第22章

Now, I pray you in God's name, what did you, so great fathers, so many, so long a season, so oft assembled together?What went you about? What would ye have brought to pass?Two things taken away-- the one, that ye (which I heard) burned a dead man; the other, that ye (which I felt) went about to burn one being alive:him, because he did, I cannot tellhow, in his testament withstand your profit; in other points, as I have heard, a very good man; reported to be of an honest life while he lived, full of good works, good both to the clergy, and also to the laity: this other, which truly never hurt any of you, ye would have raked in the coals, because he would not subscribe to certain articles that took away the supremacy of the king:- take away these two noble acts, and there is nothing else left that ye went about, that I know, saving that I now remember, that somewhat ye attempted against Erasmus, albeit as yet nothing is come to light.Ye have oft sat in consultation, but what have ye done? Ye have had many things in deliberation, but what one is put forth, whereby either Christ is more glorified, or else Christ's people made more holy I appeal to your own conscience.How chanced this? How came it thus? Because there were no children of light, no children of God amongst you, which, setting the world at nought, would study to illustrate the glory of God, and thereby shew themselves children of light? I think not so, certainly I think not so.God forbid, that all you, which were gathered together under the pretence of light, should be children of the world! Then why happened this? Why, I pray you? Perchance, either because the children of the world were more in number in this your congregation, as it oft happeneth, or at the least of more policy than the children of light in their generation: whereby it might very soon be brought to pass, that these were much more stronger in gendering the evil than these in producing the good.The children of light have policy, but it is like the policy of the serpent, and is joined with doveish simplicity.They engender nothing but simply, faithfully, and plainly, even so doing all that they do.And therefore they may with more facility be cumbered in their engendering, and be the more ready to take injuries.But the children of this world have worldly policy, foxly craft, lion-like cruelty, power to do hurt, more than either aspis or basiliscus, engendering and doing all things fraudulently, deceitfully, guilefully: which as Nimrods and such sturdy and stout hunters, being full of simulation and dissimulation before the Lord, deceive the children of light, and cumber them easily.Hunters go not forth in every man's sight, but do their affairs closely, and with use of guile and deceit wax every day morecraftier than other.