A Golden Chain

The seventh fruit is faith. Faith or fidelity standeth in these two duties. One, to make conscience of a lie, and to speak every thing whereof we speak, as we think it is, and not to speak one thing and think an other. A rare thing it is, to find this virtue in the world now adays: who is he that maketh conscience of a lie? and is not truth banished out of our coasts; considering that for gains and outward commodities men make no bones of glossing and dissembling? but alas, the practise is damnable, and the contrary is the fruit of the holy Ghost,¹ namely to speak the truth from the heart: & he that can do this, by the testimony of God himself shall rest in the mountain of his holiness, even in the kingdom of heaven. The second point, wherein fidelity consisteth is, when a man hath made a promise that is lawful and good, to keep and perform the same. Some think it is a small matter to break promise, but indeed it is a fruit of the flesh; and contrariwise a fruit of the spirit to perform a lawful promise: and a mans word should be as sure as an obligation: and in conscience a man is bound to keep promise so far forth as he will, to whom the promise is made. Indeed if a man be released of his promise, he is then free: otherwise if we promise and do not perform, we do not only crack our credit before men, but also sin before God.

The seuenth fruit is faith. Faith or fidelitie standeth in these two duties. One, to make conscience of a lie, and to speake euery thing whereof we speake, as we thinke it is, and not to speake one thing and thinke an other. A rare thing it is, to finde this vertue in the world now adaies: who is he that maketh conscience of a lie? and is not truth banished out of our coasts; considering that for gaines and outward commodities men make no bones of glosing and dissembling? but alas, the practise is damnable, and the contrarie is the fruit of the holy Ghost,¹ namely to speake the truth from the heart: & he that can doe this, by the testimonie of God himselfe shall rest in the mountaine of his holines, euen in the kingdome of heauen. The second point, wherein fidelitie consisteth is, when a man hath made a promise that is lawfull and good, to keepe and performe the same. Some thinke it is a small matter to breake promise, but indeede it is a fruit of the flesh; and contrariwise a fruit of the spirit to performe a lawfull promise: and a mans word should be as sure as an obligation: and in conscience a man is bound to keepe promise so farre forth as he will, to whome the promise is made. Indeede if a man be released of his promise, he is then free: otherwise if we promise and doe not performe, we doe not onely cracke our credit before men, but also sinne before God.