VOLUME 3

AN ANSWERE VNTO SIR THOMAS MORES DIALOGE

LOCATION
KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural

By what merites doeth the pope that? by Christes. And Christ hath promised all his merites to them that repent & beleue and not geuen them vn to the pope to sell. And in youre absolucions ye oft absolue wyth out ioynynge of penaunce. He must haue a purpose to doo good werkes wyll ye saye. That condicion is sett before him to doo / out of the mercy that he hath receaued & not to receaue mercie out of them. But the popish can not repent out of the hert.

And therfore can not fele the mercie that faith bryngeth / & therfore can not be mercifull to their neyboures to doo their werkes for their sakes. But they fayne them a sorow for their synne in whych they euer continue and so morne for them in the mornynge that they laugh in them yer middaye agayne. And then they imagen them popish dedes / to make satisfaccion to God and make an Idole of him.

And fynally that good workes / as to geue almes and soch like / iustifie not of them selues / is manifeste. For as the good which are taught of god doo them well / of very loue to god and Christ and of their neybours for Christes sake / even so the euell doo them of vayne glorie and a false faith wykedly / as we haue ensamples in the phareses / so that a man must be good yer he can doo good. And so is it of the purpose to doo them: Ones purpose is good and a nothers evell: so that we must be good yer a good purpose come. How then / to loue the law of god and to consent therto and to haue it written in thine hert and to professe it / so that thou art ready of thyne awne accorde to doo it and wyth out compultion / is to be righteous: that I graunt and that loue maye be called rightwysnesse before God

Workes of them selues iustefye not. [1531]