Seven godly and fruitful sermons. The six first preached by Master John DodSeuen godlie and fruitfull sermons. The six first preached by Master Iohn Dod

And good reason is there that it should be so: Reasons. 1 for

First, such persons are extremely hurtful. Never is evil practised with such mischief, as when it is contrived by craft, and polished with deceit. The Apostles were never so troubled in dealing either with the idolatrous Gentiles, or with the superstitious and malicious Jews, as they were when they had to do with those that pretended to be Christians, to be Ministers of the Gospel, yea to be Apostles: and therefore Paul expostulateth the matter with the Galatians, saying, O foolish Galatians, ¹who hath bewitched you? &c. As if he should have said, No man could deal so dangerously as these false Teachers, who have as it were charmed your affections, and bewitched your minds. And in the Epistle to the Corinthians, he greatly complaineth of such deceivers: ²I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I have prepared you for one husband, to present you as a pure Virgin to Christ. But I fear lest as the Serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. ³For such false Apostles are deceitful workers, and transform themselves into the Apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed ⟨p. 75⟩into an Angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing though his Ministers transform themselves, as though they were the Ministers of righteousness. Paul had taken great pains to make a match betwixt Christ and them, and to fit them for such a glorious husband: but he was much afraid lest it would be broken, in regard of many of them, and that as the Devil deceived Eve, so the false Apostles would deceive them, and that by transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ, making show (as the Devil doth,) of the greatest love and care of their good, and of their eternal salvation: when the truth was, they intended no such thing, but only the serving of themselves, in their carnal credit and commodity.