Page:Bookofcraftofdyi00caxtiala.djvu/60

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temptations, and such as they never had before in all their life. And of these temptations five be most principal.

I. The First is of the faith, forasmuch as faith is fundament of all men's soul's-heal; witnessing the Apostle that saith: Fundamentum aliud nemo POTEST PONERE. [1 Cor 3:2] Other fundament may no man put. And therefore Saint Austin saith: Fides est bonorum OMNIUM fundamentum, ET HUMANE SALUTIS INITIUM. [Heb, xi. 6.] Faith is fundament of all goodness, and beginning of man's heal. And therefore saith Saint Paul: Sine fide est impossibile placere Deo. It is impossible to please God without faith. And Saint Justin saith: Qui non credit jam iudicatus est. He that believeth not is now deemed. And forasmuch as there is such and so great strength in the faith that withouten it there may no man be saved.

Therefore the devil with all his might is busy to avert fully a man from the faith in his last end; or, if he may not, that he laboureth busily to make his doubt therein, or somewhat draw him out of the way or deceive him with some manner of superstitious and false errors or heresies. But every good Christian man is bound namely habitually, though he may not actually and intellectually apprehend them, to believe, and full faith and credence give, not only to the principal articles of the faith, but also to all holy writ in all manner things; and fully to obey the statutes of the church of Rome, and stably to abide and die in them. For as soon as he beginneth