The Christian disputations, by Master Peter Viret. Divided into three parts, dialogue wiseThe Christian disputations, by Master Peter Viret. Deuided into three partes, dialogue wise

Theophilus. Saint Peter doth give us most evident witness, writing of the wicked and reprobate after this manner: how will God spare them, if he have not spared ¹the Angels that have sinned: but hath cast them down into hell, & delivered them into chains of darkness, to be kept unto judgement? And by and by after he saith moreover: the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and how to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement. We cannot deny, but that the devils ²and reprobate are already in torment, and but that they are already drowned in the bottom of hell, sith that they are rejected of God, & that they are in his wrath • indignation. But yet nevertheless by the words of saint Peter we may easily understand that they do attend and •ari• for yet, a certain more grievous judgement, & gods anger more fearful then they have feeled. But for to make thee to understand more plainly that which I think, I will expound it unto thee by a similitude and comparison taken of the very words of S. Peter. When a malefactor hath committed some certain great crime, worthy of death ³& grievous punishment, there is no doubt, but y• he feeleth his condemnation in his conscience, as soon as he hath committed the evil deed. He hath his conscience which is his ⟨p. 248⟩⁴accuser: for a witness: for a judge and for a hangman: and it can be none otherwise. His conscience •yteth and ⁵accuseth him. Afterwards he cometh to be vanquished of his misdeeds, by his own proper witness, which availeth more then a thousand witnesses. And after it hath vanquished him, it condemneth him. And even as it constraineth them to witness against themselves, so it constraineth them, to condemn themselves, insomuch that although all the Angels and all the men of the world, would clear them and pronounce them to be righteous and just, yet nevertheless they cannot absolve and clear themselves, nor avoid their own judgement. Now after y sentence given, it must be that it be put in execution, and that the malefactor be delivered into the hands of the hangman: the which he need not to seek far, nor out of himself. His conscience with the rest, doth yet that office: the which whippeth and tormenteth him so cruelly that he cannot have rest day nor night. If he see any talk together, he thinketh they talk of him.