Put awaye the euell from among yowe. Which wordes of Paule ar not to be vnderstonded of the synne / for the greke word is in the masculyne gendre / τὸν πονηρον / and therfor he meanith by it / the wicked man. The same wordes I will now sumwhat bend / vse / and turn / vnto the profite of you that be weake / and thus saye vnto yowe. Put awaye your own selues from the euell men that ar emongst you: for seing ye ar but priuate men / and vnlearned / and therfor can not put away the euell from among you / yet your selues ye may ridd / and conuey awaye from being emongst the wicked / and the euell men. Morouer it happeneth that whilest the weake and vnlearned do thus familiarly accompanie the vnbealeuers / They cã not chose but they must heare many subtill reasons and see many other thinges which do mutch make against the true religiõ that they do profes: Which thinges when they se and be not able to disproue and confute / They do it not: And so they rõne into two mischeifs. The furst is / That they ar as it wer witnesses of the blasphemie / and of the reproche that the vnbeleauers do to the truthe: the seconde / that they maie happ to haue summe stinge left sticking in their concience / with which they shalbe longer / more greuusly and daungerusly tormented / thẽ either they thincke of or do feare. Let vs heere therfor the wise mã which doth saye. [[Eccles. 13.]] Who so touchithe pitche shalbe fyled ther with all / and he that is familiar with the proude / shall become lyke vnto hym: Take not a burthẽ vppon the / aboue thy poure / neither ioyne thow thi self to hym that is more honorable / and ritche then thiself. These words of the wiseman / do for two causes belong to our purpos. Furst / bicause that they do teache / that other mens synnes ar lyke vnto pitche / which doth stycke vnto the fingars and garments of them that do touche it. Agayn / that eich man shuld well trie and consider his own poure and strenghth. Vppõ which cowncell / I do gather two thinges. Furst / that the infirme and weake must not ioyn themselues in familiaritie with the wicked / for wickednes will then cleaue vnto them: Secondly that eich man must so well consider / and iustly trie his own poure and strenghth / that he doth not ouermatch himself.