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

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Lo thys is all the hole profe that euer he bryngeth forth for thys poynte, wheruppon hys hole purpose hangeth. And in dede it were somwhat / if it were as trew as it is false For he neyther hath any scripture to proue it / & all reason is quyte agaynste it. Fyrste as for scrypture, though Cryste shewed to the iewes as the trouth was, that the scrypture [ C] made mencyon of hym: yet he neuer sayed vnto thē as Tin¦dale sayeth, that he myght not be byleued els / nor no scryp∣ture so sayth. He sayeth no more of scrypture then of saynte Iohn̄ the baptyste. For he sayeth that the scrypture ••ereth wytnesse of hym, and so sayth he of ••aynt Iohn̄ to.

But bycause Tyndale compareth the scrypture with my¦racles, and setteth so lytell by goddes worde vnwryten: Cryste sayed sumwhat more by myracles and by hys owne worde at that tyme vnwryten, then he sayd eyther by saynte Iohn̄ or by y^e scripture eyther.* 1.1 For he sayed of those twayne•• that yf eyther of bothe had lakked / they ••••d not ben in the synne of infydelite. And he sayth not so mych of saynt Iohn̄, nor of the scrypture neyther.

[ A] Now reason is clere agaynste Tyndale, in that he sayth that Cryste and his apostles could not be byleued for all the miracles. For though god hadde neuer geuen warnyng by Moyses, that there sholde come a nother prophete: yet ex∣cepte god had expressely sayd that he wolde neuer sende mo (whyche he sayed not) what sholde let Cryste to be byleued commynge wyth miracles / and though he wolde teache in the bylyefe, not contrary artycles to those that were byfore taught, but other reuelacyons farther that were not taught byfore, and in workes make what chaunge that god lyste to commaunde. Goddes worde when yt was brought vnto the people by Moyses / was yt byleued for goddes sake or for Moyses? If for goddes sake / then though Cryste had not bene god as he was: yet syth god sent hym wyth mira∣cles [ B] as he sent Moyses, what sholde lette hym to be byleued as well as Moyses, though he hadde neuer be spoken of by¦fore? Now yf for Moyses sake / Cryste was as good as Moyses was, all hadde he not ben god / and incomparably better syth he was god. why coulde he not then haue ben by leued wythoute the wytnesse of Moyses, commynge wyth miracles mo then euer Moyses dyd or all the prophetes by∣syde / and namely doyenge so many in his owne name.

And bycause that in the credence geuē vnto Cryste•• Tyn¦dale geueth so great preemynens to the scrypture aboue the myracles of Cryste / that is to saye to the worde of god wry¦ten aboue wonderfull workes of god done: lette Tyndale vnderstande that the cause why the wytnesse of scrypture holpe vnto the credēce of Cryste, was by reason of miracle / [ C] that is to wyt bycause yt prophecyed of hym. whyche thyng that shall come so longe after / is a great miracle.

And yet farther they that wolde not byleue in Cryste for hys miracles / wolde not byleue in hym for the scrypture neyther.

And yet for the fynall confutacyon of Tyndales foly, in sayeng that Cryste for all his miracles coulde not haue ben byleued but for the scrypture: euery fole knoweth that all the worlde saue the Iewes in theyr turnynge to Crystes by∣lyefe, were not led by the scrypture but by the miracles / and byleued not Cryste for the scrypture, but byleued the scry∣pture for Cryste, & Cryste for the myracles. And the Iewes whyche people moste byleued the scrypture / of them I saye fewest byleued in Cryste.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iohan. 15.