The. xiiii. chapyter

THan maketh mayster Maskar an other argument, wherwyth he wolde as it semeth somwhat strēgth the fyrst, as yt hath of trouth no lytle nede, beynge as yt is so feble of yt selfe.

His other argument therfore is (as you haue herd) this. what thyng so euer is euery where after the sayd maner, that muste nedes be infynyte withoute be gynnynge and ende. It muste be one, and alone, and almygh tye. Whyche propertees are appropryed vnto the gloryouse maieste of the godhed. But Chrystes manhed ys not suche (as hym selfe wytnesseth in holy scrypture) ergo his manhed can not be in all or in many places at ones.

Fyrste (that we labour not about noughte) we muste consyder what mayster Maskar meaneth by these wordes, after the sayde maner. He sayde you wote well in the tother argument before, that the glory of god, is to be present, and to fyll all places at ones, essentyally, presently, with hys almyghtye power. And therfore whan he saythe nowe, what so euer thynge is euery where at ones after the sayde maner, he meaneth (you se well) present, and fyllynge all places at ones, essencyally, presently, wyth his almyghtye power.

I let passe here his word presently, whose presence nedeth not in that place for ought that I can se. For whan he sayd byfore, present and fyllynge all places at ones essentyally: his other worde presently may take his leue and be absent wel ynough. For howe can he be present & essentyally fyll the place, and not presently? But nowe whan he sayeth by hys almyghtye power: what ys thys to the mater? For yt is ynough agaynste hym, yf any creature […] be present in euery place at ones, and essencyally fyl the place / not by hys owne almyghtye power, but by the almyghty power of god / and yet not so fyll the place neyther, but that yt maye haue a nother wysh yt in the same place. For I trowe he wyl not denye, but that there be many creatures in those places, whyche god wyth his owne presence essencyally fylleth full.

Therefore as for these wordes ofter the sayde maner whyche he putteth in to make vs amased: mayster Maskar must put out again. Now yt being put out, reherse & cōsyder wel master maskars argument, what thynge so euer is in euery place at ones, that thynge muste nedes be infynyte with out begynnynge and ende / it must be one, and alone, and almyghty / which propretyes are appropryed to the gloryouse maiestie of the godhed.

But the manhed of Chryste is a cre ature and not god: ergo Chrystes manhed can not be in all places or in many places at ones.

And yet consyder here that though he leue oute that odyouse worde: yet muste his cōclusyon be indede, that god cā not make yt so, as you se plain by his begynnyng, where he she weth that yt implyeth repugnaunce, & that therfore god can not do yt.

Now good readers consyder wel his fyrste proposycyon, whyche we call the maior, that is to wyt that god can not make any thynge created to be euery where at ones. Let vs pray hym to proue yt, and geue hym one yeres leysour to yt. But here he taketh vppon hym to proue yt, and layeth for the reason, that god cā not make any creature to be in all places at ones, bycause yt shold than be infynyte, and therby god almyghties mate and hygh felow. Lette hym as I say proue vs this in two yere, that yt sholde than be infynyte, wythoute begynnynge, and wythout ende, and almyghty. In good fayth eyther am I very dull, or elles doth mayster Maskar tel vs here in a very madde tale.

I thynke he wyll not denye, but that god whyche coulde make all this worlde, heuen, and erthe, and all the creatures yt he created therin, coulde yf yt so had pleased hym, haue created onely one man, and let all the remanaunt alone vncreated, and haue kept hym styll, and neuer haue made heuen nor erth nor none other thyng, but onely that one man alone. The soule nowe that than hadde ben crea ted in that man, hadde yt not than ben in all places at ones? I suppose yes. For there hadde bene no mo places than that mannys bodye / and therein hadde there ben many placesin many diuerse partes of the man / in all why che that soule sholde haue bene present at ones, and the whole soule in euery parte of all those places at ones. For so is euery soule in euery mannes bodye nowe. And yet hadde that soule not ben infynyte, no more than euery soule is now.

If god wolde nowe (as yf he wolde he coulde) create a newe spyryte that sholde fulfyll all the whole worlde heuyn and erthe and all, as myche as euer ys created, that in suche wyse sholde be whole present at ones in euery parte of the worlde, as the soule is in euery parte of a man, and yet sholde not be the soule of the worlde: I wyll here aske may ster Maskar, were that newe created spyryte infynyte? If he answere me naye: than hathe he soyled hys owne wyse reason hym selfe. For thanne no more were the manhed of Chryste, though yt were present in all those places of the whole world at ones. If he answere me ye: than syth that spyryte were no more infynyte than the worlde ys, wyth in the lymytes and boundes wherof yt were conteyned, yt wolde folowe therof, that the worlde were infynyte all redye, whyche is false.

And also yf yt were trewe, thanne wold yt folow by mayster Maskers reason, that god almyghtye hadde a mache all redy, that is to wyt a nother thyng infynyte besyde hym self, whyche is the inconuenience that ma keth mayster Maskar afferme yt for impossyble, that god coulde make Chrystes manhed to be in all places at ones.

Thus you se good readers vpon what wyse grounde mayster Maskar hath here concluded, that god can not make Chrystes bodye to be in all places at ones.

But yet is yt a worlde to consyder how madly the man concludeth. His conclusion is this ye wote wel, Wherfore Chrystes body can not be in all places, or in many places at ones. All his reason ye wote well goth vppon beynge in all places at ones, bycause that theruppon wolde yt by his wyse reason folowe, that yt shold be infynyte. And nowe is that poynte of trouthe no parte of our mater. For we saye not that Chrystes bodye is in all places at ones, but in heuyn, and in suche places as the blessed sacramente ys. And therfore where as his reason goeth nothynge agaynste beynge in many places at ones, but onely agaynste beynge at ones in all places: he concludeth sodaynely agaynste beynge in many places, towarde whyche conclusyon no pyece of his premisses hadde any maner of mocyon. And so in all this his hygh solemne argument, and his farre fet reason, neyther is his maior trew, nor his argumēt toucheth not the mater, nor his premysses any thynge proue his conclusyon. And yet after thys goodly reasonyng of his, he reioyceth in his harte hyghly to se how iolyly he hathe handeled yt, and sayeth,

Here yt is playne that all thynges that More yma gyneth and fayneth are not possyble to god. For yf ys not possyble to god to make a creature egall to hym selfe, for yt includeth vepugnaunce and […] teth hys glorye.

Mayster maskar speketh myche of myne vnwryten dremys and vanytees. But here haue we hadde a wryten dreme of hys, and therein this folyshe boste also so ful of vayn gloryouse vanytie / that yf I hadde dremed yt in a fyt of a feuer, I wold I wene haue ben a shamed to haue tolde my dreme to my wyfe when I woke. And nowe shall you good readers haue here a nother pyece as proper.

God promysed and swore that all nacyons shuld be blessed in the deth of that promysed sede whych was Chryste: god had determyned and decreed yt before the world was made: ergo Cryste must nedys haue dyed / and to expowne this worde oportet as More mynseth it. For it was so necessary that the contrary was impossyble: excepte More wolde make god a […], whyche is impossyble. Paule concludeth that Cryst must nedes haue dyed / vsynge this latin terme Necesse. Sayeng where so euer is a testyment, there muste the deth of the testyment makes go betwene: or essys the testament is not ratyfyed and sure / but ryghtuousnes and remyssyon of synnes in Chrystes blood is his new testamēt, wherof he is medyatour: […] the […] maker muste nedes haue dyed. Wreste not therfore (mayster More) this word opor tet (though ye synde potest for oportet in some corrupte copy) vnto your vnsauery sence. But let oportet sygnyfye, he muste or yt […] hym to dye. for he toke our very mortall nature for the same decreed counsayle: hym selfe sayenge John. 2. a. 12. Oportet exaltari […] hominis &c. It behoueth, or the sonne of man muste dye / that euery one that beleue in hym peryshe not &c. Here may ye se also that yt is impossyble for god to breke hys promyse. It is impossyble to god whych ys that verytie to be found contrarye in hys dedes and wordes: as to saue them whome he hath damned / or to dampne them whome he hathe saued. Wherfore all thynges ymagyned of Mores brayne are not possyble to god.

And when More sayeth, that Chrystie had power to lette hys lyfe and to take yt agayne, and therfore not to haue dyed of necessyte: I wonder me, that his […] here fayled hym, so connynge as he ma keth hym selfe therin: whyche graunteth and affermeth (as trewe yt is) that wyth the necessarye decreed workes of goddes forsyghte and prouydence standeth ryght well hys free lybertye.