A Treatise Touching the Liberty of a Christian

¹To conclude, such as is poverty in abundance, painfulness in authority, humbleness in honour, abstinence in feasting, chastity in valiance, even so righteousness of faith is dangerously beset being joined with ceremonies: May a man carry fire in his bosom (saith Solomon) and not burn his garments? And yet as in riches, in authority, in honours, in dalliance, in banquetings, so must we be conversant in ceremonies, that is to ⟨p. 87⟩say, in dangers: yea rather as it is needful for young boys to be nursed and cherished in the laps and arms of maidens, lest they perish, in whom being grown to riper years, were no small peril of safety to frequent the company of maidens: Even so is it requisite to lock up the ranging years of licentious youth within the Cloisters, yea, within iron closets of such ceremonies and exercises, whereas they may be restrained and abide correction, lest their insolent courage draw them headlong into wickedness. Which ceremonies do nevertheless procure death unto them, if they persevere in opinion to be justifiable by them, whereas they ought rather to be instructed, that they were clogged with such restraint, not for any such cause as to be made righteous, or to merit much thereby, but to the end, they should not rush wilfully into vices, and so be the more tractable trained to the righteousness of faith: which they ⟨p. 88⟩would in no wise endure through the outrage of their youth, unless the same had been tamed and brought low.

¹To conclude, such as is pouerty in abundance, painfulnesse in authority, humblenesse in honour, abstinence in feasting, chastity in valliance, euen so righteousnesse of faith is dangerously beset being ioined with ceremonies: May a man carry fire in his bosome (saith Salomon) and not burne his garments? And yet as in riches, in authority, in honours, in dalliance, in banquetings, so must we be conuersant in ceremonies, that is to ⟨p. 87⟩say, in dangers: yea rather as it is néedfull for yong boyes to be nursed and cherished in the laps and armes of maydens, lest they perish, in whom being growne to riper yeares, were no small perill of safety to frequent the company of maydens: Euen so is it requisite to lock vp ye ranging yéeres of licencious youth within the Cloysters, yea, within iron clossets of such ceremonies and exercises, whereas they may bee restrained and abide correction, lest their insolent courage draw them headlong into wickednesse. Which ceremonies do neuertheles procure death vnto them, if they perseuere in opinion to bee iustifiable by them, whereas they ought rather to bee instructed, that they were clogged with such restraint, not for any such cause as to bee made righteous, or to merit much thereby, but to the end, they should not rush wilfully into vices, and so bee the more tractable trained to the righteousnesse of faith: which they