Tyndals other reason agaynst the good endeuour of mannes wyll is thys

Tyndale. My wyt muste shewe me a trewe cause or an apparent cause why, yere my wyll haue any workynge at all.

More. Lette Tyndale set hys consequente and conclusyon to thys antecedent made of thys reason, and saye, My wytte muste fyrste shewe me some cause eyther trewe or somwhat semynge trewe, before that my wyll can any thynge do at all: ergo none endeuoure of my selfe in conformynge and applyenge of my wyll, can any thynge do at all. And now when hys argumēt is all made vp / ye shall fynde it as full of reason as an egge full of mustarde.

For what though my wytte and reason muste fyrste set my wyll a wurke / can yet my wyll when it is ones moued dyuersly bytwene two reasons, no thynge do at all in remouynge an obstynat le[…]ynge to the tone syde, or a conformable inclynacyon towarde the consent of the tother.

If all the fayth of suche trewthes as are taughte, were in suche wyse inspyred into euery mannes harte that is a faythfull man, as he by that inwarde inspyracion had such a full perfayt and clere perceyuynge therof, in the inwarde syghte of the vnderstandynge, as the bodyly eye hath of y• thynge that it playnely seeth and loketh vppon / or as the syghte of the soule hath in suche euydent and open conclusyons, as it dothe playnely and openly byholde / suche I meane as are the generall petycyons in the fyrste boke of Euclidis geometry, as that euery hole thynge is more then hys owne halfe or suche other lyke: then wold I well agre wyth Tyndale, that when the thynge were so shew[…]d vnto my wytte, I coulde not but agre therto wyth my wyll. But I say that all be it god is able in suche wyse to inspyre and infounde the fayth yf that hym lyste: yet I saye that ordynaryly into hys faythfull folke, neyther fynall reprobates nor fynall electes (for faythfull are at sundry tymes of both the sortes) he gyueth not the bylyefe or fayth on that fasshyon. For yf he dyd / then were it not fayth nor byly[…]fe, but very syghte and knowlege. And suche kynde of so certayne and open reuelacyon, were vnto the man occasyon of bylyefe and credence necessaryly, surely, and ineuytable / but therfore as it semeth, neyther thankworthy nor rewardable.

Now dothe god wyth hys chrysten folkes ordynaryly take that waye in the gyuynge theym theyr bylyefe and fayth, that though they do not meryte wyth any forgoyng good dedes, nor deserue the gyfte of byleuynge / yet maye they wyth good endeuoure and obedyente conformyte, deserue and meryte in the beleuynge.

And therfore syth god wyll for that cause bynde vs to the bylyefe, bycause he wyll that we meryte and be rewarded for our bylyefe (the reason of whyche deserte and meryt on our parte, standeth in the respecte and regarde that god hath to our obedyence, by whyche we wyllyngly submytte our selues to the credence of goddes worde wryten or vnwryten, tellynge vs any thynge agaynste oure owne reason tellynge vs the contrary) then yf our bylyefe loste hys meryte (as that holy pope saynte Gregory sayth it shulde) yf reason playnely proued vs the thynge that we byleue: so were the meryte of our bylyefe loste in lyke wyse, yf the thynge were in suche wyse gyuen vs as we more perfytely perceyued it then we perceyue any suche as reason maye moste perfytely proue vs.

And therfore I say, that god dothe nat ordinaryly gyue into men the faythe in suche maner / bycause he wyll nat vtterlye take awaye the meryte fro man / for as moche as he hathe ordayned hym to ioye by the meane of some meryte, some conflycte, passyon, or payne vpon his owne parte,¹ though nat sufficient & worthy (for as saynt Poule sayth, all the passyons and sufferaunces of this worlde, be nat worthy the glory that is to come that shalbe releued in vs) yet suche at the leste wyse as his hyghe goodnes accepteth and rewardeth for worthy, thorowe the force and strength of those merytes yt are in dede sufficient & worthy / the merytes I meane of y• bytter payne and passyon of his alone onely begotten and tenderly beloued sonne. Than say I nowe, that syth y• faythe is nat ordinaryly with suche open ineuitable and inuincyble lyghtsomnes inspyred in to the soule, that the man muste of necessyte and very fyne force clerely perceyue and agree it / but by god prouyded so sufficiently to be shewed & taught, as he that wyll be conformable and walke with goddes grace, may fynde good cause inoughe to captyue his reason to the belefe / and yet nat so great and vrgent causes, but that he whiche wyll be yll wylled and frowarde, may let grace go, and fynde him selfe cauellacyons prowdely to test vpon his owne reason agaynste the worde of god / eyther sayenge that his reason seeth it nat sufficiently proued for goddes worde (as Tyndale sayeth in all goddes wordes vnwrytten) or elles that goddes worde is nat so ment as all Christes churche vnderstandeth them (as Tyndale sayeth touchyng y• playne scriptures agaynste the maryages made bytwene freres & nonnes) the poyntes of the faythe are nat I saye in suche wyse shewed, nor the wytte in t[…]em so thoroughly and so clerely instructed / but that the thynge whiche in the wytte lacketh and remayneth imperfyte, may by the wyll be perfyted and made vp / and in stede of sure and certayne sight, be from distruste or doubtefull opinyon broughte by god workynge with mannes wyll into sure faythe and vndouted belefe. And this I say for the tyme of this presente lyfe / and in the lyfe to come, than turned into full syghte and ineuitable contemplacyon.

And that thys is the ordynary maner of the fayth geuen by god into the soule, wyth the plyable and cōfortable wyll of man / and not an ineuytable syght of the trouth inspyred into the man whyther he wyll or not, in suche maner wyse that he can not chose but bileue it / the scryptures be playne and euydent.

Doth not saynt Poule vnto the Hebrewes in the dyffynycyon of fayth,² openly and clerely declare, that the faythe is an argument or mater of thynges that appere not. Now yf the resurreccyon of our owne body were in thys worlde in suche maner apperynge vnto vs, as it shall after the resurreccyon when we be in heuen / it were now no fayth at all but a sure knowlege. And therfore sayth saynte Poule also, that we se now as it were but in a glasse, & perceyue & beholde but as it were in a darke rydle / but in the tother worlde shall we se face to face.

To shewe also that god geueth not ordynaryly ye faythe to folke, but wyth some maner of towardnes and conformyte of theyr owne good wyll / our lorde sayth hym selfe vnto the cytye that he so sore longed to conuerte,³ Hierusalem Hierusalem, how oft haue I wylled to gather thy chyldren to gether, as an hēne gathereth to gether her chykēs, and thou woldeste not.

No man here dowteth, but that our lorde yf he wolde haue vsed some suche wayes as he coulde / it was in hys power to inspyre the knowlege of hym selfe into theyr hartes, and of all thynge that he wolde haue them byleue / and that in suche wyse, that they sholde not chose but byleue, for they sholde not chose but knowe it / & that in suche wyse that they coulde not haue thought the contrary. But god had determyned to brynge man to saluacyon, not in suche ineuytable wyse, nor wythout some wyllynge conuersyon and turnynge of man towarde hym / though man can not turne vnto hym without preuencyon & concurraunt helpe of goddes especyall grace. But syth the goodnesse of god prouydeth, that his grace is euer redy to hym that wyll vse it / therfore though the wyll of man maye no thyng do with out grace, yet wythout any spekynge of grace we comenly let not to saye, man maye do thys, and man maye do that, as byleue, and hope, and loue, and lyue chast, & do almo[…]se, and faste, & many such other thynges / not menyng though we make no mencyon of grace, that man can therfore do them wythout grace. Lyke as we saye that a man maye se to threde a nedle and speke no thyng of the lyght, and yet mene we nat that he can threde it in the darke.

And therfore let nat Tyndale loke to bryng vs in darkenesse / and because mannes wyll can nothynge do without grace, therfore tell vs that mannes wyll can nothynge do, nor tell vs neyther that mannes wyll hath no parte in belefe and faythe / and make vs wene it were so, bicause the wyll can nat as he sayeth go before the wytte / wherof experyence proueth many tymes the contrary, and sometyme with Tyndale to. But thoughe a man can nat haue any wyll at all in that thynge wherof he hathe vtterly nothyng knowen nor herde tell of, nor hadde imagynacion in hys mynde, nor any thynge thought vpon: yet when ye mynde with dyuers reasons and argumentes is ones moued of a mater, the wyll as it happeth of other occasyons at ye tyme to be well or euyll affectionate, so may gyue it selfe into the consent and agrement of the tone syde or of the tother / ye and that somtyme on that syde for affection, vpon whiche syde he seeth leste parte of his wytte and reason. And therfore it is nat alwaye true that Tyndale sayeth in these wordes,

Tyndale. And than whan we se his mercy, we loue hym agayne, and chose hym, and submytte our selfe to his lawes to walke in them.

More. Here semeth he to gyue as moche to the workynge of mannes wyll concernynge charyte, as he before toke from it concernynge faythe. For here he sayeth that we chose god, and submitte our selfe to his lawes / where as of truth without his grace, bothe preuentyng vs and concurraunt with vs, we can in these thynges neyther, do nothynge at all.

Nowe meneth Tyndall ferther for all this, that mannes wyll in these thynges yet dothe nothynge worke at all but of necessyte. For he sayeth ye god maketh thē to se his mercy by fayth, without any maner working of their wylles, as ye haue herde. And than he sayeth that vpon the sight thereof / they loue god, and chose hym, and submytte them selfe to his lawes. But yet sayeth he, that their wylles do this of ineuitable necessyte. And than can no man if Tyndals lye be trewe, neyther in faythe nor charyte haue any meryte at all. For what can a men deserue, in beleuynge ye thynge that he thoroughly seeth, or in doynge a thynge whan he can do none other. Nowe that Tyndale so saieth, is open and playne by these wordes that he consequentely sayeth.

Tyndale. For whan we erre nat in wytte, reason, and iu[…]ement / we can nat erre in wyll & choyce of thynges. For the choyse of mānes wyll doth naturally and of her owne accorde, folowe the iudgement of a mannes reason whether he iudge ryght or wronge / so that in techynge onely resteth the pythe of a mannes lyuinge.

More. Here ye se that Tyndale in louynge and chosynge by whiche man loueth and cheseth god, putteth a playne necessyte that mannes wyll can none other do, bycause he seeth the mercy of god by faythe / whiche as Tyndall fayde before, man seeth also of necessyte, and so consequently no meryte in neyther nother.

But Tyndale sayeth vntrue in bothe. For man neyther of necessyte seeth the tone, nor of nece[…]syte dothe the other, but may do the contrary bothe in the tone and the tother / and therfore in doynge bothe, meryteth in bothe what so euer Tyndale saye.

But yet sayeth Tindale vntrue in these other two thinges also / that is to wytte bothe where he sayeth, that whan a man seeth the mercy of god, than he loueth and choseth god, and submytteth hym selfe to walke in goddes lawes / and also where he sayeth for the profe of that poynte, that whan we erre nat in wytte, we can nat erre in will / but that the choyce of the wyll dothe euer folowe the iudgement of the reason. For fyrste what question is there, but that many whiche ryght surely beleue the mercy of god, do nat yet loue god in suche wyse as is requisite vnto saluacyon / that is in the preferrynge his pleasure before theyr owne, and to forbere synne for the loue of his lawe, and for the regarde of his goodnes to fulfyll hys commaundementes. But we fynde it many tymes farre contrarye, that the ouer great regarde of his mercy, turneth truste into presumpcyon, and maketh men the more bolde in synne / so forsothe that neyther loue of god, nor desyre of heuen, nor drede of hell, is able to pulle them backe.

Nowe as touchyng the tother point, that whan we erre nat in wyll and iudgement, we can nat erre in will & choyce of thynges / but that the wyll alway doth naturally accorde and agree to folowe the iudgement of reason, whether it iudge ryght or wronge: we shal differ the sotletees of that disputacyon, tyll we come to the place in hys answere vnto my thyrde and fourthe boke of my dyaloge, where I purpose god wyllyng, to touche this matter more full / & wyll at this tyme nothynge els obiecte agaynste hym, than the playnest profe that can be, that is to wytte euery mannes owne experyence and expresse perceyuinge of the contrary. For many a wretche that dothe an abominable dede, seeth and perceyueth full well that he dothe very noughte, and that he shulde nat do so / and his wytte and his reason forbideth hym. But his wyll fallynge from the folowynge of his reason, to the fulfyllyng of his fleshely desyre & beestly luste and deuelysshe appetite, accomplyssheth his detestable dede / nat for any lacke of wyt and reason, but thorowe faute of the frowarde wyll wyttyngly workynge for pleasure agaynste reason.

Many a man that hathe a great wytte and a great reason to, and moche lernynge ioyned vnto them bothe, dothe yet more folysshely and more vnresonably, than doth some other whose wytte and reason is very farre vnder his, and as for lernynge hathe vtterly none at all. And wherof cō meth this? but in that the tone with no lernynge & no great wytte, hath great good wyll to worke with goddes grace and do well / and the tother with moch wytte and lernyng, lacketh the wyll to worke well after his reason / & therefore letteth grace go by, and wylfully foloweth affeccion.

And yf Tyndale in this beleue nat me, nor all the wyde worlde besyde / he wyll I truste at the leste wyse beleue him selfe. Nowe than sayeth he in mo places of his boke than one, that I se the truthe well inoughe, and that I se well inoughe that I shuld nat do as he sayeth I do, wyttingly and wylfully wryte agaynste the truthe. wherin if he wyll nowe confesse that he sayeth vntrue / lette hym reuoke hys lye and call it backe agayn, and than god forgyue him and I do. And if he wyll abyde styll by that worde that he said than / than muste he go fro this worde quyte that he sayeth nowe. For yf I wote well I do nat well, and yet for all that I do it / than is there one man at the leste wyse whose wyll foloweth nat his wytte. And than if I be suche one, I shall nat I truste lyue all alone / but shall rather than fayle, fynde Tyndale hym selfe so good a felowe, as to falcefye his owne wordes here and bere a pore man company.

And that his wordes here be very false in dede / dothe yet farther appere by hys conclusyon that he concludeth theron, if his conclusyon do necessarily folowe. For hys conclusyon is this, that in teching onely standeth the pythe of a mannes lyuynge. For if this be false as in dede it is / than if it necessarely folowe vpon hys other wordes, hys other wordes must nedes be as false as it / for vpon a truth nothyng can there folowe but truthe, as euery man lerned well knoweth.

But nowe knoweth euery man very well, that all the pythe of a mannes lyuynge standeth nat in onely techyng. For many be full well taught howe they shulde lyue, ye & so well taught that they be able to teche it other full well / & yet lyue them selfe full nought. we shall nat nede to seke longe for ensample, syth no man douteth but that Iudas Scariothe had so good a scole mayster, and was with him so longe, that if he had any wyt he was metely well taught howe he shulde lyue. And that he was nat all wytlesse, thoughe by defaute of good wyll […]e waxed in conclusyon gracelesse / appereth well, in that so wyse a mayster as oure sauyour was, sent hym forthe amonge other for one of hys vsshers, to teche in his owne tyme.⁴ And yet as well taught as he was, and as well as he taught other to / yet was hys owne lyuynge nat very good, whyle he was bothe a the[…]e and a traytour bothe to god and man.

And yet that we shall nat nede to seke so farre as fyftene hundred yere ago / I wene it wyll be no great difficultie to fynde folke inoughe euyn nowe in our owne tyme, that can preche and gyue good counsayle to theyr neyghbours, agaynste the vyces in whiche they lyue them selfe. So that thoughe to good lyuynge, good techynge be necessary / yet may euery fole se that in good techynge, standeth nat all y• pythe of good lyuynge, as Tyndale sayeth it dothe / sythe many men haue ben well taught, and yet lyued nought.

But this wyse reason amonge many lyke, lerned Tyndale of his mayster Luther / whiche at wormes in Almayne at his beynge there before the Emperour sayd, that yf the gospell were well taughte, there shulde nede none other lawe. And this sayd he there, & this sayeth Tyndale here / bycause they and theyr felowes wolde fayne take away all lawes, and leaue nothynge but sermons. And than after that theyr vngracious he[…]esyes myght be frely preched for the gospell of god, & no lawe to let them / when after many soules sent vnto the deuyll by theym, they shulde as they haue done in Almayne all redy, begynne sedicion and rebellyon, and fall to ryflynge, robbery, murdre, and manslaughter / who so shulde than without force of punysshement onely, teche and preche vnto suche vnruly rebelles, shulde (ye wote well) haue a deuoute audyence.

But Tyndale in this matter whā he hath tolde vs this tale, that the pythe of mannes lyuynge standeth all to gether in techynge / he addeth thervnto by and by & sayeth,

Tyndale. Howe be it there be swyne that receyue no lernynge but to defyle it / and there be dogges that rent all good lernynge with theyr tethe.

More. If there be suche swyne and suche dogges as in dede there be, as our sauyour hym selfe wytnesseth in the gospell / if this I say be truthe as it is,⁵ that Tyndale telleth vs nowe / than is it false that Tyndale tolde vs afore, that is to wytte that all standeth in techynge. For those swyne & those dogges will be nought for all the good techyng. And than to kepe suche from doynge harme, we must nat onely teche and preche / but vnto suche as wyll be lyke swyne, we muste yoke them for brekynge hedges, and rynge them for wrotynge, and haue bande dogges to dryue them out of y• corne with bytynge, and leade them out by the eres.

And yf there be suche dogges as in dede there be, that rent all good lernynge wyth theyr teth / then standeth not all the pyth of good lyuynge in good teachynge. For what auayleth to tech them that wyll not lerne but rent all good lernyng wyth theyr teth. And therfore to such dogges men may not onely preche, but muste with whyppes and battes bete them well, and kepe them from terynge of good lernyng with theyr dogges tethe / ye and from barkyng both / and chastyce them and make them couch quayle, tyll they lye styll and herken what is sayde vnto them. And by suche meanes be bothe swyne kepte from doynge harme, & dogges fall somtyme so well to lernynge, that they can stande vp vppon theyr hynder fete, and holde theyr handes afore them pretely lyke a mayde, ye and lerne to daunce to after theyr maysters pype / suche an effectuall thynge is punysshement, where as bare techynge wyll not suffyce.

And who be now more proprely suche dogges, then be these heretykes that barke agaynste the blessed sacramentes, and tere wyth theyr dogges tethe the catholyke chrystē fayth, and godly exposycyons of the olde holy doctours & sayntes? And who be more proprely suche hoggys, then these heretykes of our dayes, of such a fylthy kynde as neuer came before / whyche in suche wyse defyle all holy vowed chastyte, that the very pure scripture of god they trede vppon wyth theyr foule dyrty fete, to drawe it from all honest chastyte, into an vnclene shamefull lybertye of frerys to wedde nonnes. And therfore vnto these hogges & these dogges ye pyth of good lyuyng standeth not all in techyng. For no good thynge wyll they lerne wythout bytynge and betynge.

yet goeth Tyndale forther and sheweth mo kyndes of folke / to whom for all his other wordes all ye pyth of good lyuynge standeth not in techynge.

Tyndale. And there be popeholy / whyche folowynge a ryghtuousenes of theyr owne faynynge, resyste the ryghtuones of god in Chryste.

More. These wordes lo good reder, expowne very well & very playne declare, what techynge it is that Tyndale all thys whyle so bosteth, wherin he sayeth all the pyth of good lyuynge onely standeth / that is as he taketh it, the techynge of hys abomynable heresyes, in whyche he techeth vs that onely fayth suffyseth, and that neyther good workes haue reward in heuen, nor that any euyll workes shall haue any punysshement eyther in thys worlde or in purgatory[…] no nor in hell neyther, yf the synner be but a bare penytent & onely byleue and repent, and be well ware in any wyse that he go to no shryfte nor do no penaunce for hys synne. For all those that do, they be those of whom he rayleth here and calleth pope holy, & sayeth they make them self a ryghtuousnes of theyr owne faynynge / and resyste the ryghtuousnes of god in Chryste, bycause they resyste Tyndals vnryghtuouse heresyes / whyche vnder pretexte of goddes onely mercy, taketh awaye goddes ryghtuousnes / and not onely that, but vnder the same pretexte of praysynge and settynge forth a more mercy, couertely and craftely depraueth and dysprayseth the very trewe mercy it selfe, that god of hys godnesse ordynaryly vseth towarde vs.

For Tindale maketh as though it were no mercy at all, after a lytell penaunce in thys worlde done by the partye for many great mortall synnes / or after a temporary payne endured in purgatory, to set the mery[…]es of Chrystes passyon for the remanaunt, whyche wolde ellys be infynytely tenne hundred thousande thousande tymes longer. Thys taketh Tyndale for n[…] mercy, whyche is in dede the very mercy that our lorde ordynaryly vseth. But thys order the beste blasphemeth / and as well in thys deuelysshe wurke of hys, as in dyuerse other, calleth it expresse tyrānye.

yet goeth he fynally forther to a nother kynde of suche folke, as techynge can not for a whyle helpe, and yet after doth / and of them thus he sayth.

Tyndale. And there be that can not attende to harken vnto the truth for rage of lustes / whiche when lustes abate, come and obaye well inough. And therfore a chrysten man muste be pacyente, and suffer longe to wynne his brother to Chryst, that he whiche attendeth not to daye maye here to morowe. We se some at theyr very latter ende when colde fere of deth hath quenched the hete of theyr appetytes, lerne and con[…]ente vnto the trouth / wherunto before they coulde gyue none […]are, for the wyld rages of lustes that blynded theyr wittꝭ[…]

More. Lo good reders here ye maye se, what constaunce is in thys man, here he sayth (and sayth trewe) that men wyll at some tyme not lerne nor harken to the trouth, though it be neuer so well taught them. And yet in a nother chapyter before, he sheweth that the electes as soone as euer they be taughte the trouth, assente forthwyth and wyll neuer resyste / so he that hath a false parte to defende, neuer woteth where to holde hym.

But at the leste wyse, thys that he now sayth is trewe & more to. For not onely when the rage is passed then men harken / but also when the rage cometh agayne, then many fall nought agayne and into dedely synne / and that of such as after waxe good agayne and fynally shalbe saued. And lyke wyse some good faythfull folke, when false shrewys come, and false heretykes / do by […]alse doctryne fall fro the […]rewe fayth agayne, though they hadde it before ryghte lyuely. And yet of suche, some turne agayne by grace from theyr dedely heresyes into the lyfe of fayth / and some be so sore nowseled in the fal[…]e heresyes, and in theyr obstynate frowardnesse take suche a deuelysshe delyght, that fynally they dye therin / as dyd Bayfeld, Bayn[…] and Tewke[…]b[…]ry. And yet in some as Tindale here telleth vs, euen in y• very latter ende when the colde fere o[…] deth hath quenched the hete of theyr appetytes / god worketh wyth them towarde the consent of the trouth, wherunto before they wolde gyue none eare / as he dyd in dede in that good and contryte penytent & open confessour both of hys fayth and hys fawte, M. Tho. Bylney. whiche[…] beynge onys good, faythfull, & vertu[…]use, dyd after by the false delyght of Luthers & Tyndales bokes, fall in to theyr false heresyes, and helde on in them thorow the delectacyon and vayne glory that he toke in the prayse of that secrete sect and scatered congregacyō / tyll fynally at hys deth god of hys goodnesse opened hys eyes / and he loked vppon him selfe, and considered that all those vayne praysours he muste go from them by fyre / and sawe that yf he dyed in those heresyes he sholde neuer mete wyth them more but in the fyre of hell where he shold neuer fro them / then turned he to the trewe fayth agayne, and exhorted them all vnto the same.

And thus good reders ye se that of hys order of eleccyō Tyndale hath in thys chapyter hytherto sayed no thynge to purpose / & now shall ye se that as lytell he sayth to purpose in thys that after foloweth.

Tyndale. And though goddes electe can not so fall that they ryse not agayne, bycause that the mercy of god euer wayteth vp[…]n them to delyuer them from euyll / as the care o[…] a kyn[…]e father wayteth vppon his sonne, to warne hym and to kepe hym from occasyōs, and to call hym backe agayn yf he be gone to farre: yet they forgette them selues oftymes, […]nd synke downe into traunces; and fall a slepe in lustes for a season. But as soone as they be awaked they repent and come agayne without resystaunce.

More. Here maketh Tyndale as thoughe he sayde a greate thynge. And whan his wordes are well examyned / he both meneth very falsely, & speketh folysshe wylyly. For where he sayeth, that an electe can nat so fall, but that he shal ryse agayne / he meaneth that of necessyte the electe muste nedes ryse agayne, thor[…]we the mercy of god that euer wayteth vpon him / whiche is very false.

For all be it that of trouthe the electe shall aryse agayne by meane of goddes grace and mercy / yet myghte he if he wolde lye styll in synne, whan goddes grace and mercye calleth vpon him and byddeth hym ryse / as many reprobates do vpon whome goddes grace and mercye wayteth, and calleth as faste as he calleth vpon hys electes, and is as redy to helpe them vp agayne as y• tother, if they wolde ryse, and that the malyce or slouthe of theyr owne wylles letted them nat to take holde of goddes grace, and made them nat lye styll in synne lyke swyne.

Nowe that Tyndale thus meneth, appereth playne by the whole processe of his worke. wherin as concernynge saluacyon and dampnacyon, he laboreth to make vs wene that the wyll of man dothe nothynge wyllyngly, but were vtterly forced and ineuitably necessytat by the eternal eleccyon of god vnto glory and his eternall reprobacyon vnto payne / whiche is as moche, as to say that the wyll of man is no wyll at all, any more than as he myght saye that the wyll of, a tre were to growe and brynge forthe frute & leaues, and that the wyll of an axe were to hewe downe the tre whan a man smyteth the tre therwith.

And that […]e thus specially meneth in thys chapyter of the ordre of our eleccycon, appereth as well in generall by the hole progresse therof, as by this also that he assigneth that thynge as the onely difference betwene the electes and the reprobates / alledgynge that the electes can neuer so fall but that they shall ryse, by the reason that mercy wayteth euer vpon them. wherby it well appereth that Tyndale meneth, that no reprobate, that is to wytte none that finally shalbe dampned, hathe goddes mercy whyle […]elyueth waytynge vpon him to call vpon him, and styrre him to ryse out of his synne. For excepte he ment so / he shulde put electes & reprobates all in one case, if he sayde that the mercy of god which onely thinge he sayeth waytyng vpon the electe, reyseth hym out of synne, wayted vpon the reprobate to / but if he shulde put some dyfference bytwene them by reason of y• different workyng of theyr fre wylles, whiche Tyndale wyll none of in no wyse.

Now menynge falsely thus / he vseth yet in hys speche a folysshe wylynes, as doth a cony that couereth her hed, and weneth all were well when all her loynes be open.

For he sayth that the electes can not so fall but that they shalbe so saued, bycause mercy wayteth vppon them. And therin he sayth truth. For yf god had not foresene that they wolde fynally turne agayne to hym, and wyth helpe of hys grace deserue to be parte takers of the mer[…]tes of Chry[…]tes passyon, and so to be saued / he wolde not haue elected thē to saluacyon. But he meneth that they shall necessaryly be saued, so that they shall not mow other then repent & amend, as soone as god of hys mercy calleth vpon them to repent. And thys though he thus mene, yet doth he dyssymule it / and sayth not, that bycause mercy wayteth euer vpon̄ them, therfore they muste nedes ryse after theyr fall / but bycause mercy wayteth vpon them, therfore they shall ryse. But thys poynt he layeth so open in many places of his worke, that it is but a folysshe wylynes of hym to wene it well couered thus.

wherfore he were as good to speke out playnely, & tell vs whyther he mene, y• after a fall mercy wayte any more vpon any reprobate or not. If he say nay, he sayth agaynst the scryptures playne. For as in the begynnyng god of his greate mercy calleth vppon all people bothe electes and reprobates to come to hym / so doth he after bothe twayne cō men and receyued, and gone a waye by synne agayne, call ordynaryly vppon them bothe of hys lyke mercy styll, as longe as they lyue in thys worlde here, and wolde yf they wolde assente therto them selfe and obaye, be as gladde to fynde them agayne as euer he was to wynne them before / as the wordes of holy wrytte be playne in the Apocalyps, I stande at the dore and knocke.

And yf Tyndale wyll auoyde thys / he muste then saye⁶ that all the wordes of holy scrypture by whyche god called vppon the people to repentaunce, be spoken onely to the electes. And thē must he tell euery man, how he may know hym selfe for electe / leste he maye wene that they pertayne not to hym. And then shall he by the same reason saye, that all the cōmaundementes be wryten vnto the onely electes to / and then the reprobates can not be reproued for the not obseruynge of them, yf they were not wryten for them.

But surely if Tyndale tell vs that the mercye of god wayte vpon the onely electes, and onely calleth vpō them / he telleth vs a vayne folysshe tale. And so he dothe in dede / for so he meneth in dede agaynste the playne scripture and all the olde interpretours of the same, and agaynste all the olde holy doctours of Chrystes churche, and agaynste the catholyke faythe of all christen nacyons this.xv. hundreth yere, from the tyme of our sauyour hym selfe & his blessyd apo[…]telles, euen vnto lowsy Luther dayes.

And yet natwithstandinge that he semeth to assygne the cause of the rysynge of his electes out of theyr synne, to be by the mercy of god alwaye waytyng vpon them / yet handeleth he the mater so, that a man may nat well wytte by these wordes of his, whether he meane that whā his electe is sonken downe into his traunces, and fallen a slepe in his lustes as he calleth it for a season / whether he meane I say that mercy calleth vpon hym in his traunce, & shaketh hym out of his slepe, or els let him slepe styll in hys lustes, and the deuyll rocke the cradle tyll the babe awake by him selfe. And surely he rather semeth to say, that god nat awaketh hym out of his luste / but letteth hym slepe in his luste vntyll his luste haue lefte him. As though goddes callyng of men from glotony, were nat to put them in mynde and call vpon them besely, and inspyre good thoughtes of temperaunces whyle they be at theyr mete / but lette them than alone as in a traunce and a slepe, tyll they be so wery of eatynge, that the grefe and gryndyng in theyr belyes standynge a strutte with stuffynge, call theym vp and awake them. And that is a good easy waye to / for than be they the more easy to entreate, to faste and forbere / but nat moche lenger than tyll they waxe an hungered agayne. And as it fareth in the traunces and slepes that folke fall in by the bely / so fareth it lykewyse in the traunces and slepes that folke fall in by those partes that are benethe the bely. For whan the rage is thereof (as Tyndall sayeth) ouer passed, and that they haue in theyr traunce and theyr slepe played out all theyr luskysshe lustes / than they awake. And than as sone as they be awake / they repent as Tyndale sayeth, ano come agayne to chastyte without resystence. But euer more I wold that Tyndale shulde remembre, that all this tale whiche he telleth vs here, is for his purpose of electes a tale of very lytell effecte. For this tale of suche slepynge and awakynge of electes, is nothing propre to the electes / but a thynge commune bothe to the electes and to the reprobates to. And these rages, and these traunces, & these slepes in synfull flesshely lustes, into whiche folke fall, and out of whiche they wake agayne and repent / the thynge that Tyndale telleth vs here as a thynge farre fatte and sought, and serched out of the very botome of his depe diuinite / ye same thyng in a maner as for thus farforthe, doctour Ouide descrybeth vs well & plainly, in his pleasaunte poetry entytled the remedy of loue. where he declareth after Tyndals fasshyon full clerkely, how some wanton louers after theyr rages passed and theyr lustes played out, lye then wakyng, and haue medytacyons of amendement, and of leuyng of theyr lecherouse loue euyn lyeng by theyr lemmans sydes, and thynke they wyll come there no more, and wolde wyth good wyll that they hadde not come there than neyther.

In thys chapyter whyche Tyndale entytleth the order of eleccyon / I loke alwaye that he sholde as reason is, tell vs those thynges that properly pertayne vnto the electes / & the thynges that contrary wyse appertayne properly to the reprobates / by whyche maner of handelyng of ye mater, we myght clerely perceyue & vnderstande what he meneth, and what order of goddes wurkyng or of the wurkynge of mannes owne wyll, he putteth in the course & progresse of the tone sorte and the tother towarde theyr fynall ende, the tone of euerlastynge lyfe, the tother of eternall dāpnacyon,

And alway whyle I loke for this / Tyndale, besyde that hys conclusyons be false heresyes in the ende, telleth vs no thynge almoste by the waye (excepte onely peraduenture yt laste repentaunce before the deth) but that they be comune as well to the fynall reprobates as to the fynall electes / as thys is also that in hys chapyter foloweth, where he wryteth in thys wyse.

Tyndale. God now and than withdraweth his hand, and leueth them vnto theyr owne strength, to make thē fele that there is no power to do good but of god onely / leste they sholde be proude of that whiche is none of theyrs.

More. Tyndale maketh these wordes for a grounde of a great mater, concernynge the order of god vsed towarde the electes. And vpon thys fundacyō he specyally rereth hys byeldynge, of the traunces, and the slepes, and slydinges of the electes into synnes and errours / in whyche synnes yet they synne not, and in whyche errours yet they erre not, bycause of theyr felynge fayth. From whyche though they fall yet they fal not, bycause they fele it still though they fele it not.

But what is there good reder in these wordes of hys y• he speketh of the electes, that is not veryfyed bothe in the electes and in the reprobates to. Now yf he say that he speketh here specyally of the electes, bycause at somtyme god wythdraweth hys hand from them, & that from reprobates he wythdraweth his hande of helpe and grace alwaye. If he saye thus, he sayth vntrewe. For doeth not god, as he of hys goodnesse calleth them, and at theyr comynge receyueth them / so when they fall awaye by false fayth, or faynte harte, or flesshely delectacyon, calle vppon them agayne, as he doeth vppon hys electys, wythout accepcyon of persons or parcyall fauour indyfferently / tyll he eyther some tyme for theyr immesurable outrage, or comenly for theyr fynall impenytence, fynally reiecteth and refuseth them? Amonge whych fatherly cure and care for them, as well as for hys electes before theyr fynall fall / he vseth the same wayes to wynne & saue them, that he vseth to the other. ye and doth somtyme peraduenture gyue more of hys gracyouse ayde & helpe in this world toward saluacyon in heuen vnto some reprobate wretche, that wyll for all that be damned / then to some of hys electes, that wyll so wurke wyth hys grace that he fynally shall be saued. As I dowte not but some two soules haue ben saued and now syt in heuen, wyth the tone halfe of the grace that Iudas had, and caste of, and fynally fell into hell.

And therfore thys that Tyndale here telleth vs of electes, that god somtyme wythdraweth hys hande and leueth them to theyr owne strength / he maye as well tell vs of the reprobates as of the electes.

Now the cause why god wythdraweth hys hande and hys helpe, is not alwaye the cause that Tyndale here alledgeth, bycause he longeth alway to make a glaunce agaynst all the meryt of mannes fre wyll / but to auoyde the pryde of the mynde, and the farre lesse boldnes presumynge vpon the surtye of hye holy lyuynge or fayth / whyche many men maye fall in by takynge them selfe for god almyghtys mynyons, though they gyue all the thanke to hym selfe, and ascrybe no thynge to theyr owne strength at all, nor wene they haue no fre wyll at all neyther. For the proude pharysey that dyspysed the pore publycane,⁷ though he were proude of hys dedes, yet ascrybed them not vnto hym self, nor sayd not all thys haue I done good lord of myne owne strength. But he sayd, I thanke the therof good lorde that I am suche / and that thou haste made me better, and gyuē me the grace to lyue more holyly then thys publycane / and sayed not, I thanke therof my selfe. And therfore as I say, god wythdraweth hys hande to shewe hys electes and […] […] […] […] the dede all thynge rekened from the fyrst to the laste, came onely of god hym selfe. And saynt Poule sayeth, what hast thou that thou hast nat receyued / and than what gloryeste thou,⁸ as thoughe thou haddest nat receyued it. He sayeth nat as thoughe it were thyne owne. For whan I haue receyued it, it is than myne and so may I call it.

Another false entent wherfore Tyndale telleth vs thys tale of withdrawynge of goddes hande somtyme from his electes, is bycause he wolde haue it stande with his heresye that he gothe so faste about / that is to wytte that the electes do not sinne dedely in theyr dedely synnes, bycause they do it nat wyllyngly but of infirmyte for lacke of power. Inpursuynge of whiche purpose he wolde make it seme, that god withdraweth his hāde from them without their faute, and than leaueth them no power to resyste, & so no blame in them nor no synne, thoughe he be cōtent to call it synne, after ye maner yt the mocyon toward synne which rymayne of origynall synne be called synne. This is Tyndalles entent in this matter, by whiche he excuseth the synne of the electes by the withdrawynge of goddes hande from them / nor for any defaute of theyr owne, or any synne that they haue done,⁹ but to kepe them onely from the synne that they wolde els do at another tyme. And where as god dothe for this poynt bothe for electes and reprobates all after one, that is to wyt neuer withdraweth his grace from the tone nor from the tother, tyll they begynne theym selfe to withdrawe theyr wyll from hym / he dissymuleth that poynte, & goeth forth in his mater that he byeldeth vpon that foundacyon, and sayeth.

Tyndale. God sayed so so[…]e a wayghte of persecucyon vppon Dauides backe, that passed hys strength to beare. So that he cryeth o[…]te out in hys psalmes, sayenge that he had lyued well and folowed the ryghte waye of god in vayne. For the more he kepte hym selfe from synne, the worse it wente with hym as he thoughte / and the better with hys enemye Saul, the worse he was. Yet god lefte hym not there, but con[…]orted hym and shewed hym thynges whych before he wyste not of […]ho[…] that the sayntes must be pacyent and abyde goddes heruest, vntyll the w[…]y[…]enes of vngodly synners be full rype, that god may repe it in dewe season. God also suffred occasyons stronger then Dauid to […]ail vppon hym, and to carye hym clene out of the waye. Was he not redy for a chursysshe answere to haue slayne […] […]bell, and all the males of hys howse, so myche as the chyld in the cradell. How be it god withhelde hym and kept hym backe from that euyll, thorowe the wysedome of Abegall. How longe s[…]ombred he, or rather how harde in slepe was he in the adultery of Bathseba, and in the murder of her husbonde Vriah. But at lothe tymes as so[…]ne as he was rebuked and hys faute tolde hym / he repented immedyately, and turned agayne mekely. Now in all that longe tyme from the adultery of Baths[…]be vntyll the prophete Nathan rebuked hym, he had not lost his fayth, nor yet his loue vnto the lawes of god no more then a man loseth his wyttes when he is aslepe. He had forgotte hym selfe onely / and had not malycyously caste of theyr yoke of goddes commaundementes from of his necke. There is no man so good, but that there cometh a tyme vppon hym, when he fealeth in hym selfe no more fayth or loue vnto god, then a syke man of tymes feleth the taste of his meate whyche he eateth.

More. Lo good reders, here ye se that by Tyndales doctryne, Dauid dyd no dedely synne / but was euer out of faute and nat blame worthy, neyther by impacyence drawynge nere to dispayre in persecucyon, nor by ye purpose of moch manslaughter at an angry worde, nor by auoutry conceyued at the sight of another mannes wyfe, nor by the trayterous destruccyō of his frendely seruaūt in recompence of truthe & amendes of his mysdede. All this was no dedely synne in hym, bycause he was an electe.

But yet is Tyndale ashamed to confesse and say boldely, that to be electe is inoughe, and that he may do what he lys[…]e and synne at his pleasure, and that god will gyue him leaue to do it, & cause hym to be repentaunt whan he hathe done it, and forgyue hym forthwith whan he repenteth, & and so forth totiens quotiens a pena et culpa, so that he beleue it well and surely truste thereto, leste for faynte hope & feare he fall the lesse to synne. This tale is Tyndale (I saye) somwhat ashamed to tell vs euen well and playnely forthe / and therfore he deuyseth another waye, and wolde make vs beleue that they be so preserued by the fayth, that they do neuer any dedely synne. But theyr dedes be suche, as men may well se that they be nat to be blamed for them be they neuer so bestely, but very babis[…]he and veniall / and suche as god can do no lesse of very ryght and reason than remytte and forgyue / and that for thre great causes here specifyed by Tyndale.

Fyrste for they neuer synne but vpon greate occasyōs farre aboue their strength. Secondely, for after theyr horryble dedes done, they repent vpon rebukyng without resystence. And thyrdely (whiche mooste is of all) all the whyle that they be in doynge, the poore babes wote nere what they do, but be all the whyle a slepe, as he putteth here his ensample by Dauid. And therfore lette vs consydre Dauid his dedes with Tyndals wordes, & examyne in them these thre godly reasons.

Fyrste he sayeth that Dauid synnes arose vpon great occasyons aboue Dauid his strength / whiche great occasyons god suffred to fall vpon hym and cary hym awaye. For whan he wolde haue slayne Naball and all his sonnes euen to the childe in the cradell, he fell nat into that mynde without great occasyon ye wote well. For the rude felowe had as Tyndale well reherseth, gyuen hym a churlyshe answere. And what man were there so vnreasonable, yt wolde not thynke that a kynge or a great man had cause inough to kyll twenty paysans & vyllayns, for a churlysh answere of one of them? Now when he fell to aduoutry & therby to manslaughter / had he not a great occasyon to it & importable to bere? For he saw y• woman as he loked out at his wyndow. And therfore who so euer haue ones the syght of a womā, is excusable yf he take her when he can catche her / & no man greatly to blame, but eyther a blynde man, or he that taketh one in y• darke whom he neuer saw in y• lyghte.

But we must here yet remēber lest we mystake Tyndale, that these great & stronge occasyōs were not so very greate & stronge of thē selfe / but they were as Tyndale sayth strō ger then Dauyd, and able to cary hym awaye[…] whych[…] he sayth, to shew vs yt they were of y• strength in cōparison of y• person, not so mych by the force & strength of theyr owne nature, as by ye lyghtnes, fraylty, & feblenes of Dauid / as a small burdē is a great wayght vpō a child, & able to bere hī downe / & a lytell wynd able inough to blow away a fether.

Then wolde ye wene that he accuseth Dauyd and the electes, bycause they be so lyght and so frayle to falle vpon suche occasyons as be stronge to them, by reason of theyr owne feblenesse. Nay forsoth. For here ye muste remember that to prouyde theym theyr excuse in thys poynt, was the cause for whyche as I tolde you before he layed for a fundacyon / that god at soche tymes fyrste wythdraweth hys hande of hys helpe, & then muste they nedes be weke, feble, and frayle. And so theyr fall cometh of the occasyons / & the occasyons be myghty to them, by reason of theyr feblenesse. And theyr feblenesse cometh of the wythdrawynge of goddes hande. And he wythdraweth it wythout any desert and defawte of them, onely to kepe them from the synne of takyng their good workes for theyr owne. And so is there in all the progresse of theyr dede, n[…] dedely synne in them self / syth the occasyons that bryng them to it, be wythout theyr owne fawte strenger then they / and by reason of theyr fawteleste feblenesse, cary them clene awaye.

And thys is as ye se the fyrste goodly cause, for whiche Tyndale wyll make vs wene, that the abomynable dedes of electes be no dedely synnes bycause of the greate occasyons. Agaynste whyche yf the mater were worth the argument, we wolde prece vppon hym sore wyth the synnes of the reprobates / and bere hym in hande that some of theym haue as greate occasyons of theyr synnes somtyme, as is a churlysshe answere to the kynge of a man, or the syght of a naked woman out at a wynddwe for aduowtry. And we wolde then aske hym suche questyons forther, eyther of holdynge of goddes hande ouer them, or wythdrawynge hys hande of helpe from them, wyth other dyuerse dependauntes theruppon, whyche euery ler[…]ed man may some fynde out hym selfe and almoste vnlerned to[…] whiche when Tyndale sholde answere to / he sholde soone make euery wyse man se, that in thys chapyter of the order of theyr eleccyon, he hath elected and chosen a very folysshe order.

But for as myche as the foly therof is open and playne of it selfe / we shall let the forther dyspycyons of thys poynt passe,¹⁰ as agaynst which saynt Poule playnely speketh and sayth vnto vs, God is faythfull whyche suffereth you not to be tempted aboue y• that ye maye bere, but maketh wyth the temptacyon a way out also, that ye maye well weild yt. By whyche wordes thys poynte of occasyons aboue our power is clene caryed awaye / and it is clerely determyned, that god suffereth no suche temptacyon to come vnto vs, but suche as we maye bothe reprobates and electes be able to wythstande if we wyll, thorow the assystence of goddes gracyous hande / whiche he neuer wythdraweth but in the fawte of our owne wyll, and neuer denyeth to put it forth vnto vs yf we call therfore and wyll take holde vppon it. And therfore syth as I saye the reprofe of thys fyrst poynt is playne / I wyll now passe it ouer and se what substaunce is in the seconde.

The seconde thynge is, that as soone as they be rebuked and theyr fawtes tolde them, they repente immedyately and turne agayne mekely. For thys he sayd.ii. or.iii. tymes in two or thre chapyters / and now he confermeth it wyth hys ensample of Dauyd, whyche dyd so as he sayth at bothe tymes.

But yet is thys but barely layed forth for the order of y• electes. For of trouth thus do some reprobates to amōge repente, not onely when they be rebuked, but also before to / and be forgyuen at theyr repentaunce and penaunce as well as be ye electes as longe as they do so repente, tyll they be dampned bycause they dye at laste impenytent.

And also thys is not proued to be alwaye trewe, that euery electe repenteth at the fyrste rebuke, and mekely returneth wythout resystence, though Dauyd so dyd twyse. There is I truste many a man in heuen, that was rebuked thryes of some one fawt, and defended it full styffely before he repented, and yet amēded after full well. And for ensample we nede no ferther than the blessed apostles / and specyally saynt Thomas of Inde,¹¹ whyche lefte not hys dyffydence and dystruste, neyther at the fyrste spekynge nor the seconde, nor tyll he put hys fynger in god almyghty hys syde. But Tyndale excuseth all that by beynge amased, as he doth all the electes horryble dedes, by beynge in traunces and slepes, as he doth Dauyd here. For that is ye thyrd poynt and the moste specyall excuse of all electes from all dedely synne, in that they be a slepe all the whyle they do it. For thus sayth he of Dauyd, as ye haue herde.

How longe slombred he, o[…] rather how harde in slepe was he in the adultery of Bethsaba, and in the murder of her husbonde Vriah.

More. Dauyd was here in a very longe slomber & a very depe dede slepe in dede, yf he dyd all those deuylysshe dedes in hys slepe. Tyndale of lykelyhed laye nere hym and herde hym all the whyle snorte and […]owte. And yf he so saye that he dyd / then is hys tale as full proued as is any parte of all hys heresyes. And except he saye it of hys owne certayn knowlege, he shall ellys neuer make me byleue, y• Dauyd dyd spye her, and sent for her, and talke wyth her, and gete her wyth chylde, and sent for her husbande, and deuyse the murder, & wryte ye leter, & sent the man to hys deth, and all these dedes in dyuers dayes, & all thys whyle styll a slepe.

But Tyndale wyll haue hym a slepe nedes, for the defence of hys owne folysshe heresye, wherby he techeth vs y• the electe is by fayth borne of god, and therfore doth neuer synne wyllyngly, nor consent to synne, nor caste of the yoke of the lawe, nor the loue to the lawe of god. And therfore he sayth,

Tyndale. Now in all that longe tyme from the adultery of Bethsabe vntyll the prophet Nathan rebuked hym, he had not loste his fayth nor his loue vnto the lawes of god, no more then a man loseth his wyttes whyle he is a slepe.

More. Lo bycause he was all this whyle a slepe / therfore in all thys whyle he loste neyther fayth nor loue to the lawe, no more then a man loseth hys wyttes when he is a slepe. Is not here a wyse tale trowe ye? excepte that Tyndale hadde eyther loste hys wyttes, or els were hym selfe a slepe whyle he wrote thys / he coulde neuer for shame tell vs thys tale. what calleth he losynge of fayth or loue? no thyng but such departynge therof, as he neuer cometh to it agayn? If that be so / then Tyndale setteth our sauyour Chryste to scole, and techeth hym to speke. For he sayth in the gospell, that a man loste one of hys hundred shepe,¹² and lefte the remanaunt and soughte the loste shepe, and founde it. And that the woman had lost her money, though by ransakynge vp her howse and sekynge she founde it at laste agayne. Now Tyndale is not so madde I suppose, as to saye that yf a man lette fall hys rynge in the mayne see, though he fynde it fyue wekes after in a fishes maw, that therfore he neuer loste it bycause he fyndeth it agayne. The comon peple say amonge, that nothynge can be founden tyll it be loste / sauynge yt of a thefe they saye in sporte, he can fynde a thyng ere it be loste / and so they prayse hym in hys cunnyng, that he can do suche a maystry as no trew man can.

Now yf a thyng may be loste in dede for a season, though it be after founden agayne / how proueth Tyndale here, yt Dauyd in all thys longe whyle bytwene the fyrste syght of Bethsabe and the rebuke of Nathan, neuer loste neyther fayth nor loue.

He proueth it vs in this wyse by ensāple. A man yt lyeth a slepe leseth nat his wyttes / and therfore in likewyse Dauid lyenge in lechery, loste neyther faythe to god nor loue to his lawe. Is nat this well lykened? yes by my she[…]he. Lesse lyke than Poules steple to a dagger sheth[…], tyll he proue vs thorowly that Dauid was that whyle in a very slepe in dede.

For god hathe naturally prouyded slepe for mannes reste from laboure, and for his refresshynge agayne to laboure. And the withdrawynge of the vse of our wyttes is there nat forbeden by goddes ordinaunce, excepte we slepe whan we shulde nat. And so is neyther aduoutry nor suche maner of manslaughter / but […]e thynges of god forbeden & of theyr nature abomynable. And in the slepe also there is onely a suspendynge of the vse of the wyttes, and no contrary wylfull doynge agaynste the wytte / as there was a wylfull workynge of Dauid, agaynste the faythfull loue of goddes lawe in his horryble dedes.

For as for his faythe, as farforthe as concerneth onely the nature of faythe, that is to wytte of belefe / I wyll well agre with Tyndale that he lost it nat in all the whyle. And in Tyndals faythe for one poynt, in yt he […]ugleth faythe in to hope / I wyll well agree also that Dauid had all that whyle inoughe therof styll, and peraduenture a lytell to moche to.¹³ But surely as for the lyuely faythe that worketh as saynt Poule sayeth by loue / that kynde of faythe had he loste for that whyle in which he wyllyngly wrought euyll / except Tyndale say that all his lechery & his manslaughter to, was wrought by loue, bycause all that euer he dyd was done for the loue that he bare to Bethsabe. And if Tyndale tell me so / than dryueth he me to the harde wall. For than can I go no farther in that poynte, but as for as concerneth his faythe I muste nedes gyue it ouer.

Howe be it yet as touchynge his loue vnto the lawe of god / very fayne wolde I here howe Tyndale can defende it, that he loste nat that loue in no poynte of all that longe whyle, in whiche he wyllyngly wrought agaynste it, fyrste his foule aduoutry, and after myscheuous manslaughter to. Thys shall I (sayeth Tyndale) defende you well inoughe. For ye touched your selfe ryghte nowe, the very poynte at whiche I wolde my selfe haue you / whan ye said that in the naturall slepe the wytte is onely suspended, and the wyll therwith in lykewyse, so that a man dothe nat wittyngly nor willyngly any contrary acte agaynst the wytte, as ye sayde that Dauid dyd in his dedes. But nowe say I that Dauid dyd none of these thynges wyttyngly nor wyllyngly, but vpon those occasyons his wyttes were rauisshed awaye / and bothe his wytte and his wyll suspended as it is in the naturall slepe, so that he had forgotten hym selfe, and for the whyle neyther had wytte nor wyll. For if his wytte had shewed hym hys faute / his wyll muste nedes haue folowed. But his wytte was all that whyle though nat loste, yet caryed away clene with the rage of the luste. And whan the wytte is awaye, the wyll is gone therwith. For it can nothy[…]ge do but as the wytte sheweth it as I haue sayd before. And than was the wytte a slepe and the wyll folowed the fumes that he fell into the fantesye, and so no consentyng to synne / but as the man was in maner all a slepe, so were all his dedes in maner but a dreme.

Here is Tyndals profe pyked out vnto the beste that I can perceyue of his wordes. But nowe this reason of his, neyther defendeth Dauid agaynste the losse of loue, and yet vtterly loseth hym by Tyndals doctryne the most especiall faythe. For Tyndale as ye shall here after rede, calleth the faythe of the electes a felyng faythe. Nowe if Dauid were in a slepe, all that whyle & had thereby forgotten his faythe and hym selfe to / than though his faythe had all the whyle the lyfe, yet at the leste hit loste for the whyle the felynge. For so dothe the man ye wote well in the slepe.

But lette this passe this ones as for thys tyme / and se howe he proueth that Dauid was fallen to suche a dede slepe, that he had in all that whyle neyther wytte nor wyll / and therfore consented nat vnto synne agaynste the lawe of god. Profe layeth he none ī this worlde, but onely sayth it was so. Nowe myght he lye by possybilyte, though his tale were likely. But yet am I content if his tale be lykely, let hym be belyued. But nowe if his tale be very farre vnlykely, reason were he brought one wytnesse wyth hym at the leste.

Nowe than whan Dauid firste began to spye her, lette that be chaunce and occasyon of one rysynge in his slepe / but whan he lyked her and longed for her, and stode styll & loked on her, and kyndled his hete hym selfe, and set hym selfe sore a fyre / was he all that whyle a slepe? whanne he thought he wolde haue her, whan he sent his messinger for her; whan he stode and talked with her, whan he brake the matter to her, whan he wanne her assent to the synne, whā he fulfylled his fowle fles[…]hely luste, whan he sente for her husbande to coloure and cloke theyr offence, whan he compassed and contryued to kepe her for hym selfe and kyll her good husbande his owne faythefull seruaunt, whan he deuysed and wrote the trayterous dedely lettre, and delyuered that innocent man his owne dethe in his hande, to delyuer ouer to hym that shulde sette hym where he shulde be slayne / dyd Dauid in all this whyle amonge all these euyll thoughtes, all these vngracyous wordes, all these abomynable dedes, neuer fall from the loue of the lawe of god / but was all thys whyle a slepe, and neuer consented to synne, nor dyd none of all these thinges wyllyngly? No sayeth Tyndale. I say no more but it is lykely yes. And therfore let Tyndale tell vs whereby he proueth the contrary. I proue it sayeth he by that that he was an elected persone that fynally shulde be saued / and therfore bycause of that felynge faythe with whiche he was borne of god, he coulde nat consent vnto synne. Uery well. Than if a reprobate had done the lyke vpon the like occasyon or greatter / he had synned dedely, for lacke of felynge faythe, onely bycause he was nat elected. And if he repented alyke vpon lesse occasyon, yet he shulde nat be forgyuen, for lacke of ye felynge faythe which was neuer gyuen hym, but euer kept from hym, onely bycause he was nat elected.

If I aske Tyndale here howe he knoweth or why he beleueth, that Dauid was elected to saluacyon / what wyll he answere. He wyll nat say I am sure, bycause the church so techeth hym, leste I shulde aske hym agayne whyche churche. For than were he forced to graunte that he beleueth the techyng of this comen knowen catholyke churche of ours, sythe that his owne vnknowen churche can teche hym nothyng to be the better beleued vpon the credence of that churche, nat beynge knowen for the churche. Nowe shall he nat fynde as farre as I remembre, any playne euident scripture prouing his finall saluacion. Than if Tyndall answere that he fyndeth in scripture of his faythe and his repentaunces, and nothynge of hys fynall dampnacyon, and therfore he beleueth of these lykelyhedes that he was electe to the fynall saluacyon, and shall come to heuen at the day of dome (for Tyndales secte beleueth nat that he shall come thyther afore) I wyll nat here preace vpon hym with ye samples of suche as he hath sene here lyue well & beleue well after his owne opinyon, bothe whyle he beleued well hym selfe and syns he beleued wronge, of whose saluacyon yet he maketh nat him selfe so sure as of the saluacyon of Dauid / but holdynge my selfe for this tyme satisfyed that he beleue it so well vpon good likelyhedes, that he shulde nat beleue a man that wolde without good profe tell hym the contrary / I shall no more but praye hym to be so resonable and so indifferent agayne towarde vs, as to gyue vs leaue in lykewyse to beleue vpon good lykelyhedes that Dauid consented to synne, and nat to beleue him, that without good profe wolde with his bare worde make vs wene the contrary, and boldely bere vs in hande that whyle he wrought so moche wyckednes he was all ye while a slepe.

In whiche poynte, as I haue before proued in another chapyter by lyke mater, if he were so a slepe, his very fyrste fallynge into suche a slepe was hys owne wylfull neclygence / whyle he beginnynge to be moued vnto leudenes at the fyrste syght of Bethsabe, stode styll and fedde hys deuelysshe delyte in beholdynge her, and thereby wyllyngly suffred the dethe of synne to entre into his hart by the glas wyndowes of his eyen[…] wheruppon all that euer he dyd after pursuyng therupon, all had he bene in such rage that he neyther wyste what he dyd nor where he were shulde haue bene imputed vnto hym / as he that synfully drynketh hym selfe dronke dedely synneth, and shall dye also yf he kyll a man in that dronkenesse.

Nor it excuseth nat Dauid nor no man elles that Tyndale sayeth, There is no man so good, but that there cometh a tyme vppon hym, in whyche he fealeth in hym selfe no more fayth or loue vnto god, then a syke man oftymes feleth the taste of his meate […] whyther thys happeneth vnto the best men or nat, god wote I can nat tell / I wote nat what affeccions they fele / for I am none of them, nor I fere me Tyndale neyther, as wyse and experte as he maketh hym selfe of theyr felynge. wolde god we were bothe of the beste, so the beste were neuer the worse, nor waxen as euyll as we, and we made theyr matches in that maner wyse. But this dare I surely saye, that whan so euer the best is in such case / it excuseth nat Dauid fro dedely synne. For than is the […]este very nought.

And fynally for conclusyon of Dauid his dedes, where Tyndale sayeth he coulde nat synne dedely bicause he was an electe / for whiche cause god kepte hym thorowe the felynge fayth from consentynge to the seruyce of synne, and fro the malyciouse castynge of / of the yoke of goddes commaūdementes from hys necke: it appereth wery well that of hys necke was it ones, whyther hym selfe caste it of, or Bethsabe toke it of bycause he shulde not come yoked to bedde. For well we wote it hylde hym not wythin ye hedge of goddes commaundementes, but that he thruste hys hed thorow and brake a couple of them, and ranne vnyoked a good whyle. And it wyll I wene well appere also, that he caste of the soke hym selfe / & then wyll all the dowte stande vppon thys onely worde malycyously. whyche worde how Tyndale taketh, that can I not tell / but excepte he take it for no malyce, by cause it was all for loue. Ellys yf he agre that the contempte and dyspysynge of goddes lawe maye be called malyce, and a malycyouse castynge of of the yoke of goddes lawe bothe fro loue and drede, as I wene it is expouned in god almyghtys vocabulary: then drede I no thynge but that it wyll well appere agaynste Tyndale all the hole mater / bothe that Dauyd agreed and consented to synne, & wylfully caste of goddes yoke & malycyousely to. This wyll well appere I say by p[…]ayne & euydēt scrypture.

For after those horryble synnes so comytted by Dauid, hys dedely dedes so dyspleased god, as it is wryten in the xii. chapyter of the seconde boke of kynges,¹⁴ that he sent Nathan the prophete vnto hym. whyche by the cōmaundemēt of god, after y• he had put vnto hym the parable of the rych man that toke away the pore mannes shepe, & therby made hym gyue sentence vnware agaynst hym selfe / he sayd forther vnto Dauid as in the person of almyghty god, in this maner wyse as foloweth.

why haste thou then set my worde at nought, and done euyll in my syghte? Thou haste kylled wyth swerd Uryah Hetheus, and hys wyfe hast thou taken to thy wyfe, & hym hast thou slayne wyth the swerde of the sonnes of Ammon. And therfore the swerde shall neuer be taken awaye from thy howse, bycause thou hast despysed me, and taken to thy wyfe the wyfe of Uryah Hetheus. And therfore thus sayth our lord: Byholde, I shall reyse vp euyll agaynst the, euen out of thyne owne howse / & I shall take awaye frō the thy wyues before thy face, & gyue thē vnto one yt is nyghest vnto the, & he shall lye with them in y• syght of this sonne. For thou haste comytted thys dede pryuely / but I wyll accomplyshe this my worde in ye syght of all Israell & this sonne.

Lo good reders, here se ye very clere, that where as Tyndale sayth that Dauid in all those horryble dedes dyd yet no dedely synne, bycause he sayeth he consented not to synne, nor dyde none of these dedes wyllyngly, nor cast not of the yoke of loue towarde the lawe of god / god here sayth that Dauyd dyd in those horryble dedes dyspyce bothe his lawe and hym selfe to. And how dyd he then kepe styll his loue to the lawe of god, in the whyle in whyche he dyspysed both the lawe of god and god hym selfe also? Or how sayth Tyndale that Dauyd cōsented not to the synne, when god hym selfe that beste knewe hys thoughte layed hys synnes so sore to hys charge, that he appoynted an endeles plage for the punisshement therof? tyll by hys repentaunce & his humble confessyon, god as he forgaue the dedelynesse of the synne, and translated it from mortall in to venyall, so chaunged the punysshemente from endeles in to endynge.

For where as the prophete, had before hys repentaunce and confessyon sayed vnto hym by the byddynge of god, The plage shall abyde in thyne howse for euer world with ende / forthwyth after hys repentaunce and hys confessyon made, he sayed vnto hym, Our lorde hath translated thy synne that was, from dedely to venyall / that is to wytte the punysshement from eternall to temporall. And therfore the prophete sayed, that yet the chylde that he bygatte vppon her in that auoutry, sholde dye as it dyde after in dede. And yet was not Dauyd out of hope wyth other penaunce (whyche he hadde leuer sustayne) to purge and redeme ye punisshement to / and therfore fasted and prayed to saue the chylde, vntyll the tyme that it was dede in dede.

And thus good chrysten reders ye maye clerely se, that all Tyndals proper processe of kynge Dauyd, concernyng the order of hys eleccyon, that he was therby preserued for euer frome all dedely synne, ys clerely comen to noughte / and all hys wordes reproued by the very playne wordes of scrypture. And yet by the same scrypture for aduauntage, is there a nother of Tyndals heresy destroyed / by whyche he teacheth that after repentaunce all is forthwyth forgyuen vnto the electe, bothe synne and payne and all / so farre fo[…]th that for the synne passed, the partye shall neuer after be punusshed nor suffer any payne, neyther in thys world; purgatory, nor any where ellys. The playne reprofe wherof of appereth euydentely / the dedely synne translated, and y• temporall punysshemente reserued by thys open place of scrypture. By whyche is reproued Tyndales other heresye that we now go aboute / in whyche he techeth vs that Dauyd dyd none of hys horryble dedes wyllyngly, nor consented to synne, nor malycyously caste of the yoke of loue towarde the lawe of god, and therfore synned not dedely. wherin as ye se agaynste Tyndale tellynge vs thys / very god hym selfe telleth vs the contrary / and that Dauyd synned so dedely, that he synfully despysed bothe goddes lawe and god hym selfe therwyth.

And now that Tyndale hath of kyng Dauyd tolde vs hys wyse processe of not synnynge, suche as ye se it proued / he procedeth forth from Dauyd, and telleth vs as wyse a tale of Chrystes blessed apostles. Of whom thus he sayth.

Tyndale. And in lyke maner the apostles of […]hryste at his passyon were astonyed and amased / and in suche a storme of temptacyons, for the soden chaunge from so greate glory into so vyle and shamefull deth, that they hadde forgotte all the miracles & all the wordes which he had told thē before, how that he shuld be betrayed and delyuered on the same maner vnto deth. Moreouer they neuer vnderstode that sayenge of his deth, bycause theyr hartes were alwaye heuy and ouer ladde with erthly thoughtes. For though they sawe hym reyse vppe othe[…] / yet who sholde reyse hym vp when he were dede they coulde not comprehende. Rede what thou reder canst / and thou shalte fynde no temptacion lyke vnto that from the creacyon of the worlde, or so greate as it by the hundred parte. So that the wondrefull soden chaunge, and the terryble syghte of hys passion, and of hys most cruell and moste vy[…]e deth, and the losse of whom they so greately loued that theyr hartes wolde fayne haue dyed with hym, and the feare of theyr owne deth, and the impossybylyte that a man shulde ryse agayne of hys owne power / so occupyed theyr myndes and so astonyed them and amased them, that they coulde receyue no comforte, eyther of the scrypture or of the myracles whiche they had sene Cryste do, nor of the monycyons and warnynge wherewith he had warned them before, neyther of the women that brought them tydynges that he was rysen. The swerde of temptacyons, with feare, sorowe, mornynge, and wepynge, had so depely perced theyr hartes, and the cruell syghte had so cumbered theyr myndes / that they coulde not byleue vntyll Chryste hym selfe came, deth put of and ouercome[…] ye and when they fyrste sawe hym, they were astonyed for wonderynge and ioye to gyther, that thoughtes arose in theyr hartes, Alas is this he, or dothe some spyryte mocke vs / he was fayne to lette them fele hym and to eate with them to strength theyr faythes.

More. Here haue ye herde good deuout chrysten people, a pece of Tyndals deuout godly collacyon, in whyche the man is not so farre fallen into deuocyon, but he is mych forther fallen from hys wytte / wherby he neyther perceyueth y• poynt that he sholde proue, and ouer that seeth not that hys sermon sayth more agaynst hys mater then we that impugne hys purpose.

For hys purpose is to proue vs that none electe can at any tyme synne dedely. And now forgetteth he that poynt, & telleth vs that the apostles neuer loste theyr fayth. which yf it were graunted hym, yet wanne he not hys purpose. For they myghte kepe styll the fayth in theyr harte,¹⁵ and yet syn[…]e dedely by the denyeng therof wyth theyr mouth. For as holy saynt Poule sayth, In harte byleue we for our iustyfycacyon / and wyth the mouth we confesse it for our saluacyon. Shewynge by those wordes, that neyther are we ryghtuouse by sayeng wyth our mouth that we do byleue, but yf we byleue in our harte / nor shal be saued by the bylyefe of our harte, but yf no fere can let vs to cōfesse it with our mouth. wherto consenten the wordes of our sauyour hym selfe,¹⁶ where he sayth, who so denye me before men, I shall deny hym to before my father, whyche is in heuen. And thus for the fyrste poynt Tyndale in hys holy sermon is so depe in deuocyō, yt he forgetteth where about he goth.

Now for the seconde poynt, where I sayed no more but that they loste the suffycyent fayth, that is to saye the lyfe of theyr fayth / he goth about as I tolde you, to proue vs that the apostles suche as were electe neuer loste theyr fayth at all, nor at any tyme fell therfro. And thys poynt handeleth he so properly, that euer he telleth vs that they loste it not, and euer he proueth vs that they loste it. And by the selfe same wordes by whyche he sayeth that they kepe it alwaye styll, by the selfe same I say alwaye styll he proueth yt they kepte it not styll in dede, but were very farre fallen therfro.

For fyrst rede me all those wordes of hys agayn / and as gayly as they be cowched, wyth astonyed, and amased, & stormy temptacyons, terryble syghtes wyth theyr hartes perced, and theyr myndes cumbred, with syght of his deth, and fere of theyr owne, that ere they coulde byleue hys resurreccyon, he was fayne to eate and drynke wyth them & to lette them fele hym / is not all thys tale excuses of theyr faythe fallen from them, and no profe of the kepyng? what was that in them, but the lacke & losse of the faythe yt Tyndale telleth vs, that they thoughte it impossyble that he shulde ryse agayne, bycause they thought he coulde neuer of his owne power, and coulde nat thynke or deuyse who shulde rayse hym elles?

Nowe where he sayeth that all this happed theym thorowe tēptacyon / that wyll we well agre. But yet is that no more to saye, but lyke as Dauid dyd auoutrye thorowe temptacyon, and kylled his good frende thorowe temptacyon / and as Eue ete the forbeden frute thorowe temptacyon, and Adam ete hit also thorowe temptacyon / and Iudas bytrayed Chryste also thorow temptacyon: so thapostels fell from theyr faythe, and l[…]ste it, and all thorowe temptacyon. Let Tyndale excuse euery synne that cōmeth of temptacyon / and whose synne shall he leaue vnexcused, excepte peraduenture the deuyll.

But the synne of men standeth in thys, that they breke the commaundement of god, in that they do nat as he byddeth them, stryue and resyste the temptacyon. whyche tyll they cease to do, if they truste in god and call helpe of hys grace / there can no temptacyon be so great that it can ouer come them / as wytnesseth our lorde by the mouthe of saynt Poule: God is faythefull,¹⁷ whiche suffreth you nat to be tempted aboue that ye may bere / but gyueth with y• temptacyon awaye out that ye may well wyelde it.

But let Tyndale say for excuse of their synne what him lyste / whyche thoughe thoccasyons and circumstaunces may minysshe or aggreue, and so may theyrs be lesse greuous than the synnes of some other / and the synne of some one of thē selfe also lesse than another of his owne felowes: yet shall Tyndale neuer make it good, but that whan he sayeth they coulde nat beleue, if he saye true, the lacke of theyr belefe was a greuons synne.

For where as Tyndale wolde seme to saye well for the apostels, in that he sayeth they wold fayne haue dyed with our sauyour, sauynge for the feare of theyr owne dethe: Christe had before forbyden them suche feare of temporall dethe vpon the payne of eternall dethe, whan he sayd vnto them, feare ye nat them that kyll the body / whiche whanne they haue kylled the body haue nothynge that they can do more. But I shall shewe you whom you shall feare. Feare you hym whiche whan he hathe kylled the body, hathe the power to caste the soule into the fyre of hell. And in another place he tolde them accordyng to the same, who so will saue hys soule in this worlde,¹⁸ shall lese it / And who so shal lese hys soule in thys worlde, kepeth it styll for the euerlastynge lyfe. And fynally to shewe theym that all these wordes moost proprely perteyned to the puttynge away of that fere of dethe, by whiche folke for feare of dethe wolde forbere and refuse to dye for hym and his faythe: he […]ayde the wordes whiche I before remembred, who so denye me before men,¹⁹ I shall denye him also before my father whiche is in heuen.

And therfore Tyndale in vayne goeth about to excuse the synne of Christes apostels, which they rather will haue knowen, and the great mercy of god therwith / and therfore they wryte it them selfe. & the rebukes therewith that our sauyour gaue them therfore / to thende that we shulde bothe beware of fallynge in the lyke, and yet if it in oure owne defaute misfortune vs to fall, nat dispayre therfore, but repent and aryse with goddes helpe as they dyd / and than shall he forgyue vs as he forgaue theym. And thys wolde rather Christes blessed apostels y• Tyndale shulde tell vs truthe, than vnder pretexte of theyr excuse, teche vs false heresyes / and make vs wene that vpon temptacyon to forsake our sauyour for feare of temporall dethe, were no dedely synne. wherof oure sauyoure hym selfe as ye se techeth vs playne the contrary / and wyll nat admytte for vs I feare me, the excuse of Tyndale for thapostles, if we come and say, By my faythe good lorde I was a ferde and so forgate all that euer thou taughtest me.

Howe be it that they synne nat in lesyng of theyr fayth, I lette no man to beleue Tyndale, whan sa euer he proue hym selfe more credyble than Christe. But here ye se that as I tolde you that they loste theyr faythe in dede / Tyndale proueth vs after his maner in his fore rehersed wordes, wherein he sayeth nay.

And yet is the man of so good remembraunce, and so good hede taketh where aboute he goeth, that forthwith in his nexte wordes after he sayeth very playnly more and more, that they coulde nat beleue the resurrection / and excuseth them thus, that for all that they hated hym nat in theyr harte. Lo thus he sayeth.

Tyndale. Howe be it there was none of theym that was fallen in hys harte frome Christe.

More. who can more plainly say that they were fallen from the faythe and lacked the belefe, than Tyndale sayeth here? For thoughe he sayeth that none of them was in his harte fallen from Christ / yet he sayeth they coulde nat beleue the substancyall artycle of the fayth of Christ, that is to wytte the belefe of his resurreccion / without the belefe wherof all the remanaunt wolde nat than serue them to saluacyon.

And that they beleued nat that artycle, Tyndale here sayeth expressely. For he sayeth that thoughe they ran to the sepulchre, and wolde fayne haue beleued that he was rysen / yet they coulde nat beleue it / the wounde of theyr temptacyon was so greate, that they coulde nat beleue it at the prechynge of a woman, without any other myracle. Than aske I no more but thys tale of Tyndale. For if they coulde[…] nat beleue, than dyd they nat beleue / and so lacked they than the belefe. For as for that they came therto agayne, and that Iosephe of Arimath[…]a,²⁰ and Nychodemus, and the wo[…]en came afterwarde to strength & boldenesse,²¹ and that hys two discyples towarde Emaus burned in theyr brestes to here speke of hym: all this maketh to Tyndales purpose in this poynte nat the value of a poyntes ende. For we speke of his apostels, in the tyme in whiche him selfe sayeth here they beleued nat, nor coulde beleue it. At that tyme say I, y• syth they than beleued nat, as they dyd nat if they coulde nat, they than had for that whyle the lacke of the faythe.

And also to what purpose telleth Tyndale vs, that they coulde nat beleue at the bare prechynge of the woman? As thoughe they were nothynge to blame for that, bycause they were but women / whan the apostels them selfe kn[…]we these women for suche, as they were worthy more credence some one of them than some many men.

And for to excuse the apostels in the lacke of belefe, bycause the messyngers were but women / Tyndale dothe therein no more but lay lacke and ouersyght in oure sauyour, that in a thynge that he wolde haue beleued, sent out suche women on his myssage.

But Tyndale woteth well if he beleue the gospell, that no more they dyd whan they sawe the myracle of hym selfe commyng in before them the dores beynge shette, and spekynge vnto them / but were so farre fro the belefe of his resurreccion at the fyrste, that they had went that he had ben some spirite, tyll he nat onely preched to them, but also reasoned with them there vpon.

Nor yet saynte Thomas, whiche as Tyndale sayeth coulde nat beleue tyll he sawe Chryste / neyther dyd beleue the woman nor all his awne felowes, nor our sauyour him selfe vpon the syght neyther, tyll he felt him fully, and put hys fynger in his syde. And this he dyd of stoberne standynge in his mysse belefe / in that after his belefe lackinge, he went nat about to seke the truthe, and endeuoure hym selfe to beleue them that tolde him the trouthe / but as it semeth by the gospell, obstinately stode in his distruste, and sayd tyll he dyd (that he thought of lykelyhede he neuer shuld) that is to wytte tyll he felte hym and put his fynger into his woundes, he wolde neuer beleue it.

And I saye plainly, who so euer beynge enfourmed of any artycle of the faythe whiche god byndeth vs to beleue, beleueth it nat / the cause why he beleueth nat is nat bycause he can nat, but bycause he wyll nat. For if he wolde do the thynge whiche Tyndale taketh for foly, that is to wytte nat resyste but endeuour hym selfe to submytte hys reason vnto faythe, with askynge helpe of god for the fortheraunce of his imperfeccion / he thus doynge hys parte, god wolde I say nat fayle on his parte agayne, but wolde effectually worke with hym to perfyte in hym the faythe in whyche he preuenteth hym by g[…]ace / whyche preuencyon was whan he gaue hym the grace and occasyon to be fyrst tolde of the mater.

But euer cometh Tyndale by degrees / & euer he seeth hym selfe lykely to be dreuen fro steppe to steppe. And therfore where he sayd yt the elec[…]e can nat synne dedely / fyrste he alledgeth for the cause therof that he synneth neuer, but vpon great occasyons. And seynge that a man may therto say what than? He goeth to another steppe, and saieth that he neuer consenteth to synne. And than seynge that steppe wyll nat be defended / he goeth to another, and sayeth he consenteth nat to synne to serue it. And perceyuynge that he can nat stande sure there / he steppeth downe to ye nexte, and sayeth that he casteth nat of from his necke the yoke of of loue toward the law of god. And yet perceyuynge y• that steppe wyll not holde hym neyther / he cometh at laste vnto a nother steppe, and sayth he casteth it not of malycyously / trustynge bycause we can not loke into the mannes breste, to se whyther he bare any malyce therin, we shold neuer be able to conuycte hym of that worde, when he put on ys ther to malycyously. And yet from ye steppe haue I dreuen hym / & therin haue I begyled his hope, as ye before haue herde in the synnes of king Dauid, by the wordes of god spoken by the mouth of Nathan the prophete.

Now as he played there / so playeth he by the apostles here. For fyrste he sayth they lost neuer the fayth, bycause they were amased, & then astonyed, and then aferde, & th[…]n bycause they coulde not perceyue the thynge for poss[…]ble. Ans yet at last he cometh so nere to the grauntynge yt they lacked it, yt by playne wordes at length he sayth the same thyng hym selfe / affermyng yt they byleued not nor coulde not byleue. And yet wolde he now make vs wene, that though they byleued not, yet had they no lacke of the fayth / bycause in the lacke of theyr bylyefe they hadde no malice. And that thynge he proueth thus.

Tyndale. There was none of them that euer […]aysed on hym, and came so farre f[…]rth […]o say he was a deceyue[…], and wrought with the deuyls cra[…]te all this whyle, & se wherunto he is come in the en[…]e, we defye hym false wret[…]he that he was and his false doctri[…]e also. And therunto music they haue com[…] at the las[…]e, when feare, sorow, and wonderynge had ben pas[…]e, yf they had not […]en p[…]euented and holpen in the meane season.

More. Lo good chrystē reders, here hath Tyndale taught vs, yt who so byleue not ye resurreccyō of Chryst / yet all y• whyle he rayleth not vpō hym & calleth him wrech, & defieth him, he is saue inough. For all ye whyle though they byleue not, yet lacketh he not hys kylyef. And then if he be an […]lecte […] he shalbe preuented of god, & holpen before, ere euer he fall in to suche blasphemy. But & yf he be a reprobate / then whan he cometh onys into ye case that ye apostles were in as Tindale sayth / he shall for lacke of suche preuencyon & helpe, fall i[…]to suche raylyng and blasphemye / & then is he remedylesse he sayth. And therfore sayth he bothe here and in dyuerse places, that the seed of god preu[…]nteth alwaye, and kepeth & preserueth the electes from fallynge into ye case.

Here is a goodly tale be ye sure. But now wherby shall Tyndale of thys doctryne make vs sure?

The gospell to begynne wyth for one pece, maketh vs sure of the contrary.

For therin we fynde that the traytoure Iudas, whyche was I wene as farre from the bylyefe of the resurreccyon as euer was saynt Thomas of Inde / came neuer yet vnto suche raylynge and blasphemynge of Chryst / as Tyndale sayth that the apostles bycause they byleued not, had they not ben by grace preuented, must nedes haue comen vnto.

For when he went about to make his bargayn, & bytray hym and sell hym / we fynde not that he called hym false wretche, nor no suche vylanouse word. And after we fynde that when he repented and brought agayne the money, he was farre from raylynge vppon hym, and sayed I haue offended god in bytrayenge the ryghtuouse blode. And surely though he had at the sellyng rayled as mych vpon him toward hys passyō, as Tyndale in hys bokes now rayleth & iesteth vpon hym in the blessed sacrament after hys resurreccyon: yet dare I be bolde vpon hys mercy to say, that yf that olde Iudas in his repentaūce, had with the loking vppon hys own synne loked also vpō the great mercy of god / and also that yf Tyndale now thys new Iudas wyll repēt hys raylynge agaynst Chrystes blessed body the sacramēt of the awlter, & aske our lord mercy therfore: both the tone sholde haue had, & the tother shall haue, remyssyon and forgyuenes of that dedely synne wyth chaūge of hell into purgatory / into whych the tone in vayne now fayne wold, and the tother except he mende herafter shall as mych in vayne wysshe to come.

Now Tyndale wyll peraduenture stycke vppon some sotle coniecture of hys owne and styffely bere vs in hande, that though it be not wryten in the gospell, yet dyd Iudas when he solde Chryste, speke of hym some blasphemouse wordes, & had opprobrouse lauguage agaynste hym / and that the blasphemy therof was the very cause why that he coulde neuer after by any repentaunce be forgyuen hys synne, and receyued agayne to grace.

If Tyndale thus tell vs, and wyll wene by thys waye to wynde out / we wyll for thys ones forgette to putte hym in mynde of hys owne rule, that we nede not byleue hym forther then he fyndeth in playne and euydent scrypture. But we wyll tell hym then, that there is as great lyklyhed and somdele more to, that saynte Poule when after the resurreccyon of Chryste, and the stonyng of saynt Stephen,²² persecuted and punysshed so cruelly the chrysten people / dyd rayle […]nd blaspheme the name of Chryste, and hys doctryne, and myracles, and all that he taughte and dyd. And yet for all thys was he receyued after to grace & forgyuenesse / & was after elected, ye and for the foresyghte of his repentaunce, chaunge, and penaunce, was a chosen vessell before god byfore the worlde was made / and hadde ones the ryghte bylyefe of lykelyhed, as myche as he was bounden to before the gospell preched, and then stode in state of grace / and yet was suffered thorow his owne fawte to fall therfro, by refusynge the gospell of Chryste, and after fell in hatynge and persecutynge of hys name and doctryne / and not as it semeth wythout blasphemynge of hys name, his lyuynge, hys deth, hys doctryne, and his resurreccyon, and all that euer he dyd / and yet by repentaunce and penaunce receyued to fayth and to forgyuenesse agayne. And therfore nedeth not Tyndale to dyspayre, but that as euyll as he is, he maye yet repente and be forgyuen yf he wyll.

But by thys one ensāple of saynt Poule, are in ye meane whyle vtterly destroyed, not onely Tyndals wordes laste aboue rehersed / but ouer ye all this his hole chapyter of the order of our eleccyon / wherof the hole purpose is in effecte, that god kepeth them euer from all dedely synne.

And thus good reders ye se how well he defendeth the apostles fayth, whyche he sayth they neuer lost at no tyme / and yet confesseth hym selfe that at one tyme they neyther byleued nor coude byleue. And yet whyle they byleued not, they lost not theyr bylyefe bycause they rayleth not / and bycause that after they came agayne to bylyefe, therfore they lacked it not at any tyme before it came.

Is not here good reders a wyse and well tolde tale? It is inough for me, that how so euer Tyndale excuse theyr mystruste and vnbylyefe / I se them selfe wryte, that our sauyour him selfe accused it,²³ and rebuked thē sore of theyr incredulyte and harde harte, for that they had not byleued them that they hadde sene hym ryse. And now that Tyndale hath so wysely defended them all / he cometh partycalarly to saynt Peter and sayth.

Tyndale. Ye and Peter as soone as he had denyed Chryste / came to hym selfe immedyately, and went out and wepte bytterly for sorowe. And thus we se that Peters fayth fayled not, though it were oppressed for a tyme.

More. Tyndale euer laboreth to lede vs a myle fro the mater. For well ye wote the chyrche techeth not, nor no man was there euer any where so madde to saye, that the chosen and electes do dye in dedely synne / but that they somtyme do dedely synnes / that is to wytte, such synnes as yf they dyed in them wythout repentaūce of them, they sholde be dampned for them.

Agaynste thys doctryne of the catholyke chyrch / taketh Tyndale in hande to proue vs, as well by dyuers other tytles of thys boke, and by hys exposycyon vppon the fyrste pystle of saynt Iohn̄, as by all the processe of thys hys present chapyter of the order of theyr eleccyon / that the electes neuer do no dedely synnes. That is ye wote well as myche to say, as that they do no suche synnes / whych done in such maner as they do them, be of theyr nature dedely / that is to saye suche as yf the person that doth them dye before he repent them, he sholde be dampned for them.

Now good chrysten reders the poynte consydered that is in debate bytwene vs / ye perceyue very well that eyther muste Tyndale take and vnderstande dedely synne, for some other thynge and in some other maner then all other men do, and otherwyse then it is taken and vnderstanden by ye catholyke chyrch of Chryst agaynste which he dysputeth / whych maner of hys dysputacyō yf he otherwyse toke it then hys aduersaryes do, were on hys parte to shamefull and folysshe, as euery man well seeth y• any lernyng hath / for then dysputed he but vppon the worde and not vppon the mater, whyche he wyll not I wene for very shame be so madde to do: or ellys yf he take I saye thys worde dedely synne as in dede he must nedes do, thā do you good reders I dowt[…] not very well and clerely se, that Tyndals tale of saynte Peter hys repentaunce and sorowe after hys denynyenge of Chryste, nothynge proueth Tyndales purpose / whyche is and muste be that saynt Peter before hys repentaunce, synned not dedely at the tyme when he forswore Chryste.

For Tyndale yf he wyll proue that he dyd therin no dedely synne at the tyme / it is nat inoughe for hym to tell vs that he repented after, and was by repentaunce restored to the state of saluacyon. But he muste proue vs that his forswerynge of our sauiour, yet shulde nat haue letted hym from saluacyon, all thoughe he had forthwith vpon that dede deceased without repentaunce, or any remembraunce after of that synne.

This shulde he proue vs ye wote well / & this ye se well he dissembleth. And to proue that saynte Peter synned nat dedely before / he telleth vs that he repented after. whyche is the very thynge wherby it is declared in holy scrypture, that his synne was greuous. For what was the thinge he so repented / but the synne of his denyenge. And therfore ye more sorowfully that he repented it, the more bytterly that he be wepte and bewayled it, the more payne that he toke for it / the more hym selfe sheweth vs the sore offence a[…]d heynous dedelynes therof.

And nowe commeth Tyndale on the tother syde / and by the selfe same sorowe, wolde make men wene it was no dedely synne / by whyche it specially dothe appere the contrarye.

And than thus handelynge the matter, he is nat ashamed to tell vs in conclusyon, that we nowe se by this wyse reason, that saynt Peter his faythe fayled nat. whereof he hathe as ye se proued vs nothynge / but hathe hym selfe tolde vs by playne expresse wordes the contrarye, whan he tolde vs that thapostles coulde nat for all ye womens wordes, beleue that Christ was rysen / nor well in a good while after, at the syght of our sauyour hym selfe.

Howe be it all thys he sayeth was no faylynge of Peters faythe, but an oppressynge for the whyle / as thoughe I or any man elles had any tyme sayde that Peters fayth feyled for euer.

I say that it fayled for the whyle, not for euer. And yet sayd I no ferther in my dialoge therof, but that his liuely faythe fayled for ye whyle, bycause it wrought nat by loue. But if his belefe stode styll / it was a bare belefe, barayne of the frute of charyte / with whiche it wroughte nat in the harte, whan it brought nat forthe the confessyon of Christe by the mouthe.

But mary Tindale hath sayd yet more / and hath taken away from hym boldely bothe quicke fayth and dede faith and all as for the whyle.

In whyche poynt whan Tyndale hath all done / he can neuer whyle he lyueth auoyde it, but that in sayenge that there was a tyme in whyche the apostels coulde nat byleue that Christe was arysen agayne, he is agreed with vs as for the matter. For in those wordes he confesseth, that in that tyme theyr faythe was fallen from them. But he stryueth styll with vs vpon the worde, & wyll in no wyse haue that fall called faylynge, but amasyng and astonyenge vpon great occasyons, & with the great burden oppressynge.

well than sythe we be metely well agreed together, Tyndale and I in the matter / we wyll for thys ones no lenger debate about a worde, and styll dyspute all daye, whether fallynge may be called fayling. But I am content to gyue it ouer, and lette Tyndale haue hys wyll, & abyde thereby styll / that thoughe saynt Peter dyd fall and his faythe to, yet shall nat Tyndale be bounden to call that fallyng faylynge / but amasynge yf he lyste, or estonyenge vpon great occasyons and by sore burden oppressynge.

And in lyke wyse am I content, that yf vpon great occasyon of a longe wery way, with a depe myre and a great blocke in the botome, Tyndals horse happen vnder hym fyrste to snappre and stumble, and after that faynt and fall downe in the myre and tumble, and his mayster & he there lye to gether and iumble, tyll some good felowe helpe them vppe and brynge them to an inne, where they tary together tyll the horse be with mete and reste better growen in hart: let Tyndall for me whan he rydeth agayne, call his fall no faylynge nor no fallynge neyther. But yet shall he neuer let other men to call it as it is.

Nowe Tyndale yet after hys fowle falle, dissymulyng hys ouerthrowe as thoughe no man sawe it / ryally tryumpheth and bosteth in this matter, that he hathe in hys chapyter of the ordre of eleccion, so wel and wysely quytte him selfe so lyke a pretye man. For ioye and glorye whereof, he fynyssheth hys chapyter with a pleasaunte proper taunt, wherin he taunteth me.

Tyndale. Therfore we nede to seke no gloses for the texte, that Chryst sayde to Peter howe that hys faythe shulde nat fayle. Yes sayeth mayster More, it fayled in hym selfe, but was reserued in our lady. But lette vs se the text and theyr glose together. Chrys[…] sayeth Luke the.xxii. Symon Symon, Sathan seketh you to sy[…]te you as men syfte whete. But I haue prayed for the that thy faythe shall nat fayle. wherfore whan thou arte come vnto thy selfe agayne, strengthe thy bretherne. Nowe put thys wyse glose therto, and se howe they agre to gether: Symon, Sathan seketh to sy[…]te you as […]hete / but I haue praye[…] for the that my mothers faythe shall nat fay[…]e. wherfore whan thou arte come to thy selfe agayne, accordynge as my prayour hathe obtayned for the that my mothers faythe shall nat fayle, strength thy bretherne. Howe say ye is nat thys a proper texte and well framed to gether? do ye nat thynke that there is as moche wytte in the hede of madde Colyns, as in the braynes of suche expositours.

More. Tyndall here good reder felynge his matter very fayn[…] and feble, and that by reason, scrypture, or other good authoryte, he neyther can impugne his aduersary nor defēde him selfe / wolde very fayne walke away thus without any pece of his purpose prouyd, and make men wene all were wonne with his mery scoffe.

Howe be it if Tyndale had here rehersed you my very wordes of my Dyaloge, as I am in suche cases wonte to reherse his / it wolde (and that he sawe well) haue made his quycke mery scoffe waxe very dulle and more thanne halfe dede / as ye shall well perceyue I truste, whan I come to that place in the replyenge to hys seuerall answeres made vnto the chapyters of my sayde worke. whervnto I shall reserue the substaunce of myne answere to thys wyse cauellacyon of hys, agaynste myne exposicyon and bettre mens to than myne, of those wordes of our sauiour spoken vnto saynte Peter, I haue prayed for the that thy faythe shall nat fayle.

But where as he can in no wyse beare the comen opynyon of good Chrysten people, that the faythe abode at any tyme onely in our lady / and therfore mocketh and maketh a gaye game, that saynt Peters faythe shulde be preserued in our lady, and that her fayth shulde be his faythe: I wene it wyll be no very great sotell thynge to perceyue, that the faythe whyche saynt Peter confessed, may bothe be his owne in that he confessed it, and yet our ladyes to in y• she beleued it / and the thynge also beleued, is all one bothe in hym and in her / sauynge that it is hers in that she beleueth it, and hys in that he byleueth it. And yet if he loste y• belefe therof, it may be called styll his / vnderstandynge by that spekynge, that he fyrste confessed it. And therfore in good faythe I can nat well se, wherfore we may nat saye saynt Peters faythe was in our lady, as well as we maye say wyclyffes heresyes are in Tyndall.

And therfore, where for the saltynge and seasonynge of his vnsauery scoffe, he chaungeth and mysse reherseth my wordes, and the very wordes of Chrystes gospell to / and hathe a pleasure to playe betwene our lady and saynte Peter, and to tosse the faythe lyke a tenys ball frome the tone to the tother, with fonde wordes of hys owne folisshe framynge, nothynge nere to the matter whan the place in my dyaloge shalbe as it shall ones be by goddes grace, surely sene and examyned: I truste to make you than se, that all his propre sportynge wherin he playeth his pageaunte betwene saynt Peter and our lady, may for any wyt hit hathe, serue hym for a pastyme, if he satte saddely by frantycke Colyns and pyked rysshes in Betheleem. And happy were Tyndale, yf he were as well recouered of his fransyes, as I truste in god Colyns is at this day of hys.

But yet reseruynge as I say y• farther answere to myne other place, to which this mater moche more apꝑtayneth: yet syth Tyndale sayeth here hym selfe that the cause why no suche glose nedeth to those wordes of oure sauyour, is bycause that saynt Peters faythe neuer fayled in his owne persone / he confesseth thereby that if it euer at any tyme fayled in his person, than at the le[…]te wyse some glose there nedeth. And than dare I be bolde to say, that if there any nede / the glose thā that he mocketh let him reherse it right, is suche as he wyll nat thys fyue yere fynde a better.

But leauynge that glose as I say, tyll I come to my dyaloge: yet to se in the meane whyle whether any glose neded or none, syth Tyndale agreeth that there neded if y• faythe at any tyme fayled in saynt Peter / I shall nat lette for his pleasure ones agayne to serche, whether the faythe at any tyme fayled in saynt Peter or no.

And to thentent that we may deale well and playnly to gether / let hym & me fyrste agre to gether, what the thinge is whervpon we dispute. For he vseth often whan he is conuycted, to say that he toke thys worde or that worde otherwyse than we take hym therein.

Let vs therfore fyrste, bycause we speke of faythe, here hym declare what hym selfe calleth faythe.

To thys after that he sawe hym selfe shamefully confuted, concernynge hys heresye of fayth alone suffycyent for saluacyon / he sayth that he calleth not a dede fayth any fayth / but he meaneth all waye by fayth, a very chrysten fayth that hath the loue therwyth, by reason wherof it can not but worke well.

Now shall ye se how courteysely that I shall handle Tyndale. For all be it ye se well that I myghte by many meanes and many playne authorytees,²⁴ as well of saynte Iamys as saynte Poule, and the very gospell to,²⁵ conuycte hym in that poynte / as I haue often done all redy:²⁶ yet shall I for hys pleasure lette all that passe for thys tyme,²⁷ and take fayth as he sayth he taketh it hym selfe.

But then aske I Tyndale thys tyme, whyther that in the tyme in whyche Peter forsoke and forswore Chryst, he dyd byleue wyth suche a bylyefe, that then wroughte well wyth loue. If he saye ye / then syth the worke that he then wroughte was the forsakynge and forswerynge of Chryste, it muste nedes folowe that he sayth, that the forsakynge and forswerynge of Chryste was a good worke. And then wyll it theruppon folow, that syth saynte Peter wepte sorowfully therfore, he was vere sory and sore repented hym that he hadde well wroughte wyth loue, and done a good worke. So that I se no remedy, but that Tyndale muste nedes, be he neuer so loth, confesse and graunth vs, that saynt Peter in that tyme dyd not byleue wyth loue y• wrought well.

Now thynketh me than that bytwene Tyndale and me there lacketh now but one thynge / and that is what we call faylynge. For the better perceyuynge wherof I wyll aske Tyndale thys.

If saynt Peter had holde on styll in that forsakyng and that periury styll all hys lyfe, & so fynally dyed therin, and had yet for all that all the whyle byleued in hys herte all the artycles of ye trew fayth, & the cōtrary of all yt he sayd, & not onely rayled no thyng all ye whyle agaynst Chryst, but also loued hym to, sauyng not so well but yt he wold rather forswere yt euer he sawe hym, then to suffer payne & sorow for hym: I aske I say of Tyndale, yf saynt Peter had contynued his lyfe & dyed in this state, had not then at no tyme in his lyfe his fayth yt Tindale calleth fayth, yt is to say his bylefe with well workyng loue fayled hym? yf he say no / thē wyll it folow vpō Tindals word, yt there may be many faythfull folke wyth a well workynge loue, eternally dampned in hell / excepte it be false that our sauyour sayth, He that denyeth me before the worlde, I wyll denye hym before the angels of god / and he that wyll saue hys lyfe,²⁸ in thys worlde shall lese it.²⁹

The moste parte I suppose that of the chrysten people shall be dampned / the cause of theyr dampnacyon shall be, that where as they byleue ryght and loue god also, so farre forth as he wyll let them liue as they lyst and make mery, and bynde theym to nothynge that they haue no lust to do / loue hym not yet so suffycyentely, as for the loue that they bere hym, they wyll rather forbere the pleasours of theyr lyfe / and also rather dye then dedely to dysplease hym, by the doynge of any suche thynge as he wyll rather that they shall dye then do it.

Now se I therfore no remedy, but that Tyndale muste nedes agre, that yf saynt Peter had in such state lyued and dyed / hys fayth well workynge by loue had fayled hym.

Then syth it hadde then in sometyme at the leste wyse fayled hym / lette vs deuyde that tyme of that state of hys from hys fyrste denye[…]ge and forswerynge, vnto the very minute of hys dyenge, supposynge to contynue styll and dye to in the same state, into fyue egall partes yf it please hym / and then haue we fyue tymes all of one fasshyon / to whyche fyue tymes Tyndale yf it please hym maye gyue names to, and call them A, B, C, D, E.

Now saye I than, syth Tyndale muste nedes agre yt n[…] some of these fyue tymes Peters fayth fayled / I aske in whyche of them. wherto syth they be all fyue of one fashyō concernynge hys fayth, he muste nedes graunte that in all fyue it fayled hym.

Let vs now then somwhat chaunge our case, from that that myghte haue ben in to that that was in dede. And after that Peters fayth had fayled in the thre fyrste tymes, that is to saye those that are named ABC partes of the hole tyme, wherof ABCDE were all the partes / lette vs put, that in the fourth parte […]hyche we called D, Peter re […]ented by helpe of goddes gr[…]ce, thorow ye meane of Chrystes foresayde prayoure / and th[…]t hys l[…]ynge bylyefe so came to hym agayne in that […]yme why[…]h we […]lled D / and that he wolde euer after […]ather suffer tenne tymes to dye, then onys to forsake god agayne.

Now aske I Tyndale whether y• not faylynge of his fayth now in the latter partes of hys tyme, yt is to wyt in D & E / doth now make it trewe that hys fayth fayleth hym not before, whyle it fayled hym in dede in the thre formar tymes ABC the thre partes of hys hole tyme ABCDE.

Now what Tyndale must nedes answere vnto thys, he can tell well inough I warraunt, when he loketh in hys carde vpon those letters in hys crosse rowe. For there he muste nedes se, that though hys fayth fayleth neuer after whyle it fayled not / yet before whyle it fayled, it […]ayled ꝑde. wherof the prefe is so playne vppon hys crosse row that he muste nedes se it.

Now yf Tyndale wolde wynk at these letters lyke a wanton ladde that no man coulde make hym loke vp: yet shall I shew you that he hath redde them all redy, & spyed full well that Peter synned dedely / & lyke a shrewed wyly lad hath scraped it out of hys boke.

For ye wote well that in those wordes of our sauyoure vnto saynt Peter, he sayth vnto hym: And thou after that thou shalt be conuerted, conferme thou and make stronge thy bretherne. As though he myght say, I haue prayed for the that thy fayth shall not fynally fayle. But though it […]ayle for a tyme by forsakynge of me, as I tell the tru[…]ly thou shalt thryes do ere the cocke crow / yet shall it come in to the agayne, by the meane of my prayour. And therfore when thou shalt be conuerted agayn, that is to wytte after that thy lyuely fayth fallen and faylynge for the tyme, and thou therby turned fro me to my enemy thorow forsakyng & forswerynge me, for dedely synfull drede of bodyly deth / after this […]en thou shalt I say by myne helpe and meane of my prayour, wyth applyenge of thyne owne wyll therewyth, haue gotten grace and repented, and attayned they fayth agayne, and be thy sel[…]e conuerted and turned from myne enemye vnto me agayne / then do thou conferme and strength thy bretherne.

Now se for goddes sake where Tyndale hath scraped out and altered one worde / in whyche one worde standeth the makynge and marrynge of all the hole mater.

For where as our sauyour sayed, when thou arte onys conuerted, then strength thou thy bretherne / Tyndale putteth out cūuerted, and maketh our sauyour say, when thou art come to thy self agayn, then strength thou thy brethern.

And […]here as he in hys translacyon hadde put in thys worde conuerted / yet bycause he sayed here before in thys chapyt[…]r, that the apostles we[…]e not by faylynge of theyr fayth, nor by any dede[…]y synne turned in any wyse at any tyme from god / but were onely a[…]sed and astonyed and paste all remembraunce: therfore he […]w hath put out here thys worde conuerted, whyche syg[…]yfyeth a turny[…]ge to god, and therin doth euer imply a turnynge awaye fro god before / & hath putt[…] in the stede ther[…]f these wordes, comen agayn to thy selfe / to make it agre wyth his other wordes, ama[…]ed, astonyed, an[…] forgettynge of them selfe, whyche hym selfe sayed of them before.

Now thys ye s[…] good reders very well, that though we g[…]aun[…] vnto Tyndale that a man may be turned to good, & turned to be bad, and turned to vertue, & turned to vice, turned to god, and turned t[…] the deuyl to / yet where so euer in the scrypture that worde turned standeth so alone, it is euer taken for turnynge vnto god. And specyally the word conuerted, whyche is the worde yt he hath chaunged / wher so euer in scrypture it so standeth a lone, is neuer taken for turnynge of a man vnto hym s[…]lfe but vnto god. For in turnynge to hym selfe, he maye turne from god vnto y• deuyll / as Lucyfer by turnynge to hym selfe, turned to the deuyll.

And now ye se that Tyndale to make the gospell seme to agre wyth hys heresye, chaungeth in his exposycyon the very chyefe effectuall worde, wherupon the pyth of all the mater hangeth. I wyll not therfore aske ye now y• question that Tyndale doth, whyther ye thynke not as myche wytte in the hed of madde Colyns as in the bray[…]es of suche an exposytour. But oat of questyon, I wene […]wyse men thynke that the same deuyll or his mate that made Colyns madde / hath sucked out the bray[…] of thys exposytoure, & blowen hys empty scalpe full of bysy frantyke heresyes.

For elles wolde he neuer for shame speke of that folyshe heresye, that none electe at any tyme dothe dedely synne / whyche thynge he seeth so playnely reproued by the scrypture / and excepte a very […]ew heretykes, ellys, by the agrement I wene of all the hole people of the worlde both chrysten and hethen to, as many as byleue the soule to be immort[…]

And yet is it a better sporte to se, howe in the very point in whyche he weneth hym selfe to deale the mooste wylyly, therein vttereth he hys foly moste folysshely.

For where as all hys purpose of thys chapyter of the ordre of our eleccyon, is onely to proue that none electe at any tyme synneth dedely: euen in the very laste ende there of[…] where he weneth leste, where he weneth him selfe to sytte surest in the chayre of his gloryous tryumphe, and mooste merely mocketh and scoffeth at hys aduersary / euen there in his false exposicyō of this text of scrypture, And thou beynge ones conuerted confirme and strength thy bretherne / by hys vnwyse wyly chaunge of this worde conuerted in to, comen to hym selfe / he is fallen from hym selfe and perceyued nat that he that chaunge hath made euery man wel perceyue, that hym selfe whan he so chaunged that worde perceyued very well, that the worde conuerted, that is to god turned agayne, proued clerely that saynte Peter was o[…]es from god auerted, and synfully turned away. And therfore hathe he by that wylye chaunge, euen in the very laste ende of hys chapyter, with hys owne wytnes agaynst his owne purpose, all his whole matter peruerted, & quyte ouer turned and ouer throwen hys tryumphant charyotte / and with the very wordes of his mery mocke, layed all his matter in the myre.

Footnotes

1. Roma. 8. ↩

2. Hebrae. 11. ↩

3. M[…]tth. […]. ↩

4. Matth. 1[…]. ↩

5. Matth. 7. ↩

6. Apoca[…]. […]. ↩

7. Lucae. 18. ↩

8. 1. Corin[…]h. 4.
   ↩

9. Matt[…]. […]. ↩

10. 1. Corinth. 10.
    ↩

11. Ioh[…]. 26. ↩

12. Lucae. 15. ↩

13. Ga[…]a. 5. ↩

14. 2. Reg[…]m[…] 12
    ↩

15. Roma. 10. ↩

16. Matth. 10. ↩

17. 1[…] Corinth. […]. ↩

18. Iohā. 12 ↩

19. Matthei. 10. ↩

20. Iohā. 19. ↩

21. Lucae. 24. ↩

22. Ac[…]uū. 9. ↩

23. Maici. 16 ↩

24. Iacobi. 2. ↩

25. 1. Corinth. 13.
    ↩

26. Gala. 5. ↩

27. Matth. 2[…]. ↩

28. Lucae. 12. ↩

29. Ma[…]ci. 8. ↩