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

More

The begynnyng of these wordes seme very godly, for y^e magnyfyeng of the great mercy of god. But cōsyder y^e hed, the myddes, and the tayle to gether & ye shall sone perceyue that he bosteth mercy, but to mak•• a man haue so lytell care for hys synne and maketh hym selfe so sure of sodayne and short remyssyō, that he shall forse full lytell how sone he fall therto, when he beleueth that how often so euer he synne or how sore, there nedeth hym no more but onely bare repen∣tauns, and then all forgeuen and forgettē synne and payne and all euen by and by an hūdred tymes in a daye. Neyther purgatory nede to be fered when we go hens, nor penauns nede to be done whyle we be here / but synne and be sory and

[ A] syt and make mery, and then synne agayne and then repent a lytell and ronne to y^e ale & wasshe away the synne, thynke ones on goddys promyse and then do what we lyste. For hopynge sure in that, kyll we .x. men on a daye we cast but a lytell blood in to the mayne see. But he that setteth so mych by hys synne and is so sory therfore, that to prouoke our lord to mercy the more by punysshynge hym selfe, and ta∣kynge payne therfore, eyther of hys owne mynde or by pe∣naūce enioyned: he is a starke heretyke, it were euyn almese to burne hym. For he that wyll take any payne for his owne synne / weneth that Crist had not payne inough. Is not here a mad doctryne of hym that wolde seme a crysten man.

For as for that he telleth hys tale, as though men dyd reken theyr penauns for a thynge suffycyent to satysfye for [ B] theyr synne / that is but a pece of hys poetrye. For he is not so folysshe but that he knoweth well inowgh that all christē men byleue that no penauns is of it selfe suffycyent for the leste synne, but the passyon and payne of Cryste maketh our penaunce auaylable, to them that set not so lytell by theyr synne, but that they be content and thynke them selfe well worthy to take payne and penaunce for theyr synne them selfe.

But bycause he wyll that men repent the doyng of theyr synne, and then no more but fayth: I wolde wyt of Tyn∣dale what calleth he repentynge, a lytell short sorow, or a great sorow and a longe? If a lytell prety sorow and very shortely done: I wolde as fayne he sayed trew as I fere y^t he lyeth. If a great seruent sorow wyth grefe and trouble of [ C] mynde, not shortely shot ouer but kepte & contynued longe: then force I lytell of his heresye. For no dowte is it but that Tyndals tale to suche a man shall seme god wote full fond. For he that hath suche repentaunce, wyll to shryfte I war∣raunt you, and take penaunce of the preste, & do mych more there to what so euer Tindale tell hym. And he that is criste¦ned & careth for no shryfte: repenteth neuer a dele / but they that repente not at all be Tyndals repentaunt synners.

wyll ye se that it is so? Go me to Martyn Luther the fyrst mayster of Tyndale in thys mater, though now hys scoler passeth hym. whyle that frere lyeth with his nonne, & woteth well he doth nought, and sayth styll he doth well: let Tyn∣dale tell me what repentynge is that. He repenteth euery mornynge, and to bedde agayne euery nyghte / thynketh on

goddys promyse fyrste, and then go synne agayne vppon [ A] truste of goddys testamēt / and then he calleth it castynge of a lytell mylk in to the mayne see.

Of the sacrament of order.