A dyaloge of syr Thomas More knyghte: one of the counsayll of oure souerayne lorde the kyng [and] chauncellour of hys duchy of Lancaster. Wherin be treated dyuers maters, as of the veneration [and] worshyp of ymages [and] relyques, prayng to sayntys, [and] goyng o[n] pylgrymage. Wyth many othere thyngys touching the pestylent sect of Luther and Tyndale, by the tone bygone in Sarony, and by tother laboryed to be brought in to Englond

¶The .xix. chapiter.

¶Thauthor {pro}ueth y^t yf y^e worshyp of ymagys were ydolatrye than the chyrch byleuyng hyt to be lawfull & plesaunt to god / were in a mysse by¦leue and in a dedely errour. and thā were the fayth fayled in the chyrche wherof chryste hath promysede the contrary as ys proued in the chapy∣ter before.

SUerly syr quod he that god made not hys churche for a whyle but to endure tyll the worldys end / that ys there no chrysten man but he wyll well agree. And sythe hys chyrche can not stande wyth owte fayth whyche ys the entre into chrystē¦dom. for as saynt poule sayth / accedētē ad deum oportet credere / who so will cum to god must nedys byleue / no mā wyll denye but that fayth ys & allwey shalbe in hys church. And y^t his church not in fayth only and the knowlege of the truthes necessary to be knowen for oure soule helth / but also to the doyng of good workys & auoydyng of euills / ys / hath ben and euer shalbe specyally gyded and gouernede by god and the secrete inspyracyō of hys holy spiryte. well quod I then yf the chyrche haue fayth yt erreth not in byleue. That ys trouth quod he. It shulde erre quod I yf yt byleuyd not all the truthes that we be bounde to beleue. what elles q he. what & we beleuyd quod I all that ys trew / & ouer y^• sum other thyng not only false but also dysplesaunt to god / dyd we not then erre in our necessary byleue? wherby meane you that quod he. As thus quod I / yf y^t one byleuid in all the thre persons of the trynyte / y^e fader the sō and y^e holy goste / and ther wyth wer perswaded that ther were a fourth person besyde / equall & one god wyth thē. He muste quod he nedis erre in hys necessary byleue / by whych he is bounden to beleue in the trynite. And

that felow beleuyth in a quaternyte y^t ys quod I the hoole trynyte and oone moo. But we be not only not boundē quod he to byleue in any mo / but also bounden not to beleue ī any mo. Uery well quod I. then erreth he as moche & as far lakketh hys ryght beleue that by¦leuyth to moche as he that byleueth to lytle / and he that byleueth sum thynge y^t he shuld not / as he y^t beleuyth not sō¦thīg y^t he shuld. what els quod he and what then. Mary thys quod I. yf we byleue that yt were lawfull & well don to pray to sayntys / and to reuerence theyr ymag{is} / and do honour to theyr relyques and vysyt pylgrymag{is} / And than where we do these thyngys they were in dede not well dō but were dys¦pleasaunt to god / and by hym reputed as a mynysshement and a wythdraw∣yng of the honour dew to hymselfe / & therfore afore hys mageste reproued & odyous and taken as Idolatrye / were not thys opynyon a dedly pestylent er¦rour in vs & a playn lak of ryght fai••h? yes for god q he. But ye graunte q I that the churche can not erre in the ryght fayth necessarye to be byleuyde / whych ys geuen and allwey kept ī the church by god. Truth quod he. Than foloweth it quod I that the churche in that yt byleuyth sayntys to be prayed vnto / relyquys and ymag{is} to be wor¦shypped / and pylgrymagys to be vy∣syted and sought / ys not deceyued nor doth not erre / but that the byleue of y^e churche ys trewe therin. And therup∣pon also folowith that the wonderfull workys done aboue nature at suche y∣magys and pylgrymagys at holy rely¦ques by prayours made vnto saynt{is} / be not done by the deuyll to delude the churche of chryste therwyth / sythe the thyng that the church doth / ys well dō and not Idolatrye. But by the grete honoure dō vnto sayntys god hym se••f the more hyghly honored in that hys seruantys haue so moch honour for his sake. And therof foloweth yt that him selfe makyth the myracles in compro∣bacyō therof. Also if it be trew that ye haue grauntyd that god kepyth & euer shall kepe in hys churche y^e ryght fayth & rygh byleue by the helpe of hys owne hande that hath plantyd yt / then can it not be that he shall suffer the deuyll to worke wonders lyke vnto hys owne myracles to brynge hys hole church in to a wronge faythe. And then yf those thyngys be not doon by the deuyll / I trowe ye wyll not then denye but they be doon by god. And so ys yet agayn our purpose double prouyd. Fyrst in y^• ye graunt that god wyll nat suffer his church to erre ī his ryght faith / secūdly whyche pursueth theruppō by that he hath by many a vysable myracle decla¦red y^t thys fayth & maner of obseruaūce ys very plesaunte and acceptable vnto hym. whyche myracles sythe they bene prouyd to be don vppon good ground and cause / appere well to be dō by god and not by our gostely enmy.