The. iii. chapyter

BUt of very trouth good reader, not without a good cause and a great, I dyd rather touche the thyng yt was the cause of the Iewes murmur and theyr dyssensyon whan they dysputed vppon the mater, than I dyd theyr murmure and theyre dys sensyon. For of trouth where he sayd of hym self that he was a dore: there¹ grew dyssensyon amonge his herers vppon that worde of hys, and vpon other wordes that he spake ther with at yt same tyme / so yt the gospel sayth, And there was dyssensyō among the² Iewes vpon these wordes / some sayenge that the deuyll was in hym and some sayeng nay, and that the deuyll was not wont to make blynd men se / as there was here dissensyon and dys putynge vppon these wordes of eatynge of his fleshe. But inthe. x. chapyter they nothynge meruayled of his callynge hym selfe a dore for he expowned ye parable at length so that they perceyued well that he called hym selfe a dore, but onely by waye of an allegory. And therfore of callynge hym self a dore they mer uayled not of that worde when he declared yt, for they perceyued it for a parable. But they dysputed vppon that worde and vppon his other wordes also, wherein he sayde that no man could kyll hym agaynst his wil,³ and that he wolde dye for his shepe, and that he had power to put awaye his soule and take it agayn. Of these thynges they dysputed, and thought theym straunge and meruay louse to. But not for the wordes or the maner of spekynge, but for the very mater. For all they vnderstode the wordes metely wel / but many of them byleued them not. But not one of theym dyd so take that worde, I am a dore, as that they meruayled howe that could be. And therfore none of thē for any suche meruayle sayd there, how can he be a dore? as these Iewes said here, howe can he geue vs his fleshe to eate? And therfore as I saye, therin appereth well that our sauyour in the tone place called hym selfe a dore by waye of a parable / and in the tother spake of the catynge of his owne very fleshe yt selfe, besides all parables. whyche well appered I saye by hys audyence. For the tone worde they perceyued for a parable, and therfore none of theym meruayled of the maner of the spekynge of that worde, though they meruayled and murmured and dysputed at the thynge that the parable ment. But in the tother place, many meruayled at the thynge by the selfe same name that he gaue therto, sayenge, howe can he geue vs hys fleshe to eate? whereby yt well appe […] that they ꝑceyued that he spake of very eating of his fleshe in dede / & in yt tother place appereth not yt they thought he ment that he was a very dore in dede, but the contrarye playn appereth. For Chryste by his playn and open exposycyon of that parable, delyuered theym clene from all occasyon of thynkynge that he ment hym selfe to be a very dore in dede.

But in these wordes of eatynge of hys fleshe, bycause he wolde geue hys very fleshe to be eaten in very dede, therfore he more and more tolde them styll the same / & also tolde theym hym selfe was god, and therfore able to do yt / and ouer that gaue theym warnynge that they sholde not eate it in dede gobbettes, but sholde eate it quycke with spyryt and lyfe. For his wordes were spyrit and lyfe. For his fleshe sholde ellys anayle nothyng. And that though his bodye sholde be eaten by many sundry men in many sundry places, yet sholde yt neuer the lesse be also styll whole and sounde, where so euer he wolde besyde. whych he declared by⁴ his […] wyth his body perfyte into heuen, not withstandynge that it sholde be byfore that, eaten of many men in erthe.

And thus haue I good reders as for this solucyon of maister Masker, made open and playne vnto you / his falsed and his foly both / and made rt clere for all his hygh pernycyouse pe stylent wordes, both that I haue hād led this place of the scripture right, & also taken rather the sentēce than the word. And I haue also by occasyō of his wise solucyon, caused you to perceyue that in myne argument was and is more pyth and more strength, then peraduentur euery man perceyued before. And therfore thus mych worshyp hath he wonne by thys his fyrste solemne solucyon.