The co[n]futacyon of Tyndales answere made by syr Thomas More knyght lorde chau[n]cellour of Englonde

More.

Here Tyndale teacheth vs hygh spyrytuall doctryne, y^t chrysten men sholde not be to superstycyously holy on the

holy daye / wenynge that they myghte do no bodyly worke [ A] for necessyte. But the people for aught that I se / knowe y^e well inoughe and more to. But yet to make them the more bolde: he teacheth them that the holy day is seruaunt vnto man, that he maye therfore be bolde vppon the holy daye as vppon hys owne seruaunt to vse it as it please hym.

But yet all be yt that Cryste sayde vnto the Iewes that the sone of man is mayster and lorde euen ouer the sabooeh daye, to vse yt as hym selfe lyste, whych neuer lysted to vse yt but to the beste: yet can I not well se that Tyndale is in suche wyse mayster and lorde of the sabbooth daye, nor no man elles,* 1.1 that he may vse yt as his man, though yt was of god instytute for man and not man for yt / that is to wyt for the spirytuall benefyte and profyte of man as our sauyour sayth also hym selfe. But yet he calleth yt not seruaunt vnto [ B] man as Tyndale calleth yt.* 1.2 For y^e scrypture sayth that god hath sanctyfyed the sabbooth day vnto hym selfe.

And that was the cause why that Criste shewed vnto the Iewes that hym selfe was lorde of the sabbat daye, bycause he wolde that they sholde thereby knowe that he was very god / syth that they had lerned by scripture that the sabbat daye was sanctyfyed onely to god hym self for ma••nys pro¦fyte and no man lorde therof but onely god. A gouernour of people is made for the people and not the people for the go∣uernour / and yet is there no man amonge the people wonte to call the gouernour his man, but hym selfe rather the go∣uernours man. The very manhode of our sauiour hym self was to some purpose ordeyned for mankynde, as the incar¦nacyon of his godhed was ordeyned for man / but yet vseth [ C] no wyse man to call Cryste his seruaunt, all be yt hym selfe of his mekenes dyd morethen serue vs. But we wyll not mych stykke wyth Tyndale for a worde somewhat wrested a wrye / so that we wyste he ment no harme therby.

But I fereme more of his meanyng, leste he wold bryng holy dayes and workynge dayes all in one case. For as for doynge our neyghbour good, and also the workyng for our owne necessyte / the necessyte may be such that the chyrch de¦nyeth yt not. But who so do interprete his necessyte ouer large, or dyfferre vnto the holy daye the worldly workes whyche he myght and sholde haue done vpon the workyng daye byfore, or may as well do yt after, and yet wyll worke yt on the holy daye, and therby wyll for his parte brynge yt

[ A] in custome to wythdrawe the reuerens from the holy daye & make workynge day therof: this man hathe in my mynde mych nede to consyder. Salphat, whych for lyke vsynge of the holy day,* 1.3 gatherynge wood on the holy day y^t he myght haue done on the workynge daye / was by goddes owne iud¦gement stoned vnto deth.

And I lyke Tyndale in this mater y^e worse, bothe for his wordes in his other bokes, and for the custome of his secte now growen in Germany, and also for the onely cause that he fyndeth out here for the kepyng of the holy day, of which he putteth no mo but the onely hearyng of the word of god / so that by the cause whyche he fyndeth out, a crysten man y^t were eyther in deserte or amonge infydeles where he coulde here no prechyng, sholde haue no more respecte vnto Cryst∣masse [ B] day or Ester day, or whytesontyde, to kepe thē for holy dayes hym selfe, then the worst day in the yere, or thē wolde a turke hym selfe. And this is his hyghe spirytuall doctrine concernynge the holy daye.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mar. 2
• * 1.2

  Exodi. 1.••
• * 1.3

  Nume. ••5