would not once look upon. And therefore we left them unseen to, until they were past remedy, or past our power to remedy them, inasmuch as our slow bellies with their false blessings had juggled away from us, that wherewith they might have been holpen in due season. So that the silly poor man (though he had haply no wisdom to express his mind, or that he durst not, or that M. More fashioneth his tale as he doth other men's to jest out the truth,) saw that neither Goodwin sands nor any other cause alleged was the decay of Sandwich haven, so much as the people had no lust to maintain the commonwealth, for blind devotion which they have to pope-holy works.

THE SOLUTIONS AND ANSWERS UNTO M.
MORE'S FIRST BOOK.

IN the first chapter, to begin the book withal, to bring you good luck, and to give you a say or a taste, what truth shall follow, he feigneth a letter sent from no man.

THE SECOND CHAPTER.

In the second chapter, besides that it is untrue, this Worshipuse to have been ever since the time of the apostles, ping. he maketh many sophistical reasons about worshiping of saints, relicks, and images, and yet declareth not with what worship, but juggleth with the term in common, as he doth with this word church, and this word faith, when the words have divers significations: for all faiths are not one manner [of] faith, and so forth, and therefore he beguileth a man's understanding. As if a man said, The boy's will was good to have given his father a blow, and another would infer, that a good will could be no sin, and conclude that a man might lawfully smite

G

Subtle and words. juggling

True worshipping of saints.

True worshipping of God.

Bodily exercise.

his father. Now is good will taken in one sense in the
major, and in another in the minor, to use scholars'
terms, and therefore the conclusion doth mock a man's
wit. Then disputeth he, the servant is honoured for
the master's sake, and what is done to the poor
is done to Christ, (as the popish shall once feel for
their so robbing them) And the twelve apostles
shall have their seats and sit and judge with Christ, (as)
shall all that here preach him truly as they did,) and Mary,
that poured the ointment on Christ's head before his pas-
sion, hath her memorial, and therefore we ought to set
candles before images. First I ask him by what rule his
argument holdeth? And secondarily I answer, that the
true worshipping of saints is their memorial: to follow
them as they did Christ. And that honour we give
them, and so do not ye papists, but follow the steps of
your father the pope, as he doth the steps of his father
the devil. And as for sticking up of candles, I answer,
that God is a Spirit, and in the Spirit must be worshipped
only. Faith to his promises, and love to his laws, and
longing for the life that is in his Son, are his due honour
and service. All bodily service must be referred unto
ourselves, and not unto the person of God immediately.
All outward things which we receive of God are given us,
to take our parts with thanks, and to bestow the rest
upon our neighbours. For God useth no such things in
his own person, but created them for to give them us, that
we should thank him, and not to receive them of us, to
thank us for that were our praise and not his. Fasting,
watching, woolward going, pilgrimage, and all bodily exer-
cise must be referred unto the taming of the flesh only.
For as God delighteth not in the taste of meat, drink, or
in the sight of gold or silver, no more doth he in my fast
and such like, that I should refer them unto his person,
to do him a pleasure withal. For God in himself is as
good as he can be, and hath all the delectation that he
can have.
And therefore to wish that God were better

than he is, or had more pleasure than he hath, is of a worldly imagination.

And all the spirits that be in heaven are in as good case as they can be, and have all the delectation they can have, and therefore to wish them in a better case, or to study to do them more pleasure than they have, is fleshlyminded popishness. The pleasure of them that be in heaven is, that we hearken to God and keep his commandments, which when we do, they have all the pleasure that they can have in us. If in this life I suffer hell gladly, to win my brother, to follow God, how much more if I were in heaven should I rejoice that he so did? If in this world when I have need of my neighbour, by the reason of mine infirmities, yet I seek nought of him, save his wealth only, what other thing should I seek of him, if I were in heaven, where he can do me no service, nor I use any pleasure that he can do me?

All popish And imagina

THE devil desired to have his imaginations worshipped as God, and his popish children desire the same, and compel men so to honour them, and of their devilish nature describe they both God and his saints. therefore I say, all such fleshly imaginations, as to fast the tions are idolatry. Wednesday in the worship of St. John, or of St. Catharine, or what saint it be, or to fast saints' eves, or to go a pilgrimage unto their images, or to offer to them, to do them pleasure, thinking thereby to obtain their favour and to make special advocates of them, as a man would win the favour of another with presents and gifts, and thinking that if we did it not, they would be angry, are plain idolatry and image service, for the saint delighteth in no such, And when thou stickest up a candle before the image, thou Candles. mightest with as good reason make an hollow belly in the image and pour in meat and drink. For as the saint neither eateth nor drinketh, so hath he no bodily eyes to delight in the light of a candle.

Another is this, God giveth not the promises that are

We re-
cieve all
things of
God our
Father, for

Jesus
Christ's
*ake, his
Son and
our only
Saviour.

We must do all

things of love.

Sacrifices.

in Christ for bodily service, but of his mercy only, unto his own glory. Yea and of the father's goodness do all natural children receive. Ask a little boy who gave him his gay coat? he answereth, his father. Ask him why? and he answereth, because he is his father, and loveth him, and because he is his son. Ask him whether his father love him? and he saith Yea. Ask him how he knoweth it? and he saith, because he giveth him this, or that. Ask him whether he love his father? he saith, Yea. Ask him why? he saith, for his father loveth him, and giveth him all thing. Ask him, why he worketh? he answereth, his father will so have it. Ask him, why his father giveth not such and such boys coats too? Nay, saith he, they be not his sons, their fathers must give them as mine doth me. Go now, ye popish bond-servants, and receive your reward for your false works, and rob your brethren, and reign over them with violence and cruel tyranny; and make them worship your pillars, poleaxes, images, and hats. And we will receive of the merciful kindness of our Father, and will serve our brethren freely of very love, and will be their servants, and suffer for their sakes. And thereto our good deeds which we do unto our neighbour's need, spring out of our righteousness or justifying, which is the forgiveness of our sins in Christ's blood, and of other righteousness know we not before God. And contrariwise, your righteousness or justifying which standeth, as your faith doth, with all wickedness, springeth out of your holy works, which ye do to no man freely, save unto painted posts.

And when he alleged the sacrifices of the old law, I say they were sacraments, and preached unto the people, (as no doubt, our candles once were) and were no holy works to be referred unto God's person to obtain his favour, and to justify the people, and that the people should do them for the works' selves. And when the people had lost the significations, and looked on the holiness of the deeds to be justified thereby; they were image ser

vice, and hateful to God, and rebuked of the prophets, as it is to see throughout all the Old Testament.

Then he juggleth with a text of St. Paul (Rom. xiv.) Rom. xiv. Let every man for his part abound, one in this idolatry and another in that: when the sense of the text is, Let every man be sure of his own conscience, that he do nothing except he know well, and his conscience serve him, that it may be lawfully done. But what care they to abuse God's word and to wrest it unto the contrary?

And in the last end, to utter his excellent blindness, he saith: The wise man, Luther, thinketh that if the gold were taken from the relicks, it would be given unto the poor immediately; when he seeth the contrary, that they which have their purses full, will give the poor, (if they give aught) either an half penny, or in his country the fourth part of a farthing. Now I ask M. More's conscience, seeing they have no devotion unto the poor, which are as Christ's own person, and for whom Christ hath suffered his passion, that we should be kind to them, and whom to visit with our alms is God's commandment ; with what mind do they offer so great treasure to the garnishing of shrines, images, and relicks? It is manifest that they which love not God's commandment, can do nothing godly. Wherefore such offerings come of a false faith, so that they think them better than works commanded by God, and believe to be justified thereby. And therefore are they but image service.

A sure to

ken of a

false faith.

ence between

And when he saith, We might as well rebuke the pouring A differof the anointment on Christ's head: nay, Christ was then mortal as well as we, and used such things as we do, and it refreshed his body. But, and if thou wouldest now pour such on his image to do him pleasure, I would rebuke it.

Christ's dy, and a painted image.

natural bo