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

More.

And this lyketh me very well / and so myche the better by cause that the goodnesse of god causeth Tyndale to speke these wordes, nothyng touchyng the mater for any reprofe of my boke / but onely reprouynge hym self and condēnyng all his hole secte. For I neuer sayed, nor no man ellys as I suppose neyther crysten nor hethen / that god taketh hys [ C] trewth or his lyght of man but man of god. And therfore this holy sermone he spendeth but in waste / sauynge as I sayde for the condemnynge of hym selfe and his secte.

For syth yt is trew that by the lyght of god as Tyndale here confesseth, mennys hartes be clensed from lyes & false opynyons and from thynkyng euyll good, and therfore frō consentynge to synne / and we se well that Tyndale and all hys secte be sette all vppon heresyes & false blasphemouse lyes, and thynke (yf they thynke as they saye) bothe euyll good & good euyll / for they call Crystes sacramentes euyll and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 lechery good / and so not onely cōsent to synne but also commytte and defende and teache the whole dede stynkyn•••• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of synne: yt foloweth by Tyndales own holy sermon here, that his owne herte and the hertes of all hys

whole secte be the darke ayer of hell / from which the lyght of [ A] goddes owne gloryouse sonne that came to geue lyght in to y^e darke ayre of this erth, hath farre wythdrawē his bemys. And this hath Tyndale wyth his owne holy wordes deuy∣sed of none occasyon / and farre from the mater but onely to shew y^e glorye of his hygh spyrituall phrase: nothyng done at all but geuyn hym selfe a fall, and throwen all hys ma∣ter in the myre.

yet hath he one worde, by whyche it appereth that whyle he saw hym selfe fallen: he wolde pull downe other men in to the myre to hym. For yf ye consyder hys wordes / ye shall se that he cowcheth them in suche wyse, that he wolde make men wene that where so euer there were a trew bylefe and false opynyons taken awaye / that there it muste nedes be y^t men shall not consent to synne. whyche thynge he doeth for [ B] the colour and cloke of theyr false opynyon, by whyche they teche that fayth alone alwaye suffyseth / wherin when they fynde them selfe so shamefully confuted and conuicted, they be loth to seme to fle by day, and therefore they fle by nyght and retrete them selfe in the darke / makyng as though they were mysse taken and ment no thyng, but that who so haue a ryght byleue & not a false opynyō, it can not be but that he must nedys do well as Tyndale sayth here, y^t he which doth not byleue euyll to be good, he shall neuer consent to synne.

As it is a greate foly to afferme thys / so were it all moste as mych foly to cōfute thys. For who is there that thynketh that to kyll a man for hys money is no synne and yet many wretches do it. who thynketh that aduowtry is no synne, & yet many wretches do it. who th••nketh y^t to wedde a nonne [ C] is no synne / I dare saye not euyn these wretches them self y^t wedde them, but they veryly know it for synne and yet the wretches do it. And therfore thys tale of Tyndales is but a very folys••he heresye.