A boke made by John Fryth, prysoner in the Tower of London: answerynge unto M. Mores letter, which he wrote agaynst the fyrste lytle treatyse that John Fryth made, concernynge the sacramente of the body and bloude of ChristFrith, John
Religion
A boke made by John Fryth, prysoner in the Tower of London: answerynge unto M. Mores letter, which he wrote agaynst the fyrste lytle treatyse that John Fryth made, concernynge the sacramente of the body and bloude of Christ
Frith, John
Dissenters, Religious -- England; Lord's Supper -- Early works to 1800; More, Thomas, Saint, 1478-1535
And therfor wyth the scrypture, nature, ād fathers, I wyll
conclude that there remayneth the substaunce, and nature, of breade and
wyne.
[Sidenote: More.] And where ye saye that we affyrme it to be nothynge
els, I dare saye that ye vntrulye reporte of vs all. And here after I
wyll shewe you what it is more then breade. And where ye saye that it is
meately well knowen what maner of folke they be, and that GOD hath in
parte wyth hys open vengeaunce declared.
[Sidenote: Fryth.] ¶ I answere that Master Wyclefe was noted whyle he
was lyuynge, [Sidenote: Wiclefe.] to be a man not onely of moste famous
doctryne, but also of a very syncere lyfe and conversacyon.
Neuerthelesse to declare your malycyous myndes and vengeable hartes (as
men saye) xv. yeares after he was buryed, you toke hym vp and brente
hym, whiche facte declared your furye, although he felte no fyre.
[Sidenote: Mat. 10.] But blessed be GOD whiche hath geuen suche
tyrauntes no further power, but over thys corruptyble bodye. For the
soule ye can not bynde nor burne, [Sidenote: Mal. 2.] but God maye
blesse where you curse, and curse where you blesse.
[Sidenote: Ecolampadius.] ¶ And as for Oecolampadius, that notable
learned man, hys moste aduersaryes haue euer commended hys conversacyon
and Godlye lyfe, which when God has appoynted hys tyme, gaue place vnto
nature (as euery man muste) and dyed of a canker.
[Sidenote: Tyndal.] And Tyndall I truste lyueth, well contente with
suche a poore Apostles lyfe, as GOD gaue hys sone Christe, and hys
faythfull mynysters in thys worlde, whiche is not sure of so many mytes,
as ye be yearly of poundes, although I am sure that for hys learnynge
and Iudgement in scripture, he were more worthye to be promoted, then
all the Byshoppes in Englande. I receyued a letter from hym, whiche was
wrytten sens Chrystmas, wherin amonge other matters he wryteth thus. I
calle GOD to recorde agaynst the daye we shall appere before our Lorde
Iesus to geue a rekonynge of our doynges, that I neuer altered one
syllable of Godes worde agaynste my conscyēce, nor wolde do this daye,
yf all that is in earth, whether it be honoure, pleasure, or ryches,
myght be geuen me. Morover I take GOD to recorde to my conscience, that
I desyre of GOD to my selfe in this wurlde no more then that without
whiche I can not keape hys lawes, & ce. Iudge Christen reader whether
these wordes be not spokē of a faythfull clere innocent harte. And as
for hys behauyoure is suche, that I am sure no man can reproue hym of
any synne, howbeit no man is innocent before God which beholdeth the
harte.
[Sidenote: Zwynglius.] Fynallye Zwinglius was a man of suche learnynge
and grauyte (besyde eloquence) that I thynke no man in Christendome
myght haue compared with hym, notwithstondynge he was slayne in battayle
in defendynge hys cytye, and cōmōwelth, agaynste the assaulte of wycked
enemyes, whiche cause was moste ryghtuouse.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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