A fruitful treatise of fasting

how pestilently hath he corrupted the pure wheat of God's word with mingling his chaff, dross, darnel, cockle and tares, I mean the false glosses, ⟨image 6⟩and unsavoury expositions of the papists, Anabaptists, and such other sectaries? Howe wickedly hath he perverted the right use of the sacraments, specially the sacrament of Christs body and blood? fasting, prayer and alms deed, how hath he made them to be abused? There is no point of Christen religion, which Satan hath not attempted too overthrow by his ministers. And albeit as I said before the enemy laboureth at all times to sow his tares in the Lords field, yet when the shepherds of Christs flock be negligent in doing their duty, fall a sleep and look not to the Lords field, then doth he most of all play his part and bestir him like a right devil, as Solomon saith. When ⟨image 6⟩the preaching of gods word fai• leth,¹ the people perish. It therefore becometh all men that tender the glory of God, but specially the Lords Ministers to look diligently unto their lords field, and earnestly to take heed that the enemy sow not his tares among the Lords wheat. If any be sowed, it is their duty to labour even to the uttermost of their power not with violence & corporal armours (for the use of the secular sword is not committed to the preachers of gods word,² but to the temporal rulers only to punish malefactors) but with the sword of the spirit which is the word of God,³ with prayers, supplications and •eares to weed them out.

howe pestilentlye hathe he corrupted the pure wheate of goddes woorde wyth myngeling hys chaffe, drosse, darnell, cockell and tares, I mean the false gloses, ⟨image 6⟩and vnsauery exposicions of the papistes, Anabaptistes, and suche other sec•aries? Howe wickedlye hathe hee peruerted the righte vse of the sacramentes, specially the sacrament of Christes bodye and bloude? fastinge, praier and almes deede, howe hathe he made thē to be abused? There is no pointe of Christen religion, which Sathan hath not attempted too ouerthrowe by hys ministers. And albeit as I said before the enemy laboureth at all times to sowe hys tares in the Lordes fielde, yet when the shepheardes of Christes flocke be negligēt in doing their dutye, fal a slepe and loke not to the Lordes field, then doth he most of al play his parte and bestoure him like a right deuil, as Salomon saythe. When