VOLUME 3

AN ANSWERE VNTO SIR THOMAS MORES DIALOGE

LOCATION
KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural

is a spirite and wilbe worsheped in the spirite Ihon .iiij. That is / though he be present euery where / yet he dwelleth liuely and gloriously in the myndes of angells only and hertes of men that loue his lawes and trust in his promises. And whersoeuer god findeth soch an hert / their he heareth the prayar in all places and tymes indifferently. So that the outward place nether helpeth or hindred / excepte (as I said) that a mans minde be moare quiett and still from the rage of wordely businesses / or that some thynge stere vpp the worde of god and ensample of our sauioure moare in one place then in a nother.

112/16 their . . . marters. Cf. CWM 6/1.201/26–30.

112/19–20 we ... he sinneth. Cf. CWM 6/1.203/18–204/28.

112/19–113/34 And what . . . ceremonyes. More calls Luther a "mad man" (CWM 6/1.203/25) for putting forth "a very frantyke argument" (CWM 6/1.204/17), namely, that the true church is without sin but composed of those in whom sin is still a pervasive presence. Tyndale accounts for the paradox first by appealing to the NT warrants for both tenets (112/21–113/19). (JW)

112/21–22 he that . . . not. 1 John 3.9.

112/22–25 men . . . wrincle. Eph. 5.25–27.

¶Whence Idolatrie or imageseruice springeth

112/26–27 If . . . in vs. 1 John 1.8. Answer has "hys worde" (112/27), while NT and KJV have "trueth" (Wallis 487/14; TNT 338B).

Now that thou maist se whence all this Idolatrie or imageseruice is sprounge / marke a litle / and then I will answere vn to the argumentes which these imageseruars make agenst the open trueth. All the ceremonies ornamentes and sacrifices of the olde testament were sacramentes. That is to wete / signes preachinge vn to the people one thynge or a nother. As circumcision preached vn to them / that god had chosen them to be his people / and that he wold be their god and defende them and encrease and multiplie them and kepe them in that londe and blesse the frutes of the erth and all their possessions . And on the other syde it preached / how that they had promised god agayne to kepe his commaundementes / ceremonies and ordinaunces. Now when they saw their younge children circumcised / iff they consented vn to the appoyntement made betwene god and them / moued by the pre

112/28–29 church ... only. Cf. CWM 6/1.196/28–29. More is willing to find a sinless church in heaven (CWM 6/1.206/1), but not on earth (CWM 6/1.196/30).

112/31–33 that good . . . flesh. Rom. 7.19–20.

113/1–3 the flesh . . . wolde. Gal. 5.17.