VOLUME 3

AN ANSWERE VNTO SIR THOMAS MORES DIALOGE

LOCATION
KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural

the voyce of his father that all is forgeuen.

¶The maner and ordre of oure election

Even so goeth it with gods electe. God choseth them first and they not god / as thou readest Ihon .xv. And then he sendeth forth and calleth them / and sheweth them his goodwyll which he beareth vn to them / and maketh them se / both their awne damnacion in the lawe and also the mercie that is layd vpp for them in christes bloude / and therto what he will haue them doo. And then when we se his mercie / we loue him agayne and chose him and submitte our selues vn to his lawes to walke in them. For when we erre not in witt / reason and iudgement of thinges / we can not erre in wil and choyse of thynges. The choyse of a mans will doeth naturally and of hir awne accorde folowe the iudgement of a mans reason / whether he iudge righte or wronge. So that in teachinge only resteth the pith of a mans liuynge. How be it there be swine that receaue no lerninge but to defile it. And there be dogges that rent all good lerninge with their teth. And there be pope holy whych folowynge a ryghtewesnes of their awne faynynge resiste the rightwesnesse of god in Christe. And there be that can not attend to herken vn to the trueth for rage of lustes / which when lustes abate / come and obeye well ynough.

And therfore a Christen man must be pacient and sofre longe to wynne his brother to Christ / that he whych attendeth not to daye / maye receave grace and heare to morowe: