Here foloweth the next chapyter of Tyndale, in which he sayth that a trew member of Crystes chyrche synneth no

Tyndale. How a trewe member of Crys[…]es chyrche synneth not, and how he ys yet a synner.

More. NOwe come we to the specyall poynte wherin Tindale gyueth vs a glorious demonstracyon of hys excellent hygh wytte and lernynge, farre surmountyng the capacyte of pore popyshe men to perceyue, how it myghte be possyble that any man synneth not and yet for all that synneth all waye styll. But to the entent that Tyndale shall haue no cause to saye yt I deface hys gay goodly tale, by manglynge of hys mater and rehersynge hym by patchys and pecys: ye shall fyrst concernynge thys poynt here all hys hole chapyter to gether, wythout any worde of hys eyther omytted or chaunged / and after shall we consyder & examyne y• partes. These are therfore hys wordes.

Tyndale. Ferthermore, he that hath thys fayth can not synne / and therfore he can not be deceyued with dampnable errours. For by thys fayth we be (as I say[…]e) borne of god. Now he that is borne of god can not synne, for his seed dw[…]e[…]h in hym / and he can not therfore synne by cause he is borne of god. I. Iohn̄. […]. whyche seed is the holy goste that kepeth a mans herte from consentynge vnto synne. And therfore it is a fals conclusyō that mayster More hol[…]eth, how that a man maye haue a ryght fayth ioyned with all kynd[…]s of abomyna[…]yon and synne. And yet […]uery member of Crystes congregacyon is a synner and synneth dayly, some more and some lesse. For it is wryten. 1. Iohn̄. 1. yf we saye we haue no synne we deceyue our selues, and the trewth is not in vs. And agayne yf we saye we haue not synned, we make hym a lyar and […]s worde is not in vs. And Paule Roma. 7. sayth that good which I w[…]e that do I not / but that euyll whych I wolde not that do I. So it is not I t[…]t do it (sayth he) but synne that dwelleth in me. Thus are we synners and no synners. No synners yf thou loke vnto the professyon of our hartes tow[…]e the lawe of god, on our repentaunce and sorowe that we haue, bothe bycause we haue synned and also bycause we be yet full of sinne styll, and vnto the p[…]omises of mercy in our sauyour Cryst and vnto fayth. Synners are we yf t[…]u loke vnto the frayltye of our flesshe, whyche is as the weaknesse of one t[…]t is newly recouered out of a greate dysease / by the reason wherof our de[…]es are imperfecte, and by the reason wherof also, when occasyons be great we fall into hor[…]yble dedes / and the frute of the synne whych remayneth in our mē bres breake[…]h out. Notwythstandynge yet the spyryte leaueth vs not, but rebuketh vs and bryngeth vs home agayne vnto our possession / so that we neuer caste of the yoke of god from our neckes, neyther ye[…]e vp our […] vnto synne for to serue it, but fyghte afreshe and begynne a new batay[…]e.

More. Lo now ye haue herde hys hole holy sermon to gether, by whyche he teacheth vs that a trew member of Crystes chyrche doth both euer synne and neuer synne. But as for the tone parte, that the trew membres of Cryste do synne / we shall not mych trouble hym wyth the profe (All be it in that he sayth that euery trewe member synneth and euer synneth, as he sayth in mo places thē one: yf he take synne for actuall synne as he muste here take yt, or ellys he speketh lytell to the purpose / men myghte peraduenture lay a blocke or twayne in hys waye, that wolde breke hys shynnes ere he lepte ouer it) But lettynge that parte passe / lette vs se how he proueth the tother, that a trew member of Cristes chyrch synneth not. Lo thus he proueth it.

Tyndale. Forthermore he that hath this fayth can not synne, and therfore can not be deceyued wyth damnable errours.

More. Here he telleth vs that no member of the electe chyrche of hys fayth can be deceyued wyth any damnable errour / and proueth it by that none of thē can synne. And in dede it foloweth, he can not synne, ergo he can not be damnably deceyued, syth euery damnable errour is synne. But now let vs se how he proueth hys antecedent, that no man hauynge that fayth can synne. He proueth it thus.

Tyndale. For by thys fayth we be borne of god. Now he that is borne of god can not synne, for his seed dwelleth in hym / and he can not therfore synne, bycause he is borne of god, the.3. chapiter of the fyrste epystle of Iohn̄. whyche seed is the holy goste that kepys a mannes harte from consentynge to synne. And therfore it is a false conclusyon that M. More holdeth, that a man maye haue a ryght fayth ioyned wyth all kyndes of abomynacyon and synne.

More. Consyder now good reader, that Tyndale telleth vs here thre thynges, to proue therby that who so gete onys the fayth that saynt Peter confessed can neuer synne after.

The fyrste is, that by that fayth we be borne of god. The seconde is, that who so is borne of god, hath the seed of god in hym.

The thyrde is, that who so haue the seed of god in hym, can not synne.

Uppon these thre he concludeth, that who so gete onys that fayth can neuer synne after.

Let vs now consyder the fyrste, where he sayth that by fayth we be borne of god. And therin dare we be bolde to tell hym, that though it be trew that by fayth we be borne of god as he now sayth: yet is it false that by onely fayth we be borne of god / as he falsely meaneth, and in many places as falsely for trouth affermeth, where he wolde make vs wene that bycause we be borne of god and become hys chyldren by fayth, we were therfore borne of god by onely fayth. As wysely as yf he wolde saye, that bycause he was bygotten by hys father / he was therfore bygotten of hys father onely wythout any mother.

And thys hys foly hym selfe so well perceyueth, that in many places he laboreth to couer it wyth sophystycacyon, in vsynge thys worde fayth for fayth and hope to gyther, ye and somtyme for cheryte therwyth also / and then wolde make vs wene wyth suche wyse iuglynge, that fayth alone were fayth, hope, and cherite all thre to geder, bycause that ellys the fayth were but dede. And therin vseth hym selfe as wysely, as yf he wolde saye that the body alone eteth, drynketh, walketh, byleueth, loueth, and all to gether. And when hys foly were reproued / wolde then saye that he called the body alone the body wyth the soule therin, bycause the body without ye soule were but a dede body that coulde no thynge do.

And thus ye se that ye shall not nede to be deceyued by hys fyrste poynt, that we be borne of god by fayth.

Hys seconde poynt is, that euery man beynge borne of god hath the seed of god dwellyng in hym. I wyll not here contende wyth hym, whyther the seed of god that dwelleth in the chyldern of god, be the holy goste, or the fayth, or the grace of god / nor in what wyse god and hys holy spyryte dwellen in good folke. But lettynge suche dysputacyons passe / thys wyll I saye, that yf the seed of fayth beynge onely fayth abyde in hym, it is not a thynge that shall so surely kepe hym frō synne, but that he maye synne dedely, and the seed of suche fayth stande styll wyth his synne / and the man for all the seed of suche fayth dwellynge in hym, may be by synne the chylde of the deuyll, and so maye dye and go to the deuyll[…]

But yet ys the seed of fayth alone, that is to saye the bylyefe alone, a very greate occasyon of retournynge to god at hys callynge agayne by the offer of hys grace, and therby to gete agayne bothe holsome hope and cheryte. But not so great an occasion therof, but that the man may kepe styll hys fayth and hys bylyefe alone, and wythout hope or cheryte eyther, by malyce or neglygence fyrste fall to synne, and after contynue styll in synne, and refuse ye grace of god yf he wyll / as well as the deuyll dyd in the begynnynge, and so doth euer styll, and wyll do styll in hell as longe as god dwelleth in heuen.

Now yf the seed of god in the crysten man, be ment hys grace by whyche men come to fayth, hope, and cheryte and do good workes wythall, not wythout the consent and applyeng of theyr owne fre wylles therto / such folke as haue vse of reason workynge wyth god for theyr pore parte towarde theyr owne saluacyon, wyth the instrument yt god of hys onely goodnesse hath made and gyuen them therunto / yf he meane that thys seed of goddes grace dwelleth styll in man, to kepe hym from fallynge to synne: I saye that it is very trew, as longe as man wyll cleue therunto & let his owne wyll worke therwith. But whē so euer he wyll withdraw his owne wyll therfro, to folowe the world, the flesshe, or the deuyll: then lyke as his wyll departeth from grace, so doth ordinarily ye seed of grace depart out of him.

Now yf he meane by the seed of god, that the spyryte of god dwelleth in the Crysten man by any other specyall maner of dwellynge, aboue such dwellyng as he dwelleth in other men by hys power and presence of hys godhed, then onely by his fauour & grace / which other speciall maner yf Tyndale meane any such, I can not cōceyue, syth I make my selfe sure that he meaneth no suche dwellynge in vnyte of person, as the seconde person of ye godhed dwelleth with the manhode of Cryste: yet yf he deuyse and meane any other maner of dwellynge, by whyche the spyryte of god dwelleth wyth the faythfull man, I say that the spyryte dwelleth in hym and helpeth hym to contynue suche as longe as the man wyll by the applyenge of hys owne wyll contynue wyth the spyryte. But I saye that the man may by the frowardnesse of hys fre wyll, at the mocyon of the flesshe, or instygacyon of the deuyll, or entycement of ye worlde, hys fayth remaynynge / fall from cheryte, and put the spyryt from hym.¹ As dyd the peple of Gerasens, which seynge Crystes myracle wrought vppon the madde man, out of whom he dyd caste the deuyll, bycause he draue the deuyll into theyr hoggys and therby draue theyr hoggys into the se / though well they perceyue what a myghty lord he was and of what goodnes to, in that they saw hym delyuer the man from the legyon of deuyls, and therfore loued hym somwhat of lykelyhed, and wolde haue ben glad to haue had hym dwell styll wyth them: yet ferynge that by the castynge out of mo deuyls they myghte afterwarde happely lese mo of theyr hogges, they prayed hym courteysely to gete hym quykly thense.

yet god, when man hath put hym out of hys dwellyng / doth of hys great goodnesse not alwayes vtterly leue hym for hys vnkyndnesse / but though yf the man dye ere god come in agayne, god shall of iustyce for hys vnkyndnesse houeth styll about ye dore of his harte, alway knockyng vppon hym to be by the fre wyll of man let in with his grace into the howse of mānes harte agayn / accordyng to ye wordes of our sauyour in the Apocalipse, where he sayth, I stande at the dore knockyng.² How be it a man may be so froward & obstynate in synne, & when he hath expelled god out of his hart, may dreue hym with synne vpon sinne and dispyghtfull cyrcūstaūces so farre of fro the dore, as some of these heretykes do (which in dispyght of vertuouse vowes of chastyte, rūne out & wedde nōnes & lyue in lechery / and in dispyght of y• lenton faste, eate flesh vpon good fryday / and in dyspyght of the blessed sacramētes of ye awter, cast the precyous body of Cryst out of the pyx) y• god shall iustely for ye hougenes of theyr abominaciō withdraw hym selfe so farre, yt he shall peraduenture neuer approche nere vnto thē agayn, nor neuer after offer them hys grace. And then muste they nedes neuer cease fallynge tyll they come downe to the deuyll. Thus fynally concernyng hys seconde poynt / fayth alone may dwell in a man, and dedely synne togyther. But lyuely fayth, yt is to wyt fayth not alone, but coupled with hope & cheryte & wyll of good workes, can not dwell with dedely synne / neyther wyth manslaughter, aduowtry, nor any suche lyke / but as the tone cō meth in, the tother goth out, whyther the synne be cōmytted of malyce, weykenesse, or frayltye / wherof Tyndale very styffely techeth vs vntruly yt cōtrary. And yet I say not that all synnes be of one wayght, concernyng the dyffycultye of returnyg to repētaūce, or ye degrees of payne in hell, after the finall impenytence or punyshement in purgatory for lacke of penaunce here / but for that yf they dye before they retourne by grace and good wyll vnto penaūce, they be all perpetually dampned in hell the tone as well as the tother, though the tone not so mych as the tother, contrary to Tyndals aforesayd false cōclusyon / whose profe in that poynt specyally dependeth vppon hys thyrde artycle wherof the wordes be trew & hys vnderstandyng false. For hys thyrde poynt ye wote well is thys, that who so euer haue the seed of god dwellynge in hym can not synne.

Thys poynt ye remember he proueth, by the wordes of saynte Iohn̄ in the thyrde chapyter of hys fyrste pystle. whyche pystle is vndowtedly one of the moste harde and darke places of all the new testament / and wherof sundry great heresyes haue rysen, & sondry mo there may, thorow suche malycyouse myndes as rede the scrypture, to none other entent but to wreste euery word vnto y• worse parte / and of the playnesse and symplicite that the apostles vsed in the maner of theyr wordes, take occasyō to tourne theyr erneste godly sentence, into friuolouse cauyllacyons and sophysines / as not onely dyuerse heretykes haue done of olde, but also Tyndale hath now of newe, bothe renewed theyr olde & added some of his own, more pestylent & more folysh also then all the olde heretykes durst for very shame haue spokē of. And where as all ye olde holy doctours vsed alway to make open & expoune the hard & darke places of scrypture, by suche other as were playne clere & euydent: these heretykes alwaye for the profe of theyr heresyes, seke out the hardest places yt can be founden in scrypture. And all the playne open wordes in whych can be no dowte nor questiō, they come and expoune by those places y• be darke obscure, & hard to vnderstand / mych lyke a blynd guyde, y• wolde when men were walkyng in a darke nyght, put out the candell and shew them the way by the lanterne.

This way vseth Tyndale vnyuersally, as well in euery other thyng yt he taketh in hand to proue, as in this poynt specyally / y• he which hath onys the fayth can neuer synne, bycause he hath ye seed of god dwellyng in hym. For where as it is euydent & playne by clere and open textes of scrypture, full & plentuouse in euery part therof, that there is no man here (excepte some specyall reuelacyon therof) so sure of his owne fynall saluacyon, nor of his own present estate neyther, but that he hath good cause to fere & temper hys hope of goddys mercy with the drede of his iustyce, lest his ouer bolde hope may happe to stretche in to presumpcion & occasyon of sleyght regardyng synne: Tyndale wolde expoune thē all agaynst them all, by one darke text or twayn taken in this pistle of saynt Iohn̄ / by which he wold make vs byleue y• saynt Iohn̄ techeth dyuers of the most pestylent heresyes & most repugnaūt vnto god, and yt in hys iustyce and his mercy bothe, wyth the most occasyon gyuen vnto the world vnto the two most heyghnouse synnes and moste contraryouse in them selfe, that is to wytte presumpcyon & despayre, that euer any heretyke deuysed.

For he gathereth and affermeth vpon saynt Iohn̄s pystle, in hys false exposycyon, and also in hys foresayd begynnynge of thys chapyter, that saynt Iohn̄ techeth them all these false heresyes folowynge.

Fyrste that who so euer haue onys the trewe fayth, can neuer after synne of malice or purpose / but that all the synnys that he can after fall vnto, shalbe but of wek[…]nes and frayltye, be they murder, aduowtry, periury, sacrylege, inceste or treason, or any other abomynable dede be it neuer so detestable synne.

Secōdely yt of all such synnes he that hath onys at any tyme goten ye fayth, shall haue euer after the grace to repēt.

And thyrdely yt at the bare repentynge wythout shryfte or penaunce, he shall haue forthwyth forgeuenesse of all synne and payne / so that any satysfaccyon shall not onely no thyng nede, but is also as he sayth a dampnable thyng to do it, for hope or desyre towarde any remyssyon eyther of synne or payne, and a dampnable e[…]rour to byleue that god hath ordayned any punysshement or payne eyther in purgatory after thys worlde, or by any afflyccyon in thys world, for any synne that any man onys hauyng the fayth cōmytteth & repēteth hym of, were it neuer so abominable.

For in hys exposycyon of ye fyrste pystle of saynt Iohn̄, he is come so mych ferther then euer he came before (as farre as I remember) yt there lyke as I haue shewed you byfore in the preface, he denyeth not onely purgatory but also all punysshement: here he techeth also that who so gete onys the trew fayth, which he calleth the felyng fayth, hath a sure vndowted knowlege that he is in the state of grace, and an electe that can neuer be dampned.

Now of these abomynable heresyes what bold occasyō of synne men may catche, and how they repūgne agaynste the iustyce of god. I referre it vnto the wysedome of euery good Crysten reder. Then techeth he on the tother syde, yt who so euer after hys baptysme had, & the story fayth, that is sayth he the fayth with whych we byleue the artycles of the fayth as men byleue a story or a cronicle, do any dedely synne of purpose / yt is to wytte as he sayth, not of wekenes or freyltye but of malyce or wyllyngly wyth a consentyng to the synne: y• man shall neuer after be forgeuen in thys worlde nor in none other. For euery such synne sayth he is the synne agaynst y• holy goste / which shall sayth he neuer be forgyuen, notwithstandynge any repentaunce and penaunce taken and done therfore.

And to the profe of thys pestylent heresye, he draweth the couert and obscure wordes of our sauyour Cryste in the gospell of saynt Mathew the.12. chapyter / and also the darke and hard wordes of saynt Poule.³ whych places of them selfe all olde holy doctours confesse for dyffuse and almost vnexplyclable / sauynge that they all expoune them contrary to Tyndals heresye, by y• artycles of the knowne fayth of Crystes catholyke chyrche, and by many playne open textes of holy scrypture. Of whyche two thynges Tyndale the tone dyssymuleth, and the tother despyseth / and byleueth the olde heretyke Nouaciane the fyrsse authour of that abomynable heresye, better then saynte Cypryane, saynte Hyerom, saynte Austayne, saynte Ambrose, saynt Gregory, and all the olde holy sayntes that haue wryten agaynst it / and better then the hole catholyke chyrche of Cryste of thys.xv. hundred yere, y• euer hath taught the contrarye, and euer syth the fyrst inuencyon of that heresye haue contynually detested and condēpned it, as one of the most execrable heresyes that euer ye deuyll deuysed.

For as Tyndals other heresye fyghteth agaynste goddes iustyce / so doth thys dyrectly fyghte agaynste hys mercy / and putteth almoste all crystē people in vtter despayre of heuen, yf men were so madde to byleue one heretyke or twayne, better then all the olde holy sayntes, and all the hole chyrche of Cryste.

Thys heresye as I began to tell you, Tyndale among hys other afore remembred, laboreth to stablysh / not onely by the darke and harde places of scrypture afore remembred, but also by certayne wordes in thys fyrste pystle of saynt Iohn̄ / where is no more colour to speke therof then of the man in the mone, as euery man maye sone perceyue that redeth hym.

But now for our present purpose, to towch his heresies of thys chapyter of hys, of synnyng without synne / I shall touche you the place in that pystle of saynt Iohn̄, wherby Tyndale wolde proue you that who so gete onys the fayth whyche he calleth the trew fayth and the felyng fayth, can neuer synne dedely after. By whyche ye shall playnely se how playnely he mysseconstrewth the scrypture, to the myschyef of mēnes soules. The wordes of saint Iohn̄ be these Euery man that is borne of god doth not synne, for the seed of hym abydeth in hym / and he can not synne, bycause he is borne of god.

In the vnderstandynge of these wordes varye Tyndale and we. And whyther he or we mysse vnderstande it, that let vs now examyne. Fyrst we shall I suppose agre to gether bothe that to be borne of god is in the scrypture no thynge ellys, but to be the chyld of god / and to be bo[…]ne of the deuyll, is to be the deuyls chylde.

we shall I thynke also agre to gether in thys that to be borne of god or to be the chyldren of god, is not mente to be hys naturall chyldren as our sauyour Cryste is by reason of hys godhed / but by fayth, hope, and cheryte[…] and the sacramentes, and the folowynge of Cryst in good workes, and kepynge of goddes commaundementes, to be mēbres of hys mystycall body of hys electe chyrche.

But herein peraduenture shall Tindale and we begyn to vary, not onely for that I saye by the sacramentes and good workes, of whyche Tyndale wyll not here / but also for the electe chyrche y• is Crystes mystycall body, wherof goddes chyldren be membres here in erth. For all be it that he is so waueryng in his wordes that he woteth not where to holde hym, and therfore speketh so darkely that he wold be loth to be vnderstanden: yet he wyll call as it semeth no man a member of Crystes electe chyrche, but hym that is elected fynally to blysse and saluacyon. And I call h[…]re the elect chyrche in thys world, neyther all that are chosen in to crystendome and the professyō of the catholyke fayth, nor onely those that shall be fynally saued / but all suche as for the present tyme so stande in the state of grace, that yf they dye before they fall therfro they shalbe saued. Of whiche folke many fall after from it, & so be dampned in dede / whyche folke before theyr fall be the chyldren of god saye I. And when they be fallen into dedely synne, then ceace they to be the chyldren of god, and be become the chyld[…]en of the deuyll, tyll they be borne of god agayne by grace thorowe penaūce, and become the chyldren of god agayne. And in whyche so euer of these two states a man fynally dyeth in / in that he perpetually dwelleth, and is therby for euer eyther the chylde of god in hys chyrche of the fynall electes in heuen, or ellys the chyld of the deuyll in the chyrche of the fynall reprobatys in hell / accordyng to the word of holy wryte, yf a tre fall south or north,⁴ in what place so euer it fall there shall it remayne.

But here sayth Tyndale, that who so euer haue onys the fayth whyche he calleth after the felyng fayth / he hath the seed of god, the spyryte of god in hym. And bycause he hath the spyryte of god in hym / therfore he sayth by the authoryte of y• aforsayd wordes of saynt Iohn̄, that man can neuer synne dedely. So that by that reason, who so euer haue onys the fayth, is one of the fynall electes.

Now se you in what maner Tyndale taketh these wordes. But agaynste hys takynge, […]tande all the olde holy doctours of Crystes chyrche, from the dayes of hym selfe and hys apostles hytherto. Of all whom, let Tyndale tell me the name of any one that euer dyd vnderstande these wordes of saynt Iohn̄ in such wyse as Tyndale doth / that who so euer gate onys the ryght fayth of Cryste, and put therwyth as greate a felynge therof wyth hope and cherite therto, as euer holy Tyndale hym selfe felte in hys dayes / coude neuer after fall into dedely synne, or not so depe into it, that he myghte after be perpetually dampned in hell. Let Tyndale I saye tell me any one of the olde holy sayntes, that in thys exposycyon euer toke hys parte / and lette hym take all my teth and my tonge to.

Now yf neuer any good man vnderstode saynte Iohn̄ so byfore / but all holy men clene y• cōtrary / by what reason loketh Tyndale now, that we sholde now begynne to byleue hym alone, in the vnderstandynge of these wordes of saynte Iohn̄, better then all good connynge men thys.xv. hundreth yere before hym.

Now is hys exposycyō bysydes thys, not onely agaynst the catholyke fayth of all crysten people, and the playne determynacyon of Crystes chyrche / but also agaynste many playne open places of holy scrypture bysyde / whych were in so playne and clere a mater almoste a loste labour to reherse. And yet leste an vnlerned reder myght happe to any thynge to dowte, I shall reherse you some.

what saye we by the wordes of the spyryte reueled vnto saynt Iohn̄, agaynste the bysshop of the chyrche of Ephesus / whom where as god praysed for many great vertues, in suche wyse that it appered that he was at that tyme in grace and goddes ryght specyall fauour, yet sayed he vnto hym, I haue for all this a few thynges agayst the, bycause thou hast lefte of thy fyrst cheryte. And therfore remember from whens thou arte fallen, and amende and do the good workes whyche thou were wont to do. For ellys wyll I come shortely to the, and I wyll remoue thy candelstycke oute of hys place, excepte thou repent and do penaunce.

Doth it not here playnely appere, that he whyche hath goten so the fayth, and that the lyuynge fayth to, that he worketh so well therwyth that the lyght of hys faythfull lyuely workes shyne bryght before the face of god / maye yet by declynynge from that feruour of deuout workes, in to some slouthfull slaknesse though myche of hys vertue tary, fall yet so low at laste, that god shall reiecte hym and caste his candelstycke, wherof the lyght shall be worne out quyte out of hys place? If thys myghte not be / god wolde not tell hym, it bothe myght and excepte he mended shold.

Doth not saynte Poule saye,⁵ he that thynketh that he standeth / let hym beware he fall not.

It apereth there playne by the cyrcumstaunces of the place, that he speketh there to them whom he rekened for good men and faythfull. For to those that stand he gyueth the counsayle to beware they fall not. whyche by Tyndale yf they onys in fayth fele them selfe stande they nede not, for they can not fall dedely. But saynt Poule there mente dedely falles, as bothe by hys wordes byfore and after appereth.

He sayth also to the Romayns in y•.10. chapyter,⁶ They that is the Iewys are broken of for theyr lacke of bylyefe. But thou standest by fayth / be not proude therof but fere.

There sheweth saynt Poule effectually by a longe processe, that lyke wyse as he whyche lacketh fayth maye by grace come to it / so he that hath it and standeth in it hath cause to fere, bycause he may by his own defaut fall frō it.

Sayth he not also,⁷ The rote of all euylles is couetyce / whyche whyle some folke couetyd, they walked out of the waye from the fayth.

He sayth also,⁸ Hymeneus and Philetus are fallen from the treuth / sayeng that the resurreccyon is paste all redy[…] & they haue peruerted the fayth of some persons.

Here sheweth saynt Poule playne, that men maye haue the fayth and lese it / and that can they not I suppose with out dedely synne.

Peraduenture Tyndale wyll say, that he speketh onely of electys / and that I can not proue these textes to be spoken of electes. Therto saye I that he calleth euery man an electe, that is onely borne agayn of god by fayth, and that byleueth to be saued by the meane of Cryste / and of suche speke these textes, and therfore they speke of hys electes.

Then wyll he peraduenture say, that he meaneth of a felynge fayth onely. I know not what he meaneth by hys felynge fayth / but I wote well these textes speke of good fayth & lyuely fayth, that worketh wyth loue. If he fynde any other felynge let hym tell vs.

And yet yf there be any other felynge of fayth, then byleuyng, louyng, and workyng / the selfe same to, semeth by saynt Poule that it may be lefte of agayn and loste, as appereth by the same wordes of his in the syxte chapyter vnto the Hebrewys / of whyche wordes Tyndale taketh hys chyefe holde of the tother parte of hys heresyes,⁹ that is to wytte that who so synne onys dedely after hys baptysme, shall neuer after be forgeuen. Saynte Poules wordes are these. It is impossyble that they whyche haue onys ben illumyned, and haue tasted the heuenly gyfte, and haue ben made part takers of the holy goste, & haue tasted the good worde of god and the powers of the worlde to come, and be after all thys fallen downe / sholde be renewed agayne by penaunce, for as mych as they as mych as in thē lyeth, crucyfye agayne the sonne of god, and haue hym in derysyon.

Lo syrs where as Tyndale speketh of felynge fayth / saynt Poule speketh here of them that haue felte the taste therof. And where as Tyndale speketh mych of the worde of god / saynt Poule here speketh of them that haue felt the taste of the good word of god. And where as Tyndale speketh myche of beynge borne agayne of the spyryte / saynte Poule here in lyke wyse speketh of them yt haue receyued the spyryte. And yet for all that they haue ben illumyned, and haue felte the taste of the celestyall gyfte, and ben part takers of the holy goste, and haue felt the swete taste of the good worde of god, & of the powers of the worlde to come: yet sayth he contrary to Tyndals techynge, that they may for all thys fall downe so farre into dedely synne, that it is impossyble for them to be renewed agayne by penaunce.

what hath Tyndale here to saye to saynt Poule? Surely for the defence of thys folysshe heresye, no thyng hath he to saye at all, that any good colour hath.

But when he shalbe fayne to gyue ouer thys / then wyll he comfort hym selfe wyth that that saynte Poule here semeth to ferther hys other heresye, that euery dedely synne after baptysme sholde be irremyssyble.

But out of that comfort shall I dreue hym shortely, For I am sure the places of holy scrypture wryten all by one holy spyryte, varyeth not in sentence. And where as these wordes, as well appereth by the olde holy wryters, be full of hardynesse and dyffycultye: yet that the sentēce can not be such as may serue Tyndals heresye, yt shall we, leuyng all theyr exposycyons whyche are all clene agaynste hym, make hym open and euydent, by the playne & clere wordes of the holy prophete Ezechyell, whose wordes lo be these in the.xviii. chapyter.

If a synner repēt hym of all the synnes yt he hath done,¹⁰ & kepe all my cōmaūdementes, & deale iustely & ryghteously: he shall lyue, and shall not dye. Of all ye iniquitees that he hath wrought I wyll none remēber: in y• ryghteousnes whyche he hath done shall he lyue. Is it my wyll sayth the lorde god, that the wicked man shold dye, & not rather that he sholde be conuerted from hys wayes & lyue? But truely yf the ryghtuouse man turne hym selfe awaye from hys ryghtuousnesse, & worke wyckednes in any of all those abominatiōs which the wicked man is wont to worke shall he lyue? Of all y• ryghtuousnes yt he hath done, shall none be remēbred. But for the offence which he hath cōmytted, & in the synne that he hath done / for those shall he dye.

Lo syrs here is more then I promysed. For here be both his heresyes destroyed at onys. For god here by the mouth of this holy man, promiseth without any maner excepcion, yt when so euer the wycked man wyll turne, he shalbe takē to grace. And in lyke wyse when so euer ye ryghtuous man synne, his formar ryghtuousnes shall not saue hym from dampnacyon. And this sentence our lorde hath set so sure, that he repeteth it agayne in ye.xxxiii. chapyter in this wyse.¹¹ The ryghtuousnes of the ryghtuous man shall not saue hym in what daye so euer he synne. Also when so euer the wycked man turne from his wyckednes / it shall not hurte hym. And the ryghtuous man can not lyue thorowe hys ryghtuousnes, in what daye so euer he synne.

Here haue ye good reders hard this sentence by y• word of god in thys one holy prophete, dowble cōfermed & therby Tyndals dowble heresye dowble also condempned.

And yet lest Tyndale myghte say, why sholde you not as well expoune and glose Ezechyel by saynte Poule, as saynt Poule by Ezechyel, namely syth saynt Poule came after, and therfore of goddes mynde maye tell vs ferther: it apereth I saye that our lorde wyll not that these wordes of Ezechiel be glosed by any other wordes, though they be spoken by god hym selfe / but that his other wordes yf they seme contrary, shall be rather expouned by these. And therof he gyueth vs open warnynge in hys wordes folowynge and sayth.

¹²ye and though I wolde saye to a ryghteouse man that he shall lyue, and he then trustynge in hys ryghteousenes commytte and do wyckednesse / all hys ryghteousnes shall be forgottē / and for the iniquyte whyche he hath wrought, for that he shall dye. But yf I saye to a synner, Thou shalt dye / and he then repenteth hym of hys synne, and doth iugement and iustyce, and that the same wycked man restore the pledge that he hath of an other man, and also make restytucyon of stollen goodes, and walke in the cōmaundementes of lyfe, and do nothynge that is vnryght: he shall lyue, and shall not dye but be saued, and none of all the synnes which he hath commytted, shalbe layed to his charge. Iugement and iustyce hath he done, and therfore shall he lyue and not dye.

Lo good crysten reders, here se we very playne, that we were farre vnwyse yf we wold folowe the foly of Tyndale, eyther in bolde presumptuose hope or folysshe ferefull despayre / eyther wenynge that after any felynge fayth onys had, any dede that we coulde after do, coulde be no dedely synne / or y• for any dede done after our baptysme, we could be penaunce neuer be saued after. we maye be very sure, that as saynt Poule playnely reproueth the tone, and ys harde to perceyue what he meaneth in the tother: so that he meneth not as Tyndale telleth vs, we may well know / not onely by all the olde holy doctours and sayntes that expoune saynt Poule, in that he sayth it is impossyble to be renewed by penaunce, that it is impossyble to be by penaunce renewed vnto the state of baptysme. And by that exposycyon they destroye yet a thyrde heresye of Tyndale, concernynge hys full remyssyon of synne and payne and all forthwyth as soone as he repenteth / but also be we well lerned here by the prophete Ezechyell, that all though yt maye peraduenture be, that a man maye go forth in synne so farre, that he shall neuer haue grace of repentaūce after offered vnto hym, & for that cause ought euery man stande in greate fere to synne how greate fayth so euer he fele / yet yf we begynne onys to repente, we may be sure that god offereth grace & wyll perfyt our penauns wyth encreace of his grace, and wyll perdone the deth dew for our dedely synne, but yf we fayle on our parte to go forwarde wyth hys grace, and that we folyshly fall therfro.

Now agaynste all these euydent places of scrypture playnely contrary to Tyndals exposycyon / what thynge hath Tyndale to defende his exposycyō wythall? If he name any men / he shall name you none but a fewe knowen condempned heretykes, agaynst all holy doctours & sayntes and the catholyke fayth of all crysten people. If he pretende any places of scrypture / he shall alledge a few darke hard and obscure, or no thyng pertaynynge to the mater, agaynste a great many manyfeste, playne and euydent, & clerely prouynge hys exposycyon false.

Fynally ye shall fynde that the hole purpose of saynte Iohn̄ in that pystle, no thynge maketh in thys worlde for Tyndals entent, but rather clerely the contrary.

For saynt Iohn̄ entended there, not to shew them, that who so is onys good can neuer after be badde, as Tindale sayth he ment / but vtterly to gyue all the world warnyng, that be men at one tyme neuer so good, yet when so euer after they do noughte they be nought, and by theyr euyll doyng lese theyr goodnes. And lyke wyse as byfore whyle they byleue well and worke well, they be all that whyle borne of god, & be goddes chyldren, and haue his seed in them: so when so euer they fall from fayth to heresyes, or from good workes to dedely synne, then lese they the seed of god and be borne of the deuyll & become hys chyldren.

And that saynte Iohn̄ in thys poynt ment none other then thus / the hole processe of hys pystle one parte compared wyth an other, doth more then playnely declare. For he sheweth that ye deuyll ys the father of euyll folke, and they hys chyldren by folowynge hym in theyr synfull workes / as our sauyour sayd to ye iewes ye be of your father the deuyll, and hys desyres wyll ye do.¹³ And the son of god sayth Saynt Iohn̄ came in to this worlde and here appered, to dyssolue and breke the workes of ye deuyll. And euery man that is borne of god, that is to saye that ys goddes chylde doth not synne, bycause ye seed of god abydeth in hym / and he can not synne bycause he is borne of god and is goddes chylde, as though he wolde say, for yf he fall to synne, then ceaceth he to be borne of god and to be goddes chylde, and begynneth to be borne of the deuyll and to be hys chylde.

And therfore it foloweth forthwyth in the texte, By this be the chyldern of god and the chyldern of the deuyll open. That is to saye, by thys maye ye se who be the chyldern of god and who the chylderne of the deuyl. For he that is not ryghtuouse is not the chylde of god, nor he that loueth not hys brother. And after he sayth, euery man that hateth his brother is a manqueller / and ye knowe that no manqueller hath euerlastynge lyfe abydynge in hym.

Lo good reder, where as he sayd byfore that the chylde of god can not synne, bycause he hath the seed of god abydynge in hym: here he sayth for all that, who so euer hate hys brother is an homicyde, and therfore hath not euerlastynge lyfe abydynge in hym. whyche is the thynge that he before called the seed of god, whyther he ment therby lyuely fayth, grace, or the spyryte of god. Of whyche thre the fyrste two be the begynnynge and the entre in to euerlastynge lyfe, whyche shall be perfyted by glory / and the thyrde is hym selfe euerlastynge lyfe of hys owne omnipotent nature.

And thus haue he the seed of lyfe neuer so stronge and sure at one tyme whyle he is the chylde of god: yet when so euer he falleth after to the hatered of hys brother, he leseth that lyfe by the commyttynge of dedely synne, and becometh the chylde of the deuyll.

To thys wyll Tyndale peraduenture say, that I passe ouer and dyssymule the wayght of saynt Iohn̄s wordes yt he allegeth, and that I wynke and wyll not perceyue how playnely they proue hys purpose. For though it be trewe that when so euer a man hateth hys brother, he is an homicyde and synneth dedely, and hath not euerlastyng lyfe nor the seed of god abydynge in hym: yet foloweth it not wyll Tyndale saye, that he that hath onys the felynge fayth, & therby is borne of god, and therby hath the seed of god in hym, may synne dedely and lese the seed of god. For he can not lese it but by synne. And the seed of god onys beynge in hym / he can not bycause of that seed be suffered to hate hys brother of purpose, and so to do dedely synne and lese the seed of lyfe / but euer is he by the strength and vertue of that seed of euerlastynge lyfe, preserued from all fallynge in to dedely synne. And that I proue (wyll Tyndale saye) by the playne and open wordes of saynt Iohn̄ before alledged / where he sayth that he that is borne of god can not synne, bycause he hath the seed of god abydynge in hym. He sayth not as longe as he hath it / but he sayth he can not synne bycause he hath it. Sygnyfyeng playnely yt he can neuer synne, bycause he hath the thynge in hym that wyll neuer suffer any dedely synne to entre. And the reason that is made agaynst me vppon other wordes of the same pystle, auoydeth (wyll Tyndale saye) myne exposycyon nothynge at all. For lyke wyse as it is made agaynste a man onys borne of god, to proue that he maye be after borne of the deuyll: it may as well be made of any angell in heuen. For yf any angell in heuen wolde fall from the loue of god into malyce / he sholde be turned from an angell in to a deuyll. But lyke wyse as that case can neuer fall, bycause the seed of god is in that angell / whyche so kepeth hym & euer shall that he can not haue that euyll wyll so to do: so doth the seed of god onys entred wyth the felynge fayth in to a soule, so preserue it & kepe it by the myghty power of that seed, that that soule can not fall in to that malycyouse wyll that maye make any dede of hys to be dedely synne. And y• thys is so, I saye yet agayne y• the wordes of saynt Iohn̄ whyche I haue before alledged, do very playnely proue / in that he sayth that who so is borne of god can not synne, bycause he is borne of god, and bycause he hath the s[…]ed of god abydyng in hym. And he sayth after in a nother place of the same pystle, that he whyche is borne of god / hys generacyō (that is to wytte hys beynge borne of god by the seed of god,¹⁴ wherby he ys begotē & borne of god) doth preserue & kepe hym.

In thys wyse wyll Tyndale peraduēture answere me. And surely I can my selfe deuyse no more effectuall wordes that he myghte speke for hys parte / for in good fayth yf I coulde I wolde. For neuer wyll I purposely leue his parte any more fayntely defended thē myne own, as farre as my selfe can se any thynge that hym selfe myghte saye.

But now to thys answere. we shall tell hym agayn that bytwene man & angell is there almoste as greate dyfferēce in thys mater, as there is bytwene them in theyr substaūce and nature. For the blessed angellys that stode styll wyth god in the deuyls fall, were forthwyth so surely confermed in grace, that they can neuer fall in to synne after, nor do any thynge wherof god wyll commaunde them the contrary. And of thys in them be we sure in fayth, by the worde of god taught vnto hys chyrche / and they sure in knowledge by hys promyse made vnto them wyth hys worde, whyche he by a meane to vs not imagynable continually speketh vnto them, in the contemplacyon and byholdynge of hys almyghty godhed. But as for man / we fynde no such promyse made vnto hym, that when he is ones good, he can neuer after waxe nought. But we fynde in scrypture the cō trary, as I haue by playn scrypture proued all redy before

we se also that the catholyke fayth of all crysten people is to the contrary. For all crysten people excepte a few heretykes, both now byleue and all thys.xv. hundred yere before euer haue byleued, that good men & chyldren of god maye fall in to dedely synne, and become chyldern of the deuyll / and yet aryse by grace thorowe penaunce, and be made the chyldern of god agayne.¹⁵ Many textes also of holy scrypture playnely proue,¹⁶ that good folke maye falle & perysshe.^{17 18} And the scrypture is full of good counsayle / aduysynge all good men to stande faste alway and euer lyue in fere of fallynge / but yf any specyall reuelacyon be geuen to some certayne man bysyde the comen ordinary course.

we fynde also playne ensamples, both in scrypture and at our owne eyes, of many vertuouse chyldren of god, that haue fallen from that estate, & becomen by synne the chyldren of the deuyll.

For lettynge passe ouer Iudas, that from the chylde of god and from an holy apostle torned in to the traytour of god & chylde of the deuyll of hell: we haue seen ouer many in our owne dayes, in whom we haue had experyence of ye lyke. As of frere Luther, frere Huskyn, Otho the monke, Pomerane the preste, & frere Lambert. For as for Swynglius, I neuer herde of any good vertue in hym. But all these other were the good chyldren of god onys, at suche tyme as grace and deuocyō brought them in to relygyon. And yet can now no good man dowte, but by the breche of theyr holy vowys and promyse made to god, and rūnynge out in apostasye, and lyuynge in lechery vnder pretence of matrymony / & for theyr more corage & boldenesse in suche bychery, to bere it to better out shamelesse wyth vngracyouse company, makynge a shamefull secte therof and an abomynable heresye, they be now fallen from Cryste, and haue expelled the seed of god out of theyr hartes by synne very deuylysh dedely. And yet dare I not despayre of any of all these, nor of Tyndale hym selfe neyther. For all hys owne rule, wherby he techeth that they whyche wyllyngly synne, and of purpose malycyousely impugne the knowen trouth, as they and he do, shall neuer come to grace of amē dement nor ought not to be prayed for: yet dare I neyther I saye despayre of any of them nor of hym selfe neyther / but hope yet and praye both, that god maye amende them all, yf none of them de dede in theyr synne and gone to the deuyll all redy.¹⁹ For then is there in them peccatum ad mort[…]m that saynt Iohn̄ speketh of / and vayne were it then & synne also, any more to praye for them then for the deuyll. […]u[…]a[…] inferno null[…] est redemptio / and the wreches lye there now blasphemynge god, and are hys vnchaungeable enemyes as is the deuyll.

But these reasons and these examples I saye, wyth the consent of all the olde holy exposytours of saynte Iohn̄s pystle before / make vs to perceyue surely, that saynt Iohn̄ dyd neuer mene by these wordes, after such maner as Tyndale expouneth hym now / that bycause the seed of god ys onys in hym, therfore there can neuer any dedely synne enter after. For saynt Iohn̄ hym selfe in the same pyste counsayleth euery good man to stande styll in hys goodnes,²⁰ & beware that he fall not in to idolatry. whyche he myghte haue boden all goddes chyldrē care neuer for, yf they were as Tyndale sayth sure by theyr felyng fayth, y• they could neuer fall therto, bycause the seed of god was onys wyth in theym.

But as I sayd before, Tyndale in these wordes of saynt Iohn̄ taketh occasyō of the symplycyte vsed in the maner of speche in holy scrypture, to make cauyllacyons and seke out sophysmes vppon euery worde. And where as saynte Iohn̄ sayth, that the chylde of god can not synne / menyng not precysely that he can not synne dedely by any maner meane, but that it is a greate occasyon to kepe hym from synne, & that he y• doth dedely synne, is not goddes chylde but the deuyls: Tyndale affermeth hym playnly to mene, that he whyche ys onys goddes chylde can neuer synne dedely after. As though euery man that wolde say, an honorable mannes chylde and vertuousely brought vp, can not fall to shamefull vycyouse lyuynge, for hys good educacyon shall brydle hym, and drede of shamynge hym selfe and hys frendes muste nedes refrayne hym / myghte not meane by these wordes that the yonge man sholde haue a greate occasyon to contynue good, but muste nedes meane that it were impossyble for hym to be other then good / and that he neuer coulde after forgete hys bryngynge vp, and shake of shame and fall to nought.

Or yf one wolde saye, a man that taketh hys wyfe for very loue, can neuer fall to aduowtry, y• loue that he hath to her must nedes kepe hym to her / nor she can not for very shame begyle hym, for the loue that he bereth to her. Do not folke speke in such fasshyō? And yet though they mene that these thynges be great occasyons to contayne the partyes in faythfull matrymony, they mene not that it can neuer happen otherwyse.

In suche maner of whyse meaned saynt Iohn̄ in those wordes, when he sayd he that is borne of god synneth not, for he hath the seed of good in hym / and therfore he can not synne, bycause he is borne of god / he ment I saye, not that it is impossyble for hym to synne dedely, but y• it is a great helpe and occasyon to kepe hym from dedely synne.

yet wyll not Tyndale let to stycke styll in hys errour, & saye that saynt Iohn̄ playnely ment, that it is impossyble for hym to synne that hath the seed of god in hym. For he sayth that he whyche onys hath the seed in hym, can not synne after dedely by no maner menys, bycause he hath the seed of god in hym onys.

To thys I saye that in y• sample that I before dyd put, neyther the man nor the wyfe that come to gether for great loue can fall to aduowtry, bycause the loue whyche is in eche of them towarde the other, can not suffer it. And truth it is as longe as it lasteth & endureth in them. But eyther of them both yet, may so farre fall in loue with some other, that the hote loue whych they had bytwene them selfe, may cole and clene be quenched / as is the fyre wyth castynge on water inough.

Saynt Iohn̄ therfore wrytynge those wordes, and vnderstandynge as in dede he doth, not after a sophystycall fasshyon, yt it were vtterly impossyble for hym at any tyme after to synne dedely, that hath onys ye seed of god in hym / but well and resonably menyng after the comon maner of spekyng, y• it shalbe a great occasyō for hym to abyde good styll, & that as long as the man kepeth y• seed of god (whyther saynt Iohn̄ toke it for lyuely fayth, grace, or the spyrit of god) & cleueth there vnto, so longe he can not synne dedely: saynt Iohn̄ I say so sayeng & so menynge, spake as bycame the ryght euāgelyst of Cryst. But Tindale telling saynt Iohn̄s tale, & menyng thereby as he wolde make vs wene that saynt Iohn̄ ment[…] that is to wit y• who so euer is onys borne of god, neyther shall synne after dedely nor neuer can, bycause y• seed of god is in him able to preserue the man & to kepe out synne / speketh as wysely as yf he wolde fyrst make me this argumēt: He y• turneth y• spyt sitteth by the fyre / but he that sitteth by the fyre can not be a colde, bycause he hath a good fire by hym: ergo he that turneth the spyt can not be a colde. And when he had made vs onys this argument, wolde then wene he had playnly proued, y• who so euer had onys turned the spytte, coulde neuer be a colde after in all his lyfe. For surely after Tyndals vnderstādyng of saynt Iohn̄s wordes, the reason is mych lyke. For lykewise as while a man sitteth by the fyre he can not be a cold, bycause y• fire is by hym that kepeth hym warm: so while the seed of god is in the man he can not synne, bycause the seed of god beynge i[…] hym doth kepe & preserue hym from synne. But lyke wyse as the broche turner that sitteth warme by the fire, may let the spitte stande, & suffre the mete to burne, and walke himselfe out in the snow tyll his teeth chater ī his hed for colde, and neuer cathe hete agayne but fall starke dede on the grownd: so he yt is onys goddes chyld, & hath the seed of god in hym, & therfore cā not synne dedely as longe as he kepeth it and cleueth faste vnto it, may by the foly & frowardnes of his owne fre will expell the seed of god, & reiecte his grace, & neclecte his holy spyryte, and fall to dedely synne, & continue therin, & dye therin, & go to the deuyll therin to.

And so as it is trewe to saye, that he which hath a good fyre by hym can not be a colde, menyng therby as long as he kepeth hym by it: so is it trew to say, that who so haue ye seed of god in hym can not synne dedely, menyng thereby as longe as he kepeth it. And thus ment saynt Iohn̄.

And as he that wolde say who so sitteth by the fyre can neuer be a cold, menyng therby that he could neuer go frō the fyre & so cathe, cold after, were a very starke fole: so he that wold say that who so haue the seed of god in hym can not synne / menyng therby that he could neuer after lese y• seed, by the foly or frowardnesse of his owne wyll, & therby synne dedely and be dāpned to, were mych more then mad. And syrs thus meneth Tyndale / and wold make vs all so wyse, as to wene that saynt Iohn̄ ment so to / wherof we se playne the contrary, not onely by many other playne places of scrypture, but also by many other places of saynte Iohn̄ in the selfe same pystle, wyth all the olde holy sayntes that euer expouned that pystle of saynt Iohn̄.

And syth Tindale so styffely stycketh in this poynt, that the seed of god onys had in a mānes harte, doth kepe hym for euer after frō euery dedely synne: let hym tell vs wherfore it kepeth hym not for euer from euery dedely synfull dede. For Tyndale sayth hym selfe, that though the seed shall kepe hym from all dedely synne / yet it shall not kepe hym frō aduowtry, nor manslaughter, nor such other horryble dedes, as poore vnlerned people in some contreys be wont to call dedely synnes.

And therfore good crysten reders, I shall in this poynt ende wyth the good holsome counsayle of saynt Iohn̄, by whych in the selfe same pystle agaynst Tyndale, expressely he byddeth vs all beware of all suche heretykes, as wolde make vs wene y• some were goddes wanton cokneys in such a speciall wyse, yt what so euer they do no thyng could displease hym / & some other so lytell set by and so farre out of hys fauour, yt no repentaūce, no penaūce, no fayth, none hope, no loue of god and theyr neyghbour, coulde brynge them in his fauour. Agaynst which fond and frantyke imagynacyō / saynt Iohn̄, though he say who so euer cōfesse yt Iesus is ye son of god dwelleth in hym & he in hym: yet he warneth vs well and playnely, yt he wolde no man sholde begyle vs, and make vs wene that wyth y• confessyon and that bylyefe alone he were a good man / but sayth, by thys shall ye se who be chyldrē of god, and who chyldren of the deuyll / for he yt is not ryghtuous is not of god. And sayth also, lytle chyldrē let no man begyle you / he yt doth ryghtuousnesse is ryghtuous, and he yt doth synne is of ye deuyll.

Now may we clerely perceyue, that these onely wordes of saynt Iohn̄ vtterly destroye Tyndals heresye, groūded vppon hys false exposycion of saynt Iohn̄s other wordes. For when saynt Iohn̄ sayth here hym selfe, that the chyldren of god and the chyldren of the deuyll be manyfest and open by theyr outward workes: how can that stande with Tyndals exposycyon and hys heresye dependynge theruppon, by whyche he sayth that the trew membres of the elect chyrch, may fall into the doyng of horryble dedes, thorowe the frute of the synne remaynyng in theyr membres, & vppon great occasyons brekyng out of theyr membres / & yet for all those horryble dedys done by them they be the chyldren of god styll, & neuer become ye children of ye deuyll for all ye doing of theyr horrible dedes, bycause they do thē not of malyce nor of purpose, but of fraylty onely & weykenes.

ye se good reders openly, that yf Tyndale in thys hys heresye & false exposycyon of saynte Iohn̄ sayd trew / then sholde saynt Iohn̄ hym selfe say vntrew, where he sayth yt by the outwarde dedes,²¹ the chyldren of god and the chyldren of the deuyll be made manyfest & open. For they were not open by the dede, yf notwythstandyng the most horryble dedes yt coulde be deuysed, yet theyr secret vnknowen fayth & frayltye dyd euer kepe it secrete hydde & vnknowē, whyther they were at the dede doyng y• chyldren of god or the deuyll. And therfore where as Tyndale wold make vs wene, y• hym selfe & hys holy felowes had by theyr felynge fayth the spyryte of god, in such a specyall maner entred in to theyr holy brestes, yt none of theyr abomynable dedes coulde be any dedely synne, bycause yt the spyryte sayth he dwelleth styll within them: saynt Iohn̄ sayth in the very ende of that thyrde chapyter, who so kepeth goddes commaūdemētes, in hym god dwelleth. And by that marke we know sayth saynt Iohn̄, y• there is dwellynge in vs of the spyryt yt he hath gyuen vs. By whych wordes he declareth clerely, yt when these holy heretykes breke his cōmaūdemē tes, by those horryble dedes which Tyndale hym selfe confesseth y• they do, & as all the worlde seeth frere Luther do, in weddyng the nūne, wyth the brech of theyr both vowys agaynst the cōmaundemēt of god, which hath in holy scripture expressely cōmaunded them to kepe and fulfyll theyr vowys: saynt Iohn̄ I saye declareth agaynste Tyndals doctryne clerely, that when we se suche dedes in them, we maye well perceyue by them that there is at that tyme neuer a whyt of goddes good spyryte in them.

But now no man dowteth whyther of the two, better vnderstode saynt Iohn̄ / whyther Tyndale or saynt Iohn̄ hym selfe. And therfore good crysten readers, whyle ye se that these holy fathers and authours of these heresyes, prechynge so sayntly of theyr felynge fayth, boste them self and theyr felowes for the sure chyldrē of god, that bycause of the spyryte can neuer synne of purpose, and therfore neuer synne dedely, but be certayne and sure of grace and saluacyon / and yet ye se for all this, that beyng professed mū kes and freres, they fall to the fleshely felynge of nōnes, of longe purpose, and styll perceuer therin, & fynally dyuers dye therin to: ye maye byleue here saynte Iohn̄, that saye they what they wyll, they be the deuyls chyldren in dede, & all theyr holy doctryne is vtterly no thynge ellys but very frantyke blasphemy.

And therfore fynally, where as Tyndale knytteth vp all hys mater wyth a quyppe agaynste me, and sayth that bycause euery man that onys hath the ryght fayth is born of god, and therby hath the seed of god in hym, whych preserueth hym so that he can neuer synne / therfore it is sayth he a false conclusyon that M. More holdeth, how a man maye haue a ryght fayth ioyned wyth all kyndes of abomynacyon and synne: ye se now that hys owne conclusyō is so clerely proued false, that it letteth my conclusyon no thynge at all. And yet shall I forther towche hys quyppe where it shall haue better place, after that we shall come to the chapyters, in whyche he shall open and declare hys vttermost what he calleth fayth. But fyrste wyll I consyder a lytell hys ferther progresse in thys chapyter, in whych he goth forth in thys wyse.

Tyndale. And yet euery member of Crystes congregacyon is a synner, and synneth dayly some more and some lesse. For it is wryten.1. Iohn̄. 1. yf we saye we haue no synne, we deceyue our selues and the tr[…]eth is not in vs. And agayn, yf we saye we haue not synned, we make hym a lyar and hys worde is not in vs. And Paul Rom. 7. sayth, That good whych I wolde that do I not / but that euyll whyche I wolde not that do I. So it is not I. that do it (sayth he) but synne that dwelleth in me.

More. Lo now ye here hys wurshypfull rydle / in the fyrst part wherof he hath all redy shewed vs, that a trewe member of Crystes chyrch synneth not, bycause it hath y• ryght fayth / and so is borne agayne of god and hath hys spyryt, and by cause of that can neuer synne. And now he sheweth vs in the tother parte of hys rydle, that euery trewe member of Crystes chyrche, for all that he neuer synneth yet he synneth dayly. And as he proued the fyrste parte by the wordes of saynt Iohn̄ falsely taken and vnderstanden / so doth he now proue vs the seconde parte by the wordes of say[…]t Poule, vnderstanden & construed as falsely as euer he cō strued saynt Iohn̄.

For where as saynt Poule in hys pystle to y• Romayns, speketh of the pronytye and mocyons in the fleshe remaynynge, as the relyques of orygynall synne, wherby we be tycled towarde great actuall dedely synnes, and dayly fall in to venyall: Tyndale as appereth by hys wordes nexte after folowynge, wolde we sholde wene that saynt Poule meneth, that euery trew member may dayly fall into great horryble dedes, as periury, manslaughter, and aduowtry, of weykenes and fraylte / and that all those abomynable dedes be no dedely synnes yet but venyall euerychone, bycause it is not the man that doth it, but the synne that dwelleth in hym. And whyle saynte Poule sayth the wordes of hym selfe / Tyndale so layeth them forth, that he wolde we sholde take it that saynt Poule hym selfe[…] or at the lest wyse yf not hym selfe yet the synne that dwelled in hym, cōmytted in very dede many suche horryble dedes, as the deuyll and the fleshe dyd moue and styre hym to. And then was it well lykely that he dyd inough. For well ye wote y• deuyll wolde not fere to set hys f[…]eshe on fyre, and tempte hym to lechery & manslaughter both / whyle he fered not to […]empte our sauyour hym selfe, to glotony, couetyse, & pryde, deuyll worshyp and selfe slaughte[…] to.²² And saynt Poule hym self cōfesseth, that for a medicyne preseruatyue agaynst pryde,²³ there was gyuen hym the angell of Sathan, the prycke of the flesh, to dabbe hym in the necke and make hym stowpe and be[…] hym.

And it appereth playnely, that Tyndale taketh saynte Poulys wordes spokē of hym selfe, to sygnyfye not one[…]y styrynge and incytacyons towarde dedely synfull dedes / but also the very dedes commytted and done as he calleth it of fraylte, by the vyolence of those mocyons. For yf he meane not so / he layed those wordes nothyng to hys purpose, as it appereth openly by those hys owne wordes folowynge.

Tyndale. Thus are we synners and no synners. No synners yf thou loke vnto the professyon of our hartes towarde the lawe of god, on our r[…]pent[…]unce and sorow th[…]t we haue, bothe bycause we haue synned and also bycause we be yet full of synne styll, and vnto the promyses of mercy in our sauy[…]ur Cryste and vnto our fayth. Synners are we, yf thou loke vnto the […]rayltye of our flesshe, whyche is as the weakenesse of one that is newly rec[…]uered out of a greate dysease / by the reason wherof our dedes are imperf[…]t, and by the reason wherof also when occasyons be greate, we fall into horrible dedes, and the […]rute of the synne whych remayneth in our membres breketh out. Notwithstandynge yet the spyryte leueth vs not, but rebuketh vs and bryngeth vs home agayne vnto our professyon / so that we neuer caste of the yoke of god from our neckes, neyther yelde vp our selues vnto synne for to serue it, but fyghte a fr[…]she and begynne a new b[…]tayle.

More. Lo good crysten reders, here haue ye herde a full vncrysten tale of an euyll crysten man. For now se ye clerely that by playne expresse wordes, Tyndale telleth vs that a trew member of Crystes chyrche breketh out in to hor[…]yble dedes when the occasyons be great / and yet he sayth that for all that he synneth not dedely. And thys is the thynge, for the profe wherof he bryngeth forth hys fore rehersed wordes of saynt Poule / by whyche he wolde make it seme, that saynt Poule dyd hym selfe so to.

And yet kepeth he hys accustumed guyse as farre as he can, in couerynge hym selfe and colourynge hys mater frō knowlege. And therfore he cometh in wyth synnynge and yet not synnyng. And for the redyng of that rydle, he sayth that the trew members of Crystes chyrch are synners and yet no synners. And amonge them he setteth hym selfe / sayenge of hym selfe and hys felowes, we be no synners yf thou loke vppon the professyon of our hartes towarde the law of god, and on our repentaunce and sorowe that we haue synned and also bycause we be yet full of synne styll, and on to the promyses of mercy that is in our sauyo[…]r Cryst and vnto our fayth. And synners are we, yf thou loke to the frayltye of our fleshe by whiche we fall into horryble dedes, and the frute of synne whych remayneth in our membres breketh out.

Here wolde I that Tyndale sholde somwhat more clerely tell vs what he meaneth in thys mater / whyther he meane that a trew mēber synneth not dedely all the whyle that he resysteth, and doth not the synfull horryble dede, as for ensample māslaughter or aduoutry. And that then agayne he synneth not, when that after the dede done he repenteth and is sory for hys euyll dede, and ys forgeuen of god thorowe the promises of mercy in our sauiour Cryste, for the repentaunce & sorow & for the fayth. Let Tyndale I say tell vs whyther he mene thus / or ellys that hym self & hys other felowes the trew membres of chrystes chyrch do not synne dedely in the very tyme neyther, in whyche they consent to do those horrible synfull dedes, or rather in the tyme while they be in the doyng / for cōsent to the synne he sayth they neuer do.

By these wordes of hys we be no synners, yf thou loke to the professiō of our hartes to the law of god, & vnto our repentaūce & sorow that we haue synned / it may seme that he meneth the fyrst way, that is to wyt that they synne not all the while that they resiste the mocion to the dede, & that they synne not also, when that after the dede they take repentaunce & sorow therfore.

Now yf he meane to rede hys rydle on thys fashyon / then he soyleth hys straunge rydle as bloutely, as an olde wyfe of Culnam dyd onys amonge scholers of Oxenforde, that sogerned wyth her for deth. whyche whyle they were on a tyme for theyr sporte purposynge rydles among theym, she bygā to put forth one of hers to / & sayed arede my ridle, what is that I knewe one that shott at an harte & kylled an haddoke. And when we had euery body mych mused how y• myght be, & thā prayed her to declare her ridle her selfe / after longe request she sayd at the laste, that there was onys a fyssher that came a londe in a place where he sawe an hart and shott thereat, but he hit it not / & afterwarde he went agayne to the see and caught an haddoke and kylled it. And surely Tyndale redeth hys rydle myche lyke, yf he vnderstande by hys rydle they synne and y[…]t synne not. That they synne not whyle they resiste y• mocions, nor when they repent the dede / and that they synne whyle they be in doynge. For that is no more to say but in one tyme they synne, and in another they synne not. And when […] synne then they synne / and whē they synne not than they synne not. were not here a wyse rydle wene ye & well declared, yf he mene it thus? And that he so meneth I saye it semeth by hys wordes afore rehersed / and also by these that he sayth, the spirit calleth vs home agayne. whereby it semeth that he meneth, we were onys gone from home and afterwarde be brought agayne.

Howe be it on the tother syde, he maye peraduēture mene by these wordes, we be no synners yf thou loke to the profession of our hartes towarde the lawe of god / that euyn styll in the very tyme in whyche they go aboute to brynge theyre horrible dedes to passe, and in whych they do theym to / yet professe they the lawe of god styl with theyre harte. And so may he seme to mene as well by other wordes in y• chapitres folowyng, as by these wordes in thys presente chapytre, where he sayth, we caste neuer of the yoke of god from our neckes, neyther yelde our selues vnto synne for to serue it, but fyghte a freshe and begynne a new batayle. By these wordes it semeth, and of trouth so I trow he fully meneth, as appereth by sundry other chapyters of this boke / & yet moste especyally by hys exposicyon vppon the fyrst pystle of saynt Iohn̄: y• though they synne in that they haue the mocions of synne, the reliques of oryginall synne remaynyng in the flesshe, yet bycause they be borne of god by the ryghte faythe, that is as Tyndale expouneth yt, by the byliefe of the fayth confessed by saynt Peter, that Iesus is Chryste the son of god & our redemer / and bycause they haue that bylyefe, not only thorow the wordes of men preched vnto theym, whyche faythe is as he saythe hereafter but hystoricall, faynte, and sone goone / but haue yt grauē in theyr hartys by god (whych he calleth hereafter the felynge fayth) by whyche fayth he sayth that they fele theym selfe to byleue in god, & put theyr hole hope and truste of saluacyon in god, by the passyon of Chryste without any respecte of any good workes / & fele and be sure that god loueth theym, & that they be in hys fauour, & be trew chosen mēbres of his elect chyrch, and shall neuer be dampned / and by thys felyng faythe be borne of god, & that therfore they haue the spyryt of god in theym, by reason wherof they can neuer synne dedely / for ye spyryt (sayth he) shall neuer suffer theym to synne of purpose, but all the horryble dedes that they shall do, shalbe onely of wekenes and frayletye of the flesshe vppon grete occasyons, when the frute of synne that remayneth in theyre mēbres breketh owte: for thys cause he sayth that though the mocyon of the fleshe towarde horryble dedes be synne, and therfore they synne / yet bycause of theyr felyng fayth, they kepe styll in theyre hartes theyre professyon towarde the lawe of god. And when they haue done the dedes & taken a fall / yet caste they neuer of the yoke of god of theyr nekkes / nor yelde them self vnto synne to serue it, but whē the rage is ones passed, then ryse vp lyke lusty galyardes agayn, & fyght a fresh, & cry a new feld a new, & begynne a new batayle / & then is (saith he) all forgiuē thē quyte, & they clene assoyled of god both from synne & payne / & no payne shall suffer any tyme after for the synne passed before, neyther in purgotory nor in thys worlde neyther. And therfore neyther in goynge about theyr horryble dedes, nor in the commyttyng of them / he sayth they neuer synne dedely nor neuer can, be the dede neuer so abomynable. And suche as farre lesse were dedely and dampnable in a nother man, that were not so borne of god by suche a felynge fayth as they be, nor hadde receyued the seed of god in hym as they haue / whyche seed ones had can neuer suffer them to synne of purpose, and therfore neuer dedely after.

All be it that as I haue oftē tolde you, Tyndale partely for the vncertayntye of hym selfe in hys opynyons, after whyche he grysped and longe felte aboute here and there in the darke, ere euer he well wyste where he wold reste and setle hym selfe / and partely bycause he perceyued in hys owne conscyence hys heresyes not onely so noughty, but also so sottisshe that he was ashamed of them / and therfo[…]e euer so labored to set hys wordes in suche obscure & dowtfull fashyon, that he myghte haue alwaye some refuge at some startynge hole: yet of very trouth in conclusyon, whē he sawe the worlde wax in some partys of Almayne so surely fyxed and confermed in all kynde of heresyes, yt there coulde none errour so folys[…]he nor so frantyke be deuysed, but a man myghte he bolde to set it forth, & sholde not fayle to fynde fonde felowes […]now to folow it / hopyng then that he sholde lytell & lytell at length brynge the people of thys realme vnto the same poynt, he hath fynally so set fo[…]th the mater in this boke of his answere vnto my dyaloge, & yet mych more opēly in his exposycyō vpon the fyrste pystle of saynt Iohn̄, that any lerned ma[…] which aduysedly redeth those twayne, shall neuer after dowte, but y• his rydle of the trew mēbre of theyr electe chyrche synnyng euer & yet synning neuer, he meneth very playn & expressely ī such maner as I haue now last declared you. And therfore let vs now cōsider how he may mayntayne his menyng, & what good frute wyll folow therupō, in y• felyng of such holy mēbres.

Syth Tyndale agreeth, that bothe Luther & hym selfe, and all other the trewe membres of the electe chyrche, may do greate horryble dedes suche as he denyeth not to be in other men dedely and dampnable: we must enserche with hym and aske of hym, what is the thynge that maketh the same horryble dedes whyche sholde be dedely in a nother, to be not dedely in Luther or hym, or any suche other trew membre of theyr electe chyrche.

He wyll peraduenture answere vs & say, it is no dedely synne in them, bycause that god doth afterward vpō theyr repentaūce & sorow taken for theyr synne, forgyue them the deth & all maner of payne dew to ye horryble dede by them before cōmitted / & that therfore it is not dedely to them, bycause by goddes remyssyon and pardō it is prouyded that they shall not dye. Thys answere of Tyndale is very slender / for it implyeth the cōtrary of yt it sholde proue. For it declareth yt the dede is dedely, & that he synneth dedely. For ellys god dyd not pardon hym the deth vppon hys repentaūce, yf deth were not dew to hys dede.

And I do not now lay to them the tyme before theyr cō sent vnto the dede, nor the tyme of theyr repentaūce after theyr euyll dede / but the tyme in whych theyr wyll cōsen[…]ed and agreed to do it, & the tyme in which they dyd it in dede / in thys mene tyme say I they synne dedely in dede.

Nay sayth Tyndale, for afterwarde we repente, and by and by god forgyueth vs the deth, for hys mercy in our sauyour Chryst, and for our fayth, and for hys promyses.

Thys wyse answere is mych lyke, as though he wolde tell vs that one which had robbed a chyrche were a thefe & yet not a thefe. A thefe bycause he had stolē away ye chalyce, & yet not a thefe bycause ye kyng had gyuē hym a pardon.

Tyndale wyll yet happely say, yt the thefe was not sure before yt he shold haue his pardō after / but Luther & he & such other trew mēbres of theyr electe chyrch, be sure by goddes ꝓmises, yt vpō theyr repētaūce they shall haue theyr pardō.

But then aske we hym agayne, though he knowe by the promyse that vpon repentaūce he shall haue pardon / how knoweth he and what promyse hath he, that when he hath commytted horryble dedes, he shall haue after the grace gyuen hym to take such repentaūce as ye pardō shall folow.

Hereto shall Tyndale saye that hym selfe & hys felowes do fele by theyr felyng fayth, that they be borne of god, and that they haue his seed within them / by whych they be well assured that they shall neuer do any such dede, as they shall spyrytually dye for / but is very sure and feleth well by hys felyng fayth, yt the spyryt wyll call hym home agayn after, be he neuer so farre gone, and wyll cause hym to repente, & so gete hym hys pardon.

Of thys opyniō be they very surely / wherof ye se well foloweth no lytell occasyan of bolde settynge forwarde vnto synne. For yf a prynce wolde promyse euery man a perdon byfore hand, yt wold so surely truste vpon his promyse, as what so euer he shold do he wolde not let to come & aske it / no mā dowteth I suppose what plenty thys promyse wold make of all kynde of vnthryftes. But as for god, though he haue made a trew faythfull ꝓmyse of pardō, to all trew repētaūtes & penitētes what minde or purpose so euer they had byfore (the truth of which promyse Tyndale yet mystrusteth in them ye synne willyngly & of purpose, & playnely sayth yt they shall neuer haue pardon) yet hath our lorde of his godnes & wysdome left one brydle boūde about mēnes heddes to refrayne them frō boldenes of synne, yt is to wyt yt they can not after theyr synfull dedes repente agayne of thē selfe without his specyall grace. which though he doth of his goodnes comēly offer / yet be they not put in surty byfore, yt it shalbe so offred vnto thē. But yt yf they so boldely make them self sure therof byfore, yt the corage therof gyue them occasyō to synne / it may be ye cause yt god shall clerely withdraw it frō them, & neuer offer it them after. And thys vncertaynty of grace to folow is ye brydle yt refrayneth our boldenes / where as Tyndale & his holy felowes the trewe mēbres of Crystes chyrch, feling by theyr feling fayth that after theyr horrible dedes done, they shall vndowtedly take repētaūce & so gete theyr pardon / haue this brydle of drede cast of theyr hed, & therfore are redy lyke vnbrydled coltes to rūne out at rouers in all horrible dedes whyther so euer ye occasyōs of theyr wyld affeccyōs, & the synne as Tindale sayth brekyng out in theyr mēbres, lyst to cary theym. For whē they be caryed out vpō occasyōs by ye deuyll & ye flesh / then Tyndale calleth it but frayltye & infyrmyte, & no wyll in no wise nor no malycyous purpose. And therfore of this heresy, without which they can not defēde theyr other, ye se what good frute must folow. And yet suppose yt Tyndals false heresy were trew, & yt they were as certayn & sure of repētaūce, & therby of remissyō & pardon, as they say they be / this wold not yet mayntayne his mater. For though that a traytoure were so well acquaynted with the condycyon of hys kynge, that he veryly knewe that when he hadde all wrought that he coude in his traytorouse purpose agaynst hym, he sholde yet after obtayne his pardon, and therupon boldely so dyd, vpon some occasion and hope of some hygh promocyon, and afterwarde were not deceyued but obtayned hys pardon in dede: yet had he ben for all that a stark traytour in the meane whyle, and hadde dedely trespassed, though the deth folowed not, but the faute were fully forgyuen. And so mych the more traytorouse wretche, in how mych the prynce were of hys nature more benyng and marcyfull. And thus ye se playnely that Tyndale to proue his rydle trewe, that though he synne he synneth neuer dedeli / muste seke some better shyfte then thys.

Tyndale wyll saye that hys felowys & he do not synne dedely in the tyme of the doynge of suche horryble dedes, bycause as they say they do them not of purpose nor wyllyngly, nor do not cōsent vnto synne to serue it / but all the whyle that they go there aboute, and all the whyle also in whyche they be in doynge, they resyste it in theyr wylles, & haue styll in theyr hartes theyr professyon to the loue of the lawe, and be sory that they shall breke it / & fynally do breke it agaynst theyr wyll by greate occasyons gyuen, whyche cary them forth to the doynge of those horryble dedes, in a rage of the synne brekynge out of theyr membres. whyche horryble dedes after the rage ones passed, they repente all waye and forthwyth be clene forgyuen.

Is not here good reder a goodly defence and a godly? And vndowtedly thys is theyr very defence in defendynge them selfe from dedely synne, as Tyndals awne wordes as well in thys chapyter as in other folowynge, do playne and clerely shew.

But now seeth euery good chrysten man well inowgh, that they be wyckedly occupyed,²⁴ in sekyng as holy Dauid saith, excuses for theyr synne. For there is no man doth any suche dede agaynste hys wyll / but all be it that he resyste ye mocyon of the deuyll and the flesh at the fyrste, & cleuynge to the contrary styrynge of god and hys good angell, repugneth and stryueth agaynste the synne and is peraduenture loth to be brought therto / whych doyng is very godd, and therby good folke fynally caste of and ouercome all those temptacions thorow the grace of god wurkyng with thē: yet suche as in conclusyon fall to the doynge of those horryble dedes whyche they be tempted to, though they be not fully so euyll as other that resyste the deuyll nothynge at all, but rather runne on apace towarde hell them selfe, then tary tyll the deuyll come to cary them / yet do they vndowtedly thorow theyr owne defaute fall from the grace wyllyngly, that holpe them whyle they resysted. And as it were a cowarde that had fought a whyle, wolde sodaynly caste awaye bothe bukler and swerde, & fall downe at hys enemyes fete, and yelde hym selfe in to hys enemyes handes: so do these folke which cōmytte those horryble dedes, after a whyle resystynge, by whyche by goddes helpe they sholde haue had the victory yf they wolde haue perseuered in the fyght / they chaunge theyr mynde by ye faute of theyr owne fre wyll, thorow the delectacyon of the synfull dede, and so consent vnto the same, and then seke them selfe the waye to come therto, and the deuyll helpeth them to fynde it / and so breke they wyllyngly goddes commaundement, and fulfyll the pleasure of the deuyll and the luste of the fleshe. whyche wylfull fallynge from god and hys grace, vnto the deuyll and the flesh / what god man dowteth to be dampnable dedely synne?

And therfore whan Tyndale telleth vs that Luther and he and suche other trewe membres of theyr chyrche, whā they commytte ony suche horryble dedes, do not cōmytte theym wyllyngly, bycause they do commytte theym vpon great occasyons, and be caryed awaye spyte of theyr tethe with the rage of the synne that breketh out of theyr membres: sauynge my charyte syr I beshrewe theyr knauysshe membres, out of whiche theyr synne breketh forthe with suche a rage. Let theym cast on colde water with sorow, & quenche that rage.

For without the defawte of theyr owne fre wyll, all the deuyls in hell can neuer caste vpon theym suche an hete, that shalbe able to brynge theym into that vyolent inuyncyble rage, to compell theym vnwyllyngly to do suche horryble dedes. For god hathe promysed as in playne scrypture appereth, that he wyll neuer so suffre theym.²⁵ God is faythfull sayth saynt Poule, whiche shall not suffre you to be tēpted aboue y• ye may bere / but with the tēptacyon shall also make you a way to get out, so that ye may well welde it. And whan saynt Poule hym selfe,²⁶ leste the greatnes of his hyghe reuelacyons myght haue set hym vp in an hygh pryde, had thorow goddes great mercyfull goodnes the angell of Sathan the prycke of the flesshe, gyuē vnto hym to bete hym, & that in suche wyse that he was fayne thryes to cry to god to take it away: our lord agayne shewed hym that it was not good for hym to lacke it so soone, nor to haue it so sodenly taken away from hym / but shewed hym that his grace was suffycyent. whose strengthe in mannes feblenes so worketh with the fre wyll of hym that purposeth to contynue good, that all the deuyls in hell shall neuer be able to put hym in suche a rage, that may cary hym towarde horryble dedes one here bredth forwarde agaynst his wyll. And thus ye se that Tyndale as towchynge his ryall rydle of synnynge and synnynge not, is now brought to that poynt that he can not rede his owne rydle hym self / excepte he wyll peraduenture saye that it is neuer dedely synne though it be doone wyllyngly, but yf a man consent to the synne, and than wyll vnderstande therby, that he cō senteth not to the synne that consenteth to the dede, but yf he consent that the dede shulde be synne / & so that he which agreeth to do auoutry doth not synne, bycause he doth not consent that aduoutry shulde be synne, but rather wolde it were none. Excepte Tyndale mene some suche farre fette wyse inuencyon / elles can I not in good faythe perceyue how he can helpe Luther and hym selfe and other holy heretyques the trewe membres of theyr electe chyrche, from consentynge to synne / whan they do as he confesseth horryble dedes vpon great occasyons thorow the rage of synne, buddyge and bryngynge forthe the fruyte that bredeth out of theyr vngracious membres.

For yf he lake for any helpe of these wordes, where he sayth that they yelde not theym selues vnto syn for to serue it / as though other folke whan they do synne do entende to serue synne / but they for holynesse of theyr felynge faythe, in the doynge of theyr synnes do not entende to serue the synne, but to make the synne to serue theym and do theym pleasure at theyr owne luste and lykynge: let hym for answere loke how saynt Austayne mocketh in lyke case an olde fylosopher / whiche beynge asked why he was not ashamed to haue an harlot as other rybaudes had, answered for his defence that there was great dyfferēce bytwene his dede & theyrs. For as for theym they had not the harlot but the harlot had theym. But as for hym he had the harlot & not the harlot hym. And ther was by saynt Sym, a propre reason and a trym. A fayre bost for a phylosofer to haue an harlot at his wyll, that lay with euery man bysyde at her wyll. Now Tyndale maketh here a lyke boste for to excuse hym and his felowes, sayenge, we fall whan the occasyons be great into horryble dedes, and the fruyte of the synne whiche remayneth in our membres breketh out, but yet we neuer yelde our selues vnto synne to serue it / menyng of lykelyhed that the synne shall serue thē, as the harlot dyd the folyshe phylosofer. But our sauyour hym selfe wypeth a way clene all the worshyp of Tyndales worde, whan he sayth playnly that who so euer do synne, is by the doynge bycome the bonde thrall of synne. And so by y• very trewe tale of Chryst, Tyndales false tale is auoyded. For whan so euer he yeldeth hym selfe to do horryble dedes, whiche he sayth they fall in vpon great occasyons, whan the fruyte of the synne remaynynge in theyr myscheuous membres breketh out at large / than forthwith for all theyr felynge fayth, by theyr foule fleshly felynge in the doynge theyr fylthy deuelyshe dede, they yelde them selues to serue the synne, and by the synne to serue the deuyll / & the deuyll to serue them agayne, fyrste here for a lytell whyl[…] with a lytell fylthy pleasure, and after in hell for euer with blowynge the fyre aboute them.

For as towchyng Tyndales wordes folowynge, where he sayth they wyll ryse and fyght a freshe and begynne a new batayle: these wordes make nothynge to the purpose / for they were neuer able to ryse agayne alone. And yf god lyfte them vp as many tymes he dothe / yet were they not sure that he so wolde for he dothe not euer so to euery man. And of which sorte hym selfe is, that can he neuer tell what so e[…]er he bable.

And also yf he dyd alway so, & that they were also sure byfore that he wold allway so do after / yet can it not serue Tyndale in this poynt. For we speke of the dedely synne in the tyme of his fall, and of the seruitude and thraldom that he lyeth in, all the whyle that he lyeth prostrate vnder the deuyls fote, and not that after that god hath goten hym vp agayne / and therfore those wordes wyll not helpe

How be it of trouthe Tyndales wordes wryten a lytell before, yf they were trewe as they be not, wolde make more for the profe of his purpose / where he saythe that thoughe they fall into horryble dedes, vpon great occasyons whan the […]rute of the synne remaynynge in theyr flesshe breketh out of theyr membres, yet they neuer caste of the yoke of god fro theyr neckes.

These wordes yf they were trewe, wolde make in dede somwhat for theyr purpose. For yf it so were that for all the doynge of theyr horryble dedes, they dyd neuer cast of the yoke of god fro theyr neckes: than myght it seme that in the tyme of the doynge they dyd not yet synne dedely, syth theyr neckes were yet styll bouden within the yoke of obedyence to the loue of god, & that they had not shaken that yoke of.

But of truthe those wordes are vntrew. For whan they do those horryble dedes, whiche god hathe vpon peyne of eternall dethe precysely forboden them / & whiche no temptacyon can cause them so to do agaynst theyr wyll, but that they myghte by goddes helpe leue yt vndone yf they wolde, syth god neuer vseth to deny the helpe of his grace, tyll man leue of his holde by slouth or frowardnes of his owne fre wyll / therfore I say whan they do those horryble dedes thorough the frute of theyr synne brekynge out of theyr bestely membres, they do by the dysobeyng of his precepte, shake of the yoke of god for the whyle / as an euyll ta[…]ched horse shakes of somtyme the brydle & runneth out at large. And than agayne yf it happen that at goddes callynge on, they repent & do penaunce, & purpose to amende & be better, than is the yoke put on agayne / as an vnbrydled horse somtyme whan he is folowed standeth styll & stayeth at his mayster his whystelyng, and suffreth his brydle to be put on agayne.

Now yf Tyndale say styll, that bycause of his felynge fayth, whiche whan he hathe ones goten he sayth he can neuer lese after, and that therfore he can neuer after do dedely synne, not euen whyle he is in the doynge of suche horryble dedes, as he consenteth that he may fall in thorow the frute of the synne that breketh out of his mēbres: I wolde aske hym yet ones agayne, what is y• thynge that after the rage passed h[…] so sore shuld repent and sorowe. For as hym selfe sayth, that thorow suche repentaunce he may haue remyssyon / why shuld he be so sory for the dede, to the entent to be by sorowfull rep[…]ntaunce made partener of pardon and mercy and restored to lyfe, yf he cōmytted in the doyng no maner of dedely synne.

If he say for sorowe that he hathe offended god, whiche greueth hym for the loue & reuerence that he bereth hym, and not for any fere of hell / whiche fere is but seruyle and bonde, and therfore not metely for suche holy folke as Luther is and hym selfe: I answere hym yf that he say tr[…]w, that he consented not, but all was done agayne his wyll / god was not angry with hym nor offended by hym, nor his synne no synne at all. For as saynt Austayn sayth, yf it be done without the wyll it is not synne.

Fynally yf he stycke styll in this poynt, that in ye doynge of those horryble dedes, theyr lyuely felynge fayth, whiche can not as they say but worke well, standeth styll in theym all the whyle that they be doynge these horryble dedes that they fall in vpon great occasyons, thorow the frute of the synne that breketh out of theyr mēbres / and that they therfore do not those horryble synfull dedes them selfe, but the synne that remayneth in theyr membres / and that they resyst the dede all the whyle they be in doynge, and do not consent nor agre there vnto, nor do it not with theyr harte but onely with theyr mēbres: it wylbe then a wonderous case in my mynde to consyder, what maner a medytacyon and what maner conflycte haue they in thē selfe bytwene theyr harte and theyr membres, when the frute of the synne that remayneth in theyr flesshe agaynst the professyon o[…] theyr harte to the lawe of god, breketh out of theyr membres into suche horryble dedes, as take theyr bodyes that were the membres of god,²⁷ and make them as saynt Poule sayth the membres of a stynkynge harlot. Fyrst when the deuyll vpon some syght of a wanton woman, putteth that suggestyon in theyr hartes / they make no crosse of lykelyhed neyther on theyr forehed nor on theyr brest nor any wher about theyr body. Fo[…] suche blessynge and crossynge Tyndale calleth waggynge with fyngers in the ayre, a[…]d dum ceremonyes and ymage seruyce. But lyke holy spy[…]ytuall fathers borne agayne of god and the spyryte, they resyste manfully fyrste, and a great whyle. But whan they resorte vnto her and talke with her more and more, and all agaynste theyr wyll ye wote well / for the deuyll dryueth them thyther, and he must nedes go whom the deuyll dryueth: then all the way they go they say to god and them selfes, ywys though I go thyther with my fete, yet I wyll not agre to go thyther with myne harte lo. Nor I wold not come at her at all good lorde, sauynge that vpon the great occasyon that I had when I saw her ones / I then lyked her so well that I am now caryed thyder euē in a rage. But yet for all y• rage I wyll not cast of thy yoke good lord, but I wyll cary thy yoke styll about my necke to bedde with her, & put it about her necke to, & yoke vs bothe to gether. And yet after all this lo, when all the rage is paste yt now haryeth me forth in an hete thorow the frute of synne, which remaynynge in my flesshe, breketh out of my members / then wyll I repent it good lorde & be sory therfore, and retourne agayne from her to the, or ellys brynge her yoked with me to. And then wyll I pray the of pardon. And then thou most nedes good lorde forthwith at the fyrst worde, gyue me full remyssyon of synne & payne, & all by our holy father the popys leue, so that I shall neuer be punysshed therfore, neyther in hell, purgatory, nor ī this world neyther. And this good mynde good lorde wyll I kepe styll and neuer let it fall out of my harte / so that all the whyle that I lye bassyng with Besse, & I am doynge y• horryble dede with my body / yet wyll I neuer agre therto wyth my harte. Or yf I myshappe for weykenes and fraylte to consent vnto the dede / yet wyll I neuer consent to the synne of the dede / for it shall neuer be synne by my cōsent. Or yf I do cōsent to the synne / yet wyll I not cōsent of purpose & of malyce as the deuyll doth, but of weykenes and fraylty as other holy folke do. Nor at the ferthest I wyll consent no ferther to the synne, but that the synne shall serue me, & not I to serue the synne in no wyse, I wyll be well ware of that. For I thanke the good lorde the seed of thy spyryt that thorow my felyng fayth is in me, can neuer suffer my harte to consent to be seruaunte to any synne, how horryble synnys & how many so euer my membres do. And therfore euyn whyle I am in doyng / yt thanke be thyne good lorde I do neuer synne dedely, nor neuer shall, nor can / nor neuer am by any synne out of thy fauour nor neuer stande out of the state of grace for any synne that I do or can do, be they neuer so many or neuer so horryble / and suche as one of these peuyshe popysh papystes shall be dampned to the deuyll, yf they do but the fyftenth parte of some suche one, and all for faute of suche a felynge fayth, and suche good medytacyons as I haue.

Is not here a godly medytacyon trew ye. Forsothe I suppose ye shall not fynde suche a nother in all the medytacyons of saynt Barnarde, as holy a man as he was. And I assure you Tyndale and hys felowys, yf theyr holy here syes be trewe / muste nedys in the doynge of euery such horryble dede as Tyndale telleth vs that they fall in, by the ragyouse occasyōs of the synne brekyng out of theyr wredched membres / they must I say nedes haue some such maner of medytacyō in theyr holy hartes, yf they shall both do those horryble dedys, & yet in the tyme of the doyng neuer consent vnto the synne to serue it, but cōtynually kepe styll in theyr myndes the professyon & purpose towarde the law of god / & in all ye tyme of theyr horryble doyng / neuer onys shake of ye yocke of theyr bond toward god / but both abyde boūden styll vnto god, and yet ronne lose at large after the deuyll. These twayne bothe at onys wythout some suche medytacyon can neuer stande to gyther.

Fynally for cōclusyon of this his worshypfull chapyter of euer synnynge & neuer synnynge, where as Tyndale as though he had clerely proued the thyng wherof he proueth nothyng, cōcludeth agaynst me in thys wyse, And therfore it is afals cōclusion that M. More holdeth, how that a man may haue a ryghte fayth ioyned withall kyn[…]e of all abommacyon and synne: I conclude agaynst Tindale y• he cōcludeth clerely ye same. And yet cō clude I farther for all ye, that I cōcluded trew & that he cō cludeth false. And thus bycause yt in this chapiter[…] Tindale is as it semeth by his euer synnynge & neuer synnynge, set vpon redyng of rydles for his recreacyon: I put hym my rydle to, y• he & I be agreed, & yet we be not agreed / & that he sayth as I say, and yet I say not as he sayth. For where as I sayd & trew I sayde, that a ryghte fayth may stande & abyde with all abomynacyō / menyng therby that the trew ryght bylyefe of all the artycles of ye catholyke fayth maye be in a man, & yet he may (that bylyefe styll stādyng) fall in to many dedely synnes, without any wrong opyn[…]o taken agayst the ryght bylyefe: now cometh Tyndale & agreeth vnto that, so y• he & I be therin agreed. But than wolde he fayne saue his worshyp with sayeng nay / & therfore he denyeth that we be agreed. For he sayth yt the thyng which I call the ryght fayth, is not the ryghte fayth. For though a man byleue […]ayth he neuer so ryght, without any wronge opyniō in any artycle of the fayth / yet but yf he haue trewe trust & full vndowted hope in god, & cheryte therwith also, which sayth he must nedes ensew therupon, els hath he no ryghte fayth. And so Tyndale auoydeth me not with any prouynge, that abomynacyon and synne can not stande wyth the thynge that is in dede a ryghte fayth / but that abomynable synne can not stande with the thynge whych hym selfe calleth the ryght fayth / bycause it pleaseth not hym to call a ryght fayth, that bylyefe that is right inough and hath none artycle wronge therin for as farforth as perteyneth to the nature of onely fayth, but yf it be both fayth and hope and cheryte to / wherin amonge all lerned men that here vs bothe and se hys sotle shyfte, he wynneth so mych worshyp therby, that he maye surely be mych ashamed therof, as often as he thynketh therof.

But marke well good reder, that he cōmeth forth after and sayth, that hym selfe and suche other hys holy companyons the trewe membres of theyr electe chyrch, as haue y• ryght fayth and the felynge fayth to, that is to wytte after hys owne doctryne full fayth full hope and cheryte bothe, so surely that it can neuer fall from theym / maye yet for all theyr ryght fayth fall into abomynable synfull dedes, vpō great occasyons brekyng out of the frute of the synne that remayneth in theyr synfull membres / and maye for a space perseuer in those horryble synfull dedes, and yet all that whyle theyr ryght fayth doth contynue, and theyr abomynable synfull dedes to gyder. And so by Tindale hym selfe all abomynacyon and synne maye stande to gyther wyth the ryght fayth, that is not onely wyth the ryght bylyefe alone as I affermed, but wyth the ryght bylyefe & wyth good hope & cheryte to as Tyndale sayth, whyche I say is playnely false. For surely the thynne sotelty therof my groce wytte can in no wyse perceyue. And thus good chrysten reders for conclusyon, ye now clerely se to what folysshe conclusyon he hath brought hym selfe in conclusyon / and all thys chapyter of his with his royall rydle of synnynge and not synnynge, is royally ronne to ryghte nought.

Footnotes

1. Mat[…]he[…]. 8. ↩

2. Ap[…]calip. […]. ↩

3. Hebr[…]. 6. ↩

4. Eccle[…]iastae. 11. ↩

5. 1. […]r. 1[…].
   ↩

6. Rom[…]. […] ↩

7. 1. Timo[…]. 5.
   ↩
8. 2. Timo[…]. 2[…]
   ↩

9. Hebrae. 6. ↩

10. Ezec[…] 1[…]. ↩

11. […] ↩

12. Ezechiel. 33. ↩

13. Ioh[…] ̄. […]. ↩

14. 1. I[…]. 5
    ↩

15. Ezechiel. 18.33. ↩

16. Roma. 11. ↩

17. 1. Cor. 1[…].16.
    ↩

18. Psalmo. 32.33. ↩

19. 1. Iohā. 5
    ↩
20. 1. […]. […].
    ↩
21. 1. […].
    ↩

22. Matt[…]. […]. ↩

23. 2. C[…]r. 12.
    ↩

24. Psalmo. 140. ↩

25. 1. Corint[…]. 1[…].
    ↩
26. 2. Corint[…]. 12.
    ↩
27. 1. Corint[…]. […].
    ↩