vpon hys owne wordes clerely conuynced concluded not onely that the very chyrche is the comon knowen chyrche whyche hytherto he hath denyed and styffely stryueth agaynst but also that in the sacramentes vowes fayth and good wurkes and fynally euery thynge wherin the catholyke knowen chyâ—che and hym selfe haue bene at varyaunce he muste lerne the trouth of the same chyrche and therin byleue that chyrche gyue credence therunto whyche yf he do not endeuour hym selfe to do but resyste theyr doctryne god whych hath commaunded hym to byleue and obay the chyrch shall neuer worke wyth hym towarde the bylyefe And thus good chrysten reders for the fynall conclusyoÌ„ of thys chapyter here ye maye playnely se that I myghte well yf I wolde wyth thys same chapyter make an ende of all the hole mater For ye well remeÌ„ber that all our mater in this boke is bytwene Tyndale and me no thynge ellys in effecte but to fynde out whyche chyrche is the very chyrche For syth he seeth hym selfe playnely bounden to gyue credence to that chyrche whych so euer be it he therfore in all hys boke bryngeth it in to darkenes laboreth to make it vnknoweÌ„ bycause he wold not by the knowlege therof haue hys heresyes knowen and reproued And now ye se that as our lady wolde by hys folysshe handelynge of the artycle of her perpetuall vyrgynyte he is quyte ouerthrowen and hath it playnely proued vnto hym vpon hys owne wordes that the very chyrche is none other but thys that he denyeth that is to wytte the comon knowen catholyke people clergy lay folke and all whych what so euer theyr lyuynge be amonge whom vndowtedly there arâ— of bothe sortes many ryght good and vertuouse do stande to gether and agre in the confessyon of one trew catholyke fayth wyth all olde holy doctours and sayntes and good chrysten people bysyde that are all redy passed thys fyftene hundred yere byfore agaynste Arrius Otho Lambert Luther and wyclyffe zuinglius Huten Huâ—se and Tyndale all the rable of such erronious heretykes And therfore as I say sauynge that I wyll go ferther to shew you som what of hys ferther foly ellys myghte I well euyn here bothe ende thys present chapyter and also thys hole worke wherin with a few of hys owne wyse wordes Tyndale hath confounded hym selfe and stroyed all hys hole mater For as towchyng hys accustumable raylynge in y â— ende of hys chapyter wyth whyche he wolde seme to touche the catholyke chyrche it is all so clene agaynste hym selfe and so clerely describeth and depeynteth hym selfe and his own felowes that yf we wolde laboure sore to fynde oute what euyll we myght say by theÌ„ we coulde fynde no better thyng to put vs in remembrauÌ„ce of euery poynt of theyr myscheuouse maters than Tyndals owne wordes that he wryteth here hym selfe Lo thus he sayth Tyndale But they whyche malicyously mayntayne opynyons agaynste the scrypture Here shold he say as for ensample they that mayntayne that frerys maye wedde nonnes or that that can not be proued byscrypture One of these thynges is as ye haue herd y â— perpetuall vyrginite of our lady which hym selfe hath coÌ„fessed in this same chapyter that the trew membres of his electe chyrch must nedes byleue after that they be ones taught it And then yf them selfe be bounden to byleue it they be bounden to stande therby mayntayne it And so speketh Tyndale clere agaynst hym selfe or suche as maketh no mater vnto the scripture He meneth such thynges as were not of necessyte requysyte to be wryteÌ„ in scrypture and therfore he wryteth lyke hym selfe For there is not one article of the fayth y â— of necessyte neded to be wryteÌ„ but that god coulde both haue taught them kepte them without wrytyng As he hath taughte kepte some as for ensample y â— ê‘petuall virginite of our lady which Tyndale hath both denyed confessed denyed agayne woteth neuer where to hold him y â— deuyl so troubleth his braynes and to saluacyon that is in Chryste whyther they be trew or no The chyrche hath none suche as make no mater to saluacyon For euery thyng that god wyll haue byleued pertayneth to saluacyon syth the contrary bylyefe is dysobedyence to god that so taughte it hys chyrch bycause he wolde haue it byleued And y â— the perpetuall virginite of our lady is of such sorte Tyndale hath hym selfe openly playnely agreed yet wold he now secretely stele backe agayn Not wyttyngly peraduenture but y t the deuyl pulleth hym backe by his cote skyrte vnware and for the blynd zele of them make sectes brekyng the vnyte of Chrystes chyrche for whose sake they oughte to suffer all thynges and rese agaynste theyr neyghbours whom they â—ught to loue as them selues to sle them suche men I saye are fallen from Chryst and make an idole of theyr opinions For except they put truste in suche opinions and thought them necessary vnto saluacyon or wyth a cancred conscience went about to disceyue for some fylthy purpose thâ—y wolde neuer breke the vnyte of fayth or ye sle theyr bretherne Now good reder coÌ„syder who make sectes y â— is to saye sondry partes dyuisioÌ„s breketh the vnite of Christes chyrch whyther the catholyke chyrch y t was agreed all of our mynde byleuyng purgatory the equall godhed of Chryste wyth hys father and the holy goste and the blessed body and blode of Chryst in the sacrameÌ„t of the aulter all the other holy sacramentes the perpetuall virginite of our lady prayed vnto her and other holy sayntes dyd reuerence to theyr relykes images kept holy dayes and fastyng dayes and byleued all very faste fermely y t is was abomynable sacrylege for a frere to wedde a nonne In all these thynges and many other good thynges mo were all good chrysteÌ„ peple agreed in one by the spyryte of god without any varyauÌ„ce as appereth playnely bothe by the olde coÌ„tynued bokes of sâ—ruyce vsed in the chyrches thorow chrystendom by the bokes of y â— old holy doctours saintes iÌ„ euery age of tyme sauyng onely when such heretykes as Arrius wycliffe Luther Lambert Huyskyn Husse Tyndale and such other lyke here there some in one tyme some in another and the very wurst in our tyme haue ben by y â— deuyll styred vp to stroye y â— trew fayth vary froÌ„ the catholyke corps of christendom make new fond sectes of theyr owne folysh braynes And where he speketh of kyllyng and sleyng theyr bretherne hym selfe can tell well inough y â— good chrysten prynces other vertuouse people dyd in y e begynnynge gretely forbere such heretykes tyll y â— they were fynally fayne in auoydyng of theyr sedicyous trouble for the repressyng of theyr inemendable malice to folow thensample of saynte Poule and as he betoke some of them to the deuyll to the punysshement of theyr bodyes in helpe of theyr soules
byleuyng the promyse that mankynde shall be saued thorow Chryst may yet erre in not byleuynge y â— Iesus the sonne of Mary was that Chryste And of trouth eyther in that errour or very nere to that errour be all the hole secte of Iewes So that it is as great parell not to byleue god in hys tale wheÌ„ he sayed thys is my welbeloued sonne in whom I myche delyte as not to byleue hym in hys promyse made vnto Habraam that of hys seed sholde such a sauyour come For it is not all one to promyse that of hym sholde one come by whom the worlde sholde be saued and to tell hym thys is the man that in my promyse I spake of For a promise and a tale be not both one thynge For though euery promyse by in dede a tale syth no man can make a promyse but yf he tell it yet is not euery tale a promyse as euery chylde perceyueth And therfore saynte Peter toke a sure waye when he sayed Thou arte Chryst that arte come into thys worlde takyng it for a pryncypall poynt to byleue goddes tale For the tale that thys was he whycâ—â— as our sauyour sayde the father in heuen had hym selfe tolde vnto Peter that tale Peter confessed that Iesus was Chryste whyche was then comen into the worlde But the promyse whyche was the sauynge of the worlde that sholde be wrought in hym that thyng saynt Peter spake not of there as a thyng byleued and loked for afore nor of the mene of the sauyng that it shulde be by hys passyon that thynge saynte Peter as Tyndale sayth at that tyme knewe not of so that y e tale and the promyse were not all one But surely coÌ„cernyng the bylyefe of goddys promyses Tyndale semeth to fare as the Iewes do For lyke as many of them byleue that thorow Chryste the world shall be saued and yet they lese the frute of that bylyefe bycause they wyll not knowe who is Chryste euyn so Tyndale sayth that he byleueth Chrystes promyse made vnto hys chyrche here in erth that hys holy spyryte shal be therwith vnto the worldes ende and teche it and lede it into euery trouth But he leseth yet the frute of that bylyefe yf he byleue it as he sayth he doth bycause that he wyll not knowe whyche is Chrystes â—hyrche here in erth But lyke as the Turkes in stede of the trew sauyour of the world worshyp the false deceyuer Machomet so Tyndale in stede of the trew catholyke chyrche of Chryst of whych chyrch Chryst wolde that euery man sholde lerne the â—routh whyche the holy goste by Chrystes promyse techeth and euer shall tech vnto itâ— and whyche chyrche muste for that cause nedes be a congregacyoâ— knowen Tyndale taketh not onely a secrete scatered company vnknowen but also a rable of fals malycyouse heretykes techyng to the doctryne of goddes spyryt abydyng by Chrystes promyse in his catholyke chyrche euyn clene the contrary And also where as Chryst when he turned the brede into his own precyouse body the wyne into his blessed blode coÌ„mauÌ„ded the same to be done for euer in his chyrch after in remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of his passyoÌ„ dyd in so coÌ„mauÌ„dyng make a faythfull promyse y t hym selfe wolde be for euer with hys chyrch in that holy sacrameÌ„t for a perpetuall memory of hys bytter passyon that he suffered for vs wolde gyue hys owne flesshâ— that suffered passyon hys owne blode that was shedde in hys passyon to abyde perpetually with vs accordynge to hys owne wordes spoken vnto hys chyrche when he sayed I am with you all dayes vnto the ende of the worlde Tyndale wyll not now byleue that promyse at all but as I haue in my fyrst boke by hys owne wordes proued you maketh mockes and mowes at that blessed sacrament and calleth it but cake brede and reasoneth it rather for starche full lyke a starke heretyke god wote and sayth it is neyther body nor bloude at all And thus where he so hyghly magnifyeth the bylyefe of goddes promyses onely settynge all other artycles of the fayth as thynges of a seconde sorte hym selfe byleueth as ye se the promyses as lytell as the tother But now let vs go ferther in hys wordes se for what cause he sayth that none other errour in any thynge saue the promyses can be dampnable be they neuer so greate Lo thus he sayth Tyndale In other thynges that be not the promyses theyr errours be not vnto dampnacyon though they be neuer so greate bycaâ—se they holde them not malycyously As now yf some when they rede in the new testament of Chrystes bretherne wolde thynke that they were our ladyes chyldren after the byrth of Chryst bycause they knowe not the vse of the spekynge of the scrypture or of the Hebrues how that nygh kynnesmen be called bretherne or happely they myghte be Iosephes chyldren by some fyrste wyfe neyther can haue any to teache hym for Tyranny that is so greate yet coude it not hurte hym thowgh he dyed therin bycause it hurteth not the redempcyon that is in Chrystes blood For though she had none but Chryst I am therfore neuer the more saued neyther yet the lesse though she had had And in suche lyke an hundred that plucke not a mans fayth from Chryste they myghte erre and yet be neuer the lesse saued no though the coÌ„trary were wryteÌ„ in the gospell For as in other synnes as soone as they be rebuked they repent euen so here as soone as they were better tawght they sholde immedyately knowledge theyr errour and not resyste More Here haue ye good reders the reason and y e cause wherfore the trew membres of Tyndals chyrch can neuer synne dedely though they erre in any artycle that is no promyse be the article neuer so great The cause is sayth he bycause that lyke wyse as in all other synnes as soone as they be rebuked they repente euyn so as soone as they be better taught they repeÌ„t theyr errour and byleue the trouth and resyste not and for that cause it is no dedely synne in the mene season before they be rebuked and taught better all though they dyed in those errours were the artycles neuer so great and the contrary trouth wryten in the gospell so that they be none of the promyses Thys is the hole somme and effecte of thys hole chapyter though he tryfle with other thynges bytwene And therfore wyll we fyrste aske hym by what scrypture or by what reason he proueth that euery person whych is elected to be saued shall repent as soone as euer he is rebuked of any synne that he doth He wyll shew peraduenture that Dauid dyd so happely some other to That wyll be a very bare argumente Dauid was an electe person and he dyd so ergo euery elected person doth so Thys argument wyll be very lyke the forme of arguynge that yonge chyldren vse in grammer scholes Asinus meus habet
vs se howe hys diffinicyon wyll stande with his seconde heresye you se well and perceyue that in his seconde diffinicion he restrayneth his electe churche vnto onely repentaunte synners that beleue as hym selfe sheweth you And than hathe he confessed vnto you that his chosyn electes plainly do somtyme abominable dedes whiche dedes yet they repent nat alwaye tyll the rage be paste and tyll as Tyndale saieth y t they haâ—e played out their lustes ye and somtyme to tyll the â—olde feare of dethe turne them to gyue an eare to good counsell Nowe se you than very well that they be by Tyndals seconde diffinicyon all this whyle expressely put out of â—he churche tyll they repente agayne And than consyder ferther howe farre agaynste all reason ye remembre very well I wote well that he techeth vs playnly that none of hys electes dothe at any tyme synne dedely thoughe theyr dedes be neuer so horryble and abomynable bycause of theyr felynge faythe whiche can neyther at any tyme fayle nor suffre any of theyr horryble dedes to be dedely synne And therfore are they consequently neuer out of the fauoure of god nat euen in the tyme wherein they do theyr horryble and abom ynable dedes and before the repentynge of them whiche may be ye wote well many tymes longe betwene In all whiche tyme they be by Tyndall out of all dedely synne and therfore good folke and faythefull and goddes good chyldren styll And therfore syth they be so wherefore dothe Tyndale that is in some places so angery with y t catholyke churche for the puttynge out of euyll folke by excommunicacyon excoÌ„municate good folke now put out of his elect church hym self faythfull and finally suche as thoughe they be fallen a slepe in lechery thefte sacrilege inceste murdre stande yet hyghly styll in goddes especiall grace fauour Nowe the fautes that are commune to bothe hys diffinicyons and yet more open in the seconde than in the first I shall nat nede to reherse you For bothe haue I touched some of them before and also many of theym be to euery good christen man so open at his eye that he can nede none other way to gyue hym warnynge of them For where all hys electes depende vpon his felynge faythe and hys repentaunce whyle hym selfe sheweth what false artycles he techeth his electes for theyr faythe euery good faythefull man very well feleth that the more that Tyndals electes fele his false faythe the lesse faythe haue they and the more faythlesse be they And whan he techeth them to repent the ryght belefe of Christes sacramentes and therein the right rule and ordre of repentaunce euery true repentaunte persone well perceyueth that Tyndals repentaunte electes abhorrynge from shryfte and reiectynge the sacrament of penaunceâ—but if they mende and repente better wyll in stede of purgatory whiche they nowe mocke and ieste at wepe and repente in â—ell this folysshe frutelesse fassyon of theyr impenitent repentaunce But nowe suppose that all were very well that Tyndale here hath sayd yet howe hath he with all that proued hys purpose He hathe tolde vs that the whole multytude of his fassyoned electes is the church But what one worde hathe he tolde vs towarde the profe neyther reason nor one authoryte of any olde holy saynt nor any one texte of scrypture but onely one or twayne suche as nothynge maketh for his matter but vtterly clere agaynste hym And therfore thoughe we graunte vnto hym that the whole multitude nat of his false framed electes but of the very fynall electes be a churche of Christ as he dothe and muste graunte vnto vs y t the whole multytude of christen people nat gone out nor put out is a churche of Chryste of whiche the churche of very electes be though the better parte yet a parte and but a parte and peraduenture the lesse parte and Tyndals electes eyther no parte or but a parte and the very worste parte yet that the onely electes thoughe they be a churche be the churche whiche is the thynge that he shulde proue that hathe he neyther proued nor any thinge brought effectuall towarde the profe no more than if he neuer had ment it nor thought it And therfore nowe hathe he nothynge proued whyche is the churche thoughe we wolde yet of our courtesye ferther graunte hym that all hys whole heresyes were the very faythe and that the very electes were onely those in whose hartes the deuill hath wrytten his lawe or els whiâ—he were yette farre worse that the very electes were onely those in whose holy hartes god hadde hym selfe so wrytten his wyll with hys holy spiryte that they shulde thereby fele that spirituall folke shulde please god with waxynge flesshelye and freres with weddynge nonnes and that if they wolde be saued they â—â—ulde haue therein no respecte vnto good workes but thinke that onely fayth in the promyse and bare repentaunce withoute shryfte or penaunce shall sufficiently saue theym so that they beleue sure that all the seuen sacramentes serue of nothynge but be but bare signes and tokens and vtterly as gracelesse as them selfe are wytlesse and specially so that they beleue that the blessyd body nor blode of Christ be nat in the sacrament of the auter nor that they do none other honour in no wyse therto but onely beleue remembre that there is nothynge but a meâ—â—â—yall of his passyon in a cuppe of wyne and a gobbet of cake brede and yet in doubte and questyon whether it be brede or sterche And than that with this godly belefe they se surely to theym selfe y t they serue no sayntes but rayle vpon theyr reliques and dispyce theyr ymages and there with the crucifyxe to and the holy crosse it selfe also and than leste they myght happe to lese an hole day in goddes seriuce kepe them selfe well warely frome all holy dayes and specially for so these heretykes in theyr bokes call it from the folisshe faste of lent And thus lyuinge and therewith beleuynge these aforesayde heresyes so fermely that they thynke verely they fele theyr false faythe with theyr very fyngers endes be bolde than hardely and beleue verely that theyr felynge faythe shall neuer fayle them but at all tymes so preserue them that they can nat onely neuer be dampned but ouer that can neuer do dedely synne thoughe they do neuer so many deuelysshe dedes but for all theyr falshede thefte auoutry vowe brekynge treason murdre inceste periurye shall for theyr onely felynge faythe be good and faythfull false faythlesse wreches and therfore god almyghtye hys owne mynyons styll And thus good christen reders syth ye nowe playnly perceyue that Tyndale hathe here for his owne parte no thynge proued vs that hys false framed electes nor yet that onely the very trewe electes be the churche of Chryst in erthe nor hathe nothynge shewed vs whiche is therfore onely with all his longe processe vttred and taughte his errours and his heresyes and lefte
at onys lo then I se the worlde wont to do many drammes of suche tryacle myxed with one scruple of drede were able inough for awght that I can se so to preserue the soule fro presumpcyon that one sponefull of good workes sholde no more kylle the soule then a potager of good wurtes sholde kylle and stroye the body The scrypture byddeth vs watche and faste and pray and gyue almoyse and forgyue our neyghbour we pore men that lacke the hyghe spyrytuall syghte that Tyndale hath and hys holy electys take these thynges for good workes And god sayth in hys holy wrytte that he wyll forgeue our synnes the rather for them and wyll rewarde vs for them thorow the scrypture thys cryeth god in our earys and faythfully promyseth almost in euery lefe And now ye se Tyndale that precheth so faste of the fayth and truste of goddes promyses wolde haue vs in these pâ—omyses trust god nothyng at all But herein is great peryll specyally to hope and truste to gete any good at goddes hand for y workes of penaâ—â—â—e enioyned For the sacrament of penaunce is to Tyndale a great abomynacion and therin in dede he sayth somwhat For well ye wote euyn of naturall reason a wyse man wyll sone se that syth the punysshement that a man wylfully taketh for the synne that he hath done commeth of an angre and dyspleasure that he bereth towarde hym selfe for the dyspleasure that hys synne hath done to god and that hâ—s wyllyng submyttyng of hym selfe to the correccyon of hys goostly father commeth of great humylyte gyuen by goâ—â— and taught by all good men god muste nedes thereâ—oâ—e perde bothe be angry and abhorre all them that for the frutes of these good affections can hope for any fauour grace or pardone at hys mercyfull hande If Tyndale lyste to loke in sainte Austayn in his boke of penaunce he shall there fynde that holy doctour 〈◊〉 byd euery man put hym self whole in hys conâ—â—ssours hadâ— and humbly receyue and fulfyll such penaunce as he shall enioyne hym But than doth Tyndale specyally touch that y e church techeth to put trust in vowys and in chastyte for that is a thyng in the earys of Luthers electes of all thynges moâ—â—â— abomynable But the churche techeth none other truâ—â—â— therin than the scrypture doth hyâ— selfe and oure blâ—â—sâ—d sauyour hym selfe They teche sayth Tyndale to truste in other mennes prayours and holy lyuyng in freres and in freres cotys Is nat here an abomynable synne that any man shulde haue so lytle pryde in hym selfe that he shuld thynke other men moche better than hym selfe and therfore desyrâ— thâ—m to pray for hym to besyde hym selfe In howe many places doth the scrypture exhort eche of vs to pray for other And whan the scrypture sayth that the dylygent prayoure of a iuste man is moche worth shuld we than truste nothynge therin but thynke that it were ryght nought worth at all or bycause the scrypture so commendeth the prayour of a good man shuld we lyke hys prayour the lesse for his holy lyuynge byd hym pray nat for vs but yf he lyue nought or if he be a frere and go in a freres cote bydde hym praye nat for vs tyll he put of hys frerys cote and put on a frese cote and ruâ—ne out of hys ordre an catche hym a quene call her hys wyfe Than goeth he from good lyuers in erth vnto sayntes in heuyn fyndeth yet more faute in that men are taught to go in any pylgrymage or do any worshyp to them or to thynke that theyr good lyuyng was so pleasauÌ„t vnto god whyle they lyued here in erth that he wyll therfore vouchesaufe to do any thynge at theyr requeste for any louer of theyres whyle they be wyth hym in heuyn Howe be it in thys poynt I dare be bolde to say for Tyndale my selfe that he is nat so folysh but that he seeth well I nough that if I may well pray my neyghbur to pray for me that is here wyth me in erthe I may moche better pray the sayntes pray for me that are with god in heuyn sauing that he byleueth that they be nat there nor neyther here vs nor se vs but lye styll as Luther sayth a slepe And therfore Tyndale leste we myghte wene that he byleued well byddeth vs in another place of hys boke that when we mete y e sayntes and talke wyth any of them than lette vs hardely knele and make our prayour to them And so ye shall natte nede to meruayle moche though thys man be bolde to ieste and rayle vpon euery man here in erth when he fereth nat to make mokkes and mowys at the blessed sayntes in heuyn He blameth vs and bylieth vs as though we toke theyr dede ymagys for quyke But hym selfe semeth yet moche worse in dede that taketh goddes quykke saintes for dede agaynst Chrystes owne wordes declarynge the contrary bothe by the scrypture in the gospell of saynte Mathew by the story that Chryste also telleth of Habraam and the ryche gloton and Lazare in the .xvi. chapytre of Luke Than commeth Tyndale in at the laste wyth the ceremonyes of the church and the sacramentes agaynst which prykke he specyally spurneth wyth hys kybâ—de hele but it wyll nat helpe hym The gentleman is so proude that the holy sacramentes muste be his waytynge seruauntes For now he sayth that they be but superstycyouse and serue of noughte but be sette in stede of Cryste and are as they be taught the denyenge of Crystes bloude How sholde they now be the denyeng of Crystes bloud when the chyrche teacheth vs as god hath taught it that they all haue theyr strength by Crystes bloude and that in the tone of them is Crystes owne very bloude and hys blessed body bothe Bothe whyche thys heretyke denyeth and as in my fyrste boke I shewed yow bothe iesteth and scoffeth vppon the precyouse body and bloude of Cryste in the blessed sacrament of the aulter and lyke a madde frantyke fole maketh mokkes and mowys at the masse And now that ye se good chrysten reders for what doctryne Tyndale rebuketh the comon catholyke chyrche ye can not but therby perceyue what doctryne he wolde haue them teche that is to wytte that we shold haue no respecte to good workes vse no shryfte nor penaunce beware of chastyte and blesse vs well therfro let no good men praye for vs nor none that vse holy lyuynge no Francysce frere bydde any bede for vs in hys freres cote tyll he do of hys graye garmentes and cloth hym selfe cumly in gaye kendall grene sette sayntes at nought and all holy ceremonyes vsed in goddes seruyse and al 's the seuen sacrameÌ„tes to make mokkes at the masse and at Crystes body and take it for nothynge but cake brede or starche And when the clergye techeth this onys then shall they be the chyrch But for lakke of this doctryne
counsayles made for lawes yet are there in that boke many thynges besyde that neyther were made by any synode nor by any pope but wryten by dyuers good holy men Out of whose holy workes as well as out of synodys and counsayles and popes wrytynge Gracyane a good vertuouse and well lerned man compyled and gathered that boke whych is therfore called the decees of Gracyan as an other lyke booke is called the decrees of Iuo whyche out of lyke authoryte coÌ„pyled a lyke worke Now is euery thynge that is alledged and inserted in the bokes of those decrees of suche authoryte there as it is in the place out of whyche Gracian or Iuo gathered it and not a lawe nor a thynge made by the pope but yf it were a lawe or made by a pope before and out of a lawe or out of a popys wrytynge taken in to the decrees Now the wordes whyche Tyndale bryngeth forth and sayth that the pope hath made theym for a lawe be not the wordes of ony pope but they be the wordes of the blessed holy martyr saynt Boniface whych brought the fayth in to Almayne and was for the fayth martyred in Freselande And so is it playnely specyfyed in the decrees by those wordes in the rubryce Exdictis Bonifacit martyris But Tyndale to blynde and begyle the readers wyth wold make meÌ„ wene that it were the popys wordes made for a playne lawe wherin Tyndale playnely sheweth hys playne open falshed excepte he were so wyse that he hadde went the pope had made it for a law by cause it begynneth with Sâ— papa lyke hym that bycause he redde in the masse boke Te igitur clementissime pater preched vnto the parysshe that Te igitur was saynt Clemens father The fourth reason Tyndale And Poule sayeth Ro. 13. let euery soule obay the hygher powers that are ordayned to punysshe synne The pope wyll nat nor let any of his More Touchynge fyrste the pope hym selfe Tyndale telleth vs here a wyse tale For settynge a syde the questyon whether the pope eyther be or rightfully ought to be chefe gouernoure ouer the chrysten flocke and if he be or ought to be howe farre than and to what thynges his authorytie stretcheth or ought to stretche This thynge at the leastewyse Tyndale very well knoweth hym selfe that neyther in spirituall thynges nor in temporall there is no man at Rome in his owne see that claymeth any power or iurisdiccyon vpon hym And as for the clergye besydes Tyndale here as farre as I se falsely belyeth the pope For he letteth none of his to obay their higher powers but by the canon lawes of the churche commaundeth euery of them to obay theyr hygher powers and to kepe and obserue the lawes of the princes and countreys that they lyue in But the thynge that greueth Tyndale is this that any preest shulde in honoure of the sacramente of preesthode haue any maner of preuiledge more than a lay man For his heresye rekeneth euery woman a preest and as able to say masse as euer was saynt Peter And in good faythe as for suche masses as he wold haue sayd without the canon without the secretes without oblacyon without sacrifyce without the body or blode of Christ with bare sygnes and tokens in stede of the blessed sacrament I wene a woman were in dede a more mete preest than saynt Peter And all be it that neyther woman may be preest nor any man is preest or hath power to say masse but yf he be by the sacrament of holy orders taken and coÌ„secrated into that offyce yet syth the tyme that Tyndale hath begonne his heresyes and sent his â—rronyous bokes about callyng euery chrysten woman a preest there is nat nowe in some places of Englande the symplest woman in the parysshe but that she dothe that nat in corners secretely but loke on who so woll in open face of the worlde in her owne parysshe churche I say nat here but say her owne selfe and lefte you shulde loke for some ridle openly reuested at the hyghe aulter she sayeth I say her selfe and syngeth to if it be trewe that I here reported as many masses in some one weke as Tyndale hym selfe eyther sayeth or hereth in two whole yere to gether but if it be whan he swereth by it or hereth some other swere All holy consecracyons Tyndale calleth folysshe ceremonyes forgettyng that in the olde lawe dyuers tymes it is honorably rehersed and layde for a cause of the â—euerent vsynge of the prestes person bycause that the holy oyle is vpon hym And he lyste nat to remembre that the holy Prophete Dauid dyd so moche esteme that holy oyntemente with whiche kynge Saule was consecrated that all be it he was reiected agayne of god and hym selfe receyued and anoynted kynge in his place and was also persecuted by hym he nat onely put the man to dethe that sayd he hadde slayne hym for touchinge of goddes anoynted but also for all that he spared hym and sauyd his lyfe and beynge his dedely enemye dyd hym yet no bodely harme He repented and forthought that he hadde so moche done to hym as secretely to cutte his garment These thynges and many suche other lyke whereof the scrypture is full Tyndale in euery place diffymuleth and wolde haue all consecracyons sette at nought and taken in dirisyon aud wolde that no man shulde haue neyther prynce nor preest in any maner reuerence the rather of one rysshe for theyr holy consecracyon But as he wolde haue euery woman to take her selfe for a preest so wolde he that euery man shulde wene hym selfe a kynge For surely the wordes of saynt Peter with whiche these heretykes proue the tone proue euyn the tother a lyke that is to say falsely and folysshely taken proue bothe the tone and the tother but wysely taken and truely proue neyther the tone nor the tother The fyfte reason Tyndale And Paule chargeth 1. Coâ— 5. If he that is a brother be an whore keper a droâ—kerd couetous an extorcioner or a raysâ—â— and so forth that we haue no felowshyppe with hym no not so myche as to â—ate in his company But the pope with violence compelleth vs to haue suche in honour to receyue the sacramentes of them to heare theyr masses and to byleue all they saye and yet they wyl not let vs se whether the say trouth or no. And be coÌ„pelleth .x. paryshes to paye theyr tythes and offerynges vnto one such to go and runne at ryot at theyr cost and to do nought therfore And a thowsande suche lyke doth the pope contrary vnto Chrystes doctryne More To begynne here at the last poynt the pope though the partie somtyme that hathe dyuers benefyces dothe abuse the frutes the pope gaue hym neyther libertie nor lycence that he shulde so do but gaue him leaue to take the cure of them trustynge vpon certayne suggestyon that the man were suche one as shulde and wolde vse them well And no
poynt of the mater and to flater the temporalty tourneth all his tale and his raylynge wordes agaynst the clergye yet in very dede the whole bodye of the chyrche is the thynge that he heweth at and that he calleth the heretikes For of spyrytualty and temporalty all is one fayth and of the whole catholyque chyrche hath from the begynnynge euer ben our mater Then consyder I say now that where he sayth that the catholyque chyrche now is fallen from the fayth of the old chyrche of Chryste and his apostles we can not denye but that Tyndale so sayth But then se we well and so we saye agayne and saye therin very trewe that when Tyndale so sayth he lyeth For ye se your selfe that Tyndale proueth thys tale but by hys bare worde â—n that we byleue not as he doth that good workes are naught worth and that the sacraments be gracelesse and but bare sygnes and tokens and yet not so myche neyther by Tyndales tale but onely dumme ceremonyes that neyther say nor sygnyfye and that men do wronge to worshyppe the body and blood of Cryste in the blessed sacrament and that there is nothynge therin but very bare brede and wyne or starch in stede of brede that freres may well wedde nuÌ„nys and such other goodly thynges lyke whyche false artycles to be trew he neyther hath proued nor can proue whyle he lyueth nor all y e heretykes in this world nor yet all the deuyls in hell Now haue we well proued you that in all suche poyntes we haue the selfe same fayth that Cryste and hys apostles had and tawght And in these poyntes we proue that the scrypturys of them be on our parte And yet saye we also that we be sure therof by that that Cryste and hys apostles dyd delyuer vs these thynges by mouthe besyde the wrytynge by whyche we sholde also haue bene sure therof all though they neuer hadde ben wryten as we be by that meane sure of some other thynges that were lefte vnwryteÌ„ and onely delyuered by Chryste to hys apostles and by his apostles to the chyrche and therin perpetually kept by the spyryte of god that Cryste accordynge to his promyse sent vnto his chyrche to lede it in to all trouth and by his owne perpetuall assystence and presence wyth hys chyrche for euer as hym selfe promysed also Of whyche thynges well knowen and yet vnwryten is for ensample one that we be bounden to byleue the perpetuall virgynyte of our lady wherwyth I haue troubled Tyndale onys or twyse here afore and hym selfe whyle he labored to wynde oute hathe so messhed and entangled hym selfe therin that he hath in the handelynge of that one mater alone vtterly destroyed the fundacyoÌ„ of all the heresyes that they haue in all theyr whole Ragmans roll An other ensample of the tradycioâ—s wythout wrytyng maye be the puttynge of the water in to the wyne at the masse wherwyth the kynges noble grace in such wyse handeled Luther that in answerynge thervnto Luther fareth as one that were fallen frantyke and sayth now thys now that and woteth not where he maye holde hym but sayeth somtyme that the water maye be lefte oute or put in as the chyrche lyâ—te to order And thenne agayne he sayth that it ought to be lefte oute and not putte in for as myche as it hath sayth he an euyll sygnyfycacyon that is to wyt thaâ— the pure scrypture is mengled and watered wyth mennes tradycyons and therfore they sholde he sayth synge masse and consecrate with onely wyne alone and so by lykelyhed they do therfore suche freres as wedde nonnes But holy saynt Cypryan that blessed bysshope and very gloryous martyr a man one of the beste lerned that euer wrote in Crystes catholyke chyrche wryteth playnely .xiii. huÌ„dred yere before Luther was borne that the water must nedes in and that Chryste put water in to it at hys owne maundy when he consecrated and ordayned it hym selfe And thys blessed saynte Cypryane thought hym selfe bounden bothe so to byleue and to teche vppon the tradycyons of thapostles besyde theyr wrytynges Thus wryteth saynte Cypryane contrary to Luthers doctryne clere But I can let no man to byleue now whyther of theym bothe they lystâ— How be it I se not greately why Luther sholde be better byleued thenne he but yf it be bycause saynt Cypryane wolde not wedde and Luther hathe wedded a nonne But as I beganne to saye remembre good reader that where as we saye that in the greate varyaunce of oure faythes the fayth I saye of the catholyque chyrche and the fayth whyche these heretyques professe to the contrary we proue our fayth by the scryptures and they saye naye and afferme that they proue theyrs by y â— scryptures wherunto we saye naye all the questyon for the more parte ryseth or hath at the leste wyse euer hytherto rysen not vppon the scrypture selfe but vppon the construccyon thereof that is to saye not whyther the wordes were holy scrypture or no that were for scrypture alledged but what was of that scrypture the trewe sense and ryghte vnderstandynge For as for whyche was holy and autentyke scrypture and whyche not we haue be a great whyle very well agreed sauyng that Luther of late and frere Barns after hym wolde fayne putte oute saynte Iamys pystle and saythe it hath no smacke of any apostolyque spyryte bycause it sayth that fayth waxeth dede wythout good workes and hath a playne place also for the sacrament of anelynge And Fryth wolde haue out quyte the bokes of the Macha beys bycause it proueth for purgatory and for the incâ—rcessyon of sayntes And now semeth Tyndale to make a secrete insinuacyoÌ„ of some other scrypture than Chrystes and hys apostles whyche other scrypture he semeth to call the trewe scrypture and sayth that from the catholyke chyrch whych hym selfe confesseth to haue the scrypture of Cryst and hys apostles hym selfe and hys felowes goo nowe to the trewe scrypture But now lettynge hys other new trewe scrypture alone tyll he reherse vs some therof euer hytherto all our debate and varyauÌ„ce hath bene about the exposycyon eche parte layenge to the others charge false glosynge of the trewe scrypture Then syth the dowte bytwene theyr fayth and oures resteth vppon that poynt consyder good chrysten reader that we proue that the consent of all the olde holy doctours and sayntes of euery age synnys chrystendome fyrste began vnto frere Luthers owne dayes is vppon our parte agaynste them And this haue I proued what saye I thys haue I proued nay thys haue I say them selfe proued in that theyr hed capytayne Luther prowdely reiecteth and shaketh of the sayntes wyth hys sleue lyke flyes by the whole huÌ„dred at onys in one place in hys boke of Babilonica spekyng of the canoÌ„ of the masse wherin he coÌ„fesseth that they stand all agaynste hym he setteth not a rysshe by theym all but shaketh them of all at onys sayth the
the chyrche of good folke for his obstynate malyce in erth And lyke wyse as Chore Dathan and Abyron wyth theyr felows made a secte of scysmatyques and bent away fro the chyrche of Moyses and Aaron in deserte for whyche they went quykke vnder erth as yt semeth hell swaloweth them vppe And lyke wyse also as the ten trybys of Israell departed wyth Hieroboam from theyr very kynge Roboam the sonne of Salomon wyth whyche rebellyous departynge from theyr kynge all be it they were not well handeled wyth hym but were thretened and put in fere of oppressyon yet was god as saint Cypriayn by scrypture proueth greatly dyspleased wyth them and his very chyrche moste specyally then remayned in the smaller companye the two trybys onely from whyche the .x. were gone And these heretykes be gone out of the catholyke chyrche in lyke maner as the great company of Crystes dyscyples went from hym when he was aboute to teache hym the fayth of hys very bodye and blood in the sacrament of the aulter for whyche and from whyche Huchyn Huyskyn and Swynglius be now gone awaye to And yet as the very chyrche remayned in these few that abode and contynued so shall the very chyrche euer abyde and contynue in these few that perseuer in the stokke be yt mynished and mynced neuer so smale and alway those that go therfro shal be but wythered brauÌ„ches and chyrches of heretykes and scysmatykes be they neuer so great nor so many These heretykes departe also from the catholyke chirch in suche wyse as Iudas departed fro y â— chyrch of Criste at the mauÌ„day souper wheÌ„ he went to betray the hed of thaâ— chyrche and vterly to dyssolue the body And lyke wyse do all these sectes of heretykes which in y â— poynt do more then veryly represent the scrybes and pharysyes whom saynte IohnÌ„ called the generacyon of vypars For as the yonge vyper serpeÌ„tes gnaw out theyr mothers bely and those scribes and pharysyes dyd by theyr false doctryne laboure to destroye the very trew doctryne of the synagoge whereof they were engendred so do all these cursed serpentyne sectys of heretykes both wyth theyr false errours and heresyes labour to destroy the trew doctryne and also wyth sowynge of dyssencyon and sedycyouse scysmes go aboute to gnaw out the very bely of theyr moder the holy cathâ—lyke chyrche And therfore wyll they but yf they do as I pray god geue them grace to do repent theyr malyce and ameÌ„d ellys vndowtely haue theyr parte wyth Iudas and wyth suche other as I haue shewed you that departed from the trew chyrche byfore and wyth suche other heretykes as departed also from the chyrch in the tyme of the blessed apostles after as were the Ebionytes that sayed Chryste was but onely man and not god agaynste whome saynt IohnÌ„ the Euangelyst wrote his holy gospell and the Nycolaites whych wold haue all women in comen agaynst whom god speketh hym selfe in thapocalyps whyche both heresyes be now begonne to be brought vppe agayne amonge the sectys of these new heretyques in Almayne whyche sectes Tyndale calleth the very trewe chyrche of Crysteâ— bycause they departe onely and go from ours where he seeth well by the olde bokes that we haue the same fayth that thapostles had and hereth wyth his owne eares that they haue the same heresyes whyche thapostles dampned So se you good readers that the many sectes are come uote of the one chyrche the noughty out of the good the false oute of the trew And Tyndale argueth the contrary way and therby wolde make vs wene that the good cometh euer out of the bad and leueth the noughty behynde And by that way shall not onely Luthers lecherous châ—rch be better then the catholyke chyrche of Chryst but also Lucyfer his chyrche of deuyls in hell be better then the chyrch of god and hys good angelys that Lucyfer when he fell from thense lefte styll wyth god behynde hym in the gloryouse blysse of heuyn And thus ende I good crysten reder this bokeâ— in whyche euery chylde almoste that aduysedely redeth yt maye well and clerely perceyue that Tyndales solucyon is not worth one ryshe but the reason that he wolde haue soyled is and abydeth styll so myghtye stronge and inuyncyble as a reason byfore me made by the stronge and myghty champyon the inuyncyble martyr saynte Cypryanâ— that by that one reason alone yt ys I dare boldelye saye well and playnely proued that this knowen catholyque chyrche whyche Tyndale wolde impugne dyspâ—oue and destroye is alone the very trewe chyâ—che of Chryste whyche all the deuyls in hell shall neuer be able to pull downe and that these hundred sundry sectys whych Tyndale wolde haue taken for the very chyrche of Cryste be very false heretyques all the whole rable and synagoges of Sathan and very chyrches of the deuyll all redy dede and vtterly destroyed in spyryte and but yf they returâ—e to the catholyque chyrche agayne wyll ellys wyth Iudas be â—eryed and burne in hell ¶ Thus endeth the .vi. boke ¶ The .vii. boke Here begynneth the .vii. boke in defence of the seconde reason prouynge the knowen catholyke chyrche to be the very chyrche of Cryste whyche seconde reason is that we knowe not whyche is the scrypture but by the knowen catholyke chyrche The defence of the seconde reason Tyndale AN other lyke blynde reason they haue wherin is all theyr truste As we come out of them and they not out of vs so we receyue the scrypture of them and they not of vs. How knowe we that it is the scrypture of god and trewe but bycause they teache vs so How can we that byleue excepte we fyrst byleue that they be the chyrche and can not errâ— in any thynge that parteyneth vnto our soules helth â—or yf a man tell me of a meruelouse thinge wherof I can haue no nother knowlege then by hys mouth onely how sholde I gyue credence excepte I byleued that the man were so honest that he coulde not lye or wâ—lde not lye Wherfore we must byleue that they be the ryght chyrche that can not erre or ellys we can byleue nought at all Thys wyse reason is theyr shoteanker and all theyr hâ—lde theyr refuge to flyght chefe stone in theyr fundacyon wheron they haue bylt all theyr lyes and all theyr myschefe that they haue wrought this .viij. hundred yeres More THys reason good reader which Tindale wolde here so fayne answere and soyle is the thynge wherwyth the kynge our souerayne lord as a most erudyte prince in hys moste famous boke of the assercyon of the sacramentes strayned Luther so sore that hytherto neyther hym selfe nor any companyoÌ„ of hys durste euer onys attempte any answere therunto tyll Tyndale now perceyuynge the kynges argument in that poynte so stronge that euery man mych alloweth it and feleth it for inuincible wareth for angre so starke madde at last that he maketh his assayes and assauteÌ„s
god that he hath a better fayth and a more perfayte than saynt Austayne had after that god had by myracle turned hym to the fayth and wryte agaynst the Manicheys from whose false secte god had called hym PeradueÌ„ture this questyoÌ„ wyll somwhat seme strauÌ„ge to this dyscyple of Tyndale bycause it is none of those to whyche hys mayster hath taught hym to make answere But yet I thynke in conclusyoÌ„ y â— hys mayster wyll not aduyse hym to saye that he feleth hym selfe to haue a more perfayt bylyefe then saynt Austayne in any suche thynge as saynt Austayne and he byleued bothe leste euery man shold fele the mayster of such a scoler to proue a proud fole Now on the tother syde yf he coÌ„fesse that he fele not his owne fayth for any more perfayt then saynt Austayns was but byleue in hys owne mynde that saynt Austayne in any trewe poynt of bylyefe commune vnto them bothe had as full a fayth and as perfayte as he then wyll I aske hym wherfore he doth not now byleue the scrypture styll for the authoryte of the chyrche as well as saynt Austayne dyd styll when he wrote of hym selfe agaynste the Manicheys and sayd I wolde not byleue the gospell but yf the authoryte of the chyrche moued me therto He byleued it for the authoryte of the chyrche alwaye styll and yet dare I saye and Tyndale I suppose dare not saye the contrary but that the spyryte of god hadde as well wryten that conclusyon in hys harte as in the holy harte of any dyscyple of Tyndale whome Tyndale here teacheth to answere vs the contrary And thus as concernynge the knowlege of the very scrypture whyche is our pryncypall mater Tyndals answere in the very chyefe poynte of all but yf he proue hys scolers fayth better then saynt Austayns hys answere that he techeth here hys dyscyple is not worth a rysshe But now let vs in those other artycles aske thys good scoler of Tyndale syth it is so that he feleth and fyndeth in his herte wryteÌ„ by the spyryte oâ— god that freres monkes that haue by vowe forsaken flesshe may lawfully fall from fysshe to womans flesshe and vnder the name of weddyng make stewed struÌ„pettes of nonnes and feleth also by lyke felyng fayth that good workes are nought worth nor shall be rewarded in heuen and feleth also by the same false felyng fayth that in the blessed sacrament of the awter there is neyther the precyouse body nor bloude of Chryste but onely cake brede and wyne or starche in stede of brede I shall aske hym I saye therfore the questyon to whyche hys mayster hath bouÌ„den hym to make answere that is to wyt how he came fyrst by thys fayth that is to saye the hystorycall fayth of them byfore that the spyryte of god wyth wrytynge theym in hys harte caused hym there bothe to rede them and fele them For answere of thys questyon Tyndale sayth to his scoler Tell hym whyther it were by redyng in bokes or heryng it preched Uery well Now syth his mayster byddeth hym tell vs I wolde praye hym to tell vs whyther by prechyng or redynge in bokes To thys he wyll I wene answere me y â— he lerned those thynges by prechynge Then I aske hym by whose prechyng he came to it To this muste he be fayne to saye that by the prechynge of hys owne mayster wyllyam Tyndale Luther Lambert Huyskyn or Suinglius or some suche other apostaticall prechers But now to thys shall I tell hym agayne that syth he had not the felyng fayth wryten by y e spyryte in his harte after his maysters owne tale tyll he fyrst byleued the same thinges with an hystoricall fayth by the herynge of those holy prechers he muste to th entent that he maye lede vs in to the same fayth as they dyd hym tell vs what reason he had to byleue them seynge that they be neyther men of more lernynge nor of more wytte nor of so mych vertue as were saynt Austayn saynt Hierom saiÌ„t Basyle saynt Cyprian saynt Chrysostom saynt Grygory saynt Ambrose wyth many such other lyke whose holy lyuynge trew fayth doctryne god hath approued testyfyed to the worlde by manyfolde wonderfull myracles all which holy doctours haue taught men to beleue y â— coÌ„trary To this questyon Tyndale techeth hys scoler to make answere and saye that he byleued them bycause they laye so good authoryte for them what authoryte laye they for them shall I saye Now to thys questyon Tyndale hym selfe maketh an answere and sayth Concernynge â—utwarde teachynge we allege for vs scrypture elder then any chyrche that was tâ—is xliii hundred yeres and olde autentyke storyes whych they had brougâ—t a slepe where with we confound theyr lyes Remember ye not how in our owne tyme of all that toughte grammer in Englande not one vnderstode the latyne tonge how câ—me we then 〈◊〉 tâ—e laten tonge agayn not by them though we lerned certayne rules aâ—â— prâ—ncyples of them by whyche we were moued and haddâ— an ocâ—â—sâ—on 〈…〉 further but oute of the olde authors Euen so we seâ—e 〈…〉 out of whych we lerne and not of our chirch thâ—â—â—h wâ— receyâ—â—◠〈◊〉 pryncyples of our chyrche at the begynnynge but more faâ—shed amâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 trueth Lo good readers thys dyscyple of Tyndale in these artycles of his felyng fayth that good chrysten mennes good workes shall haue no rewarde in heuyn that frerys may wedde nonnes and in hys blasphemy agaynste the blessed body and bloude of Cryste in the sacrament of the aultare he byleued hys mayster and his mayster his mayster Marten Luther and the other lewde maysters of these newe sectes not wythout a cause ye se well For he sayth that they alledge for theyr heresyes the scrypture olde auncyent sâ—oryes therwyth as men haue brought vp nowe the trewe olde grammer agayne euyn so do they now brynge vp the olde trewe fayth agayne wherof thoughe they toke some pryncyples of the catholyke chyrche at the begynnyng yet they toke therof more falshed amonge then truthe Now which those thynges are that he calleth the falshed that he sayth they toke of the chyrche ye knowe good chrysten reders well inough those are the poyntes for whyche he so sore iesteth and rayleth agaynst the catholyke chyrch the techynge that good wurkes shal be rewarded in heuyn and that folke shold kepe the holydayes fastyng dayes pray for all chrysten soules honour the precyouse boâ—y bloude of Cryste in the blessed sacrament and obserue theyr holy vowes made to god and forbede that freres sholde wedde nonnes and many suche other thynges These thynges he sayeth that the chyrche hadde taughte hym false tyll that nowe Tyndale and Luther and Lambert and Huyskyn and Suynglius haue restored agayne the ryghte fayth in all these poyntes that hath ben thys .viii. hundred yere loste as Tyndale sayth These thynges haue they now restored and brought vp agayne by antyquytees and old
no man take any boldenesse vppon Tyndales tale to thynke as he wolde haue hym that onely the thynge that Peter there confessed were inough now to byleue and that in all other thynges that the chyrch byleueth whyche Cryste and hys holy spyryte haue taught hys chyrch synnes were but thynges indyfferent no thyng forced whyther they were byleued or not Tyndale shall be constrayned to come to thys euyn by hys owne wordes all be it that he affermeth for faste and sure somewhat more then he maye make goodâ— For he sayth that Peter ment by his wordes we byleue that thou arte he that was promysed vnto Abraam sholde come and blesse vs and delyuer vs. And yet he sayth Peter wyste not by what meanes Cryste sholde delyuer vs. But nowe it is open he sayth thorow out all the worlde that thorow the offerynge of hys body and bloude Now yf Peter at that tyme knewe not the thynge that muste now nedes be byleued vppon payne of damnacion ye maye therby se that the fayth whyche Peter confessed then is not inough now for euery man to be saued by but we be bounden to the bylyefe also of such thynges as god hath reueled and made open to be byleued vnto hys chyrche any tyme synnes Or ellys muste Tyndale tell vs at what tyme god bade ho and gaue vs leue to byleue hym no ferther what so euer he wolde ferther saye to vs. Consyder yet also that Tyndale agreeth that the very trew crysten of hys electe vnknowen chyrche do byleue the artycle of the perpetuall vyrginyte of our lady as soon as they be taught it and knowledge theyr formar errour wherby he graunteth that he whyche doth not so is noâ—e of the electes Then saye I that theruppon it foloweth by hys owne wordes that the artycle of the perpetuall virginyte of our lady is a necessary artycle of our fayth And thus alwaye muste Tyndale vppon hys owne wordes confesse that all the artycles reueled ferther by Cryste vnto hys chyrche muste be byleued as fermely as the fayth taat was by Peter confessed or ellys we be not onely dyscharged of the bylyefe of our ladyes perpetuall vyrginyte whyche Tyndale is now yet broughte vnware to graunte for an artycle necessary syth it is now taught and knowen but also of the bylyefe of Crystes deth descencyon resurreccyon ascencyon and of the godhed of the holy goste wyth dyuerse other necessary poyntes mo But here it is to be consydered that saynte Peter in coÌ„fessynge Cryste to be the sonne of the lyuynge god dyd coÌ„fesse the very poynte wheruppon all the hole fayth hangeth For in that poynte alone he confesseth that all hys doctryne muste nedes be byleued for trew and all hys coÌ„maundementes fulfylled And theruppon it foloweth ferther that syth Tyndale wyll byleue no more of hys doctryne then he can fynde wryten in the scrypture where as the scrypture it selfe sayth that all was neuer wryten nor wyll not also byleue and obaye Crystes chyrch accordyng to Crystes commaundement nor wyll not so myche as knowe it but fondely frameth an vnknowen whom he for lacke of knowledge can neyther byleue nor obaye yt foloweth I saye that Tyndale byleueth no pece of the fayth that saynte Peter confessed And so he doth but pratle and prate of felynge fayth wythout the felynge of any fayth at all or any trewe bylyefe hystorycall or other And yet goth he forth in the boste of that artycle of the fayth whiche as hym selfe confesseth was out of Peter his confessyon For he sayth that saynt Peter was not ware of Crystes passyon when he made that confessyon Tyndale That offerynge of Crystes body and bloude is a satisfaccyon for the synne of all that repente and a purchasynge of what so euer they can aske to kepe them in fauour and that they synne no more More Treuth is it that the passyon of Cryste and offerynge vp of hym selfe vnto hys father vppon the crosse is a satysfaccyon for the synne of all that repente so that we repente a ryght and effectually by confessyon contrycyon and by penytencyall dedes reuengynge our synnes vppon our selfe wyth good workes of cheryte y e more largely encreaced towarde our neyghbours doynge frutefull penaunce bryngynge forth the frutes of penaunce and accordynge to the couÌ„sayle of saynt IohnÌ„ Baptyst not sleyght frutes symple and syngle but frutes good greate and worthy and yet not of them selfe worthy but suche as the satysfaccyon of Cryste maketh worthy wythout whyche we coude no thynge satysfye but wyth whyche we maye syth hys pleasure is that we so sholde and not so take his deth for so full satysfaccyon of all to gether that we sholde therfore be carelesse and slouthfull to do any penaunce our selfe for our owne synne Tyndale wyll saye to thys that he can be content that we sholde do good dedes but not by waye of penaunce for our synne and that we sholde somtyme fast and otherwyse afflycte our fleshe to the entent to tame our fleshe agaynst the synne to come but nothynge to punyshe it the more for any synne that is paste Now is thys teachynge of Tyndale myche lyke as thoughe he wolde aduyse vs be neuer the better bycause thou haste be noughte do neuer the better bycause thou haste done euyll runne neuer y â— faster forth in vertue bycause thou haste longe sytten styll in synne But saynt Poule agaynst Tyndals doctrine ran forth the faster bycause he began later and toke the more payne for the fayth bycause he had ben a persecutour of y â— fayth And though he neuer thought thus yf I hadde ben soner conuerted I wolde haue done lesse good yet had he thys mynde that bycause he began so late he wold do y â— more bycause he had ben bad he wolde be the better as hym self counsayleth other as ye haue exhybyted and gyuen your membres to serue vnclâ—nes and iniquyte from iniquite to iniquite so now agayne exhibyte and gyue your membres to serue ryghteousnes that ye maye be sanctyfyed Tyndale And Cryste answered vppon thys rocke I wyll byelde my congregacyon that is vppon thys fayth And agaynst the rocke of this fayth can no synne no hell no deuyll no lyes none errour preuayle â—or what so euer any man hath commytted yf he repente and come to thys rocke he is safe And that thys fayth is the onely waye by the whyche the chyrche goeth vnto god and vnto the enherytaunce of all hys rychesse testyfye all the apostles and prophetes and all the scrypture wyth sygnes and myracles and all the bloud of martyrs And who so euer go to god and to forgyuenesse of synnes or saluacyon by any other way then thys the same is an heretyke out of the ryghte waye and not of Crystes chyrche More Lo these wordes of Tyndale seme very gaye and gloryouse But when ye shall well examyne them as gaye as the hed glytereth wyth the pretexte of Crystes owne holy wordes yet shall
yf it kyll thys fayth Tyndale to put a man in â—uerty of heuen by y â— strength of fayth in thys facyon that none errour shall preuayle agaynste fayth as longe as the fayth preuayleth agaynste it nor tyll the fayth be the febler and be ouercomeÌ„ and kylled doth myche lyke as though he wolde saye to you be bolde I warraunt you fere no deth for you haue lyfe in you as longe as your lyfe lasteth you can neuer be dede and lyke wyse as longe as ye kepe the trew fayth ye can neuer be false heretykes nor as longe as ye stande styll in the state of saluacyon ye can neuer be dampned Here were a goodly tale were it not And syth that neyther thys may serue hym nor any that I haue towched before and vtterly I can not diuine what he myghte mene ellys takynge the waye y t he taketh in swaruyng fro the knoweÌ„ catholyke chyrche vnto hys vnknowen chyrche of electes whom he calleth all repentaunt synners that byleue the fayth that saynt Peter confessed I can not perceyue nor I trowe no man ellys but that hys wordes wyll euyll stande to gether And yet when he hath thus wysely handeled it then as though the mater were well and suffycyently proued goth he forth wyth the boste and sayth Tyndale That thys fayth is the onely waye by the whyche the chyrche of Cryste goth vnto god and vnto the enherytaunce of all rychesse testyfye all the apostles and prophetes and all the scrypture wyth sygnes and myracles and all the bloude of martyrs And who so euer goth vnto god and forgyuenesse of synnes or saluacyon by any other way then thys the same is an heretyke out of the ryght waye and not of Crystes chyrche More Lo here be lusty hyghe wordes eyther false or ellys of lytell effecte For yf he meane that no man may go to saluacyon by any other thynge wythout thys fayth that â—aynte Peter professed then be they trew But then are they to no purpose spoken nor haue no place in thys mater in which he reproueth the knowen chyrch in that they go by confessyon contrycyon workes of penaunce workes of mercy towarde the remyssyon of the dette of theyr payne and satysfaccyon For hym selfe can not saye naye but that we do all agre that wyth all that euer we can do we can not gete forth one ynche to heuenward without the fayth that saynt Peter confessed Now yf he meane not that waye but that we be playne heretykes and oute of Crystes chyrche yf hauynge that fayth that saynte Peter confessed we go to heuenwarde wyth any other thyng bysyde then testyfye all the apostles and prophetes and all the scrypture and sygnes and myracles all the bloude of martyrs then Tyndale is a starke heretyke in so sayenge For all these wyll testyfye that we muste byleue many thynges more then saynte Peter dyde there confesse or ellys we shall not onely be dyscharged of byleuynge the sacramentes of penaunce confyrmacyon extreme vnccyoÌ„ order and matrymony but baptysme also and the sacrament of the aulter to For of none of all these dyd saynt Peter make any mencion in his coÌ„fessyon there nor so myche as of Crystes deth neyther wherof as Tyndale sayth he had at that tyme no knowlege So that in Tyndales affermynge that the onely fayth there by Peter confessed is suffycyent and the onely waye to heuyn we shall haue Tyndale hym selfe to testyfye y â— Tyndale hym selfe sayth vntrewe yet wolde I fayne in good fayth fynde and brynge it forth yf I coulde any thyng ymagine that he myght seme to mene ryght nor neuer wyll I wyttyngly for the preferment of my part coÌ„strue myne aduersaryes wordes wroÌ„g And therfore what yf we myghte vnderstande Tyndale thus as though he ment that the fayth there confessed by Peter is for euery man suffycient bycause that who so byleue that Cryste is the sonne of the lyuynge god it can not be but that he shall byleue also that he is trewe in all hys wordes and therfore he that so byleueth can not fayle to byleue therwyth all that euer Cryst shall teche hym All be it that thys wyll not very fully serue hym and also hym selfe speketh no thynge of it yet is this as helpe me god the best glose that I can deuyse for hym But now doth hym selfe caste awaye thys defence when he sayth in the seconde chapyter folowynge that there is none errour noysome but yf it be agaynste the promyses so that in all other thynges he graunteth and affermeth playnely by expresse wordes y t a man may erre wythout any parell euyn though that the trouth contrary to hys errour be wryten in holy scrypture wâ—â—che is a meruelouse worde in myne ere For by thys ye may se that he agreeth that a man may byleue y t Cryst is goddes sonne yet byleue the contrary of some thynges that Cryste shall tell hym though he tell it hym in scrypture And therfore he wyll ye se well none of my glose bycause he wyll not stande in my daynger for it And in dede all be it hym selfe shall for hym selfe neuer fynde a better yet myne wyll not suffycyently serue hym neyther For a man myght byleue that Cryste were goddes sonne and therby byleue also all that Cryste wolde teche hym But yet myghte it be that he wolde byleue no more then those thynges onely that Cryste wolde teche hym personally present wyth hym by his owne mouth For though he byleued that Cryste were goddes sonne and wolde byleue therfore all that he wolde tell hym yet myghte he for all that mystruste and not byleue all other men that wolde eyther in word or wrytyng tell hym a tale as tolde to them by Crystes owne mouth ye this myght he do all though they preued it wyth myracles yf he were of Tyndals stomake that can as the Iewys coulde ascrybe goddes myracles to Belzabub and call goddes hygh meruelouse workes illusyons and wonders of the deuyll as he calleth all the myracles wrought by god in hys chyrche synnes the apostles dayes Thys myghte one do that byleued Cryste to be goddes sonne and to haue redemed vs also by his bloud And this doth in dede both Tyndale Marten hys mayster which byleue of Crystes wordes no more then is wryten nor of the wryten wordes no more then they lyste and the remanaunt but as they lyste syth they draw them to what sense they lyste agaynste all the olde holy doctours and all the chyrche of Cryst And thus it appereth y t neyther my glose nor any glose ellys can saue Tyndals tale from playne pestylent heresye bothe in that he sayth there nedeth no more to be byleued and also in that he sayth that the bylyefe alone is suffycyente for saluacyon and that yt is heresye to saye that bysyde the bylyefe any man vnto saluacyon shold nede any thynge ellys For though he put in for shame repentaunce therunto wyth Iffes as ye
bycause they were but women whan the apostels them selfe knâ—we these women for suche as they were worthy more credence some one of them than some many men And for to excuse the apostels in the lacke of belefe bycause the messyngers were but women Tyndale dothe therein no more but lay lacke and ouersyght in oure sauyour that in a thynge that he wolde haue beleued sent out suche women on his myssage But Tyndale woteth well if he beleue the gospell that no more they dyd whan they sawe the myracle of hym selfe commyng in before them the dores beynge shette and spekynge vnto them but were so farre fro the belefe of his resurreccion at the fyrste that they had went that he had ben some spirite tyll he nat onely preched to them but also reasoned with them there vpon Nor yet saynte Thomas whiche as Tyndale sayeth coulde nat beleue tyll he sawe Chryste neyther dyd beleue the woman nor all his awne felowes nor our sauyour him selfe vpon the syght neyther tyll he felt him fully and put hys fynger in his syde And this he dyd of stoberne standynge in his mysse belefe in that after his belefe lackinge he went nat about to seke the truthe and endeuoure hym selfe to beleue them that tolde him the trouthe but as it semeth by the gospell obstinately stode in his distruste and sayd tyll he dyd that he thought of lykelyhede he neuer shuld that is to wytte tyll he felte hym and put his fynger into his woundes he wolde neuer beleue it And I saye plainly who so euer beynge enfourmed of any artycle of the faythe whiche god byndeth vs to beleue beleueth it nat the cause why he beleueth nat is nat bycause he can nat but bycause he wyll nat For if he wolde do the thynge whiche Tyndale taketh for foly that is to wytte nat resyste but endeuour hym selfe to submytte hys reason vnto faythe with askynge helpe of god for the fortheraunce of his imperfeccion he thus doynge hys parte god wolde I say nat fayle on his parte agayne but wolde effectually worke with hym to perfyte in hym the faythe in whyche he preuenteth hym by gâ—ace whyche preuencyon was whan he gaue hym the grace and occasyon to be fyrst tolde of the mater But euer cometh Tyndale by degrees euer he seeth hym selfe lykely to be dreuen fro steppe to steppe And therfore where he sayd y t the elecâ—e can nat synne dedely fyrste he alledgeth for the cause therof that he synneth neuer but vpon great occasyons And seynge that a man may therto say what than He goeth to another steppe and saieth that he neuer consenteth to synne And than seynge that steppe wyll nat be defended he goeth to another and sayeth he consenteth nat to synne to serue it And perceyuynge that he can nat stande sure there he steppeth downe to y e nexte and sayeth that he casteth nat of from his necke the yoke of of loue toward the law of god And yet perceyuynge y â— that steppe wyll not holde hym neyther he cometh at laste vnto a nother steppe and sayth he casteth it not of malycyously trustynge bycause we can not loke into the mannes breste to se whyther he bare any malyce therin we shold neuer be able to conuycte hym of that worde when he put on ys ther to malycyously And yet from y e steppe haue I dreuen hym therin haue I begyled his hope as ye before haue herde in the synnes of king Dauid by the wordes of god spoken by the mouth of Nathan the prophete Now as he played there so playeth he by the apostles here For fyrste he sayth they lost neuer the fayth bycause they were amased then astonyed and then aferde thâ—n bycause they coulde not perceyue the thynge for possâ—ble Ans yet at last he cometh so nere to the grauntynge y t they lacked it y t by playne wordes at length he sayth the same thyng hym selfe affermyng y t they byleued not nor coulde not byleue And yet wolde he now make vs wene that though they byleued not yet had they no lacke of the fayth bycause in the lacke of theyr bylyefe they hadde no malice And that thynge he proueth thus Tyndale There was none of them that euer â—aysed on hym and came so farre fâ—rth â—o say he was a deceyueâ— and wrought with the deuyls craâ—te all this whyle se wherunto he is come in the enâ—e we defye hym false wretâ—he that he was and his false doctriâ—e also And therunto music they haue comâ— at the lasâ—e when feare sorow and wonderynge had ben pasâ—e yf they had not â—en pâ—euented and holpen in the meane season More Lo good chrysteÌ„ reders here hath Tyndale taught vs y t who so byleue not y e resurreccyoÌ„ of Chryst yet all y â— whyle he rayleth not vpoÌ„ hym calleth him wrech defieth him he is saue inough For all y e whyle though they byleue not yet lacketh he not hys kylyef And then if he be an â—lecte â— he shal be preuented of god holpen before ere euer he fall in to suche blasphemy But yf he be a reprobate then whan he cometh onys into y e case that y e apostles were in as Tindale sayth he shall for lacke of suche preuencyon helpe fall iâ—to suche raylyng and blasphemye then is he remedylesse he sayth And therfore sayth he bothe here and in dyuerse places that the seed of god preuâ—nteth alwaye and kepeth preserueth the electes from fallynge into y e case Here is a goodly tale be ye sure But now wherby shall Tyndale of thys doctryne make vs sure The gospell to begynne wyth for one pece maketh vs sure of the contrary For therin we fynde that the traytoure Iudas whyche was I wene as farre from the bylyefe of the resurreccyon as euer was saynt Thomas of Inde came neuer yet vnto suche raylynge and blasphemynge of Chryst as Tyndale sayth that the apostles bycause they byleued not had they not ben by grace preuented must nedes haue comen vnto For when he went about to make his bargayn bytray hym and sell hym we fynde not that he called hym false wretche nor no suche vylanouse word And after we fynde that when he repented and brought agayne the money he was farre from raylynge vppon hym and sayed I haue offended god in bytrayenge the ryghtuouse blode And surely though he had at the sellyng rayled as mych vpon him toward hys passyoÌ„ as Tyndale in hys bokes now rayleth iesteth vpon hym in the blessed sacrament after hys resurreccyon yet dare I be bolde vpon hys mercy to say that yf that olde Iudas in his repentauÌ„ce had with the loking vppon hys own synne loked also vpoÌ„ the great mercy of god and also that yf Tyndale now thys new Iudas wyll repeÌ„t hys raylynge agaynst Chrystes blessed body the sacrameÌ„t of the awlter aske our lord mercy therfore both the tone sholde haue had the tother shall haue remyssyon and
hym selfe wyll alledge And than it well appereth parde that the clergy that now is hath taken away no sygnyfycacyons of the sacramentes at all we wyll also demaunde of Tyndale sythe he sayth that the clergy hath taken away the sygnyfycacyons of the sacramentes whyther were those sygnyfycacyons that they haue takeÌ„ away necessary to saluacioÌ„ or nat If they were nat thenne is there not so greate losse of theym And on the tother syde yf they were so necessary that wythout the knowledge of theym the thynges that we be commaunded to do and whyche we maye nat without disobedyence of good leue vndone be bycomme noyouse superstycoyuse and dampnable thanne sythe as many suche sygnyfycacyons as be wrytten in the scrypture do remayne styll and be preched the tother of whose takyng away Tyndale complayneth beyng necessary for saluacion to be knowen were neuer wryten in scrypture And then falsefyeth hym selfe hys owne doctryne that no such necessary thynge was by thapostles lefte vnwryten If he saye that mo then haue theyr specyall sygnyfycacyons wryten in scrypture be not necessary therin wyll not onely the marke that we spake of of the olde holy sayntes marke hym for an heretike but so wyll the very scrypture to by whyche it appereth that all the seuyn sacramentes were by god gyuen to hys chyrche as thynges by goddes instytucyon necessary for mannys saluacyon in suche wyse at the lest wyse as the neglectynge and contempte of the grace that god geueth in theym is able to brynge the dyspyser to dampnacyon But it appereth clerely what holy purpose Tyndale hath in thys mater For he speketh not so myche of the sygnyfycacyons for any caâ—e that he careth for the sygnyfycacyons but onely bycause he wolde haue vs â—ake the sacramentes for no thynge ellys but onely for the bare sygnes of some loste sygnyâ—ycacyons and therfore as thynges not onely noughte worth and superfluouse but also superstycyouse and noyouse And in thys wyse wolde he make vs wene that for the sacrameÌ„tes we were neuer the better and that to take them for any other thynge then a bare token and to thynke that the blessed sacrament of the aulter were the very body and bloude of Cryste or any thynge ellys then wyne and cake brede set vp for a bare sygne as a tauerners busshe or tapysters aâ—e stake were a very superstycyouse thynge and not onely peryllous he sayth for the thynge in it selfe but also bycause it myghte happe to be a meane to make vs byleue that the thynges whyche the chyrch calleth good workes were any thynge frutefull or merytorious And which workes be those trowe ye fastyng watchyng in prayouâ— doynge of almoyse dedes were it not a perylouse thynge to byleue that suche thynges wolde do vs good beynge done as the catholyke chyrche techeth vs to do them to byleue that none of them all câ—n gete vs any rewarde in heueÌ„ of the nature of the dede it selfe but onely bycause the lyberall goodnesse of god hath appoynted such a rewarde ther to thorow the merytes of our sauyours passyon and that yet we maye well fere in all our good dedys suche imperfeccyon vppon our owne parte in the doynge that it shal percase haue no suche rewarde at all and for all that feare hope well and pray therewith that the goodnes of god supply vpon his parte the dew perfectyon requysyte that lacketh vppon our owne parte Is nat this doctryne of suche bylyefe and trust in good workes so peryllouse that rather than men myght be the rather drawen into good workes therwith Tyndale sholde make vs take all the seueÌ„ sacramentes and caste them clene awaye whych he sayth in mo places then one be now not onely frutelesse but also harmfull and perilouse In whyche poynt euery man marketh well that yet agayne the marke that we spake of the comeÌ„ consent of the olde holy doctours and sayntes marke thys man for a very myscheuouse heretyque And euer thys the farther he walketh the deper is this marke prented in hys forhed that he can neuer wander so farre oute of the waye but the deuyll wyll well inough by that marke perceyue hym and chalenge hym for hys own For lo thus goth he forth Tyndale And with false gloses whiche they haue patched to the scrypture in playne places to destroye the lyterale sense for to set vp a false fayned sense of alâ—egoryes when there is none suche and therby they haue stopped vp the gâ—tes of heuen the true knowlege of Cryst and haue made theyr â—wn belyes the dore For thorow theyr belyes mâ—ste thou crepe and there leue all thy fatte behynde the. More If Tyndale haue yet rayled inough glad wolde I be to haue hym come onys to some reason For as for hys crepynge thorow folkes belyes wherof he so sore coÌ„playneth I wolde he had declared how he crepte in and into whose mouth he crepte and by what crafte he scaped the teeth for bytynge and how longe he lay in the bely and howe he gate downe thorow the smale guttes and in the crepynge oute what stykkynge his face founde byneth how myche grece he lefte there behynde hym for the bely greace that he lefte behynde hym whyther he brought oute any gutte greace wyth hym For suche folyshe testynge and raylyng as he maketh here vpon the clergy myght any knaue haue made vppon the apostels in the begynnynge when euery man that came into chrystendome dyd geue all that euer he had in to theyr handes all to gether and kepte hym selfe ryght nought nor durst not vppon payne of deth after the vengeaunce of god fallen vppon Ananyas and Saphyra for kepyng parte of theyr owne a syde for them selfe Then myghte lo some suche as Tyndale is now haue rayâ—ed sayed to any that were wyllyng to come in to chrystendom Brother beware of the apostles for thorowe theyr belyes must thou crepe there leue all thy fatte behynde the. And as it semeth some suche felow bygan to sowe such seed of euyll rumour amonge y e people agaynst thapostles euyn than and set some suspycyouse or inquyete myndes vppon grudgynge Nor I can not now so greatly se who is coÌ„pelled to be at so great coste wyth the clergye Suche as haue of theâ—r owne make no great exaccyons bysyde that I heâ—e of And suche as nought haue of theyr owne yet is no man compâ—lled to gyue them aught but of hys owne deuocyon cheryte whyche yet such heretykes haue in some places not a lytell coled and in some places vtterly quenchedâ— when the people se theym so bestely to breke theyr vowys and wedde Now where he sayeth that the clergye vseth to dystroye the lyterall sense of the scrypture wyth false fayned allegoryes this is falsely sayd of hym For the allegorye neyther destroyeth nor letteth the lyterall sense but y e lyterall sense standeth whole bysyde And where he sayeth that there is none allegorye sense as Luther and he saye bothe and
by the profe and experyence dreuen lytle and lytle to take them almoste euerychone vppe agayne sauynge fastynge lo. For that ceremonye frere Luther wyll none in no wyse leâ—t yt sholde feble hys fleshe and let hym from getynge of chyldren and hyndre his harlot of temynge Now touchynge the sacramentes where of they say the chyrche hath taken away the sygnyfycacyons these heretykes take from theym all the thynge whyche they chiefly sygnyfye that is to say the grace inuisyble that god geueth wyth them and wherof he maketh them an effectuall tokeÌ„ and instrument And ouer this of the seuen they take away fyue quyte leue the tother twayne frutelesse and from the tone take they the swete carnell wythin the blessed body of Chryste and leue the people the shalys Then as for truste in workes the catholyque chyrche scantely teacheth so bolde trust in abstyneÌ„ce almoyse dede prayour and chastyte as theyr archeheretyques teache in glotony spoilyng of chyrches despyte of all holowes and in relygyouse lechery Fynally for makyng of false gloses them selfe do mych more then that For they where they lyste boldely deny the texte and wyll take for scrypture but what they lyst theym selfe for so reiecte they dyuerse partes whyche the whole catholyque chyrche doth receyue and so myghte they by the same reason reiecte the remanaunt to and so they wyll I wene at laste and some haue done all redy And then as for false gloses they make theym selfe the worst that euer were wroughte As Luther to make men wene that matrymony were no sacrament where the kynges hyghnes as a moste erudyte prynce and a moste faythfull kyng in his moste famouse boke amonge many other great authorytees reasons preced hym sore wyth that that the gloryouse apostle saynte Poule calleth yt a great sacrament hym self Luther I say letteth not in this wyse to glose saynte Poules wordes and say that saynte Poule peraduenture sayed yt of his owne hed Is not there an hamer hed more mete to make horshone in hell then to constre the scrypture in erth that is so harde as to make such gloses to that gloryouse apostles wordes wherin who so lyst to folow Tyndale maye set at short all that thapostle teacheth and say he sayd that but of his own mynde and not accordynge to the mynde of god And yet syth this is Luthers owne glose and his owne answere vnto other men Luther hym selfe and Tyndale also and all his other dyscyples myght well and wythout blasphemy be answered wyth the same in all the harde places of saynt Poule wyth theyr false glosynge wherof they wold destroy the fre wyll of man lay the weyght of theyr owne synnys to the charge of goddes ineuytable prescyeÌ„s and theyr owne ineuitable destynye Now what false gloses be they fayne to fynde agaynste good workes to corrupte an hundred playne places of holy scrypture by whyche they be clerely declared for thynges specyally pleasynge to god and thorough the menys of hys goodnes hyghly rewardable in heuen and merytoryouse what false gloses be they fayne to fynde agaynst holy vowâ—s of chastyte to corrupt so many playne places of scrypture as vtterly condempne to the deuyll theyr fowle fylthy wyddynges and incestuouse lechery Fynally fayne they not false gloses to corrupt the gospell and dreue god oute of christendome when they wolde expell Chryste out of the sacrameÌ„t of the auter what care they how they glose the apostle wheÌ„ they care not how shamelesse they shew them selfe in settyng so false and folyshe gloses to the playne open wordes of our sauyour Chryste hym selfe For where he sayd of the blessed sacrament This is my body Martyne Luther Tyndales olde mayster gloseth yt thus This is brede and my body Then frere Huyskyn and Suynglius Tyndales two new maysters declynynge from yll to worse glose yt in this faâ—hyon This is my body is as myche to say as this sygnyfyeth my bodye And so make they Christe to declare hym selfe as though he wold tell vs thus I sayd in dede that this is my bodye and so I made myne apostles wene and so haue I made all good men beleue this fyftene hundred yere but all this whyle haue I hadde no luste to tell my chyrche the trouth bycause there where so many good men in yt that wolde not vppon truste of fayth alone forbere from all good workes but were very besye with them by reason of theyr wronge vnderstaÌ„dinge of the scrypture whyche I lyked not to declare playnely to them bycause so many of them dyd vow chastyte and kepte yt But now that I haue fouÌ„den a nother maner sorte of holy men that haue vowed chastyte and breke theyr vowe and wyll do no suche good workes as myght make theym truste vpon any rewarde in heuen nor forbere any euyll workes wher wyth they shulde walke to hell but lyue at lyberty and do what they lyste and byleue as they lyste and loke to lepe strayght to heueÌ„ by the promyse that I neuer made them to theym haue I therefore nowe shewed euen the very botome of my stomake and not yet all at ones but fyrst I tolde Luther his secte that in the sacrament was bothe my very body very brede there wyth bycause they sholde not eate fleshe wythout brede for fere of bredynge wormys in the babys belyes But now sone after synnes I tolde to frere Huyskyn and Swynglius and bode them tell it out vnto Tyndale that where as I sayde This is my bodye and this is my bloode I ment no more but that yf sygnyâ—yeth my bodye and my blood and is nothynge ellys in dede but euen a cuppe of very wyne therwyth good cake brede alone but yf yt be as Tyndale douteth wyth ouer myche waterynge tourned from brede to starche These goodly gloses lo do these heretyques make and these blasphemouse folyes they preache vnto the people as boldely and as solempnely as though they hadde herd them in heuen lerned them of goddes owne mouth and wold seme to be sente from heuen in stede of Chrystes apostles and of our sauyour hym selfe and wyth testynge mokkynge and scoffynge wene to rayle out euery mannys reason saue theyr owne For thus lo wyth his symylytude of the scrybes pharysyes and synagoge of the Iewes Tyndale rayleth on agaynâ—te the prestes and the clergye the whole catholyque chyrche of Chryste Tyndale And suche blynde reasons as ours make agaynste vs made they agaynste Chryste sayenge Abraam is our father we be Moyses dyseyples Howe knoweth he the vnderstandynge of the scrypture he neuer lerned of any of vs. Onely the cursed vnlerned people that knowe not the scrypture byleue in hym loke whyther any of the rulers or pharysyes do byleue in hym More Tyndale as he before hath hytherto lykened the catholyque chyrche of all chrysten people vnto the synagoge of the Iewes and the scrybes and pharysyes that were then vnto
yet of all these markes all moste euery worde bytwene these heretykes and vs in questyon debate and controuersye tyll he make vs those questyons more clere eyther they or we be styll as blynd as we were and styll fele and fumble about to fynde out the chyrche as we dyd For fyrst where he sayd the scrypture truely vnderstanden haue they not brought that poynte in questyon And then how meaneth he now truely vnderstaÌ„den as the chyrche vnderstandeth it or as heretykes And yet are not he we well agreed vpon that poynt neyther but lyke wyse as that we call trewly he calleth falsely so loke whom we call heretykes he calleth the chyrch and whom we call the chyrche he calleth heretykes After the playne places whych be those and to whome playn the places that the tone part calleth playne the tother calleth croked and those that the tone calleth darke the other calleth open and playn And that place that the tone sayth is playne for one thynge the tother sayth is playne for the clene contrary The generall artycles of the fayth whyche be those For he woteth well that they and we be not yet agreed vppon theym For we byleue matrymony is a sacrament Tyndale sayth he can hym selfe make suche a nother sacrament of a nette or a kay we byleue that the sacrament of the auter is the very body and blood of Chryste Tyndale sayth yt is but wyne and cake brede Tyndale byleueth yt is lawfull yf he byleue as he sayth that freres may wedde nunnys and we byleue as all good men haue euer byleued that suche maryage is very vnlawfull lechery playne abomynable bychery what are we then the nere towarde the knowlege of the chyrche by the articles of the fayth yf those artycles be broughte in as myche dowte as the chyrche we seme to haue nede fyrste to fynde oute well the trew chyrche to be sure of a trewe teacher to teache vs them bycause saynte Poule sayth that the chyrch is the pyller sure grounde of trouth Nay sayth Tyndale yt shall not nede For the generall artycles be those that thou fyndest in scrypture whyche thou to whome speketh he for that the tone parte eyther fyndeth or weneth he fyndeth the tother parte sayth is not there wheÌ„ yt is shewed yet he sayth he seeth yt not And when the tother telleth hym that he is then very blynd the tother telleth hym agayne nay but that on the tother syde hys syght rather daseth and weneth he seeth that he seeth not and taketh one thynge for twayne For we thynke we fynde in the scrypture that confyrmacyon holy order and anelynge be great and holy sacramentes Tyndale sayth we fynde yt not there we thynke we fynde in very palyne scrypture that in the sacrameÌ„t of thauter is the very blessyd body of Chryste Tyndale wyll yf nede requyre not let I am sure to swere that there ys nothynge there but cake brede we thynke we fynde in scrypture that men are bounden to kepe theyr holy vowys and that freres therefore maye not wedde nunnes Tyndale wyll not let to say we lye all and that so do all holy sayntes to fro Chrystes dayes hytherto that euer sayd so byfore Now shall we now agree what are we now the nere for thys marke I wote nere also what he meaneth by generall artycles for we call generall articles those that y â— generall chyrch byleueth and specyall those that be byleued but of some specyall folke If he wolde take yt thus this wold ease mych of the matter But now I can not tell whyche he calleth generall artycles For the generall chyrch calleth those parte of the generall artycles whyche artycles Tyndale sayth be false no parte of the fayth at all yet where he sayth such generall artycles as thou fyndest in the scrypture he muste tell vs onys agayne whych thou For betwene the chyrch and hys sectys yt is not fully agreed whyche bokes be the trewe scrypture For frere Barns sayth playne that saynt Iamys pystle is none of his And frere Luther sayth the same and setteth not mych therby though he wyste well yt were his in dede and so the sectes take not all for scrypture that the catholyque chyrche dothe Nowe where he speketh of the samples gone afore he muste bothe tell vs whych ensamples he meaneth and apply those ensamples also to his present purpose And wheÌ„ he hath so done then shall ye well see that they sâ—all as all his other markes do but yf we byleue the comeÌ„ knowen catholyque chyrche shew ellys no certaynty of any chyrche at all but one chyrche to one sorte and a nother chyrch to a nother and fynally as many sundry chyrches as there be sondry sectes of heretyques And syth not onely no secte agreeth with other but almost also no man amonge theym all wyth other all Tyndales markes be so dyuerse to so many y â— they must nedes shewe almost as many dyuerse chyrches as there are gone owte of the knowen catholyke chyrche not onely dyuerse sectes but also dyuerse menne And agaynst this hath Tyndale none euasyon that can well serue hym but onely one And that is yf he saye that he meneth all his doutfull wordes to be expowned by him selfe that is to saye that he meaneth by scrypture well vnderstanden the scrypture so vnderstanden as hym selfe vnderstandeth yt and by playne placys those places that he calleth playne hym selfe and by generall artycles those artycles that he calleth generall hym selfe that he calleth founden in scrypture all those artycles and onely those that he sayth he fyndeth there hym self and ensamples byfore gone those ensamples onely that hym selfe lyste to assygne and so applyed as hym selfe lyste to applye them And surely yf he meane thus thys wyll som set an ende in the mater and shortely ceace all the stryfe yf all folke agree to folow hym and ellys be we styll yet at as greate stryfe as we were before And yet yf he so mene what nedeth he so longe processe For then amouÌ„teth all hys tale to no more but as though he myghte saye wyll ye knowe whyche is the very chyrch Surely the very chyrche is euyn whych so euer chyrch my selfe lyste to tell you And this were ye wote well soone and shortely sayde and were a very godly conclusyon But now goeth he ferther after the fasshyon of an olde englyssh balad that beginneth The ferther I go the more behynde For now in dylatynge and declarynge of hys conclusyon he addeth one thynge as the fynall openynge of all in the ende that vtterly marreth all his mater And therfore shall ye now here all the remanaunt of thys chapyter at onys More Though the pharyseys succeded the patryarches and prophetes and had the scrypture of them yet they were heretykes and fallen from the fayth of them â—nd theyr lyuynge And Cryste and his discyples and IohnÌ„ the Babtyste departed from the phariseys whiche were heretykes vnto
now to be of the same harte and mynde that the olde holy fathers haue ben of in olde tyme. And how wyll thys holy baptyste do all thys gere and thus turne the hartes of the chyldren and the fathers all in to one surley by techynge the chyldren as well in fayth as lyuynge the very clene contrary of all that euer theyr olde holy fathers thys .xv. hundred yere haue taughte them with tellyng vs that all the olde fathers were â—yke the false pharyseys and corrupted the scrypture as pharyseys dyd wyth false gloses teachynge good workes and sacramentes and kepyng of holy vowes and suche other synfull superstycyons And therfore doth thys holy new baptyste to purge and puryfye the people byd vs now byleue that to breke the vowe of chastyte is a good wurke and well done and that all other good wurkes be nought worth and baptysme as lytell worth bycause y e presâ—e speketh to the chyld in laten a langage that the chyld vnderstandeth not as he sholde full well ye wote well yf the tale were tolde hym in hys mother tong Then techeth he vs that confessyon is the deuyls inuencyon and absolucyon ys but whystelynge Satysfaccyon greate synne to do any The sacrament of wedlocke he sayeth is suche that he coulde make as good a sacrament of an olde nette sauyng onely when freres wedde nonnes for thaÌ„ is it holy in suche holy folke The sacrament of holy order he iesteth vpon wyth shauyn and shorne and oyled waggyng of the bysshoppes hand and saynt Poules hand layde vppon Tymothe but lyke a mannes hande layed on a boyes hedde and call hym good sonne The sacrament of extreme vnccioÌ„ he calleth but gresynge the syke man The sacrameÌ„t of confyrmacyon he calleth but smeryng of the chyldes face and butterynge of the boyes forehed The holy blessed sacrament of the aulter the very precyouse body and bloude of our sauyour hym self this holy new baptyste forbedyth to haue any honour done vnto it but onely take it for a memoryall of hys passyoÌ„ And then he iesteth theron hym selfe sayth that it is no thyng ellys but wyne and cake brede excepte it be peraduenture turned into starch Lo good Chrysten readers here is the doctryne of thys nowe baptyste not saynt IohnÌ„ Baptyâ—te but syr wyllyam Baptysteâ— thys holy wyllyam Tyndale otherwyse called Huchyn scolare to frere Huyskyn whyche hath here made you of the synagoge scrybes and pharyseys such a goodly paynted processe as he hath now tolde you twyse a serued you wyth a Iak of Parys an euyll pye twyse baken to declare you twyse the greate frute and profyte that the world maye now taken yf it wyllâ— by hys holy comynge into it to preche and rebuke the pharisaycall doctrine of all the olde holy sayntes and teche hys owne godly chryâ—ten heresyes suche as ye now haue herde And now yf thys gere be good then haue we surely great cause to thanke god For then can we lacke none holy baptystes to preche vs. For there is not I wene so pore a vyllage in chrystendome in whyche there is dwellynge any one vyllayne knaue but he maye be wythin thre dayes yf he be not all redy suche an other baptyste as thys is and rebuke all that good is wyth suche abomyâ—able blasphemye as now Tyndale doth yf any chrysten mannes â—aâ—ys can abyde the herynge But yet remember good readers that in the conclusyon of all that tale he knytteth it vp with a fresh lusty poynte and soyleth all the reason in thys wyse Tyndale Now make this reason vnto IohnÌ„ Baptist and vnto many prophetes that went before hym and dyd as he dyd ye and vnto â—rysâ—e hym selfe and his apostles and thou shalt â—ynde theÌ„ all heretykes and the scribes and pharysyes good men yâ— that reason be good More Thys poynte is lo the olde poynte whych here and in hys solucyon to the â—yrst reason he hath put forthe four or fyue tymes before sauynge that he gyueth allway hys old poynt at one ende or other some newe aglette But when all hys coste is done theron it is not all worth an aglet of a good blewe poynt For I haue in my syxte boke answerynge hys solucyon to the fyrste reason shewed you many answeres that saynt IohnÌ„ and Cryste and hys apostles and other pore folke to very farre vnder them myght saye for them selfe agaynâ—te the scrybes and pharyseys whyche thinges neyther Luther nor Tindale nor none of all theyr sectes can say for theÌ„ selfe agaynste the catholyke chyâ—che And yet more shall I shew you of the same sorte when ye haue hard what Tyndale can here saye for hym selfe Aâ—ter all whych thynge harde well wayed ye shall well and clerely perceyue that for Tyndales tale the reason of saynt Austayne that Tyndale here speketh of beynge made by the Iewes agaynste saynt IohnÌ„ and Cryste and his apostles shall haue no strength at all neyther to proue theym euyll nor the pharysyes good And yet the same reason beynge by the catholyque chyrche made agaynst Tyndale and Luther and Huyskyn and Swynglius muste nedes proue the catholyque chyrch to be the very chyrch of Cryst and that Luther and Tyndale and all they with all those that byleue them be playne vndouted heretyques And therfore let vs fyrst se with what euasion Tyndale wyll auoyde this reason for hym selfe and his own sectes And then what Cryste can saye more for hym selfe and his company we shall se somwhat after Tyndale lo teacheth his dyscyples to answere the reason thus Tyndale Therfore this wyse thou maysâ—e answere No thankes vnto the 〈…〉 that chyrche that the scrypture was kepte but vnto the merâ—y of go◠〈◊〉 as they had destroyed the ryght sense oâ— yt for theyr â—â—â—re saâ—e â—uen 〈…〉 they haâ—e destroyed yt also had they câ—ulde rather tâ—â—n â—he people shol◠〈◊〉 come vnto the ryght vnderstandyng of yt as they 〈◊〉 the trâ—we interpretâ—uâ—s and preachers of yt And euen so no thâ—â—â—â—es vnto our ypocrites that the scrypture is kepte but vnto the botomlesâ—e mercy of god For as they haue destroyed the ryght sence of yt wyth theyr seuen anâ— as they destroye dayly the trewe preachers oâ— yt and as they â—eâ—e yt from the laye people that they shold not se how they 〈◊〉 wyth yt euen so 〈◊〉 they destroye yt also coulde they bryng yt aboutâ— rather then we shulde come by the trewe vnderstandynge of yâ— were yt not that god prouyded otherwyse for vs. For they haue put the storyes that shuld in many thynges helpe vs clene oute of the waye as nye as they coulde They haue corrupte the â—egende and lyues almoste of all sayntes They haue fayned false â—okes and put them forth some in the name of saynt Hiâ—rome some in the name oâ— saynte Austayne in the name of saynte Cypriane saynte Dyonyse and other holy men â—hych are proued none of theyrs partely by the style and latyne and partly by auteÌ„tyke storyes And as the Iewes hâ—ue
set â—p a boke of tradicyâ—â—s called Talmud to destroy the sence of the scrypture vnto whych they geâ—e fayth and vnto the scrypture none at all be yt neuer so playne but saye yt can not be vnderstande saue by the talmud euen so haue curs set â—ppe they re Dunce theyr Thomas and a thousand lyke draffe to stablyshe theyrâ— lyes thâ—row fâ—lsefyeng the scrypture and say that it can not be vnderstande with out them be yt neuer so playne And yâ— a man allege an holy doctour agaynst them they gâ—â—se hym out as they do the scrypture or wyll not heare or saye the â—hyrche hath otherwyse determyned More Nowe good crysten reders here haue you herde one of his answers whych how yt maketh any thynge to the purpose surely that se not I. For where as the reason of saint Austayne is that men may perceyue that this knowen catholyque chyrche is the very chyrch in that that god hath vnto this chyrche geuen his gyfte of dyscernynge the very scrypture of god from the counterfete and to receyue the tone and reiecte the tother and that he hath so geuen that grace vnto this chyrch onely that no man can ordynaryly be sure whyche wrytynge is holy scrypture and whyche is not but by the tradycyon of this chyrche and credence geuen therunto for yf he toke yt of a company of heretiques yet euermore those heretykes lyke as they came out of this whole chyrche and theyr authours and begynâ—ers were onys a parte therof and then of this chyrche receyued the scrypture byfore they departed oute therof so dothe euermore the credeÌ„ce wheruppon the knowlege of the trew scrypture dependeth that credeÌ„ce I say resorteth euer vppe to this whole catholyke chyrche vnto whyche wythoute credence had ben geuen none heretyke had knowen whyche were the very scrypture For the profe wherof we yet se y â— these hâ—retykes in so ferforth as they byleue the chyrch in so ferforth they knowe whyche is the scrypture and in so ferforth as they byleue not the chyrche they perceyue not whyche is the scrypture though they haue it in theyr handes and rede yt As ye may se by the pistle of saynt Iames whyche pystle Luther and frere Baâ—ons let not to reiecte and set a syde for nought And thus euermore heretikes all the scrypture that they know by the catholyke chyrch they know For to this onely chyrche as Tyndales owne mayster confesseth hath god gyuen that gyfte to dyscerne the trew scrypture fro the false And syth that god hath geuen this great spyrytuall gyfte onely to the chyrche whyche gyfte is a begynnynge of spyrytuall lyuely doctryne yt therby well and clerely appereth to any man that wyll not wylfully wynke that this chyrche is the very chyrche of whyche god wyll haue men lerne Now good cristen reder this beyng the reason and purpose of holy saynte Austayne and hauyng in yt selfe suche strength that Luther coulde not hym selfe say nay therto not withstandynge that the confessynge therof must nedes ouerturne his hereâ—yes now byddeth Tyndale his dyscyples that they shall answere therto that the catholyque chyrch is not to be thaÌ„ked for the scripture that we receyue therof but the botomlesse mercy of god here is all thys whole answere to the reason for all the remanaunt is nothynge ellys but raylynge agaynste the chyrch Now what goth this answere to the purpose who byddeth hym geue the thanke to the chyrche let hym lyke as he byleueth the chyrch that the gospels of the foure euangelystes be the trew gospell of Cryste so know therby and byleue that the same chyrche by whyche he knoweth that poynt and whyche in that poynte he byleueth is here in erth the very chyrche of Cryste and then let hym geue the thanke to god wythout whose grace workyng wyth hym he coulde not byleue the chyrche neyther in the tone poynt nor the tother and for lakke of whose grace whych grace he lakketh not but in his own defaut he now byleueth not the tone poynte as he dothe the tother excepte he lakke so mych that for his malyce he byleue neyther nother I pray god geue hym onys the grace to byleue both and when he so doth then shall he haue the grace therwyth to perceyue that he hath for the knowlege of the trewe scrypture frome the false great cause to geue thanke to both Fyrste pryncypally to god that gaue that gyfte vnto his chyrche and wrought wyth hym to byleue yt and after to the chyrche that was a meane and mynyster in bryngynge that grace vnto hym and cause also to be gladde a great dele in hym selfe that he resysted not god and his chyrche but folowed and went wyth them in callynge hym home agayne to the bylyefe of god and his chyrche from the damnable wayes of his malycyouse errours And now that ye playnly perceyue that this answere of his nothynge toucheth the purpose I wolde very fayne passe ouer his folyshe raylynge sauyng that yt semeth necessary that the foly and lyes of suche false frantyque heretykes may be well knowen lest some good symple soules may wene them wyse and trew therwyth and theruppon be deceyued and byleue them Fyrste he rayleth vppon the doctours of the catholyke chyrch sayth y t they haue destroyed y â— right sence of y â— scripture with theyr leuyn Now all this ye wote well he meaneth in y â— they teach that folke shuld not trust in only fayth wythout good workes of cheryte and of penauÌ„ce and that they teache that freres sholde not wedde nâ—nnys and that crysten men sholde praye for all crysten soules and â—holde haue Crystes holy sacramentes in reuereÌ„ce and specyally the blessed sacrament of the auter the precyouse body anâ— blood of Cryste hym selfe and other suche thynges lyke This is the leuen for whych Tindale doth now damne here the doctoures of the catholyque chyrche But euery man well woteth and hym selfe to though he say nay that this doctryne is of y â— leuen wherwith the woman of whom Crâ—ste speketh in the gospell of saynt Matthew dyd leuen all her whole dough and mele that is to say of that leuen wyth whych not onely all the old holy doctours but also y â— blessed apostles them selfe our sauyoure Cryste also hym selfe leueneâ—â—he brede of theyr doctryne whych eyther in woâ—des or wrâ—â—ynge they taughte vnto the crysten fâ—oke All which leuen Tyndale wold now take out and leue vs the scrypture vnsauery Then rayleth he forth on and sayth They destroy dayly the trâ—â— preachers oâ— yt Here let hym name whyche and then sâ—all he name you suche as wolde destroy the leuen that I now rehersed you whyche Cryste hath hym self put in our brede suche as for the more parte wolde take his owne blessed body out of the sacrament and leue there for our soules nothynge but vnsauory brede or as Tyndale argueth yt starche in sâ—ede of brede I wolde he wolde name them all that haue nowe
he woâ—eth that Cryste promysed and sent the same spyryte to hys chyrch to teche it lede it into all trewth and hym selfe also to dwell therin for euer And that the knowen catholyke chyrche is it that onely hath the same spyryte appereth clerely by thys that onely the knowen catholike chyrch hath in it declared and contynued the power For none other chyrche of Chryste is there in whyche the myracles contynue And therfore yf there were any such felyng fayth in any chyrche then must it be in thys chyrche then were thys chyrche the chyrche of Tyndals electes and then were ther wythall hys whole purpose loste Now yf he wyll not in any wyse agree that any papystes may be electes and haue the felynge fayth nor any man at theyr prechynge bycause they do but raue rage but the menne of Samary were electes must nedes haue the felyng fayth for this onely cause that is to wyt bycause our lord preched to them hym selfe so that ellys they could not at the prechynge of any other then let it lyke hym to remeÌ„ber that Cryste preched to many men his owne mouth of whyche there were some that thorow theyr frowarde wyll byleued neuer a whyt as for ensample the scrybes and pharyseys And some byleued at the fyrst full well afterward yet fell away as dyd almost all the mayny of his discyples when he tolde them of hys body and bloude that sholde be both mete drynke went they not from hym than as Tyndale hath done synnys for y â— self same cause bycause he wyll none other byleue but that it is onely â—ake brede wyne And hadde not Iudas Iscaryoth herd our lorde as often prech and as longe as dyd those men of Samary ye and byleued as well to somtyme and yet fell after to noughte as Tyndale is fallen now Nay sayth Tyndale Iudas neuer byleued How proueth Tyndale that agayneâ— For of all lykelyhâ—â— he dyd syth Cryste toke hym and made hym hys apostâ—e and sente hym forth to prech and forther as some good coÌ„mentours expowne these verses sayth of hym hym â—elfe If myne enemye had cursed me I myght haue susteyned borne it And also yf he that hated me had spoken hyghe wordes to me I wolde perauenture haue hydde me from hym But thou man of one mynde wyth me my guyde and myne acquayntauÌ„ce that dydest eate with me swete mere we walked togyther in the howse of god with one agreable mynd Here sayth our sauyour of hym not onely that he was his acquayntaunce famylyare and that they pleasauÌ„tely dyd eate to gyther but also that they were of one mynde onys walked in the howse of god wyth good consent togyther had Cryste ben of one mynde coÌ„sent with Iudas at any tyme yf Iudas had at no tyme beâ—e of the ryght bylyefe well wyll Tyndale say but yet hadde he but an hystorycall fayth not the felyng fayth Now where is then become y â— profe of Tyndals tale y â— the men of Samary muste nedes haue the felyng fayth bycause they spake with Cryste and coulde not haue so for all the womans wordes tyll they spake wyth Cryst yf Cryst spake wyth Iudas mych more then wyth them yet had Iudas but eyther hystorycall fayth or els no fayth at all or finally his felynge fayth fayled fell awaye wherupon it foloweth that there fayleth falleth away Tyndals hole tale wythall For how proueth he now that theyr bylyefe was a felynge fayth that neuer coulde fayle nor fall And thus ye se good reders how wysely Tyndale proueth hys dystynccyoÌ„ of hystorycall fayth and felyng fayth by the sample of the Samarytanys by whych he proueth as ye se neyther one thynge nor other And fynally yf we graunte hym that all was there trew that he sayth that is to wytte that the men had the felynge fayth bycause they spake wyth Cryst mouth to mouth and that excepte hys personall prechyng theyr fayth had bene but an opynyon faynt feble and frutelesâ—e then were Tyndale yet brought vnto the wurste poynte of all For then must it nedes folow theron that neyther Luther nor Tyndale nor Huyskyn nor Suinglius can bynd vs to byleue that they haue the felynge fayth tyll they brynge vs forth good profe that they haue spoken not wyth other y â— preche them Crystes wordes but as the menne of Samary dyd euyn face to face wyth Crystes owne person present Now se ye well good chrysten reders that of all hys coÌ„clusyon of hystorycall fayth and felyng fayth wheruppon fynally dependeth all hys purpose to wynd away wythall and â—hyfte hym selfe asyde he proueth vs neuer a pyece And yet as though there muste nedes be such a felynge fayth as he descrybeth he procedeth forth and sayth Tyndale The scrypture sayth cursed is he that trusteth in man and maketh floshe his arme that is to say his strength And euen so cursed is he that hath none nother bylyefe but bycause men so saye Cursed were he that had no nother why to byleue then that I so saye And euen so cursed ys he that byleueth onely bycause the pope so sayth and so forthe thorow out all the men in the worlde More ye se good reders that these wordes waye to proue that of necessyte there muste be suche a felynge fayth as he assygneth For ellys maketh Tyndale as though no man coulde haue any other cause of hys fayth but the trust that he putteth in the man that telleth hym so and that saith he is a thynge accursed in the scrypture A lytell afore Tyndale alledged saynt Austayne in beleuynge the gospell for the chyrche now lo he calleth hym accursed for puttynge of men in so mych â—ruâ—te But I suppose the scrypture speketh of these prounde wordly folke that wene them selfe saufe inough by worldly strength and able to conquere wynne vp the world with multytude of men of whom the scrypture sayth that they put trust of vyctory some in horse some in charyotes These kynde of people do make flessh theyr arme not euery maÌ„ y â— byleueth an other in tellynge of a tale For they byleue not with theyr arme perde but as they walke with theyr haÌ„des bycause they cast them not of But Tyndale that dysdayneth to byleue the chyrche he is by goddes owne mouth accursed out of the chyrche For who so sayth ouâ— sauyouâ— wyll not here the chyrche take hym for a publycan and a very paynym But now good chrysten readers I haue declared you before that saynt Austayne in byleuynge the scrypture bycause of the authoryte of the chyrche and all we that do the lyke do not therby put our truste in man but in god that by hys inwarde spyryee and outwarde myracles enclyneth vs to byleue hys chyrche therin and yet by the same scrypture also confermeth the same bylyefe by hys great promyses therin conteyned and made vnto the same
and yf any mannes wurke burne he shall suffer the losse For eyther whyle we lyue in thys worlde we labour our selfe wyth penaunce or ellys truely bycause god so wyll or suffereth it we are punysshed wyth many trybulacyons for these synnys And then yf we gyue thankes vnto god we be delyuered whyche thynge is a thys wyse yf oure husbande or oure wyfe or oure sonne dye or yf our substauÌ„ce whyche we loue more then we shold do be taken from vs. For though we loue Chryste aboue that substaunce so that yf nede were we wolde rather lâ—se that substaunce than denye Chryste yet bycause as I haue afore sayd yf we loue that substaunce more than we shold and can not whyle we lyue or when we dye lese it wythout greate sorowe and yet for all that yf when we lese it we gyue thankes as good chyldren vnto god whych as a mercyfull father suffereth our substauÌ„ce to be taken froÌ„ vs yf we wyth very humylyte confesse that we suffer lesse punyshment than we haue deserued the synnys be in suche wyse purged in thys worlde that in the worlde to come the fyre of purgatory can fynde eyther no thynge or ryght lytell to burnâ— But then yf we neyther thanke god in our trybulacyon nor bye out our synnys with good workes we shal so longe abyde in that fyre of purgatory tyll the venyall synnys aboue named be consumed vp as wode hey and stubblys But some man wyll saye I force not how longe I there abyde so that I maye at the last go to the euerlastyng lyfe Let no man say thus my moste welbeloued bretherne for the fyre of purgatory is more sharpe then any payne y t in thys worlde can be sene or thought or felt c. Lo good chrysten reders ye maye clerely se by saynt Austayns wordes here that he mente not to deny purgatory there but affermeth it playnely syth he sayeth there is no dowt but that prayour and almoyse dede and the oblacyon of that holy sacryfyce offred for them in the masse maketh the soulys that are departed to be the more mercyfully delt wythall and theyr paynes to be releued In whyche fewe wordes saynt Austayn wytnesseth agaynst mo of theyr heâ—esyes than one For he not onely affermeth purgatory agaynst yong father Fryth and affermeth also that almoyse dede and prayour maye releue the soulys therin but ouer that he techeth vs agaynst all these newe sectes that good wurkes be merytoryouse not onely for hym selfe that doth them but also to other folke And yet ouer that he techeth vs that we maye here meryte deserue in thys lyfe y t other folkes good dedes may meryte for vs and serue vs whan we be dede It foloweth also y â— syth we maye praye for the soules that haue nede they maye also praye for vs whyche haue yet more nede than they not for our present peyne teÌ„porall but for auoydynge of perpetuall syth soynt Iamys sayth Orate pro inuicem vt salâ—emini Saynte Austayne affermeth here also that the blessed body and bloude of Cryste in the masse is a sacryfyce and an oblacyon to god agaynst Luther all hys adherentes Fynally he techth vs here that the tradycyon of the fathers and the comune obseruaunce and custume of the catholyke chyrche is for the certyfycacyon of a trouth a sure vndowted authoryte Now good chrysten reders yf ye lyke to take so myche labour as to rede saynt Austayns wordes agayne in such wyse as Barns reherseth them in hys boke and than to coÌ„pare them wyth hys very wordes in dede as I haue trewly translated them ye shall merueyle mych to se what wylynesse he hath vsed therin yet what lacke of wyt therwithâ— For Barns hath as ye maye se taken pecys of saynt Austayne pached theym to gyther wyth a worde or twayne of hys owne some where bytwene as thoughe the wordes laye so to gyther in the text as he reherseth them where as he leueth out by the waye the very chyefe poynte of all by whyche saynt Austayne excepteth them from forgyuenesse at theyr deth that than haue dedâ—ly synne that is to saye them y t do dye therin And Barns leueth of before he come to the poynt leâ—t we sholde se that they whyche be forgyuen so clene at theyr deth muste vse suche wayes therto as not euery man so suffycyently vseth to be so soone so clene forgyuen that yet dyeth in the state of grace and shall be layd vp at last for pure gold in the treasures of god but he shall in the furnace of the fyre of purgatory be purely fyned fyrst Also where as saynt Austayne hauynge hys whole wordes well vnderstanden sayth no more but that euery suche man of the chyrche as dyeth out of dedely synne and wyth helpe of god in the vertue of Crystes passyon by faythfull prayour contâ—ycyon and great heuynesse of harte wyth dylygence vsed in auoydynge synne and doynge good vertuouse workes in hys lyfe before shall at hys deth be fully forgyuen and layed vp pure golde in the treasures of god Frere Barns reherseth his wordes in such wise as though saynt Austayne had sayed that euery man of the very chyrche wythout any excepcyon sholde passe hense pure clene and forthwyth go to god as though no man of thys chyrch coulde dye in dedely synne wherof saynt Austayne in these wordes quae talia habebat vt dimiterentur declareth playnely the contrary Barns also concludeth wherfore by thys meane the chyrche of god is in the treasures of god without spotte or wryncle whyche wordes whaÌ„ I redde sowned vnto myne vnderstandyng so haue they to many that I know haue redde them that the chyrche is in the treasures of goddes foreknowledge and predestynacyon alwaye pure and clene where as saynte Austayne sayth nor meneth no more but that as many of the chyrch as be forgyuen thoughe many be not forgyuen bycause they be the lette of theyr forgyuenesse them self for lacke of dew desyrynge yet they that be shall whan the be be layed vp pure golde in goddes treasory in one or other of those good shoppys where shall neuer be more tryall pressynge nor strechynge put vnto them Barns leueth out also these wordes of saynte Austayne that god is the moste cunnynge wuâ—keman goth aboute the clensynge of our spottes stretchyng out of our wryncles dylygently but yet in thys world in the course of oure lyfe he is alwaye in doynge of it and hath not fully done it tyll we parte hense by deth These wordes of saynt Austayne whyche Barons here leueth out or purposely leueth of ere he come at theym do playne full agre wyth that exposycyon that I gaue you here in thys boke agaynst Barns of saynt Poâ—lys wordes that Barns brought in for hym you men loue your wiues as Cryste loued the chyrche and hath gyuen hym selfe for her that he myghte sanctyfye her and clense her in the fouÌ„tayne of