abyde the gloryâ— He wolde not be a knowen that hym selfe was preste but sayed that he had by the space of .ix. yeres ben beyonde the see and there lyued by the ioyners crafte How be it he sayd that he had allwaye as hys leysour wolde gyue hym leue and as he coude fynde oportunyte in places where he came taught the gospell of god after hys owne mynde and hys owne opynyoÌ„ not forcyng of the determynacion of the chyrch sayd that he intended to hys power so to perceuerstyll Of his techyng these thinges were parte Fyrst as for baptysme he agreed it for a sacrament necessarye to saluacyon how be it euery lay person he sayd myght as well baptise as a preste were the chyld in necessyte or not and that the forme of baptysyng vsed in the chyrch were mych better yf it were spoken in englysshe Of matrymony whyther it were a sacrament or not he sayed he wyste nere But he sayed yet that it was a thynge necessary and of crysten people to be obserued and kepte How be it as for the solempnysacyon of maryage at chyrche he agreed it for goodâ— but sayd it neded not The man ment by lykelyhed that it was good inough to wed vppon a cusshyon when the dogges be a bedde as theyr prestes wedde I wene where theyr persons be knowen For ellys they let not to wedde openly at chyrche and take the hole parysshe for wytnesses of theyr bestely bychery The extreme vnccyon or anelynge and confyrmacyon he sayed be no sacramentes of the chyrche nor be nothynge necessarye to the soule The sacrament of order he sayed is no sacrament of the chyrche nor was neuer ordeyned by god in the new testament but onely by man The masse he sayed sholde neuer be sayed For he sayed that to saye masse after the maner of the chyrche is rather synne then vertue As for confessyon made to a preste he sayed nothynge profyteth the soule nor penaunce enioyned of the preste vnto the penytent confessed is nothynge necessary Purgatory he denyed â—ayed also that neyther prayour nor fastynge for yâ— soules departed can do them any good To vow and entre into any relygyon approued by the law he sayed auayleth not but he sayed that all that entre into relygyon synne in so doynge He helde also that no man hath any fre wyll after that he hath onys synned He held that to say any diuyne seruyce after the ordynauÌ„ce of the chyrche auayleth nothynge and that all dyuyne seruyce maye be lefte vnsayed wythout any synne He helde that all the images of Cryste and hys sayntes sholde be throwen out of the chyrche He helde also that what so euer the 〈◊〉 or the generall conÌ„sayle make besyde that that is expressely commaunded in scrypture euery man may lawfully breke it without any maner synne at all mortall or venyall eyther He held also that yt is not lawfull neyther for the kynge of England nor for any other cristeÌ„ prince to make any law or statute for the punyshemeÌ„t of any thefte or any other cryme by whyche lawe any man sholde suffer deth For he sayde that all suche lawes be contrarye to the gospell whyche wyll no man to dye As touchynge the blessed sacrament of the auter he sayd yt is a necessary sacrament but he helde that after the consecracyon there was none other thynge therin but onely that very substaunce of materyall brede wyne and so he sayde he fermely byleued and that he wolde holde that opynyon to the deth Fynally holdyng all these abomynable heresyes wyth yet dyuerse other mo of lyke sewte sorte he sayd that he was very certayne and sure that he hadde the grace of god with hym and that the holy goost was wythin hym And so was he after myche fauour shewed hym myche labour charytably taken for the sauynge of hym delyuered in conclusyon for his obstinacye to the seculare handes and burned vppe in hys false fayth and heresyes wherof he lerned the great parte of Tyndales holy bokes and nowe the spiryte of errour and lyenge hath taken his wreched soule wyth hym strayte from the shorte fyre to the fyre euerlastyng And this is â—o syr Thymas Hytton the dyuyls stynkyng martyr of whose burnynge Tyndale maketh boste wherfore syth Tyndale aloweth his cause he must nedes defend his artycles And now wote I â—ell that some of those artycles Tyndale hath hym self geueÌ„ ouer at laste for shame as the artycle agaynst images and the artycle agaynst yâ— lybertye of mannys fre wyll wherin he bereth me in hande in his answere to my dyaloge that I bylye Luther But when I shall come to the place I shall lette you se Luthers owne wordes in that poynte so playne that ye shall not meruayle though Tyndale were ashamed of hys mayster And yet shall ye meruayle that Tyndale was so shamelesse to denye the thynge whyche ye shall se so playnely proued But ye se that of thys holy martyr Tyndale hath not so great cause to glorye but that he may scrape out hys name agayne out of the caleÌ„dare and restore the blessed byshoppe saynte Policarpus agayne into his place Then haue ye hadde here burned synnys at London of late Rycharde Bayfelde late a monke and a preste whyche fell to heresye and was abiured and after that lyke a dogge returnynge to his vomyte and beynge fledde ouer the see and sendynge from thense Tyndales heresyes hyther wyth many myscheuouse sortes of bokes hadde yet the kynges gracyouse forgyuenes as yt was after proued bothe by other mennys and his owne confessyon to was occupyed aboute two thynges at ones that is to wyt both in sewyng for remyssyon and perdon of hys offence for bryngynge in those bokes therwith also in sellyng theÌ„ here styll secretely sendyng ouer for mo with whych at last he was taken And to reherse his heresyes nedeth lytle the bokes that he brought well sheweth them and his holy lyfe well declareth them whenâ— beynge both a preste and a monke he went about two wyues one in Brabande a nother in Englande what he ment I can not make you sure whyther he wold be sure of the tone yf the tother sholde happe refuse hyâ— or that he wolde haue them both the tone here the tother there or ellys both in one place the tone bycause he was preste the tother bycause he was monke Of Bayfeldes burnynge hath Tyndale no great cause to glory For though Tyndales bokes brought hym to burnynge yet was he not so constante in his euangelycall doâ—tryne but that after that he was taken all the whyle that he was not in vtter dyspayre of perdon he was well contente to haue forsworen yt agayne and letted not to vtter hys euangelicall brethern both it England and ellys where causynge some of them to be taken as George Constantyne ere he escaped was redy to haue in worde at the leste wyse abiured all that holy doctryne what his herte was god and he know
payne of Cryste maketh our penaunce auaylable to them that set not so lytell by theyr synne but that they be content and thynke them selfe well worthy to take payne and penaunce for theyr synne them selfe But bycause he wyll that men repent the doyng of theyr synne and then no more but fayth I wolde wyt of Tyndale what calleth he repentynge a lytell short sorow or a great sorow and a longe If a lytell prety sorow and very shortely done I wolde as fayne he sayed trew as I fere that he lyeth If a great seruent sorow wyth grefe and trouble of mynde not shortely shot ouer but kepte contynued longe then force I lytell of his heresye For no dowte is it but that Tyndals tale to suche a man shall seme god wote full fond For he that hath suche repentaunce wyll to shryfte I warraunt you and take penaunce of the preste do mych more there to what so euer Tindale tell hym And he that is cristened careth for no shryfte repenteth neuer a dele but they that repente not at all be Tyndals repentaunt synners wyll ye se that it is so Go me to Martyn Luther the fyrst mayster of Tyndale in thys mater though now hys scoler passeth hym whyle that frere lyeth with his nonne woteth well he doth nought and sayth styll he doth well let Tyndale tell me what repentynge is that He repenteth euery mornynge and to bedde agayne euery nyghte thynketh on goddys promyse fyrste and then go synne agayne vppon truste of goddys testameÌ„t and then he calleth it castynge of a lytell mylk in to the mayne see Of the sacrament of order Tyndale By a preste in the new testament vnderstande nothynge ellys but an elder to teache the yonger to brynge them to the full knowlege and vnderstandyng of Cryste and to mynystre the sacramentes whych Cryste ordeyned More By the wordes he meaneth that the holy order is no sacrament nor is nothyng ellys but an elder to teache the yoÌ„ger and to mynystre the sacraments suche as Cryste ordeyned And in this wyse he sayth we be all prestes both meÌ„ and women to For he sayth in the same boke precysely and in this boke to that women may consecrate the holy body of Crist. Agaynste whych folysh blasphemouse bablynge were very great foly to dyspute syth of as many good holy vertuouse women as hathe bene in crystendone syth crystes deth vnto this daye was there neuer none yet but that her harte wold haue abhorred yf such an hygh pÌ„sumptuous thought shold ones haue fallen in her mynde And what wold yt auayle to dyspute wyth hym syth he mokketh and skoffeth out the wordes of saynte Paule wrytten vnto Tymothe in whyche the sacrament of order ys so playnly proued that all the worlde can not denye yt but yf they make a mokke at saynt Paule as Tyndale doth Now in that he sayth the sacramentes that Cryste ordeyned he meaneth nothynge ellys but his playne heresyes agaynst all the sacramentes saue twayne that is baptysme and the sacrament of the auteâ— as yt haue all redy sene in all the remanaunt And now syth he leueth but theÌ„ twayne I pray you consyder how holyly he handeleth them twayne and ye shall se that he myght allmost as well deny theÌ„ both as handle them after the fashyon And fyrste here how he haÌ„deleth the holy sacrament of baptysme Of the sacrament of baptysme these be his wordes Tyndale The sacrameÌ„tes which Criste hym self ordeyned which haue also promises and wolde saue vs yf we knew them and byleued them them they mynyster in the latine tonge So aâ— they also bycome as vnsâ—rutefall as the tother And after he sayth forther Baptisme is called volowyâ—ge in maâ—ny places in Englande bycause the preste sayth volo saye ye The chylde was well volued say they ye and our vicare is as fayre volwer as any preste wyth in this twentye myses More All this great scoffynge ariseth onely bycause that chyldern be crystened in latyne For whyche onely cause he sayth that the baptysme is vtterly frutelesse ye by his tale worse then frutelesse to For he sayth they be now in lyke cause as ar the tother sacramentes whych he sayth haue no promyse in scrypture and therfore are he sayth supersticyouse And lo thus fyrst ye se that as longe as euer any chyldern haue in Englande ben crystened in laten there was neuer chyldâ— the better for the cristendome And then yf this lye be trew there is yet neuer a crysten man nor neuer a crysten woman in all England excepte happely som well latyned Iewes coÌ„uertyd or ellys suche Englysh chyldern as lerned theyr graÌ„mer in theyr mothers bely Howe be yt I wolde euery other thynge were as ethe to mende as this is for this mater may be sone eased It may be now vppoÌ„ this faute fouÌ„den be prouyded vppon Tyndales counsell that all the Englyshe chyldern shall be crystened in englyshe and then they shall vnderstande all the mater well inough ye wote well and speke for them selfe to But then fyndeth Tyndale twoo great fautes for which he sayth that all the baptisyng of the chylde is fruteles One he sayth bycause of the false byleue that the plungyng in the water saueth them a nother for that the promyse is not taught them But there I wolde fayne wyt of Tyndale syth he sayth that the baptysme is frutelesse for such causes and syth he muste nedes meane at the tyme of the cristenynge for yf he shold meane no more but that the chylde sholde lease the frute at lenght for lake of suche instruccyon after then were his wordes false though he sayde therin trewe for then were not bapaysme vnfrutefull for yt were very frutefull at the leste wise to a great many that god calleth hens ere euer the lacke of such lernyng can be layed to theyr charge thus I saye Tyndale must nedys meane therfore that for these fautes the frute of the baptisme is lost eueÌ„ at the fonte no grace goten therby or ellys his tale were false And ye wote well in no wyse wyll he lye for that were poetrye Now syth he sayth theÌ„ that the baptysme is frutelesse at the founte for these causes I wolde wit of hym whyther it be voyde because these thynges be not at the fount preached to yâ— godfathers or because they be not preached there vnto the chyld yt self If he say that yt is frutelesse for lakke of prechyng there vnto yâ— chyld yt self then I deny not but the Tyndale sayth ryght well and reasonable and I shall speke to the persone of our parysshe that he shall preche to the chyld at the fount and tell hym many good talis in his ere But surely yf he say that the baptysme is frutelesse at the founte for lakke of such thynges there taught vnto the godfathers therin coulde I not agre wyth hym for they come not to be crystened there them self and so the lakke of that prechyng
all and sauynge that his promyse is onys passed hym somewhat as they make it vnware he wold elles yf it were now to make take a better auysement ere he bounde hym selfe so farre In menne such chaunge and such repentaunce happeth that where one of his good wyll sometyme byndeth hym selfe to geue the tother maye thanke the bonde yf euer the promyse be kept But goddes hygh prouydence so foreseeth what he promysed that he can neuer forthynk yt And his inestimable goodnes is so great that he geueth not bycause he promyseth but he promyseth bycause he wyll geue and wolde geue though he neuer promysed as he determyned to geue byfore he promysed and wold yet promyse yf he had not promysed not that his promyse sholde be yâ— cause of hys gyfte but that we shold by his promyse haue knowlege of his gyfte and comfort of the hope Now maketh me Tyâ—dale the sacramentes nothynge but a token of the promyse and the promyse he maketh the cause of the gyfte where of trouth as well the promyse as the sacramentes be tokens of the gyfte and goddes goodnesse is the cause of the gyfte And god hath from the begynnyng determynâ—ed that he wolde after the fall of Adam ordinaryly not geue yt wythoute the sacramentes But though he determyned also to make a promyse yet neuer determyned he that he wolde not geue yt wythoute he made a promyse And so be both the sacramentes and the promyses tokens of the gyfte and yet semeth the sacrament rather then the promyse a cause of the gyfte For the sacrament after the instytucyon semeth a cause of the gyfte at the leste wyse in some kynde of cause and the promyse semeth no cause in no kynde neyther synnys nor afore And thus ye maye se what a wyse processe Tyndale maketh vs. But wolde god yet that thys were the worst pece of Tyndales techyng coÌ„cernyng Crystes promyse But he frameth crystes promyses after hys owne fasshyon He sayth that we make promyses in sacrameÌ„tes where cryste made none but he maketh promyses that Crystes made neuer suche For Chryste promyseth heuyn yf men labour for it Tyndale wolde make vs wene we nede no labour at all Chryste promyseth forgeuenes thorow the sacrament of penauÌ„s yf men amende and wyll do penauns Tyndale of the sacrament putteth two partes awaye and almost the thyrde to promyseth forgyuenes for a very shorte skant repentynge at the fyrst thought by and by and to do penauns he taketh for idolatrye Cryst promiseth vs heuyn yf we do good workes wyth our fayth Tyndale sayth to do good workes wyth intent yâ— rather to come to heuyn shall brynge a man to hell and lese the reward of fayth And thus Tyndale whych cryeth out promyse promyse and wyll haue nothynge taught but Crystes promyse yet in these thynges and an hundred moo stryueth and fyghteth agaynst goddys promyses and vtterly goth aboute to destroye them Fynally where as Cryste hath made a promyse one of the grettest most solempne most assuredly made therto most frutefull most necessary that euer he made that is to wyt that he wold be wyth hys chyrch of crysten people all dayes vnto the ende of the worlde and that he wolde sende also the holy ghoost vnto them that sholde teche them all thynge lede them in to euery treuth Tyndale fyrst leste he sholde seme to gaynsay thys promyse wolde shyfte it from the knowen chyrche and company of all crysten people professynge the name and fayth of Cryste vnto a secrete coÌ„pany of suche as they call good men and electe whyche who they be who can tell And yet syth there can be no dowte but suche as be or haue ben very electes haue alwaye ben partys of thys knowen crysten company and syth they were not false dyssymylers they haue byleued as they shewed and they haue shewed that they byleued as we byleue in suche thynges as Tyndale now calleth myssebylefe for they haue done therin as we do and alwaye the best haue wryten these thynges that we byleue and neuer was there any company tyll with in this twenty yere that byleued as Tindale sayth that he byleueth And he sayth also that hys bylefe is so necessarye to saluacyoÌ„â— that the coÌ„trary bylefe is damnable for ellis he wold not of his courtesye crye out so sore vppon the clergye for techynge the contrary where vppon yf Tyndales lye be trewe there must then of necessyte folowe that there must be trew also one of these two very playne falsedes that is to wyt that Cryste hath neuer synnys hys deth tyll holy Tyndales dayes had in thys worlde here any chyrche at all or ellys that yf Cryste haue had here any chyrche yet from hys owne deth tyll holy Tyndalys dayes the holy ghost whom hym selfe sent neuer taught hys chyrche the treuth Now then yf cryst had all this whyle no chyrche in erthe his promyse was clerely broken by whych he promysed to be with hys chyrche hym selfe all dayes vnto the worldes ende For how were he wyth hys chyrche here vnto the worldes ende yf before the worldes ende so many huÌ„dred yeres to gether â—e had here no chyrche at all And on the tother syde yf he had here all thys whyle any chyrche and then the holy ghost haue not taught that chyrche the trewth then hath Criste broken that promyse by which he promyâ—ed that the holy ghoste sholde teche hys chyrch all thynges and leade them in to all trewth For how had the holy ghoste taught it all thynges yf he haue suffered the deuyll to teche it some thynges And let Tyndale wheÌ„ he wyll answere thys poynt Marke well and remembre that we speke here of bylefe and fayth not of workes and dedes lest after hys custumable fasshyon lettynge the bylefe go by he answer vs wyth raylynge vppon mennys maners and so lede the reaâ—er more then â—myle fro the mater And how hath the holy ghoste ledde the chyrche all thys whyle in to all trewth yf one holy truth be that freres wheÌ„ they lyst may wedde noÌ„nes notwithstandyng theyr vowes and the holy ghost hath almost this fyftene hundred yere togyther suffered all hys hole chyrche neyther good nor bad excepte to byleue that breche of such vowes is dedly synne and suche maner maryage pleyne incestuose lechery and to daÌ„pne Tyndales fayth in that poynt for very false heresye And thus good crysten reders here ye playnly se what maner of fashyon Tyndale techeth Crystes promyses For where as he seueth all at nothynge sauynge onely Crystes promyses made to man he techeth men agayne to breke theyr promyse made to god and so bryngeth all hys maters in conclusyon to that poynt that yf he lyed not as he doth Cryste had broken hys promyse made to hys chyrch besyde thys that of Crystes promyses he denyeth many and them that he graunteth he byleueth shrewedly and wolde make them serue vs onely for a blynde boldenes of synne Of the sacrament of
Swynglius with frere Huskyn and hys felowes agaynst the interpretacyon of all holy doctours and sayntes and the comen fayth of all trewe crysten people .xv. hundred yere before them but eche of them selfe also agaynst other amonge them selfe saye and swere that the scrypture is playne for theyr parte So that as for necessyte of wrytynge all or any parte coÌ„cernynge the sacramentes ceremonyes or artycles of the fayth god was not dreuen thereto nor by the wrytynge be taken awaye the dowtes But as I wote it well that god had good and greate causes why he caused some thynges to be wryten so had he causes as good why he lefte some vnwryten But neyther can Tyndale tell why he sholde wryte all nor I gyue the rekenynge why he lefte some vnwryten To thys wyll Tyndale happely say for ellys can not I se what he can say that god hath causyd all his wordes spoken to his chyrche to be wryten in holy scrypture and hath in the same scrypture gyuen vs playne warnynge that he so hath done and thereby hath he delyuered vs from dyuerse dowtes though not from all For all be it the dyuerse dowteâ— yet ryse vppon the writtynge we by his expresse warnyng in wrytynge shewynge that all is wryten be put oute of all dowte that we shall byleue nothynge as his worde wherof there is no wrytynge Surely yf Tyndale tell me this tale as in dede he doth for both Luther and he and frere Huskyn and Swynglius and all the rable of that rascayle neuer ceace to saye thys and they fynde folys that byleue them better vppon they re bare wordes then they wolde more honeste meÌ„ vppon theyr obligacyoÌ„s but now as I say yf Tyndale tell me this tale I shall by his leue be bolde to denye yt hym and pray hym onys to proue yt yf he can fynde how For this I wote well they haue amonge them made great boste a great whyle alwaye promysed that they wyll byeld vppe that towre and make yt very strong and sure and surely so haue they great nede to do for therein lyeth all the store of all theyr gunne powder brymstone pytch wyld fyre that they shote out at the blessed sacramentes of our sauyour Cryste And as for hytherto brought they neuer yet so mych good stuffe as wolde make a tyle pynne to fence theyr fortresse wythall And what so euer they bryng herafter they shall make pore paper walles But to th entent that they shall not bygyle you lette vs wyth one worde or twoo put them in remembraunce what thynges they be that they muste nedes proue and that by playne scripture to for other profe them selfe wyll none admytte Tyndale muste proue me fyrst therfore by playne euydent scrypture that all the wordes necessarye to remayne be knowen whych our sauyour hym selfe and his apostles tought ones withoute wrytynge all those he hath caused to be by them and his euangelistes wryten preserued and kepte in playne and euident scripture when Tyndale hath proued this for whych I dare geue hym respyte tyll domes daye then muste he yet by playne and euydent scrypture profe me farther lo for the profe therof though the poyntes be but easy let hym take yet his tyme fyftene dayes after wythin whyche he muste I saye by playne and euydent scripâ—â—â—â— pâ—ofe me farther yet of these two thynges one that is to wyâ—â—â—ther that euery necessary worde whych god hath spoken by hymselfe and his holy spyryte vnto his chyrche synnys the dâ—th of his .iiii. euangelystes and his .xii. apostles he hathe caused to be also secretly sette in and wryten to these bokes whych Tyndale agreeth for holy scrypture or ellys muste he profe me by playne and euydent scripture that not wythstandynge his promyse made vnto his chyrch in his apostles dayes that he wolde wyth his holy spyryte speke to his chyrch hym self and dwell therwyth and teache yt all trewth from tyme to tyme all dayes euen to the day of dome yet as sone as he saw his apostles dede no maÌ„ that herde hym left to bere vs wytnesse what he sayde he bygan to go from his worde agayne sware that he wold eyther no lenger dwell here wyth his chyrch or yf he cam yt shold be but a geste wyse and yet wold he play muÌ„me to and ney ther by hym selfe nor his holy spyryte vouchsaufe to speke any one worde vnto them that were at the leste wyse aught worthy the wrytynge but some wanton tryfle Remember nowe good reader that these be the thynges whyche Tyndale hathe to proue And when he proueth these few thynges then beleue hym hardely and so wyll I do to But surely who so byleue hym wyth any lesse vnder standeth nothynge what the mater meaneth Now yet ones agayne lette vs consyder Tyndales olde tyme in whych he sayth the trew pure preachyng was vsed that is now quyte gone I wolde aske hym when ended that olde tyme of his and when beganne his new He saythe yt hath bene thus as yt is more then this .viii. hundred yeres and me thynketh .viii. hundred is a very longe nowe But yet consyder good reader yf the trew preachynge was lefte and gone .viii. yere a go and more then can he not say nay but that the trew fayth went quyte away therwith without whych can be no chyrch of Cryste neyther catholyque nor of electes And thus doth Tyndale tell vs that this .viii. yere at the laste our lorde hath broke his promyse by whyche he promysed to be with his chyrch all days to the worldes ende This man maketh hygh boste of Crystes promyses wold with them destroye all vertue safe fayth And now ye se that playnely he denyeth Crystes promyse to and wyll I wene at laste denye euen Cryste and all For as ye se at your eye he draweth very faste towarde yt Now tyll Tyndale therfore haue proued vs these few poyntes that are for theyr falsehed impossyble to be proued the chyrche shall not nede for his fonde raylynge any thyng to fere to vse the deuoute sacrameÌ„tes ceremonyes taught and delyuered theÌ„ by god and his holy spyryte For sâ—yghte wherof the deuyll and his damned spyrytes crye vppon to haue them lefte of and bere vs in hand that they be frutelesse For Tyndale sayth that they neyther tame the flesshe nor do good to thy neyghbour nor be honour to god But now doth all good crysteÌ„ people very well perceyue by Crystes owne promyse in the very wryten gospell that the chyrche of Cryste ys taught by hys holy spyryte that these sacramentes and ceremonyes do please god And they perceyue and se also that the holy sayntes whyche haue vsed them before our dayes be now longe a go rewarded in heuyn wyth god And they perceyue also that in the vse therof theyr myndes rysen and be lyfte vppe a lofte in deuocyon to god and bâ— these thynges and such lyke they perceyue well that Tyndale doeth but bylye
wythout synne But now they haue seen and yet haue hated both me and my father Thus haue I clerely shewed you that where Tyndale wolde haue yt seme that goddes worde alone alwaye clenseth mennys soules from false fayth he teacheth in that a false fayth for the myracles many tymys helpe to the clensynge of mennys soules And lette Tyndale stykke well to thys poynt for I entende shortely to shew by this that the miracles wrought in Crystes chyrche clerely reproue all the false fayth that he his mayster all theyr whole hondred sectes that are theyr ofsprynges preachen But fyrst where Tyndale sayth that goddes worde ys trew layth therfore the .xvii. of saynt IonÌ„ no man sayth nay to yâ— And where he sayth forther yâ— goddê trewth dependeth not of maÌ„nys word we wyll graute hym this mych more to then he loketh for For I say ferther that the trouth of god dependeth not vppon goddes owne worde neyther but is absolutely trew in yt self without any dependauÌ„ce vppon hys word at all And as yt is trew that Tyndale sayth that goddes trewth is not trew bycause man so sayth so is this trew also that goddes trewth is not trew bycause god so sayth But on the totheâ— syde lykewyse as this argument or coÌ„secucyon is trew god sayth that who so byleue not his chyrch is to be takeÌ„ as a paynem ergo that thyng is trew so is thys consecucyon trew Crystes chyrch â—ayth the who so breke hys vow of chastyte synnetâ— dedely who so holdeth yt for lefull holdeth an heresye eâ—go these two thyâ—ges be trew and yet is neyther the â—â—yeâ—â— of the chyrche the cause of the trewth of these two nor the sayeng of Criste the cause of the trewth of the tother But lykewyse as yâ— I 〈◊〉 syt yt must nedes be that he sytteth whyle I se hym syt bâ—â—â—use I could not se hym sytte but yf he â—atte in dede yet he sytteth not bycause I se hym sythe for 〈◊〉 sholde though I saw hym not 〈…〉 vppon the trouth of hys dede For though the worde of god can not be but trew syth yf the thynge were not trew god yâ— is the trewth wolde not saye yt yet is the thynge trew that god speketh not bycause it is trewly spokeÌ„ but bycause it is trewly done For treuth was the thynge in yt selfe treuth yt sholde haue bene all had yt neuer be spoken And thys I saye is trewe touchynge the wordes and proposycyons by whiche god any thynge telleth to his creatures by wrytyng or wythout leste Tyndale make vs here some sophystycacyon as though I spake of the great worde of god wherby all thynge is made the sonne of god hym self one egalâ— god wyth hys father and theyr holy spiryte If Tyndale aske vs now wherof serueth then the treuth of goddes wordes I saye that yt serueth to make knowen or byleued amonge vs the treuth of goddes dede For when god sayth who so byleueth and is baptyzed and lyueth well after or doth penaunce for his synne shall for hys fayth good workes be hyghly rewarded in heuen though thys shall not be trew bycause god sayth yt but bycause he wyll dot yt nor he dothe yt not bycause he wyll saye yt but he sayth yt bycause he wyll do it yet hath he ordeyned that his worde shall be the way by whiche that trouth shal be shewed vs and that myracles ioyned vnto hys worde sholde make vs perceyue that yt is his worde whereby wyth reason we muste nedeâ— be bounden to byleue yt and it beyng byleued we â—e by reason â—â—unden to obey yt And this yâ— therfore the waye that god hath taken from the begyâ—nynge that is to wyt he hath from the begynnyng ioyned hys word with woÌ„derfull workes to make his word perceyued for hys awne Thus 〈◊〉 he in euâ—ry age before the comyng of Cryste Thus dyd he in Cryste hym selfe whose wordes he proued by hys wonderfull workes as hym selfe sayth in the .xv. of saint IohnÌ„ Thus dyd â—e also by his blessed apostles whose doctâ—â—ne he 〈◊〉 by 〈…〉 And thus hath he done 〈…〉 For likewyse as when he sent his owne sonne 〈…〉 hym and hys doctryne decla 〈…〉 selfe suche as he was â— god made hym do myra 〈◊〉 〈…〉 then euer any dyd amonge 〈◊〉 〈…〉 the sent his apostles 〈…〉 that Cryste dyd the countrees to whome they were sent wolde haue went that they had lyed and fayned suche fables them selfe therfore Cryste caused them to do myracles in his name before the people as god caused Moyses to do before Pharao And when the world was turned to hym and that apostles were not sent about then was the chyrch of euery tyme the apostle to suche as were borâ—e and came in to yâ— worlde in theyr tyme of whome suche as lyued and remayned after theyr tyme were in theyr stede lefte for the apostle that sholde teche preche to those other that sholde be borne in to the worlde in theyr tyme and so forth from age to age And for bycause that they whyche from tyme to tyme come in to thys worlde new borne fyrste of theyr flesshely father and mother and after of god and theyr mother holy chyrche by the water and the spyryte sholde be sure that theyr sayde mother the chyrche is Crystes apostle and techeth them the trewe doctryne neyther deceyueth them wyth false scrypture as doth the congregacyon of turkes nor with false tradycyons as do the synagoges of iewes nor wyth false exposycions as do the false chyrches of heretykes he causeth hys chyrche to do myracles styll in euery age and to be dyscerned and knowen by the plentuouse workyng of goddys wonders by hym selfe wrought therin so many and so grete that no man can be ignoraunt theâ—â—f but he that wyll neyther se nor here or is so desperate and so sore set in an obstynate malyce that he wyll to the deuyll wyllyngly by doyng now as the iewes dyd of olde and as Tyndale now doth of new ascrybynge the myracles wrought by the goodnes of god to be done in goddes chyrch by the power of the deuyll And yet when Tyndale is so 〈◊〉 to tell vs thus he toâ—cheth nothyng thys poynte â—hyche I layed agaynst hym in my dyaloge that yf hys lyâ— were 〈◊〉 in then sholdâ—â— folow that of so maâ—â— false chyrcheâ—â—f false heretikes 〈◊〉 shold some suche myracles be wrought as well as 〈◊〉 syth yf that oure chyrche were a false chyrche it 〈…〉 one of the many And yf he wyll saye that 〈…〉 the greatest and the falseste and therfore â—alse 〈◊〉 therin 〈…〉 they stretche from heuyn to hell they haue not yet amonge 〈◊〉 all 〈◊〉 myracle done greate nor small neyther by god nor deuyll And thys I shew you for the order of the thynge that ye maye perceyiâ—e that the trewth of god is â—ustyfyed in it selfe and dependeth not vppon hys worde nor hys worde is not the cause of hys trewth but by
¶ The cōfutacyon of Tyndales answere made by syr Thomas More knyght lorde chaūcellour of Englonde ¶ Prentyd at London By wyllyam Rastell 1532 CVM PRIV 〈…〉 ¶ The preface to the crysten reader OUr lorde sende vs nowe some yeres as plentuouse of good corne as we haue hadde some yeres of late plentuouse of euyll bokes For they haue growen so faste and sprongen vppe so thykke full of pestylent errours and pernyciouse he resyes that they haue enfected and kylled I fere me mo sely symple soules thē the famyne of the dere yeres haue destroyed bodyes And surely no lytle cause there is to drede that the great haboundaunce and plentye of the tone is no lytle cause and occasyon of the great derth and scarcite of the tother For syth that our lorde of his especyall prouydence vseth temporally to punyshe the hole people for the synnys of some parte to cōpell the good folke to forbere abhorre the noughty wherby they maye brynge them to amendement and auoyd them selfe the cōtagyō of theyr cōpanye wysdome were it for vs to perceyue y◠lyke as folke beginne now to delyte in fedyng theyr soules of the venemouse caryn of those poysened heresyes of whyche maye well be veryfyed the wordes of holy wryt 4. Regum 4. deth is in the pot our lorde lykewyse agaynwarde to reuenge yt wythall begynneth to wythdraw hys gracyouse hande from the frutes of the erth mynyshynge the fertylyte both in corne and catell and bryngynge all in derth myche more then men can remedy or fully fynde out the cause And yet bysyde thys somwhere he sendeth warre sykenesse and mortalyte to punyshe in the fleshe that odyouse and hatefull synne of the soule that spoyleth the frute from all maner of vertues I meane vnbylyefe false fayth and infydelyte and to tell you all at ones in playne englyshe heresye And I say that god nowe bygynneth For I fere me surely that excepte folke begynne to reforme that fawte the soner god shall not fayle in suche wyse to go forwarde that we shall well perceyue and fele by thencreace of our greyfe that all this gere hytherto is but a begynning yet The prophete Hely as it is wryten in the thyrde boke of kynges for the infydelyte and idolatry that then was vsed in Israell by his hartye prayour made vnto god kepte that whole cuntre frō rayne by the space of .iii. yeres and a halfe not of euyll wyll or malyce but of deuocyon and pytye by the payne pynchynge of the bodyes to compell men to remember they re soules whyche ellys were in parell of peryshynge by false idolatrye Nowe all be yt that these bolde shamelesse heretyques haue of longe whyle neyther letted nor ceaced falsely to insymulate and accuse the chyrche of god callynge all good crysten people idolatres for honourynge of sayntes and reuerēt byhauour vsed at theyr images yet that haue they done so farre agaynste theyr owne conscyence by whyche them selfe well wote that the chirche vseth to sayntes and ymages none honour but ordinate not honouryng images but for the sayntes sake nor sayntes but for the sake of god neyther image as saynte nor saynt as god this knoweth I say Tyndale hym selfe so well and thereby so farre hath rayled agaynste his owne conscyence that nowe at the laste in his answere to my boke he retreateth so farre bakke that he reuoketh almoste all that euer he sayde byfore is fayne now to graunte that cristen men may haue images knele byfore them to as ye shall hereafter se when we shall come to the place But we on the tother syde saye playnely vnto them that the thynges wherwyth they corrupte the worlde are of infydelyte and faythlesse idolatrye the very moste cursed kynde The chyefe euyll in an idole was that yt bare the name of god eyther yt selfe or the deuyll that yt represented and beyng so reputed and wurshyped for god robbed the reuerence and deuoute honour fro god Now when Tyndale calleth his heresyes by the name of fayth and maketh men serue the deuyll whyle they wene to serue god what abomynable idolatrye is this If yt be idolatry to put truste in the deuyll serue the deuyll wyth fayth yt is worse then idolatrye to make men wene they serue god wyth fayth whyle they dyspyte hym wyth a false bylyefe And yf it be very infydelyte to do as the Turkes do byd men byleue in Machometes alchoran yt is more infydelyte to do as Tyndale hath done purposely mysse translate Crystes holy gospell to sette forth heresyes as euyll as the Alchorane And yf it be idolatry to do as the paynēs dyd make an idole god yt muste nedes be myche worse idolatry to do as these heretykes do that call god the cause of all euyll and therby make god not a vayne idole but a very deuyll And what can be worse kynd of infydelyte◠then to make bokes of heresyes and call them the ryght fayth And what more abomynable infydelyte then to abuse the scrypture of god to the colour of theyr false bylyef◠And what can be a worse bylyefe then to byleue that the sacramentes that god hath ordeyned by his holy spyryte be but inuencyons of man or as Tyndale sayth of confessyon but inuencyon of the deuyll And what can be worse bylyefe then to byleue that goddes word is not to be byleued but yf yt be put in wrytyng Or what can be a worse bylyefe then to byleue y◠mennis good wurkes be they neuer so well done be yet nothyng worthe nor the man neuer the better for them nor no rewarde for them commyng towarde man in heuen Or what can be a wurse bylyefe thē to byleue that a man doth wronge to pray for hys fathers soule Or what can be a wurse bylyefe then to byleue that a man may as sleyghtely regarde whytson sonday◠as hokke monday and as boldely eate fleshe on good frydaye as on shroue tuysdaye And what can be a wurse bylyefe then to byleue that none other synne can dampne a man but onely lakke of bylyefe And yf yt be idolatrye to do as the Paynems do geue wurshyppe vnto an idole how myche is yt wurse then idolatrye to do as Tyndale doth forbed vs to geue wurshippe to the very bodye and blessed blood of god in the holy sacrament of the auter These pestylent infydelytees and these abominable kyndes of idolatryes farre excede◠and passe and incomparbly more offende the maieste of our lorde god then all the secretynge vppe of Beel and Baal and Belzabub and all the deuyls in hell wherfore lyke as in other places where these heresyes haue taken deper rote ben more sprede abrode god hath taken more depe and sore vengeaunce not onely by derth and deth but also by batayle and sworde so is yt to be fered that for the receypte of these pestylent bokes our lorde sendeth vs some lakke of corne and catayle for a begynnynge and wyll not fayle
peradueÌ„ture the deuyll to yf he enteÌ„ded otherwyse But surely there was entended toward hym somwhat more good then his dealynge had byfore deserued And so mych the more fauour was there mynded hym in that he semed very penytent of his mysse vsynge of hym selfe in fallynge to Tyndales heresyes agayne For whyche he knowleged hym selfe worthy to be hanged that he hadde so falsely abused the kynges graciouse remissyon and pardon geueÌ„ hym byfore and hadde for all that in the whyle both bought and solde of those heretycall bokes and secretely set forth those heresyes wherof he shewed hym selfe so repentaunt that he vttered and dysclosed dyuers of hys companyoÌ„s of whom there are some abiured synnys and that he wyste well were abiured before namely Rycharde Necton whyche was by Constantynes deteccyon take and commytted to Newgate where except he happe to dye byfore in pryson he staÌ„deth in grete paryll to be ere it be longe for hys fallynge agayne to Tindales heresyes burned And thus it semed by the maner of George Constantyne whyle he was here in pryson that he so sore dyd forthynke hys errours and heresyes and so perceyued the pestylent poyson of them that he thoughte it better that such as were infecte therwyth myghte be by the meane of hys deteccyon amended and wyth the losse of hys body the soule cured then bothe twayne caste awaye or yf the man were peraduenture of hard herte and malycyouse mynde incurable he thought it were then better to sende hym to the deuyll alone then let hym lyue and drawe many other wyth hym Thys good mynde it semeth that Constantyne had then and therfore was there good hope of hys amendemeÌ„t And peraduenture the man hadde amended and standen styll in grace yf some euyll coÌ„sayle â—ad not comen at hym of which there was lefte vnsought no deuelyshe inuencyon or meane to sende hym in so mych that one of the letters I fortuned to intercepte my selfe wryten vnto hym by one IohnÌ„ Byrte otherwyse callynge hym selfe Adryane otherwyse IohnÌ„ bokebynder yet otherwyse now I can not tell you what Of trouth George constantyne after he hadde confessed vnto a faythfull seruaunt of myne to be declared to me that Necton had of his deliuery many of those heretycall bokes he sent worde forthwyth to Necâ—on that he sholde sende the bokes home to meâ— whyche yf he dyd that I myghte haue yet seen sure tokens of amendement in the man Constantyne perceyued well that he had ben yet lykely to haue had fauour shewed hym But when that Necton had ones made Byrte of hys counsayle they dyuysed bytwene them that Necton sholde not do so in no wyse affermynge to Constantyne that it coude not be done and happely it coude not in dede for peraduenture they were all solde all redy How be it Necton now syth he was taken sayed that hys wyfe had burned them But it is well knowen that Necton had hym selfe and a man of hys also solde many such bokes of heresye bothe in London in othey shyres syth his abiuracyon But how so euer the mater was Byrte by hys letter aduysed Constantyne yf he myghte possyble to call bakke hys coÌ„fessyon agayne wherin I thynke it good that ye here hys very letter it selfe Lo in these wordes he wrote The grace and peace of our sauyour Iesus be with you good brother CoÌ„stantyne Syr as for the mater that ye wold haue brought to passe will not be in no maner wyse the person is not at home that shold receyue the stuffe and delyuer it accordynge to vnto your mynde Therfore yf ye haue not spoken so farre in the mater that it maye be none preiudyall or hurte vnto you I wolde ye shold go no ferther in the mater but euyn as a man armed wyth fayth go forth in your mater boldely and put them to theyr proues As for one is none you knowe well by the law of god or man If there be any thynge that I can do sende word and ye shall fynde me redy to my power euen to dethe by goddes grace who I praye longe to preserue you and comforte you in your trouble to the confusyon of all tyrauntes Lo here haue ye herde an apostolycall pystle counsaylynge the man to go bakke wyth the trouth and arme hym selfe wyth fayth and make hym stronge to lye lowde and forswere hym selfe yf nede were for Byrt wyste well I were not lykely to leue and byleue hym at hys bare worde Here wyll Byrt peraduenture preche and brynge vs in the mydwyues of Egypt that saued the chyldren of Israell from Pharao for whych god gaue theÌ„ new howses wherin Byrt and I wyll not myche dyspute For all be it that god hath gyuen hym no howse â—et nor it is not all one wyth a lye to saue a yonge innocent babe and wyth periurye to defende an olde pestyleÌ„t heretyke and though saynt Austayn sayth that it is not lawfull to lye for nothyng yet I tell not my tale to lay a lye so hyghly to any suche mennes charge as these folke be whose hole secte is nothyng els but lyes but I reherse you his letter bycause ye shold se what trewth there is in suche folkes wordes How be it as for Constantyne as I sayed before semed in pryson here very penyteÌ„t and vtterly mynded to forsake suche heresyes and heretykes for euer In profe wherof he not onely detected as I sayd hys owne dedes his felowes but also studyed and deuysed how those deuelysshe bokes whyche hym selfe and other of hys felowes hadde brought and shypped myghte come to the bysâ—hoppes handes to be burned And therfore he shewed me the shypmannes name that had them and the markes of the ferdellys by whych I haue synnys hys escape receyued them And it maye be by goddes grace that though the man fledde hense for fere of suche harme as he wyste he hadde well deserued yet was nothynge towarde hym but peraduenture more good then he was ware of he is yet amended in hys mynde and hath in his harte forsaken all Tyndales heresyes and so I pray god it be for I wold be sory that euer Tyndale sholde glory and boste of hys burnynge How be it in the meane whyle tyll it maye well appere that he be surely turned to the catholyke fayth agayne I wyll aduyse all good crysten folke and specyally the kynges subiectes to forbere and estyew hys company For the englysshe man whyche shall be fouÌ„den to be famylyare wyth hym there byfore hys conuersyoÌ„ here knowen and proued maye therby brynge hym selfe in suspycyon of heresye and happely here therof at hys retournynge hyther I here also that Tyndale hyghly reioyceth in the burnyng of Tewkesbery but I can se no very grete cause why but yf he reken it for a grete glory that the man dyd abyde styll by the stake when he was faste bounden to it For as for the heresyes he wolde haue abiured them agayne wyth all hys harte
How be it they confessed that he loked vppon a byll and redde it but they sayd that they coude not tell whyther it were the byll of hys reuocacyon or not And yet rehersed they them selfe certayne thynges spoken by hym to the peple at the fyre wherby they coude not but perceyue well that he reuoked hys errours albe it that some of them watered his wordes wyth addycyons of theyr owne as it was well proued before them They coude not also deny but that forthwyth vppon hys iudgement and hys degradacyon he kneled downe before the bysshoppes chauncellour in the presence of all the people and humbly bysought hym of absolucyon from the sentence of excoÌ„munycacyon and wyth his iudgement helde hym selfe well content and knowleged that he had well deserued to suffer the deth that he then wyste he sholde They coude not say nay but that vppon thys hys humble request and prayour he was there in presence of all the people assoyled byfore that he was caryed out of the court whyche them selfe well wyste wolde neuer haue ben but yf he hadde reuoked yet was there a nother thynge that they coude not deny For all be it they sayd they were not therat yet they hadde herd it in suche wyse that as they sayd they byleued it to be trew and that thynge was suche as it selfe alone muste nedes make them sure that he had reuoked hys heresyes The thynge was thys He labored and made greate instaunce certayne dayes after hys iudgement that he myght be suffred to receyue the blessed body of Cryste in forme of brede wherin the chauncellour made a whyle greate stykkynge and dyffycultye to the entent that he wolde the better and more clerely perceyue what deuocyon the man hadde there to And fynally perceyuynge hym to be of a trew perfyte fayth and hys desyre to procede of a feruent mynde it was agreed and graunted And theruppon was he howseled in so trew perfyte fayth so grete deuocyon that euery good crysten man hath greate cause to reioyce therin And when hys confessour in the ende of the masse which Bylney full deuowtely herde vppon hys knees brought vnto hym the body of Cryste vppon the paten of yâ— chalyce wyth very good and godly exhortacyon vsed vnto hym that excepte he were in herte as he was in worde and outwarde semblaunce he shold ellys forbere to receyue that blessed body syth he sholde then vndowtedly receyue it on hys owne daÌ„nacyon it wold haue gladded any good crysten herte to haue herd hys faythfull crysten answere as they reporte testyfye that were at that tyme by Moreouer where as in the presence of that holy sacrament holden yet vppon the paten in the prestes handes Bylney byfore he receyued it sayd yâ— colecte Domine Iesu Christe when he came at these wordes ecclesiae tuae pacem concordiam he dyuers tymes repeted those wordes wyth tunsyons knok kynges vppon hys breste and there vnto god confessed and asked his mercy that he had so greuousely erred in yâ— point and so sore offended hym in coâ—tempnynge hys chyrche And no meruayle was it though he had a specyall remorse of that artycle For the contempnyng of Crystes catholyke knowen chyrche and the framynge of a secrete vnknowen chyrche that he lerned of Luther and Tyndale was the very poynt that broughte hym vnto all hys myschyefe as the very fundacyon wheruppon all other heresyes are byelded And therfore as the goodnesse of god gaue hym grace to cast vnto the deuyll all hys other errours so gaue he hym hys specyall grace to haue of that heresye that was and is the grounde of all the remanaunt moste especyall repentaunce and remorse wherby we may very well hope and trust that our lorde whose hygh goodnesse gaue hym suche grace so fully to repente and reuoke hys heresyes that he wyth glad herte was content to suffer the fyre for the punysshement of hys offence hath of hys infynyte mercy taken and accepted that payne for so farre as he wyll exacte of the pore mannes purgatory and settyng the merytes of hys owne paynefull passyon therunto hath forthwyth from the fyre taken hys blessed soule to heuen where he now prayeth incessauntly for the repentaunce and amendement of all suche as haue ben by hys meanes whyle he lyued into any suche errours induced or confyrmed And I fermely truste that goddys grace that effecte wyth that holy mannes prayour wyll worke and so I praye god it maye But thus ye se the Tyndale hath no greate cause to glory of hys martyrs when that theyr lyuyng is openly nought theyr opynyons suche as hym selfe wyll abhorre they redy to abiure agayne yf it myghte saue theyr lyfe theyr sectes so dysperate that eyther they dare not at the fyre set forth theyr opynyons for shame or ellys of malyce do dyssymule them to bryng the people in a false opynyon of theyr iudges to wene that they iudged wronge And Bylney that had lernynge and had ben accustumed in morall vertues was by god reuoked from Tyndals heresye ere he dyed and that of lykelyhed the rather bycause god wolde not haue all his good workes loste And yet gloryeth Tindale vngraciously in theyr destruccyon râ—kenynge that theyr paynefull deth doth grete worshyppe to hys bokes whyche are of suche sorte that neuer were there worse nor more abomynable wryten And yet hys bokes beynge suche some folke there are that wyth suche folysshe fauour and suche blynde affeccyon rede them that theyr taste enfected wyth the feuer of heresyes they not onely can not decerne the thynge that they rede whyche yf they coude they were in good waye towarde amendement but are also dyscontent and angry wyth any man that wolde helpe them to perceyue it and fayne wolde they haue them rather byleued then answered Of whyche sorte some haue asked what haue I to do to medle wyth the mater sayenge that beynge laye man I sholde leue it to the clergye to wryte in and not hauynge professed the study of holy scrypture I sholde leue the mater hole vnto deuynes Surely fyrst as touchyng lernyng yf that these maters were very dowtfull and thynges of greate questyon or hadde bene so connyngly handeled by Tyndale and hys felowes as they myghte seme therby maters of greate dowte and questyon then wolde I peraduenture lette them alone my selfe to be debated by men of more erudycyon and lernynge But now the maters beynge so playne euydent and clere and by the hole chyrche of Cryste so clerely put out of questyon that it is playne and open heresye erenestly to brynge them in questyon I neuer purpose beynge in my ryght mynde and a trew crysten man to gyue an heretyque so myche authoryte as to â—eken my selfe vnable in so playne poyntes of the crysten fayth to answere hym namely syth I haue gone somwhat to scole my selfe and bestowed as many yeres in studye and vnder as connynge maysters as some of them haue and that
well yf Tyndale and his felowes be spyrytuall electys must as theyr fyrst author of theyr new spyrytuall secte be nedys one of the very chyef Let not therfore Tyndall good reder wyth his gay gloryouse wordes carye you so fast so far away but that ye remembre to pull hym bakke by the sleue a lytle and aske hym whyther his owne hyghe spirytuall doctour mayster Martyne Luther hym selfe beynge specyally borne agayne new created of the spyryte whom god in many places of holy scrypture hath commaunded to kepe his vowe made of chastyte when he then so far contrarye there vnto toke out of relygyon a spouse of Cryste wedded her hym selfe in reproche of wedloke called her his wyfe and made her his harlot and in doble despyte of maryage and relygyon both lyueth wyth her openly and lyeth wyth her nyghtly in shamefull inceste and abominable bycherye dothe he the whyle after Tyndalys hyghe wordes serche the depe secretys and neuer leue serchynge tyll he come to the botome the pyth the quycke the lyfe the spyryte the mary and the very cause of that commaundement why and so iudgeth all thynge Thus good reders examyne hym and then shall ye perceyue how fondly suche an hyghe pure spyrytuall processe accordeth wyth such a baas fowle fleshly lyuyng But Tyndale hath an hope that whyle he paynteth his prologe wyth such gay colours of spirytuall vertue there can no man in the meane whyle remember and consyder what vngracious frute theyr deceytfull doctryne false fayth bryngeth forth And therfore to carye the reder farther of from the remembrauÌ„ce therof he letteth goo by theyr fylthy lechery and holyly speketh of loue Tyndale Take an example in the great commaundement loue god with all thyn harte the spyrytuall sercheth the cause and lokâ—â—h on the benesytys of god and so coÌ„ceyueth loue in hys harte More In thys example of the great commaundemeÌ„t of louyng of god there can lacke no causes but wythout any farre serche there offer them selfe I now at hande except men wil fully wyll forget them But yet all be yt that in many thynges a man may peraduenture well and with frute enserche the cause of goddes coÌ„maundementys yet may the spyryte of a man that were as spirytuall as Tyndale is or Luther eyther and take frere Huskyn to them go some tyme to far in the serchyng of the depe secretys of god and wade so farre therin that he shall fynde these wordes of holy scripture true Proâ—er 25 He that is that the sercher of the maiestye shall be oppressyd of the glorye and he shall fynde the depe secretis of god so depe that the secrete botome wyll not be founde oute for hym and specyally in that thyng in which Tyndall and his felowes be as I shall hereafter shew you moste presumptuously besye that is in goddys fynall electis predestinatys wherof saynt Paule cryeth hymself Râ—â— 11 O altitudo diuitiaruÌ„ sapientiae sciâ—tiae deiâ— O yâ— heâ—th and depenes of the ryches of the wysedome science of god And as for that that Tyndall sayth that what so euer god commauÌ„deth the spyrytuall man to do he neuer 〈◊〉 serchynge tyll he come at the botome the pyth the quycks the lyffe the spyryte the maryâ— and the very cause whyâ— and iudgeth all thynges I say as I sayd byfore it may peradueÌ„ture in some thynges do well to consyder the causes of goddes commaundement so yt be done moderately and wyth reuerence But many suche spyrituall persones as Tyndale is and Luther and frere Huskyn so be wonte to reason and serche the cause of goddes commaundementys wyth them selfe as kynge Saul dyd or bytwene the dyuell and theâ—m selfe as our mother Eue dyd Râ—â—â—â— 1◠〈◊〉 â— that they fall vppon fallacyes and false causes whereby lyke as Saul was deceyued in sauynge of the bestes for sacryfyce whych bestes god hadde prâ—cysely commaunded hym to destroy and Eue was so by gyled that she thought she myght well ete the apple whyche god hadde precysely commaunded her to forbere so doth I say to these men that ar in this new fashyon spyrytuall the dyuell theyr euyll spyryte and them selfe wyth theyr incessaunte serche fynde out salfe causes wherof they take occasyon to breke the commaundementys of god whyche commaundementys other good seely symple soules wythoute any serche obserue As for ensample lo where as god hath in holy scrypture euydently commauÌ„ded Psal. â— 5 Ecc.c. 5 Esaiae 19 Ionae 2 that who so make a vowe shall performe and kepe yt as is wryteÌ„ by the holy Psalmiste Uowe ye and pay your vowes to our lorde and where as our blessyd lady thought her self bounde therto all the holy sayntes synnys Cristes dayes vnto Tyndals tyme haue without any varyance written affyrmed the same not onely they but also all crysten people both good badde haue this .xv. C. yerâ— abhorted as an abominabyle moÌ„ster and accompted yt in comen talkynge for suche a prodigyouse cryme that euer monke or frere shold wedde an nuÌ„ne as they thought shold neuer happen in crystendome therfore haue alway iested that Antecryste sholde be borne betwene a frere and a nuÌ„ne these new spirytuall men haue now Luther Tyndall and frere Huskyn and the dyuell to gyther so longe enserched the cause of thys commaundement of god by whych euery man is coÌ„maunded to kepe his vowe that they haue with longe serche fouÌ„den oute at laste that monkes freres and nunnes be not bounden by that commaundement at all but may for all theyr vowe lawfully runne out of relygyon and lye to gyther when they lyste and call theyr fylthy lechery good and lawfull wedloke And thus lo good reder these newe spyrytuall men wyth theyr depe serche interprete and expowne holy scripture and fynde oute therin suche godly vertues as this is whych the olde holy doctours coulde neuer fynde therin for lacke of grace by lykelyhod for we se well they lacked no wyt had as mych lernynge as these men haue and ten tymes more to and dyd theyr dylygence to but they were as yt semyth but naturall onely not borne agayne nor created of newe wyth the spyryte of god as Luther is and Tyndale frere Huskyn and hys felowes Take ensample sayth Tyndale in the great commaundement loue god wyth all thyne harte the spyrytuall serchyth the cause and loketh on the benefytes of god and so conceyueth loue in his harte In these wordes I lay no fawte But all be yt a man myghte assygne other causes of our loue towarde god then Tyndale doth as for ensample his owne excellent nature and goodnes of yt selfe worthy â—to be loued lauded and honored of vs though we shold yf yt were possyble receyue to oure selfe no benefyte at his hande at all yet I very well alow the cause that Tyndale allegeth that is to wytte the consyderacyon of the great benefytys of god yt is a cause of loue
in dede both resonable of yâ— selfe and also by many a good and vertuouse man alleged and consydered byfore But yet me thynketh that this consyderacyon of loue affyrmed by Tyndale dothe confounde both Tyndall Luther all theyr hole secte in that they hold that yt is not laufull to loue and serue god neyther for auoydynge of payne nor for obteynyng of rewarde callyng this manner of loue and seruyce seruyle bonde and mercennary This is they re comen opynyon and Tyndale hath yt often as well in this boke as in dyuerse other But now remember good reder that Tyndale sayth here the contrary whych I am glad to here hym say For I am better content that he say some tyme well then alway naught And here he sayth ryght well that the respecte of goddes benefytys is a cause of oure loue towarde god and surely so is yt in dede For all though the very good and great excelleÌ„t nature of god be worthy to be loued of vs and worshypped and serued to for the souerayne and surmountynge goodnes of yt selfe though we sholde our selfe take no manner of benefyte thereby yet may we well haue mo causes of loue honour and seruyce ioyned therunto yet am I not sure whyther Tyndale wyll saye that I do hym wrong in that I ioyne seruyce wyth loue where he sâ—eketh not of seruyce but of loue onely But I haue bene boâ—d to ioyne our loue and seruyce towarde god to gyther bycause I veryly thynke that Tyndale wyll hym selfe graunt vs that for what so euer cause yt is lawfull for vs to loue god for the self same cause yt is lawfull for vs to serue god But Tyndale agreeth that we may loue hym for his benefytys wherof yt foloweth excepte he say that we may loue for some cause for whyche it is not laufull to serue hym els I say muste Tyndale nedys graunte that for goddes benefytys yt is lawfull for vs to serue hym Now yf Tyndale graunte vs that conclusyon we wyll then wade with hym a lytle forther and ioyne therunto that yf yt be lawfull for vs to serue god for his benefytys which we haue receyued yt is also lawfull for vs to serue him for his benefytis which we longe hope to receyue And surely as the respecte of his benefytys whych we haue receyued is a good cause of loue so is the belyef of hys ê“mysys hope of his benefitys to come a good and a great cause of loue towarde hym Then yf we may seruâ— god for his benefytys to come yt semeth no dowte but that we may serue hym for to get heuen whyche is of all benefytys the greateste At thys poynte wyll Tyndale happely stykke wyth me and he well say styfly that fayth we may vse and serue god therwyth to th entent therewyth to gete heuen for fayth his felowes and he affyrme to be the thynge whych onely doth iustyfye vs. But then they say playnly that yf we serue god wyth any other good worke fastyng prayer or almose dede to th entent that we may therwyth please god the better or the rather come to heuen this seruyce is vnlawfull dyspleasaunt to god and playn vnfaythfulnes for as mych as we shall as they say be saued onely by Crystes bloode by oure belyffe in his promyses of the same therfore they call yt playne idolatrye to serue god wyth any good workes for heuen or to th entent that we myght please god the better therby For that thynge they say were as mych as to make oure self Cryste and to saye that we wolde be our owne sauyours by our owne workes and not Cryste by the worke of hys passyon In this poynte they stycke styffely and when they be answeryd that all though we serue god wyth good workes wrought with his gracyous helpe to th enteÌ„t to please hym the better therby as hymselfe hath in many places of holly scrypture coÌ„maundyd vs hope also that suche good workes shall the rather helpe vs to heuyn and that we shall in heuyn be rewarded for theym and for the respecte of goddê commaundement and for thys entent also we do them as Cryste hath also gyuen vs good occasyon where he saythe that who so gyue so mych as a draught of colde water shall not lese hys rewarde Mar. 9 and where he byddeth vs gyue vnto the poore to th entent that they may receyue vs in to the eternal tabernacles Lucae 16. and where he sheweth that at the daye of dome men shall haue heuyn for theyr charytable almesse dedes done here in erthe now when we tell them thus and that we do neuer the lesse knowlege and confesse therwyth that we neyther do nor can do any good worke wythout the specyall grace helpe of god and that our deades be coÌ„menly so defectyue that though good deades well done be rewardable yet euery man maye fynde in hymselfe great cause to mystruste hys owne and that we tell them also that all the best that the best man maye do is yet not more than hys deutye for euery man is of his deutye â—ounden to labour for heuyn and to serue and please god aswell and asmych as he maye and notwythstandynge that we also tell them that the best worke that any maÌ„ worketh wyth goddys helpe and grace is not yet rewardable with heuyn of the nature or goodnes of the worke it selfe all though he suffred euery daye in a longe lyfe a dowble martyrdome accordynge to the wordes of saynt Paule Rom. 8 the passyons of thys worlde be not worthy the glory that is to come that shall be reueled and shewed vppon vs and notwythstandynge that we tell them to that all the heuynly rewarde of mannes good workes cometh onely of goddys owne lyberall goodnes in that it hath pleased hys hyghe bountye to gyue so great a ryche pryce for so poore and symple ware as are all meÌ„nys workes all be it that we tell them also that god wolde not rewarde our workes in such wyse were it not for the shedynge of hys sonnes blood and so we fynally referre all the thanke and rewarde of our good workes bothe the begynnynge the progresse and the ende effectually to god and the merytes of Crystes passyon when we tell Tyndale and Luther all this yet fare they as though they herde vs not and styll they synge vs on theyr olde songe that it is ydolatrye to serue god wyth any good workes to th entent the better to please god therewyth and the rather to come to heuyn therforeâ—and that we may not wyth out synne for any helpe to heuynwarde serue god wyth any good worke sauynge onely fayth yet when we aske them whyther we may not laufully for the same entent serue god wyth hope to to that thyng they care not to graunte but then they confounde the termys of fayth and hope so as I neyther wote howe nor themselfe neyther Then yf we aske them farther whither it
be not laufull to serue god wyth charyte to whyche now they leue and fall all to lusty loue wyth intent to get heuyn the rather to that they let not to grauÌ„te also but they say the cause is for that fayth they say hath alwaye charyte therwyth But all be it that in that poynte theyr affyrmacyoÌ„ is fals as by reason and pleyne scrypture hath ben often proued vnto them 1. Câ—r 13 Iacâ—bi 2 that is ynough to me that they graunte that a man maye laufully loue god and serue hym wyth charyte to th entent to be the rather saued and come to heuyn therby For now semeth me that yf we laufully maye as Tyndale wyll grauÌ„t we maye serue god with the vertues of fayth and hope and charyte or of any one of them wyth respecte vnto goddys benefytes receyued and also to come and to th entent therby the rather to be saued come to heuyn we may then laufully with lyke respecte purpose inteÌ„t serue god wyth any other vertue that procedeth of fayth hope charyte or of any suche one of them wyth whyche it is laufull for vs for suche respecte entent purpose to serue god then wyll not Tyndale denye but that prayer fastynge almesse dede and contynence and clennesse of body penauÌ„ce trouble of the mynde wyth sufferauns of trybulacyon or afflyccyon of the flesshe wyllyngly taken wyth many other outwarde and inwarde workes may procede of fayth hope and charyte wherfore I can not se but that Tyndale as he graunteth here that we maye serue god wyth loue entendyng thereby to please hym and be sauyd the rather so must he nedys graunte and agre that lykewyse may we wyth lyke entente and purpose serue wyth all other workes aboue remembryd procedynge of a faythfull workynge charyte wherof he and all hys fonde felowes in euery place holde hytherto the contrary And thus haue I now playnly deducyd vppon Tyndals owne wordes the full confusyon of hys owne comen conclusyon so many tymes by hym and hys felowes obiected and among them all neuer onys yet well prouyd nor neuer able to be proued agaynst the profyte of good mennys chrysten workes for chrysten be theyr prayers theyr fastynge and theyr almosse dedys when they be done in fayth hope and charyte and in the state of grace Tyndall And when he is commaundyd to obay the powers and rewlers of the worlde be loketh on the benefytes whiche god shewyth the worlde thorow them and therfore doeth it gladly More In this obedyence Tyndale is yet content to haue a respecte to the benefytes that god worketh and shewyth the worlde thorow the powers and rewlers of the world putteth that for eyther the onely or the chyefe cause of hys obedyence as he putteth it for the onely or chyefe cause of goddys commaundement In whiche kynde of obedyence semeth not the greatest vertue when a man obeyeth onely for hys owne aduauntage but the very chrysten obedyence is to obaye specially for that god so coÌ„maundeth and not so to serche and lymyte the cause of goddes coÌ„maundement as he may therby take hymselfe gyue to other an easy bolde occasyoÌ„ to dysobaye resyste and rebell agaynst theyr hedys and rulers pretendynge that they be not profytable Thys thynge meanyth Tyndale as it apperyth by hys wordes here in the cause of hys obedyence to the powers and rulers of the worlde as it apperyth in dyuers other places of hys workes and Luther his maysters to But god all though he wyll that the gouernours and rulers of the world sholde be good and profytable to the people yet wyll he not that the people shall measure the dewty of theyr obedyence by the onely rule and measure of theyr owne profyte and coÌ„modyte but that they shall obaye theyr prynces and other rulers and gouernours bycause that they be theyr gouernours and rulers and bycause that god hath so coÌ„mauÌ„ded For yf they may measure theyr obedyeÌ„ce by yâ— measure of theyr owne profyte as Tyndale telleth vs they shall sone seke occasyon of sedycion and therof do themselfe also more harme in one daye then sholde theyr ruler in many yeres all were he ryght vnprofytable in dede as apperyd by the vplandysshe Lutherans in Almayn whyche measuryng theyr obedyence by Tyndalys rule gyuen them before by Tyndalys mayster became all vnrulye and dysobeyd and rebellyd agaynst theyr rulers and therby dysobeyd goddes commaundement and brought therby the vengeaunce of god vppon theyr owne heddys to the slaughter of aboue foure score thowsand of them in one sommer the remenaunt the worse entreated euer syns and that hath made Luther and Tyndale a lytell to retreate syns and set a new glose therto yâ— will but shrewdly serue them as I shall shewe you when I come to the place hereafter in hys boke Tyndall And when he is commaunded to loue his neyghbour as hymselfe â—e serchâ—â—â— that hys neyghbour is created of god and bought with Crysâ—es blode and so forth More Loo thys is very louyngly spoken he sayth very well and I praye god that he be one of those spyrytuals that so doeth but surely many places in euery boke that he writeth seme clerely to declare that he hath another maner of spyryte then suche a spyryte of loue And yet were it herde excepte yâ— goddys coÌ„maundement gyue vs that warnyng ellys wyll it be somwhat herd for any man vppoÌ„ the other two causes by any serche to perceyue that he were in reason bouÌ„den to loue another aswell as hymselfe though they maye serue to loue hym ryght well Tyndale And therfore he loueth hym oute of his harte Owt of 〈◊〉 â—erte not in hys heâ—â—e And yf he be euyll forbereth hym and wyth all loue and pacyeÌ„ce draueth hym to good as elder brotheren wayte on the yonger and serue them and suffre them and when they wyll not come they speke fayre and flater and gyue some gaye thyng and promyse fayre and so drawe them and smyte them not but yf they may in no wyse be holpe referre the ponyshement to the father and mother and so forth And by thesâ— iudgeth be all other lawes oâ— god and vnderstandeth the true vse and meanyng of them and by these vnderstandeth he in the lawes of man whych are ryght and whyche tyrannye More Useth Tyndale and his spyrytuall mayster thys manes of loue this forberynge and this maner of pacyeÌ„s to warde the pope and the clergye and towarde prynces and other teÌ„porall rulers we se perde thorow all theyr bokes in what lowly louynge fashion they serue and suffer them and how fayre they speke and how plesauntly they flater all holy catholyque crysten people sauyng onely theyr own secte with as venemouse wordes and as poysen speche as the dyuell can dyuyse them wyth all the meanes they may to sow dyuysyon and dyssencyon and set the people in sedycyon vnder colour of true fayth to brynge them in heresyes and destroye both bodye and soule
in perpetuall turmentys for hys owne dede But we say that god reioyceth delyteth in the loue of maÌ„nys herte when he fyndeth it suche as the man inwardly delyteth in hys herte owtwardly to let the loue of his herte so redownde in to the body that he gladly by fastynge other afflyccyon putteth the body to payne for goddys sake and yet thynketh for all that that in comparyson of hys dutye all that is mych lesse then ryght nought we saye also that god reioyceth and delyteth in iustyce for that cause he delyteth to se a man so delyte in the same to take hys synne so sorowfully that he is content of hym selfe by fastyng and other afflyccyon wyllyngly to put hym selfe to payne therfore And I saye that yf god had not this delyte whyche is not a tyrannouâ—e but a good and godly delyte elles wolde he put vnto man no payne for synne at all For it is playne false that god doth it for necessyte of dryuyng the synne owt of the flesshe as Tyndale sayth he doth bycause that otherwyse it can not be cured For it is questyonlesse that god can otherwyse dryue the synne owre of the flesshe and by other meanys cure it yf it so pleased hym so wolde he sauynge for his godly delyte in iustyce whyche he loueth to se man folowe by fastynge and other penauns whyche delyte of folowynge goddes pleasure therin Tyndale in man by wythdrawyng of penaus clene goeth aboute to destroye Now where Tyndale as a spirituall ensercher of the cause of euery commaundement of god dyd in reprouynge the â—â—â—perstycyouse maner of theÌ„ that wythout suche a deâ—e sâ—yrytuall serch do kepe goddys commaundement strayghteâ—â— brynge in the examples of Dauyd and hys company which for necessyte dyd eat of the offred halowed brede wherof by the law he sholde not and of Moyses also leuynge the chyldren contrary to the commaundement of god .xl. yere vncyrcumcysed in desert he endeth that mater with thys greate weyghty worde These ensamples myght teche vs many thynges yf thâ—â—â— were sprete in vs. what thinges the euyll sprete that inspirith Tyndale teacheth hym I can not tell But of any good spyryt he lerneth no ferther in these ensamples then that in necessyte Moyses the leder of the people vnder god and beynge also the pâ—cest of god dyspensed wyth the people in deserte in delaynge the cyrcumcysyon for parell of sodeyn trauell ther vppon â—yll they sholde come where they myght reste vppon it 1. Regâ—â— â—1 And that Achimelech the preste in lyke wyse for necessyte dyspensed wyth Dauyd and hys seruauntes that they myghte eat of offred halowed brede and yet wyth greate dyffycultye but yf they were clene from any late coÌ„myxcyoÌ„ and carnall knowledge of theyr wyuys And of that poynt myghte Tyndale yf he had a good spryte in hym lerne at the leste wyse one thynge agaynst the boldnesse of his wedded harlottes monkes and frerys that from theyr fylthy lechery go so boldely not to the halowed brede but to the body of god in forme of brede But Tyndales spryte techethâ—hym to be bold therin and to â—yd euery frere boldely breke hys vow and the commaundement without any necessyte or dispensacyon at all sayng that freres may no more lyue without nunnes then Dauyd myghte wythout meate Tyndale And lykewyse of the boly daye he knoweth that the daye is sauauÌ„t vnto maÌ„ and therfore when he fyndeth hatâ— yt is done because he sâ—olde not be let from herynge the worde of god be obeyth gladly and yet not so superstycyously that he wolde not â—elpe his neyghbour on the boly daye let the sermon alone for â—â—â—â—ayâ—or that he wold not worke on the holy day nede requyrynge yt at suche â—yne as men â—e not wonte to be at chyrche More Here Tyndale teacheth vs hygh spyrytuall doctryne that chrysten men sholde not be to superstycyously holy on the holy daye wenynge that they myghte do no bodyly worke for necessyte But the people for aught that I se knowe the well inoughe and more to But yet to make them the more bolde he teacheth them that the holy day is seruaunt vnto man that he maye therfore be bolde vppon the holy daye as vppon hys owne seruaunt to vse it as it please hym But yet all be yt that Cryste sayde vnto the Iewes that the sone of man is mayster and lorde euen ouer the sabooeh daye to vse yt as hym selfe lyste whych neuer lysted to vse yt but to the beste yet can I not well se that Tyndale is in suche wyse mayster and lorde of the sabbooth daye nor no man elles Mar. 2 that he may vse yt as his man though yt was of god instytute for man and not man for yt that is to wyt for the spirytuall benefyte and profyte of man as our sauyour sayth also hym selfe But yet he calleth yt not seruaunt vnto man as Tyndale calleth yt Exodi 1. â— For the scrypture sayth that god hath sanctyfyed the sabbooth day vnto hym selfe And that was the cause why that Criste shewed vnto the Iewes that hym selfe was lorde of the sabbat daye bycause he wolde that they sholde thereby knowe that he was very god syth that they had lerned by scripture that the sabbat daye was sanctyfyed onely to god hym self for maâ—nys profyte and no man lorde therof but onely god A gouernour of people is made for the people and not the people for the gouernour and yet is there no man amonge the people wonte to call the gouernour his man but hym selfe rather the gouernours man The very manhode of our sauiour hym self was to some purpose ordeyned for mankynde as the incarnacyon of his godhed was ordeyned for man but yet vseth no wyse man to call Cryste his seruaunt all be yt hym selfe of his mekenes dyd morethen serue vs. But we wyll not mych stykke wyth Tyndale for a worde somewhat wrested a wrye so that we wyste he ment no harme therby But I fereme more of his meanyng leste he wold bryng holy dayes and workynge dayes all in one case For as for doynge our neyghbour good and also the workyng for our owne necessyte the necessyte may be such that the chyrch denyeth yt not But who so do interprete his necessyte ouer large or dyfferre vnto the holy daye the worldly workes whyche he myght and sholde haue done vpon the workyng daye byfore or may as well do yt after and yet wyll worke yt on the holy daye and therby wyll for his parte brynge yt in custome to wythdrawe the reuerens from the holy daye make workynge day therof this man hathe in my mynde mych nede to consyder Salphat whych for lyke vsynge of the holy day Nume â—5 gatherynge wood on the holy day that he myght haue done on the workynge daye was by goddes owne iudgement stoned vnto deth And I lyke Tyndale in this mater the worse bothe for his wordes in his other bokes and for the custome
edyfyeth not his soule for god byeldeth not so fast therwyth as hym selfe helpeth the deuyll to pull it downe agayne and cast it quyte away so that it is neuer the better And therfore he wyll that hys holy spyrytuall sorte shall set all the holy ceremonyes and sacrameÌ„tes at naught but yf men can tell them what other specyall thynge is ment by the water of baptysme and by the oyle in confyrmacyon and eneylynge and by the cerymonyes of the masse and by the salte and by the asshes and by the holy water by the blessynge of all suche maner of thynges vppon all whych for the meanwhyle tyll all thys be tolde taught hym he thynketh that it becometh hym well agaynst crystes holy sacrameÌ„tes to ieste and mokke and mow and rayle and skofe and ryally playe the rybawld resemblyng the salte to sand and the holy oyle to smeryng of some bareld butter Ah blasphemouse beste to whose rorynge and lowynge no good crysten man can with out heuynes of herte gyue ere Nowe can men and do also for the more parte of these thynges gyue good causes and playne open reasons bothe of the sygnyfycacyons and of the spyrytuall profyte and bodyly bothe And yf that of any suche sacramentes or ceremonyes gyuen of olde by god vnto his blessyd apostles and by them delyuered vnto hys chyrche and therin euer synnys fro hand to hand contynewed it hath pleased the spyryte to let his people haue and enioye the profyte wythout declaracyon of the specyall betokenynge other then the secrete grace gyuyn theÌ„ therin is not Tyndale wene ye well ouer seen to mocke the sacrament and refuse the grace bycause god wyll not make hym so secret of hys counsayll as to tell hym why he toke such an owtward sygne rather then suche an other and then aske god almyghty why he wolde rather haue vsed for a ceremonye salte then sande whyle sande is so good a scorer and why rather asshes then erthe syn man was made of erthe and not of asshes and why in baptysme rather water then wyne whyle wyne wyll wasshe as clene why rather oyle then butter whyle the tone wyll sinere aswell as the tother wyll anoynte and then why rather an halowed candell then an vnholowed torche that wyll gyue more lyght and fynally why any bodyly ceremonyes or sacramentes at all about grace to be gyueÌ„ to the spyrytuall sowle that god myghte aswell do wythout and yf god lyste not to make Tyndale an answere and tell hym all thys gere then wyll he lyke a spyrytuall man set all suche bodyly ceremonyes sacramentes at nought and say god what he wyll Tindale wyll glose hys texte as it please hym and then byleue as he lyste who shall let hym when our lorde in the olde testameÌ„t descrybed so seryously all the apparell of the preestes dyd he tell the people therwyth all the causes why Exodi 28 Of sume we se that he dyd as why he wolde not haue Aaron asceÌ„de vnto the awlter by degrees But of all hys apparell Exodi 2â— Exodi 26. â— 27. â—euitiâ—i 16. Exodi 29 and all the fasshyon of the tabernacle and the awlter and the arche of the testament and the ceremonyes of the expiacyon or purgyng of the tabernacle and sanctyfyeng of all the vessels and consecratynge of the preestes wyth the rytys and ceremonyes of all theyr sacryfyce dyd god I saye tell the people what all the outwarde ceremonyes fygnyfyed nay nor what sygnyfycacyon had the sacrament of cyrcuÌ„sycyon neyther other then that who so obserued it not amonge them sholde fall in hys indygnacyon and therby peryssheâ— and who so fulfylled it sholde be in hys fauour and ascrybed therby in to the nomber of hys electe and peculyer chosen peple But why he rather wylled them to haue the marke and token of cyrcumsicyon then an other or why that in the tabernacle arche and awlter apparell sanctyfyeng and sacryfyce our lorde chose those outward sygnes and fasshyons that are wryten in Exodo Numeri and Leuitico before other or what he sygnyfyed and ment by euery of the same that I se not that god taughte the people and yet had they thanke for the kepynge and sholde haue ben shent for the brekynge Now yf our spyrytuall father Tyndale had ben there that in euery commaundement wyll neuer cease serchynge tyll he come to the very botom and so iudgeth all thynge when he sholde in all those thynges haue serched and sowght and cowlde fynde few thynges other then allegoryes of whyche dyuerse men dyuersly diuyne and all whyche he lyttell setteth by and sayth they proue nothyng and the very causes and sygnyfycacyons he cowlde not haue founden though he wolde haue mused out hys brayne then wolde he not haue set a ryâ—â—he by all that god had deuysed nor wolde haue kept it at all lest he beynge so spyrytuall sholde haue serued as he sayth visyble thynges Is nothere a wyse worke of Tyndale But he wyll happely say that in the olde law thys was lesse mater for that was the law that was all in shawdoes and darkenes of fygures But now in the law of lyghte in whyche the veyle is taken away and all set open Tyndale can not abyde it to be ignorant of any sacrament or cerymonye of any thynge set therby but yf he serche and fynde the vttermost sygnyfycacyon therof Surely as lyghtsome as it is and as open as all thynge is now that the veyle of the temple is withdrawen yet wyll not Tyndale fynde out the proper causes and sygnyfycacyons of these sacrameÌ„tes and ceremonyes of the olde law thys seuen yere seuentene tymes tolde But go me to the new law to those sacramentes which Tyndale agreeth for sacramentes whyche be onely twayn baptysme and the sacrament of the awter in whych though he be content to call them sacramentes yet hath he dyuersefull erronyouse opynyons and very fals faythes But begynne therfore as I sayd at baptysme when our sauyoure shewed vnto Nichodemus that except a man were borne agayne of water and the spyryto Iâ—â—an â— he cowlde not enter in to the kyngedome of heuyn he tolde hym there the necessyte of baptysme but not the proper sygnyfycacyon of the water why it pleased god to put it for the sacrament by whyche we sholde enter in to heuyn Nor when he sent hys disciples to go forth and baptyse he shewed them not as farre forth as the gospell telleth for what proper sygnyfycacyon god set the water in that sacrament before any other thynge but onele shewed them that so he wolde it sholde be bad them go shewe it and do it Nor I fynde not that in theyr baptysynge they shewed vnto the people that thyng that bycause water wassheth and clenseth therfore god had appoynted it vnto the sacrameÌ„t that wassheth and clenseth our soules And yet who so shall say that the water hath for that cause a conuenyent symylytude for the mater shall saye very
mo But to the purpose this I say that god may by his power make the water in the sacrament an instrument with an efectuall influence of power geuen by god thereto at the tyme to purge the soule as well as the fyre eyther to purge yt or punyshe yt In whych thynge syth the scryptures seme to say that he dothe so no scrypture sayth the contrarye and many good holy meÌ„ haue bene of that mynde I see not why we shold thynke otherwyse when our lord heled Naaman Syrus by his ê“phete He lyzeus in the water of Iordane no man dowteth but thaâ— god dyd the dede â— Regum 5 yet were yt a great boldenes to afferme that the water there dyd worke â—othynge therin at that tyme and yet had the water no such nature of ytselfe No more had also the water of whych yt is wryten in the gospell of saynt IohnÌ„ Iohan. 5 where at the mouynge therof who so nexte were let downe thereto was there cured by the angell of god and yet is yt well lykely that god gaue an influence of his power at the tyme by which the water self was made an instrument of that helth And lykewyse where the woman was heled by the touch of Crystes garment Lucae .8 wherof saynt Luke speketh in the .viii. chapyter the wordes of our sauyour hym selfe seme to shew some influeÌ„ce gone forth from hym selfe in to his garment suche as by his myght with the touche of his garment vsed as an instrument therin was able to gyue helth vnto that good faythfull womâ—n when our sauyour as is wryten in yâ— .ix. chapyter of saynt IohnÌ„ dyd take the dyrt of the grounde IohnÌ„ 9 and dyd spytte there vppon and made therof a plaster layed it vppon the blynde maÌ„nys yien and so gaue hym his syghte I thynke that god gaue an influence of hys power in to that plaster wherby he cured his yien yet mighte he haue done it by his onely worde or by hys onely wyll wythout any suche outwarde thynge layed there vnto But it pleased hym to let them se that he not onely coude do it hym selfe but coude also make the very dyrte of the strete able to do suche curys as not all the plasters in all the surgeons shoppes were able to attayne vnto Now yf they wyll saye that it is not lyke in curynge the body and clensynge of the soule I saye it is lyke sauynge for the reason by whyche they say that the bodyly water can not worke vppon the vnbodyly soule And therfore thereto I saye that by no naturall power nor by no power excepte onely goddys coude these bodyes that is to wyt those waters garment and plaster haue in suche wyse wrought vppon the bodyes wherein they were workynge instrumentes of these meruelouse cures And then I saye by hys power maye the bodyly water as well be a workynge instrument vppon the vnbodyed and vnbodyly soule be it in clensyng pourgyng or punysshynge as vppon the body For as for that reason by whyche some doctours reken the mater the more easy in the sacramentes bycause the out warde sensyble thynges therof worke as they reken vppon the soule as parte of the holeman by touchynge the body therof as the fyre touchynge the body payneth the soule all all be it I repungne not thereat yet I nothyng grouÌ„de my selfe theron syth I neuer founde amonge them all one reason yet wherby me thoughte it proued otherwyse but the god may make the bodyly corporall water able to worke vppon the vnbodyed incorporyall soule whyche yf it maye syth god hath set the sacramentes as meanys by whiche we come to clensyng of the soule and to saluacyon all be it that no man denyeth but that the power of god is chyefe that he regardeth chrystes passyon and our owne fayth wyth dyuerse other thynges yet I se not why we sholde take all effecte of workyng from the sacramentes them selfe and leue them voide of all grace and call them bare gracelesse tokeÌ„s For yf that any man were of the mynde that he thoughte the sacramentes do nothynge to the clensynge of the soule bycause that all that euer is done is done by the power of god so myghte he thynke that no medecyne doth any thynge in the cure of any dysease bycause that all the nature of the medycyne is gyuen vnto it by the power of god to How be it in thys mater whyther that the sacramentes haue any influence of power gyuen them by god whereby they may be workers and instrumentes in the purgynge or clensynge of the soule or ellys that they be but in such wyse meanys and cause of the grace as the lyuery gowne wherof I dyd put the ensample is of the seruauntes fyndynge in the lordes housholde is not the thynge wherin I wyll gretely stykke But in my mynde the scrypture most serueth for the fyrst opynyon and good holy doctours and of the eldest haue ben of that opynyon and nothyng but phylosophicall reasons haue drawen other from that opynyon And synnys that some other hath fallen to the tother opynyon whyche gyueth to the sacramentes lesse force and effycace then doth that fyrste opynyon there are now come these new men Luther frere Huskyn and Hyâ—hen and such other lewde felowes that wolde leue the sacramentes by theyr wyllys nâ— maner strength at all And therfore so myche lyke I the better the fyrste waye that most hâ—ly men helde and that fertheste goeth from the doctryne of those heretykes whyche make the sacramentes as they sey to serue onely for prestes and prechers then they preche them selfe that the preesthed is no sacrament at all and turne them all in to mokkes and iestes comparyng sand with holy salte and butter smeryng to the anoyntynge wyth the halowed chrysme such other folysshe blasphemy Now where they saye that all the saluacyon standeth in promyse of god and nothynge in the sacramentes at all bycause that they be but the tokeÌ„s therof by this reason they wyll wythin a whyle take a way the reuereÌ„ce from the very promyse to For of trouth the promyse of god worketh not our saluacyon no more then do the sacramentes but god worketh our saluacyon hym selfe and the promyse is the token wherby we knowe he doth so For yf he had not promysed it we had not so surely knowen it nor had not had so greate a cause of good hope thereof but yet myghte he haue saued vs though he had neuer promysed vs. And now them that he saueth he saueth not so myche by the force of hys promyse as by reason of the selfe same goodnes that made hym to make the promyse So that his owne lyberall goodnes worketh our saluacyon and the promyse gyueth the knowlege of our saluacyon Now saye these men allwaye that god saueth vs by hys promyse as thoughe they were sure that yf he were not surely bouÌ„den by his promyse he wold not now do it at
hys boke treateth lyke wyse as they that haue wyt and lernynge do all redy fynde hys handelyng of these maters full of malyce very voyde of trewth so I trust when we come hereafter to the places to make ryght meane lerned folke and meane wytted to perceyue that all hys hygh inuencyon that he wolde haue seme so sothe is in very dede a very madde mannys dreme Tyndale And agaynste the myste of theyr sophystrâ—ye take the ensamples that are paste in the olde testament and autentyke stâ—ryes and the present practyse whych thou seest before thyne yies More we be well content that these thynges trye the myste of bothe partyes so that Tyndale take wyth hym one thynge or twayne more which I meruayle wherfore he now leueth oute sauynge that he seeth well that they wyll clerely dyssypate and dyscusse the myste that he fayne wolde walke in For ellys why leueth he clene out the new testament now we must praye hym that we may take in that to And for asmych as we do on bothe the sydes agre vppoÌ„ the texte of scrypture and that the questyoÌ„ mych lyeth whyther Tyndale and hys felowes vnderstond it ryght or ellys the hole chyrche of all crysten nacyons we shall praye hym to be content that we may laye forth in yâ— behalfe the mynde of the olde holy doctours and sayntes whych wrote of these maters so many huÌ„dâ—ed yâ—â—es ere euer thys busynes began and wrote not for the pleasure of eyther other partye And them wyll we the rather allege bycause Tyndale aswell in hys boke of obedyence as in dyuers places of thys boke is not ashamed to sayâ— that we wyll not byleue the olde holy doctours but that they â—o and be of the bylefe that those holy fathers were and as I say he is not ashamed to wryte this ye and that very often when he woteth well that amonge them all he can not fynde one that euer byleued other but that it was a shamefull abomynable syâ—e a monke to mary a 〈◊〉 whyche thynge hereafter in thys boke Tyndale so folyshly 〈◊〉 that sauynge for pytye to se any man so madde one that â—â—ye sore sycke coude not forbere to lawghe at it Tyndale Iudge whyther yt be possible that any good sholde come oute of theyr domme ceremonyes and sacramentes in to thy soule Iudge theyr penounce pysgrymages pardones purgatorye praynge to postes domme blessynges domme absolucyons theyr domme paterynge and halowynge theyr domme straunge holy gestures wyth all theyr domme disgysynges theyr satisfaccyons and iustefyenge And because thou syndest them false in so many thynges truste them in nothynge but iâ—dge them in all thinges More Iudge good crysten reader whyther yt be possyble that he be any better then a beste oute of whose brutyshe bestely mouth coÌ„meth such a fylthye fome of blasphemyes agaynst crystes holy ceremonyes and blessed sacramentes sent in to his chyrche out of his owne blessed bloody syde And for bycause ye fynde this felowe so frantike and so false in the ray lynge and iestynge agaynste the sacramentes of Cryste ye may well iudge that who so can delyte or be coÌ„tent with his blasphemouse rybauldy hath great cause in hym self to fere that his crysten fayth begynneth to fayle and faynte Tyndale Marke at the laste the practyse of our fleshely spirytualtye and theyr wayes by whyche they haue walked aboue .viij. hoâ—dred yeres how they stablyshe theyr lyes fyrst wyth falsyfyenge the scrypture then thorow corruptyng with theyr ryches wherof they haue infynyte treasure in story and laste of all with the swerde More ye mary marke I praye you For this is mych to be marketh lo that Tyndale can not bere the flesshelynes of oure spyrytualtye bycause the flesshelynes of theyr chyrch is spyrytuall For the flesshely wedded harlotes of theyr chyrche be theyr chyef holy spyrytuall fathers and holy spyrytuall mothers monkes freres and nunnes And bycause theyr holy chyrch is but new bygonne Tyndale wolde we shold wene that this .viii. hundred yere and more Criste hath had no chyrch in the worlde at all For so longe sayth Tyndale all hath be nought by the reason that all this whyle the clergye hath falsyfyed the scrypture and hyred men wyth gyftes and compelled them wyth the swerâ—e to byleue them so all this .viii. hundred yeres sayth Tyndale by these meanes all the crysten nacyons haue in â—tede of true fayth byleued false lyes and so haue ben out of the fayth all nought If Tyndale dyd not lye now as blyssed be god he doth here had ben a grete gappe in crystendome thys .xv. C. yere And where had Crystes promyse ben then all thys whyle with his electes Nay yf this chyrch haue had all this while false sacramentes Cryste hath had none electes all thys whyle For they haue vsed what so euer Tyndale saye the same sacramentes that theyr neyghbours dyd I wolde also that he had tolde vs how mych more then xv C. yeres the chyrche hath had false sacrameÌ„tes lest that that he calleth now more he shall hereafter call yet mych more For therto shall he be faine to fall or els to call these .viii. C. bakke agayne and confesse the sacramentes true or fynally whyche he is most lykely to do bable on styll agaynst all reason agaynst all good men and agaynst all scrypture and so that he be talkynge neuer care what whereof nor how For I am sure that in the sacramentes and in yâ— knowlege of the chyrche hys malycyouse folye is reproued by the olde holy doctours aboue hys .viii. C. yere almoste as many mo and ouer that by playne scrypture to Tyndale Haue they not compelled the emperours of the erth and the great sâ—rdes and bye offycers to be obedyent vnto them to dispute for them and to be they re tormentours and the samsumyms them selfes do but ymagen myschyef and inspyre them More Here is all the great anger that greueth this good man that eyther lorde kynge or emperour medleth any thynge for the mayntenaunce of the fayth or set to theyr handes to the repressynge of heresyes But yf Tyndale fynde thys for a fawte he must go farre aboue hys .viii. C. yere For it is farre aboue a thousande synnys that as euyll lordes prynces and emperours haue holpeÌ„ and mayntened heretykes so lyke wyse good lordes prynces emperours haue set to theyr handes to subdewe them And theyr maynteners haue vanysshed awaye wyth them and theyr amenders and punysshers god hath mayntened and favoured and good godly men haue called vppon prynces for theyrâ— ayde and assystence in suche case and at theyr instaunce and pursuyt haue prynces and emperours bothe punysshed them made many good lawes agaynste them Tyndale Marke whether yt were euer trewer then now The scrybes pharyseys Pyâ—late Herode Cayphas and Anna are gathered to gether agaynste god and Criste but yet I truste in vayne and that he that brake the counsell of Achitophell shall scatter theyrs More Marke now good crysteÌ„
Hierome founde some fautes in his workes he muste remember agayne that many a good man and among those saynte Pamphilus the blessed martyr founde in Origenes doctrine so mych erâ—dycyon deuocyon vertue bysyde that they veryly thought those errours none of his nor neuer were there any such faâ—tes founden in his wrytynge whyle hym self lyued nor no man offended with hym many places in his bokes playne that seme to saye the coÌ„trary And therfore many good men thought and yet thynge all be yt saynt Hierome thought otherwyse as he myght well inow whyle that poynte no thynge perteyneth to the fayth that chose heresyes were put in to hys bokes after his deth by some that were heretyques in dede and wolde for the great estymacyon that Origeneâ— was in thorough all the chyrch anaunce theyr owne heresyes forwarde vnder the name and standard of his famouse authoryte But graunted nowe that those faâ—tes were his whyche were imputed vnto hym yet is this none of theÌ„ But saynte 〈…〉 so 〈…〉 Tyndales scoldyng accepted and taken 〈◊〉 all 〈…〉 wyll I brynge in with hym some other that I haue named and yet other mo bysyde that shall as I sayd testyfye with me before this boke be done that god hath taught his chyrche many thynges wherof in the scrypture his worde is yet vnwrytem But now wyll I for the meane while touchyng this poynt wheruppoÌ„ the great wayghte of all the mater hangeth go nerer vnto Tyndale a nother waye It is ye wote well agreed bytwene vs or yf he wold be so madde to say naye ye wyll yet your selfe agre this in his stede that ones of olde tyme Cryste hym selfe and his apostles dyd teache and preache mâ—ny wordes of god vnwryten Now thus I say syth many thynges were tought fyrst vnwryten yf any of them be yet lefte vnwryten then saye I that Tyndale is at the leste wyâ—e temerariouse ouer bolde so certaynely to affyrme that any sacrament that the chyrch vseth and so longe hath vsed or ceremony eyther is idolatrye for as mych as if we lakked sure profe vppon our syde whyche in dede we lakke not by reason of goddes spyryte by Crystes owne promyse euer abydynge wyth his chyrch and teachyng it all trewth but yf we lakke I say that profe for our parte yet were he to presumptuousely bowe so precysely to affyrme the contrary syth he can not say naye but that they myght be some of those that were sometyme toâ—ghte vnwryten and yet remayne obserued vnwryten as the other that now be wryten were tought kept wythout wrytynge before To this wyll Tyndall answere that syâ—â—â—â— that tyme all goddes wordes promyses sacramentes that he wold haue kepte and byleued in crysâ—â—ndome he hath caused to be wryten by his euangelistes and apostles and lefte nâ—ne vnwryten to 〈…〉 that his chyrch shall not stande in any dâ—wte nor fall into any errour of any necessary poynt for lakke of wrytynge but moâ—e â—knowâ— by that he hath caused all to be wryten that all be false and fayned and â—â—ennys madde inâ—encyons that they byleue and obserue vnwryteÌ„ For wâ—y sholde he â—â—â—se some to be wryten and suffer some lefte vnwryten to make men sure of some and to leue some in 〈◊〉 〈…〉 cause for he seeth why well inough and therfore I wyll gyue no rekenynge why god hath caused some to be wryten and some to be lefte vnwryten But thys wyll I be bolde to saye that he was not of any necessyte compelled to wryte any one sacrameÌ„t or ceremony or weyghty poynt of byleue for any fere leste it sholde fall awaye and that he coude not wyth hys owne spyryte kepe it in mennys hertes and vsage wythout wrytynge as well as he kept in the good generacyons the knowledge of his promyses and his lawes longe and many ages before the lawe was wryten and yet wrote them not all therin neyther but the people had a fayth of Cryste amonge them more large then was wryten in theyr lawe whyche went from hande to hande I thynke from Adams dayes to whom it is lykely that god made after his fall some larger promyse and reuelacyon of hys redempcyoÌ„ agayne than we fynde made vnto hym wryten in any place of scrypture But we shall not nede mych profe for thys mater for that god was able to kepe all hys sacramentes and artycles of the fayth wythout wrytynge Tyndale I wene wyll not deny me Now to say that yf he sholde haue lefte some vnwryten it wolde haue made dowtes and debates and be occasyons of errours and heresyes and the writyng doth put all thynges oute of dowte and therfore god hath lefte none vnwryten we se that thys maketh neyther more sure nor lesse For as well dyd men byleue before the wrytyng those thynges that are now wryten as euer they dyd synnys and we beleue now the promyses as well that are vnwryten as any that are wryten And the wrytynge taketh not away all the dowtes but as many ryse thereuppon and many mo then vppon those thynges that we byleue vnwryten For fyrste the credence to be gyuen to the hole boke in whyche they be wryten hangeth all vppon the same fayth vppon whyche dependen the thynges that are vnwryten For as I byleue the tone so byleue I the tother And as one maye by hys owne frowardnes lakke the grace to byleue the thynges vnwryten so maye a nother by his owne malyce lakke the grace to byleue any parte of the hole boke of holy scrypture that is wryteÌ„ and take it all for fantasyes And in good sayth I am aferd yâ— so do they whych saye they byleue nothynge els but it For as for parte of the boke they brynge in queâ—â—yâ—Ì„ 〈◊〉 boke of the Machabees by cause it maketh questyon as agaynst theyr purpose concernyng purgatory And parte they let not mych to deny as Luther doeth the epystle of saynte Iamys bycause it speketh playnely agaynst hys idle workelesse fayth Now in that partes whyche they graunte for scrypture yet taketh it not awaye all the dowtes But vnto such folke as Tyndale is and Luther that be so contencyouse it mynystreth rather mych mater of dowte and of debate that mych more then do the thynges that are obserued wythout wrytynge For fyrst they refuse to obserue them bycause they saye they fynde them not there wryten so ryseth that questyon fyrst vppon the wrytynge Then yf it be founden there then dyspute they whyther it be fully founden there as whyther we fynde there bothe the token and the thynge betokened For the sacrament take they but for a bare sygne and the thynge that is sygnyfyed they call no thynge but Crystes onely promyse And here make they vppon the wrytynge many greate batayles to bete downe allmoste all the sacramentes sauyng scant one and an halfe Then vppon the letter rayse they many greate errours and saye the scripture is playne vppon theyr syde And thys say not onely Luther Tyndale and
sayeth yt appereth that there was no cause to burne his translacyon wherein such chaunges founden as ye se and beynge chauÌ„ged for such causes as hym selfe coÌ„fesseth that is to wyt for a fouÌ„dacyone of such pestylent heresyes as hym selfe affermeth wryteth in his abomynable bokes he myghte mych better yf he cut a mannys throte in the open strete say there were no cause to hange hym but bydde men seke vppe hys knyfe se yt hym safe This myght he in good fayth myche better saye then then he maye now say that there is no cause to burne his translacyon wyth yâ— falsed wherof and his false heresyes brought in there wythall he hath kylled and destroyed dyuerse menne and maye hereafter many some in body some 〈◊〉 soule and some in â—oth twayne And 〈◊〉 where as in the ende he loketh so mych to me that he forgeteth hym selfe and makyng me a nother holy sermone of my couetousenesse my great aduauntage in seruyng in falsed myne obstynate malyce agaynst the trewth he forgeteth in the meane whyle that his owne malyce is agaynst the trewth in such manner obstynate that he doth as the deuell dothe endure payne for the mayntenaunce of hys false deuelyshe heresyes agaynste the treuth and puttynge me in mynde agayne of the false prophete Balaam and his euyll ende and that all suche resysters of the trewth come at laste vnto an euyll deth he forgeteth in the meane whyle the double deth that his felowes heretyques comenly come vnto fyrst by fyre in erth and after by fyre in hell saue they that at the tone renounce his deuelysh heresyes so escape the tother Tyndale therfore where yt lyketh hym to lyken me to Balaam Pharao and to Iudas to syth the pytthe of all hys processe standeth in this one poynte that his heresyes be the trew fayth and that the catholyque fayth is false that the holy dayes nor the fastyng dayes no man nede to kepe that the dyuyne seruyces in the chyrche is all but superstycyon that the chyrche the ale howse is all one sauynge for such holy preachyng that men haue no fre wyll of theyr owne to do nother good nor yll that to reuerence Crystes crosse or any saynts ymage is idolatry that to do any good worke faste geue almysse or other with entent the rather to gete heuen or to be the better rewarded there is dedely synne afore god worse then idolatrye to thynke that the masse may do menne any good mo then the preste hym selfe were a false belyefe a false fayth also to pray for any soule great synne to shryue vs or to do penaunce for synne freres may well wedde nonnes and muste nedes haue wyues and the sacramentes of Cryste muste serue for Tyndales iestynge stoke these be the trewthes that Tyndole preacheth And bycause I call these trewthes heresyes therfore Tyndale calleth me Balaam Iudas and Pharao and â—hreteneth me sore wyth the vengeaunce of god and wyth an euyll deth what deth eche man shall dye that hangeth in goddes haÌ„des and martyrs haue dyed for god and heretykes haue dyeâ— for the deuyll But syth I know yt very well and so doth Tyndale to that the holy sayntes dede byfore these dayes synnys Cristes tyme tyll our owne byleued as I do that Tyndales trewthes beâ— starke deuelyâ—he heresyes yf god gyue me the grace to suffer for sayeng the same I shall neuer in my ryght wyt wysh to dye better And therfore syth all the mater staÌ„deth in this poynte alone that yf his heresyes be the trew fayth then I stande in parell and yf they be a false fayth I maye be safe inought lette hym leue his sermon hardely for the whyle and fyrste go proue his lyes trewe and then come agayne and preache and frere Luther also his lemman wyth hym to and then may the geese prouyde the foxe a pulpette Here endeth the seconde boke in whyche is confuted Tyndales defence of his false translacyon of the new testamente ¶ The thyrde boke Here after foloweth the thyrde boke in whyche be treated two chapyters of Tyndales boke that is to wyt whyther the chyrche were before the gospell or the gospell before the chyrch whyther the apostles lefte ought vnwryten that is of necessyte to be byleued whether the chyrche were before the gospell or the gospell before the chyrche TIndale hath all thys whyle wyth his defence of chaungynge chyrche and other thynges vsed in the chyrch malycyously by hym chaunged in his translacyoÌ„ kept vs as it were styll stryuynge wyth hym in the chyrche porche But now haue I wonne the porche vppon hym and we be comen to ioyne togyther wythin the chyrche For now takynge hys translacyon for damnable as it is we be comen to trye bytwene vs the falsed of hys pestylent heresyes concernynge the chyrch and the worde of god by the spyryt of god taughte vnto hys chyrche wyth which heresyes he corrupteth the worde of god and wyth poysen infecteth hys chyrche as I haue before manyfestely declared bothe concernynge Crystes holy sacramentes and dyuerse other artycles of Crystes fayth But for as mych as by the dyscourse of my dyaloge I proued clerely that nothyng can be sure certayne amonge crysten men not so mych as the holy scrypture it selfe but yf we byleue the chyrche and I proued also that the chyrch of Cryste can not fall in dampnable errour but hath ben is eueâ— shall be taught by the spyryte of god euery necessary â—râ—uâ—h to the bylefe wherof god wyll haue them bounden and that thys chyrche is and euer hath ben taughte by the worde of god partely wryten and partely vnwryten and that those two wordes are bothe of one authoryte and fynally dyd I proue that the very chyrche of Cryste here in erthe whyche hath the ryght fayth and whyche we be bounden to byleue and obaye is thys vnyuerâ—all knowen people of all crysten nacyons that be neyther put out nor openly departed out by theyr wylfull scysmes and playnly professed heresyes and that Luthers chyrche all the chyrches sprong out thereof wyth all the prophetes and patryarches of the same as Suinglius Butzer Balthasar Otho frere Huyskyn frere Lambert and Tyndale be the synagoge of Sathan and seruauntes of the deuyll nowe cometh me Tyndale and perceyuynge hym selfe sore bounden to the stake wyth the strength of thys chayne begynneth to wrythe and wrestle and fareth fowle wyth hym selfe to loke yf he coude breke any lynke therof where about for as mych as he seeth that all the rable of heretykes haue longe labored of olde and yet theyr bokes vanesshed awaye to the deuyll with them selfe and that the deuell hath of theyr dry asshes reysed vp an hundred sortes of new sectes of heretykes mych more blasphemouse then euer were the olde he hath ouerloked studyously all theyr bokes and wyth all the poysen that the deuyll hath put in them hath stuffed hys mouth full to spet it out agayne agaynste
a horse yt standeth indyfferent â—â—â—pereth not what man or what horse I meane For if I vow be so vnwyse to say to my seruauÌ„t go â—o me this â—tand to a man he sholde not wyt what man he sholde go to But whâ— I saye go do this erand to the man he woteth welâ— that I meane a certayne specyall man to hym and me knowen to whom the erand perteyneth This artycle the doth therfore in oure englyshe tonge gyue great lyght vnto the sentence and the greke tonge hath an artycle that doth the lyke in theyrs the lakke of the lyke doth in the latyne tonge leue often tymys the sentence obscure and darke whyche â—olde wyth that artycle yf the latyne langage had yt appere open and playne I shall shew you fyrste an example therof in the â—â—â—â—â— chaâ—pyter of the gospell of saynte IohnÌ„ whyche place Tyâ—â—â—le hath wronge translated also for what cause the deuyll and he knoweth For Tyndale is not ignoraunt of that artycle neyther the greke nor the englyshe and maketh hym felt as though he translated the new testament out of greke Theâ—e wordes be the wordes of the gospell in that place after Tyndales translacyon This ys the recorde of IohnÌ„ when the Iewes sent prestes and seuâ—â—es froâ— Hierusalem to aske hym what art thou and he confessed aâ—d denyed not and sayed playnely I am not Criste. And they asked hym what â—â—eÌ„ arte 〈◊〉 lias And he sayed I am not Arte thou a prophete And he answered 〈◊〉 I wolde not here note by the â—uaye that Tyndale here translateth no for nay for yt is but a trysâ—e and wystaâ—â—yng of the englyshe worde sauynge that ye sholde seâ— he which in two so playne englyshe wordes and so coâ—â—e as is 〈◊〉 and no can not tell when he sholde take the tone and 〈◊〉 the tother is not for translatynge in to englyshe a 〈◊〉 very mete For the vse of those two wordes in answeryâ—â—e to a questyon is this No answereth the questyon 〈◊〉 by the affyrmatyue As for ensample yf a man 〈…〉 Tyndale hym selfe is an heretyke mete to translaâ—â—â—â— scrypture into englyshe Lo to this questyon yf he wyll answere trew englyshe he muste answere nay and not no. But and yf the questyon be asked hym thus lo Is not an heretyque mete to translate holy scripture into englysh To this questyon lo yf he wyll answere trew englyshe he muste answere no not nay And a lyke dyfference is there bytwene these two aduerbis ye and yes For yf the questyon be framed vnto Tyndale by thaffyrmatyue in this fasshyoÌ„ If an heretyke fasely translate the new testament in to englysh to make his false heresyes seme the word of god be his bokes wurthy to be burned To this questyon asked in this wyse yf he wyll answere trew englyshe he muste answere ye and not yes But now yf the questyon be asked hym thus lo by the negatiue If an heretyque falsely translate the new testament in to englysh to make his false heresyes seme the worde of god be not his bokes well worthy to be burned To this questyon in thys fasshyon framed yf he wyll answere trew englyshe he maye not answere ye but he muste answere yes and saye yes mary be they both the translacyon and the translatour and all that wyll holde wyth them And thys thynge lo though yt be no greate mater yet I haue thought good to gyue Tyndale warnynge of bycause I wolde haue hym wryte trewe one waye or other that though I can not make hym by no meane to wryte trewe mater I wolde haue hym yet at the leste wyse wryte treâ— englyshe But now to the mater selfe ye se that by Tyndals translacyon the iewes asked of saynt IohnÌ„ whether he were a prophete and that he answered nay and so he denyed that he was a prâ—phete Now doeth Cryste testyfye of hym that he was bâ—â—h a prophete and more theÌ„ a prophete so that yf saynt IohnÌ„ sholde say of hym selfe that he was no prophete and Crysts sayed yes eyther sholde saynt IohnÌ„ say vntrew hym selfe or ellys sholde there an vntâ—â—â—th be spokeÌ„ by the mouth of our sauyour hym selfe of whyche two thynges the tone is â—â—â—edyble and the tother impossyble And in the latyne 〈…〉 thynge is lefte in dowtâ— for lakke as I tolde you 〈…〉 correspondent to the greke artytle to the en 〈…〉 the and for that cause some eyght holy men 〈…〉 were for 〈◊〉 of the greke tonge myth 〈…〉 be vnderstanden 〈…〉 perceyuynge the artycle saw well inough that he sholde not haue translated it in to the englyshe art thou a prophete but art thou the prophete and then were the mater open and playne For they asked hym not whyther he were a prophete that is to wytte whyther he were any prophete but whyther he were the prophete that is to wyt the greate prophete of whom Moyses prophesyed and promysed in the dewteronomy of whyche prophete there was opynyon amonge many of the iewes Deuter. 18. not that he sholde be Cryste but a grete prophete that shold come before hym and therfore they asked saynt IohnÌ„ arte thou the prophete menynge that specyall prophete And yet the iewes that asked saynt IohnÌ„ the questyon notwyth standynge that by theyr owne questyon they knewe that he dyd not in hys answere denye hym selfe to be any prophete but that specyall prophete of whome they ment dyd yet falsely reherse hym in theyr anger when they sayd agayne vnto hym yf thou be neyther Cryste nor Nelyas nor prophete why baptysest thou then And as the iewes dyd then wyttyngly false reherse hym so doth Tyndale as falsely now translate hym makynge it seme that by theyr questyon and hys answere eyther saynte IohnÌ„ sholde saye vntrew or ellys ouâ— sauyour hym selfe And for what inteÌ„t let Tyndale hym selfe tell but that he so doeth hys translacyon sheweth And that he doeth it wyttyngly well appereth by that he is not so ignorauÌ„t in the greke tonge but that he knoweth the artycle there whyche he sholde haue taken in to the englysshe and in many other places so hath he done And in this place yf he had not perceyued it hym selfe yet that good vertuouse and well lerned man Nicholas de lyra gaue hym warnyng therof whom though Tyndale lyste to set at so shorte and mokke and scorne sayenge that Lyra desirat yet he shall not say nay but he gaue hym good warnynge here and hath in dede more good lernynge in the scrypture of god then hath Luther and Huchyns and fyue frere Huysâ—yns as many frere Lambertes to Now that I haue shewed you somwhat of the strength and effecte of the artycle bothe greke and englysshe whych declareth that the worde whereto it is set sygnyfyeth not a thynge generally and confuse at large but some specyall thynge determynate of that kynde and that I haue shâ—â—ed you one ensample therof in the gospell whyche Tyndale hâ—â—â— euyll translated I wyll now go
amonge the people More Grete cause haue we to gyue thanke to god whose goodnesse wresteth the tonges of heretyques and maketh them there speke most agaynst theÌ„ selfe where they wene to speke for them selfe the beste as he serueth Tyndale here For these be the wordes that I wolde haue wysshed hym to say For where he meaneth that all must be wryten bycause that ellys there were nothynge that coude confounde false prophetes that sholde come and shewe false myracles excepte the trewe prechers sholde shewe trewe myracles agaynste them I answere to Tyndale two thynges The fyrste is that it is playne false that Tyndale taketh for a playne truth that is to wyt that the trewe prechers coude haue no thynge to confounde the false prophetes that sholde come wyth false myracles but yf all the trouth were wryten in scrypture autentyque amonge the people And that yf it so were then the trewe precheours had inough wythout trew myracles to confounde the false prophetes bryngynge false myracles The seconde thynge that I answere hym wyth is thys that yf it were trewe that he sayeth that wythout myracles nothynge wolde suffycyently serue in suche case excepte that euery necessary thynge were wryten in auten +tyque scrypture yet syth hym selfe confesseth that trewe myracles myghte in suche case suffycyently serue the trewe precheour and confounde the false and saue the fayth vp ryghte and that he can not saye but that god is able to do them when so euer he lyste and wyll neuer leue hys chyrche destytute of helpe and comforte necessary and therfore in suche necessyte wyll not fayle to do them Tyndale must nedes agre be he neuer so lothe to comme to it that god hath no necessyte for auoydynge of suche parell to prouyde that hys chyrche sholde haue euery necessary thynge delyuered vnto them and euer more kepte wyth them in autentyke scrypture whyle hym selfe by hys promyse wolde euer dwelle wyth them and hadde for the profe of theyr fayth agaynste false prophetes and theyr false myracles the myghtye meane of trew myracles and oute of measure greter in his owne hande whyche meane of miracles for the trew profe of his worde among mortall menne is and hath bene and euer shall be the fynall peremptorye stoppe agaynste all contradyccyon This secunde answere is open and playne inough in yt selfe And for as mych as the fyrste appereth not peraduenture so fully playne at the fyrste syght I shall make yt clerer when Tyndale sayth that excepte all were wryten that we be bounden to byleue or to do there were ellys nothyng saue miracles to confouÌ„de false prophetes that sholde come with false miracles ye perceyue well that he prosupposeth that yf euery such thyng be wryten in autentique scripture then wythout myracles the mater is saue inough and the trew preachers able inough to coÌ„founde the false by the scripture alone For but yf he saye so he sayth no more for the alledgyng of scrypture then for the alledgynge of the fayth wythout scrypture Now Tyndale tellynge vs thus we muste fyrst wyt of hym whych false ê“phetes he meaneth Paynyms Turkes or heretikes If he meane Panynyms or Turkes theÌ„ goeth he very farre wyde for the trew preachers can not coÌ„founde them wyth our autentyke scrypture for yt is not autentyke amonge them but they saye that yt is false If he meane heretykes he goth almoste as farre wyde for they wyll also when they lyste denye for holy scrypture any parte of holy scrypture that proueth agaynste theyr purpose as they denye the boke of Machabees bycause yt proueth purgatory and prayours for them that are dede and denye the pystle of saynte Iamys bycause yt reproueth a bare fayth wythout good workes Now yf they admytte the scrypture for scrypture yet are ye neuer the nere for they wyll denye the trew sense therof and obstynately defende a false sâ— that the trew preacher and that false prophete shall be styll as farre a sonder as yf they denyed the very scrypture yt selfe Now when he speketh of confoundynge them we must wyt of hym what he meaneth by coÌ„foundyng them whether he meane that the trewe preacher shall make the false prophete ashamed or that he shall make the people perceyue theyr doctryne for false As for makyng the false prophetes ashamed ye se your selfe they be so shamelesse that yt wyll not be for ye se they wedde nonnes openly And when they be not ashamed to loke folke in the face after that shameful sacrylege and abomynable bychery whereof wyll they be ashamed Now if he meane that the trewe preacher shall by thautenque wrytyng make the people perceyue the false prophete false I saye that shall he not do by scrypture any thyng more largely then he shall do the same by the worde of god vnwryten whyche worde Tyndale wolde haue no man by leue For the perceyuynge wherof suppose me now that the trew preacher and the false prophete came to gether to dyspute the trouth in a great audyence of people vppon some suche artycle as the false prophete wolde teache agaynst the comen fayth of the catholyque chyrche As let me se for ensample whether freres may wedde nonnes Tut nay that can serue for no sample yt is to clere and to farre vndysputable for any false prophete to fynde any reasonynge therin as the thynge whych neuer syth the world was pepled could haue founden any maÌ„ to thynke yt lawfull tyll now nor yet now neythe fyndeth any that so thynketh as many wreches as so sayth and so dothe nor yt were not possyble for the false prophete to fynde any colour therin but such as all the world wolde wonder at excepte suche bestes as luste to seyt so for hatered and despyght of honestye But let vs take therfore for ensample some suche heresye as hath bene holden dysputed of olde And what rather then one of the greattest that is to wyt that heresye that Arrius held and his great coÌ„pany that our sauyour Cryste was not one egall god wyth his father Suppose me therfore I saye that some false prophete were so deuelyshe as to preache that poynt agayne and that he hadde by false preachynge wonne vnto hym as Arrius had in his tyme myche people all redy of euery state and degre and that he sholde then come in an open audieÌ„ce of a mayne multytude to dyspute wyth any trew preacher that wolde offer hym self to defende in that poynte the parte and bylefe of the catholyque chyrche Now when the trew preacher and the false prophete were comen to gether and fallen iu dyspycyons in two pulpettes on hygh that all the people myght here them and that the tone alledged dyuerse textes of scrypture for the trouth the tother as many for the false parte and eche of them glose agaynst glose when the trew preacher wolde laye therto the consente of all the olde douctours of all the catholyque chyrch of Cryste this fyftene hundred yere the false prophete
as the trew sence of scrypture do coÌ„sent and agre to gether agaynst Tyndale and Luther and frere Huskyn and all theyr fonde felowes And yf Tyndale saye nay lette hym shew me whyche olde holy popes were they that euer hylde that the sacramentes of the auter is suche a bare symple sygne and sette but onely to sygnyfye the memoryall of Cryâ—tes passyoÌ„ and vnyte of hym and vs wyth loue and concorde amonge our selfe that it were synne to thiÌ„ke yt were not brede styll as Luther sayth or to thynke yt were any thynge ellys as Tyndale frere Huskyn sayth and great synne to worshyppe yt as Luther Huskyn and Tyndale saye And as concernynge the trew sence of scripture whych he sayth the pope hath robbed froÌ„ vs and meaneth the popes of eyght hundred yere last passed whyche trew sence Tyndale now bryngeth agayne let hym shew then whyche popes of the tother seuen hundred yere byfore or whyche holy doctours of all that longe tyme byfore dyd constre the scrypture so that any of them wold saye that a monke myght wedde a nonne And lo thus ye se good readers in what worshyppefull wyse Tyndale proueth all his purpose But now wyll we go farther Tyndale But in the tyme of Moyses when the congregacion was increaced that they must haue many preachers and also rulers temporall then all was receyued in scrypture More Here is hys hole grounde wheruppon he wyll anone coÌ„clude that syth all was then receyued in scrypture amonge the iewes so must it folowe that all was receyued by scrypture amonge crysten men whyche foloweth not as I wyll after shewe you though he sayed trew in that he sayth that in the tyme of Moyses all was receyued in scrypture But syth that theruppon is all hys hole mater grouÌ„ded let hym proue you that poynte fyrste For ye consyder well that it is not inough to hym that they then receyued scrypture but he must proue that then they receyued all in scryâ—ture and that euery thyngâ— that they sholde do or byleue was then delyuered them in scrypture And therfore syth that thys is the poynt and the thynge that he sayth and proueth not let hym proue you thys well fyrste and then go forther in goddys name what profe he bryngeth ye shâ—ll se how trewe it is ye shall sone iudge Thus he sayth Tyndale All was then receyued in scrypture in so mych that Cryste and his apostles myghte not haue ben byleued without scrypture for all theyr myracles More Lo thys is all the hole profe that euer he bryngeth forth for thys poynte wheruppon hys hole purpose hangeth And in dede it were somwhat if it were as trew as it is false For he neyther hath any scripture to proue it all reason is quyte agaynste it Fyrste as for scrypture though Cryste shewed to the iewes as the trouth was that the scrypture made mencyon of hym yet he neuer sayed vnto theÌ„ as Tindale sayeth that he myght not be byleued els nor no scrypture so sayth He sayeth no more of scrypture then of saynte IohnÌ„ the baptyste For he sayeth that the scrypture â—ereth wytnesse of hym and so sayth he of â—aynt IohnÌ„ to But bycause Tyndale compareth the scrypture with myracles and setteth so lytell by goddes worde vnwryten Cryste sayed sumwhat more by myracles and by hys owne worde at that tyme vnwryten then he sayd eyther by saynte IohnÌ„ or by the scripture eyther Iohan. 15. For he sayed of those twayneâ— that yf eyther of bothe had lakked they â—â—d not ben in the synne of infydelite And he sayth not so mych of saynt IohnÌ„ nor of the scrypture neyther Now reason is clere agaynste Tyndale in that he sayth that Cryste and his apostles could not be byleued for all the miracles For though god hadde neuer geuen warnyng by Moyses that there sholde come a nother prophete yet excepte god had expressely sayd that he wolde neuer sende mo whyche he sayed not what sholde let Cryste to be byleued commynge wyth miracles and though he wolde teache in the bylyefe not contrary artycles to those that were byfore taught but other reuelacyons farther that were not taught byfore and in workes make what chaunge that god lyste to commaunde Goddes worde when yt was brought vnto the people by Moyses was yt byleued for goddes sake or for Moyses If for goddes sake then though Cryste had not bene god as he was yet syth god sent hym wyth miracles as he sent Moyses what sholde lette hym to be byleued as well as Moyses though he hadde neuer be spoken of byfore Now yf for Moyses sake Cryste was as good as Moyses was all hadde he not ben god and incomparably better syth he was god why coulde he not then haue ben by leued wythoute the wytnesse of Moyses commynge wyth miracles mo then euer Moyses dyd or all the prophetes bysyde and namely doyenge so many in his owne name And bycause that in the credence geueÌ„ vnto Crysteâ— Tyndale geueth so great preemynens to the scrypture aboue the myracles of Cryste that is to saye to the worde of god wryten aboue wonderfull workes of god done lette Tyndale vnderstande that the cause why the wytnesse of scrypture holpe vnto the credeÌ„ce of Cryste was by reason of miracle that is to wyt bycause yt prophecyed of hym whyche thyng that shall come so longe after is a great miracle And yet farther they that wolde not byleue in Cryste for hys miracles wolde not byleue in hym for the scrypture neyther And yet for the fynall confutacyon of Tyndales foly in sayeng that Cryste for all his miracles coulde not haue ben byleued but for the scrypture euery fole knoweth that all the worlde saue the Iewes in theyr turnynge to Crystes bylyefe were not led by the scrypture but by the miracles and byleued not Cryste for the scrypture but byleued the scrypture for Cryste Cryste for the myracles And the Iewes whyche people moste byleued the scrypture of them I saye fewest byleued in Cryste Tyndale Wherfore for as myche Crystes congregacyon is spredde abrode into all the worlde mych broder then Moyses and in as mych as we haue not the olde testament onely but also the new wherin all thynges are opened so rychely and all fullfylled that byfore was promysed and in so mych that there is no promyse byhynde of ought to be shewed more saue the resurreccyon ye and seynge that Criste and all the apostles with all the angellis of heuen yf they were here coulde preache no more then is preached of necessyte to our soules how then sholde we receyue a new artycle of our fayth wythout scrypture as profytable vnto my soule as smoke for sore yies More Here Tyndale maketh hys conclusyon that syth Moyses bycause the people was encreaced so fully receyued all thynges necessarye to be byleued in scrypture that Cryste hym selfe myghte not haue be byleued wythoute scrypture whyche thynge is very false therfore yt foloweth that Cristes congregacyon
hath all thynges necessary to be byleued wryten in scrypture whyche thynge is as false and reason yt is that yt be false when he concludeth yt vppon false But Tyndale perceyuyng well hym selfe how fals his fundacyon is how feble hys byeldynge is that he setteth theruppon hath therfore to make yt stande the surer vndershoren vnderpropped it wyth certayne other stronge postes made of roten redys One is that all thynges be now bysyde the olde testameÌ„t opened rychely in the new testameÌ„t that byfore were promysed Thys vnderpropper is not very proper for to bere vppe his byldynge for yt is the selfe same thynge that is in questyon For we saye that yf he take the new testament for the boke of that scrypture wryten he muste not onely saye but also proue that euery thynge is opened therein that of necessyte for our soule helth is to be byleued or done this is the thynge selfe that is in debate And therfore whyle he doth but tell vs and proue it not and so vnderproppeth his assercyon wyth yt selfe he sheweth hym self as wyse as one that leste his roten house sholde fall wold go about to take downe the roefe and pull vppe the grouÌ„dsell to vndershore the sydes wyth the same Then setteth he to yt a nother shorer that all thynge is in the new testament fulfylled that was promysed byfore also that there is no promise byhynde of ought to be sheâ—ed more saue the resurreccyon Nowe this shorer ys so surely sette that yt is shortely blowen downe quyte yf a man say no more but what than For bysydes that as there laye mo promyses in the olde testament then euery man well vnderstode so maye there yet peraduenture lye mo promyses vnperceyued yet eyther by Tyndale or me both in the old and in the new But I saye bysydes this and bysyde this also that Tyndale sayth here vntrew for bysyde the resurreccion there are yet vnfulfylled as well dyuerse promyses of tokeÌ„s thynges that shall come byfore the resurreccyon all those thynges perde that are promised to come after as the iudgement yt selfe and blesse or payne euerlastynge to the iudged bodyes but yet I saye bysyde all this what yf all the promyses be fulfylled sauynge the resurreccyon dothe that proue that there coulde be nothynge of necessyte byleued wythoute scrypture Is there nothynge to be byleued but promyses If god tell me a thynge or byd me do a thynge am I not bounde to byleue the tone nor to do the tother bycause they be no promyses If Tyndale speke wysely in thys I muste nedes confesse my foly for in good fayth I can se no wyt therein But fynally he setteth to a myghty stronge poste able to bere downe all when he sayth that Cryste and all hys apostles and all the angellys of heuen coulde preache no more then is preached of necessyte to our soules And therforeâ— and for all the wyse and well framed reasons whyche I haue reproued and proued vnresonable byfore he sayth that to receyue a new artycle of fayth wythout scrypture were as profytable for our soules as smoke for sore yies This is a substauncy all shorer lo and very surely set I assure you For fyrste I myght agre all that he sayeth and his purpose neuer the more proued For where he sayeth yâ— all is all redy preached that is necessary or can be necessarie to the soule yf I wold answere and say that is very trew all suche thynges is all redy preached but all suche preachyng is not wryten where were now Tyndales coÌ„clusyon But I wyll not be so madde to grauÌ„te hym that all is eyther writen or preached eyther that can be of necessyte to mannes soule For who wolde be so madde to thynke that god knoweth not many thynges that we know not and that he can yf yt please hym reuele and shew vs any of those and commaunde vs to byleue them when so euer he lyste And when he so wold do theÌ„ were they of necessyte to our soules saluacyon to be byleued And he maye when yt please hym commaunde vs to do some other thynges that he hath not commaunded yet and then sholde we be bouÌ„de to do them And he maye commaunde to leue vndone some thynges that he hath byfore commaunded to be done and then shâ—ldâ— we be bounden to leue them vndone And this is so playne and euydent to euery man that hath any sparke of reason in his hedde that I wonder where Tyndale hadde lefte his wyt when he wrote thys And this was also a wyse temperaunce of the mater that he sayeth for these wyse causes that yt were as holsome for our soules as smoke for sore yies yf we receyued any newe artycles of fayth wythout scripture If the yien of his soule were not sore blered or starke blynde wyth the smoâ—e oâ— the smoky fyre of hell he wolde sone haue sene wyth hys two yien hys two folyes in these few wordes For he sayth if we receyued a new artycle wythout scrypture wherby he confesseth that yf god wyll geue vs a new artycle in scrypture as he gaue Moyses yt were not vnholesome And what caÌ„ he then saye but yf god gyue yt wythout scrypture he must be byleued but yf Tyndale dare saye that the treâ—th of god do depende vpon his wrytynge and yâ— his worde be nought worth tyll yt be wryten A nother folâ— is thys that he sayth yf we receyue a new article and then all the samplesâ— that he putteth be olde and we shall putte hym some other as old Tyndale What holpe yt me to byleue that our ladyes bodye is in heuen More If thys be a new byleued artycle lette Tyndale tell wheÌ„ thys bylyef beganne he shall fynde that yt hath ben thus byleued euen froÌ„ the tyme of her deceace And now the thyng that almoste .xv. C. yere hath ben byleued he calleth a neâ— artycle But now how lyke is thys bylyef of this newe artycle of .xv. hundâ—ed yere olde vnto hys ensample of smoke sore yies For fyrste yf yt holpe hym not yet at the leste yt huâ—ted hym not as smâ—ke doth sore yies But syth it is trew and taught vnto the chyrche by the spyrytâ—â—f god whyche ledeth the chyrche intâ— euery troâ—th and â—hâ—â—hyrche growâ— into the consent and argument theâ—of by the same spiryte ofâ— concorde and agrement whych maketh all the house of onâ— myâ—de and though the bylefe therof were very new yet yt helpeth hym and doth hym good to byleue yt as yt helpeth hym and doth hym good yf he byleue other trouthes whych god hath reueled and shewed by wrytynge byfore excepte Tyndale trust not god vppon his word but yf he geue hym his wrytynge there vppon and his letters patentes vnder his great seale For ellys why sholde yt not helpe hym as mych to byleue that our ladyes body and soule is in heuen syth god hath taught his chyrche so to byleue as yt helpeth hym to byleue
Tyndale feleth neyther fayth lernynge reason wyt nor grace I alledged in my dialoge the wordes of saynte Pâ—ule to the Corynthies where he wryteth vnto them of the holy howsell As our lorde hath delyuered yt to me so haue I delyuered yt to you To this doth Tyndale answere thus Tyndale And wheÌ„ he alledgeth Paule to the Corinthies I say that Paule neuer knewe of this worde masse neither can any man gather therof any straunge holy gestures but the playne contrary and that there was no nother vse there then to breke the brede among them at soper as Crist dyd A and therfore he calleth it Cristes super and not masse More Here goth Tyndale aboute to iugle but his gallys be to greate I layed those wordes for none other cause but to proue that the apostle byfore his wrytynge taught them that great mystery by mouth and shewed them the manner hym selfe byfore his pystle writeÌ„ which he wold not haue wryten vnto them at all yf he myght then coÌ„ueniently haue ben present wyth them And now where I sayed that yt was well lykely that of saynt Poule by his present tradycyon was receyued holy gestures as the chyrche vseth in the consecracyon he answereth me that there is no suche thynge there spoken in the pystle whyche I sayed not there was but I saye that he fyndeth no worde in the pystâ—e that proueth that saynt Poule therin wrote euery thyng that he presently spake or dyd But yt appereth well that saynt Poule speketh of that thynge in that chapyter not to put in wrytynge all thynge that he hadde byfore tolde them by mouth but onely to put them in remembraunce that the thyng whyche they there receyued in the forme of brede though yt were called brede was yet in dede the very blessed bodye of Cryste And for the more clere profe therof he put them in remembrauÌ„ce that as he hadde byfore shewed them our sauyour hym self told hym so And this he remeÌ„bred them of by wrytyng to make them vse them self there after the more reuereÌ„tly For lakke wherof he wryteth to them that sykenesse and deth by the vengeaunce of god fell amonge them bycause they dyd not vse suche reuerence honour as they sholde do to the precyouse body and blessed blood of Cryste And in that chapiter saynt Poule speketh but of certayne vnreuerent poyntes in specyall and concludeth sayeng caetera autem quum venero disponam the remanaunt or all the other thynges I wyll my self order at my commyng Here may we se what so euer Tyndale saye that saynte Poule bysyde thys that he wrote of the sacrament gaue the people other tradycyons thereof by mouth as I sayde in my dialoge pâ—cteynynge to the reuerence and honour therof and Tyndale sayeth here the contrarye But now let the boke be iudge and by that chapiter iudge also the false fayth of Tyndale that sayth yt is synne to do any honour to yt And where Tyndale sayth that saynt Poule neuer know thys worde masse I byleue that well inough for I neuer herd that he spake any word of englyshe But that he knew not the thynge that englyshe men call the masse Tyndale hath not proued yet nor wyll not do this weke For he must proue yt better then by that saynte Poule spake of goddes supper For we call the howselynge of the people goddes borde and Crystes table and yet we know the masse to for all that besyde And the apostles them selfe I dowte not sayd masse many a tyme oft before any gospell wryteÌ„ And holy saynte Chrysostheme sayeth that the apostles in the masse prayed for all crysten soules where as I sayd that of the apostles tradicyon was lerned the maner of coÌ„secracyon yâ— answereth Tyndale in this wise Tyndale A great dowte as though we coulde not gather of the scrypture how to do yt More Surely men settynge no more therby then Tyndale and his felowes do may gather out of the gospell or the pystle eyther or out of what they wyll the maner of the consecracyon saynge of the masse that shall serue them self â— whyle they say yt they care not how byleue they care not what whyle they byleue yt to be none oblacyon hoste nor sacryfyce nor the body nor blood of Criste to be in the sacrameÌ„t nor that the masse doth any man good at all saue onely to the preste him selfe For what care they how they say masse whyche the more synfull they be and the more encombred coÌ„scyence that they haue the more encombred the more boldely as Luther byddeth in Babilonicaâ— presume they to goddes borde But vndouted who so haue a reuerent care therof and ryght fayth of the sacrament well perceyâ—eth that how to saye masse hathe ben taught the apostles by the spiryte of god and by the apostles forth And yf Luther frere Huskyn zwinglius Tyâ—dale and Lambert hadde neuer knowen it afore but shold haue taken the scripture in theyr handes and eche of them deuyse a maner of sayng masse by hym selfe I dare well saye for all Tyndales boste eche of them sholde haue deuysed a sondry fashyon and yet neuer one of the ryght For profe wherof Luther hym self castyng awaye the holy canon of the masse frameth after his fonde fashyon a maner of consecracyon and saynge of the masse in hys boke of Babilonica whyche folyshe inuencyon of hys Rosseus impugneth and playnely proueth that sauyng for the tradycyon of the chyrche Luther coulde neuer tell how or in what wyse to consecrate or saye masse and that the way that Luther deuyseth is vnsuffycyeÌ„t and vncertayne by Luthers awne rule And I doute not but that Tyndale hathe redde both Rosseus and Luther in those places and therfore I meruayle so myche the more that he dare be so bolde to saye yt when beynge hym selfe but Luthers scoler he seeth his mayster made a fole therin all redy where as I in my dialoge alledge that the preste in the consecracyon putteth water in to the wyne where as the scrypture speketh but of wyne therto answereth Tyndale thus Tyndale A great dowte also and a perilouse case yf yt were lefte out For eyther yt was done to slake the hete of the wyne or put to after a ceremonye to signifye that as the water is chaunged into wyne so are we chaunged thorow fayth as yt were into Cryste and are one wyth hym How be yt all is to theyr owne shame that ought sholde be done or vsed amonge vs crysten wherof no man wiste the meanynge For yf I vnderstode not the meanynge yt helpeth me not one corne .1 Corinth 14. and as experience teacheth But yf our sheperdes had bene as wyllynge to â—ede as to shere we hadde neded no such dispycyeÌ„ce ner they to haue burnt so many as they haue More where Tyndale sayth in skorne as he gladly scorneth alway when he speketh of the sacrament that yt were a great doute and a perylouse case to leue
the water oute I am very sure that yf there hadde be not dowte nor parell to leue yt out there was neuer good crysten man that any reuereÌ„ce hadde to Cryste but he wold haue put great dowte haue thought yt great parell to put any water in For what beste wolde be so bolde when he fyndeth not that Cryste in the coÌ„secracyon and chaunge of the wyne into hys owne blood vsed any other thynge then wyneâ— and spake also hym selfe of the onely lycoure of the grape who durste I say haue put therto any thynge ellys and to haue consecrated his blood of wyne and water But one thynge is there that maketh Tindale in this poynt so bolde that is to wyt his owne spyrytuall rule that he so myche bosteth of in serchyng out the cause and then rulynge all thynge by some cause of his owne makynge As here he gesseth here two causes why the water is putte in And though he wote nere whyther of the twayn is the trewth yet he maketh hym selfe sure that yt must nedys be the tone And then rekeneth he the causes both twayne so substancyall that yt maketh in his mynde no mater why ther the thyng be done or vndone Luther was hym selfe also so meshed in thys mater when the kynges hyghnesse layed agaynste hym the puttynge of the water into the wyne that in hys frantyke answere he fared as Tyndale doth here and not wyttynge what to saye therto began to gesse at the cause wherfore it was put in wherin he sought so farre that at last he founde that whyther it were in or out it made no mater bycause he sayd it was a thynge impertynent to the mater so that by hym a man myght put into the wyne what he wolde besyde yet then founde he forther that it is euyll done to put it in For he sayed it had an euyll sygnyfycacyon and sygnyfyed that the syncerite of scrypture was watered with mennes tradycyoÌ„s Lo so was he be wrapped therin that he coude not in thys worlde wyt what to say therto but farynge lyke a frantyque fole and answerynge thys and that he wyste nere what nor at what poynt to holde hym fynally fell to blasphemy And now his good scolar Tyndale wyll be nothynge a knowen of hys maysters foly but diuyneth and deuyseth two new causes of hys owne brayne and affyrmeth that some one of those twayne muste nedys be the very cause as though god hym selfe coude fynde no ferther cause then Tyndale hath serched out and then he theruppon concludeth that they water may be as well lefte out as put in But what so euer Tyndale saye there was neuer good man yet thys .xv. C. yere that durste leue it out nor other wyse vse it theÌ„ god hath taught his apostles with his owne worde vnwryten otherwyse then in crysten hartes Holy sayntes also haue thought vppon other causes For some haue thought that god ordayned the water to be mengled wyth the wyne as the water welled out wyth the blood out of hys blessed harte vppon the crosse And holy saynt Cypriane that connynge doctour and blessed martyr theruppon sayth that our sauyour hym selfe at the tyme of the instytucyon of that blessed sacrament dyd put water in to wyne though there was no mencyon made therof in the wrytyng no more then there was of dyuers other thynges that our sauyour dyd as saynt IohnÌ„ sayth that he wolde haue to be done in hys chyrche euer after Of whyche thynges thys infusyon of water is one taught vndoughtedly by god to hys apostles and by them forth and so thys .xv. hundred yeres contynued in Crystes chyrche wythout any mencyon therof made in scrypture yet men of necessyte bouÌ„deÌ„ to obserue it nor no man euer thought or durst thynke the contraryâ— tyll now Luther and Tyndale and suche other of theyr sorteâ— whyche set so lytell by that blessed sacrament that they wolde haue all honour and reuereÌ„ce taken from it and rekened for a bare sygne set but onely to sygnyfye wythout any geuynge of grace and therfore they wolde haue yt homely handeled how so euer men lyste Deuyse ones some sygnyfycacyon then wold those heretykes by theyr wyllys that in stede of wyne and water men wolde consecrate new ale in cornes Now where he sayth that it is the shame of the clergy if aught be vsed amonge crysten men wherof no man wyste the meanynge why more then for Moyses to delyuer and leue to the people many ceremonyes commaunded by god wherof the people what so euer Tyndale saye neuer vnderstode the meanynge wold the wyse man that yf god bydde a man do a thynge he shall saye hym nay but yf he tell hym why Then fynysheth he this mater wyth a proper taunt that yf our shepeherdes were as willynge to fede as to shere we hadde neded no suche dyspycyons nor they to haue burned so many as they haue Lo the great faute that Tyndale fyndeth in that the prelates do not as he doth deuyse causes at auenture and warraunt them for trewe nor leue out the water boldely vppon hys goostly consayle now agaynste the fayth of all faythfull folke this .xv. hondred yere byfore And where he layeth that the slaknesse of fedyng hath caused so many to be burned I wyll not saye naye but that yt myght haue beÌ„ better with some if there had ben vsed more dilygence in preachyng But as fâ—r many such as haue ben burned all the pchynge in the world wold not haue holpen theyr obstynacy But sure yf the prelates had taken as good hede in tyme as they sholde haue done there sholde peraduenture at length fewer haue ben burned therby But there shold haue ben mo burned by a great many then there haue ben wythin this seuen yere laste passed The lakke whereof I fere me will make mo burned within this seuen yere next commynge then ellys sholde haue neded to haue ben burned in seuen score where I alledged the chaunge of the sabbaoth daye into the sonday wythout scrypture thereto he answereth thus Tyndale As for the sabbaoth a great mater We be lordes ouer the sabbaoth day and may yet chaunge yt into the monday or any other day as we se nede or may make euery tenth day holyday onely yf we se a cause why we may make two euery weke yf yt were expedient and one not inough to teacke the people Neyther was there any cause to chaunge yt from the satterdaye then to put dyfference betwene vs and the Iewes and leste we shuld be come seruauÌ„tes vnto the daye after theyr superstycyon Neyther neded we any holy day at all yf the people myght be taught wythout yt More Tyndale maketh the chaunge of the sabbat daye a very sleyght mater And bycause that our sauyour sayde of hym selfe that the sonne of man that is to wytte he hym selfe was lorde of the sabbat daye therefore as though euery man were god almyghty his felow Tyndale sayth that we be lordes
How be yt let Barns constre yt whych way he lyste that may haue any hold of the wordes and it shall neuer serue for his purpose neyther concernyng any forbedynge of lawes to be made by the chirche nor to proue that euery thynge necessary to saluacyon is writen in scrypture but rather playne the contrarye For euery man well woteth that euery necessarye thynge is not wryten by saynt Poule nor he hath not wryten euery thynge that he taught nor euery thynge is not now had that he dyd write And therfore this text of saynt Poule brought in by Barns nothynge helpeth his purpose but rather greatly hyndreth yt whych thynge Tyndale well perceyued and therfore he lefte yt oute Tyndale saw well also that any thynge that his mayster Marten Luther layde and lashed oute agaynste the kynges hyghnes concernynge this purpose or spekynge agaynste the tradycyons of men serue to no purpose in this mater agaynste the sacramentes or any poynte of the catholyque fayth whyche we saye be the tradycyons of god wherof as Tyndale well knoweth nothynge that Luther layed any thynge proue the contrary nor any thynge touche the purpose to proue that all the necessarye poyntes of the crysten fayth were by Crystes apostles putte in wrytyng And therfore Tyndale seynge his mayster Martine Luther in that poynt by Rosseus so shamfully sowsed in the myre byfore thought he wolde beware of that pudle and come no more nere yt and therfore lefte out all that his mayster had brought in for the mater Then was ther yet one texte remayned wherof many of them were wonte to bere theym hygh And that was the saynge of saynt Poule which text Tindale hath also brought forth ere thys to proue that we muste byleue nothynge but onely scrypture And that is where he wryteth to the Galathyes in the furst chapyter that yf an angell of heuen wold come downe and preache any other gospell then hym selfe had done accursed were he Thys texte hath nowe frere Barns brought in a freshe for the same purpose in hys new frantyke boke and magnyfyeth mych hym selfe there wyth when Tyndale hath left it of for shame For Tyndale at last after longe lokyng on it espyed well that yt wold nothyng serue for hys mater For he saw well that saynt Poule ment none other but that an angell were not to be byleued yf he taught a contrarye gospell and ment not that none angell were to be byleued yf god sent hym both to conferme that and also shew somwhat that god wolde haue done farther Tyndale saw also that that texte sayeth not that saynte Poule hath wryten all hys owne gospell nor that all hys felowes hadde wryten yt amonge them all whyche he wyste well was the poynte that muste be proued And therfore as frere Barns folyshely bryngeth yt in so doth Tyndale wysely leue yt out And surely as I haue sayde hys wytte serued hym well in leuynge out all thâ—se But hys wyt fayled hym in one thynge that he hadde not lefte oute also all that euer he hath hym selfe brought in All whyche as your selfe se well I haue nowe proued hym as lytle to preue hys purpose as hym selfe seeth well that all the tother dyd whyche for that cause he was ashamed to speke of Now haue ye herd as farre as I can fynde all that euer Tyndale eyther hath sayde or can say in this mater eyther hym selfe or any man ellys for the profe of hys owne parte or for the dysprofe of ours And therby se ye well that he neyther hath proued nor neuer shall he proue whyle he lyueth neyther hym selfe nor no man ellys the thyng that he so boldely sayth that all thynge necessary for saluacyon is wryteÌ„ in scrypture nor able is he not nor no man ellys nor neuer shall hereafter be able to auoyde yt but that god taughte ys not yet so bounden but that he may teche what he wyll and when he wyll wyth scrypture or wythout and may coÌ„maunde yt to be byleued not beyng contrary to that he hath taught all redy and maye commaunde some thynges to be done though they were contrarye to some thynges that he hadde hym selfe by scrypture commaunded afore And I thynke yt not to be dowted but notwythstaÌ„dynge that Moyses receyued the laws ad ceremonies in writyng yet receyued he not as Tyndale sayth he dyd all thyng so fully in wrytynge but that there remayned in the peoples myndes bysyde the wrytyng dyuerse thynges necessary and of great wayght that they hadde receyued byforeâ— kepte peraduenture from Adams owne dayes concernynge the commynge of Cryste and the redempcyon by hym and the state of soules both in heuen hell purgatory paradyse lymbus patrum And yt wyll who so lyste to loke therfore well be perceyued in them that wrote after Moyses dayes that the iewes had myche open lyght and knowlege in some such thynges bysyde all that that appereth writeÌ„ in the .v. bokis of Moyses whereby yt wyll well appere that Tyndale sayeth not trew where he sayth that Moyses dyd put all in wrytynge ye shall well fynde also that not wythstaÌ„dyng all that euer hath ben wryten synnys eyther by the prophetes euangelystes or any other apostle yet wyll yt neuer appere that all is wryten that was taught by mouth but that yâ— chirche of Cryste hath had taught vnto them by the spiryte of god dyuerse treuthes whyche no good man can doute in wherof the scrypture nothynge determyneth and whyche thynges therfore false heretyques brynge in questyon and lette not to say the contrary as in the comen knowen ensamples of our ladyes perpetuall virgynyte of the assumpcyon of her blessed body whyche god wold ellys haue had founden in erth honored as well as the bodyes of any other saynt of whom hym selfe hath caused by specyall reuelacyon dyuerse to be sought out and founden â—o be wurshypped here in erth for hys sake and confermed yt by many manifest miracles as we fynde in autentyque storyes By these tradycyons haue we also the prayeng to saynts and the knowledge that they pray for vs all be yt in the boke of Machabeâ—â— yet that thynge well appereth By these tradicions haue we the holy lenton faste which these brotheles so boldely take vppon them to breke and as lollardes to eate fleshe and whyche holy faste these folys in theyr wrytynge call the folyshe faste By these haue we also the saterdaye chauÌ„ged into the sondaye whyche they care not to turne into frydaye now By these haue we the halowyng of chalyces vestymeÌ„ts pascall taper and holy water wyth dyuerse other thynges By these tradycyons of that holy spiryte hath the chirch also the knowlege how to consecrate how to say masse and what thynge to pray for and to desyre therein By thys haue we also the knowlege to do reuereÌ„ce to the images of holy sayntes and of oure sauyour and to crepe to hys crosse and to do dyuyne honour vnto the blessed sacrament of the
whyche she hadde ben accustomed no daye myssynge to do seruyce from whyche she well knewe that holy sacryfyce to be dyspensed by whyche the oblygacyon that made agaynst vs was cancelled and by whyche was led as a captyue in triumphe that ennemy of ours that kepeth a rekenynge of our synnes and sekynge what he myght obiecte coulde in hym nothynge fynde in whom we haue had the vyctoryâ— who can shed hym agayne an innocent blood for hys who can restore hym agayne the raunson that he redeined vs wyth To the sacrament of whych raunson of ours thyne hand mayde hath bouÌ„de her soule with the bonde of fayth Let no man pull her froÌ„ thy proteccyoÌ„ Let neyther the lyon nor the dragon neyther byforce nor by false sleyght steppe in betwene her and the. She shall not answere that she oweth the naught lest she be therin conuynced and cast and that therby her suttle accuser get her But she shall answere that her dettes be forgyueÌ„ her whom no man is able to paye that he payed for vs when he owed naught for hym selfe In peace mote she be therfore and her husbonde to a fore whom and after whom she neuer maryed non whom she lyke a seruaunt obeyd bryngynge frute to the thorow her pacyent sufferaunce that she myght therby wynne hym to the to Inspyre good lorde my god inspyre thy seruauntes my bretherne thy chyldren my lordes whom both wyth worde and herte and wrytynge I serue that as many as rede thys may remember at thyn aulter thy seruaunt Monica with Patricius somtyme her husbande by whose flesh thou haste brought me into thys lyfe I can not tell howe Make them remember wyth a deuoute assercion them that were in thys transytory lyfe my father and mother vnder the my father and my mother the catholyke chyrche where my syster and brother and in the eternall Hierusalem shall be my neyghbours and cytesens whyche Hierusalem thy people from theyr goynge forth tyll theyr commyng home in all theyr pylgrymag longeth for and sygheth Good lord graunte thys that the thynge whych was the laste that euer she desyred of me she may the more plentuously obteyneâ— by the prayours of many mo The olde holy doctour saynte Chrysostome in his home lye wherin he sheweth that almes dede masses and diriges greatly profyte them that are dede among many other thynges wryteth in thys wyse It was not for naughte ordeyned by thapostles that in the dredfull mysteryes of the masse sholde commemoracyon be made for them that be dede For thapostles knewe that thereby cometh to the soules great auauntage and profyte For when all the people standeth to gether holdynge vppe theyr handes and the preste fulfyllâ—th hys obseruaunce and that dredfull sacrifyce set forth how can yt be but that then praynge for the soules â—e shall obteyne Now se you very playne good cristen readers that of the eldeste and the very beste that euer haue wryten vppon the scrypture of god in Crystes chirche and whyche bene holy sayntes in heuen and suche as sufferd persecucyon for goddes sake do testyfye for our parte that the thynges whych the catholyke chirche vnyuersally â—yleueth and vseth are nothynge to be douted of but to be byleued and vsed whyther they be founden in scrypture or not And ye se that they saye that the apostles taught and delyuered to the chyrche dyuerse thynges by mouth bysyde all that they wrote whyche thyng saynt Poule sayth also hym self and yet bysyde that we se that of his wrytynge there is parte soste ye se also that some suche thynges as Tyndale sayeth that the popes haue oflate fayned them selfe for theyr lucre as the masse and the paynes of purgatory both saynte Austayne and saynte Chrysostome and other holy sayntes saye that the thynges were byleued vsed and taught by the apostles them selfe 〈◊〉 as for the olde holy doctours ye se howe farre they 〈◊〉 Tyndale and therfore of Tyndale or theym byleue whom ye lyke â—este for me and consyder well wyth your selfe wyth whyther of those two were surer to sende your soules yet is there as old as any that I haue rehersed yet saynt Polycarpus the dyscyple of saynte IohnÌ„ whyche wrote a boke of the tradycyons geuen vnto the chyrche by the apostles whyche wolde playnely haue proued Tyndale a fole and a lyar both yf the boke hadde not ben loste And vndoutely god wolde neuer haue sufferd yt to be loste yf he coulde not haue kepte hys tradycyons without wrytynge How be yt what nede we better or elder then as I byfore haue sayde the authoryte of saynte IohnÌ„ hym selfe in hys laste chapyter of the gospell Many thynges were done that are not writen in this boke or of saynt Poule wrytyng hym selfe to the Corynthyes All other thynges I wyll ordeyne when I come my selfe and to the Thessalonycenses kepe you my preceptes or institucyons whych I haue geuen you eyther by worde or by my pystle By whych wordes yt appereth well that he had wryten vnto them byfore that then was holy scrypture and yet hadde â—en yf yt hadde ben kepte and preserued and was not wythout good thynges therin and necessarye wherof parte may be suche thynges as the heretykes now do barke at bycause the pystle is loste But god is not loste that preserueth styll the mater though he lette go the letter Saynte Poule also to Timothe wryteth of such vnwryten tradycyons well and playnely in his secunde pystle in these wordes Thou therfore my son Timothe be comforted in the grace that is Cryste Iesu and those thynges that thou haste herd of me by many wytnesses commyte theym vnto faythfull men such as shal be mete to teche them forth to other men Those wordes of saynt Poule do very playnely shew that some thynges there were whyche saynt Poule taught Timothe and that in presence of certayne good vertues wytnesse and whyche thynges were as saynt Ambrose sayth secrete mysteries whych thynges he there coÌ„maunded Timothe to commytte also to other faythfull men suche as shold be able and mete to teche to th entent that they myght teche the same thynges farther and whiche be some of such thynges as these heretyques now barke at that are comen fro mouth to mouth and from hande to hande from the apostles dayes vnto our owne It is a myche lesse thynge also to byleue our selfe to be bounden to do a thynge of necessyte wythout authoryte of scrypture then to thynke our selfe wythoute scrypture vnbounden and in no necessyte to do the thynge whyche we fynde commaunded in scrypture But we fynde commaunded in scrypture fyrst by the law of nature and after in the law wryten the olde law wyth a cause annexed for vyolatyng of nature and after agayne by the apostles as I haue rehersed in the new law the .xv. of the actes that men sholde abstayne from strangled and from bloode of whyche coÌ„maundement in scrypture we se no dyscharge but the custome of the catholyke chyrch yet hath Tyndale