crafty hunters; they be misnamed
children of light, forasmuch as they so hate light, and so study to do
the works of darkness. If they were the children of light, they would
not love darkness. It is no marvel that they go about to keep other in
darkness, seeing they be in darkness, from top to toe overwhelmed with
darkness, darker than is the darkness of hell. Wherefore it is well done
in all orders of men, but especial in the order of prelates, to put a
difference between children of light and children of the world, because
great deceit ariseth in taking the one for the other. Great imposture
cometh, when they that the common people take for the light, go about to
take the sun and the light out of the world. But these be easily known,
both by the diversity of minds, and also their armours. For whereas the
children of light are thus minded, that they seek their adversaries'
health, wealth, and profit, with loss of their own commodities, and
ofttimes with jeopardy of their life; the children of the world,
contrariwise, have such stomachs, that they will sooner see them dead
that doth them good, than sustain any loss of temporal things. The
armour of the children of light are, first, the word of God, which they
ever set forth, and with all diligence put it abroad, that, as much as in
them lieth, it may bring forth fruit: after this, patience and prayer,
with the which in all adversities the Lord comforteth them. Other things
they commit to God, unto whom they leave all revengement. The armour of
the children of the world are, sometime frauds and deceits, sometime lies
and money: by the first they make their dreams, their traditions; by the
second they stablish and confirm their dreams, be they never so absurd,
never so against scripture, honesty, or reason. And if any man resist
them, even with these weapons they procure to slay him. Thus they bought
Christ's death, the very light itself, and obscured him after his death:
thus they buy every day the children of light, and obscure them, and
shall so do, until the world be at an end. So that it may be ever true,
that Christ said: "The children of the world be wiser, &c."

These worldlings pull down the lively faith, and full confidence that men
have in Christ, and set up another faith, another confidence, of their
own making: the children of light contrary. These worldlings set little
by such works as God hath prepared for our salvation, but they extol
tradition