which seem to be girt with the girdle of continence, and yet
it is not in truth, it is but feignedly. And some religious persons make
a profession of continence or chastity, and yet not in truth, their
hearts be not truly chaste. Such feigned girding of the loins cannot
make a man strong to resist the assaults of the great captain or enemy in
the evil day. Yet some get them girdles with great knots, as though they
would be surely girt, and as though they would break the devil's head
with their knotted girdles. Nay, he will not be so overcome: it is no
knot of an hempton girdle that he feareth; that is no piece of harness of
the armour of God, which may resist the assault in the evil day; it is
but feigned gear; it must be in the heart, &c.

"And be ye apparelled or clothed," saith Paul, "with the habergeon or
coat-armour of justice, that is, righteousness." Let your body be
clothed in the armour of righteousness: ye may do no wrong to any man,
but live in righteousness; not clothed with any false quarrel or privy
grudge. Ye must live rightly in God's law, following his commandments
and doctrine, clothed righteously in his armour, and not in any feigned
armour, as in a friar's coat or cowl. For the assaults of the devil be
crafty to make us put our trust in such armour, he will feign himself to
fly; but then we be most in jeopardy: for he can give us an after-clap
when we least ween; that is, suddenly return unawares to us, and then he
giveth us an after-clap that overthroweth us: this armour deceiveth us.

In like manner these men in the North country, they make pretence as
though they were armed in God's armour, gird in truth, and clothed in
righteousness. I hear say they wear the cross and the wounds before and
behind, and they pretend much truth to the king's grace and to the
commonwealth, when they intend nothing less; and deceive the poor
ignorant people, and bring them to fight against both the king, the
church, and the commonwealth.

They arm them with the sign of the cross and of the wounds, and go clean
contrary to him that bare the cross, and suffered those wounds. They
rise with the king, and fight against the king in his ministers and
officers; they rise with the church, and fight against the church, which
is the congregation of faithful men; they rise for the commonwealth, and
fight against it, and go about to make the commons each to kill other,
and to destroy the commonwealth. Lo, what false pr