A treatise of the cohabitation of the faithful with the unfaithful Whereunto is added.…A treatise of the cohabitacyon of the faithfull with the vnfaithfull Whereunto is added.…

For wisdom (say they) is not fearful / not intemperate / not unjust / therefore it hath joined with it the virtues which be contrary unto these vices: And likewise justice / strength / temperance and other virtues are not unwise / but are joined with wisdom / whereupon they do conclude / that all virtues are conjoined and knit together. These things / saith Augustine / do not ¹agree with the holy scriptures / which do witness. That in many things we do all offend / and If we say that we have no sin / we do deceive our selves and there is no truth in us. Wherefore seeing that we sin in many things / and in sinning we can not have that virtue which is contrary to that sin which we do commit / and yet it may be that he which falleth in one sin / may be constant in other virtues / the opinion of these philosophers is false. As for example: Be it / that one be of an hasty nature / or do exceed measure in eating / and yet he giveth every man his own / and will give his life in Gods cause: though this man be fierce / and intemperate / yet is he called a just man / and a strong man. S. Augustine doth also putt away the similitude of the stoics / which is. That the man ⟨image 40⟩doth die in the waters / if they be but half a handful over / his head / aswell as he over whose head they are / ten / or twenty cubits. This is no apt similitude / saith he / therefore let us take an other more fit for our purpose / of light namely and darkness. Certainly when one is in darkness / the more he doth depart and go out of it and draweth nigh unto light / he beginneth the better to see somewhat / and so though that yet he be compassed with darkness / yet is he somewhat partaker of the light. But he that will know more of this matter / let him read that Epistle of Augustine: Where he proveth plainly / that all since are not like / as the Stoics did think: Now to return to our place / which we did rehearse. Be that offendeth in one / is guilty of all. There is no observation of Gods Law to be received with an exception / as though we might chose one part of it to observe / and separate or set aside the other part at our will and pleasure to neglect it. The commandments of the law are conjoined of the lord and knit together / and so given unto us:

For wisdome (saye they) is not fearefull / nott intemperate / not vniuste / therfor it hath ioyned with it the vertues which be contrarie vnto these vices: And likewise iustice / strēghthe / tēperaunce and other vertues are not vnwise / but are ioyned with wisdome / wheruppon they do conclude / that all vertues are conioyned and knitt together. Theise thinges / saith Augustine / do not