1the conscience of the simple-hearted in his good
meaning ; he hath invented rights, which in his
laws serve to promote his deceit, contrary to the
light of nature ; all reproach and blasphemies have
subsisted in his strength and authority, whereby
he hath terrified the simple-hearted, that his power
might be great.
56. Thus falsehood is wrought with falsehood, and
the inferior is become false also, who hath set lies
to sale for truth, and so falsely cheated his superior ;
from whence is grown cursing, swearing, stealing,
and murdering, so that they have continually held
one another for cozening cheaters, liars, and unjust ;
1 the superior for they are so indeed, and l they have exchanged
feriorhave words for words, and therewith in lying and in
reproach one truth also they rub one another with the bitter
ier' unsavoury salt of devils in the anger of God,
whereby the name of God is blasphemed and
abused, and the world is found [to be] in the anger
of God, and is become a den of thieves and
murderers.
57. Seeing then out of this unrighteous people,
there should an host [or generation] be born to the
kingdom of heaven, and seeing none lived upon
earth that was not defiled with this wickedness,
and yet that in the love of God there was a possibility found [that such a generation might be
brought forth out of mankind], so that we (who
are sorry and grieved at this fore- mentioned evil
beast, and desire to go out from it) might come to
2Ch. 25] CHRIST'S DEATH AND RESURRECTION 703
the grace of God, and yet no otherwise but in this
Christ ; and yet that it is daily found among the
regenerated Christians, that the old earthly body
is so kindled in such wickedness, and that (although
they would fain go out from it and leave it quite)
yet they cannot, for the anger holdeth us captive
in the old man, and the devil is lord therein, who
driveth the body (in the spirit of this world) often
into evil and wickedness, which man intended not
to do, for the wickedness of the ungodly (by his
cursing and falsehood) kindleth the anger of the
1 old man, and although he be inwardly [new] born l wherein the
, new man
m God, yet it is not known. liveth.
358. Therefore (seeing our falsehood and unrighteousness, as also our offences, are manifested
before God, and appear in the tincture, and that
we could not [otherwise] be freed from such evil)
Christ hath taken upon him all our transgressions,
and suffered himself to be accounted one that had
a devil, and a sorcerer, seducer, and deceiver, as
if he would have set up an imperial crown for
himself, as the high-priests laid to his charge ;
he suffered himself to be mocked, scourged, spit
upon, and smitten on the face ; he suffered a false
crown of thorns to be set upon his head ; and as we
proceed against one another, and vex one another
with falsehood and malice upon earth, where the
potent doth what he listeth, to satisfy his anger ;
and as we revile, deride, mock, vilify, and send
one another to the devil, to deprive one another of
704 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 25
credit and reputation through falsehood, so must
Christ therefore take all this upon him.
59. And you see clearly, that the wicked Pharisees and Scribes put these things upon him ; for
these things did not happen to him for nothing, or
without cause ; for it was of necessity to be so ;
for the Pharisees, Scribes, and rulers, had put that
in his dish for him, which he must eat. Or shall
we be silent ? We must tell it, though it should
cost us our life.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.