VOLUME 3

AN ANSWERE VNTO SIR THOMAS MORES DIALOGE

LOCATION
KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural

soules / to loue his lawes / and hath grauen them in oure hertes by the outwarde mynistracyon of his true preacher and inwarde workynge off his spirite or by insperacion only / we know not god as he is to be knowen ner fele the goodnesse or any swetnesse in his law. How then can we consent therto? Saith not the texte / that we can doo no good while we be euell and they which seke glorie and to clime in honoure a boue theyr brethern can not beleue the trueth/ and that hores theues murtherars extorcionars and such like haue no parte in the kyngdome of god and christe ner any felynge therof? And who shall take those diseases from them? God only thorow his mercie / for they can not put of that complexion of them selues / vntyll they be taught to beleue and to fele that yt ys damnable and to consent vnto the contrary liuynge.

And vnto the seconde part I answere / that in respecte of god we doo but sofre only and receaue power to doo all oure dedes whether we doo good or bad / as christ answered Pilat / that he coude haue no power agenst him except it were geuen him from a boue and no moare coude Iudas nether. But in respecte of the thinge wherin or wherwith we worke and sheade out agayne the power that we haue receaued / we worke actually. As the axe doeth nothinge in respecte of the hand that heweth / saue receaue: but in respecte of the tre that is cutte / it worketh actually and powreth out againe the power that it hath receaued.

M. Item that god is auctor of good & euell: as wel of the euel will of Iudas in betrayenge christe / as of the goodwill of christ in soferynge his passion.T. the power where wyth we doo