VOLUME 3

AN ANSWERE VNTO SIR THOMAS MORES DIALOGE

LOCATION
KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural

hath hir memoriall / and therfore we ought to sett candles before images. First I axe him by what rule his argument holdeth. And secondaryly I answere that the true worshepynge of saintes is their memorial / to folow them as they did christe. And that honoure we geue them and so do not ye popish / but folow the steppes of youre father the pope / as he doeth the steppes of his father the deuell. And as for stekinge vpp of candels / I answere that God is a spirite and in the spirite must be worsheped only. Faith to his promises and loue to his lawes and longynge for the life that is in his sonne are his due honoure and seruice. All bodyly seruice must be referred vn to oure selues and not vn to the person of God immediatly. All outward thynges which we receave of god ar geuen vs / to take oure partes with thankes and to bestow the rest vppon oure neyboures. For god vseth no soch thinges in his awne person / but created them for to geue them vs / that we shuld thanke him / and not to receaue them of vs / to thanke vs: for that were our prayse and not his. Fastynge / watchynge / wolward goinge / pilgrimage and all bodyly excercice must be referred vn to the taminge of the flesh only. For as god deliteth not in the tast of mete / drinke / or in the sighte of gold or seluer / no moare doeth he in my fast and soch like / that I shuld referre them vn to his person / to do him a pleasure with all. For god in him selfe is as good as he can be and hath all the delectacion that he can haue. And therfore to wish that god were better then he is or had moare pleasure then he hath / is of a worldely imaginacyon.

True worshepynge of saintes [1531]

True worshuppinge of god 1531

Bodelye exercyse 1531

And al the spirites that be in heuen are in