An Answer to a Great Number of Blasphemous Cavillations

Of all sorts and Sects of men,¹ I have judged them to be most abhorred which are called Athei that is to say, such as deny that there is any God. But now me think these careless men §1are much more to be abhorred, my reason is because they be more injurious to God then the (Athey) for he is less injurious to a man §2that believeth that he is not, then they he which calleth him a cruel man a tyrant, and an unjust person, so are they less injurious to God which believe that he is not, then they which say he is unmerciful,§3 cruel, and an oppressor. Now what greater cruelty, tyranny, and oppression can be, then to create the most part of the world §4to everlasting damnation, so that by no manner of mean they can escape, and avoid the cruel decree and sentence against them. Seeing §5the Philosopher Plato judged them unworthy to live, and to be suffered in any common wealth which spake evil of God, what ought our judgements to be of such men which have so wicked and opinion of God? what so ever our judgement be of them, and what so ever their deserving be, let us labour rather to win them then §6to lose them. But forasmuch as he which toucheth pitch is in danger to be defiled there with. Therefore ought we to walk warily with such men, that we be not defiled and infected of them. Specially seeing that now a days this horrible doctrine doeth fret even as the disease of a canker which infect from one member to an other until it hath occupied the hole body without it be cut away, even so this error hath already infected from one to an other a great number. The lord grant them the true meaning and understanding of his word, whereby they may be healed, and the sickness cut of, the member being saved.