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In those daies there shall rise up a sort of blockish fellowes, proud, covetous, perfidious, and crafty, that shall eat up the sins of the common people, carrying a certain shew of foolish su∣perstion, under a feigned coverture of beggery; preferring themselves before all other men, by reason of a counterfeit reli∣gion.
Men of an arrogant disposition and feigned holiness, void of all shame, or fear of God, in inventing many new mischiefs,
strong and stout; but all prudent men and faithfull Christians shall curse this pestilent order. Men who will shun labour, and give themselves holy to idlenesse, rather choosing to get their li∣ving by flattery and beggery, and that will bend themselvs with all their might every way they can, perversly to resist the teach∣ers of the truth, and hinder them; and for this end they will fl••t∣ter Noblemen, that may assist them in this purpose. They shall also deceive the Nobles, and draw them into error, that they may furnish them with all necessaries, yea with all the delights and pleasures of this world; for the devil shall engraft these four principal vices into their mindes, Flattery, Envy, Hypocri∣sie and Slander; flattery, where with to purchase great matters to themselvs; envy; when they shall see benefits bestowed upon others besides themselves; hypocrisie, whereby they shall seek to please men by means of a counterfeit dissembling; slander, whereby they shall extoll and set out themselves with praises, by derogating from others, that they alone might be renowned among men, specially the simpler sort that are deceived by them.
They shall preach indeed diligently, but without all sense of piety, and not after the manner of the holy Martyrs of old; they shall derogate from the secular Princes, they shall take a∣way the Sacraments from the true Pastors, and shall take almes of those that are very sick and miserable, insinuating and by little and little winding themselves into the hearts of the common people.
They shall have familiarity with women, teaching them how to deceive their husbands and friends with sugered and dissem∣bling words; how to rob them of their goods, and then to give the same, being thus purloyned, unto these their teachers; for they shall lay hold on whatsoever men get, or howsoever it be gotten, by stealth, robbery, or by any legerdemain; and will say to them, Give it unto us, and we will pray for you; so that labouring to cover other mens sins, they shall quite forget their own.
And (alas!) they shall receive any thing from rogues, filchers, theeves, robbers that steal by the high-way side, sacrilegious per∣sons,
userers, adulterers, hereticks, schismatick, apestats, wheres and bawds of Noblemen, perjured-merchants, corrupt Judges, souldiers, Tyrants, or from any that live contrary to Gods law.
Perverse and wicked men they shall be, embracing the per∣swasion of the devil, the sweetnesse of sin, a soft a••d delicate life; and a certain fulnesse and abundance of all worldly things, though it be to their own eternal damnation: and all these things shall manifestly appear to be in them, and they shall every day wax•• more wicked, and that with mindes more and more obdurate.
But, when as once their crafty conveyances shall be found out & all their other wickedness, then shal their large gif••s cease, and they shall go from house like hunger-bitten and m••d dogs, looking down upon the earth, and drawing in their necks like doves, and all to get their fill of bread.
Then shall the people pursue them with this out-cry, Wo be unto you miserable wretches, that are ordeined to sorrow; the the world hath deceived you, the devil hath guided you with his reines hitherto, your flesh is frail, your heart is altogether without wit, graces or wisedom, your mindes are unstable and wavering, and your eies are blinded with much vanity and fol∣ly, your idle bellies have lusted after delicate d••shes of meat, and your feet have been swift to wickednesse.
Remember the time when you were in fight happy, yet pri∣vily envious; p••or abroad, but rich at home; courteous in shew, but great flatterers indeed; unfaithfull, treacherous, per∣verse, back-biters, holy hypocrites, supplanters of the trueth, immoderately just, proud, unchaste, unconstant teachers, deli∣cate martyrs, gain-thirsty confessors; gentle, but yet slander∣ers; religious, but yet covetous; humble, but yet proud; mercifull, but yet impudent lyars; pleasant fla terers, peace-ma∣king persecutors, oppressors of the poor, bringers in of men-sects devised by your selves; min that were counted mercifull, but are found out to be wicked wretches, lovers of the world, conjurers, drunkards, ambitious, patrones of wicked facts, the polers and pillers of the whole world; unsatiable preachers, that
seek to please men, and to deceive women; sowers of discord, of whom that famous Prophet Moses spake wisely in his Song, A people without counsel and understanding; would to God they had knowledg and understanding, and could have fore-seen their latter end.
Yee have built your nests on high indeed; and when yee could rise up no higher, ye fell down like as did Simon Magus, whom God destroyed and smote with a mighty plague; so shall you be thrown down upon the earth out of the clouds, and that by means of your false doctrines, your wickednesse, lyes, slanders, and detestable facts.
Then the people shall say unto them, Out upon you, get yee packing hence, you Captaines of mischief, over-turners of trueth. ye Shunamitish brethren, fathers of heresies, false Apo∣stles, that counterfeited the lives of the Apostles, whereof yee have not be••n imitators by no means: you sons of iniquity, wee will not follow the manner of your waies.
For Pride and arrogancy have seduced you, and insatiable co∣vetousnesse hath entangled your erring mindes; and seeing that you would needs ascend up higher then was meet and equal for you, yee are fallen back headlong into everlasting shame and reproach by Gods just judgment.