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

More.

Lo now haue we herd hym say yt / & now lakke we no more but euen to here hym proue yt. For when Tyndale proueth not that the thynge is so done in dede / but layeth vs onely the causes for whyche he sayth god caused yt to be done: in this doth he nothynge ellis but tell vs what god shold haue done yf he hadde taken hym to counsayle.

Tyndale proueth not that god hath shewed hym that all is done saue onely the day of dome / whyche he muste proue or ellys we wyll denye yt hym. Nor he proueth not that god hath shewed hym y^t he wolde not sterre vp yf nede were euery daye a new prophete, and that wyth new miracles to, 〈2 pages duplicate〉〈2 pages duplicate〉

rather then bynde hym selfe that he sholde neuer teche any [ A] thynge more, or haue hys olde doctryne forgoten eyther. whyche thynge he must proue, or els wyll we denye it hym / syth god hath taken more labour and greater payne for his chyrche then that. For he hath shedde hys blood for it, and myghte do all that wyth the lest worde of hys mouth.

And we saye also that god hath dayly stered vp & dayly doth sterre vp new prophetes in sundry partes of hys catho¦lyke chyrche, holy doctours, and preachers, and faythfull men•• and good lyuers / for whom bothe quycke and dede he doth shewe myracles in hys catholyke chyrche, and therby approueth the fayth and workes that they lyued and dyed in, as he sterred vp prophetes amonge the iewes in sundry ages for all the myracles done by Moyses / and doeth not so for no chyrche of heretykes. [ B]

Nor he proueth not that y^e poyntes of fayth muste nedys haue fallen awaye, but yf they had ben wrytē. whych thyng he must proue vs / for ellys wyll we boldely denye it, and go nere to proue the contrary. For we se that the chyrche hath kepte dyuerse thynges wythout scrypture thys .xiii.C. yere, and as it is thought .ii.C. yere afore / and is yet as lykely to kepe it as many mo, and twyse as many mo yf the worlde laste so longe.

Now haue they be kepte so longe eyther by man, or by y^e deuyll, or ellys by god. And yf Tindale say that eyther man or deuyll haue kepte them all thys whyle: we maye be bold to tell hym that then was god as able to kepe them, as was any of those both / and neded no more scrypture therto, then neded eyther man or deuyll. [ C]

Tyndale proueth vs not neyther that when the thynges were wryten they were therby sure as he sayth to endure for euer. For he proueth not by scrypture that y^e scrypture shall endure for euer. For though the scrypture saye that y^e worde of god shall laste for euer, and that there shall not therof the leste letter be loste: yet is that ment of the sonne of god and of the mater, & of the worde vnwryten, and not of the wor∣des wryten in scrypture / excepte none of saynt Poules epy∣stles be loste, or that suche as be lost was no scrypture, or y^• in those pystles were no letters.

Nor Tyndale hath not proued that the scrypture is so clerely wryten, but that god nedeth as well to sterre vp pro∣phetes with miracles for the declaracion of y^e trouth therof,

[ A] whyle the false exposytours be so contencyouse / as he shold haue neded for the teachynge, kepynge, and confyrmacyon of the poyntes of fayth vnwryten. And as I byfore sayde euē so he doth. And thus ye se that these wordes are to Tyn¦dale very lytle worth. But then sayeth he farther.