The divine life in three treatises

To avoid both extremes in such a case, men must both study to understand which way is most serviceable to Christ, and to his Church, and withal to be able to deny themselves, and also must study to understand what Christ meaneth in his final sentence [In as much as you did it (or did it not) to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it (or did it not) to me.] As if it were to visit the contagious, we must neither cast away our lives to do no good, or for that which in value holdeth no proportion with them; nor yet must we deny to run any hazard when it is indeed our duty: So is it in our visiting those that suffer for the cause of Christ: (but that here the owning them being the confessing of him, we need more seldom to fear being too forward.)

To avoid both extreams in such a case, men must both study to understand which way is most serviceable to Christ, and to his Church, and withall to be able to deny themselves, and also must study to understand what Christ meaneth in his final sentence [In as much as you did it (or did it not) to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it (or did it not) to me.] As if it were to visit the contagious, we must neither cast away our lives to do no good, or for that which in value holdeth no proportion with them; nor yet must we deny to run any hazard when it is indeed our duty: So is it in our visiting those that suffer for the cause of Christ: (but that here the owning them being the confessing of him, we need more seldome to fear being too forward.)

11. And some of your friends may cover their unfaithfulness with the pretence of some fault that you have been guilty of, some error that you hold, or some unhandsome or culpable act that you have done, or some duty that you have left undone or failed in. For they think there is not a better shelter for their unfaithfulness, then to pretend for it the Name and Cause of God, and so to make a duty of their sin. Who would not justify them, if they can but prove, that God requireth them, and Religion obligeth them to forsake you for your faults? There are few crimes in the world that by some are not fathered on God (that most hateth them) as thinking no name can so much honour them. False friends therefore use this means as well as other Hypocrites: And though God is Love, and condemneth nothing more then uncharitableness and malice, yet these are commonly by falsehearted Hypocrites, called by some pious virtuous names, and God himself is entitled to them: so that few worldlings, ambitious persons or timeservers; but will confidently pretend Religion for all their falsehood to their friends, or bloody cruelty to the servants of Christ, that comply not with their carnal interest.