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

More.

wyth these gay glytterynge wordes wolde Tyndale so blere our eyen / that he wold make vs to reken our selfe ta∣ken in so nere to god and so coupled wyth hym, that euē vp¦pon god almyghtyes mercy stole we offer euery man so suf∣fycyently for hym selfe y^e desyres and petycyons of his hart, and so suffycyently sacryfyce and kyll the iustes and appe∣tes of his fleshe, wyth prayour, fastynge, and all manner of good lyuynge: that we nede now no preste as meane be∣twene [ C] god and vs, to offer vp for vs to god the holy hoste and sacryfyce of all sacryfyces, the blessed bodye and blood of our holy sauyour Cryste.

This is the goodnesse that he bryngeth all his holy pro∣cesse to. And where as in other places all is nought among vs, and all is but synne: yet here leste we sholde nede the sa∣cryfyce of the masse, we be all goddes good sonnes, & kyll and sacrifyce full well the lustes and appetytes of our flesh, wyth prayour, fastynge, and all manner of godly lyuynge.

How be it when Tyndale sayth that we offer our desires of our harte at god almyghtyes mercy stole / & that we kyll and sacryfyce the lustes of our fleshe with prayour, fastyng, and all godly lyuynge: he meaneth none of vs peuysshe, popysshe popystes, but the lyuely lyghtsome Lutheranys.

For they perde as ye se by Luther hym selfe and hys holy [ A] nōne / kylle & sacryfyce theyr flesshely lustes, with prayour, fastynge, and mych godly lyuynge, euery man and woman woteth how.

I meruayle yet in what place of scrypture Tyndale fyn¦deth / that men sacryfyce theyr synnes. we fynde that men offer sacryfyce for synne and that men kyll synne / and then peraduenture offer them selfe clene depured from synne. But to offer vppe synne in sacryfyce / me semeth it is a very stynkyng sacryfyce, and of suche a scryptured man not very scrypturely spoken. But therfore Tyndale turneth those .ii. wordes out of theyr ryght frame, to iugle and blere our yiē wythall. For he sayth not that we kyll and sacryfyce oure flesshely lustes / leste we sholde haue spyed that it were no metely sacryfyce. But he sayth that we sacryfyce and kyll [ B] them / as though that in the olde lawe men had ben wont to sacrifyce the bestes fyrst, and burne them vppe hole / or ellys burne parte and eate parte and then kyll them after.

But Tyndale careth not how he set hys wordes, so that he maye make vs to byleue, that we nede no preest to offer vppe dayly y^e same sacryfyce that our sauyour offred onys, and hath ordayned to be by the prestes perpetually offred in hys chyrche. For thys is hys labour to take out of our by∣lefe / and thys is Luthers labour, of whom he lerned it in hys booke of Babilonica. And for this cause be they wroth wyth the holy canon of the masse, bycause the sacrament is in the masse called as it is in dede, a sacryfyce, an hooste, & an o••̄rynge.

Thys wolde they haue vs leue of for the onely spyghte [ C] that they bere to preesthed / bycause they se y^t in thys poynt that holy order of preesthed hath an excellent pryuylege, in whyche none angell hath the lyke authoryte.

And all be it that Tyndale telleth vs many tymes as the man is somwhat shamelesse, that we wyll not byleue saynt Hierom, saynt Austyne, saynt Ambrose, saynt Gregory, and the other olde holy doctours of Crystes chyrche: yet kno∣weth Tyndale that in thys one poynt amonge many other, they be quyte agaynste hym euerychone. And bycause it wolde here make a longe worke to reherse many of theyr wordes: therfore that Tyndale shall not denye but that I therin saye trewth, I shall alledge hym Luther hys owne mayster / whyche in hys booke of Babilonica playnly con∣fesseth

[ A] the same, and answereth it wyth saynge that the go∣spell of god is playne agaynste them all / as thoughe that amonge them all, eyther neuer none had redde the gospell of god / or ellys neuer none had vnderstāden it but hym self. And then agaynst them all he construeth that gospell so fo∣lysshely / that afore god a man wolde wene almoste that a goslynge had as mych wyt as he. And yet now wolde hys wyse dyscyple Tindale haue vs for his pleasure in hatered of the order of preesthed / byleue that the preest doth at the masse make none offryng of y^• holy sacryfyce for our synne. wyth whyche heresye he clene taketh awaye the very frute of the masse, in whiche that blessed sacrament is both moost honored of y^e people, and is also most profytable to y^e people

But yet shall ye se ferther that as fayre as he couereth [ B] hym selfe in hys spekynge of thys holy sacrament in some other places: yet in some he sheweth his affeccyon full well: for these are hys wordes.