〈◊〉 Tyndales chaungynge of confessyon in to knowlege, & penauns into repentauns

Tyndale

ANd that I vse thys worde knowlege and not […]s[…]syon, and thys worde repentaunce and not […]enaun[…] in which all be cā not proue that I gyue not the ry[…] englysshe vnto the greke worde.

Thys is playne vntrew that Tyndale sayth, as I haue playnely shewed all redy in the wordes chyrche, preste, cheryte, and grace / all whyche chapyters who so rede and consyder from the begynnynge, and aduyse well Tyndales wordes and myne, be he lerned be he not lerned that readeth them, yf he haue naturall wyt and be but indyfferēt / he shall (I dowte not fynde) Tindale in these poyntes so clerely confounded, that he shall truste bothe hys lernyng the lesse and his wyt ye worse whyle he leueth after. Besydes that he shall perceyue also malyce, hatered, and enuy, so stuffed in Tyndales harte / that all though he had greate wyt and lernyng bothe, yet must the myste of suche blynde affeccyons nedys blyndefelde them bothe.

Tyndale

But yt is a farre other thyng that payneth them and byteth thē by the […]restis. There be secrete pa[…]ges that pinche the very hertes of them, wherof they dare not complayne. The sykenesse that maketh them so impacyent is, that they haue loste theyr iuglynge termes. For the doctours preachers, were wont to make many diuisyons, distinccyons, and sottis of grace, gratis […]ata, gratum faciens, praeuenicus, & subsequens.

Nay god he thanked they haue not lost these termys yet, and god forbede they sholde. For these termys of grace be no englyush termys / but termys necessarye for the trewe knowledge of goddys gy[…]tes & graces. But Tyndale hath indede loste them / from whose harte the deuyll hath […] all grace, saue gratia gratis data, and yet that to alm[…]e / […]yth whyche gratia gratis data all had he therof […]yche […] then he hath, he myghte go forth as he goth ye strayg[…] […] downe to the deuyll. For those […] graces and […] god gyueth a man, wherof he maye make a m[…]r of […] or a mater of vyce as hym lyst to […] them to […], the man is mych the worse for them as […], strength, lernynge, or wyt. Gratia grat[…] facie[…]s, is that grace by […] the man is acceptable to god. As the grace gyuen in y• […] though it be to chyldren, and the grace with which in fayth, hope, and cheryte, man worketh good workes, watche, fast, pray, gyue allmose, and suche other lyke as god rewardeth in heuyn. Now for as myche as man can do no good but yf god begyn, and he is alwaye redy to begynne: therfore the grace wyth whyche god begynneth to set vs a worke, is called, gratia praeuen[…]ēs. And for as mych as we shold sone ceace to, but yf grace contynued wyth vs / as our eye sholde ceace to se, yf that we lakked lyghte: god contynueth his grace with vs to worke, wyth vs, whych is called gratia cooperans. And yet for as mych as he that well worketh wyth grace, deserueth of god by goddy[…] goodnesse encreace of grace accordynge to the gospell, omni habenti dabitu[…] & habunda[…]it, ¹ to euery man that hath there shall be gyuen, and he shall habounde that well bestoweth his talentes of grace and worketh well therwith: therfore the grace that god gyueth a man for the good vse of hys formar grace, may be called gratia subsequens. And fynally for as mych as grace perceueryng with man at hys ende, bryngeth hym to glory / whyche who so attayneth is then in suretye of stedefaste and vnperysshable grace and fauour of god: this fynall grace is called gratia con[…]i[…]n […], that is grace that perfyteth the thynge.

Now syth euery man perceyueth well, that all be it that in god all is one grace, with whych he preuenteth our good workes; and wyth whyche he helpeth them forth in the progresse, and whych addeth and maketh more, habounde, and wyth whyche he perfyteth hys creature in glory: yet fyth yt in vs and our workes it is dyuersely consydered after dyuerse, respectys / and of eueryche of those respectys falleth necessyte for men in sco[…] oftentymes to speke / specyally for the reprose of those heretykes that wolde haue no dyuysyons nor dystynecyons, wherby the thynge sholde be made open and playne, but wolde blynde and begyle theyr herers […]yth darkenesse and confusyon: reason requyreth to gyue euery dyuers […]especte a dyuers name, a[…]onge them yt must often syche thereof / e[…]cent that they sholde in an argument […] thyrde worde repete an hole […]le, where one worde […] […]ppon may well and suffycyently f[…]r[…]e.

And therfore ye may[…] se that these be no iuglynge […], […] deuysed wyth good reason and of necessy[…]. But […] subtyle iu[…]e[…] the deuyll / hath tau[…] these […] Luther Huskyn, a[…]d […]ndale, to fall to such false iuglynge: that they labour f[…]re to iugle awaye, not onely those termys of grace and the very name of grace out of mēnys earys / but also the byl[…]fe of all grace, and therwith the effecte of all grace clene out of mennys hertes / and frewyll and grace taken away, to make men byleue that there is nothynge at all but desteny / and so pretendyng lybertye, they put all in thra[…]dome / and pretendyng vertue, they dryue men to vyce / and pretendynge god, they dryue men to the deuyll. And thys is Tyndales iuglynge / whych bycause he wolde not were ꝑceyued: to dyssemble hys false iugelyng and haue it taken for trouth, he calleth the playne truth by the name of iuglynge, as ye shall here by and by.

Tyndale

Wyth confessyon they iugled, and made the people as ofte as they spake of yt, vnderstande shrifte in the eare, wherof the scrypture maketh no mēcyon. No, yt is clene agay[…]ste the scrypture as they vse yt & preache yt / and vnto god an abominacyon and a foule stynkyng sacrifyce vnto the fylthy idole Priapus[…]

This hygh godly spirituall mā taketh for none abominacion at all, but can abyde well and hold very well with all, & not defende yt onely but commende yt also / that a nonne cō secrate vnto god, shold runne out of relygyon, and do fo[…]le stynkyng sacri[…]yce to that fylthy idole of Priapus, that frere Luther bereth about to gather in his offerynge wyth / & that they shall both, and a great many such reba[…]des mo / shame fully shew theyr abomynable bychery, to the corrupcyon of the worlde openly. But he can not abyde in no wise that any man sholde so repent his secrete synne, that he sholde vnto his confessour shew yt secretely. This can Tyndale in no wyse abyde. And why? For he wolde rather haue synne shewed in shamelesse b[…]stynge, whereby it myght encreace and grow / thē shamefas[…]ely shewed in cōfessyon, where it myght be weeded out and caste away.

I purpose not here to fall in dys[…]ycyons wyth Tyndale for y• mate[…]/nor at euery lewd felowes blasphem[…]/to bryng the blessed sacramentes in questyon. For syth Tyndale can not hym self deuye, but that sayne Austayne, […] Hierom, saynt Ambrose, […], and other holy sayntes haue b[…]th vsed, […], and taken c[…]essyon for a necessary […]/& euery go[…] man hath in hym selfe euer fou[…] no lytle spyrytuall pr[…] fy[…]e and soule comfort therin: yt shall not now greatly […] what a new foūden sorte of heretykes barke & baule therat.

And as for this worde knowlege is very farre from the greke word exomologesis/& as farre frō the latine word confessio/and yet mych more from the very mater selfe, that is to wyt from the sacrament of penaunce. For bothe the greke worde and the latine, do sygnifye an openyng and a shewyng of ye thyng / and ye mater selfe meaneth a willyngly offered declaracyon of ye secrete hyd synne / and this englyshe word knowlege is anthyguouse & doutefull. For as yt is a nowne / yt sygnifyeth but the knowynge of a thynge or vnderstandyng / as where a man sayth, this chyld hath yet no knowlege neyther of good nor euyll. And when yt is a verbe, or that yt is turned in to this worde knowlegynge / yet sygnyfyeth yt rather the not denyenge then the wyllyngely tellynge of oure owne faute, and namely of our owne offer. For that nowne knowlegynge and that verbe knowlege / hath in our tonge theyr proper place, where the faute is by some other layed vnto a manys charge / and where this laten worde agnosco or agnitio maye stande in the place yf they talked in latyne. As where we say of a stuberne bodye that standeth styll in the denyenge of his fawte that is layed afore his face / this man wyll not knolege his faute, or he wyll not be a knowē of his faute. And therfore is this word knowledge or knowlegyng not very mete nor very proper neyther for the greke worde nor the latyne: and leste of all for the mater / syth that confessynge and confessyon is the wyllyngly made declaracyon of our synne vnlayed vnto vs by any man saue our selfe. In whyche doenge though the penytente vse amonge wyth his confessour this word knowlegynge: yet is yt rather his wyllyng behauour that se[…]th the mater, then the propertye of that englysshe worde.

Now yf Tyndale wyll tell vs that confessyon and confessynge is drawne out of the laten, and then wyll aske me what englyshe worde had we for the thynge byfore: I wene we had byfore […]on[…] at all / but euer synnes the proper en […]he worde hathe bene shryfte and shryuyng. For sauyng […] goodnesse of god brought in that thynge wyth hys […] of penaunce, whyche was brought in by the […] were I wene farre of frō confessynge of theyr […] of theyr owne offer / and scantly wolde […] they were layed vnto theyr charge & […] Onely god hathe brought in wyth the grace of the sacrament, that men are so supled and made humble in herte, that they wyll wyllyngly go shewe them selfe theyr owne synnes to the preste, whom god hath there appoynted in hys stede / and there abyde the shame and the rebuke therof, and lowly submytte them selfe to such payne and penaunce as theyr confessour shall assygne them, and ye same faythfully fulfyll in punysshement of them selfe for theyr synne.

But thys is it that Tyndale meaneth / he wolde haue all wyllynge confessyon quyte caste awaye, and all penaunce doynge to, as hym selfe sheweth by and by.

Tyndale

And in lyke maner by this worde penaunce, they make the people vnderstand […]oly dedes of theyr enioy[…]ynge, with whiche they muste make satisfaccyon to godwarde for theyr synnes: when all the scrypture precheth that Cryste hath made full satysfacyon for our synnes.

Thys is a greate synne lo, that euer any man shold take payne for his synne. Now though y• scrypture precheth that Cryste hath made full satysfacyon for our synnes: yet wold I fayne that Tyndale sholde tell me where he fyndeth any one place in scrypture, yt Crystes satysfaccyō for our synnes is in such wyse full, that he wyll there be no payne put vnto vs therfore. Let vs consyder hys owne wordes y• folowe.

Tyndale •

And we muste now be thankefull to go[…] agayne, and kyll the l[…]stes of our flesh with holy workes of goddes enioyn yn ge[…]a[…]d to take pacyently all that god sayeth on my bakke.

Thys is well and holyl[…] […]ken. But now let passe fo[…] thys ones holy Luther and hys holy noune wyth all theyr holy workes that they worke togyther, in kyllynge y• lustes of theyr flesshe, in shewyng them selfe thankefull agay[…] […] god.

I wyll aske Tyndale fyrste, whyther suche h[…] workes as god hath taught hys chyrche to be eni[…]d, […] hy[…] by hys goos[…]ly father / be not enioyned vnto […] by god. If not, he taketh awaye all the […] of father […] mother, prela[…]e & prynce, […] any good […] to be done to goddys honour / […] in all suche cōmaundementes, god commaundeth Tyndale […] euery man ellys to be obedyent, and accompteth theyr […] maundementes for hys owne.

yet yf Tyndale wyll no payne enioyned but by goddes owne mouth / nor suffer nothynge layed vppon hys bakke but yf god trusse vp the pakke hym selfe and wyth his owne handes, & bynde it vppon hys bakke wyth a paksadle: then wyll I yet wyt of Tindale whyther god do not enioyne any such holy workes, or laye any such burden vppon ye bakkes or repentant synners for the synnes that be passed, & wherof he is al[…] […] […]epentaunt.

If Tyndale answere no: then shall we put hym in remembraunce of many places in holy scrypture / as well in Exodi, where he promyseth to punysshe the people for theyr idolatry notwythstandynge theyr repentaunce and hys remyssyon to / as in the seconde boke of kynges,² where he punysshed kynge Dauyd for hys māslawghter and aduowtry notwythstandynge hys repentaūce / & many places besyde.

Now yf he graunte that god punyssheth the synne notwythstandynge the repentaunce of the penytent, and the remyssyon of his dyspleasure: then graunteth he and so must he graūte, yt all be it one droppe of Crystes precyouse blode had ben suffycyēt to satysfye for all the synnys of this whole worlde / and for all the payne also that were in any wyse dew to the same: yet hath it not pleased hym so to order it. But leste that such shorte forgyuenes, as well of all ye payne as of the dyspleasure of god, & of the dedelynesse, or as men myghte saye of the damnabylyte belongynge to the mortall offence / myghte make men waxe the worse, and set mych the lesse by synne: he forgyueth at the repentynge and by the shryfte and absolucyon his hygh indygnacyon, wheruppon foloweth y• perpetuall banysshement from the syghte of his face, and fruycyon of hys glorye into theternall turment of helle / but he leueth ordynaryly some temporall payne to be sustayned for the euyll acte passed / and that to be suffered eyther here by good workes of penaunce doyng, or other satysfactory paynes or good workes eyther in this world here or after thys worlde in purgatory / but yf they be by other […]lkys good dedys done for them thorow goddys goodnes releued. And thys I saye as by good authorytees appereth our lorde doeth ordynaryly / not forbarrynge hys absolute mercyfull power, wherby he maye do when he wyll what he wy[…]

Now yf Tyndale graunte as he nedys muste, that not wythstandynge the repentaunce and the remys[…]yon both / & Crystes satysfaccyon also for theternalyte of the payne, and full restytucyon to goddes fauoure / yet there remayneth a temporall payne, or by good holy workes other satysfaccyon for the same: then is it not agaynste all scripture (as Tyndale sayth yt is) nor agaynst any parte therof neyther, that men shall wyth penaūce doynge endeuour themself to satysfye for that payne / syth yt is not goddes ord[…] pleasure that his passyon shall serue euery man for the […]ty[…]fa[…] cyon of that payne, bycause yt accordeth not wyth his ordynary iustyce / leste the fere of all payne vtterly taken awaye[…], men were lykely to make lytle force how boldely they fall to synne.

And then yf yt be well done that a man for his synne, willyngly punyshe hym selfe: why maye he not mekely submyt his wyll to the counsale of his confessour, and take penaūce at his hande.

Tyndale

And yf I haue hurte my neyghbour, I am bounde to shryue my self vnto hym, and make hym amendes yf I haue wherewyth / or yf not, then to aske hy[…] forgyuenesse / and he is bounde to forgyue me. As for theyr pen[…]nce the scrypture knoweth not of.

He neuer bryngeth in a good worde but for an euyll purpose. He sayth here very well concernynge our duty toward our neyghbours. But he saythe malycyousely to make vs wythdraw our dutye towarde god, for the satysfaccyon of the temporall payne that is dew for our synne, after the restytucyon to goddes fauour, and theternalyte of the payne forgyuen. […]nd that payne god hath not ordeyned of comen course to be satysfyed, by the onely merytes of Crystes passyon / but yf mennys workes wrought with his grace beadded therunto.

Tyndale

As for theyr pena[…]nce, the scrypture knoweth not. The greke hath metanoia and metanoite, repentaunce and repente, or forthynkyng and forthynk / as we saye in englyshe, yt forthynketh […]e or I forthynke, and […] repent or yt repe[…] teth me, and I am sory that I dyd.

Tyndale herebereth vs in […] the scrypture […]peketh not of penaunce / bycause hym selfe geueth this […] worde a nother englyshe name. And bycause that Ty[…]ale. calleth yt forthynkynge and repentaunce: therfore all englyshe mē haue euer hetherto, myssused theyr own langage in callynge the thynge by the name of penaunce.

Now as for the worde penaunce what so euer the greke worde be: yt euer was and yet yt is lawfull inough (so that Tyndale geue vs leue) to call any thynge in englyshe by what worde so euer englysh men by comen custume agre vppon. And therfore to make a chaung of the englyshe worde, as though yt all Englande shold go to scole wyth Tyndale to lerne englyshe / is a very frantyque foly.

But now the mather standeth not therin at all. For Tyndale is not angry wyth the worde but bycause of the mater. For this greueth Luther & hym / that by penaūce we vndrestāde when we speke therof so many good thynges therin / & not a bare repētyng or forthynkyng onely, but also euery parte of the sacrament of penaunce, confessyon of mouthe, contrycyon of herte, aud satysfaccyon by good dedis.

For yf we called it but the sacrament of repentaūce, and by that worde wolde vnderstande as mych good therby as we now do by the worde penaunce: Tyndale wold be than as angry wyth repentaunce as he is now wyth penaunce. For he hateth nothyng but to here yt mē shold do any good.

we haue for our pore englysshe worde penaunce, the vse of all englysshe men syth penaunce fyrste beganne amonge them. And that is authoryte inough for an englysshe word / excepte Tyndale wyll bynde vs to fetche authoryte of reasō for euery worde of euery langage, out of Albert de modis significandi/bycause that frere Luther, frere Huyskyn, and frere Lamberte, haue so sore se[…] theyr study vppon Alberte de secretis musierum. And yet yf he wyll nedys prece vppon vs therewyth: we maye saye that we take in penaunce of the latyne worde penitentia, whyche the chyrche vseth for the same sacrament / or we maye saye that the worde penaunce is deryued and commeth of the worde payne, whyche bothe in harte, in worde, and in dede, the penytent sholde indeuour hym selfe […] conceyue and sustayne for his synne. But this is it that Tyndale so sore doth abhorre. For he consequentely sayth.

Tyndale

So now the scrypture sayth repent or set yt forthynke you, and come and by[…] se[…]e the go[…]ll or glad tydynges that is broughte you in Cryst / and so shall all befor […] ben[…] forth: sy[…]e a new lyfe.

Here semeth a godly thynge, and is in dede very deuelysshe. For the wordes that be spoken to the hethen to come to crystendome / in thentre wherof at baptysme they be new regendred to god, and clensed clene & purged from all spottes: these wordes draweth Tyndale to them that be crystened all redy, & kepe theyr bylefe styll, and yet fall into dedely synne agayne. For whose recōcylyacyon agayne to god, our lorde hath of hys goodnesse instytuted the sacrament of penaunce / wythout whyche they yt after baptysme fall agayne to synne, do lese the frute of theyr baptysme yf ye tyme serue them to take it.

And therfore sayth holy saynt Hierom, that the sacramēt of penaunce is the borde vppon whyche a man geteth to londe and saueth hym selfe after the shyppewrake. whyche wordes of hys, Luther in hys boke of Babiloni[…] sore dysprayseth. For saynt Hierome sheweth that the sacrament of baptysme is the shyppe, and was fygured by the shyppe of Noe, out of whyche there was no man saued. And when a man breketh the shyppe of hys baptysme in the storme of tentacyon, and falleth into the depe see of synne: then hath he yet hys remedy prouyded by god, yf he catche holde vppon ye borde of the salte sacrament of penaūce & so swymme / and god wyll helpe whyle he laboreth hym selfe to lande. But Luther and Tyndale wolde haue vs wene that after baptysme there nedeth no more but repent / and by and by all is gone agayne and clene wasshed awaye, synne & payne eternall and temporall and all togyther / and yt man in lyke case as when he came fyrste fro the fonte.

But who […]o consyder well the […]ordes of saynt Poule in the syxte chapyter vnto the Hebrewes, shall fynde it farre vnlyke / where saynt Paule sayth in thys wyse:³ It is impossyble that they whyche haue ben ones illumyned, and haue tasted the heuenly gyfte, and haue ben made per[…]eners of ye holy goost, and haue also tasted the good worde of god and the powers of the worlde to come, & then are slyden downe: sholde be renewed agayne by penaunce, crucyfyeng agayne to them self the sonne of god, and hauyng hym in derysyon.

Here sheweth thys blessed apostle Poule that the dedely synne cōmytted after baptysme / putteth a man in that case, that it shall be very harde (for so is impossyble somtyme taken in scrypture) by penaunce to be renewed agayne / that is to wyt to come agayne to baptysme or to the state of baptysme, in whyche we be so fully renewed, and the olde synne so fully forgyuen, that we be forthwyth in suche wyse innocētes, that yf we dyed forthwyth, there were neyther eternall payne nor temporall payne appointed for vs, that is to wyt neyther helle nor purgatory. But that dedely synne cōmytted after baptysme / is very harde by the sacrament of penaunce, confessyon, contrycyon, and greate payne taken to, to brynge vs agayne in the case, that the temporall payne dew therfore in purgatory, shall be worne all out by our penaunce done here. In all whyche thynges we neuer exclude the specyall pryuylege of goddys absolute mercy. For by hys myghty mercy the thynge that is impossyble to man, is not impossyble to god / as our sauyour sayth in the gospell of Mathewe.⁴ But I speke of the ordynary course of hys comen ordynaūce, in whyche is excepted also the prayours and good dedys / wyth whiche any man is besyde hys owne penaunce holpen and releued wyth the good dedys of other mennys cheryte, or ye spyrytuall treasour of Crystes chyrche vppon good cause applyed, conuenyently towarde the redemynge of hys temporall payne. But ellys I saye by the authoryte of saynt Poule in thys place / yt it shall be very hard for a man by penaunce wrought in grace, to be restored agayne to the state of baptysme clere from all payne dew for the synne.

For syth the sacrament of baptysme whyche regendreth vs and maketh vs new creaturys, doth not so fully apply y• passyon of Cryste for our satysfaccyō, that it so dyschargeth vs from all the payne of synne, but yt we sustayne yet euery man for hym selfe the pa[…]nefull twych of bodely deth: we maye well byleue the apostle in thys place, that the payne temporally dew to our actuall synne commytted after baptysme, is not so sone worne out and payed by penaunce, but that it is as saynt Poule sayth, a thynge very harde to do. For the spyrytuall creature whyche baptysme begeteth and createth of new: penaunce fyndynge by synne agayne all to frus[…]hed, plastereth and patcheth vppe and maketh mych wo[…]e to cure the wounde and brynge it to a scarre.

[…]ude for my parte be very well content, that synne & pay[…] and all were as shortely gone as Tyndale telleth vs. But I were lothe that he deceyued vs yf it be not so. And therfor[…] to the entent it may the better appere that penaūce is necessary, and that to retourne to god and clene to be forgyuen, is not so lyght a thynge as Tyndale maketh it / but that the chyrche of Cryste appoyntyng payne for the synne, and not a bare forethynkynge or repentaunce as Tyndale wolde haue it, is therein taughte by the holy spyryte of god: let euery man consyder in what wyse the prophete Ioell descrybeth the maner, wyth whyche man sholde retourne to god agayne after synne. The lorde sayth,⁵ retourne to me wyth all your harte in fastynge, in wepynge, and weylyng. Teare your hertes and not your garmentes, and retourne to your lorde god. For he is benygne and mercyfull, pacyēt, and plentuouse of mercy, and redy to forgyue synne.

Tyndale

And yt wyll folow yf I repente in the herte / that I shall do no more so wyl[…]lyngly and of purpose.

In these few wordes there are many doutes. Fyrste how Tyndale taketh repentynge in the harte / whether he meane that who so repēteth in his harte shall no more do so agayne wyllyngly and of purpose, as longe as he so repenteth, or ellys that who so repent onys in his harte, shall neuer ceace to repente / or though he do, shall neuer yet do more so wyllyngly and of purpose whyle he lyueth. And yf he meane in the fyrste manner, his wordes be lytle to purpose. For yf he graunte that though he repent at one tyme, he may ceace to repente at a nother, and then do as euyll as he dyd, and be as euyll as he was: then had I as leue that he sayed y• man whych onys repēteth, wyll do so no more as long as he doth so no more, and wyll be good styll tyll he be nought agayne

Now yf he meane in the secunde manner, that who so repenteth onys in his herte, can neuer after ceace to repente as long as euer he lyueth / or though he ceace to repent shall yet as longe as euer he lyueth, neuer wyllyngly and of purpose fall to synne agayne: thē eyther of all that fall to synne agayne, that is to wyt of all cryst[…] people allmoste, there was neuer none that euer repented in […]arte / in […] who so euer haue onys repented in his harte, all ye […] that euer he doth after he doth none of them wylly[…]/or at the lefte he doth them not of purpose, but […] by chaunce & myssehappe, ere euer hym selfe […]ew[…]re therof at aduenture sodaynly.

Now yf he saye that neuer any whych do synne agayne, dyd hartely repente byfore / and then that he requyre[…] […] then herty repētaunce of man for his recōcylyacyon to god: he preacheth vs no gospell nor telleth vs no glad tydynges, but the heuyeste tydynges that euer man tolde. For then he telleth vs playne yt of all cristen people there is almost none that standeth in state of grace lenger then the lakke of reason excuseth the defaute of his dede / or that the lakke of lyfe leueth hym no tyme to synne agayne after his repentaunce. For we playnely se that such as repent fall agayne to synne / and so by hym they neuer so repented that euer they were reconcyled agayne to god in all theyr hole lyfe. And then were there also mych doute of theyr deth. For though yt be good in some case, yet were yt not good alwaye that euery man were ouer bolde vppon the sodayne grace that ye these gate at laste, that honge on the crosse at Crystes ryght hande.

And yf Tyndale wene to make the mater more easy, bycause he sayth he that repenteth in harte wyll do so no more, meanynge that he wyll no more fall to that kynde of synne: this wyll not serue hym. For he falleth out of goddes fauour and the state of grace by the commyttyng of any other synne that is vppon his damnacion forboden. And therfore yf harty repentaunce be able for euer to kepe hym from one kynde / yt muste be able to kepe hym frō euery kynde of lyke dedelynesse, or ellys yt suffyseth not.

Now to the tother poynt. If Tyndale thynke to ease all the mater by this that he sayeth not, that he whyche repenteth in harte shall do so no more / but that he shall do so no more wyllyngly and of purpose: then ryseth there a nother doute what he calleth wyllyngly and of purpose.

He hath as yt semeth some other vnderstandynge of this worde wylly[…]gly, then other men haue. we saye that yf he do yt not wyllyngly / he synneth not at all yf his wyll no […]hynge do therein at all; except yt depende vpon some other synne of hym selfe done wyllyngly byfore / as where a man synfully falleth in dronkenesse or in fransye, and then dron […]e[…] or frantyke doth harme / or where as one man geueth other occasyon of ruyne, as Tyndale dothe, when men be […] here wyth his bokes, and after damned for his here […], such mē peraduēture as he neuer knew / and yet fallen all th[…] dethys both of body and soule in Tyndales nekke. For as […] sa[…]nte Austayne sayeth / the heretyke that is a teacher […] a […]etter forth of heresyes, though he be depeda […] in hell […]ll neuer ye[…] knowe the vttermoste of hys payne tyll the daye of dome. For as many men as byfore y• day be damned for his heresyes: shall e[…]er as they come to hell more and more encreace his payne.

But ellys I saye, where a man hath no wyll in the dede nor in the occasion therof / there is he as I thynke no partener in the synne. I wote not what Tyndale meaneth by wyllyngly and of purpose. For he is wonte to reken as though there is nothyng done willyngly yt is done of frayletye / nor I can not tell what he calleth purpose / how longe tyme serueth after his rekenyng to make yt done of purpose.

But this I wote well, allbe yt that there be degrees & ci[…] cūstaūces that aggreue the synne & make it more weyghty / as when yt is in the mynde longe contynued, & done of pure malyce, and such other thynges: yet yf these lakke so the damnable dede yt god hath forbodē to be done in dede, by hym that is not agaynste his wyll forced there vnto / this ca[…] we wyllyngly done, & saye that he synneth dedely that so doth, all though he neuer purposed him selfe longe byfore vppon yt. As yf a man mete a nother and kyll hym s[…]enly for an angry worde / or mete a mayden sodaynly and so de[…]ore here this wolde I call wyllyngly, but yf she were so stronge or had so mych helpe that she rauyshed the mān[…]s […] and dysuowred hym by force.

Now such thynges as these be, we dow[…]e not but ye folke haue fallen to agayne after repentaunce and after penauns to / and such as haue ben by the sacrament of penaunce res[…] […]ed vnto the state of grace. And syth that these be damnable, whyther they be byfore purposed or no: therfore yf is partely false partely folysh that Tyndale sayth, that who so repent in herte shall neuer do so more wyllyng[…] and of purpose / syth he that hathe repented […] harte may do so agayne wyllyngly and of purpose to / & he that dyd […] […]sed purpose, doth yt yet for all that […] he do yt wyllyngly.

And for cōclusyon though yt may be say[…] […] good men of good mynde in exhortacyon in perseueraū […] […] good workes, agaynst the […] of such as […] agayne, that they […] lyghtenes geueth […] to thynke and saye yet to put ye for a rule and […] as Tyndale doth, that who so repēteth onys in ha[…]te […]all […] wyllyngly & of purpose / & that they that synne […] lyngly and of purpose dyd neuer repent in harte, is very […]alse doctryne & a very playne heresye.

Tyndale

And yf I beleued the gospell, what god hath done for me in Criste: I shold surely loue hym agayne, and of loue prepare my selfe vnto his commaundement.

It is vndowtely a very good occasyon to moue a man to loue god agayne, when he beleueth ye loue that god hath to hym, and the thynges that of very loue god hath done for hym. But yet it is not trew that Tyndale sayth, that euery man whyche byleueth thys loue, doeth so loue god agayne, that of loue he prepareth hym selfe vnto goddys commaundementes. I dare say that saynt Peter loued hym well / and yet he bothe forsoke hym and forsware hym to. But a man yt well byleued sholde peraduenture prepare hym to goddys commaundementes, yf neyther the worlde, the flesshe, nor ye deuyll drewe hym bakke / nor suche heretykes worse yet thē all […]re, […] the r[…]te of ryght bylefe out of hys harte. And […] standen the wordes of Tyndale wyth Luthers holy doctryne, whyche he precheth agaynste the lybertye of mannys fre wyll / wherof yf man haue none, as theyr heresye techeth: then how can it be trewe that a man can of loue prepare hym selfe to the commaundementes of god?

And fynally yf it be trew that Tyndale sayth / that is to […] th[…] yf he beleued the gospell he sholde surely prepare hym selfe to the cōmaundementes of god / and then yf thys be trew […] as in dede it is, that he that doeth (as Tindale doeth) enfeete hys neyghbours wyth dedely poysened heresyes agaynst the blessed sacramentes, & therby maketh theyr bodyes be burned in erthe wyth hys bokes, and theyr soul ys burned in helle wyth hys heresyes, is the most tray […]rouse […] of goddys commaundementes that can be […] very clerely that Tindale byleueth not […] gospell […] all / and surely no more he doeth.

And now cometh he and sayth, that I knowe that all y• […] for hys defence in ye chaunge of chyrch, preste, […], penaunce, and suche other is trew: bycause […] as he […]ayth the greke afore hym / where as I by […] knowledge as I haue of greke, latyn, and of our owne […] tonge togyther, knowe hys defence dothe […]. And that haue I so clerely proue[…]/that to the […] of bothe hys […] and hys […]oly, there shall not greately nede y• knowlege of th[…] tonges nor twayne neyther / but an indyfferent reader that vnderstandeth englysshe, and hath in hys hed any reason or naturall wyt. For all be it that the more lernynge the reder hath, the more madnesse he shall perceyue in Tyndales defence of these thynges afore remembred: yet he that hath wyt and no lernyng at all, shall clerely perceyue inough[…]

And to that entent onely haue I taken the labour […] answere hys defence, to make it open to lerned and vnlerned bothe, that he bryngeth to the mater after hys two […] musynge thereuppon, […]eyther insyghte of any substancyall lernynge, nor yet any profe of reason or naturall wytte, but onely a rasshe malyciouse frantyke brayde, furnysshed with a bare bolde assercyon and affyrmacyon of false poysoned heresyes. For sauynge to make thys appere / I neded not to touche those poyntes at all. For euery man well knoweth y• the entent and purpose of my dyaloge was none other, but to make the people perceyue that Tyndale chaunged in his translacyon the comen knowen wordes to thentēt to […] a chaūge in the fayth. As for ensample that he chaūged the worde chyrche in to thys worde congregacyon, bycause he wolde brynge it in questyon whyche were the chyrche / an[…] set forth Luthers heresye that the chyrch whyche we sholde byleue and obaye, is not the comen knowen body of all crysten reames remaynynge in the fayth of Cryste, not falle[…] of nor cut of wyth heresyes / as Boheme is and some parte[…] of Germany: but that the chyrche whyche we sholde byleue and obay, were some secrete vnknowē sorte of euyll lyuyng and worse byleuyng heretykes. And that he chaūged preste into senior / bycause he entēded to set forth Luthers heresye techynge that presthed is no sacrament / but the […] of a laye man or a laye woman appoynted by the people to preche. And that he chaūged penaūce into […] he wolde set forth Luthers heresye techyng that penaūce is no sacrament.

Lo thys beyng y• onely purpose & entent of […] Tyndale cometh now and expressely […] the same thynge that I purposed to shew. For he […] & wryteth openly those false heresyes in dede that I […]yed then […] teded after to do / so that hy[…] selfe sheweth now that I […] then shew[…] the people trewth / & th[…] […]eded I to make […] answere, syth hys owne wrytyng sheweth that he made his translacyon, to the entent to set forth suche heresyes as I sayed he dyd.

For as for that that Tyndale calleth them none heresyes but the very fayth, forceth me but lytle / for so hath euery he retyque called his owne heresyes syns crystēdome fyrste byganne. But for all that the deuyll wyll be the deuyll though Tyndale wolde call hym god.

And I made my boke to good crysten people that know such heresyes for heresyes / to gyue thē warnynge that by scripture of his owne false forgynge (for so is his false translacyon, and not the scrypture of god) he sholde not bygyle them, and make them wene the thynge were otherwyse then yt is in dede. For as for such as are so madde all redy, to take those heresyes for other then heresyes, and are thereby them selfe no faythfull folke but heretyques, yf they lyst not to lerne and leue of, but longe to lye styll in theyr false bylyefe: yt were all in vayne to gyue them warnynge thereof. For when theyr wyllys be bent thereto, and theyr hertys set thereon: there wyll no warnynge serue them. And therfore syth Tyndale hath here confessed in his defence, yt he made suche chaunges for the settynge forth of suche thynges as I sayed: yt is inough for good cristen men that know those thynges for heresyes, to abhorre and burne vppe his bokes and the lykers of them wyth them / so that as I say I neded none answere to all his defence at all, sauynge to make as I haue done, both lerned and vnlerned folke perceyue hym for an vnlerned fole. And yet defendynge hym self so fondely, and teachyng open heresyes so shamefully: he sayeth yt appereth that there was no cause to burne his translacyon, wherein such chaunges founden as ye se, and beynge chaū ged for such causes as hym selfe cōfesseth / that is to wyt for a foūdacyone of such pestylent heresyes as hym selfe affermeth & wryteth in his abomynable bokes: he myghte mych better yf he cut a mannys throte in the open strete, say there were no cause to hange hym but bydde men seke vppe hys knyfe & se yt hym safe. This myght he in good fayth myche better saye then, then he maye now say that there is no cause to burne his translacyon. wyth y• falsed wherof and his false heresyes brought in there wythall: he hath kylled and destroyed dyuerse menne, and maye hereafter many, some in body, some […] soule, and some in […]oth twayne.

And […] where as in the ende he loketh so mych to me, yt he forgeteth hym selfe / and makyng me a nother holy sermone of my couetousenesse, my great aduauntage in seruyng in falsed, myne obstynate malyce agaynst ye trewth: he forgeteth in the meane whyle yt his owne malyce is agaynst the trewth in such manner obstynate, that he doth as the deuell dothe, endure payne for the mayntenaunce of hys false deuelyshe heresyes agaynste the treuth / and puttynge me in mynde agayne of the false prophete Balaam and his euyll ende, and that all suche resysters of the trewth come at laste vnto an euyll deth: he forgeteth in ye meane whyle ye double deth that his felowes heretyques comenly come vnto, fyrst by fyre in erth, and after by fyre in hell / saue they that at the tone renounce his deuelysh heresyes, & so escape the tother. Tyndale therfore where yt lyketh hym to lyken me to Balaam, Pharao, and to Iudas to, syth the pytthe of all hys processe standeth in this one poynte, that his heresyes be the trew fayth, and that the catholyque fayth is false / that the holy dayes nor the fastyng dayes no man nede to kepe / that the dyuyne seruyces in the chyrche is all but superstycyon / that the chyrche & the ale howse is all one sauynge for such holy preachyng / that men haue no fre wyll of theyr owne to do nother good nor yll / yt to reuerence Crystes crosse or any saynts ymage is idolatry / that to do any good worke, faste, geue almysse, or other, with entent the rather to gete heuen, or to be the better rewarded, there is dedely synne afore god & worse then idolatrye / to thynke yt the masse may do menne any good mo then the preste hym selfe, were a false belyefe / a false fayth also to pray for any soule / great synne to shryue vs or to do penaunce for synne / freres may well wedde nonnes and muste nedes haue wyues / and the sacramentes of Cryste muste serue for Tyndales iestynge stoke: these be the trewthes that Tyndole preacheth. And bycause I call these trewthes heresyes: therfore Tyndale calleth me Balaam, Iudas, and Pharao / and […]hreteneth me sore wyth ye vengeaunce of god and wyth an euyll deth. what deth eche man shall dye that hangeth in goddes hādes / and martyrs haue dyed for god, and heretykes haue dye[…] for the deuyll. But syth I know yt very well and so doth Tyndale to, that ye holy sayntes dede byfore these dayes synnys Cristes tyme tyll our owne, byleued as I do / that Tyndales trewthes be[…] starke deuely[…]he heresyes: yf god gyue me the grace to suffer for sayeng the same / I shall neuer in my ryght wyt wysh to dye better. And therfore syth all the mater stādeth in this poynte alone / that yf his heresyes be the trew fayth, then I stande in parell / and yf they be a false fayth, I maye be safe inought: lette hym leue his sermon hardely for the whyle, and fyrste go proue his lyes trewe, and then come agayne and preache, and frere Luther also & his lemman wyth hym to / and then may the geese prouyde the foxe a pulpette.

Matth. 25 ↩
1. Regum. 12
↩
Hebre. 6 ↩
Mat. 19 ↩
Iche[…] 2. ↩

Chapter 93 of 95