[Sidenote: Fryth.] ¶ I answere that some textes of scripture are onelye to be vnderstonde after the letter: As when Paule sayeth, Christ [Sidenote: Rom. 4.] dyed for our synnes & rose agayne for ourre iustificacyō. And some textes are onely to be vnderstonde spirytually or in the way of an allegory: As whē Paule sayth, [Sidenote: 1. Cor. x.] Christe was the stone. And when Christe sayeth hym selfe. [Sidenote: Johā. xv.] I am a very vyne. [Sidenote: Johan. x.] I ā the doore. And some must be vnderstōde both lytterallye, and spirytuallye: As when God sayde, out of Egypte called I my sonne, [Sidenote: Ozee. 11.] whyche although it were lytterallye fulfylled in the chylderne of Israel when he brought them out of Egypte with greate power and wōders, yet was yt also mente ād veryfyed in Christ hym selfe, [Sidenote: Math. 2.] hys very spyrytuall sonne, which was called out of Egygte after the death of Herode. And agayne yt is very spiritually fulfylled in vs whyche through Christes bloode are delyuered from the Egypte of synne, and from the power of Pharao the devyll. And I say that this texte of scripture, this is my bodye, ys onely spirytually to be vnderstonde, ād not lytterallye. And that doth S. Austen also confyrme, which wryteth vnto Adamantus and sayeth. These sentences of scripture, Christ was the stone, the bloode ys the soule, and thys is my bodye, are fyguratyuelye to be vnderstonde (that is to say) spiritually, or by the way of ā allegorye, & thus haue I. S. Austē whollye vpon my syde, whiche thynge shall yet hereafter more playnely appere. [Sidenote: More.] ❧ Nowe hys example of hys brydgromes rynge I very well alowe. For I take the blessed sacramēt to be left with vs for a very token and a memoryall of Christe in dede. But I say that the whole substaūce of the same token & memoryall, is hys owne blessed bodye. And so I saye that Christe hathe lefte vs a better token then this man wolde haue vs take yt for. And therin he fareth lyke a mā, to whō a brydgrome had delyuered a goodly golde rynge with a ryche Rubye therin, to delyuer to hys bryde for a token. And then he wolde lyke a false shrewe, keape a waye that golden rynge and geue the bryde in steade thereof, a proper rynge of aryshe, and tell her that the brydgrome wolde sende her no better. Or els lyke one that when the brydgrome hadde geuen soche a rynge of golde to hys bryde for a tokē, wyll tell her playne, ād make her beleue, that the rynge were but coper or brasse, to mynyshe the brydgromes thanke.