Whole Works, Tracts 1 · Tract 4 · Part 1 · Section 5 – Section 6
¶ Why knowledge and not confeſſion, repentaunce and not penaunce.
ANd that I vſe this worde knowledge Knowledge and not confeſſion, repentaūce and not penaunce.and not confeſſion, and this word repentaunce and not penaunce. In which all he can not proue, that I geue not the right Engliſhe vntounto the Greeke word. But it is a farre other thyng that pay…eth them and byteth them by the breſtes. There he ſecret panges that pinch the very hartes of them, wherof they dare not cōplayne. The ſekeneſſe that maketh them ſo impaciēt is, that they hauehave loſt their iugglyng termes. For the doctours and preachers were wont to make many dimiſiōs, diſtinctions & ſortes of grace, gratis data, gratum faciens, preueniens & ſubſequens. And with confeſſion they The Papiſtes may not forbeare to hauehave their iugglyng termes.iuggled, & ſo made the people, as oft as they ſpake of it: vnderſtand ſhrift in the care. Wherof the Scripture maketh no mentiō: no it is cle…ne agaynſt the Scripture as they vſe it and preach it, and vntounto God an abhominatiō and a ſoule ſtinkyng ſacrifice vntounto the filthy Idole Priapus. The loſſe of thoſe iugglyng termes is the matter where of all theſe bottes brede, that gnaw them by the belyes and make them ſo vnquiet.
And in like maner, by this word penaunce, Penaunce.they make the people vnderſtand holy deedes of their enioynyng, with which they muſt make ſatiſfactiō Penaunce was profit… to the Papiſtes.vntounto Godward for their ſinnes. When all the Scripture preacheth that Chriſt hath made full ſatiſfactiō for our ſinnes to Godward, & we muſt now be thākfull to God agayne and kill the luſtes of our fleſh with holy workes of gods enioynyng & to take paciently all that God layeth on my back. And if I hauehave …rue penaunce what it is.hurt my neighbour, I am bounde to ſhr…e my ſelfe vntounto him and to make him amendes, if I hauehave wherewith, or if not thē to aſke him ſorgeueneſſe, and he is bounde to forgeue me. And as for their penaūce the Scripture knoweth not of. The Greke hath Metanoia and Metanoite, repentaunce and repente▪ or forthinkyng and forthinke. As we ſay in Engliſh it forthinketh me or I forthinke, and I repent or it repēteth me and I am ſory that I dyd it. So now the Scripture …ayth repent or let it forthinke you and come & beleue the Goſpell or glad tydynges that is brought you in Chriſt, and ſo ſhall all be forgeuen you, and henceforth lyue a new lyfe: And it will folow if I repent in Fayth in Chriſt … get a true repentaūcethe hart, that I ſhall do no more ſo willingly and of purpoſe. And if I beleued the Goſpell, what God hath done for me in Chriſt, I ſhould ſurely louelove him agayne & of louelove prepare my ſelfe vntounto his commaundementes.
Theſe thinges to be euen ſo M. More knoweth well inough. For he vnderſtandeth the Greke, and he knew them long yer I. But ſo blynd is couetouſneſſe & dronkē deſire of honour. Giftes blind the eyes of the ſeyng and peruert the wordes of the righteous Deut. xvij Deut. 17. ☜When couetouſnes findeth vauntage in ſeruyng falſehead, it riſeth vp into an o…mate malice agaynſt the truth & ſeeketh all meanes to reſiſte it, and to quēch it. As Balam the falſe Prophet, though he wiſte that God loued Iſraell Balam.and had bleſſed them and promiſed them great thyngs, and that he would fulfill his promiſes, yet for couetouſneſſe and deſire of honour, he fell into ſuch malice agaynſt the truth of God, that he ſought …ow to reſiſte it and to curſe the people. Whiche when God would not let him do, he turned him ſelfe an other way and gaue peſtilent counſell, to make the people ſinne againſt God, wherby the wrath of God …el vponupon them, and many thouſand periſhed. Notwithſtandyng Gods truth abode faſt and was fulfiled in the reſt. And Balam as he was the cauſe that many periſhed, ſo eſcaped he not hym ſelfe. No more did any that maliciouſly reſiſted the open truth agaynſt hys owne conſcience, ſence the world began, that euer I read. For it is ſinne agaynſt y• holy ghoſt, which Chriſt ſaith The ſinne agaynſt the holy ghoſt.ſhall neither be forgeuē here nor in the world to come, whiche text may this wiſe be vnderſtand that as that ſinne ☜ſhalbe puniſhed with euerlaſtyng dā nation in the lyfe to come: euen ſo ſhall it not eſcape vengeaūce here. As thou …eeſt in Iudas, in Pharao, in Balam and in all other tyrauntes whiche agaynſt their conſciences reſiſted the open truth of God.
So now the cauſe why our Prelates thus rage, & that moueth them to call M. More to helpe, is not that they finde iuſt cauſes in the tranſlation, but becauſe they hauehave loſt their iugglyng and fayned termes, wherewith Peter propheſied 2. Pet. 1.they ſhould make marchaundiſe of the people.
¶ Whether the Church were before the Goſpell or the Goſpell before the Church.
AN other doubt there is, whether the Church or congregatiō be before The chuch before y• goſpell, or the Goſpell before the church.the Goſpell or the Goſpell before the Church. Which queſtion is as hard to ſolue, as whether the father be elder then the ſonne or the ſonne elder then his father. For the whole Scripture and all beleuing hartes teſtifie that we are begotten through the word. Wherfore if the word beget the congregatiō, & he that begetteth is before hym that is begotten, then is the Goſpell before the Church. Paul alſo Rom. ix. ſayth, how ſhall they call on him whom they Rom. 9.beleue not? And how ſhall they beleue without a preacher? That is, Chriſt muſt firſt be preached yer men can beleue in him. And then it foloweth, that the word of the preacher muſt be before the fayth of the beleuer. And therfore The word which is y• Goſpell was before the church.in as much as the word is before the faith, and faith maketh the congregation, therfore is the word or Goſpell before the congregation. And agayne as the ayre is darke of it ſelfe & receaueth all her light of the ſonne: euen ſo are all mens hartes of thēſelues darke with lyes and receaue all their truth of Gods word, in that they conſent therto. And moreouer as the darke ayre geueth the ſonne no light, but contrarywiſe the light of the ſonne in reſpect of the ayre is of it ſelfe and lighteneth the ayre & purgeth it from darkeneſſe: euē ſo the lying hart of man can geue the word of God no truth, but contrary wiſe the truth of Gods word is of her ſelf, and lighteneth the harts of the beleuers and maketh them true, and clenſeth them from lyes, as thou readeſt Iohn. xv. ye be cleane by reaſon of the Ioh. 15.word. Which is to be vnderſtand, in that the word had purged their harces from lyes, from falſe opinions & from thinking euill good, and therfore from conſentyng to ſinne. And Iohn. xvij. Ioh. 17.ſanctifie them O father thorough thy truth. And thy woorde is truth. And thus thou ſeeſt that Gods truth dependeth not of man. It is not true becauſe man ſo ſayth or admitteth it for true: But man is true becauſe he beleueth it, teſtifieth and geueth witneſſe in hys hart that it is true. And Chriſt alſo ſayth him ſelfe Iohn. v. I receaue no witneſſe of mā. For if the multitude of Note w…ll thys.mās witneſſe might make ought true, then were the doctrine of Mahomete truer then Chriſtes.