Hou anticrist & his clerkis traueilen to distroie holy writt & to make cristene men vnstable in þe feiþ & to sette here ground in deuelis of helle.
Capitulum primum.
As houre lord ihū crist ordeynede to make his gospel sadly knowen & meyntened aȝenst heretikis & men out of bileue bi writtynge of his foure euaungelistis, so þe deuel sathanas castiþ bi anticrist & his worldly false clerkis to distroie holy [page 210] writt & cristene mennus bileue bi foure cursed weies or fals resons. ¶Þe first, þat þe chirche is of more auctorite & more credence þan is ony gospel. ¶ Þe secunde, þat austyn seiþ þat he wolde not bileue to þe gospel but ȝif þe chirche tauȝte hym so. ¶Þe þride, þat no man now on lyue wote whiche is þe gospel but ȝif it be bi approuynge of þe chirche. ¶ Þe fourþe, ȝif men seyn þat þei bileuen þat þis is þe gospel of matheu or ion, þei axen, whi bileuest þou þat þis is þe gospel; as who seiþ, þer is no cause but for þe chirche confermeþ it & techeþ so. Þes foure euydences & many moo makiþ þe fend to blynde men in bileue, þat þei schulden not knowe whiche is synne, which is vertu, which is treuþe, which is falsnesse, which is good, which is euyl, & which is goddis heste, & which is lesynge of þe fend for to brynge alle men blyndly to helle. & þes newe religious & principaly freris prechen þes euydences & sowen hem among lewid men 1in contres to stoppe pore prestis & lewid men,1 [1_1 omitted X.] þat þei ben not hardy to speke of þe gospel & holy writt & goddis comaundementis & ioies of heuene & of [omitted X.] synnes & peynes of purgatorie & of helle, lest þei stiren men to rise out of synnys for drede of peynes, & to lyfe in vertuous lif for to haue þe blisse of heuene. & þis disceit in bileue is maad & coniected of þes cursed pharisees for to magnyfie here newe feyned ordres, founden of synful men, not only wiþ cristis clene religion but
