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

More.

Now consyder good reader that Tyndales purpose is, to proue vs that the apostles wrote all that was of necessyte [ B] to be done or to be byleued. And remember that as yet he doth but tell vs that they dyd so, and proueth it not yet / but he wyll anon full worshyppefully. But in the meane waye marke me this fyrste, that he sayth that Cryste and his apo∣stles dyd cōfyrme euery sermone with a sondry miracle. For tyll he proue me that by scrypture / I denye yt playnely. For syth neyther scrypture teacheth yt, nor the catholyke chyrch preacheth yt, nor any reason proueth yt: I maye well and boldely denye yt, and so I do.

For I se well his falsed for whych he fayneth yt. He seeth miracles wrought by god plentuousely in hys chyrche, and that thereby his chyrche and the fayth therof is confermed / and therfore to brynge at the lestewyse some parte therof in questyon, he wold saye that we fynde not specyall miracles [ C] done for euery poynte. But I say no more dyd the apostles neyther, nor Tyndale shall neuer proue yt. For yf he wyll proue me that / he muste proue me trew, not onely the thyng that hym selfe sayth, whych is more then euer he shall proue trew / that is to wyt that they proued euery sermon wyth a sondry miracle / but also that eyther they neuer preched but one artycle in one sermone. Or yf they preached many / he muste then proue me two thynges / one, that they cōfyrmed that sermon wyth as many miracles as they preached poyn¦tes / a nother that they shewed the people that the miracles whyche they then dyd, was so many miracles for so many poyntes / for ellys myght all those myracles be done for the profe of one of those poyntes, and all the remanaunt vnpro¦ued.

[ A] For yf Tyndale wyll say that thinge neded not for as mych as any one miracle suffysed to proue them all, syth yt proued hym a trew preacher: then shall Tyndale say ••o the thynge that I wolde haue hym saye / for then hym selfe pro¦ueth that it neded not that they sholde proue euery sermone wyth a seuerall myracle made amonge one people / nor per¦aduenture any one sermone neyther otherwyse then as by miracles shewed at other occasions bysyde theyr sermons, they proued them selfe holy men and goddes messengers. For we fynde many miracles done by them at suche tymes as they were not makynge of sermons. And yet when they dyd them in Crystes name / we finde not alway that they ad¦ded a specyall artycle of oure faith, whyche specyaltye they wolde haue by that miracle confermed.

[ B] And thus ye se that h••re he affermeth one thinge that he shall neuer proue / whych thynge yet I wolde not vouche safe to speke of, sauynge that he doth it of an euill purpose. For hys mayster Martyne Luther when Erasmus layed agaynste hym for mannys fre wyll the doctry••e of the olde holy saynts, whose fayth was approued by miracles: layed agaynst hym agayne, that though they dyd myracles, Eras¦mus yet coulde not proue y^t any of them dyd a myracle spe∣cyally for that artycle and therfore he wolde haue that arty¦cle seme vnproued as for any myracle. And this way taketh Tyndale now for the selfe same ••••t••nt / & therfore fayneth that the apostles confermed euery sermone wyth a sondrye myracle. But I dowte not but that yf we sholde bydde Tyn¦dale here or Luther hym selfe, proue vs euery artycle of his [ C] fayth whych he wolde we sholde wene were y^e fayth that the apostles preached / yf we sholde I say dyd them proue vs, y^t the apo••••les conf••••med euery artycle therof by a sondry my∣racle: they shold seeke in scrypture tyll theyr eyen were ••••••¦ete they ••••••••de it.

More••••er Tyndales wordes fyghte to gether, and one 〈◊〉〈◊〉 can not agre wyth an other. For yf these wordes •••• trew that they preued euery sermon with a sondry myracle / 〈…〉〈…〉 false that he sayth here also, that is to wyt of ••••ra¦cles, 〈…〉〈…〉 be wryten as nedeth.

〈…〉〈…〉 that Tyndale say••h, that thapo••••le•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈…〉〈…〉

miracle: yt foloweth that euery necessary poynte that they [ A] preached, they dyd proue by miracle. Then ferther yf eue¦ry necessary poynte that they preached they preued by mi∣racle, bycause yt was nedefull y^t yt sholde be, for credence to be geuen to that point for our soules helth: it was nedefull then for the cōseruacion of the same credence, yf the credēce coulde not be kepte wythout wrytynge, that of euery suche necessary poynt of fayth and necessarye doctryne of theyrs, wythout whych byleued we canne not be saued / there were one miracle wryten at the leste. But there ys not of euery suche artycle one miracle wrytyn: ergo yt is not trewe that Tyndale goth aboute to proue, that the miracles as many be wryten as nede / and that euery necessary thynge is wry∣ten. And veryly yf euery thynge that we sholde necessaryly byleue, had ben thentent of god to haue it put in wrytynge / [ B] and that yt hadde ben also necessary that euery poynt were preued by one miracle / and not suffycyent that the prechers were proued by miracles them selfe, & therby their doctrine to be byleued: yt were very probable then, both that y^e wry¦ters wolde haue wryten some thinges mych more open and playne thē they ••aue done / and also that of euery necessary poynte of fayth, they wolde haue wryten one miracle at the leste. But now syth god entended not to gyue his new lawe by bokes, but specyally by the necessary poyntes therof wry¦ten in mennys hartes / wherof hym selfe wolde be the specy∣all inwarde mayster: he hath prouyded y^t scrypture to serue for parte, but not to serue alone for all. And syth suche my∣racles as be wryten therin, suffyse to proue y^e apostles god∣des trew preachers / and therfore neded not myracles to be [ C] wryten••for euery poynte of theyr preachynge: no more ne∣ded there to be myracles done for euery poynt of theyr prea¦••••••ge.

And for farther profe therof / hew many thynges, prea∣c••ed the apostles by theyr pystles, wyth whyche we rede not that they sente by the messengere for euery poynte a myracle.

And thus good readers here ye se fyrste that thys poyn•• of Tyndales preachynge muste be better proued / whyche poynt thus reproued, answereth and reproueth clerely dy∣•••••••• other places of hys boke hereafter. But yet is i•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••o ••e consydered & wayed in hys wordes y^t he sayth, 〈…〉〈…〉substau••ce in generall of euerythynge ••••••••ssary to 〈◊〉〈◊〉

[ A] soules hesth, both of what we ought to byleue, and what we ought to do / 〈◊〉〈◊〉 wryten. So that what so euer we ought to byleue or do, that same is wryten expressely / or drawen of that whyche is wryten.