VOLUME 3

AN ANSWERE VNTO SIR THOMAS MORES DIALOGE

LOCATION
KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural
¶Of worshepinge of sacramentes / ceremonies / images / reliques and so forth

Now let vs come to the worshepynge or honourynge of sacramentes ceremonies images and reliques. First images be not god / and therfore no confidence is to be geuen them. They be not made after the image of god ner are the price of christes bloude / but the werkmansheppe of the craftes man and the price of money and therfore inferioures to man.

106/31 testament of Christes bloud. Cf. Heb. 13.20.

107/2–14 litle flocke . . . bloude. This is a passage of lyrical beauty, such as is seldom met in controversial writing of the period. On the same topic, cf. 201/13–28. (JW)

Wherfore of all right man ys lord ouer them and the honoure of them is to doo man seruyce and mans dishonoure yt ys to doo them honorable seruyce / as vnto hys better. Images then and reliques ye and as christ saith / the holy daye to are seruantes vnto man. And therfore it foloweth that we can not / but vnto oure damnacion put one a cote worth an hundred cotes / vppon a postes backe / and let the ymage of god and the price of christes bloude goo vpp & downe / therby naked. For yf we care more to cloth the deed image made by man and the pryce of seluer then the liuely image of god and pryce of christes bloude / then we dishonoure the image of god and hym that made him and the price of chrystes. bloude and hym that bought hym.

107/5 christ . . . christes. Cf. 1 Cor. 3.23.

107/6 and all . . . christe. Cf. Matt. 25.40.

Wherfore the right vse / office and honoure of al creatures inferiores vnto man / is to do man seruice / whether they be images / reliques / ornamentes signes or sacramentes / holidayes / ceremonies or sacrifices. And that maie be on this maner and no doute it so once was. If (for an ensample) I take a pece of the crosse of christe and make a litle crosse therof and beare it aboute me / to loke theron with a repentinge hert / at tymes when I am moued therto / to put me in remembraunce that the body of christ was broken and his bloud

107/15–23 And he . . . dreade. Compare Luther's account of the believer's willing service of others without thought of recompense : "to serve, help, and deal with the neighbor as he sees that God through Christ has dealt with him and still deals with him," Freedom of a Christian, 1520 (WA 7.35/25–27; LW 31.366). (JW)

107/18–19 And of that . . . frely. Cf. Matt. 10.8.