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 in Scrip ture. Gal. i. 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 him, 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 Acts xxii. 1 Cor. xvi. If 1 Tim. iii. take the care of the church of God? (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. WHY TYNDALE USED THIS WORD CONGREGATION, The cause why Tyndale translated the word church into this word congrega tion. 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 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. And when M. More saith, that this word church is known well enough, I 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. Nevertheless, yet 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 For M. More must grant (if he will have ecclesia translated throughout all the New Testament by this a Greek word, and congrega tion. word church) that church is as common as ecclesia. Now Ecclesia is is ecclesia a Greek word, and was in use before the time of the apostles, and taken for a congregation among the signifieth a heathen, where was no congregation of God or of Christ. And also Lucas himself useth ecclesia for a church or congregation of heathen people thrice in one chapter, even in the xixth chapter of the Acts, where Demetrius Acts xix. the goldsmith, or silversmith, had gathered a company against Paul for preaching against images. M. More was skilful in poetry. Howbeit, M. More hath so long used his figures of poetry, that (I suppose) when he erreth most, he now by the reason of a long custom, believeth himself that he saith most true. Or else (as the wise people, which when they dance naked in nets, believe that no man seeth them) even so M. More thinketh that his errors be so subtilly couched that no man can espy them. So blind he counteth all other men in comparison of his great understanding. But charitably I exhort him in Christ to take heed, for though Judas were wilier than his fellows to Judas. get lucre, yet he proved not most wise at the last end. Neither though Baalam the false prophet had a clear Baalam. sight to bring the curse of God upon the children of Israel, for honour's sake, yet his covetousness did so blind his prophecy, that he could not see his own end. monition to M. Let, therefore, M. More and his company awake by times, A good adere ever their sin be ripé, lest the voice of their wickedness ascend up, and awake God out of his sleep, to look More. upon them, and to bow his ears unto their cursed blasphemies against the open truth, and to send his harvestmen and mowers of vengeance, to reap it. But how happeth it that M. More hath not contended in likewise against his darling Erasmus all this long while? M. More Doth he not change this word ecclesia into congregation, favour did greatly and that not seldom in the New Testament? Peradven- Erasmus. ture he oweth him favour because he made Moria in his house. Which book, if it were in English, then should M. More was a deep dissembler. every man see, how that he then was far otherwise minded than he now writeth. But, verily, I think that as Judas betrayed not Christ for any love that he had unto the high priests, scribes and pharisees, but only to come by that wherefore he thirsted; even so M. More (as there are tokens evident) wrote not these books for any affection that he bare unto the spiritualty, or unto the opinions which he so barely defendeth, but to obtain only that which he was an hungred for. I pray God that he eat not too hastily, lest he be choked at the latter end, but that he repent, and resist not the Spirit of God, which openeth light unto the world. WHY HE USETH THIS WORD ELDER, AND captious. M. More condemneth the M. More is ANOTHER thing which he rebuketh, is, that I interpret this Greek word presbyteros by this word senior. Of a truth senior is no very good English, though senior and junior be used in the universities; but there came no better in my mind at that time. Howbeit, I spied my fault since, long ere M. More told it me, and have mended it in all the works which I since made, and call it an elder. And in that he maketh heresy of it, to call presbyteros an elder, he condemneth their own old Latin text of heresy also, which they use yet daily in the church, and have used, I suppose, this fourteen hundred For that text doth call it an elder likewise. In years. the 1 Pet. v. thus standeth it in the Latin text. Seniores qui in vobis sunt, obsecro ego consenior, pascite qui in vobis est gregem Christi. The elders that are among you, I beseech, which am an elder also, that ye feed the flock of Christ, which is among you. There is presbyteros called an elder. Latin text. 1 Pet. v. And in that he saith, Feed Christ's flock, he meaneth even the ministers that were chosen to teach the people, and to inform them in God's word, and no lay-persons. And in the 2nd Epistle of John, John ii. saith the text, Senior electa domina et filiis ejus. The Bishops are he over ordained to seers and governors of the elder unto the elect lady and to her children. And in the John iii. 4th Epistle of John, Senior Gaio dilecto. The elder unto the beloved Gaius. In these two Epistles presbyteros is called an elder. And in Acts, chap. xx., the text Acts xx. saith Paul sent for majores natu ecclesia, the elders in birth of the congregation or church, and said unto them, Take heed unto yourselves, and unto the whole flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you Episcopos ad regendum ecclesiam Dei, bishops, overseers, to govern the church of God. There is presbyteros called an elder in birth, which same immediately is called a bishop or overseer, to declare what persons are meant. Hereof ye see that I have no more erred than their own text, which they have used since the Scripture was first in the Latin tongue, and that their own text understandeth by presbyteros, nothing save an elder. And they were called elders, because of their age, gravity and sadness, as thou mayest see by the text: and bishops, or overseers, by the reason of their offices. And all that were called elders, (or priests, if they so will) were called bishops also, though they have divided the names now, which thing thou mayest evidently see by the first chapter of Titus, and Acts xx., and other places more. And when he layeth Timothy unto my charge, how he was young, then he weeneth that he hath won his gilden spurs. But I would pray him to shew me where he readeth that Paul calleth him presbyteros, priest, or elder. I durst not then call him episcopus properly. For those overseers which we now call bishops after the Greek word, were alway biding in one place to govern the congregation there. Now was Timothy an apostle. And Paul also writeth that he came shortly again. Well, will he say, it cometh church. ters of the The minischurch, why they were called elders. Bishops ought to be biders in one place. |