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

More.

Tyndale maketh the chaunge of the sabbat daye a very sleyght mater. And bycause that our sauyour sayde of hym selfe, that the sonne of man, that is to wytte he hym selfe was lorde of the sabbat daye: therefore as though euery man were god almyghty his felow, Tyndale sayth that we be lordes of the sabbat day, so that we may chaung the son∣daye [ B] into mondaye.

He sayth that there was neuer cause to chaung it fro sat∣terday, but onely to put a difference betwene vs & y^e Iewes, and leste we sholde bycome seruauntes vnto the daye after theyr superstycyon. But I thynke there was bysyde thys a nother cause more pryncypall then any of both those. For y^e Iewes and the crysten hadde other dyfferences and dystync¦cyons betwene them / as baptysme and cyrcumcysyon. Nor yt hadde not ben so great incōuenience that they shold both haue serued god on one daye, that for the auoydyng therof we sholde haue lefte the daye that god hym selfe appoynted in the begynnynge. And also crysten men both myght haue kepte the same daye that the Iewes kepte, and yet haue left the superstycyon therof that the Iewes vse. And may nowe [ C] also (as happely some do) kepe the sonday wyth lyke super¦stycyon as the Iewes do the saterday. And therefore these causes be but dyuyned and gessed at, and seme but very se∣cundary. But the very cause of the chaung is / that mē were not the lordes of the sa••batday, nor men were not the pryn¦cypall authours and makers of the chaunge. But the sonne of man our sauyour. Cryste hym selfe, beynge (as he sayde hym selfe) lorde euen ouer the sabbatday to / and whyche as god hadde made and ordeyned the sabbatdaye for man and not man for the sabbatday, and yet neuerthelesse subdued man vnto certayne order of seruynge not the sabbatday but god vppon the sabbatday: he I saye hym selfe when he de∣lyuered the people from the obseruaūce of the olde law, dyd as lorde of the sabbatday, dyscharge them of the sabbatday.

And yet bycause they sholde not haue suche a lordely [ A] mynde as Tyndale here teacheth vs to haue / as to thynke they myght at theyr pleasure take what day they wolde, and make and breke as they lyste: he appoynted them hym selfe and his owne holy spyrite, the day of his owne resurrecciō. whyche gloryouse rysynge of his blessed body not onely to reste, but also to eternall glory: it pleased hym to haue we∣kely celebrate wyth the restynge day drawen from wordely besynes, to the desyre of heuen & acceptable seruyce of god. And for this is yt and euer hath ben specyally called our lor¦des daye. wherof to say that we be now the lordes and able to chaunge yt to fryday for our pleasure, or turne yt to eue¦ry tenth day when we lyste: I wene that none wyll saye so but lurdanes, y^• longed to make gaudyes of goddes passyō, or make hym honored selder then he shold. For as for nede / [ B] fell there neuer none such yet, to chaunge this day y^t Cryste hath ordeyned hym self. And he is as able to kepe it frō such nede of chaunge for euer here after / as he hath kepte yt this xv. hundred yere byfore.

If Tyndale stykke styll in this poynte / & say the chyrche made yt and the chyrch may breke yt: I say that the chyrch as yt made yt so yt maye breke yt. That is to wyt that as yt made yt by the spiryte of god, so yt may breke yt by the same spiryte. That is to say that as god made yt, so hym self may breke yt, yf yt so shall please hym. For in suche thynges though the chyrche haue ordeyned yt: yet hath the chyrche not done yt but the spiryte of god / as holy saynte Austayne sayth in the receyuynge of ou•• howsell, where he sayth that yt hath pleased the holy goost, that where as in the bygyn∣nynge [ C] yt was receyued after other meatys, yt shode be now receyued of folke whyle they be fastynge.

And in lyke wyse the apostles, to geue vs knowlege that though the chyrche make the ordinaunce, yet the spyryt of god is the worker therof: wrote as is remembred in the .xv. of the actes: It hath pleased y^e holy goost and vs, & so forth shewed what lawes they had made / declarynge therby that though them selfe made them, yet made they them not wyth out the mocyon of goddes holy spiryte. And neuer shall the whole catholyque chyrche, neyther make wythout god nor breke agayne wythout hym. But he shall wyth hys pre¦sence and hys holy spyryte, so gyde and gouerne hys chyrch in suche manner of thynges / that they shall not chaung••

[ A] chaunge the sondaye neyther of lordely mynde•• pleasure, nor necessyte. Nor I thynke he shall neuer suffer the chyrch to chaunge it. But it is a chaunge ones so made and esta∣blysshed by our sauyour hym selfe, that as y^e saterdaye was ordeyned by god hym selfe to stande vnchaunged tyll Cryst came / so is Crystes daye so ordeyned by hym selfe•• y^t it shall stande vnchaunged tyll hym selfe come agayne, & chaunge all the weke and all the yere to into one eternall daye wyth∣out eyther weke or yere. And thys chaunge hath he made I saye fro saterdaye to sondaye hym selfe wythout scrypture / whyche we be bounden wythout scrypture obedyentely to kepe and obserue, what so euer Tyndale bable and scoffe agaynste it.

For where Tyndale sayth that we be suche lordes ouer [ B] it, that we maye chaunge and make our sabbatdaye as well vppon any other daye as vppon the sondaye: I wolde wyt of hym whyche we? whyther the hole catholyke chyrche or euery pertyculare prouynce / and yf so, then euery dyocyse / and by the same reason, euery parysshe by it selfe / and then any howsholde / and fynally any one man is by hym selfe at the same lybertye to kepe for hys owne sabbat daye whyche daye he lyste hym selfe, and nede not to come to chyrche wyth other but whan there is a sermone. And then ye wote well thys waye wolde do well. Now yf he meane by we, all we the hole chyrche of Cryst by a comen consent: then must he tell vs whyche is it, and then muste he nedes assygne a knowen chyrche. where is then becomē hys heresye of theyr secrete vnknowen chyrche of electes and penytentes wyth∣out [ C] penaunce?

And where he sayth we nede none holydaye at all yf the people myghte be taught wythout it: thys is one drawght of hys poyson putte forth vnder the swete pretexte of prea∣chynge. wherby syth preachynge is necessary / he wolde make men byleue that commynge to chyrche on the holy∣day, or there to honour god wyth dyuyne seruyce and pray∣our, were but a thynge of nought / where as the apostles came them selfe in to the temples in the holydayes to praye. And our sauyour alledgeth hym selfe the wordes of Esay:* 1.1 My howse shall be called the howse of prayour.

Now where as I alledged in my dyaloge the wordes of saynte Poule vnto the Thessalonycenses, to whom he wry∣teth in thys wyse: kepe you my tradycyons whych I haue

taken you, eyther by worde or letter: to this doth Tyndale [ A] answere no••hynge to me, but thys.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Esaiae .51.