, wherein consists the perfection of a Christian, and of moste deare commendacion in the Scripture: it cannot be impertinēt to inferre some discourse therof, the necessitie of our purpose so requiring. Amitie is of foure kindes: as naturall, ciuill, carnall (such as was amongst the Pagans) and Christian or spirituall. The two first haue their approbation euen by the scripture: & y^e third, which is carnall, hath ben by the iudgemēt of good men, reputed corrupt, as in déede it is, and much reproued according to the doctrine of God. Naturall friendship, is as the loue of parents towards their chil∣dren, and one kinsman or countrey man to an other: Ciuill amitie, is got either by conuersation and society of men together: or in respect of profites, eyther recei∣ued, or hoped for: this friendship is called of the Philo∣sophers, humane, and as it were due of common of∣fice: But better is it expressed (whereby it is called a vertue morall) when it vnites mutually heartes and willes together, & sometimes it is but of the one part, which is the cause of Tullies opinion, that such is the force and propertie of vertue, that it constraynes men to loue such, on whom there goeth but an opinion and reputatiō of honestie, though they neuer saw nor knew the persons. But notwithstanding the reasons and iudgements of the Philosophers touching that kind of

amitie, the Scripture will neuer repute it a vertue, if it haue not a purpose and end to the honour and loue of God: without which end, much lesse that all vertuous actions haue any recompence or glory afore God, but, (with Saint Ambrose) that kind of amitie is accompted corrupt, as not done to that end which the Scripture cō¦maundes: by which we are cōmaunded to do al things for the honour of God. Fleshly amitie or friendship is contracted, vnder a hope or present enioying of goods, honours, and carnall pleasures. And sometimes the naturall and ciuill amitie degenerate into this damna∣ble loue, being most often the very loue wée beare to our selues, deliting more in our owne glory, and plea∣sures, then in GOD, or that concernes our saluation: Where vppon it is sayd, that men vppon the end of the world, shalbe so worldly and fleshly (a signe of repro∣bation) that they shalbe more feruēt followers of their proper delites, then of God, This loue Saint Augustine with good reason, sayth, is the foundation of the Citie of the Deuil, as the loue to God is y^e ground worke of y^e holy citie of the soueraigne Lord: Christian loue is that charitie which so often God recommends to vs, com∣prehending an entier loue with all our power to him, and a sincere amitie without fiction to our neighbour, euen by the same measure, that naturally we loue our selues, with this intēdement alwayes that all be for the loue & honor of God, (as y^e cause & end of al amitie & al our actions) to y^e end to receiue for it eternal retri∣buciō, This amitie, leads, directs, & makes perfect, the natural, ciuil, & moral friendship, & euen so corrects al∣together that, y^e is carnall, as being corrupt by wicked affections, & makes it turne into spiritual, by spiritual conuersation: as, if a man louing his wife, onely for that she is faire and riche, and for his beastly pleasure (a Pagan loue and little differing from the affection of a whoremonger to his concubine) and being after∣wardes

instructed by Christian doctrine, with what zeale he ought to embrase his wife in mariage: loueth her not for the reasons of the flesh aforesayd, but as his companion of grace, coenheritrice of the glory of hea∣uen, louing hir with that spirituall and true loue wher with Iesus Christ loued his Church: And as a Father louing his sonne not simplie nor naturally, but with a worldly affection, as making him his Idoll falleth to loue him afterwards in God by Christian institution, that is according to the prescript of the Scripture, kée∣ping him in discipline and vertuous exercise. Thus the whoremonger is conuerted, and forbearing his fleshly affection to his troll, will hate in him selfe and hir all damnable lightnes, and neuer looke on hir but with a displeasure and remorse of his sinne: which, after their conuersion she is also bound to do. And if there bée daunger eftsones to fall, they are bound to restraine sight and mutuall company and stand vpon their gard, no lesse then such, as hauing ben once enuenimed with a swéete poyson, & by an antidot preserued from death, will beware eftsones of charmes or swéete liccours: neyther is penaunce of any force, if the sinne bée not altogether abandoned, and all carnaletie abhorred. And if in déede amitie (to speake more properlye) bée a vertue more then morrall, and not affection onely (according to the error of some Philosophers) it can not be ioyned with vice: for so théeues, & other of vice albeit they vaunt of frendship in susteyning one an o∣ther, can not truly be called frends, but confederats in league, conspiring by common consent to do euill: A∣mitie is perpetuall, as is all vertue of his liuely and proper nature: So that such as loue richmen, by rea∣son of the proffites they receiue by them, are not true frindes, for that when such rich men shall become pore (which God doeth often suffer) they are for saken of their frindes, because riches was the only cause of

such frendship: and who loues an other, as it were in recompence of affection that he beareth to him, loueth not as he ought, for that the cause rising of bare fancie which afterwardes may chaunge into hate, the frend∣shipp can not be certein nor perpetuall: yea he that lo∣ueth an other for his vertue, loues not simplie as he ought according to God, for that as the vertue of y^e man enclines to vice, so the affection of his frend will con∣uert into hate, for which cause Aristotle aloweth the sentence of a wise Philosopher saying, that men ought to loue, but not so much, but that they may hate, mea∣ning, that louing men of vertue, and their vertues, torning into vices, our affection may resume his first qualitie, (if for charitie sake we forbeare to hate them) This was his iudgment of frendes that might chaung by francke and louing will: But by the Gospell we are warned to loue our ennemies and wicked men, yea Infidels which séeke to persecute vs to death, so much are we bound to loue them, as to praye to God for thē and to present them with our goodes, help, and life, if there be hope of their saluation, not so much as willing or doing to them any displeasure: so did Christ loue vs all, and died for vs being his ennemies: The cause of this loue is God, for the honor, loue, and commaunde∣ment of whome, we loue, louing that which he loueth, according as he loueth, and for what cause he loueth, conforming vs wholy to his will and his loue, in the which, and for the which he loueth vs all: Let vs loue therfore that which is of him, as (in man) his Image and semblance, his handie worke, his vertues, & his graces, conforming ourselues to y^e loue which he bears him hauing made for him so many creaturs, giuen him his Aungells for his protectores and guides, and his only sonne to death for him, yea euen when man was his enemye, blasphemed him, and was altogether dis∣obedient to him: Thus must we loue the soule of our

neighboure, (albeit he be our ennemie) as the deare cō∣quest of the precious blode of IESVS CHRIST, and his body being the sacred temple of the holy ghost: yea so we must loue him, as Iesus Christ loued him, giuing his life frankelye for him: whom by baptisme, as he hath incorporated him, in him selfe to be a mem∣ber of his bodye, and by faith in the holy communion made him his flesh and blood, so I ought to loue him as one of the members of the bodie of this Lord, and as his flesh and blood: with all, seing we are all made by him members of the same misticall bodye, and childrē all of one father by spirituall adoption, then the same affection ought to be conuersant amongest vs, which passeth betwéene members of one selfe bodye, & proper and naturall brethern: in effect, the friendship, that we ought to beare one to another, ought to be without ac∣ception of personnes, counthries, kindred, or parents: w^t which zeale if we loue not euen the most strangers of the worlde, the most vnthankefull amongest men, and our mortall enemies, we are not the disciples of Iesus Christ, by whome we are tolde, that then we de∣clare our selues his folowers, when we do that which he commaundes vs: his precept is that we loue one an other, as he hath loued vs, to saye and doe well by our enemies, yea to dye for them if néede require, in hope to gaine and saue their soules, in sorte as he is deade for ours: So that, who hateth another, beareth ma∣lice to him, doeth him iniurie séeckes reueng of him, strikes him, and (which is extreme iniquitie) killeth him, apertains no more to Iesus Christ, as to beare y^e name of on of his disciples, or of his flock, thē y^e wolues Lions, Tigres, are of the heard and flocke of Lambes vnder the charge of a shepherd: Suchthen that haue quarrells aspiringe to combate one against another, & practise reuenge of wronges by their proper autho∣rities, belong nothing to the profession of Christ, and in

their hartes haue no more taste of God then Pagans and vnbeleuing Atheists: He that will offer sacrifice to God, can not by Iesus Christ make it acceptable to his father, if he haue offended his neyghboure, and is not reconciled, as also, who hateth his Brother, is a murderer and stands voyde of grace for eternall life: I comprehend not in this, such Christians, as by lawfull iustice pursue the restitution of their goods, honour, or wrongs, receiued by any wicked men: for, séeing iustice and iudiciall order is of God, and by him commaunded to procure punishment in forme of iustice to the wicked acording to their merits, and that by the Magistrate & the law, is not onely lawfull but also acceptable to god, so that it be done without hatred, and affection of per∣ticular vengeance, not regarding so much our proper benefit, honour, or priuate interest, as to correct vices, & by that iustice to giue succour to the soule of the trans∣gressor, to the better stay and example of a whole com∣munaltie. This is also expressed in the exāple of a body which we go about to purge frō botches, impostumes, & boyles: In which body if there be any member so cor∣rupt, that it would infect the others to the daunger of the whole bodie, it is cut of, but with a great displea∣sure to all the other members, who, by a communion of nature, being conioyned and knit together, do loue one an other with connaturall and perfect zeale. And to retourne to the matter of Christian amitie, we are bound to loue men as God loueth thē, whose loue is so much the greater towardes them, by how much hée findeth their affection pure to him, and the more doth his zeale increase, the more he séeth in them that which is his, as faith and charitie, with feruent zeale to his honour, and exercise of good déedes: euen so, the more faith and simplicitie we find in men, the better affected to Gods honour, of a more ready and franke minde to his seruice, better disposed to actes of compassion, and

aspiring nearer a deuine perfection of God: euen in so much greater affection, honour, and franke mind of ser∣uice, are we bound to them, as knowing that in that we most please God, who, for those respects honoreth them more then others. And therefore we honour nor loue them not so much in their persons, as we expresse our selues to loue God in them, in whom we honour his giftes and graces, and all that we find to be deuine in them: So that as we are bound in a stronger affection and more readines of seruice to those whom we know to be men of honest integretie, then to others in whom we can acknowledge no such vertues: So, yet we must hate no creature according to the example of God, who beareth no malice to any man he hath made, as hauing declared therein his power, his wisedome, and his boū∣tie: For which three things we must acknowledge his handy worke with thankes giuing. Besides, we know that God is not but charitie and loue, and who is con∣stant in charitie, dwelleth in God, and God is firme in him: as of the contrary, who hateth any man, hath no perfect charitie, and by conclusion cannot be of God: So that as we are first bound to loue GOD with all our heartes, so in the second place we ought for his sake to loue al men with a true & perpetual loue as our selues. But if we find them possessed with any vice or faulte, lo¦uing still the creature, we may hate that which we sée not to be of God and hated of men, as knowing that in God there is nothing but integretie and what els is good and vertuous. These be the causes why we ought to loue the soules and bodies of sinners as being the hā¦die workes of God: but lawfully maye we hate their sinnes and wicked condicions, as we ought not to loue any thing in the Deuill, but his creation, which is de∣uine, since, touching the rest, he is nothing but peruer∣sitie, of his proper will: for which cause he is called wic∣ked, as not taking pleasure no (which is worse) not ha∣uing

power to delite in any thing but to do euill, y^e same being the reason, why so often we are commaunded to shonne him, and not to suffer him to enter into vs by any pleasant suggestion, but to resist him, & estéeme him our onely enemie, a serpent and venemous Dra∣gon, a rauining Wolfe, a roaring Lion, a théefe and murderer, séeking after nothing but by suttletie, force, ambushes, and treasons, to betray our soules: yea, if it were not by his wicked and wretched temptations, we should neuer haue enemies, malice, or miseries, no, not once haue the thought to do wrong one to another, the same being the cause that our sauiour Christ calles him our enemie: it is he only whom we ought to hate, and all that is in him (except the spirituall substance, the first creature of God) it is he onely whom we ought so much to detest, as not once to hear him, sée him, or séeke to learne any thing of him, in whom is nothing but de∣ceite, lying, abuse, and murder: it is he, of whom wée ought to take nothing that he offreth, for he corrupteth all that he giueth: And séeing he is a poysoner, let vs alwayes take héede that he enuenime not our thoughts with vaine and wicked pleasure, with infidelitie & con∣sent to euill: and that he poyson not our wordes, with vanitie, iniuries, detraction, lies, false othes, and blas∣phemie: nor infect our workes or actions with ipocri∣sie, or dissembled intention, nor by any other trangres∣sion of Gods commaundements. This wicked spirite hath stretched out his snares in all places, and dispersed his poyson throughout the worlde: he entrapped Eue in the earthly paradise, and poysoned hir with lust of glo∣ry, which, as an infection hee hath earst distilled into infinit nations and persons: his ginnes are so suttle∣ly wrought and layd, that they are espied and auoyded of none, but such as are humble and lowly such as liue in continuall contemplation of Gods wisedome and his holy feare, such as resolued into spirite, haue no con∣uersation

with the flesh and the world: such as are strōg in fayth and of that immouable loue to God, that they take no other pleasure but to do his commaūdements: Suche doeth the spirit and wisdome of God instruct to espie and breake his suttle snares, and giue them re∣medies against the poyson of that venemous basiliske. Touching amitie cyuill which we get by societie of studie, by coniunction of life, and similitude of estates and functions, or in recompence of benefits: we may conioyne it with the Christian amitie, by the which it hath his confirmation, and is made better and more agreable to God: By this, if I loue better him that is thus my frend, then an other professed vnto me by cō∣mon Christian amitie: I do no wronge to no Christian frēd: for y^e I take nothing from him of y^e which is his, I mean of y^e which I owe him in true & spiritual loue: in y^e same sort y^e loue natural is not deminished by y^e christiā amitie but is made more firme & spiritual as y^e Christiā Father louing better his owne sonne, then an other childe, forgetts not for all that to expresse effectes of Christian amitie to the other: So that by this loue, pa∣rents, kindred, and Christian neighbours, may loue one an other with greater loue, and yet do no wronge to others touching the zeale which they ought to beare them, as we sée by the comparison of the fier (where in is resembled charitie and perfect Christian loue) which béegins first to heat and burne those thinges y^t are presented nearest to it: I will not hold for all this y^t in case of election of a magistrate, friendship is to be expressed, for that there perticuler amitie shoulde giue place to publike friendship as where is more neede of vertue, veritie, and iustice, then of singuler loue onely: for as vertue (being deuine) is and ought to to be pre∣ferred afore all humaine affections: So he, in whome is most reputation of wisdome, learning, 'integritie & iustice, although he stand to vs neyther in parentage

nor kindred, yet for the friendship we beare to the pub∣like or common weale, ought to haue our voyce to the state of magistrate: And in case of iudgment, the fa∣ther being iudge, ought not to be partiall to his childe, his kinsman, his frend, nor dearest familiar: For there, perticuler friendship, giuing place, to publike regarde, hath no respect to affectiō but to reason, right, and iustice: And séeing, (as hath ben sayde) that ami∣tie aswell naturall as ciuill, ought to be ruled, by chri∣stian frendship and that directed according to y^e will and comaundement of God, with whome sinne is con∣demned, and detested: we ought to beare to our frend, no percialitie of fauor, support nor councell, to y^e hurt or dishonor of an other, & much lesse obey his fancie, ple∣sure, or will, so far furth as it may bring detriment to the estate of his soule: we must not flatter him to the ende, to please him in any thing dishonest or vniust & much lese heare, or incline to him in any thing against God, or the puritie of our conscience, which we are bound to kéepe altogether to God: The gréeke prouerb is, y^e we ought to loue one an other euen to the alter, y^e is, so far forth as God be not offended, eyther by othe or other vice: no who maketh a lie, to further the be∣nefit of his frend, yea or to fauor his owne life, offends God, what interest soeuer it bear to father, or mother, magistrate, Kinge or Emperour.

Notes

• 1. Cor. 10 Col. 3.
• Tim. 2.
• Matt. 3. Rom. 5.
• Iohn. 6.
• Ioh. 3.
• Mat. 5. Tit. 3.
• Iere. 4.
• Mat. 13.