God’s Dealing with Us

How should God deal with us?  Good days we cannot bear, evil we cannot endure.  Gives He riches unto us—­then we are proud, so that no man can live by us in peace; nay, we will be carried on heads and shoulders, and will be adored as gods.  Gives He poverty to us—­then are we dismayed, impatient, and murmur against Him.

God only, and not wealth, maintains the world; riches merely make people proud and lazy.  Great wealth cannot still hunger, but rather occasions more dearth, for where rich people are there things are always dear.  Moreover, money makes no man right merry, but much rather pensive and full of sorrow; for riches, says Christ, are thorns that prick people.  Yet is the world so made that it sets therein all its joy and felicity, and we are such unthankful slovens that we give God not so much as a Deo Gratias, though we receive of Him overflowing benefits, merely out of His goodness and mercy.  No man can estimate the great charge God is at only in maintaining birds and such creatures, comparatively nothing worth.  I am persuaded that it costs Him yearly more to maintain only the sparrows than the revenue of the French king amounts to.

Points from “Popedom"

I much marvel that the pope extols his church at Rome as the chief, whereas the church at Jerusalem is the mother; for there Christian doctrine was first revealed.  Next was the church at Antioch, whence the Christians have their name.  Thirdly, was the church at Alexandria; and still before the Romish were the churches of the Galatians, of the Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians.  Is it so great a matter that St. Peter was at Rome?  Which, however, has never yet been proved, nor ever will be, whereas our blessed Saviour Christ Himself was at Jerusalem, where all the articles of our Christian faith were made.

Prayer in popedom is mere tongue-threshing; not prayer but a work of obedience.  Hence the confused sea of howling and babbling in cells and monasteries, where they read and sing the psalms and collects without any spiritual devotion.  Though I had done no more but only freed people from that torment, they might well give me thanks for it.

Kings and princes coin money only out of metals, but the pope coins money out of everything—­indulgences, ceremonials, dispensations, pardons; ’tis all fish comes to his net.  ’Tis only baptism escapes him, for children come into the world without clothes to be stolen or teeth to be drawn.

Patristic Literature

I will not presume to criticise too closely the writings of the fathers, seeing they are received of the church and have great applause, but whoso reads Chrysostom will find he digresses from the chief points, and proceeds on other matters, saying nothing, or very little, of that which pertains to the business.  St. Jerome wrote upon Matthew, upon the Epistles to the Galatians, and Titus, but, alas, very coldly.  Ambrose wrote six books upon the first book of Moses, but they are very poor.