Christ suffereth in the persecution of his members. Therefore all the
wrong that such hard executors do to the poor wretches under their
control is done to Christ himself; and falleth under his severe sentence
and judgment. And besides that by such oppression of the Poor they draw
them off from Christ, and make them seek unlawful ways to fill their
bellies. Nay, they work for and with the Devil himself, doing the very
same thing which he doth: who, without intermission opposeth the Kingdom
of Christ, which consisteth only in Love. All these oppressors, if they
do not turn with their whole hearts unto Christ, and minister to or
serve him, must go into Hell-fire, which is fed and kept alive by
nothing else but such mere Self, which they have exercised over the Poor
here.