Page:The Net of Faith.pdf/445

118* countries and nations be poisoned to death with this corporeal and worldly wisdom. And this wisdom is the foundation of the power of the Emperor and his laws; and drinking this poison through his laws (the people) turn their whole mind to caring about comfort, licentious freedom, temporal goods, to obtain these things through cunning, to increase their profits through weal or woe, to gain privileges from kings or to win these privileges back if lost. For all this they invent clever defenses and fortifications for warfare

This law has converted Christians into pagans. And now, satiated with the poison of the worldly and physical wisdom, they despise the law of Christ. They consider it a ridiculous foolishness which only exposes their fat bellies. And so they not only scorn it as useless, but are even ready to oppose any one who dares to parade the uncomfortable law of Christ before their noses. You would think it were arsenic!

The Emperor, overjoyed by his recovery, stopped persecuting the Christians and their leader Sylvester; he even gave Sylvester "the imperial crown and dignity." Sylvester accepted the "donation" but his companions protested saying that "they have a commandment from the Lord, not to possess any land." On the night of the day in which the split occurred a voice from heaven was heard saying: "Today poison has been poured into the Church of God." The Christians departed from "Sylvester the arch-heretic upon hearing this voice" and continued to lead a life of poverty and renunciation. However, the greater part of the Church followed Sylvester and the hatred of these "pseudo-Christians" caused the persecution of the true "pauperes Christi" for many generations as if they were heathens or Jews. 3em