Page:The Net of Faith.pdf/457

124* That authority is therefore the strength of the Antichrist aimed at Christ and his chosen ones. And the Antichrist, with all his hatred and secret guiles, could not press so hard against Christ, if he had not a great ally in the strong temporal power. To what end has grown this authority which has branched out its roots (planted by Constantine) among the Christians? It has brought about everything that is abominable to Christ, all sorrows and all temptations to his saints. The hatred of the Antichrist is incited to flaming anger against Christ and his followers and it strikes the chosen ones of Christ through temporal authority (which authority the Anti-Christ praises to high heaven saying that through it the loly Church stands in its firmness and goodness).

Erasmus of Rotterdam writes similarly in his essay "We war continually, city with city, prince with prince, people with people, yea, and (it that the heathen confess to be a wicked thing) cousin with cousin, alliance with alliance, brother with brother, the son with the father, yea, and that I esteem more cruel than all these things, a Christian man against another man; and yet furthermore, I will say that I am very loath to do, which is a thing most cruel of all, one Christian man with another Christian man." (Erasmus,, J.W. Mackail, ed., Boston: Merrymount Press, 1918, p. 23f.)

a Christian man against another man; and yet furthermore, I will say that I am very loath to do, which is a thing most cruel of all, one Christian man with another Christian man." (Erasmus,, J.W. Mackail, ed., Boston: Merrymount Press, 1918, p. 23f.)