Our sin is the cause crites highest degree, that for the sin of the people hypocrites shall reign over them. What shows, that hypo- what faces and contrary pretences are made, and all to stablish them in their theft, falsehood, and damnable lies, and to gather them together for to contrive subtilty to oppress the truth, and reign. The practice of pre lates. ness. to stop the light, and to keep all still in darkWherefore it is time to awake, and to see every man with his own eyes, and to judge, if we will not be judged of Christ, when he cometh to judge. And remember that he which is warned hath none excuse, if he take no heed. Herewith, farewell in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose Spirit be thy guide and doctrine, and the light to judge withall. Amen. UNTO SIR THOMAS MORE'S DIALOGUE, MADE BY WILLIAM TYNDALE, 1530. WHAT THE CHURCH IS. THIS word church hath divers significations. First Significa it signifieth a place or house, whither Christian people were wont in the old time to resort at times convenient, for to hear the word of doctrine, the law of God, and the faith of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and how and what to pray, and whence to ask power and strength to live godly. For the officers thereto appointed preached the pure word of God only, and prayed in a tongue that all men understood. And the people hearkened unto his prayers, and said thereto Amen; and prayed with him in their hearts, and of him learned to pray at home, and every where; and to instruct every man his household. Where now we hear but voices without signification; and buzzings, howlings, and cryings, as it were the hallooings of foxes, or baitings of bears; and wonder at disguisings and toys whereof we know no meaning. By reason whereof we be fallen into such ignorance, that we know of the mercy and promises which are in Christ nothing at all. And of the law of God we think as do the Turks, and as did the old heathen people, how that it is a thing which every man may do of his own power, and in doing thereof becometh good, and waxeth righteous, and deserveth heaven; yea, and are yet more mad than that. For we imagine the same of fantasies, and vain ceremonies of our own making; neither needful unto the taming of our own flesh, neither profitable unto our neighbour, neither honour unto God. word church are tions of the divers. The minischurch are appointed ters of the to preach that all men The law cannot be fulfilled with works, be they never so holy. A great abuse in prayer. The church taken for the spiritualty. King Wil liam. And of prayer we think, that no man can pray but at church, and that it is nothing else but to say Pater noster unto a post. Wherewith yet, and with other observances of our own imagining, we believe we deserve to be sped of all that our blind hearts desire. In another signification it is abused and mistaken for a multitude of shaven, shorn, and oiled, which we now call the spiritualty and clergy. As when we read in the chronicles, king William was a great tyrant, and a wicked man unto holy church, and took mnch lands from them. King John. King John was also a perilous man, and a wicked unto holy church, and would have had them punished for theft, murder, and whatsoever mischief they did, as though they had not been people anointed, but even of the vile rascal and common lay people. St. Thomas of Canterbury. Holy church hath borne a great swinge. And Thomas Becket was a blessed and an holy man, for he died for the liberties (to do all mischief unpunished) and privileges of the church. Is he a layman, or a man of the church? Such is the living of holy church. So men say of holy church. Ye must believe in holy church and do as they teach you. Will ye not obey holy church? Will ye not do the penance enjoined you by holy church? Will ye not forswear obedience unto holy church? Beware lest ye fall into the indignation of holy church, lest they curse you, and so forth. In which all we underand his rab- stand but the pope, cardinal, legates, patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, chancellors, archdeacons, commissaries, officials, priests, monks, friars, black, white, pied, grey, and so forth, by (I trow) a thousand names of blasphemy, and of hypocrisies, and as many sundry fashions of disguisings. The pope ble taken for the church. The church isa congre gation of people of all sorts ga thered together. It hath yet, or should have, another signification, little known among the common people now-a-days. That is to wit, it signifieth a congregation, a multitude or a company gathered together in one, of all degrees of people. As a man would say, the church of London, meaning not the spiritualty only (as they will be called for their diligent serving of God in the Spirit, and so sore eschewing to meddle with temporal matters) but the whole body of the city, of all kinds, conditions, and degrees: and the church of Bristol, all that pertain unto the town generally. And what congregation is meant, thou shalt alway understand by the matter that is entreated of, and by the circumstances thereof. of God how it is taken ture. Gal. i. Acts xxii. And in this third signification is the church of God or The church Christ taken in the Scripture, even for the whole multitude of all them that receive the name of Christ to believe in in Scriphim, and not for the clergy only. For Paul saith (Gal. i.) I persecuted the church of God above measure: which was not the preachers only, but all that believed generally. As it is to see Acts xxii. where he saith: I persecuted this way even unto the death, binding and putting in prison both men and women. And (Gal. i.) I was unknown con- Gal. i. cerning my person unto the congregations of the Jews which were in Christ. And (Rom. xvi.) I commend unto Rom. xvi. you Phebe the deaconess of the church of Cenchris. And the churches of Asia salute you. (1 Cor. the last.) And if a man cannot rule his own house, how shall he take the care of the church of God? (1 Tim. iii.) any faithful man or woman have widows, let them find them, that the church be not charged. (1 Tim. v.) And (Matt. xviii.) If thy brother hear thee not, tell the church or congregation, and so forth. In which places, and throughout all the Scripture, the church is taken for the whole multitude of them that believe in Christ in that place, in that parish, town, city, province, land, or throughout all the world, and not for the spiritualty only. 1 Cor. xvi. If 1 Tim. iii. Notwithstanding, yet it is sometimes taken generally for all them that embrace the name of Christ, though their faiths be nought, or though they have no faith at all. And some times it is taken specially for the elect only, in whose hearts God hath written his law, with his holy Spirit, and given them a feeling faith of the mercy that is in Christ Jesu our Lord. 1 Tim. 5. The church is a multi tude of all them that believe in Christ wheresoever they be gathered toge. ther. A double signification of this word church. WHY TYNDALE USED THIS WORD CONGREGATION, WHEREFORE inasmuch (as the clergy, as the nature of those hard and indurate adamant stones is to draw all to them) had appropriate unto themselves the term that of right is common unto all the whole congregation of them that believe in Christ, and with their false and subtle wiles had beguiled and mocked the people, and brought them into the ignorance of the word; making them understand by this word church, nothing but the shaven flock; of them that shore the whole world; therefore in the translation of why Tyn- the New Testament, where I found this word ecclesia, 1 interpreted it, by this word congregation. Even, therefore did I it, and not of any mischievous mind or purpose to stablish heresy, as master More untruly reporteth of me in his dialogue, where he raileth on the translation of the New Testament. The cause dale trans lated the word church into this word congrega tion. And when M. More saith, that this word church is known well enough, 1 report me unto the consciences of all the land, whether he say truth or otherwise, or whether the lay-people understand by church the whole multitude of all that profess Christ, or the juggling spirits only. And when he saith that congregation is a more general term, if it were, it hurteth not. For the circumstance doth ever tell what congregation is meant. saith he not the truth. For wheresoever I may say a concumstance. gregation, there may I say a church also, as the church of the devil, the church of Satan, the church of wretches, the church of wicked men, the church of liars, and a church of Turks thereto. Congregation is understood by the cir Nevertheless, yet For M. More must grant (if he will have ecclesia |