there was no worshipping of them, at the leastway generally until the time of St. Gregory. Circnus. A council gathered in Greece did put down all images. Insomuch that when Cirenus the bishop of Massilia, offended with the superstitiousness of the people, burnt them, St. Gregory wrote that he should not destroy the Gregory images, but teach only that the people should not worship them. But when it it was so far come that the people worshipped them with a false faith (as we now know no other use) and were no longer memorials only, then the bishops of Greece and the emperors gathered them together, to provide a remedy against that mischief; and concluded that they should be put down for the abuse, thinking it so expedient; having for them, first, the example of God, whom a man may boldly follow, which commanded in the beginning of all his precepts, that there should be no image used to worship or pray before, not for the image itself, but for the weakness of his people: and having again before their eyes, that the people were fallen unto idolatry and image-serving by the reason of them. Now answer me, by what reason canst thou make an heretic of him, that concludeth nought against God, but worketh with God and putteth that block out of the way, whereat his brother, the price of Christ's blood, stumbleth and looseth his soul? They put not down the images for hate of God and of his saints, no more than Hezekiah Hezekiah. brake the brazen serpent for envy of the great miracle that was wrought by it, or in spite of God that commanded it to be kept for a memorial. But to keep the people in the true faith only. Now, seeing we may be all without images, and to put them down is not against God's commandment, but with it; namely, if they be abused, to the dishonour of God and hurt of our neighbours; where is charity, if thou which knowest the truth and canst use thine image well, wilt not yet forbear thine image and suffer it to be put out of the way, for thy weak brother's sake whom thou seest perish therethrough? Images are not to be had in churches. More. Our lady. Tyndale. Morc. Salve Re gina. Tyndale. More. Tyndale. Matt. xii. Luke ii. The prayers of all good wo men are as well accepted of God as the prayers of our lady. Yea, and what thing maketh both the Turk and the Jew MORE. They blaspheme our lady and all saints. We honour our blessed lady and all holy saints, and follow their faith and living unto the uttermost of our power, and submit ourselves to be scholars of the same school. MORE. They may not abide Salve regina. TYNDALE. For therein is much blasphemy unto our blessed lady, because Christ is our hope and life only, and not she. And ye, in ascribing unto her that she is not, dishonour God and worship her not. MORE. They say if a woman being alive believe in God and love him as much as our lady, she may help with her prayers as much as our lady. TYNDALE. Tell, why not? Christ when it was told him that his mother and brethren sought him, answered, that his mother, his sisters, and his brethren, were all they that did his Father's will. And unto the woman that said to Christ, Blessed be the womb that bear thee, and paps that gave thee suck, Christ answered, Nay, blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it. As Paul saith, (1 Cor. ix.) I have nought to rejoice though I preach, for necessity lieth upon me, and woe is me if I preach not. If I do it unwillingly, an office is committed unto me, but, and if I do it with a good will, then I have a reward. So now carnal bearing of Christ, and carnal giving him suck, make not our lady great. But our blessed lady's greatness is her faith and love wherein she exceeded other. Wherefore if God gave his mercy that another woman were in those two points equal with her, why were she not like great, and her prayers as much heard? MORE. Item that men should not worship the holy More. cross. Cross. TYNDALE. With no false worship and superstitious Tyndale. faith, but as I have said, to have it in reverence for the memorial of Him that died thereon. MORE. Item, Luther hateth the feasts of the cross, More. and of Corpus Christi. TYNDALE. Not for envy of the cross, which sinned not in the death of Christ, nor of malice toward the blessed body of Christ, but for the idolatry used in those feasts. Tyndale. MORE. Item, that no man or woman is bound to keep More. any vow. Vow. TYNDALE. Lawful vows are to be kept until neces- Tyndale. sity break them. But unlawful vows are to be broken immediately. More. MORE. Martin appealed unto the next general council that should be gathered in the Holy Ghost, to seek a Martin. long delay. TYNDALE. Of a truth that were a long delay. For Tyndale. should Martin live till the pope gather a council in the Martin. Holy Ghost, or for any godly purpose, he were like to be for every hair of his head a thousand years old. Then bringeth he in the inconstancy of Martin, because he saith in his latter book, how that he seeth farther than in his first. Peradventure, he is kin to our doctors which when with preaching against pluralities they have got them three or four benefices, allege the same excuse. But yet, to say the truth, the very apostles of Christ learned not all truth in one day. For long after the Ascension they wist not that the heathen should be received unto the faith. How then could Martin (brought up in the blindness of your sect above forty years) spy out all your falsehood in one day? VOL. III. All false hood is not espied out in one day. More. Tyndale. More. MORE. Martin offered at Worms before the emperor and all the lords of Germany, to abide by his book and to dispute, which he might well do, sithens he had his safe conduct that he should have no bodily harm. TYNDALE. O merciful God, how foam ye out your own shame! ye cannot dispute except ye have a man in your own danger to do him bodily harm, to diet him after your fashion, to torment him and to murder him. If ye might have had him at your pleasure, ye would have disputed with him: first, with sophistry and corrupting the Scripture: then with offering him promotions: then with the sword. So that ye would have been sure, to have overcome him with one argument or other. MORE. He would agree on no judges. TYNDALE. What judges offered ye him, save blind bishops and cardinals, enemies of all truth, whose promotions and dignities they fear to be plucked from them, if the truth came to light, or such Judases as they had corrupt with money to maintain their sect? The apostles might have admitted as well the heathen bishops of idols to have been their judges, as he them. But he offered you authentic Scripture and the hearts of the whole world. Which two judges, if ye had good consciences and trust in God, ye would not have refused. THE FOURTH CHAPTER. THE fourth chapter is not the first poetry that he hath feigned. THE FIFTH CHAPTER. In the end of the fifth he untruly reporteth, that Martin saith, no man is bound to keep any vow. Lawful pro mises are to be kept, and unlawful to be broken. THE SIXTH CHAPTER. In the beginning of the sixth he describeth Martin after the example of his own nature, as in other places he describeth God after the complexion of popes, cardinals, and worldly tyrants. More. Martin, MORE. Martin will abide but by the Scripture only. TYNDALE. And ye will come at no Scripture only. Tyndale. And as for the old doctors ye will hear as little, save where it pleaseth you, for all your crying, Old holy fathers. For tell me this, why have ye in England condemned the union of doctors, but because ye would not have your Union. falsehood disclosed by the doctrine of them? MORE. They say, that a Christian man is discharged of all laws spiritual and temporal, save the gospel. More. How far a TYNDALE. Ye juggle: we say that no Christian man Tyndale. ought to bind his brother violently, unto any law whereof he could not give a reason out of Christ's doctrine, and out of the law of love. And on the other side we say, that a Christian man is called to suffer wrong and tyranny (though no man ought to bind him) until God rid us thereof; so far yet as the tyranny is not directly against the law of God and faith of Christ, and no farther. MORE. Martin was the cause of the destruction of the More. uplandish people of Germany. man is bound to suffer. TYNDALE. That is false, for then he could not have Tyndale. escaped himself. Martin was as much the cause of their confusion, as Christ of the destruction of Jerusalem. The duke elector of Saxony came from the war of those uplandish people, and other dukes with him, into Wirtemburg, where Martin is, with fifteen hundred men of arms, so that Martin if he had been guilty, could not have gone quit. And thereto all the dukes and lords that cleave unto the word of God this day, were no less cumbered with their common people than other men. Then after the loudest manner he setteth out the cruel |