(75) But I find, that the most cunning Devil is set against me; he will raise Scorners and Mockers, who will say, that I intend by mine own Conceit to grope, dig deeper, and then out the Deity. Yes, Mr. Scorner, thou art an obedient Son to the Devil, thou hast great Cause to mock God's Children, as if I was able in mine own Power to fathom the Depth of the Deity: No! but the Deity searches the Ground in me: Or, dost thou think, that I am strong enough to stand against it?

(25) And whatever is done or can be done for him, seemeth him all too little and too poor, for he thinketh himself worthy of still more and greater honour than can be rendered to him. And of all the men who serve him and are subject to him, even if they be downright thieves and murderers, he saith nevertheless, that they have faithful, noble hearts, and have great love and faithfulness to the truth and to poor men. And such men are praised by him, and he seeketh them and followeth after them wherever they be. But he who doth not order himself according to the will of these high-minded men, nor is subject unto them, is not sought after by them, nay, more likely blamed and spoken ill of, even though he were as holy as St. Peter himself. And seeing that this proud and puffed-up spirit thinketh that she needeth neither Scripture, nor instruction, nor anything of the kind, therefore she giveth no heed to the admonitions, order, laws and precepts of the holy Christian Church, nor to the Sacraments, but mocketh at them and at all men who walk according to these ordinances and hold them in reverence.

(8) But if the Devil should raise Mockers and Despisers, who would say, it does not become me to climb so high into the Deity, and to dive so deeply thereinto.

(2) " What then," thou sayest, "is it not necessary to correct the priests who are acting irreverently, or convicted of something else out of place, but to those only, who glory in law, shall it be permitted to dishonour Almighty God, through the transgression of the Law? "And how are the priests interpreters of Almighty God? For, how do they announce to the people the Divine virtues, who do not know the power of them? or how do they, who are in darkness, communicate light? Further, how do they impart the Divine Spirit, who, by habit and truth do not believe whether there is a Holy Spirit? Now I will give thee an answer to these things. For truly my Demophilus is not an enemy, nor will I tolerate that thou shouldst be overreached by Satan. For each rank of those about God, is more godlike than that which stands further away. And those which are somewhat nearer to the true light, are at once more luminous, and more illuminating; and do not understand the nearness topically, but according to God-receptive aptitude. If, then, the order of the priests is the illuminating, entirely has he fallen from the priestly rank and power, who does not illuminate, or perhaps rather (he becomes) the unilluminated. And he seems, to me at least, rash who, being such, undertakes the priestly functions, and has no fear, and does not blush, when performing things Divine, contrary to propriety, and fancying that God does not know the very things of which he is conscious in himself, and thinks to mislead Him Who is falsely called by him Father, and presumes to repeat his cursed blasphemies (for I would not say prayers) over the Divine symbols, after the example of Christ. This one is not a priest,--No!--but devilish--crafty --a deceiver of himself--and a wolf to the people of God, clothed in sheep's clothing.

(93) If a simple Man comes before him, that cannot place his Words handsomely, then he takes him up short, as if he was a Dog; and if he has any Business before him, then he regards only those that are of worldly Esteem, and lets them carry the Cause, Right or Wrong: Take heed, Friend, what Manner of princely Angel indeed thou art; thou will find it well enough in the following Chapter, concerning the Fall of the Devil; that will be thy Looking-Glass to see thyself in.

(2) Many unordained and unseemly practices follow on this error, whoso might perceive all. Nevertheless some there be that be so curious that they can refrain them in great part when they come before men. But might these men be seen in place where they be homely, then I trow they should not be hid. And nevertheless yet I trow that whoso would straitly gainsay their opinion, that they should soon see them burst out in some point; and yet them think that all that ever they do, it is for the love of God and for to maintain the truth. Now truly I hope that unless God shew His merciful miracle to make them soon leave off, they shall love God so long on this manner, that they shall go staring mad to the devil. I say not that the devil hath so perfect a servant in this life, that is deceived and infect with all these fantasies that I set here: and nevertheless yet it may be that one, yea, and many one, be infect with them all. But I say that he hath no perfect hypocrite nor heretic in earth that he is not guilty in some that I have said, or peradventure shall say if God vouchsafeth.

(10) But seeing I have such an Impulse upon me, I let him act and move in me, who knows and understands what it is, and whose Pleasure it is that I should do it; I poor Man of Earth, Dust and Ashes, could not do it. But the Spirit invites and cites all such Mockers and Despisers before the innermost Birth or Geniture of God in this World, to desist from their Wickedness and Malice: If not, then they shall be spewed out as hellish Chaff into the outermost Birth or Geniture in the Wrath of God. Now observe,

(152) although the Devil will raise Scorners and Mockers to vilify it, I do not much regard that; I am satisfied with this gracious, amiable and blessed Revelation of God; they may mock so long, till they find it by Experience with eternal Shame, then the Fountain of Woe, Lamentation and Sorrow, will surely gnaw them.

(46) Come on you crowned Ornaments of Caps and Hoods, &c. Let us see whether a simple Layman may be able to search into the Birth or Geniture of Man’s Life, in the Knowledge of God? If it be amiss, then reject it; if it be right, let it stand.

(5) Also I know very well, that the Children of the Flesh will scorn and mock at me, and say, I should look to my own Calling, and not trouble my Head about these Things, but rather be diligent to bring in Food for me and my Family, and let those meddle with Philosophy that have studied it, and are called and appointed to it.

(30) The Fool surely has not gone up to Heaven, and seen or heard them; these are mere Fables; therefore in the Power of my Knowledge, I would have you warned and cited before the severe Judgment of God.

(173) O thou blind Man! How does the Devil Mock at thee? O! wherefore dost thou trouble Heaven? Dost thou think thou hast not have enough in this World? O blind Man! Is not Heaven and Earth thine? Nay, God himself too? What dost thou bring into this World, or what dost thou take along with thee at thy going out of it? Thou bringest an Angelical Garment into this World, and with thy wicked Life thou turnest it into a Devil’s Mask or Vizard.

(143) For they are divine Mysteries, which no Man can search into by his own Reason, and I also esteem myself most unworthy of such a Gift, and besides I shall have many Scorners and Mockers against me; for the corrupted Nature is horribly ashamed before the Light.

(1) SOME there be, that although they be not deceived with this error as it is set here, yet for pride and curiosity of natural wit and letterly cunning leave the common doctrine and the counsel of Holy Church. And these with all their favourers lean over much to their own knowing: and for they were never grounded in meek blind feeling and virtuous living, therefore they merit to have a false feeling, feigned and wrought by the ghostly enemy. Insomuch, that at the last they burst up and blaspheme all the saints, sacraments, statutes, and ordinances of Holy Church. Fleshly living men of the world, the which think the statutes of Holy Church over hard to be amended by, they lean to these heretics full soon and full lightly, and stalwartly maintain them, and all because them think that they lead them a softer way than is ordained of Holy Church.

(3) His cheer and his words should be full of ghostly wisdom, full of fire, and of fruit spoken in sober soothfastness without any falsehood, far from any feigning or piping of hypocrites. For some there be that with all their might, inner and outer, imagineth in their speaking how they may stuff them and underprop them on each side from falling, with many meek piping words and gestures of devotion: more looking after for to seem holy in sight of men, than for to be so in the sight of God and His angels. For why, these folk will more weigh, and more sorrow make for an unordained gesture or unseemly or unfitting word spoken before men, than they will for a thousand vain thoughts and stinking stirrings of sin wilfully drawn upon them, or recklessly used in the sight of God and the saints and the angels in heaven. Ah, Lord God! where there be any pride within, there such meek piping words be so plenteous without. I grant well, that it is fitting and seemly to them that be meek within, for to shew meek and seemly words and gestures without, according to that meekness that is within in the heart. But I say not that they shall then be shewed in broken nor in piping voices, against the plain disposition of their nature that speak them. For why, if they be true, then be they spoken in soothfastness, and in wholeness of voice and of their spirit that speak them. And if he that hath a plain and an open boisterous voice by nature speak them poorly and pipingly—I mean but if he be sick in his body, or else that it be betwixt him and his God or his confessor—then it is a very token of hypocrisy. I mean either young hypocrisy or old.

(1) Courteous Reader, here I would have you faithfully admonished, to let go your Opinion and Conceit, and not to gaze after the Heathenish Wisdom, nor be offended at the Simplicity of the Author: for this Work comes not from his Reason, but from the Impulse of the Spirit.