A book made by a certain great clerk, against the new idol, and old…A boke made by a certayne great clerke, agaynst the newe idole, and olde…

And to make an end in few words, Paul in all his epistles calleth them saints, unto whom he writeth / showing that every christen man in his life is a saint. But the Papists do know no saint saving only those which are in heaven: and ⟨image 23⟩whom they do daily set in heaven: and for this cause doubtless they do not understand the scriptures, and do despise and have in contempt all the very saints of god. if than we will make our life to agree with the rule of the scripture: we ought to bring away our selves from the saints which are in heaven, & to turn our selves unto them that are in earth / we ought to extol these saints, and these we ought to honour. This thing, no doubt of it, is pleasant and acceptable unto god, which hath also commanded the same. For as concerning them that are departed out of this world, he hath given us no commandment at all: wherefore it is not acceptable nor pleasant unto him, what soever it be, ¹that we do bestow ⟨image 24⟩upon them / For this manner Idolatry hath ben invented of men, because this thing doth bring in some lucre / as other men before me have sufficiently declared, and have largely treated of all this matter. For hitherto I have written no special thing as yet of the veneration of saints, (which thing also certain of my books do witness) all though it be imputed to me, and laid to my charge, as though I had ben the author and first beginner. And who soever hath ben the author by the pleasure & will of god, of a surety he doth not mystic nor displease me, neither doth it grieve me to bear pert of another mans dishonour and rebuke / to pass over in the mean season, that I do not covet to challenge another ⟨image 24⟩mans writings for mine, but I do acknowledge (as right is) that god doth also work some thing by other men, because I will not seem to do the busyness of the gospel, all my self alone. It is evident therefore, how many things, and how great cost & labour is necessarily required to the making of saints as touching their bodies: ²& again on the other side how easy and how ready a thing that true worshipping of saints is / which is spiritual, that is to wit such as Paul doth write to the Romans in the .xv. Chapter. when he saith.