The.xxxi. chapyter

In that the chirche can not erre in the choyse of the trew scripture / the author prouythe by the reasō whych the kyngys hyghnes in hys noble & most famous boke obiectith agaīst luther / that the chyrche can not erre in the necessa[…]y vnderstandynge of scrypture. And fynally thauthor in this chapyter doth breuely recapi[…]e certayn of the pryncypall poyntys yt be byfore proued. And therwyth endeth the fyrste booke.

yEt wold I quod I aske you one thynge wherfore thinke you wyll no[…] Chryste suffer hys chyrche to be deceyuyde in ye descerninge of holy scrypture frome othere wrytynge / and suffer theym to take a boke of hol[…] scrypture / that were none in dede? Leste mē might quod he of sum false boke reputed holy scripture / haue grete occacyon geuyn them to cō ceyue a wronge dyctryne and wronge opinions of ye fayth / yf god wold suffer hys chirch to take a false deuysed boke for holy scrypture & for hys owne holy wordys. ye say quod I very trouthe. Now what yf in the very scrypture he shuld suffer hys chyrche mysse take the very sentence in a matter substanciall of our fayth / were they not in lyke ꝑell to fall by false vnderstandyng ī to like errors / as they might by false wrytīg? Yes th[…]t they were qu[…] he. Forsoth q[…]od I so […] th[…]y and in myche more. For in […] false […]ke mystaken for scrypture th[…]gh they […]d yt in neuer so hygh re[…]ereine for som[…] good thynges that they foun[…] in yt / and therby sholde haue gr[…]t […] to byleue the falfe errours wrytten in the same / yet […]yng […]s […]he chyrch alwaye shall haue / the trewe faythe / fyrst in harte they sholde fynde many shyftys to kepe oute the errours. But now yf they falsely shold vnderstand the trewe scrypture / there were no waye to scape frome dampnable errours. And therfore may I say to you as the kyngys hyghnes most prudētly layd vnto Luther / syth god wyll not suffre hys […]hyrche to mystake a booke of scrypture for parell of dampnable errours that myght ensue theron / and lyke parel may there ensue by the my[…] construynge of the sentence as by the mystakynge of the boke / yt must nedꝭ folowe that god wyll in thyngys of our fayth no more suffre theym to take a false sentence for trew / than to take a false booke for scrypture. And wyth this reason hys hyghnes cōcluded hym so clerely / that he durst neuer synnys for shame touche that poynt agayne / nor eny colour coulde lay / but that vpō hys owne confessyon in all substauncyall poyntys concernynge the faythe or knowlege of vertue pleasaunt to god / the chyrche hath so ryght vnderstandynge of scrypture / that yt well & trewly perceyueth / that no text therin can be ryght vnderstanden / agaynst eny artycle that y• chyrche byleueth for thyng to be byleued of necessytye. And this poynt durst he neuer synnys touch […] S[…]rely quod your […]rend I […] not though he dyde not. For this poynt is […] […]e cowld not / and I am here in fu[…]ly satysfyed. Than he you q I satysfyed in this also / that the fayth of the chyrche is a ryght rule to ca[…]ry wyth you to the study of […]rypture / to sh[…]pe you the vnderstandynge of the […]e[…]tis by / and so to take theym as they maye alwayes agre therewythall. […]e yt quod he. Than are ye, quo[…] I also f[…]lly answered in thys that y• where ye sayd ye shold not byl[…]ue the chyrche tellyng a tale of theyr owne / but onely tellynge you[…] scrypture / y[…] nowe perceyue that in suche thyngys as we speke of / that is to wytte necessarye poyntys of oure faythe / yf they tell yow a tal[…] whyche yf yt were false were dampnable / ye mus[…]e byleue and maye be sure that sythe the chyrche can not in suche thynges erre / yt is very trewe all that the chyrche in suche thyngys telleth yow. And that yt is not theyre owne worde but the worde of god though[…] yt be not in scrypture. That appereth well quod h[…]. Than are ye q I as fully […]atysfyed that where ye lately sayd that y[…] were a dysobedyēce to god & preferrīg of ye chyrch before hym self / yf ye shall byleue ye chyrch in such thyngꝭ as god in hys holy scrypture saythe hym self[…] the cōtr[…]ry / ye now perceyue yt […] in […] wy[…]e […] […]o. But syth hys chyrche in suche thy[…]gys as we […] can […]ot […]rre / yt […] that ye […]ryp[…]re […] god […] […]e co[…]trary to the f[…]yth of ye chyrch[…] That is very […] qu[…]d […]e. Than yt is as trew quod I […]hat ye […]e ferther f[…]lly answered in the […]ncypall poynt / that the scryptures layd agaīst y[…]agys & pylgrymages & wo[…] shyp of sayntꝭ / make no thing agaynst theym. And also that those thyngys / ymagys I meane and pylgrymagys & […]rayeng to sayntys / are thyngys […]od & to be had […] honour in Crystyschyrch / syth the chyrch byleueth so. Whych as ye graunt and se cause why ye so shold graunte / can in suche poyntys not be suffred for the specyall assystēce of god and instruc[…]yon of the holy ghoost to fall in error. And so ̄e […]e we for […]his […] ter at last wyth mych worke come[…] to […]n e[…]de. And therfore wyl we now to dyner. And your other obiec[…]yons that y[…] haue layd / by whych ye wolde pro […]e those thingꝭ reꝓuable & make them s[…]me ydolatrye / whych we deferred afore / those wyll we talke of after dyner. By my trouthe / quod he I ha […]e a nother tale to tell you yt all thys […]er[…] graūted / turnyth vs yet in to as myth vncertayntye as we were in before. Ye q I th[…] ̄ haue we well wal̄ […]d after ye balade / The ferther I go y• more behynde. I pray you what thīg is that. For that long I to here yet ere we go. Nay quod he yt were bettre ye dyne fyrste. My lady wyll I went be angry wyth me / that I kepe you so longe therfro. For I hold yt now well towarde t[…]l[…]e. And yet more angry w[…]lde wa[…]e wyth me yf I sholde ma […] you s[…]t and […] at your […]/as yt wolde I wote well m[…] […]n the […] ter yf ys wy[…]s yt were. Yf I were quod I lyke my wyfe I sholde […] more theron now & e[…]e no me[…] for longynge to knowe. But come on th[…] and let vs dyne fyrst / and ye shal tell vs after.