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

More.

Uppon this he concludeth after, that except baptysme & the sacrament of the auter / all the remanaunt be no trewe sacramentes for lakke of sygnifycacyons. But ere he can so conclude / he muste fyrste proue, not onely that all the sacra¦mentes and ceremonyes from Adam to Cryste hadde sygny¦fycacyons / but also that all those sygnyfycacyons were thē to the people knowen and vnderstanden. For ellys though god dyd sette thynges to sygnyfye and to be done: yet yf he commaunded them to do it and tolde them not the sygnyfy¦cacyons, [ C] but wolde leue them to be shewed and dysclosed at suche tyme afterwarde as it sholde lyke hym selfe / it was no synne for them in the meane whyle to do the thynges that god bode them do / but greate meryte to them, though they vnderstode not what the thynges sygnyfyed that they dyd / no more then my ••eruaunt that can no more but wryte, is worthy rebuke and blame in the wrytynge of a latyn booke at my byddynge, wherof he woteth not what any one worde meaneth. Now that all the sygnyfycacyons, of all the sacra¦mentes and ceremonyes from Adam to Cryste, were vnder¦standen of the people: that shall not Tyndale proue me, though he shuld lyue as many yeres as were betwene y^e crea¦cyō of Adam / & the ••••rth of Cryst. And therfore as many ye¦res must he nedes haue also•• ere euer h•• make hys cōclusion

folow and hys argument good. For yf god gaue them cere∣monyes [ A] and sacramētes, wherof he gaue them not the syg∣nyfycacyons: then so myghte he lykewyse gyue vs yf it so please hym to do. And farther yf they by the doynge of those not vnderstanden ceremonyes and sacramentes in obedy∣ence of his byddynge, dyd not synne, but deserued thanke / all suche I saye as dyd them in dew fayth of saluacyon by Cryste that was to come: then maye we also by the obser∣uynge of sacramentes and ceremonyes, hauyng some syg∣nyfycacyons farther then we perceyue (for one generall syg∣nyfycacyon of them all we knowe, that they be all good to∣kens and sygnyfycacyons of grace, in that they be taughte by god and hys spyryte that in such thynges doth instructe hys chyrche) we maye lykewyse I saye obserue them wyth∣out synne, and not wythout thanke of god. And so Tynda¦les [ B] argument goth to grounde quyte / all though our sacra∣mentes & ceremonyes were not good in dede. For they may be good for any reason that he maketh to the contrarye.

But now that they be good in dede, and delyuered vnto Crystes catholyke chyrche by hym selfe and hys holy spy∣tyte sent by hym selfe to dwell therin, to teache it all necessa¦rye trouth, and therby necessaryly to preserue it from all damnable vntreuth, false bylyefe, and idolatrye (as the sa∣cramentes & ceremonyes were yf they were false): thys haue I proued to Tyndale ofter I trow thē fyftene tymes / to whyche in fyftene hundred yere he shall I am sure neuer make one good answere.