Common Places, Part 4 · Chapter 1 · Section 1
In 1. Cor. 1. Looke in the booke De voris, pa 440. and 456. printed in Ba…. Whence the name of Church is deriued.THE NAME of a Church is deriued of the Gréeke Verbe, foreign, that is, to cal. For none can bée partakers thereof, which come not therunto by the calling of God. And to define it, The definition of the Church.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 hauehave him for their head, of whom by the ioynts and ſynowes they take their growing, & attaine vntounto life by ye inſpiration of the holie ghoſt. And theſe mēbers are ſo throughly ioyned vntounto ye head, as they are called fleſh of his fleſh, & bone of his bones. Ephe. 5. 30.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: Who in right and before God be of the Church. Looke in 1. Sam. 15. 34.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 onelyonly, not in déede doe belong vntounto the Church. Wherefore of them Iohn ſaid: They went out from vsus, 1. Iohn. 2. 19. Matth. 13. 39.but they were not of vsus. And it is in the Goſpell that when the goodman of the houſe and his ſeruants were aſléepe, the diuell ſowed tares vponupon the good ſéede. And Paul in the firſt to the Corinthians the firſt Chapter, 1. Cor. 1. 2.after he had ſaluted the Church of God, added by expoſition: VntoUnto them that are ſanctified by Chriſt Ieſus, being called Saints, that we may vnderſtand that the wicked appertaine not in verie déede vntounto 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, The marks by which the Church may be knowen.the Sacramentes are purely miniſtred, and diſcipline exerciſed, thou haſt a congregation whereunto thou maieſt ſafely ioyne thy ſelfe, although the honeſtie of eueryevery particular man is not ſufficiently knowen vntounto 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 vntounto the Coloſſians, Col. 3. 3.the third Chapter) hauehave 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: 1. Sa. 16. 7.It is God that looketh into the heart: but men onelyonly knowe thoſe things which are apparant. I know there is a fable ſpred abroad, Againſt thē which ſay that the wicked be the members of Chriſt.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 vntounto 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, Euill men muſt not be excluded frō the Church at eueryevery mans priuate iudgement.that euill men at euerie mans iudgement ſhould be ſeparated or excluded from the Church, when they hauehave ſecretlie ſinned and hauehave 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 vntounto 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 ye Corinthians, How amōg the Corinthians was the Church of God.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, 1. Cor. 1. 11that he ſhould preuent the euils that were breaking forth. Acts. 16. 9.Beſides this, Paul had a reſpect to the teſtimonie of God, who had ſaid vntounto 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.
2 But they excéedinglie erre which account onelie the Romiſh Church for the Church. In 1. Cor. 1. 2.We denie not but that there is an order among Churches, but we graunt it not to be the ſame which dependeth of the wealth and dignities of this world. An order in Churches, and which muſt be taken for the better. Looke after p. 6. Art. 6. &c.Wherefore among Churches, that muſt be taken for the better, which doeth moſt floriſh in ſpirit, doctrine, and holineſſe. But at this day onelie ſucceſſions and Cathedrall ſeats are had in great eſtimation; whereas notwithſtanding Chriſt hath not tied his grace vntounto theſe things. And if ſo be that at Rome or Conſtantinople doctrine be polluted, the Sacraments mangled, and diſcipline corrupted, how can we aſke counſell of thoſe Churches as more excellent than the reſt? Verilie this ſhould be nothing elſe but to ſeek grapes of thornes, and figges of thiſtles. Matt. 7. 16.In auncient time the Apoſtolicall Churches were, Ieruſalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Epheſus, Corinth, and other ſuch like: but what is there at this daie? Alas there be manie errours and ſuperſtitions: and there is little wanting but that they degenerate into Turkiſh wickednes. Let the Church be Catholike, for places do not ſeparate beléeuers; euen as the place in like maner, Chryſoſt.(as ſaieth Chryſoſtome) although it be one, doth not ioine thē togither. For if in one & the ſame place there be two Lordes which command things repugnant, doubtleſſe their ſeruantes will be diuided: for as Chriſt hath taught, Matt. 6. 24.We cannot in one and the ſelfe ſame worke ſerue two.
3 But it is perpetuallie obiected againſt vsus by Hoſius and Staphylus, In 2. Sam. 21. verſ. 15.and other perſecuters of the Goſpell, that we agrée not among our ſelues as touching the matter of the Sacrament, Frée wil, and other things. We cannot denie it: but ſhal we therfore ſay, That we hauehave ye true Church though there be diſſentions among vsus.that the reformed Church is no Church? Indéede the ſpirit of the Lord is the ſpirit of peace. It would poſſeſſe vsus all whollie if we were whollie regenerate: howbeit as yet we are not ſo. The Church is inſtituted, Ephe. 5. 27.that it may be without wrinckle hereafter: now it is not, one day it ſhalbe, when Chriſt ſhall hauehave ouercome all his enimies. I thinke there be none but do like of a conſenting together, but yet, ſauing the truth, otherwhile it cannot be had. Diſſentions in the Church are neuer forthwith rooted out. Theſe men when they declare theſe things, do ſéeme to ſet forth mere wonders, as though that there hath neuer béene diſſentions in the Church. But (I beſéech you) let them conſider the beginnings. The people of Iſraell, Exod. 7. 4. Num. 14. 10which was the Church of God, would often times hauehave killed Moſes in the wilderneſſe. Num. 16. 1.Core, Dathan, Diſſentions in the Church of Iſrael.and Abiram raiſed a tumult, and contended for the Prieſthoode, which by the expreſſe worde of God was aſſigned to Aaron. What turmoils were there betwéene Dauid and Saule? 1. Sam. 18. &c.yet was there an expreſſe worde of God as touching the kingdome. The houſe of Iuda had the kingdome at the handes of God, 1. Kings. 121. Kings. 13 11.and yet there became a ſchiſme vnderunder Roboam. After that age, the Prophets ſuccéeded: 1. Kings. 22 11. & 17.on the one ſide they were true, on the other ſide they were falſe: they ſpake thinges that were repugnant. That which one affirmed, Iere. 21. & 26.the other denied. The Iſraelites being returned out of captiuitie, were rent into ſundrie ſorts: into the ſectes of the Eſſei, Phareſees & Saduces. Who wil ſaie yt a church was not there? And ſo it is no new thing; where the Church of God is, there diſſentions to be. If they ſhall denie this to be doone in the newe Teſtament, I knowe not whether they erre wittingly or vnwittingly. What happened betwéene Peter and Paul in the time of the Apoſtles? Gal. 2. 14.Diſſentions in the Church of the Apoſtles. Act. 15. 39.Peter followed the Iewiſh cuſtome to the hinderaunce of the Ethnickes which were conuerted. Paul reprooued him. Paul and Barnabas (whom the holie Ghoſt had ioyned together in the miniſterie) ſo diſagréed, as they departed one from an other. The time of contention for the retayning or not retayning of Iudaiſme continued a long time. The contention was paſt ouer vntounto Auguſtine & Ierome. The one would, that euen in the holie Scriptures certenties might be grounded by diſpenſation, the other earneſtlie denied it. In the time of the Apoſtles & a litle after, the Chriſtians had manie ſectaries among them: namelie the Cerinthians, the Marcionites, the Gnoſtickes, the Carpocratians. Admit that the Ethnickes had taken our Argument and had ſaide: You cannot agrée as touching your Chriſt: We hauehave holie ordinances of our Gods. Which ſhal I beléeue, theſe or thoſe? They al ſay that they be Chriſtians. I beſéech you let vsus conſider of the Church among the Corinthians, 1. Cor. 1. 5.the which is very much commended by Paul, ſaying: that they were inſtructed in all wiſedome and in the worde. Were they quiet among themſelues? There were Schiſmes among them: Ibid. ver. 12They ſaide, I hold of Peter, I of Paul, I of Apollo. But thou wilt ſay they diſagréed not as touching matters of weight. Manie were at that point, that they thought ſimple fornication no ſinne: 1. Cor. 6. 13So as it behooued Paul to inſtruct them concerning the ſame. Of the reſurrection it ſelfe, they iudged amiſſe. If there be errours in the Anabaptiſtes or in others, we agrée not with them. Arrius.In the latter age the Arrians did ſhake the Church for the ſpace of 150. yeares: and there were Ethnickes which were agréeued thereat. Themiſtius.For Themiſtius wrote of this matter vntounto the Emperour Conſtantius. Graunt me that the Ethnickes which then were, reaſoned againſt the Church: How are ye Chriſtians diuided among your ſelues? In one Church was a Catholike Biſhop, in an other a Nouatian: as at Conſtantinople was Chryſoſtome and Agelius. In Africa alſo welnéere throughout euerie Church were two Biſhops, a Catholike and a Donatiſt. A part would hauehave Images: Epiphanius counted it as a thing deteſtable. What ſhall we ſay as touching the Supremacie of the Pope? They woulde hauehave it to be an article of neceſſitie vntounto ſaluation: but hauehave they all receiued the ſame? Gregorie ſaid that this is the title of Antichriſt. The Biſhop of Conſtantinople ſued againſt the Biſhop of Rome. At length the whole Eaſt part acknowledged not the Romane Biſhop: and yet they ſaide that it was the Church. They ſay that they hauehave the Popedome ioyned thereunto: God he knoweth. But to deale frankelie with them, let vsus graunt them this: It is a token that they are wholie carried vntounto lewdneſſe, and it is rather a conſpiracie than a veritie. Dauid had the kingdome of God, yet was it not quiet: Such is the Church.
Of the true markes of the Church looke after Place 6. Art. 16. and 38. &c.