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

Eusebius. Very well, following the interpretation of Eccius, which expoundeth it of the Almoses for to refresh ¹the poor, that they should pray unto God for the salvation of the dead.

Eusebius. Very well, following the interpretacion of Eccius, which expoundeth it of the Almoses for to refresh ¹the poore, that they should pray vnto God for the saluation of the deade.

1. 1The exposition of the place of Thoby.

Theophilus. He that would follow the expositions of Eccius, there is not a place in the Bible which he hath not corrupted and marred, for to make it serve to the popish tyranny. In the book of Thoby, & in that place there, there is no mention made of praying for the dead. And although those words preceded thereunto, he ought rather to have said: Set thy bread upon the burial of the sinner, then upon that of the righteous. For the sinners shall have more need of such prayers, then the righteous. But he saith altogether contrary. For he addeth: eat and drink not with the sinners and wicked: The which is better expressed by the Greek, saying: ⟨image 272⟩Set thy bread upon the burial of the righteous, and give it not unto sinners. Wherefore it is most likest to be true, sith that before he hath spoken of Almoses, that he recommendeth by those words, chiefly the righteous and faithful, even as saint Paul, above all other recommendeth those of the household of faith. Now there are many manners and ways to bestow ones bread and wine upon the burials of the righteous: The first is ¹in burying them honestly, as Thoby did, without sparing that which was there unto needful and requisite. For the Hebrews by the bread, wine and water, do understand all the things necessary unto man, and unto mans life. The other is, when we do help our brethren, & succour so their necessities: that they dye not for want of victuals, nor go down to the grave without being buried. If we do otherwise, we kill them, when we fde them not, and that they do dye through our default. The third is when we comfort through Almoses the children and friends of the dead. Then we shed forth our bread and wine upon their burials, behold the holy water that they desire. And it is a great deal better to do after that sort, then to play the glutton with the gluttons, drunkards and wicked. But the manner of speech is somewhat obscure, because that the book, notwithstanding that it was written in Greek, yet nevertheless it keepeth the phrases and manners of the Hebrew speech.