John xvii.

The difference between Peter's fall, and

the fall of Judas.

Judas.

Judas perished in despera

tion.

By Adam

we are all made the children of the wrath of God.

that he should be holp up again? Christ prayed a strong
prayer for Peter to help him up again, and suffered a
strong death thereto. And before his death he committed
them unto his Father, saying, I have kept them in thy
name and I depart, keep them now from evil. Peter
had a good heart to God, and loved his law, and believed
in Christ, and had the Spirit of God in him which never
left him for all his fall. Peter sinned of no malice,
but of frailty and sudden fear of death. And the good-
ness of God wrought his repentance and all the means by
And
which he was brought up again at Christ's request.
Judas was never good, nor came to Christ for love of his
doctrine, but of covetousness, nor did ever believe in
Christ.

Judas was by nature and birth, (as we all be) heir of
the wrath of God, in whom the devil wrought his will
and blinded his heart with ignorance. In which igno-
rance and blindness he
grew, as he grew in age, and fell
deeper and deeper therein, and thereby wrought all his
wickedness, and the devil's will, and perished therein.
From which ignorance God purged Peter of his mercy,
and gave him light, and his Spirit to govern him, and
not of any towardness that was in Peter of his own birth:
but for the mercy that we have in the birth of Christ's
death.

And how will M. More prove that God chooseth not of his goodness but of our towardness? What good towardness can he have and endeavour, that is altogether blind, and carried away at the will of the devil, till the devil be cast out? Are we not robbed of all towardness in Adam, and be by nature made the children of sin, so that we sin naturally, and to sin is our nature? So that as now, though we would do well, the flesh yet sinneth naturally, neither ceaseth to sin, but so farforth as it is kept under with violence: even so once our hearts sinned as naturally, with full lust and consent unto the flesh; the devil possessing our hearts, and keeping

out the light of grace. What good towardness and endeavour can we have to hate sin, as long as we love it? What good towardness can we have unto the will of God while we hate it and be ignorant thereof. Can the will desire that the wit seeth not? Can the will long for, and sigh for, that the wit knoweth not of? Can a man take thought for that loss that he wotteth not of? What good endeavour can the Turks' children, the Jews' children, and the pope's infants have, when they be taught all falsehood only, with like persuasions of worldly reason, to be all justified with works? It is not therefore as Paul saith of the running or willing, but of the mercy of God, Rom. ix. that a man is called and chosen to grace.

The first grace, the first faith, and the first justifying is given us freely saith M. More, which, I would fain wete how it will stand with his other doctrine; and whether he mean any other thing, by choosing them to have God's Spirit given me, and faith to see the mercy that is laid up for me; and to have my sins forgiven without all deserving, and preparing of myself. God did not see only that the thief that was saved at Christ's death should come thither, but God chose him, to shew his mercy unto us that should after believe; and provided actually, and wrought for the bringing of him thither that day, to make him see and to receive the mercy that was laid up for him in store, before the world was made.

THE TWELFTH CHAPTER.

God work

eth by dimake us to call upon

vers to

and to trust

in his

mercy.

In the twelfth, in chafing himself to heap lie upon lie, he uttereth his feelable blindness. For he asketh this question, Wherefore serveth exhortations unto faith, if the hearers have not liberty of their free-will, by which, together Freewill with God's grace, a man may labour to submit the rebellion of reason unto the obedience of faith and credence of the word of God? Whereof ye see, that besides his grant that reason rebelleth against faith, contrary to the

doctrine of his first book, he will that the will shall compel the wit to believe. Which is as much to say as the cart must draw the horses, and the son beget the father, and the authority of the church is greater than God's word. For the will cannot teach the wit, nor lead her, but followeth naturally; so that whatsoever the wit judgeth good or evil, that the will loveth or hateth. If the wit see and lead straight, the will followeth. If the wit be leadeth the blind and lead amiss, the will followeth clean out of the I cannot love God's word before I believe it. hate it, before I judge it false and vanity.

The wit

will.

More's wits

are cap

tivated.

A pretty example.

way.

Nor

He might have wiselier spoken on this manuer: Wherefore serveth the preaching of faith, if the wit have no power to draw the will to love that which the wit judgeth true and good. If the will be nought, teach the wit better and the will shall alter and turn to good immediately. Blindness is the cause of all evil, and light the cause of all good; so that where the faith is right, there the heart cannot consent unto evil, to follow the lusts of the flesh, And this conclusion hath he

as the pope's faith doth.
half a dozen times in his book, that the will may compel
the wit and captivate it, to believe what a man lusteth.
Verily, it is like that his wits be in captivity, and for
vantage tangled with our holy father's sophistry.

His doctrine is after his own feeling and as the profession of his heart is. For the popish have yielded themselves to follow the lusts of their flesh, and compel their wit to abstain from looking on the truth, lest she should unquiet them, and draw them out of the puddle of their filthy voluptuousness. As a cart that is over-laden going up a hill draweth the horses back, and in a tough mire maketh them stand still. And then the carter, the devil which driveth them, is ever by and whistleth unto them, and biddeth them captivate their understanding unto profitable doctrine, for which they shall have no persecution, but shall reign and be kings, and enjoy the pleasures of the world at their own will.

THE THIRTEENTH CHAPTER.

IN the thirteenth he saith that the clergy burneth no man. As though the pope had not first found the law, and as though all his preachers babbled not that in every sermon, Burn these heretics, burn them, for we have no other argument to convince them; and as though they compelled not both king and emperor to swear that they shall so do, ere they crown them!

King

Henry V.

Then he bringeth in provisions of king Henry the vth. Of whom I ask M. More, whether he were right heir unto England, or held he the land with the sword as a heathen tyrant, against all right? Whom the prelates, lest he should have had leisure to hearken unto the truth, sent into France, to occupy his mind in war, and led him at their will. And I ask whether his father slew not his liege king and true inheritor unto the crown, and was therefore set up of the bishops a false king, to maintain their falshood? And I ask whether after that wicked deed, fol- the crown. lowed not the destruction of the commonalty and quenching of all noble blood?

THE FOURTEENTH CHAPTER.

IN the fourteenth he affirmeth that Martin Luther saith it is not lawful to resist the Turk. I wonder that he shameth not so to lie, seeing that Martin hath written a singular treatise for the contrary. Besides that in many other works he proveth it lawful, if he invade us.

THE SIXTEENTH CHAPTER.

IN the sixteenth he allegeth councils. I ask whether councils have authority to make articles of the faith without God's word, yea and of things improved by God's word?

He allegeth Augustine, Jerom, and Cyprian. Let

King

Henry IV.

was an

usurper of

The union of doctors a good book.

More.

Tyndale sweareth.

More.

Tyndale.

Ear confession.

More.

him put their works in English, and St. Prosperus with them. Why damned they the union of doctors, but because the doctors are against them?

And when he allegeth martyrs, let him shew one and take the calf for his labour.

And in the end he biddeth beware of them that live well in any wise. As though they which live evil cannot teach amiss. And if that be true, then they be of the surest side.

MORE. When Tyndale was apposed of his doctrine, ere he went over sea, he said and sware he meant no harm.

TYNDALE. He sware not, neither was there any man that required an oath of him: but he now sweareth by Him whom he trusteth to be saved by, that he never meant or yet meaneth any other harm, than to suffer all that God hath prepared to be laid on his back, for to bring his brethren unto the light of our Saviour Jesus, which the pope, through falsehood and corrupting such poets as ye are (ready unto all thing for vantage) leadeth in the darkness of death.

MORE. Tyndale doth know how that St. Augustine and St. Jerom do prove with holy Scripture, that confession is of necessity unto salvation.

TYNDALE. That is false, if ye mean ear confession. Why allege ye not the places where? But ye know by St. Jerom and other stories, and by the conversation with Erasmus, how it came up, and that the use was once far other than now.

MORE. I marvel that Tyndale denieth purgatory except Pugatory. he intend to go to hell.

Tyndale.

TYNDALE. He intendeth to purge here unto the uttermost of his power, and hopeth that death will end and finish his purgation. And if there be any other purging, he will commit it to God, and take it as he findeth it, when he cometh at it, and in the meantime take no thought therefore, but for this that is present wherewith