VOLUME 3

AN ANSWERE VNTO SIR THOMAS MORES DIALOGE

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KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural

passiue and the life and quickenesse of the soule passiue. And soferforth as a man loueth the law of god / so ferforth he is righteous / and so moch as he lacketh of loue toward his neiboure after the ensample of Christe / so moch he lacketh of rightwysnesse. And that thynge whych maketh a man loue the lawe of god / doth make a man righteous and iustifieth him effectiuely and actually and maketh him alyue as a worke man & cause efficient. Now what is it that maketh a man to love? verely not the dedes / for they folow and springe of loue / if they be good. Nether the preachynge of the law / for that quickeneth not the herte Gala. iij. but causeth wrath Rom. iiij. and vttereth the synne only Romanorum .iij. And therfore sayth Paule that rightewysnesse spryngeth not out of the dedes of the law in to the herte / as the Iewes and the pope meane: but contrary the dedes of the law sprynge out of the rightwysnesse of the hert if they be good. As when a father pronounceth the law / that the child shall goo to scole / it saith naye. For that killeth his hert and all his lustes / so that he hath no power to loue it. But what maketh his herte aliue to loue it? verely fayre promises of loue and kindnesse / that it shall haue a gentle scolemaster and shall playe ynough and shall haue many gaye thynges and so forth. Even so the preachynge of fayth doth worke loue in oure soules and make them aliue and draw our hertes to God. The mercye that we haue in Christ doeth make vs loue only and only bryngeth the spirite of life in to our soules.

And therfore saith Paul / we be iustified by fayth and by grace with out dedes: that is / yer