ue not
that it is gods worde by the reason that they tell vs
so. I answere / that there are .ij. maner faythes / an
historicall faith and a felynge faith. The historical faith
hangeth of the trueth and honestie of the teller or of the
comen fame and consent of many. As if one told me that the
turke had wonne a citie and I beleved it moved with the
honestie of the man. Now if there come a nother that semeth moare honest or that hath better persuasions that it is not so / I thynke
immediatly that he lied and lose my faith agayne. And a felynge
faith
is / as iff a man were there present whan it was wonne and their
were wounded and had there lost all that he had and were taken
presoner there also. That man shuld so beleue that all the world
coude not turne him from his faith. Even like wise iff my mother
had blowen
on hir finger and told me that the fire wold burne me
/ I shuld haue beleued hir with an historicall faith / as we
beleue the stories of the worlde / because I thought she wold
not haue mocked me. And so I shuld haue done / if she had told
me that the fire had bene cold and
wold not haue burned / but assone as I had put my
fingre in the fire /
I shuld haue beleued / not by the reason of hir /
but with a felynge faith / so that she coud not haue persuaded
me aftir warde the contrarie . So now with an historicall faith
I maye beleue that the scripture
is Gods by the teachynge of them / and so I shuld
haue done
though they had told me that roben hode had bene the
scripture of God. Which faith is but an opinion and therfore
abideth euer frutelesse
and fauleth a waye / iff a moare gloriouse reason be
made vnto me or iff the preacher liue contrarye.
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