The first Chapter. Of the Church, and of the Functions, Calling, Office, Dignitie and efficacie of the Ministerie and Ministers in the same Church.
1 THE NAME of a Church is deriued of the Gréeke Verbe, ⟨…⟩, that is, to cal. For none can bée partakers thereof, which come not therunto by the calling of God. And to define it, 2 we say, that it is a companie of beleeuers, and regenerate persons, whom God gathereth together in Christ, by the word and the holy Ghost, and by his Ministers gouerneth the same with purenesse of doctrine, with lawfull vse of the Sacraments, and with discipline. And it is euerie where called the bodie of Christ, bicause all the members thereof haue him for their head, of whom by the ioynts and synowes they take their growing, & attaine vnto life by y e inspiration of the holie ghost. And these me~bers are so throughly ioyned vnto y e head, as they are called flesh of his flesh, & bone of his bones. 3 It is the soule of Christ, and wée confesse the same in the Créede, when wée say: I beleeue in the holie Church. And wée adde straight waie by exposition: 4 The Communion of Saincts. For they alone trulie and before God are of the Church: the which otherwise hath mingled therewith verie many which be strangers from Christ: and these in shew onely, not in déede doe belong vnto the Church. Wherefore of them Iohn said: They went out from vs, 5 but they were not of vs. And it is in the Gospell that when the goodman of the house and his seruants were asléepe, the diuell sowed tares vpon the good séede. And Paul in the first to the Corinthians the first Chapter, 6 after he had saluted the Church of God, added by exposition: Vnto them that are sanctified by Christ Iesus, being called Saints, that we may vnderstand that the wicked appertaine not in verie déede vnto the Church, although they be alwayes conuersant therein: and that (as we said a little before) we may confesse that to be the Church which we call the Communion of Saints. But and if thou wilt conclude hereby that the Church shalbe vnknowen, we will denie it to be a firme conclusion; bicause there be proper markes assigned, by which the same may be verie well knowen, and be discerned from prophane conuenticles. For wheresoeuer the purenesse of doctrine florisheth, 7 the Sacramentes are purely ministred, and discipline exercised, thou hast a congregation whereunto thou maiest safely ioyne thy selfe, although the honestie of euery particular man is not sufficiently knowen vnto thée. Neither is it of necessitie required, that the godlie should be discerned of men what maner of persons they bée while they liue here. Christ, while he liued here among mortall men was not knowen. And we (as the Apostle hath declared vnto the Colossians, 8 the third Chapter) haue our life hidden in God: and when Christ which is our life shall appeare, then we also shall be made manifest with him in glorie. Againe we reade in the first of Samuel: 9 It is God that looketh into the heart: but men onely knowe those things which are apparant. I know there is a fable spred abroad, 10 that the wicked be members of Christ, howbeit dead members, which neuerthelesse may be quickened. But this is euen as true as if thou shalt say that a dead man is a man. We wil confesse in déede, that by Christ and by the holy Ghost, they may be restored vnto life, but in the meane time, while that is not done we will not graunt them to be the members of Christ, vnlesse we shall iudge according to the forme and outward shewe. Neither doe we for this cause say, 11 that euill men at euerie mans iudgement should be separated or excluded from the Church, when they haue secretlie sinned and haue not bin as yet cut off by excommunication from the body of Christ. Nay rather while they be permitted, if so be they administer the word of God or Sacraments vnto the people, diuine things are not polluted by their wickednesse: but this onelie we affirme now, that such maner of men in verie déede and before God are not members of the Church. Thou maiest perhappes doubt how Paul might trulie call the Church of y e Corinthians, 12 the Church of God, the which was infected with so many vices. But it must be vnderstoode, that all they which were there, were not vtterlie corrupted, manie good men remained. Further they were as yet instructed with pure doctrine, and they retained the Sacramentes whole and perfect, neither were they altogether without discipline, and those things that were wanting, were not laide aside without regard: nay rather, the godlie laboured much about the correcting of them. For we know, that Paul was admonished by them which were at Cloas, 13 that he should preuent the euils that were breaking forth. 14 Besides this, Paul had a respect to the testimonie of God, who had said vnto him, that in the same citie he had much people. Ouer this thou must vnderstand, that the Church of God doth not so fall away for euerie blemish, as that it should no more be called the Church of God. It is not presently without spot or wrinkle, but in the day of Iesus Christ it shalbe.