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Wit, reason and judgment goeth

before will.

the elect, even then when they hated God, that their eyes should be opened, to see the goodness of the law of God, and the way to fulfil it, and forgiveness of all that is passed, whereby they be drawn to love it and to hate

sin.

I ask the popish one question, whether the will can prevent a man's wit, and make the wit see the righteousness of the law, and the way to fulfil it in Christ? If I must first see the reason whether I can love, how shall I with my will do that good thing that I know not of? How shall I thank God for the mercy that is laid up for me in Christ, ere I believe it? For I must believe the mercy, cre I can love the work. Now faith cometh not of our free-will, but is the grace of God given us by grace, ere there be any will in our hearts to do the law of God. And Faith is the why God giveth it not every man, I can give no reckoning gift of God, of his judgments. But well I wot, I never deserved it, nor prepared myself unto it, but ran another way clean contrary in my blindness, and sought not that way, but he sought me, and found me out, and shewed it me, aud therewith drew me to him. And I bow the knees of my heart unto God night and day, that he will shew it all other men. And I suffer all that I can to be a servant to

and cometh not by free

will.

Phil. i.

Phil. ii.

open their eyes.

For well I wot they cannot see of themselves before God hath prevented them with his grace. For Paul saith

(Phil. i.) He that began a good work in you shall continue, or bring it unto a full end; so that God must begin to work in us. And (Phil. ii.) God it is that worketh both the willing, and also bringing to pass. And it must needs first worker be, for God must open mine eyes, and shew me somewhat and make me see the goodness of it, to draw me to him, ere I can love, consent, or have any actual will to come.

God is the

and bringcr to pass

of our well doings.

And when I am willing, he must assist me, and help to tame my flesh, and to overcome the occasions of the world, Matt. xxiv. and the power of the fiends. God therefore hath a special care for his elect, insomuch that he will shorten the wicked

.

days for their sakes, in which no man, if they should continue, might endure. And Paul suffereth all for the elect (2 Timothy ii.) And God's sure foundation standeth, saith Paul, God knoweth his. So that refuse the truth who shall, God will keep a number of his mercy, and call them out of blindness, to testify the truth unto the rest, that their damnation may be without excuse.

The Turk, the Jew, and the popish build upon freewill, and ascribe their justifying unto their works. The Turk, when he hath sinned, runneth to the purifyings, or ceremonies of Mahomet; and the Jew to the ceremonies of Moses; and the pope unto his own ceremonies, to fetch forgiveness of their sins. And the Christian goeth through repentance toward the law, unto the faith that is in Christ's blood.

The Chris

tians seek help of

Christ!

And the pope saith that the ceremonies of Moses justified not, compelled with the words of Paul. And how then should his justify? Moses' sacraments were but signs of promises of faith, by which faith the believers are justified, and even so be Christ's also. And now because the Jews have put out the significations of their sacraments, and put their trust in the works of them, therefore they be idolaters and so is the pope for like purpose. The abomina. pope saith that Christ died not for us, but for the sacra- phemy! ments, to give them power to justify. O antichrist!

THE ELEVENTH CHAPTER.

O
ble blas-

His eleventh chapter is as true as his story of Utopia, and all his other poetry. He meaneth Doctor Ferman, Doctor Fer parson, of Honey Lane. Whom after they had han- man. dled after their secret manner, and disputed with secretly, and had made him swear that he should not utter how he was dealt with, as they have made many other, then they contrived a manner of disputations had with him, with such oppositions, answerings, and arguments, as should serve only to set forth their purpose. As M. More

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Ferman

was a vir

tuous, godly, and learned

man.

Master Dr. throughout all his book maketh, quoth he, to dispute and move questions after such a manner as he can foil them, or make them appear foiled, and maketh him grant where he listeth, and at the last to be concluded and led whither M. More will have him. Wherefore I will not rehearse all the arguments, for it were too long, and is also not to be believed, that he so made them, or so disputed with them, but that they added and pulled away, and feigned as they list, as their guise is. But I will declare in light, that which M. More ruffleth up in darkness, that ye may see their falsehood.

A true note to know

First, if ye were not false hypocrites, why had ye not hypocrites. disputed openly with him, that the world might have heard and borne record, that that which ye now say of him. were true? What cause is there that the lay people might not as well have heard his words of his own mouth, as read them of your writing, except ye were juggling spirits that walk in darkness?

M. More is

a juggler with terms.

When M. More saith, the church teacheth that men should not trust in their works, it is false, if he mean the pope's church. For they teach a man to trust in dumb ceremonies, and sacraments, in penance, and all manner [of] works that come them to profit, which yet help not unto repentance, nor to faith, nor to love a man's neighbour.

M. More declareth the meaning of no sentence, he describeth the proper signification of no word, nor the difference of the significations of any term, but runneth forth confusedly in unknown words and general terms. And where one word hath many significations, he maketh a man some time believe that many things are but one thing, and some time he leadeth from one signification unto another, and mocketh a man's wits. As he juggleth with his term church, making us in the beginning understand all that believe, and in the conclusion the priests only. He telleth not the office of the law, he describeth not his penance, nor the virtue thereof, nor use; he de

clareth no sacrament, nor what they mean, nor the use; nor wherein the fruit of confession standeth; nor whence the power of the absolution cometh, nor wherein it resteth; nor what justifying meaneth, nor the order; nor sheweth any diversity of faiths, as though all faiths were one faith and one thing.

Mark therefore, the way toward justifying, or forgiveness of sin, is the law. God causeth the law to be preached unto us and writeth it in our hearts, and maketh us by good reasons feel that the law is good, and ought to be kept, and that they which keep it not are worthy to be damned. And on the other side, I feel that there is no power in me to keep the law, whereupon it would shortly follow that I should despair, if I were not shortly holp. But God, which hath begun to cure me, and hath laid that corosy unto my sores, goeth forth in his cure, and setteth his son Jesus before me, and all his passion and death, and saith to me: This is my dear Son, and he hath prayed for thee, and hath suffered all this for thee, and for his sake I will forgive thee all that thou hast done against this good law, and I will heal thy flesh, and teach thee to keep this law, if thou learn. And I will bear with thee, and take all a worth that thou doest, till thou canst do better. And in the mean season, notwithstanding thy weakness, I will yet love thee no less than I do the angels in heaven, so thou wilt be diligent to learn. And I will assist thee, and keep thee, and defend thee, and be thy shield, and care for thee.

And the heart here beginneth to mollify and wax soft, and to receive health, and believeth the mercy of God, and, in believing, is saved from the fear of everlasting death, and made sure of everlasting life; and then being overcome with this kindness, beginneth to love again and to submit herself unto the law of God, to learn them and to walk in them.

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Note now the order, first God giveth me light to see repentance. the goodness and righteousness of the law, and mine own

The right order of our justification.

1 John iv.

Faith only

eth our justification.

sin and unrighteousness. Out of which knowledge springeth repentance. Now repentance teacheth me not that the law is good, and I evil, but a light that the Spirit of God hath given me, out of which light repentance springeth.

Then the same Spirit worketh in mine heart trust and confidence to believe the mercy of God and his truth, that he will do as he hath promised, which belief saveth me. And immediately out of that trust springeth love toward the law of God again. And whatsoever a man worketh of any other love than this, it pleaseth not God, nor is that love godly.

Now love doth not receive this mercy, but faith only, out of which faith love springeth, by which love I pour out again upon my neighbour that goodness which I have received of God by faith. Hereof ye see that I cannot be justified without repentance, and yet repentance jutifieth me not. And hereof ye see that I cannot have a faith to be justified and saved; except love spring thereof immediately, and yet love justifieth me not before God. For my natural love to God again doth not make me first see, and feel the kindness of God in Christ, but faith through preaching. For we love not God first, to compel him to love again but he loved us first, and gave his son for us, that we might see love and love again, saith S. John in his first Epistle: which love of God to usward we receive by Christ through faith, saith Paul.

And this example have I set out for them in divers apprehend places, but their blind popish eyes have no power to see it, covetousness hath so blinded them. And when we say, faith only justifieth us; that is to say, receiveth the mercy wherewith God justifieth us and forgiveth us; we mean not faith which hath no repentance, and faith which hath no love unto the laws of God again, and unto good works, as wicked hypocrites falsely belie us.

For how then should we suffer, as we do, all misery, to call the blind and ignorant unto repentance, and good

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