The amendment of life comprised in fower bookes: faithfully translated according to the French coppie. Written by Master Iohn Taffin, minister of the word of God at Amsterdam.

That man knowing Idolatrie and superstition, ought wholy to abstaine from all participation in the same. Chap. 1.

WE haue before declared, that the greatest Folly wherewith man is possessed, is the of∣fending of God. And contrariwise, that the beginning of all knowledge & wisedome re∣steth in walking in his loue, feare, and obedi∣ence. Also, that as all men are naturally incli∣ned to this Folly, namely, to offend God, so we ought by amending our liues, heereafter to become more wise and better aduised. Now are we more parti∣cularly to vnderstand, Wherein we are principally to amend. The first point therefore to be intreated of, consisteth in this, That man ha∣uing obtained knowledge of the truth, ought to renounce all Ido∣latrie, & in no wise to participate in the same. Many there are, who with their bodies assisting at Idolatrie and superstition, do neuer∣thelesse maintaine, that they deserue not to be reproued, because they disallow the same in their hearts. These men should remem∣ber, that sith Christ suffered both in body & soule for the redemp∣tion both of our bodies and soules, reason would that wee likewise should glorifie him, as Saint Paul saith, both in our bodies & souls, which are his. And in deed, inasmuch as man consisteth both of bo∣die and soule, we are to cleanse both bodie and soule of all polluti∣on, that we may, as Saint Paul admonisheth, fulfill our sanctificati∣on.* 1.1 It is therefore a most sacrilegious and intollerable diuision, to giue ouer our bodies to the seruice of the deuill, when we say that we reserue our soules to God. Will the worst husband among men bee content, that his wise prostituting her bodie to whoredoome, shall saie for excuse, that she reserueth her heart for him? S. Paule saith, our bodies are Christes members, and that applying them to whoredome, we take them from the body of Christ, & make them the members of an harlot. But the holy Ghost calleth Idolatrie whoredome: he therefore that with his bodie assisteth at Idolatry, dismembreth himselfe from Iesus Christ,* 1.2 and maketh himselfe a member of the Idoll.

2 In this consideration doth the Apostle exhort the Corinthians, to flie from Idolatrie: and least they should reply as these men do, saying: We disallow it in our hearts: we know that the Idoll is nothing:* 1.3 he addeth, I speake as vnto those that haue knowledge, not to the ignorant. Then doth he bring them back againe to their owne iudgment, & the feeling of their owne consciences by the vse of the supper. For as the communicants by eating the bread and drinking the wine, haue a participation in Christ, and are made his members, so they that be assistants in the sacrifice of the Idols, and doo eate of that that is sacrificed vnto them, are made partakers of the Idols, euen of the deuil, as he expresly saith, because that which is sacrificed to Idols, is sacrificed to the deuill. But (saith he afterward) yee cannot drinke the cup of the Lord, and the cup of deuils: yee cannot be partakers of the Lords table, and of the table of deuils. And to the end to pre∣uent all replication, he addeth, Do we prouoke the Lord to anger? Are we stronger than he? And this he saith, to shew vs that notwithstan∣ding whatsoeuer we aledge, that we do not apply our harts therto, or that we know that the Idol is nothing, yet in that we assist with our bodies, we prouoke the wrath and indignation of God, we le∣uie warre against him, euen a woful warre to vs, because God being stronger than we, wil ouercome vs. Spake not the same Apostle to those that had knowledge of the truth, when hee sayde, Be not vne∣qually yoked with Infidels,* 1.4 for what fellowship hath righteousnes with vn¦righteousnes? And what communion hath light with darknes? what con∣cord hath Christ with Beliall, or what parte hath the beleeuer with the Infidell? VVhat agreement hath the temple of God with Idols, for ye are the temple of God, as God hath sayd, I will dwell among them and walke therein. Here he speaketh of the whole man, and consequently not of the soule only, but also of the body, as in another place he saith, Our bodies are the temple of God, & therfore he addeth,* 1.5 Come out frō among the Idolaters, and separate your selues, sath the Lord, & touch not vncleane things, and I will receiue you. I will be your father, and you shal be my sonnes, & my daughters, saith the Lord. If God will not receiue vs to be his sonnes and daughters, & if he wil not be our father, but vpon condition, that wee touch no polluted thing, then contrary∣wise, those men that voluntarily do touch them, & yet do notwith∣standing maintaine that stil they are the childrē of God, do gain∣saie the very truth, and deserue to be cast off at his hands.

3 When God to comfort Elias, sayd,* 1.6 I haue yet reserued to my selfe 7000. in Israel, euē all the knees that haue not bowed vnto Baal, & eue∣ry mouth that hath not kissed him: doth he not shew, that he cōdēneth

all outward adoration and bodily reuerence to the Idoll, and ac∣counteth them markes of reprobation. As also saying by Esay, I liue,* 1.7 euerie knee shall bowe vnto me. Hee sheweth that all adoration, euen in bodie, is an homage due to God onely. When satan sayd to Iesus Christ,* 1.8 All these kingdomes will I giue thee, if falling down thou wilt worship me: It would haue sufficed him, if Iesus Christ woulde haue made him but an outward reuerence with his bodie onelie. And I praie what doo the tyrants, persecuters of Gods children pretend, but to cause men with their bodies to countenance theyr masse? For as they cannot command the heart, nor knowe the in∣ward secretes of man, so doo they require onely the outward view and obedience of the bodie. And in deed, such as persecute, euen against their owne consciences, the children and seruants of God, will not sticke to whisper vnto them and saye, Beleeue what yee will, so yee goe to masse. If it were lawfull to abandon our bo∣dies to such idolatrie, as in heart wee doo condemne, the crosse of Christ shoulde bee abolished, and all persecution taken awaie. A man might so professe himselfe a Iewe and Turke, yea, hee myght countenance and assist all the greatest and most abhominablest I∣dolatries in the world, so long as in heart he dislyked of them. But then what should become of Christs martyrs? Wherfore haue they suffered death? Why did not they, reseruing their hearts to God, abandon their bodies to the seruice of Idols,* 1.9 & obey the comman∣dements of Idolatrous kings? When Nabuchadnezzer comman∣ded to worship the golden Image, he required onely the outwarde adoration and reuerence, and yet the three Hebrew princes chose rather to bee cast into the burning furnace, than to obey it. S. Ci∣prian was heerein so certaine and so fully resolued, that when the tyrant offered to saue his life, if hee woulde obey his commaun∣dement, and offer incense or sacrifice to the Idol, counselling him to thinke vpon it: he constantly answered, that he needed neither consultation, nor deliberation in so iust a matter: that he would ra∣ther die than shew any testimonie of approuing such Idolatrie. Yet might he haue escaped by yeelding onely his bodie to idolatrie, & keeping his heart vnto God. Some Iudges there are, who hauing knowledge of the truth, do giue sentence of condemnation against the faithful: in hart disalowing the sentence, yet in mouth pronoun∣cing the same.* 1.10 Are these men, thinke you, excusable in the sight of God? When God in his law forbiddeth making any grauen images, or liknes of any thing: Speaketh he to the hād, or to the hart? Likwise when he addeth, Thou shalt not bow downe to them nor worship them.

When (for so the word that he there vseth doth signifie) he prohi∣biteth not only to worship & serue thē in mind, but also he speak∣eth of the whole man, & rather more expressely of the bodie, for∣bidding all adoration and outward seruice inuented by men.

4 Saint Paul protesteth that Idolaters shal not inherite the kingdome of God.* 1.11 Here he speaketh to the members of the Church and so to those who knowing the truth, did not in hart allow of Idolatry: he therfore threatneth those that shall assist therat in body. Likewise Gods horrible iudgemēts executed vpon diuers, euen in our time, as vpō Frances Spiera an Italian, & others, who knowing the truth became notwithstāding assistants at Idolatry & false seruice, alow∣ing in body that which they in hart condemned, do take away all excuse, & make those worthy double punishment, that do pollute their bodies in Idolatry, and so shew an outward testimonie of al∣lowing that which their hart (cōdemning the actiō of the body) do abhorre. To be short, what is this assistance at the masse, & bow∣ing of knees before the Idol, but an actual testimonie that they al∣low all the Idolatries & blasphemies there committed? It is an o∣pinion & impression which they seeke by their assistance to infuse into others: It is as if that the body should cry out & say, you see of what religion I am. The body speaketh in liew of the mouth. And thus instead of confessing Christ & his truth, they do in action re∣nounce him: & so are to looke for no other sentence then the same which Iesus Christ himself hath pronounced, saying.* 1.12 Whosoeuer shal deny me before men him wil I deny before God my father. If such men could but a little cōprehend how villanously Christ is dishonored in the masse, how his office is vsurped, his sacrifice abolished, his death made frustrate, & the institution of his holy supper reuer∣sed, the zeale of the house & glory of God would euen eate vp & consume their harts, whereby they should bee moued to shunne and abhorre the same, and neuer to be assistant thereat.

5 It may seeme to some, that I need not to stand so long vpon so plaine a case. But ther be hipocrites, that dare alledge, that they do it because they would not offend their neighbors. This surely is a goodly charity. First, they speake against their cōsciences: for their own harts do conuince thē that it is only selfe loue, with the feare of the losse of their goods, dignity, country, kindred & frends that induceth them to such dissimulation. Moreouer, that contrariwise they do by their going to masse & worshipping the Idols, offend their neighbours. For what is offence, but to cast a stone in a blind mans way to make him to stumble, that is to say, to giue the igno∣rant

occasion to offend God by confirming them in their error:* 1.13 & becomming an example, to such as haue some knowledge of the truth, to induce thē to commit Idolatry with vs? It is therefore a double offēce, & deserueth double punishmēt in the sight of God. S. Paul, sharply reprouing such as did eate of things sacrificed to I∣dols, sheweth what a stumbling block they therby make thēselues to the ignorant. Take heed saith hee least by any meanes this power of yours, to eate indifferently of al things, be an occasion of falling to thē that be weake: For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at the table in the Idols temple, shal not the conscience of him which is weake be boldned to eate those things wich are sacrificed to Idols? And through thy know∣ledge shall the weake brother perish,* 1.14 for whom Christ died. Because that thou who knowest that the Idol is nothing & therfore that the flesh sacri∣ficed therto is not polluted therin, abusing thy power that otherwise thou hast to eate, dost by thy example induce the ignorāt to eate without faith & so ••o sin. If then the eating of the thing which in it selfe is lawful, is an offence to thy neighbors, & a meanes to make him to perish, because after thy exāple, he eateth without faith: how much more grieuous is the offence of those, who by assisting at the masse, & o∣ther Idolatries, in their own knowledge damnable before God, do cōfirme the ignorant in their error, wherby they continue their of∣fence to God, & enduce others to follow them in the same? That good old man Eleazar chose rather to die,* 1.15 thē by his dissimulation to induce the Iewes to eate swines flesh, & so to offend God. Yea this fauor they offered him, that he should eate flesh alowed in the law that he might commit nothing prohibited therein, onely hee shold dissemble & make the world belieue that it was swines flesh. This is a wonderful constancy & notable example, to condemn al such as by their dissimulation giue others occasion to offend God.

6 They also make abuckler of the example of Naamā the Assirian but according to the prouerb,* 1.16 they couer thēselues w^t a wet sacke. First, wher he speaketh of bowing himselfe in the temple of Rem∣mon, whē his master leaneth on his arme, he therin doth seruice to his king, not to the Idol, & so it was but a ciuil bowing in respect of his office, & tended not to religion. This doth he cōfirme plainly protesting he wil worship no strang Gods: besides y^t he praieth that the bowing bee not imputed to him. Such therefore as will excuse their adoration of Idols by his example, ought rather to confesse their sin & to craue pardō at Gods hand, not for a politick bowing proceeding of som office, but rather for their worshipping of Idols. Yet is ther thus much more. This Naamā not only protesteth that

he wil not worship any strange Gods, but also he craueth two Asses laden w^t the earth of Iudea, y^t at his return into Syria, he might ther vpō worship the true God, & so make profession of the true religiō but these men do not abstaine from sacrificing to strange Gods, so farre are they from forsaking the false worship of Idols, & publike worshipping, as Naaman did of the true God, according to his word. But albeit there were (as there is not) some colour in this ex∣ample of Naaman, yet what reason haue they, leauing a path alre∣die beaten by the example of so many martyrs, and approued by so many testimonies of Gods worde, to enter into a blinde waie, where they see the steppes but of one heathen man, who was but newly entered into the knowledge of the true God?

7 As for the example, of S. Paul,* 1.17 in causing his head to be shauen in Cenchrea, & purifieng himselfe in the temple with other Iewes, The same is but badly alledged, and woorse argued from a matter indifferent (as at that time these ceremonies wer, Christ being new risen) to manifest abhomination and Idolatry. As also it is an abu∣sing of Pauls zeale and charitie, who conformed himselfe, in this matter indifferent, to the Iewes, that he might win them to Christ, to execuse their loue of themselues, in that they conforme them∣selues to the Idolatrous, onely for the preseruation of their goods, dignities, and other carnall commodities.

8 As concerning that which they alleadge out of Baruch,* 1.18 where he sayth, When being captiues in Babylon yee shall see Gods of siluer, of golde, and of wood, borne vpon mens shoulders, and the multitude before and behinde worshipping of them: beware that ye be not like vnto them, but saie in your harts, O Lord we must worship thee. First, Ieremy saith not, Bowing your bodies before the Idols, saie in your hearts. But rather this sentence, as also the whole sequel of the Chapter is a condem∣nation vnto them. For it doth euidently appeare, that the authors intent was to perswade them that these Idols were false Gods, and therefore that not they were to be feared or worshipped, but only the true God. Likewise, speaking of the Babilonians that carried & worshipped their Idols, he sayth expresly to the Iewes. Bee not yee like vnto them. As in deede with what conscience coulde they haue worshipped those Idolles before men, when in theyr heartes they sayde and protested before God, that hee onely and not the Idols was to be worshipped? Moreouer, where the Author in the same Epistle addeth, that all they that do serue them shal be confound∣ed By that threatning, he indeuoreth to diuert the Iewes therefro, In briefe, his intent is to teach the Iewes, beeing strangers among

the Babilonians, & in their persons all those that shall hap into the like condition & estate, when they shal chance to see the ignorant carry their Idols in procession & serue & adore them, not to do as they do, neither to fall vpon them to beate downe their Idols, but rather to lift vp their harts to God & to say. O Lord, thee nly must we worship. Let thē therfore, in liew of wresting this sentence of Ba∣ruch to dispence with thēselues to be Idolaters with their bodies whereby to perswade that they be so in their harts, obey Ieremie who enioyned those poore Iewes, captiues in Babilon, to make cō∣fession of their religion, by condemning the Idols & mainteining the true God.* 1.19 You shal say thus, saith Ieremie, The Gods that haue not made the heauen & the earth shall perish from the earth & from vnder these heauens. He hath made the earth by his power, &c. Wherein we are to note, that albeit Ieremie writ al his prophecies in Hebrew, yet this one sentence is set downe in the Caldean or Babilonian speech, therby admonishing the captiue Iewes to disaduow Idols, & to cōfesse the true God plainly & sensibly, in a language know∣en to the Idolaters. If this confession bee required of these poore captiue Iewes, how can these men be excused, who being at liber∣tie to depart from among the Idolaters, do assist at their Idolatry, thereby to giue the world to vnderstand that they also are Idola∣ters, & therefore dare not vtter one word in reproofe of the Idols?

9 Sith therefore that the first sermon both of Christ & of Iohn the Baptist do notably proclaime, Amend your liues: Let all such as haue attained to the knowledge of the truth, resolue with thēselues to renounce all Idolatrie & superstition, & vtterly to denie all as∣sistance & participation whatsoeuer therin either in hart or body. Let them remember, that all abandoning of their bodies to Idola∣trie, is a prophanation of the temple of God: That the yeelding of the body to the deuill, & reseruing the hart to God, is intollerable sacriledge: That the denial of the true God & the worshipping of the deuill, is detestable hipocrisie: That thereby they blaspheme Iesus Christ & honor the Idol: that they giue offēce to their neigh∣bours, as well by confirming some in their errors, as by inducing o∣thers to follow their examples. But especially let them remember, that their pretended excuse, will redound to their double damna∣tiō. For if he who thinking to worship God, yet of ignorāce throgh worshiping an Idoll offendeth & deserueth death: surely then he that boweth his body to worship that which he knoweth to be an Idoll,* 1.20 yea a very deuil, as S. Paul calleth it, offendeth in far greater measure, & deserues greter punishmēt. And so doth Christ himself

pronounce concerning the disobedient seruant, who knowing his masters wil & not doing it,* 1.21 shall be beaten much more grieuously thē he that was ignorāt therof. And indeed, it is not only a simple sinne and transgression, as in the ignorant: but more contempt and misprision against the maiestie of the law-giuer, as God in many places complaineth of his people that they haue dispised him,* 1.22 yea euen hated him as himselfe faith in his law. And hereto likewise may be referred the sentence of the Apostle, where hee saith. That God gaue the law, that sinne might abound: because the knowledge of the law, taking away ignorance, maketh the transgression to be conioyned with contempt and despising of God.

10 The more therfore that we know the inconuenience of Ido∣latrie, the more we are to detest, abhor, and flie from it, and neuer flatter our selues in the presence of God who knoweth our hearts. It is but a foolish enterprise to vndertake to deceiue the Lord, or to thinke to prosper by offending him. We feare the losse of our goods, dignities, countrie and life, if we go not to masse with other men and counterfeate our selues to bee Idolaters as they are: yet we feare not to loose the treasure and inheritance of heauen, life euerlasting and the kingdome of God by polluting our bodies in Idolatrie, euen by the assured testimonie of our owne hearts. We are not to order our duties after the easements of our flesh, but according to the word of God. The meanes to obtaine safetie and felicitie consisteth not in prouoking God to wrath by seruing of Idols: but if we desire his mercie and fauour towardes vs, wee must renounce and denie our selues and the world that wee may worship and serue him onely. Let vs obey S. Iohn, who saith.* 1.23 My little children keepe your selues from Idols. And let vs remember that the holy Ghost pronounceth woe to all those that worship Idols. And contrariwise blesseth all those that adore and glorifie God both in hart and minde.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1. Cor. 6.9.20 1. Cor. 7.1
• * 1.2

  1. Cor. 6
• * 1.3

  1. Cor. 10
• * 1.4

  2. Cor. 6
• * 1.5

  1. Cor. 6.19 2. Cor. 6.18 Esa. 52.
• * 1.6

  1. King. 19.18
• * 1.7

  Esa. 45.23
• * 1.8

  Math. 4.9.
• * 1.9

  Dan. 3 Manut. and Morel, vppon the pas. of S. Cyptian. And in Saint Augustines sermon of Ciprian the martyr. And of his passion after the olde ma∣nuscripts.
• * 1.10

  Exod. 20.4
• * 1.11

  1. Cor. 6.10.
• * 1.12

  Mat. 10.3••.
• * 1.13

  1. Cor. 8.9.
• * 1.14

  Rom. 14.23
• * 1.15

  2. Mac, 6.
• * 1.16

  2. King. 5.
• * 1.17

  Act. 21.26.
• * 1.18

  Baruch. 6.3.
• * 1.19

  Iere. 10.11.
• * 1.20

  1. Con. 10.20. Luk. 12.47.48.
• * 1.21

  Exod. 20.5.
• * 1.22

  Rom. 5.20.
• * 1.23

  1. Ioh. 5.21. Psal. 97.7. 1. Cor. 6.20.