Whole Works, Tracts 1 · Tract 4 · Part 1 · Section 1
¶ Why Tindall vſed this worde congregation, rather thē church in the tranſlation of the new Teſtament.
WHerefore in as much (as the clergy, as the nature of thoſe hard & indurat Adamātſtones is, to draw all to them) had appropriat vntounto themſelues the terme that of right is common The cauſe why Tyndall trāſlated yt word church into this worde congregation.vntounto all the whole congregation of them that beleue in Chriſt, & wyth their falſe and ſubtil wyles had beguiled and mocked the people, & brought them into the ignoraunce of the word, making thē vnderſtand by this worde church, nothing but the ſhauen flocke, of them that ſhore the whole worlde: therefore in the tranſlation of the new Teſtament where I found this word Eccleſia, I enterpreted it, by thys word congregation. Euen therfore did I it, and not of any miſcheuous mynde or purpoſe to ſtabl…ſhe hereſie, as maſter More vntruely reporteth of me in hys Dialoge, where he rayleth on yt tranſlation of the new Teſtament.
And when M. More ſayth, that this word Church is knowen wel inough. I report me vntounto the conſciēces of all the land, whether he ſay truth or other wiſe, or whether the lay people vnderſtand by Church the whole multitude of all that profeſſe Chriſt, or the iugglyng ſpirites onelyonly. And whē he ſaith that congregation is a more generall Congregation is vnderſtand by the circū ſtaunce.terme, if it were, it hurteth not. For the circumſtance doth euer tell what cō gregation is ment. Neuertheleſſe yet ſayth he not the truth. For wherſoeuer I may ſay a congregation, there may I ſay a Church alſo, as the Church of the deuill, the Church of Sathan, the Church of wretches, yt Church of wickedmen, the Churche of lyers and a Church of Turkes therto.
For M. More muſt graunt (if he will hauehave Eccleſia tranſlated throughout all the new Teſtament by this woorde Church) that Church is as commō as Eccleſia. Now is Eccleſia a Greeke Eccleſia is a greke worde, and ſignifieth a congregation.word and was in vſe before the tyme of the Apoſtles and taken for a cōgregation among the heathē, where was no congregation of God or of Chriſt. And alſo Lucas him ſelfe vſeth Eccleſia for a Church or congregation of heathen people thriſe in one Chapter, euē in the xix. of the Actes, where Demetrius the goldſmith or ſiluerſmith had gathered Actes. 19.a company agaynſt Paule for preachyng agaynſt Images.
Howbeit M. More hath ſo long vſed▪ his figures of Poetry, that (I ſuppoſe) M. More was …ful in Poetry.whē he erreth moſt, he now by the reaſon o… a long cuſtome, beleueth himſelf, that he ſayth moſt true. Or els (as the wiſe people which when they daunce naked in nettes beleue that no man ſeeth them) euen ſo M. More thinketh that his errours be ſo ſubtilly couched that no man can eſpy them. So blinde he counteth all other men in compariſon of his great vnderſtandyng. But charitably I exhorte him in Chriſt to take hede, for though Iudas were wilier then his felowes to get lucre, yet Iudas.he proued not moſt wiſe at yt laſt end. Neither though Balam the falſe Prophet Balaa….had a cleare ſight to bryng y• curſe of God vponupon the childrē of Iſraell for honours ſake, yet his couetouſneſſe did ſo blind his propheſie, that he could not ſee his owne end. Let therfore M. A good ad… to M. More.More and his cōpany awake be tymes ere euer their ſinne be ripe, leſt ye voyce of their wickedneſſe aſceno… vp and awake God out of his ſlepe, to loke vpō them and to how his eares vntounto theyr curſed blaſphemies agaynſt the open truth, and to ſend his harueſt men and mowares of vengeaunce to repe it.
But how happeth it that M. More hath not contended in likewiſe againſt hys derelyng Eraſmus all this longe M. More did greatly fauour Eraſm…s.while? Doth not he chaūge this word Eccleſia into congregatiō and that not ſeldome in the new Teſtamēt? peraduenture he oweth him fauour becauſe he made Moria in hys houſe. Whiche booke if it were in Engliſh, thē ſhould eueryevery man ſee, how that he then was farre otherwiſe mynded then he now writeth. But verely I thinke that as Iudas betrayd not Chriſt for any louelove that he had vntounto the hyghe Prieſtes, Scribes and Phariſeis, but onelyonly to come by that wherfore he thirſted: euē ſo M. More (as there are tokens euidēt) M. More was a …epe diſſembler.wrote not theſe bookes for any affectiō that he bare vntounto the ſpiritualty or vntounto the opinions which he ſo barely defēdeth, but to obtaine onelyonly that which he was an hungred for: I pray God that he eate not to haſtly leſt he be chokeo at the latter end, but that he repēt and reſiſt not the ſpirite of God which openeth light vntounto the worlde.