Do not, like the slothful servant, thy master's message with cautels and
doubts: come not to thy neighbour whom thou hast offended, and give him a
pennyworth of ale, or a banquet, and so make him a fair countenance,
thinking that by thy drink or dinner he will shew thee like countenance.
I grant you may both laugh and make good cheer, and yet there may remain
a bag of rusty malice, twenty years old, in thy neighbour's bosom. When
he departeth from thee with a good countenance, thou thinkest all is well
then. But now, I tell thee, it is worse than it was, for by such cloaked
charity, where thou dost offend before Christ but once, thou hast
offended twice herein: for now thou goest about to give Christ a mock, if
be would take it of thee. Thou thinkest to blind thy master Christ's
commandment. Beware, do not so, for at length he will overmatch thee,
and take thee tardy whatsoever thou be; and so, as I said, it should be
better for thee not to do his message on this fashion, for it will stand
thee in no purpose. "What?" some will say, "I am sure he loveth me well
enough: he speaketh fair to my face." Yet for all that thou mayest be
deceived. It proveth not true love in a man, to speak fair. If he love
thee with his mind and heart, he loveth thee with his eyes, with his
tongue, with his feet, with his hands and his body; for all these parts
of a man's body be obedient to the will and mind.
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