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…

These forsooth are far greater & more sure & undoubted miracles, than are those, which Benno hath wrought / and Christ also doth acknowledge them: yet for all that he doth condemn the persons by whom they were wrought. To the same effect and purpose. Moses also doth write in the .xiii. chapter of Deuteronomium, that god doth permit and suffer ⟨image 28⟩miracles to be wrought by false prophets, to the intent to tempt and prove his people. ¹Wherefore it maketh nothing to the purpose, though any saint do work miracles after his death at his grave / For who knoweth whether god doth prove us and try our faith by those miracles, the holy man in the mean season being condemned at the time of his death. Likewise as were them false prophets in their life time. But in especial this is a suspect thing, when those miracles are wrought to the end, that through them holy life in deed may be commended: but not that the faith and word of god may be confirmed. And such for the most part are all the miracles of this Benno, of which there is nothing that ⟨image 29⟩doth appertain to the confyrmacy on of the word of god, but only to his ceremonies, his prayers / to the glories & boasts of the church of the Misnianes / and finally to the pomps and authority & power of the church of Rome / Do you not think it to be an excellent miracle, that Balaam (as it is written in the. ²xxiiii. chapter of Numeri) whether he would or not was compelled to preach the word of god, and to bliss the children of Israel? Was it not also a marvel that Saul did prophecy among the prophets? ³doth it follow therefore, that they must needs be saints: if the holy ghost did speak or did work such manner things by them? Wherefore before the extreme judgement no man ought of christen