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In this poynte he playnely bylyeth the clergye, whyche doctryne he lerned of the deuyll. who taketh baptysme but for a sacrament ordeyned of god for mannys saluacyon, by whych god hath promised that he shalbe saued except synne after let hym, and wythout whych he shall not be saued, excepte ryght specyall cases, & those be very few neyther able to be playnely proued by scrypture, and yet wyll Tyndale agre them agaynste his maysters rule.
How be yt Tyndale hath here a nother rule and that as false as the tother, by whych as I was aboute to saye he rekeneth the outwarde tokens of the sacrament to be of none effecte, but onely bare tokens of that grace that is wrought wyth the worde, and that the worde of Cristes promyse.
For he sayth yt the sacramētis be as yt were a precheour, and do onely preache goddes promyses / and therfore for to mynystre ye sacramentes, is (he sayth) nothynge ellys but to preache goddes promyses. And for this he alleggeth y• wordes of saynte Paule in the fyfte chapyter of his pystle to the Ephesies:1 Criste clensed ye cōgregacyon in the founteyne of water thorow the word. And also the wordes of saynt Peter where he sayth in the fyrste of his fyrste pystle:2 ye are borne of new, not of mortall seed but of immortall seed, by the word of god whych lyueth and lasted euer. He alleggeth also the worde of saynte Iamys in the fyrste chapyter of his pystle,3 where he sayth: Of his good wyll bygate god vs wyth the worde of trouthe, that is sayth Tyndale wyth the worde of promyse. He sayth also: Thou seeste that it is not the worke but the promyse that iustyfyeth vs thorow fayth. He sayth also that as ye preste purgeth by prechynge of the promyse, so do the sacramentes and none otherwyse / bycause he sayth that the sacramentes be but sygnes and tokens that betoken and preache the promises. And so he meaneth that as the preste prechyng the promyses, doth geue vs a knowlege of them, or putteth vs in mynde of them, and yet he doth but shew vs of the promyses & of grace, & doth not gyue vs any effecte of any promyse or grace, nor we by that preching do not gete no grace but by goddes worke bysyde: so though he minystre y• sacraments, yet we do not attayne & gete any grace neyther by y• preste, nor by the sacramentes, nor by that worke or dede yt is done in mynystrynge or receyuynge the sacramentes, no more than by the prestes prechynge / but onely by the promyse of god thorow fayth to the infoundynge wherof the sacrament doth nothyng worke, nor is no cause therof nor cooperant thereto, nor meane nor instrumēt therin / but onely a bare sygnyfyer and a shewer thereof. And yet worse then thus: that lykewyse as yf a preste standyng vp in the pulpet to preche, do there stande styll and preche nothyng at all but so come downe agayne and say nothynge, doth vnto y• people no profyte at all: so the sacramentes syth they be but bare sygnes as he sayth, and serue of nothyng but to sygnyfye certeyne thynges, he sayth therfore that bycause the mynysters of the sacramentes do not open and declare those sygnyfycacyons to the receyuers of the sacramēt, therfore the sacramentes be frutelesse / and mē take no more profyte by the receyuynge of them, then by the stondynge of the preste in the pulpet that standeth there and precheth not.
And it it to be consydered that thys is hys opynyon as well of the blessed sacrament of the auter as of the holy baptisme. wherby what mynde he hath of that blessyd sacramēt, he leueth lytell doute to them yt haue eyther lernyng or wyt.
If thys opynyon of Tyndale were trew that the preest doth in mynystrynge the sacramentes no more but preche the promyses / and in the mynystrynge he purgeth but as he doth by hys prechynge / and when he precheth not the sygnyfycacyons then he purgeth not: then were there wyth the baptysme no grace at all geuen vnto chyldren for the preest precheth not then / & though he dyd we fynde not yet that he sholde suffycyently purge the chylde wyth prechynge. And yet yf baptysynge be nothynge ellys but prechynge as Tyndale sayth / then after that the preest had well preched all ye were to be preched and shewed what the token and the sacrament meaneth / he myght as it semeth by Tyndals tale send home the chyld agayne & neuer put water vppon hym. Tyndale wyll haue vs byleue no thynge but playne & euydent scrypture / I wolde he sholde therfore proue hys tale here by playne and euydēt scripture / for as for these placys that he layeth proue it no thynge at all.
4For the wordes of saynt Paule to ye Ephesyes, Criste clē sed the congregacyon in the fountayne of water thorow the word, is the thynge that all we say to / that is to wyt that by the holy wordes of baptysme comy[…]ge to the water god clē seth the soule accordynge to the wordes of saynt Austyne accedit verbum ad elementum & fit sacramentū. 5 But Tyndale bycause saynt Paule sayth there / in the fountayne of water thorow the worde, we[…]eth that he setteth the water but for a sygne / as yf ye one wolde say, a man doth in hys body faste, watch, gyue almesse, and praye thorow the deuocyon of the soule, Tyndale wolde then saye that the body were set but for a sygne and in all these thynges doth nothynge at all.
Hys texte also of saynt Peter is nothynge in thys world for hys purpose. For whē saint Peter sayth: ye are borne of new, not of mortall seed but of immortall seed[…] by the worde of god whyche lyueth and lasteth euer: what meaneth he other then that by our sauyour hym selfe whyche is the lyuynge worde of god that lyueth & lasteth euer[…] we be borne agayn by the sacramentall water & the sacramentall word, whyche bothe he there vnderstandeth, for he there expressely speketh of neyther nother, but of the worde that is goddes sonne.
The wordes of saynt Iamys also,6 that god of hys good wyll begate vs wyth the worde of trouth, how proue these wordes that the water of baptysme serueth but for a sygne.
The worde of trouth sayth Tyndale is here vnderstanden the worde of […]ys promyse. How proueth Tyndale that? by[…]ause that Crystes promyses be trew, muste it therfore nedys be that saynt Iamys in that place ment the worde of promyse / as though there were no more trew of all that euer Cryste spake but onely of hys promyses. why may not in that place the word of trouth wyth whyche god hath of hys good wyll bygoten vs, be vnderstanden our sauyour Cryst hym selfe / by whom god hath bygoten vs in dede, and whych is the very trouth it selfe as hym selfe wytnesseth of hym selfe, where he sayth: Ego sum via, veritas, & vita, I am the waye, the trouth, and the lyfe. Thus maye ye se that thys texte proueth Tyndales purpose nothynge at all.
But now suppose that the very wordes of saynt Iamys were, that god had bygoten vs wyth the worde of hys promese / what had thys made for the mater? How had thys proued that the water and the sacramentall wordes were but bare sygnes & tokens? If saynt Iamys sayde that god had bygoten vs by hys goodnes / do these wordes exclude all y• meanys that hys goodnes vsed towarde it? If god wolde saye to Tyndale: I haue brought y• in to thys world which thou doste now corrupte, and I haue made the crystendom whyche thou gooste aboute to dystroye, and I haue bydden the beware of hell in to whyche thou rennest a pace: dyd he therin exclude Tyndalys father and hys mother, and hys sacramēt of baptysme and the mynyster therof, and the prechers and […]echers of the tother? So ye maye playnly se that Tyndales […]extes serue no thynge at all to proue that the sacramentes serue but onely for sygnes.
Thys opynyon hath Tyndale taken of Luther, whyche gyueth to the sacrament nothynge at all / but he sayth that god gyueth all the grace by the fayth alone, and not by the sacramentes any thynge at all. Now the chyrche beleueth & techeth that god hath not so bounden hym selfe to his sacramentes, but that where he gyueth the gyfte of fayth to any that can not come to baptysme, there he of hys power maye and of hys goodnes wyll gyue vnto that man the gyfte of such grace to come to heuyn without baptysme. But where god gyueth grace by the baptysme / there it is harde to set ye baptysme at so short, as to saye that it serueth but for a bare sygne / and wythout the sygnyfycacyons preched at the font standeth in no more stede then a precher that precheth not.
Albe it that god maye cure a sore without a medycyne, & do a myracle in a mannys helth, and that for the regarde of the mānys good fayth and hys truste in god: yet yf it please god to hele hym by a plaster though hys fayth be the cause why god dothe it / yet is the plaster a meane in the doynge, and serueth not for a bare sygne.
And surely when our sauyour set thys order therin, that who so were baptysed in water in the name of the father & the son and the holy ghooste he sholde be saued / and that excepte a man were borne agayne as well of the water as of ye spyryte, he sholde not entre in to the kyngdome of heuyn: god set it to serue for a more effectuall thyng then for a bare sygne voyd of any frutefull effecte. For thys were yet at the […]ai[…] wyse no lesse, then yf a lord wolde say to a poore felow: take the here thys badge or thys lyuery gowne of myne / & yf thou take it and were it I wyll take the for myn houshold seruaunt and in myne houshold gyue the meat and drynke & wages / or ellys yf thou were it not, thou shalte not come wythin my dorys. Thys lyuery gowne gyueth hym neyther meat nor money / but yet it is more then a sygne that he shall haue it / for the werynge therof helpeth hym to get it, not of any nature of the lyuery but by hys lordes ordenaunce.
And so lyke wyse though it were trew that the sacramentes dyde nothynge worke in them selfe, nor had no power in them selfe no more of god then of nature to purge & clense the soule: yet were it more then a bare token or sygne of grace, in that it hath by goddys promyse hys owne specyall assystens, whyche at ye sacramentes mynystred doth infoūde hys grace.
How be it many good vertuouse men hath there ben of olde, that haue had yet a mych hygher estymacyon of the sacramentes then so / and that haue thought that the sacramē tes haue not onely god by hys promyse assystente to purge ye soule and to infunde hys grace, but also that he hath vsed them therin as effectuall workyng instrumentes in the doynge therof, by reason of a certeyne influens of hys power, wherby he made them mete to worke in to the soule thorow the touch of the body.
And in to thys mynde they were ledde by the wordes of holy scrypture, and partely for the excellence of the sacramē tes of the new law in respecte of the sacramentes of the olde law / bytwene whych two kyndes of sacramentes semeth to be as greate dyfference, as bytwene the two kyndes of the lawes them selfe / and that is no lesse then bytwene fygures, ymagys, symylytudes or shadowes, and the very thynges them selfe / as sayth saynt Paule: Omnia in figura contingebant […]is, 7 all thynge vnto them came in fygures.
Then syth the sacramentes of the olde law had god by hys promyse assystēt wyth them in remyssyon of synnes,8 as by the playne wordes of many places of scrypture doth appere: it semed to those olde holy vertuouse doctours, that the sacramentes of the new law for the preemynence ouer them, sholde of goddys especyall influens haue some effectuall vertue, force, and power, as an instrument of god in ye workynge therof. To whyche mynde they haue ben moued not onely for the cause afore remembred / but also as I sayd before for that the very wordes of holy scrypture semen to lede them to it / when they redde in the actes,9 that by the puttynge of the apostles handes vppon them that were crystened, the holy gooste forthwyth came in to them, and by myracle shewed hym selfe by theyr spekyng in dyuers tonges. And when they redde saynt Paule wrytyng to Tymothee:10 Neglecte not that grace that is in the, whych is gyuen the by prophecye, wyth the puttynge vppon of the handes of ye preesthed / and vnto hym also those wordes:11 I warne the that thou resuscytate and […]tyrre vp the grace of god that is in the by the imposycyon or puttynge vppon of my handes: these placys were very playne for theyr mynde, when they here redde that grace was by god infused wyth the receyuyng of the holy order of preesthode, by the outwarde sacrament of puttynge the bysshoppys hande vppon hym.
It semeth also yt the wordes of god spoken by the mouth of the prophete Ezechiel souneth to ye same / where he sayth: I haue wasshed the wyth water,12 & I haue clensed thy blood. By whych wordes yt semeth to be sygnyfyed that the outewarde wasshynge of the water of baptysme, sholde be an effectuall instrument of the inwarde wasshynge of the soule. And by the mouth of the same prophete,13 in prophecyeng of the sacramēt of baptysme our lord sayth also: I shall shede out vppon you clene water, and ye shall be clensed from all your fylthynes. These wordes shewe that the water shall was[…]e the fylthe. And what fylthynes meaneth he but ye fylthynes of the soule? and that doth no water wasshe but the water of baptisme. And where to wolde our lord by ye mouth of his ꝓphete call it clene water / but for ye differēce yt it hath in makynge clene the soule by influēce of goddes gyfte ouer that other waters haue? for ellys as for elementall clennesse of that water in yt selfe, other water is as clene as yt.
Those holy doctours consydered also the yet more open wordes of y• ꝓphete zacharie:14 There shall go forth he sayth quykke lyuely waters oute of Hierusalem, the one halfe of them to the oryentall see, the other halfe to the very vttermost see. These wordes veryly descrybe the holy water of y• sacrament of baptysme, the water that welleth oute of holy chyrch whyche strecheth to two sees of synnes, that is to wit both of synne orygynall and of all the actuall synne that the man hath done, all were he neuer so olde ere he were baptysed. And why calleth the prophete this water quykke and lyuely / but for the dyfference betwene it and other waters yt are but deede? in token that the water of baptysme hathe by the secrete sanctyfycacyon of god, a certayne strength of spirytual lyfe infoūded in to that corporall element / wherby it is not onely a bare dede token, and sygne of grace, and clensynge of the soule, but also a quycke lyuely workynge medycyne meane and instrument.
By these places of scrypture and dyuerse other / many good holy men of old, all be yt ye no man othe[…]wyse thought nor thynketh, but that the pryncypall worke and the hole workes in the clensyng of the soule and infundyng of grace is god hym selfe, and that he doth yt for the merytes of Crystes passyon as he hath promysed to do, and that vppon our parte is requyred in suche as haue vse & reason at the tyme of baptysme repentaunce of the euyll lyfe passed, with fayth and bylyef of the worde of god, and hope of saluacion wyth loue and charyte towarde god and our neyghbour, and a purpose of workynge of good workes: yet dyuerse god holy doctours haue tought as I say by such placys of scrypture, that god in the workynge of such clensynge of ye soule, and infusyon of grace, vseth the sacramentes not as a bare sygne but as an instrument, wyth whyche and by whyche it pleaseth hym to worke them.
And they that thynke otherwyse / that is to wyt they that thynke that the sacramentes be but as yt were the lyuery gowne wherof I gaue you the ensample, and hath no sp[…]cyall power nor influēce gyuen of god, by whych it any thyng may worke in clēsyng of the soule: all they haue none other thynge for them selfe as far as I haue redde and could perceyue, but argumentes grounded vppon philosophye and metaphisycall reasons / by the cōstraynte wherof I wyll not say they be dreuen and compelled, but say that as yt semeth me, they dryue and compell thē selfe to fynde gloses to these scriptures, & vnto ye wordes of other good holy doctours to.
For as for my parte, I wold not let to deny an hole hepe of those reasons in maters of the sacramentes, whych hang all vppon goddes will and pleasure and his omnipotēt power. For all be yt yt we se no lykelyhed how that bodely water can worke vpon the spyrytuall substaūce of ye soule / yet god can make yt fyre which is a bodely substaūce as well as is the water, to worke not vppō soulys onely discharged of theyr bodyes in purgatory, but also vppon ye euyll angelles the deuyls whose substaūce is as spirituall as is the soule: I can not greatly se why we shold greatly fere to graunte & agre, that by goddes ordynau[…]ce the water may be goddes instrument in purgynge and clensynge of the soule.
whyche argument for ought that I perceyue among thē is to myne vnderstandyng so symply soyled / that till I here eyther better or perceyue them better: I lyke as yet that argument better then I lyke all theyre solucyons that they make thereto.
For some of them be fayne for theyr solucyon, to graunt almoste that theyr payne in the fyre were but a detaynynge therin by some strēger power then them selfe / and then were the payne but as a prysonement and restraynt of lybertye, if the fyre burne them not. And then why more in fyre then in water, yf they be for the fyre neuer the warmer. And vn the tother syde yf that by the kepynge of them in ye fyre the fyre do worke vppon thē and burne them, as I thynke ye trouth is: then so maye by goddes ordynaunce the water helpe to wasshe and clense the soule.
And surely syth experyence teacheth vs that the soule whych is of yt selfe a spyrytuall substaunce, god hath of his hygh wysedome and power foundē the meane so to put it in a bodye and so to knyt yt therto, that not onely by fyre or frosen water putte aboute yt, but also wythoute any outwarde thynge put vnto yt, by the onely boylynge of the distempered humours wythin yt selfe, ye soule is in such gryef, pay[…]e and torment, that it wold be as fayne out of the body as the bodye wold be rydde of it: syth we fynde this thus, I dowte nothynge at all but that god can by mo meanes then men can thynke or imagyne, so bynde the spyrytuall soule to the fyre, that he shall fele the feruour of ye fyre as he nowe feleth the hete of his ague here / and yet shall not the fyre and he be made one person as the soule and the body be now. which thynge who so wolde aske me howe maye that be / myght as well aske me how myght the worlde be made when there was nothyng to make yt of, and a thousand madde questyons mo. But to the purpose this I say, that god may by his power make the water in the sacrament an instrument with an efectuall influence of power geuen by god thereto at the tyme to purge the soule / as well as ye fyre eyther to purge yt or punyshe yt. In whych thynge syth the scryptures seme to say that he dothe so, & no scrypture sayth the contrarye / and many good holy mē haue bene of that mynde / I see not why we shold thynke otherwyse.
when our lord heled Naaman Syrus by his ꝓphete He lyzeus in the water of Iordane / no man dowteth but tha[…] god dyd the dede.15 yet were yt a great boldenes to afferme that the water there dyd worke […]othynge therin at that tyme, and yet had the water no such nature of ytselfe.
No more had also the water of whych yt is wryten in the gospell of saynt Iohn̄,16 where at the mouynge therof who so nexte were let downe thereto was there cured by the angell of god / and yet is yt well lykely that god gaue an influence of his power at the tyme, by which the water self was made an instrument of that helth.
And lykewyse where the woman was heled by the touch of Crystes garment,17 wherof saynt Luke speketh in the.viii. chapyter: the wordes of our sauyour hym selfe seme to shew some influēce gone forth from hym selfe in to his garment, suche as by his myght with the touche of his garment vsed as an instrument therin, was able to gyue helth vnto that good faythfull wom[…]n.
when our sauyour as is wryten in y•.ix. chapyter of saynt Iohn̄ dyd take the dyrt of the grounde,18 and dyd spytte there vppon and made therof a plaster, & layed it vppon the blynde mānys yien and so gaue hym his syghte: I thynke that god gaue an influence of hys power in to that plaster, wherby he cured his yien. yet mighte he haue done it by his onely worde or by hys onely wyll, wythout any suche outwarde thynge layed there vnto. But it pleased hym to let them se that he not onely coude do it hym selfe, but coude also make the very dyrte of the strete able to do suche curys / as not all the plasters in all the surgeons shoppes were able to attayne vnto.
Now yf they wyll saye that it is not lyke in curynge the body and clensynge of the soule: I saye it is lyke, sauynge for the reason by whyche they say that the bodyly water can not worke vppon the vnbodyly soule. And therfore thereto I saye, that by no naturall power nor by no power excepte onely goddys / coude these bodyes that is to wyt those waters, garment, and plaster, haue in suche wyse wrought vppon the bodyes wherein they were workynge instrumentes of these meruelouse cures. And then I saye by hys power maye the bodyly water as well be a workynge instrument vppon the vnbodyed and vnbodyly soule, be it in clensyng, pourgyng, or punysshynge / as vppon the body.
For as for that reason by whyche some doctours reken the mater the more easy in the sacramentes, bycause the out warde sensyble thynges therof worke as they reken vppon the soule, as parte of the holeman by touchynge the body therof / as the fyre touchynge the body payneth the soule & all, all be it I repungne not thereat: yet I nothyng groūde my selfe theron, syth I neuer founde amonge them all one reason yet, wherby me thoughte it proued otherwyse, but ye god may make the bodyly corporall water, able to worke vppon the vnbodyed incorporyall soule. whyche yf it maye / syth god hath set the sacramentes as meanys by whiche we come to clensyng of the soule and to saluacyon / all be it that no man denyeth but that the power of god is chyefe, & that he regardeth chrystes passyon and our owne fayth wyth dyuerse other thynges: yet I se not why we sholde take all effecte of workyng from the sacramentes them selfe, and leue them voide of all grace, and call them bare gracelesse tokēs. For yf that any man were of ye mynde that he thoughte the sacramentes do nothynge to the clensynge of the soule, bycause that all that euer is done is done by the power of god: so myghte he thynke that no medecyne doth any thynge in the cure of any dysease, bycause that all the nature of the medycyne is gyuen vnto it by the power of god to.
How be it in thys mater whyther that the sacramentes haue any influence of power gyuen them by god, whereby they may be workers and instrumentes in the purgynge or clensynge of the soule / or ellys that they be but in such wyse meanys and cause of the grace, as the lyuery gowne wherof I dyd put the ensample is of the seruauntes fyndynge in ye lordes housholde / is not the thynge wherin I wyll gretely stykke. But in my mynde the scrypture most serueth for ye fyrst opynyon / and good holy doctours and of ye eldest haue ben of that opynyon, and nothyng but phylosophicall reasons haue drawen other from that opynyon. And synnys that some other hath fallen to the tother opynyon, whyche gyueth to the sacramentes lesse force and effycace then doth that fyrste opynyon: there are now come these new men, Luther, frere Huskyn, and Hy[…]hen, and such other lewde felowes, that wolde leue the sacramentes by theyr wyllys n[…] maner strength at all. And therfore so myche lyke I the better the fyrste waye that most h[…]ly men helde, and that fertheste goeth from the doctryne of those heretykes, whyche make the sacramentes as they sey to serue onely for prestes and prechers / & then they preche them selfe that ye preesthed is no sacrament at all, and turne them all in to mokkes and iestes, comparyng sand with holy salte, and butter smeryng to the anoyntynge wyth the halowed chrysme / & such other folysshe blasphemy.
Now where they saye that all the saluacyon standeth in promyse of god, and nothynge in the sacramentes at all / bycause that they be but the tokēs therof: by this reason they wyll wythin a whyle take a way the reuerēce from the very promyse to. For of trouth the promyse of god worketh not our saluacyon no more then do the sacramentes, but god worketh our saluacyon hym selfe / and the promyse is the token wherby we knowe he doth so. For yf he had not promysed it / we had not so surely knowen it, nor had not had so greate a cause of good hope thereof / but yet myghte he haue saued vs though he had neuer promysed vs. And now them that he saueth, he saueth not so myche by the force of hys promyse as by reason of the selfe same goodnes yt made hym to make the promyse. So yt his owne lyberall goodnes worketh our saluacyon, and the promyse gyueth the knowlege of our saluacyon.
Now saye these men allwaye that god saueth vs by hys promyse, as thoughe they were sure that yf he were not surely boūden by his promyse, he wold not now do it at all / and sauynge that his promyse is onys passed hym somewhat as they make it vnware: he wold elles yf it were now to make, take a better auysement ere he bounde hym selfe so farre.
In menne such chaunge and such repentaunce happeth, that where one of his good wyll sometyme byndeth hym selfe to geue / the tother maye thanke the bonde yf euer the promyse be kept. But goddes hygh prouydence so foreseeth what he promysed / that he can neuer forthynk yt. And his inestimable goodnes is so great / that he geueth not bycause he promyseth, but he promyseth bycause he wyll geue / and wolde geue though he neuer promysed as he determyned to geue byfore he promysed / and wold yet promyse yf he had not promysed / not that his promyse sholde be y• cause of hys gyfte, but that we shold by his promyse haue knowlege of his gyfte and comfort of the hope.
Now maketh me Ty[…]dale the sacramentes nothynge but a token of the promyse / and the promyse he maketh the cause of the gyfte: where of trouth as well the promyse as the sacramentes be tokens of the gyfte / and goddes goodnesse is the cause of the gyfte. And god hath from the begynnyng determyn[…]ed that he wolde after the fall of Adam ordinaryly not geue yt wythoute the sacramentes. But though he determyned also to make a promyse / yet neuer determyned he that he wolde not geue yt wythoute he made a promyse. And so be both the sacramentes and the promyses tokens of the gyfte / and yet semeth the sacrament rather then the promyse a cause of the gyfte. For the sacrament after the instytucyon, semeth a cause of the gyfte, at the leste wyse in some kynde of cause, and the promyse semeth no cause in no kynde neyther synnys nor afore. And thus ye maye se what a wyse processe Tyndale maketh vs.
But wolde god yet that thys were the worst pece of Tyndales techyng cōcernyng Crystes promyse. But he frameth crystes promyses after hys owne fasshyon. He sayth that we make promyses in sacramētes where cryste made none / but he maketh promyses that Crystes made neuer suche. For Chryste promyseth heuyn yf men labour for it: Tyndale wolde make vs wene we nede no labour at all. Chryste promyseth forgeuenes thorow the sacrament of penaūs yf men amende and wyll do penauns: Tyndale of the sacrament putteth two partes awaye, and almost the thyrde to, & promyseth forgyuenes for a very shorte skant repentynge at ye fyrst thought by and by / and to do penauns he taketh for idolatrye. Cryst promiseth vs heuyn yf we do good workes wyth our fayth: Tyndale sayth to do good workes wyth intent y• rather to come to heuyn shall brynge a man to hell, and lese the reward of fayth. And thus Tyndale whych cryeth out promyse promyse, and wyll haue nothynge taught but Crystes promyse: yet in these thynges and an hundred moo stryueth and fyghteth agaynst goddys promyses, and vtterly goth aboute to destroye them.
Fynally where as Cryste hath made a promyse, one of the grettest, most solempne, most assuredly made, & therto most frutefull & most necessary that euer he made / that is to wyt that he wold be wyth hys chyrch of crysten people all dayes vnto the ende of the worlde, and that he wolde sende also ye holy ghoost vnto them that sholde teche them all thynge & lede them in to euery treuth: Tyndale fyrst (leste he sholde seme to gaynsay thys promyse) wolde shyfte it from ye knowen chyrche and company of all crysten people professynge the name and fayth of Cryste, vnto a secrete cōpany of suche as they call good men and electe / whyche who they be who can tell? And yet syth there can be no dowte but suche as be or haue ben very electes, haue alwaye ben partys of thys knowen crysten company / and syth they were not false dyssymylers: they haue byleued as they shewed, and they haue shewed that they byleued as we byleue in suche thynges as Tyndale now calleth myssebylefe, for they haue done therin as we do, and alwaye the best haue wryten these thynges that we byleue / and neuer was there any company tyll with in this twenty yere, that byleued as Tindale sayth that he byleueth. And he sayth also that hys bylefe is so necessarye to saluacyō […] that the cōtrary bylefe is damnable / for ellis he wold not of his courtesye crye out so sore vppon the clergye for techynge the contrary. where vppon yf Tyndales lye be trewe / there must then of necessyte folowe that there must be trew also one of these two very playne falsedes / that is to wyt that Cryste hath neuer synnys hys deth tyll holy Tyndales dayes had in thys worlde here any chyrche at all / or ellys that yf Cryste haue had here any chyrche, yet from hys owne deth tyll holy Tyndalys dayes, the holy ghost whom hym selfe sent, neuer taught hys chyrche the treuth. Now then yf cryst had all this whyle no chyrche in erthe / his promyse was clerely broken, by whych he promysed to be with hys chyrche hym selfe all dayes vnto the worldes ende. For how were he wyth hys chyrche here vnto the worldes ende / yf before the worldes ende so many hūdred yeres to gether, […]e had here no chyrche at all.
And on the tother syde yf he had here all thys whyle any chyrche / and then the holy ghost haue not taught yt chyrche the trewth: then hath Criste broken that promyse, by which he promy[…]ed that the holy ghoste sholde teche hys chyrch all thynges and leade them in to all trewth. For how had the holy ghoste taught it all thynges yf he haue suffered the deuyll to teche it some thynges. And let Tyndale whē he wyll answere thys poynt. Marke well and remembre that we speke here of bylefe and fayth / not of workes and dedes, lest after hys custumable fasshyon lettynge the bylefe go by: he answer vs wyth raylynge vppon mennys maners, and so lede the rea[…]er more then […]myle fro the mater.
And how hath the holy ghoste ledde the chyrche all thys whyle in to all trewth / yf one holy truth be, that freres whē they lyst may wedde nōnes notwithstandyng theyr vowes, and the holy ghost hath almost this fyftene hundred yere togyther, suffered all hys hole chyrche (neyther good nor bad excepte) to byleue that breche of such vowes is dedly synne, and suche maner maryage pleyne incestuose lechery, and to dāpne Tyndales fayth in that poynt for very false heresye.
And thus good crysten reders here ye playnly se what maner of fashyon Tyndale techeth Crystes promyses. For where as he seueth all at nothynge sauynge onely Crystes promyses made to man: he techeth men agayne to breke theyr promyse made to god / and so bryngeth all hys maters in conclusyon to that poynt, that yf he lyed not as he doth / Cryste had broken hys promyse made to hys chyrch / besyde thys that of Crystes promyses he denyeth many, and them that he graunteth he byleueth shrewedly, and wolde make them serue vs onely for a blynde boldenes of synne.
Of the sacrament of the auter.
For as mych as he seeth yt the masse is the speciall thyng in whych the sacrament of the auter is honored, & in which yt is moste frutefull, in so mych as there the very body and bloode of our lorde is not onely receyued by the preste hym selfe and for hym selfe, but is also for his owne synnys and other mennys to, offred vppe to god as an holy hoost, oblacyon, and sacryfycye / representyng the same sacryfyce in whych our sauyour both beyng the preste and the sacryfyce, offred vp hym selfe for the synne of the world vnto his father in heuen, and acceptable sacryfyce vppon his paynfull crosse: therfore doth Tyndall after his maysters doctryne […]este and rayle and make mokkes at the masse, wherof these be his wordes.
Footnotes
Chapter 40 of 95