Worse than the pope/2

These are the paragraphs preceding the passage.  After going on about the hypocrisy in the papacy, at length, especially in the performance of prayers, dissecting all that thoroughly, (Matthew context: Pharisees and their long prayers are but greedy, hyprocrictiacl monsters, like the papists) he comes to this which is quoted below.  From line 22 of the preceding page:

People tell the story that a pious man had a vision of hell and had seen that it is plastered with the "platten" (bald heads? probably looking similar to cobble stones on the road, I'm guessing) of the monks an priests, because these are on the wide path to hell;  the great noblemen, as well.

Here is another thing to lament.  They take in the gulden and do nothing for it other than "pray".   That is much worse than getting it by stealing and robbing.  Therefore, they really are robbers, the likes of which have never been on earth before.  These are our pope, cardinal, bishops and the spiritual estate, who on top of everything else are blaspheming God, thereby.

But God plagues the world so because it despises his word.

One can see how people gave to the hypocritical supplicants (papists, monks...), how they have all the bishoprics and dukedoms, and to THAT people gave (money) all for the sake of a false, holy appearance, whereas NOW, people give nothing where the gospel is being preached, and where we pray properly and where are found pastors who single-handedly do more (good work) than all the bishops of the pope together;  to this pastor people now  maybe give ten gulden.  NOW nobody wants to give, and if we did not now have the stolen goods of the pope (that the pope had stolen) our preachers would not have much to eat;  but this is not enough (evil), people would also like to own everything that the poor pastor has received.  Before, they opened the purse generously, now they would like to rip the (last) bite right out of the pastor's mouth.

The nobleman lacks nothing, but they and the officials would still take the rinds of the pastor's bread, which are left over and still they want to be considered a good Evangelical.  Now that prayer is true, a person cannot not only accomplish that the preachers have food and nourishment but also people would like to take from them what they still have remaining.  One can hardly convince a peasant or a nobleman to think thus:  "He (the pastor) is a salaried man.  The house and the land, where he lays his head, do not belong to him;  it's (just) as if a widow had been thrown out;  but I, myself, own a little castle, which should suffice me;  I won't harm anybody."  (But, no), the noblemen do it themselves (deprive pastors) and everyone laughs at it.  Therefore, we are worse than the pope.

NOTE that the "stolen lands" are not lands that WE stole.  It does not say that.  Rather in the context it is abundantly clear  that the "robbing" and "blaspheming" and "hypocritical" papists have "stolen" them from the "rich."