bread, shall receive health of soul and body?’ Sir, the bless- ^ ings promised unto Abraham, for all nations, are in Christ; and out of his blood we must feteh them, and his word is the bread, salt, and water of our souls. God hath given you no power to give, through your charms, such virtue unto unsensible ereatures, which he hath hallowed himself, and made them all clean (for the bodily use of them that believe) through his word of promise and permission, and our thanksgiving. God saith, If thou believe St John’s gospel, thou shalt be saved; and not for the bearing of it about thee with so many crosses, or for the observing of any such observances.’ s God, for thy bitter passion, roar they out by and by, what an heretic is this! I tell thee that holy church need to allege no scripture for them; for they have the Holy Ghost, which inspireth them ever secretly, so that they cannot err, whatsoever they say, do, or ordain. What, wilt thou despise the blessed sacraments of holy church, wherewith God hath been served this fifteen hundred years?’ (yea, verily this five thousand years, even since Cain hitherto, and shall endure unto the world’s end, among them that have no love unto the truth, to be saved thereby) thou art a strong heretic, and worthy to be burnt, And then he is excommunieate out of the church. If little flock fear not that bug, then they go Straight unto the king: And it like your grace, perilous people, and seditious, and even enough to destroy your realm, if ye see not to them betimes. They be so obstinate and tough, that they will not be converted, and rebellious against God and the ordinances of his holy church. And how much more shall they so be against your grace, if they increase and grow to a multitude! They will pervert all, and surely make new laws, and either subdue your grace unto them, or rise against you. And then goeth a part of little flock to pot, and the rest scatter. Thus hath it ever been, and shall ever be: let no man therefore deceive himself.
An answer to More’s Second Book
In the first chapter, ye may not try the doctrine of the spiritualty by the scripture; but what they say, that believe undoubtedly, and by that try the scripture!. And if thou
[1 “Where I” [More’s imaginary questioner in the dialogue] said]
find the plain contrary in the scripture, thou mayest not be- m. pope lieve the scripture, but seek a gloss and an allegory to make tried by ser: P ᾽ g g y ture But the them agree. As when the pope saith, Ye be justified by the scripture works of the ceremonies and sacraments, and so forth; and the judged by scripture saith, that we be justified at the repentance of the heart, through Christ’s blood: the first is true plain, as the pope saith it, and as it standeth in his text; but the second is false, it appeareth unto thine understanding, and the literal sense that killeth. Thou must therefore believe the pope, and for Christ’s doctrine seek an allegory and a mystical sense: that is, that thou must leave the clear light and walk in the mist. And yet Christ and his apostles, for all their miracles, required not to be believed without scripture, as thou mayest see John v. and Acts xvii, and by their diligent alleging of john v. scripture throughout all the new Testament. Fade And in the end he saith, for his pleasure, that we know- none can ledge that no man may minister sacraments but he that is sacraments derived out of the pope. Howbeit, this we knowledge, that iy but the no man could minister sacraments without signification, which ration.” are no sacraments, save such as are of the pope’s generation.
The Third Chapter
[n the third chapter, and in the chapter following, he uttereth how fleshly-minded he is, and how beastly he imagineth of God, as Paul saith, (1 Cor. ii.) “The natural man can- 1 cor. ii not understand the things of the Spirit of God.” He thinketh The natural of God as he doth of his cardinal; that he is a monster, pleased man savour when men flatter him; and if, of whatsoever frailty it be, men things that break his commandments, he is then raging mad as the pope is, and seeketh to be venged. Nay, God is ever fatherlyminded toward the elect members of his church. He loved Eph. i. them, ere the world began, in Christ. (Eph. i) He loveth
[that it was thought reasonable to believe the scripture, being God’s]
[own words, rather than the words of men, ye” [i.e. Sir Thomas More]]
[“proved that the common faith of the church was as well God’s own]
[words as was holy scripture self, and of as great authority; and that]
[no student in scripture should presume to try, examine, and judge the]
[catholic faith of Christ’s church by the scripture, but by the catholic]
[faith of Christ’s church should examine and expound the texts of]
[scripture.” Dialogue, B. π. ch. 1. Works, p. 178.]]
,, them while they be yet evil, and his enemies in their hearts, — ero they be come unto the knowledge of his Son Christ, and ere his law be written in their hearts; as a father loveth his young son, while he is yet evil, and ere it know the father’s law to consent thereto.
And after they be once actually of his church, and the law of God and faith of Christ written in their hearts, their hearts Dever sin any more, though (as Paul saith, Rom. vii.) the flesh doth in them that the spirit would not. And when they sin and of frailty, God ceaseth not to love them still; though he be angry, to put a cross of tribulations upon their backs, to purge them and to subdue the flesh unto the spirit, or to all-to break! their consciences with threatening of the law, and to fear them with hell: as a father, when his son offendeth him, feareth him with the rod, but hateth him not.
God did not hate Paul, when he persecuted, but had laid up mercy for him in store; though he was angry with him, to Scourge him and to teach him better. Neither were those nd things laid on his back, which he after suffered, to make satisfaction for his fore sins, but only to serve his brethren, and to keep the flesh under. Neither did God hate David when he had sinned, though he was angry with him. Neither did he after suffer to make satisfaction to God for his old sins, but to keep his flesh under, and to keep him in meekness, and to be an ensample for our learning.