Nay, truly, this might seem much rather a marvel, and beyond all
belief, if the devil, who is the father of lies, and enemy to all truth,
would now upon a sudden change his nature, and hope that truth might
otherwise be suppressed than by belying it; or that he would begin to
establish his own kingdom by using now any other practices than the same
which he hath ever used from the beginning. For since any man's
remembrance we can scant find one time, either when religion did first
grow, or when it was settled, or when it did afresh spring up again,
wherein truth and innocency were not by all unworthy means, and most
despitefully intreated. Doubtless the devil well seeth, that so long as
truth is in good safety, himself cannot be safe, nor yet maintain his own
estate.
For, letting pass the ancient patriarchs and Prophets, who, as we have
said, had no part of their life free from contumelies and slanders, we
know there were certain in times past which said and commonly preached,
that the old ancient Jews (of whom we make no doubt but they were the
worshippers of the only and true God) did worship either a sow, or an
ass, in God's stead, and that all the same religion was nothing else but
a sacrilege, and a plain contempt of all godliness.
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