VOLUME 3

AN ANSWERE VNTO SIR THOMAS MORES DIALOGE

LOCATION
KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural

Morouer this oure faith which we haue in Christ / is euer fought agenst / euer assaylled and beten at with disperacion: not when we sinne only / but also in all temptacions of adversite in to which God bringeth vs / to nurtoure vs and to shew vs oure awne hertes / the ypocrisie and false thoughtes that there lye hidd / oure al most no faith at all and as litle loue / even then happly when we thought oure selues most perfecte of all. For when temptacions come we can not stond / when we haue synned faith is feble / when wronge is done vs we can not forgeue / in sickenes / in losse of goodes and in all tribulacions we be impacient: when oure neyboure neadeth oure helpe / that we must departe with him of oures then loue is colde.

And thus we lerne and fele that there is no goodnesse ner yet power to doo good / but of God only. And in all soch temptacions oure faith perisheth not vtterly neyther our loue and consent vnto the law of God / But they be weke / sycke and wounded and not cleane deed. As a good child whom the father and mother haue taught nurtoure and wisdom / loueth his father and all his commaundementes / and perceaueth of the goodnesse shewed him / that his father loueth him and that all his fathers preceptes are vnto his welth and profitt / and that his father commaundeth him nothinge for any neade that his father hath therof / but seketh his profitt only / and therfore hath a good faith vn to all his fathers promises and loueth al his commaundementes and doeth them with good wyll and with good will goeth to scole. And by the waye haply he seeth companie playe and with the sight is taken and raveshed of his me