Sir Thomas More’s Dialogue
What the church is.
THIS word church hath divers significations. First it M. c. xcvsignifieth a place or house ; whither Christian people were ^J^™ wont in the old time to resort at times convenient, for to f”™h are hear the word of doctrine, the law of God, and the faith Mc- c( of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and how and what to pray, and whence to ask power and strength to live godly. For The ministhe officer, thereto appointed, preached the pure word of God church are only, and prayed in a tongue that all men understood : and to preach to i ill -i i • i.ii the pe°Ple 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 everywhere, and to instruct every man his household.
Where now we hear but voices without significations, and buzzings, howlings, and cryings, as it were the hallooing 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 M. c.«. 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 so holyyet more mad than that : for we imagine the same of fantasies, and vain ceremonies of our own making ; neither M. c. d. needful unto the taming of our own flesh, neither profitable unto our neighbour, neither honour unto God. And of prayer we think, that no man can pray but at church; and that it A great abuse is nothing else but to say Pater noster unto a post : whereM.pc?ycuwith yet, and with other observances of our own imagining, we believe we deserve to be sped of all that our blind hearts desire.
The church In another signification, it is abused and mistaken for a taken for the i • i » i i i M i i • i spiritualty, multitude of shaven, shorn, and oiled; which we now call the spiritualty and clergy. As when we read in the chronicles, King ‘King William was a great tyrant, and a wicked man unto King’j’ohn. holy church, and took much lands from them/ ‘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 layst Thomas people.’ And, ‘Thomas Becket was a blessed and an holy man; bury. w. T. 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 Hoiy church church?’ ’ Such is the living of holy church.’ ‘So men say of a great 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 f and The pope and so forth. In which all, we understand but the pope, cardinals, teklnbforethe legates, patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, chan cellors, 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 church It hath yet, or should have, another signification, little gsafionnofre~ known among the common people now-a-days. That is to peopleofall … .„ * * r … ,J sorts gatherwit, 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 spi ritualty 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 Bristow1,’ all that pertain unto that town generally. And what congre gation is meant, thou shalt alway understand by the matter that is entreated of, and by the circumstances thereof. And
The church ln ^1$ third signification is the church of God, or Christ, ftfi?t°adken°in taken in the scripture ; even for the whole multitude of all them that receive the name of Christ to believe in him, and
Gai. i. not for the clergy only. For Paul saith (Galatians i.),
Meanings of the Word Church. 13
” 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 Acts xxn.