A Treatise of the Cohabitation of the Faithful with the Unfaithful (1555)
Peter Martyr Vermigli, for short; in fact a work of several hands, catalogued under Vermigli, Heinrich Bullinger and Thomas Becon, with a sermon usually credited to Bullinger
It will not sit in a pew it does not believe in, even to stay alive.
Every stat is a checkable fact about the actual book, not a designer's mood. Bars are drawn against the highest value any book reaches.
The game's own explanation, as a reader sees it in the backpack.
Low. It is a small book, printed abroad and meant to be carried into England.
Good. It takes the excuses one by one: I only go with my body, God sees my heart, I am protecting my family.
Low. It asks for something costly, and it says so.
Quick. It was printed in 1555, while the burnings under Mary were happening, for readers who had to decide that year.
In 1555 Mary I was burning Protestants in England, and many asked whether they could go to the Mass outwardly while believing the gospel inwardly. This book said no. Worship done with the body is a confession, and a believer may flee but may not pretend. The game shelves it under Vermigli for short, but it is a work of several hands, catalogued under Vermigli, Heinrich Bullinger and Thomas Becon.
By levelling up. A book that develops keeps what it knew and learns the rest on its new schedule.
| Lv | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr | Acc | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Random Verse | Bible | Argument | 10 | 100% | 30 |
| 8 | Chapter… | Bible | Scripture | — | — | 12 |
| 14 | Affirm | — | Status | — | — | 1 |
| 22 | Deeds Are a Tongue | Ethics | Argument | 84 | 100% | 15 |
| 28 | Faith Kept in the Heart | Ecclesiology | Argument | 84 | 100% | 15 |
| 32 | Die, or Fly | Ethics | Argument | 86 | 100% | 15 |
| 36 | No Man a Neuter | Christology | Argument | 82 | 100% | 15 |
How to read these. In Scholar’s Dream, books argue with each other. Each thing a book can do in a debate is a move, and most moves carry a real quotation — the words the book puts on the table when it uses that move.
Strong against lists the opposing books and arguments a move was written to answer. Used against one of them, it hits much harder than usual: ×2 means twice the normal force, ×4 four times. It is the game’s way of saying: this is the sentence that answers that argument. Open an entry to read why.
“For in him we live, and move, and have our being. As some of your own poets have said.”
Acts 17:28 (WEB) — Paul at the Areopagus, quoting the Athenians’ own poets back to them.
In the gamePick the part of the opponent’s case that is true and affirm it. That point can no longer be used against you, and the opponent’s Defend falls sharply. It deals no damage. Affirm something false and you have only agreed with an error.
“God, he is the Lord of heart and body… The tongue doth confess the thing that lieth in the heart by words: so doings do give a confession thereof indeed.”
A Treatise of the Cohabitation of the Faithful with the Unfaithful (1555; catalogued under Peter Martyr Vermigli, Heinrich Bullinger and Thomas Becon), EEBO-TCP, public domain; spelling modernised.public domain
In the gamePeople said they could attend the Mass with their bodies while their hearts stayed Protestant. The treatise answers that God is Lord of the body too. What you do in worship says something, just as your words do.
Standing in a service is a confession, so you cannot worship where the gospel is denied and call it staying in the church. Leaving that worship is not leaving Christ.
“Hast thou confessed the gospel in words? This then remaineth for thee to do: die, or fly for the gospel…”
A Treatise of the Cohabitation of the Faithful with the Unfaithful (1555; catalogued under Peter Martyr Vermigli, Heinrich Bullinger and Thomas Becon), EEBO-TCP, public domain; spelling modernised.public domain
In the gameUnder persecution the treatise gives two honest choices, and pretending is not one of them. A believer who has confessed the gospel may flee for it, or die for it. He may not stay and act as if he never believed it.
The bull offers silence or death. The Protestants it drove out found a third way: flee, and keep preaching. In 1542 Ochino went to Geneva and Vermigli to Strasbourg, and both kept teaching the gospel.
“For in this case it is lawful for no man to be a neuter, as they call it.”
A sermon preached to the Zurich clergy on 28 January 1555, usually credited to Heinrich Bullinger, printed with A Treatise of the Cohabitation of the Faithful with the Unfaithful (1555), EEBO-TCP, public domain; spelling modernised.public domain
In the gameWhen Christ is slandered and a believer could speak, staying silent is a way of denying him. The sermon says nobody may stay neutral about Christ.