"I prayse my God, throwght Jesus Christ, for I fynd his promeis suyre,
trew, and stable. Christ Jesus biddis us 'Nott fear, when we shalbe
called befoir men, to geve confessioun of his trewth;' for he promisses,
'that it salbe gevin unto us in that hour, what we shall speak.' Yf I
had sowght the hole Scripturis, I could not have produced a place more
propir for my purpose, nor more potent to confound yow. Now to your
argument: The Ceremonyes of the Kirk, (say ye,) ar gold, silver, and
pretious stonis, becaus thei ar able to abyd the fyre; but, I wold
learne of yow, what fyre is it which your Ceremonies does abyd? And in
the meantyme, till that ye be advised to answer, I will schaw my mynd,
and make ane argument against youris, upoun the same text. And first, I
say, that I have heard this text adduced, for a pruf of Purgatorie; but
for defence of Ceremonies, I never heard, nor yitt red it. But omitting
whetther ye understand the mynd of the Apostill or nott, I maik my
argument, and say, That which may abyd the fyre, may abyd the word of
God: But your Ceremonies may not abyd the word of God: _Ergo_, Thei may
not abyd the fyre; and yf they may not abyd the fyre, then ar they not
gold, silver, nor precious stones. Now, yf ye find any ambiguitie in
this terme, Fyre, which I interpret to be the woord, fynd ye me ane
other fyre, by the which thingis buylded upoun Christ Jesus should be
tryed then God and his woord, which both in the Scriptures ar called
fyre, and I shall correct my argument."