VOLUME 3

AN ANSWERE VNTO SIR THOMAS MORES DIALOGE

LOCATION
KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural

And all they whych beleue that their synnes be forgeuen them and they receaued as the scripture testifieth / vn to the enheritaunce of heuen for Christes merites / the same loue christ & their brethern for his sake and doo all thynge for their sakes only / not once thynkinge of heuen / when they worke / but on their bretherns neade. When they sofre them selues aboue might / then they comforte their soule with the remembraunce of heuen / that this wrechednesse shall haue an ende and we shall haue a thousandfold pleasures and rewardes in heuen / not for the merites of oure deseruynges but geuen vs frely for Christes. And he that hath that loue hath the right faith. And he that hath that faith hath the right loue. For I can not loue my neyboure for Christes sake / excepte I first beleue that I haue receaued soch mercy of Christe. Ner can I beleue that I haue receaued soch mercy of Christ / but that I must loue my neyboure for his sake / seinge that he so instantly desyreth me.

And all . . . heuen. Cf. Acts 13.38–39, Heb. 9.15.

] Acts

] Hebrews

201/21–24 Our doynges can deserue nothyng, but Christe hath deserued for vs.[1573]

For . . . Christe. Cf. Matt. 25.40, 1 John 4.11.

] Matthew

] 1 John

And all . . . desyreth me. A passage recalling 107/2–14 on the freedom from spiritual self-interest that flows from justification , a centerpiece of Reformation piety. (JW)

And when he allegeth S. Iames / it is answered him in the mammon / and S. Augustine answereth him. And saynt Iames expoundeth him selfe. For he saith in the first chapter / God whych begatt vs of his awne wyll with the worde of trueth / which-worde of trueth is his promises of mercye and forgeuenesse in oure sauioure Iesus / by whych he begatt vs / gaue vs life & made vs a new creature thorow a fast fayth. And Iames goeth and rebuketh the opinion & false fayth of them that thynke it ynough to be saued by / iff they beleue that there is but one god and that Christ was borne of a virgen and a thousand thynges whych a man may beleue. And yet not beleue in Christe / to be saued from

S. Iames . Cf. Jas. 2.19–20 quoted by CWM 6/1.386/9–17. In the second edition of Dialogue (May 1531), More added to Bk. 4, Ch. 11 a further explanation of the relationship between faith and works (CWM 6/1.386/18–388/34, 6/2.557). For other long additions to Dialogue, cf. 79/9 and 184/2nn on images.

] James

Iames .2. [1531]

S. Augustine answereth. Unio Dissidentium (1. Q4v) quotes Augustine on the reconciliation of Paul and James: "For the former [Rom. 3.28] is speaking of the works which precede faith, whereas the latter [Jas. 2.20], of those which follow on faith." From CCL 44A.221; Eighty-Three Different Questions (AD C395–96), end of Ch. 76, tr. David L. Mosher, FOTC 70 (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America P, 1977) 196. In On Faith and Works (AD 412–13), Augustine explains that when Paul taught justification by faith, not by the works of the law, he did not mean to denigrate the good works that follow faith and the Spirit's gift of love. James, then, is one of the apostles who make it clear that faith without works of love is of no avail. De fide et operibus, not cited in Unio, was in vol. 6 of the Amerbach edition of Augustine (Basel, 1506) and was printed separately at Cologne in 1527 (PL 40.197–230; CSEL 41.35–97; ACW 48). (JW)

] Romans

] James

trueth / . . . trueth] ed., trueth . . . trueth / [1531], truth, . . . truth, [1573]

begatt . . . trueth. Cf. Jas. 1.18.

] James

a new creature. Cf. 2 Cor. 5.17.

] 2 Corinthians

202/2–5 Iames reproueth false frutes and not a true and liuely fayth.[1573]