The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Enchiridion the Epistle
• Enchiridion
• We Must Watch and Look About Us Evermore While We Be In This Life.: Chap. I.
• Of the Weapons to Be Used In the War of a Christian Man.: Chap. II.
• That the First Point of Wisdom Is to Know Thyself, and of Two Manner Wisdoms, the True Wisdom, and the Apparent.: Chap. III.
• Of the Outward and Inward Man.: Chap. IV.
• Of the Diversity of Affections.: Chap. V.
• Of the Inward and Outward Man and of the Two Parts of Man, Proved By Holy Scripture.: Chap. VI.
• Of Three Parts of Man, the Spirit, the Soul, and the Flesh.: Chap. VII.
• Certain General Rules of True Christian Living.: Chap. VIII.
• Against the Evil of Ignorance. the First Rule.: Chap. IX.
• The Second Rule.: Chap. X.
• The Third Rule.: Chap. XI.
• The Fourth Rule.: Chap. XII.
• The Fifth Rule.: Chap. XIII.
• The Sixth Rule.: Chap. XIV.
• Here Follow Opinions Meet For a Christian Man.: Chap. XV.
• The Seventh Rule.: Chap. XVI.
• The Eighth Rule.: Chap. XVII.
• The Ninth Rule.: Chap. XVIII.
• The Tenth Rule.: Chap. XIX.
• The Eleventh Rule.: Chap. XX.
• The Twelfth Rule.: Chap. XXI.
• The Thirteenth Rule.: Chap. XXII.
• The Fourteenth Rule.: Chap. XXIII.
• The Fifteenth Rule.: Chap. XXIV.
• The Sixteenth Rule.: Chap. XXV.
• The Seventeenth Rule.: Chap. XXVI.
• The Eighteenth Rule.: Chap. XXVII.
• The Nineteenth Rule.: Chap. XXVIII.
• The Twentieth Rule.: Chap. XXIX.
• The Twenty-first Rule.: Chap. XXX.
• The Twenty-second Rule.: Chap. XXXI.
• Remedies Against Certain Sins and Special Vices, and First Against Bodily Lust.: Chap. XXXII.
• A Short Recapitulation of Remedies Against the Flame of Lust.: Chap. XXXIII.
• Against the Enticings and Provokings Unto Avarice.: Chap. XXXIV.
• The Recapitulation of the Remedies Against the Vice of Avarice.: Chap. XXXV.
• Against Ambition Or Desire of Honour and Authority.: Chap. XXXVI.
• Against Elation Otherwise Called Pride Or Swelling of the Mind.: Against Wrath and Desire of Vengeance.: Chap. XXXVIII.

Against the evil of ignorance. The first rule.

Chap. ix.

But inasmuch as faith is the only gate unto Christ We must judge well of scripture., the first rule must be that thou judge very well both of him and also of scripture given by his spirit, and that thou believe not with mouth only, not faintly, not negligently, not doubtfully, as the common rascal of christian men do: but let it be set fast and immovable throughout all thy breast, not one jot to be contained in them that appertaineth not greatly unto thy health. Counterfeit not evil persons. Let it move thee nothing at all that thou seest a great part of men so live, as though heaven and hell were but some manner of tales of old wives, to fear or flatter young children withal: but believe thou surely and make no haste Probations of christian faith., though the whole world should be mad at once, though the elements should be changed, though the angels should rebel: yet verity cannot lie, it cannot but come which God told before should come. If thou believe he is God, thou must needs believe that he is true also, and on this wise think without wavering, nothing to be so true, nothing to be so sure, and without doubt of the things which thou hearest with thine ears, which thou presently beholdest with thine eyes, which thou handlest with thy hands, as those things be true which thou readest in the scriptures, that God of heaven, that is to say verity, gave by inspiration, which the holy prophets brought forth, and the blood of so many martyrs hath approved: unto which now so many hundred years the consent of all good men hath agreed and set their seals: which Christ here being in flesh, both taught in his doctrine and expressly represented or counterfeited in his manners and living. Unto which also miracles bear witness, the devils confess and so much believe, that they quake and tremble for fear. Last of all which be so agreeable unto the equity of nature, which so agree between themselves, and be everywhere like themselves, which so ravisheth the minds of them that attend, so moveth and changeth them. If these so great tokens agree unto them alone, what devil’s madness is it to doubt in the faith? Yea of those things past thou mayst easily conjecture what shall follow: how many and great things also, how incredible to be spoken did the prophets tell before of Christ: which of these things came not to pass? Shall he in other things deceive which in them deceived not? In conclusion, the prophets lied not, and shall Christ the Lord of prophets lie? If with this and such other like cogitations thou often stir up the flame of faith, and then fervently desire of God to increase thy faith, I shall marvel if thou canst be any long time an evil man. For who is all together so unhappy and full of mischief that would not depart from vices, if so be he utterly believed, that with these momentary pleasures, beside the unhappy vexation of conscience and mind, is purchased also eternal punishments: on the other side, if he surely believed for this temporal and little worldly vexation to be rewarded or recompensed to good men an hundred fold joy of pure conscience presently: and at the last life immortal.