The.vi. chapyter

The mes[…]enger moueth / y• syth the chyrche is this knowē multytude of good men & badde to gether / of whō no man knoweth whych be the tone sort & which be the tother / yt yt may be peradueutnre yt the good sort of the chyrch be they that byleue ye wor […]hyp of ymages to be ydolatry / and the bad sort they yt byleue y• cōtrary. Whyche obieccyon the author dooth ans[…]re and confute.

WHan I had sayd. Syr q he ye haue in good faythfully satysfyed me cōcernyng y• sure & vn[…]wted knowlege of ye very chyrch here ī erth. But yet thynketh me ye one lytell dowt remayneth for our pryncypall mater. What is y• q I. Mary […]yr q he yt is thys / yt though the very fayth be in the chyrch / & the chyrch can not erre therin / nor ye chyrch cā not be deceyued agaynst ye fayth in eny texte of scryptur / nor no scrypture is there yt beyng well vnderstāden doth or cā do stande agaynst ye fayth of ye chyrch / & yt also the chyrch is none other but as ye say and as I se yt is in dede / but thys hole comen congregacyō of trysten people good and badde / not seperatynge theym self fro frowardnes / nor beyng put […]t for theyr obstynate fawtꝭ / yet syth yt appereth well that though the ryght fayth be in ye chyrch / yt is not in euery man of the chyrch. And though ye chyrche can not erre in such thyngꝭ / yet som of ye chyrch may. Now s[…]meth yt to some men that yt may well peraduenture happen / that the good men well beleuyng & vndeceyued / be those that beleue the worshyp of ymages & prayng to sayntes to be ydolatry. And on ye tother syde / that those whythe byleue ye cōtrary be that parte of ye chyrch that be the naughty mē / mysbyleuers & foule deceyued. That were a very straung werke quod I. ye wold ryght now quod I / that in ye chyrch we shold […]hynk that there were none other but good mē. Wyll ye now agre that there be therin som good men? ye quod be that must nedꝭ be. Well quod I why ther be they good men that do nought? Nay quod he. Do they well q I that do ydolatry in dede though yt be agaynst theyr hartes. Nay quod he. But all quod I come to chyrch and worshyp ymagys / & all pray to sayntꝭ. Wherfore yf that be ydolatry / then ye chyrch of Cryst is all nought. For thus do they that be of ye contrary syde / for fere of beynge perceyued. Also yf one do well or preche well is […] a good mā yf he deny yt for fere? Nay quod he. But now q I all y• are of that sorte yf they happen to aduēture sōwhat & be spyed / they wyl fyrst ꝑiure thē self / and after abiure theyr opynyon so yt yf theyr opynyō were good / yet were thē selfe nought. But yet q he yf theyr opynyons be good / than be not they so euyl in hydīg theyr entētys for fere / as they that agaynst theyr trew opyniōs do and preche openly and p[…]rsue theym […]or sayng trouth. As som that faynted and fled fromartyrdome / were not so euyll as they that pursued them. Uery trouth quod I yf these mennys opynyos were trew. But yet though they were trew / yet were these mē nought. And ye tother worse quod he. That is well sayd quod I. But they and the tother be ye hole chyrche. And yf yours be nought as ye graunt and must nedꝭ graūt they be / yf ye tother w[…]re nought to / thā were in the chyrche […]one good But your self deny not but in ye chyrch yt must nedꝭ be / yt there be some good. And there can be none but eyther your parte or ye tother. Ergo sythe yours be nought those yt be good must nedꝭ be ye tother. But none of those yt be of ye tother could be good mē yf they were ydolaters & ꝑsued your parte for saynge ye trouth / & cōpelled thē to deny ye trouth / ergo ye tother ꝑte be not ydolaters / nor ye opynyō of your ꝑte for whyche they ꝑsue your ꝑte be not trew. And thus it appereth as me seme / that good mē of ye chyrch be agaynst you / & the noughty wyth you.