The recapitilacyon of all Tyndalles processe concernynge the churche, from the begynnynge hytherto
FOr nowe shall you good reders vnderstande, that as concernynge hys declaracyon what is the churche, here hys whole processe endeth. And wyllynge that we shulde nowe wene, that he had well declared and proued vs whyche is the very churche: he nowe begynneth after this chapiter another newe mater / that is to wytte to proue that the comen knowen catholyke churche, is nat the churche.
And therfore sythe here is an ende of his owne part / it is necessary that we brefely gather to gether and consyder, what thynge he hath proued vs therein, or at the leste (for proued hathe he nothynge) what thynge he hathe tolde vs therein from the begy[…]nynge hytherto.
Remembre fyrste good reders, that the occasyon of hys boke, is for answere of my dyaloge / wherein I speke of the churche, by whiche we be and muste be taught and enformed. And I shewe there that it is the comen knowen catholyke churche of all christen people, neyther gone out nor put out / and that the doctryne of this churche is sure, & can nat erre in any thynge necessary to saluacyon. whyche thynge I there sufficyently do proue.
Nowe commeth Tyndall, to teche vs that the churche is another churche whiche he wyll shewe you, and nat the churche that[…] I tolde yo[…]. And whether the churche that he sheweth you can erre or nat, he wyll tell you. And therfore he maketh the tytle of thys boke, what is the churche, and whether it may erre or nat / wherein harken well nowe what he hathe hytherto taught you.
Fyrste he tolde vs in the begynnynge, that thys worde churche hathe dyuers significacyons / amonge whyche at laste he bethought him vpon twayne. One a generall significacyons, by whiche it is taken for all that embrace the name of Chryste, though[…] theyr faythes be noughte, or thoughe they haue no faythe at all.
A nother, by whiche it specially signifyeth onely the electes / in whose hartes god hathe wrytten hys lawe with his holy spiryte, and gy[…]en them a felynge faythe of the mercy that is in Christe Iesu our lorde.
All hys other signifycacyons I lette passe, as thynges nat properly pertaynynge to this present questyon of the catholyke churche / excepte onely that whyche he hathe also diffined false, that is to wytte the pertyculer churches of euery chrysten countrey / whiche be nat as Tyndall there taketh them, all the people in the towne or the countrey chrysten or hethen or open professed heretykes, but onely suche as are the partes of the catholyke churche.
But in all his declaracyons of all the signifycacyons / he hathe as ye haue sene in my fyrste parte of thys worke, neyther rehersed them all, nor taken […]yght almost any one of these that he hathe rehersed.
For lettynge as I say the remenaunte passe as nowe nat pertinent proprely to this matter, & reproued in myne fyr[…]te parte […]f this worke: of these two laste significacions hathe he done hys parte in neyther nother / but hathe as I there shewed, lyfte out the chefe significacyons of all, and whervpon all the matter moste especially dependeth / that is to wytte the catholyke church of Christ of all trewe christen people.
For as touchynge the fyrste of hys two laste, if he wyll say that he ment that for the catholyke churche, than I say that he defamed it false. For the generall catholyke churche is nat the nombre of all y• embrace the name of Christ, whether they haue faythe true or false, any faythe or none.
For heretykes suche as Luther is, and zwinglius, and wyclyffe, and hym selfe, that fyrste wylfully leaue and forsake the catholyke church and the catholyke faythe therof, and be therfore after precyded and cut of there fro, and cast out therof / neyther be nor neuer haue bene accompted, eyther in the churche or of the churche / thoughe they styll call them selfe christen men, and embrace hys name, castynge of the truthe of hys faythe and fyghtynge agaynste good workes by sectes dissoluynge the vnyte, and beynge separate from the socyetie of the catholyke churche.
Than as touchynge the seconde signifycacyon of the onely electes, whiche is the churche wherof he […]abereth in all this worke / and wolde haue it onely taken for the churche of Christe milytaunte here in erthe: let vs consydre ordrely from the begyn[…]ynge to the ende, what he telleth vs therof, and to what wyse ende at laste he bryngeth all hys purpose.
Aft[…]r his defence of his translacyon very fondely defended, to proue vs that the churche is onely the nombre of electes / in whose har[…]es god hathe wrytten his lawe, & gyuen them a felynge faythe of the mercy that is in Christ Iesu our lorde: he fyrste moueth a ques[…]yon of hys owne […]euysynge, whether the worde were […]efore the churche or the churche before the worde / as though that questyon had in suche wyse benne pu[…] by vs, and that we had affyrmed the churche to be before the word[…].
There with scoffes and mo[…]kes he concludeth agaynst vs, that the worde was before the churche / whereof neuer no man sayd the contrary.
But that the wrytten worde was before the churche, whiche was the thynge that him selfe had sayd and mente, and whiche e[…]er was an[…] is his princypall grounde and foundacyon, wherof we had sayd and yet say the contrary therof / in all that chapyter neyther any thyng proueth he, nor any thynge so moche as speketh. And so that chapyter nothynge at all to purpose.
More ouer, sythe he bryngeth forthe that chapyter, for the profe that the onely electes be the churche, for there about goeth all his matter / and well ye wote the worde of god bothe wrytten and vnwrytten, may be and is beleued bothe of the electes and of the nat elected: therfore is also that chapyter nothynge at all to purpose.
Fynally syth he speketh of the lawe wrytten by the spyryte of god in the harte / nowe sythe that lawe so wrytten there, is rather y• worde of god vnwrytten, than his worde wrytten in the bokes of the scrypture that we haue / of whiche wordes onely, Tyndale maketh all his matter, and abhorreth euery worde that god wolde eyther speke or wryte besyde the scrypture that we haue all redy: this chapyter of Tyndals nat onely nothynge maketh for his purpose, but also rather semeth greatly to make agaynste it.
Than goeth he forthe with his other chapyter, wherein he laboreth to proue that the apostels lefte nothynge vnwrytten that were necessary to saluacyon / meanynge that we be bounden to beleue nothyng, but onely that that they haue wrytten / & that (as Tyndals mayster Martyn Luther sayeth) euidently and plainly wrytten. wherin who so consyder what I haue answered hym / shall I truste well perceyue that it had bene better for hym to haue lefte that matter vntouched.
For bothe is his purpose on hys parte vnproued, and the contrary to hym proued / besyde that it is in many places proued, that the sacramentes whiche he reproueth be wrytten in the scrypture in de[…].
Howe be it he cor[…]ecteth and amendeth therfore his doctryne of that chapiter, […] another chapiter after. For where as in the former chapiter, he t[…]c[…]eth that we be bounden to beleue nothinge of necessyte, but onely that that is wrytten in the scrypture: yet […]este we shulde be thereby concernyng our belefe, ouer […]tely re[…]rayned of our euangelycall lybertie / he bethynketh hym selfe better / and in hys other chapyter after he techeth vs that we be nat of necessytie bounden to beleue all that neyther / but so that we beleue the promyses, we may be saued well inoughe he sayeth, beleuynge nat other thynges wrytten euen in the very gospell it selfe.
This is hys doctryne in his chapyter / where he techeth vs that the churche may erre and that yet it can nat erre / sauynge that sodeynly vnware he confesseth euen there the contrary.
Thanne commeth he forthe in hys chapyter with thys questyon, whether the churche can erre or nat. And there he fyrste sayeth, that thys comen knowen catholyke churche bothe may erre and dothe erre / and proueth it by hys bare worde. And than he sheweth what hym selfe calleth the electe church / and sayeth that it is the whole multytude of all repentynge synners that beleue in Chryste, and put all theyr truste and confydence in the mercy of god / felyng in theyr hartes that god for Christes sake loueth them, and wyll be or rather is mercyfull vnto theym, and forgyueth theyr synnes of whyche they repente, and all the mocyons vnto synne, of whiche they feare that they shalbe drawen into synne agayne / and this they beleue and fele withoute any respecte of their owne deseruynge and onely for the respecte of goddes trouthe and promyse.
Than goeth he forthe, and bosteth hyghly thys maner of felynge faythe that is heresyes in stede of faythe, as I haue in myne answere proued / and therein he spendeth vp that chapyter.
But yet thoughe he thus descrybe the electe churche: yet dothe he nat proue that this is the churche whyche we muste here and obeye. For god hathe commaunded vs to complayne to the churche, and here the churche, and obey the churche. And therfore though we agreed euery thyng that he sayeth in his chapyter / he had yet sythe his electes are vnknowen, proued thereby no pece of hys pryncypall purpose, that is to wytte whiche is the churche.
Also where hys tytle of that chapyter is, whyther the chyrche maye erre: Tyndale sayenge that the catholyke chyrche maye erre / whyther the electe chyrche whyche hym selfe taketh for the chyrche maye erre or not, he sayth not in all that chapyter any one worde. And so is hys chapyter neyther any thynge towarde hys pryncypall purpose / nor yet, whyche is more shame for hym, any thynge conteyneth in it belongynge to the mater of the tytle.
Then cometh he forth wyth hys other chapyter that a trewe member of Chrystes chyrche synneth not, and is yet for all that a synner. whiche chapiter besydes that it is but a fonde rydle, with nothynge but a hepe of folysshe heresyes as I haue proued: yet is it also towarde the mater, that is to wytte whiche is the churche, nothyng to the purpose at all / for as moche as thoughe he sayeth that they can do no dedely synne, yet he confesseth that they may do suche horryble dedes as muste nedes make them be taken for the chyldren of the deuyll.
After commeth his other goodly rydle, that a chrysten man can nat erre and howe he may yet erre. And therein he telleth vs as I haue before shewed you, yt the electes can nat erre in ye promyses of god / & as for all other errours, none can (he sayeth) be dampnable to theym, thoughe the contrary of theyr errour be wrytten in the very gospell.
By whiche doctryne of hys ye may se, that errours of doctryne in maner of liuynge Tyndale taketh for a small matter, bycause they be no promyses of god. And therfore is Tyndale nat greatly to be beleued, whan he techeth vs that freres may wedde nonnes / bicause it is no promyse of god, but a promyse of the frere to the nonne, & of y• nonne to the frere, eche of them wedded and bedded with other, and bothe twayne wedded and bedded with the deuyll.
yet ye se well that thys chapyter yf it were all as trew[…] as it is all false / proueth yet no thynge whyche is the chyrche. where as he sholde fayste haue proued that the electes onely be the chyrch, and then after serche whyther they can erre or not.
Then cometh he forth wyth hys other chapyter[…] that the fayth whyche he hath before descrybed, is euer foughten wythall. But in y• electes it is in suche wyse inexpugnable, y• whē they ones haue it, it cā neuer at any tyme after fayle.
Now this great conclusyon wherof he maketh this chapyter is such, that as ye se well therupon dependeth many greate maters. yet doth he not in all thys chapyter brynge forth any maner thynge for the profe, eyther reason, scrypture, or other authoryte / but onely by hys owne bare word, telleth vs that it is so. Now yf he tolde vs a thynge well knowen or comenly byleued, I sholde not blame hym. But now to tell vs suche a thynge so straunge, and vnto euery man saue hym selfe so inopynable, & such as no man wold wene were lykely to be trew, & byd vs so boldely byleue it, and saue his owne bare wurshypfull word tell vs no cause why: it is eyther a poynt of a man more authorysed then an apostle, or ellys lesse wytted then a very fole.
Fynally cometh he forth at laste wyth hys chapyter, of whyche he calleth the maner & order of our eleccyon.
Therin he telleth vs concernynge electes, and y• order of theyr chosyng, that god doth fyrste chose them, and after calleth them, & techeth them, & maketh theym se theyr dāpnacyon in the lawe & mercy layed vp for them in hym, and what he wyll haue them do. And thē they chose god agayn & submytte them selfe to hys lawes to walke in them. And that thynge he sayth the man doth of necessyte, bycause his wyll can do none other / but hys wytte muste nedes se the thynges that god maketh hym se, & his wyll muste nedes agre to folow so the thynge that hys wytte s[…]eth.
Then he telleth vs that the mercy of god allwaye wayteth vpon the electe / by reason wherof he can neuer so fall, but yt he shall ryse agayne. But yet he sheweth vs forther, that for all thys the electe synketh downe somtyme, & […]alleth into traunces and slepes, by whyche he forgeteth hym selfe, and then doth dyuers horryble & abomynable dedes in hys slepe. But yet in all hys horryble dedes he doth no dedely synne, bycause he doth them all of fraylte and infyrmyte, and none of them of purpose or wyllyngly. For wyllyngly can he not do them, bycause he lyeth a slepe / nor in all y• whyle hys fayth neuer fayleth at any tyme. And thys he proueth vs by thensamples of kynge Dauyd, and saynt Peter, and saynt Thomas of Inde, and the other apostles. For there was he sayth none of these that in all y• euer we rede in the scrypture reproued in theyr dedes, as aduoutry manslaughter, not byleuyn[…], forsakyng, or forsweryng of god / y• euer was any dedely synne yet, or any faylynge of fayth at any tyme whyle they dyd it. And thys he nothynge proueth but telleth, and loketh that for the wurshyp of hys bare worde, we sholde byleue it.
And here is all Tyndals hole tale, that he hath from the begynnynge hytherto tolde vs / wherby we sholde lerne of hym whyche is the chyrche, and whyther the chyrche maye erre or not. In all whych who so loke it thorow & myne answere therwith / shall well perceyue y• he hath not in all his hole processe halfe a lefe to gyther nor almost halfe a lyne, without one great foly at y• lest, or els a lye and an halfe.
Consyder nowe that of hys electes, whyche is of hys wordes mych a do to perceyue, they be so darke and so intryked of purpose wythout any dependence or order / yet in the ende when all is gathered to gyd[…]r and aduysed well, thys is the hole somme, that god choseth a certayne whom he lyketh. And when he choseth them Tyndale telleth not, whyther before the worlde made, or after them selfe borne. But vnto them he sendeth forth, & calleth them, & theym he gyueth a felynge fayth, wherby they fele surely that they shall be saued, wythout any regarde of good workes / and then they chose hym agayne, & agre to walke in his lawes. But before theyr felyng fayth had, they neuer ones thynke vppon hym.
For as for any endeuour of theym selfe at goddes good mocyon towarde the fayth, they do no more he sayth then doth the chylde towarde the gettynge of hys owne father. And hys mercy wayteth euer vppon them. And theyr fayth doth neuer at any tyme fayle them / nor they do neuer sinne dedely, what horryble & abominable […]edes so euer they do.
And syth these folke that are Tyndals electes, haue or wene they haue, suche a felynge fayth, that therby they fele or ellys wene they fele that they can not be dampned / but haue here lerned of Tyndale now, that what horryble dedes so euer they do, they can neuer do dadely synne / and be also very sure to repente, and the[…] to be neuer punyshed in hell, purgatorye, nor in thys lyfe neyther. (For so farre sayth Tyndale now) but wyth a shorte repentaunce after longe lyenge in synne, sayenge ones Chryste helpe for the maner sake, as it were after a snesynge / the fre[…]ys may frō y• nonnes beddes stye euen vp strayght to heuen: they may therfore be […]olde & hardy & hardly so they be, to fall to what workes they wyll. For syth theyr fayth is both full of false heresyes, & also can neuer fayle them / they may make them selfe sure you se well, that they shall be no worse parde, not when they be at the very wurste, then faythfull harlottes, faythfull auo[…]trers, faythfull vowbrekers, faythfull theuys, faythfull murdres, faythfull traytours to men, and faythfull heretykes to god.
And these be as ye se nowe Tyndalys specyall electes / whyche onely nomber by hys hygh spyrytuall doctryne, he wolde we sholde take for the chyrche.
Now good Chrysten reders yf we wolde graunte vnto Tyndale, that all hys lyes were trew that he hath made in all thys hole proce[…]se of his vnto the ende: yet were he farre from the prouynge of hys pryncypall purpose, that is to tell vs and teche vs whyche is the chyrche / towarde the techynge wherof he hath no thynge ellys done, but onely gyuen vs two dyffynycyons. Of whyche so declared as they be, neyther nother is suffycyent for hys purpose / and yet the secunde mych lesse then the fyrste.
For where as in the fyrste he defyneth it to be onely the electys, in whose hartes god hath wryten hys lawe wyth hys holy spyryte, and gyuen them a felynge fayth of the mercy that is in Chryste Iesu our lorde: afterwarde in the secunde he sayth that it is the hole multytude of all repentynge synners, that byleue in Chryst, and put all theyr truste and confydence in the mercy of god / felynge in theyr hartes that god for Chrystes sake loueth them, and wyll be or rather is, mercyfull vnto them, and forgyueth them theyr synnes of whyche they repente, and all the mocyons vnto synne, of whyche they fere that they shall be drawen into synne agayne / and thus they byleue and fele wythout any respecte of theyr owne deseruynge, ye and for none other cause, then that the mercyfull trouth of god the father whyche can not lye, hath so promysed and sworne,
Now ye remember that Tyndale hath put you by the waye, two specyall greate heresyes. One that who so euer after baptysme […]ynneth ones of purpose and wyllyngly, shall neuer haue remyssyon after. The tother, that who so haue onys hys felynge fayth, can neuer synne dedely after.
Lette vs now se in the ende, besyde that these heresyes of hys be all redy otherwyse impu[…]ned and reproued: let vs yet forther se how hys dy[…]fy[…]ycyon of the chyrche and hys heresyes, wyll iumpre and agre to gyther amonge theym selfe.
And fyrste I aske Tyndale, whyther he that haue ones after hys baptysme synned of purpose and wyllyngly, and sette malycyousely therto / maye after by goddes helpe repente agayne that euer he s[…] dyd / and byleue therwithall, that he is bounden to byleue and loue god and hys neyghbours as god byddeth […]ym to do. Maye he after suche a synne done, do thys by go[…]des helpe o[…] not?
Tyndale wyll peraduenture say he maye not. Then I aske hym how he proueth that. Therto peraduenture he wyll saye that the wordes of saynte Poule,1 2 It is impossybl[…] that they whyche haue ones ben illumyned &c. and the wo[…]des of oure sauyoure hym selfe spoken of the synne of blasphemye agaynst the holy goste, do prou[…] it / whyche I wyll then denye. For those places takynge them as falsely as any heretyke can construe theym, saye yet at the vttermoste no more but that hys synne shall neuer be forgyuen hym / and sayth not that he shall neuer agayne repente, nor that he shall neuer well byleue, nor that he shall neuer after loue god nor hys neyghbour.
wherunto yf Tyndale wyll saye, that yf he myght come to very repentaunce and very bylyefe and loue, he n[…]des muste haue hys synnes remytted and be saued / and syth god sayeth he shall neuer be forgyuen, and so neuer saued, he sayth he shall ne[…]er so repent and byleue and loue: to that I answere Tyndale two thynges. One that god in all hys threttes reserueth hys specyall prerogatyue of hys mercy, by whyche hys absolute power is neuer bounden vnder any rule of his ordina[…]y iustyce. Secundely I say, that for as myche as those wo[…]des be […]ynatory and threttes they be all of trouth none […]herwy[…]e to be vnderstanden, then excepte he repent. As god hym selfe playnely expouned […] suche wo[…]es by the mouth of hys owne holy proph[…]te Ezechiel / saynge[…] Thoug[…] I sholde saye to a synner,3 thou shalte dye / and the same […]ynner repent hym of hys synne, and deale iustely and ryghtuousely, and delyuer agayne the pledge, and make restytucyon of the […]o[…] bery th[…] he hath commy[…]ed, and walke in the commaundementes of lyfe, and […] vn[…]yght[…]ouse thyng: he shall lyue in lyfe, […] shall […]. Of all hys synnes none shall be layed to hys charge[…] He […] delte iustely, and ryght[…] ously he shall lyue in lyfe.
[…]
[…] ye, he destroyeth hys heresye / for then he graunteth that he whyche after baptysme sinneth malycyousely, maye for all that be saued. If he saye nay, then he destroyeth hys dyffynycyon / for then maye there be some repentaunte synners wyth all that euer in hys dyffynycyon foloweth, and yet they shalbe none of the chyrche of hys electes.
And thus muste eyther his heresye distroye hys diffinicyon, or his diffinicion muste destroy his heresye. Of wh[…] che twayne yet it wyll be more honestie for hym to kepe his diffinicyon styll, whervpon all his whole mater hangeth / and let his heresy go to the deuyll yt gaue it to hym / & than vnderstande those places of scripture whervpon the deuill taught hym to grounde it, that eyther the blasphemye agaynste the holy goost is finall impenitence, and the tother no restytucyon by the penaunce to the reuocacyon of baptysme / or els that the sore wordes of the both places after a certayne vehement maner of speche vsed in holy scripture, somtyme signifyeth onely great hardenes and difficultie, & nat as hym selfe techeth vs, an vttre impossybilyte of remyssyon. But nowe let vs se howe hys diffinicyon wyll stande with his seconde heresye.
you se well and perceyue, that in his seconde diffinicion he restrayneth his electe churche, vnto onely repentaunte synners that beleue as hym selfe sheweth you.
And than hathe he confessed vnto you, that his chosyn electes plainly do somtyme abominable dedes / whiche dedes yet they repent nat alwaye, tyll the rage be paste / and tyll as Tyndale saieth yt they ha[…]e played out their lustes / ye and somtyme to, tyll the […]olde feare of dethe turne them to gyue an eare to good counsell. Nowe se you than very well, that they be by Tyndals seconde diffinicyon, all this whyle expressely put out of […]he churche, tyll they repente agayne. And than consyder ferther, howe farre agaynste all reason.
ye remembre very well I wote well, that he techeth vs playnly, that none of hys electes dothe at any tyme synne dedely, thoughe theyr dedes be neuer so horryble and abomynable, bycause of theyr felynge faythe whiche can neyther at any tyme fayle, nor suffre any of theyr horryble dedes, to be dedely synne. And therfore are they consequently neuer out of the fauoure of god, nat euen in the tyme wherein they do theyr horryble and abom ynable dedes, and before the repentynge of them, whiche may be ye wote well many tymes longe betwene. In all whiche tyme they be by Tyndall out of all dedely synne / and therfore good folke and faythefull and goddes good chyldren styll.
And therfore syth they be so / wherefore dothe Tyndale that is in some places so angery with yt catholyke churche, for the puttynge out of euyll folke by excommunicacyon / excōmunicate good folke now & put out of his elect church hym self & faythfull / and finally suche as thoughe they be fallen a slepe in lechery, thefte, sacrilege, inceste, & murdre, stande yet hyghly styll in goddes especiall grace & fauour.
Nowe the fautes that are commune to bothe hys diffinicyons, and yet more open in the seconde than in the first / I shall nat nede to reherse you. For bothe haue I touched some of them before, and also many of theym be to euery good christen man so open at his eye, that he can nede none other way to gyue hym warnynge of them.
For where all hys electes depende vpon his felynge faythe and hys repentaunce / whyle hym selfe sheweth what false artycles he techeth his electes for theyr faythe euery good faythefull man very well feleth, that the more that Tyndals electes fele his false faythe, the lesse faythe haue they, and the more faythlesse be they.
And whan he techeth them to repent the ryght belefe of Christes sacramentes, and therein the right rule and ordre of repentaunce: euery true repentaunte persone well perceyueth, that Tyndals repentaunte electes, abhorrynge from shryfte, and reiectynge the sacrament of penaunce[…]but if they mende and repente better, wyll in stede of purgatory whiche they nowe mocke and ieste at, wepe and repente in […]ell this folysshe frutelesse fassyon of theyr impenitent repentaunce.
But nowe suppose that all were very well that Tyndale here hath sayd / yet howe hath he with all that proued hys purpose? He hathe tolde vs that the whole multytude of his fassyoned electes is the church. But what one worde hathe he tolde vs towarde the profe? neyther reason nor one authoryte of any olde holy saynt, nor any one texte of scrypture / but onely one or twayne suche as nothynge maketh for his matter, but vtterly clere agaynste hym.
And therfore thoughe we graunte vnto hym, that the whole multitude nat of his false framed electes, but of the very fynall electes, be a churche of Christ / as he dothe and muste graunte vnto vs, yt the whole multytude of christen people nat gone out nor put out is a churche of Chryste / of whiche the churche of very electes be, though the better parte, yet a parte and but a parte, and peraduenture the lesse parte / and Tyndals electes, eyther no parte or but a parte, and the very worste parte: yet that the onely electes thoughe they be a churche, be the churche (whiche is the thynge that he shulde proue) that hathe he neyther proued nor any thinge brought effectuall towarde the profe, no more than if he neuer had ment it nor thought it.
And therfore nowe hathe he nothynge proued whyche is the churche / thoughe we wolde yet of our courtesye ferther graunte hym, that all hys whole heresyes were the very faythe / and that the very electes were onely those, in whose hartes the deuill hath wrytten his lawe / or els (whi […]he were yette farre worse) that the very electes were onely those, in whose holy hartes god hadde hym selfe so wrytten his wyll with hys holy spiryte, that they shulde thereby fele that spirituall folke shulde please god with waxynge flesshelye, and freres with weddynge nonnes / and that if they wolde be saued, they […]ulde haue therein no respecte vnto good workes, but thinke that onely fayth in the promyse and bare repentaunce withoute shryfte or penaunce shall sufficiently saue theym / so that they beleue sure that all the seuen sacramentes serue of nothynge, but be but bare signes and tokens, and vtterly as gracelesse as them selfe are wytlesse / and specially, so that they beleue that the blessyd body nor blode of Christ be nat in the sacrament of the auter, nor that they do none other honour in no wyse therto, but onely beleue & remembre that there is nothynge but a me[…]yall of his passyon in a cuppe of wyne and a gobbet of cake brede / and yet in doubte and questyon whether it be brede or sterche. And than that with this godly belefe they se surely to theym selfe, yt they serue no sayntes, but rayle vpon theyr reliques, and dispyce theyr ymages, and there with the crucifyxe to, and the holy crosse it selfe also / and than leste they myght happe to lese an hole day in goddes seriuce, kepe them selfe well & warely frome all holy dayes, and specially (for so these heretykes in theyr bokes call it) from the folisshe faste of lent. And thus lyuinge, and therewith beleuynge these aforesayde heresyes, so fermely that they thynke verely they fele theyr false faythe with theyr very fyngers endes / be bolde than hardely, and beleue verely that theyr felynge faythe shall neuer fayle them / but at all tymes so preserue them, that they can nat onely neuer be dampned, but ouer that can neuer do dedely synne, thoughe they do neuer so many deuelysshe dedes / but for all theyr falshede, thefte, auoutry, vowe brekynge, treason, murdre, inceste, & periurye, shall for theyr onely felynge faythe be good and faythfull false faythlesse wreches, and therfore god almyghtye hys owne mynyons styll.
And thus good christen reders, syth ye nowe playnly perceyue, that Tyndale hathe here for his owne parte no thynge proued vs that hys false framed electes, nor yet that onely the very trewe electes be the churche of Chryst in erthe, nor hathe nothynge shewed vs whiche is / & therfore onely with all his longe processe, vttred and taughte his errours and his heresyes / and lefte the mater nat vnproued onely, but vntouched to, which he toke vpon him and professed to proue, that is to wytte wh[…]che is the churche / but as though he had well and playnly proued it whiche he hathe nat so moche almoste as spoken of, leaueth of his owne parte nowe and turneth hym to impugne ours: I shall leaue hym for his parte a whyle in the myre, in whiche him selfe hathe ouerthrowen his mater / and shall shewe you shortely howe angrely he ryseth vp, and ryally rayed in dyrte, bycause he can nat proue the churche of Christe here in […]rthe to be a congregacion vnknowen, layeth hys myry handes vpon the knowen catholyke churche of Chryste, and fayne wolde pulle that downe to[…] and so leaue no churche at all.
Footnotes
Chapter 7 of 15