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.

❧ Scoffers and men of pleasaunt conceyte pretending none other ende but to encrease pleasure, are rebukeable: But more if their I esting turne to the reproche of any: so do they offend God: Hovve vvee are bounde to employe our time: It is not forbidden for all that, to recreate our selues for honest purposes, nor to vse our pastime and pleasure. ❧ The .4. Chapter.

LET Scoffers, and the vaine conceyted sort (commonlye called pleasaunt men) practi∣sing to make others laugh & liue in pleasure, not thinke they are without rebuke: In whom albeit séemes no pur∣pose of hurt to any, yet the ende tending to the scorne of another, can not bée without sinne, and therefore suche pastime cannot auoide the due blame of vice.* 1.1 Saint Paul reproueth them, when hée willeth that there bée no for∣nication, nor vncleannes, nor couetousnesse named a∣mongst them, as is conuenient & beséeming to holines?

And much lesse that there bée villany cloaked with fond speache, or slenting contrarye to ciuill modestye, which ought to be farre remoued from christians, whose exer∣cise standes in geuing thankes to God, praising him, and speaking of him,* 1.2 employing the time also in discourse of thinges profitable, good, honest, and tending to edifye the company. Iesus Christ calleth this scoffing, meaning idle wordes, whereof there is reckoning to bée geuen in the iudgement of God, speache vnprofitable & time lost. And as by S. Paul wée are warned to vse no talke but suche as maye serue and apply to edifye our neighbour:* 1.3 So, our tongue was consecrated of god by baptisme, not to be emploied to other vses, then to forme deuout spea∣ches, the handes to minister holy workes, & all the other members to be disposed to actes of goodnes acccording to theyr office: for being dedicated to God, to prophane thē in thinges, worldlye, vile, filthy, and vicious, were as a detestable sacrileage & impiety, farre more greater, then the prophanation which Balthasar vsed of the vessels of the temple of Salomon, wherwith he banqueted his Cō∣cubines, féeling therfore a sodaine & terrible iudgement of God the night folowing. And séeing man is the holye temple of God, wherein the holy ghost dwelleth, and the bodies also, the holy members of Iesus christ who being holy hath incorporated them in him: Is not he then truly holy: where the Chalice or Cup, a thing insensible, is not but for the vse of a holy thing, consecrated & made holye. What sinne therfore is it to conuert the vse of this mē∣ber the tongue into vaine & fonde speach, & which worse is, to speake vnchastly, to pronounce euill of another, to sweare, to blaspheme, which be thinges not onely pro∣phane, but damnable & reprobate, and restraine it from exercise of holye discourse, for which ende it was crea∣ted of God, and reformed by Iesus Christ, as of purpose to praye and prayse God, to teache and instruct.

And as to suche as speake vanelye, the soddaine iudge∣ment

of God is pronounced, so, let the scoffer and idle inuentour of Pastime, looke for theyr share in the same iustice. Saint Paul commaundes vs to redéeme or buye againe our time, whiche hée sayeth is done in speaking and perpetual well doing of thinges, holy and edifying, restoring in that sort the season which wée had lost in actes of vice and vanitye, afore wée knewe God, which is a satisfaction of dutye which hée requires of vs, when hée sayeth, Doo penaunce: for with repen∣taunce and mutacion of will, which is the first act of pe∣naunce, the change also of the fact or worke is requisit, geuing recompense to our power to the iniuries and wrongs which we had done to others: If we haue abu∣sed our time in vaine & idle talke, or employed it in vn∣lawful things: what better recompense can wée aforde, then to vse holy speaches of God, and dispose our handes to actes of compassion and charitye. Plynie being an Infidel. but an excellent Historian, was so gréedye of time, that hée made Conscience to employe a moment otherwaies then to benefite. Theophrastus, sayd time was deare, and an expence very precious, meaning, that it ought not to be spent vainelye: what then ought to bée the consideration of the Christian? who knoweth that as well of the meanest moment of his doinges, as of the least minute of his time and wordes, he is to yéelde rea∣son to God.

Therefore let Magistrates, whose doinges ought to holde conformetye with the iudgement of God, and are heare (as the scripture sayth) to make him obeyed in his commaundementes and statutes, vse prouidence in a cause of so greate importaunce, and dispose theyr office by such wisedome, as time (a gift so precious) maye not bée turned to the abuse and dishonour of God.

I condemne not heare myrth in things indifferent, ad∣mistred to a good ende, as eyther to refreshe the minde, or recreate the Sycke, the same being as a medicine,

to a spirite troubled, and is then best approued, when it tendes to edification, as was that of Helias to the sacri∣ficatours of Baal, Crie lowder sayeth hée, for perhappes your God is at rest in his Inne, or vpon the way, or els he sléepes: crye therfore alowde that he may awake: As much may be sayd of honest profit, or necessary pastime, such as Isaac tooke with his wife by familiar recreation:* 1.4 and as Susanna did, when shée walked in her Garden, & washed her selfe, where shée was inuaded by the twoo corrupt Iudges of Israel: and as also is written of S. Iohn, who sometimes would hathe him selfe with his Disciples, but would not enter into the bathe wherein Cherinthus an Heretike had bathed him selfe, fearing, least for the wretchednes of y^e Heretike, the bath should fall? In these, and such like things, which of nature are neither good nor euil, the consideratiō of the ende and in∣tent, measureth alwaies the praise or dispraise: wherin let vs obserue the saying of Iesus Christ, If the eye bee simple, al the body is illuminate: as who say, if in séeking thy profite, or prouiding for thy health, thy ende bée good, and that the thing which thou doest meane, bée pleasing to God, thy worke is good: for so did christ suffer him selfe to bée annointed on his head & féete by Mary Magdalen, the ende & entent being commendable: where if shée had employed lo long time and trauaile about another for delite onely and pleasure, it had béen an act of vice: euen so iesting pronounced of a wicked wyll, or to dishonour or scorne any man, can not bée but mortal sinne, by rea∣son of the ende, and corrupt intent: And these scoffers, Parasites, and table minstrelles, who no lesse vaine in heart, then vicious in affection, practise an estate of squirilitye, with an entent to deuoure other mens goodes, maye sée howe farre they offende God, and howe iustlye they stand subiect to seuere correction.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ephe. 5.
• * 1.2

  Mat. 12.
• * 1.3

  Ephe. 4. Collos. 3.
• * 1.4

  Dani. 13.