Filii hujus seculi, &c.--Luc.xvi.[8].
Christ in this saying touched the sloth and sluggishness of his, and did not allow the fraud and subtlety of others; neither was glad that it was indeed as he had said, but complained rather that it should be so: as many men speak many things, not that they ought to be so, but that they are wont to be so.Nay, this grieved Christ, that the children of this world should be of more policy than the children of light; which thing was true in Christ's time, and now in our time is most true.Who is so blind but he seeth this clearly; except perchance there be any that cannot discern the children of the world from the children of light? The children of the world conceive and bring forth more prudently; and things conceived and brought forth they nourish and conserve with much more policy than do the children of light.Which thing is as sorrowful to be said, as it seemeth absurd to be heard.When ye hear the children of the world, you understand the world as a father.For the world is father of many children, not by the first creation and work, but by imitation of love.He is not only a father, but also the son of another father.If ye know once his father, by and by ye shall know his children.For he that hath the devil to his father, must needs have devilish children.The devil is not only taken for father, but also for prince of the world, that is, of worldly folk.It is either all one thing, or else not much different, to say, children of the world, and children of the devil; according to that that Christ said to the Jews, "Ye are of your father the devil:" where as undoubtedly he spake to children of this world.Now seeing the devil is both author and ruler of the darkness, in the which the children of this world walk, or, to say better, wander; they mortally hate both the light, and also the children of light.And hereof it cometh, that the children of light never, or very seldom, lack persecution in this world, unto which the children of the world, that is, of the devil, bringeth them.And there is no man but heseeth, that these use much more policy in procuring the hurt and damage of the good, than those in defending themselves.Therefore, brethren, gather you the disposition and study of the children by the disposition and study of the fathers.Ye know this is a proverb much used: "An evil crow, an evil egg." Then the children of this world that are known to have so evil a father, the world, so evil a grandfather, the devil, cannot choose but be evil.Surely the first head of their ancestry was the deceitful serpent the devil, a monster monstrous above all monsters.I cannot wholly express him, I wot not what to call him, but a certain thing altogether made of the hatred of God, of mistrust in God, of lyings, deceits, perjuries, discords, manslaughters; and, to say at one word, a thing concrete, heaped up and made of all kind of mischief.But what the devil mean I to go about to describe particularly the devil's nature, when no reason, no power of man's mind can comprehend it? This alonely I can say grossly, and as in a sum, of the which all we (our hurt is the more) have experience, the devil to be a stinking sentine of all vices; a foul filthy channel of all mischiefs; and that this world, his son, even a child meet to have such a parent, is not much unlike his father.
