Whole Works, Tracts 1 · Tract 4 · Part 1 · Section 17
¶ How this word Church hath a double interpretation.
THis is therfore a ſure cōcluſion, as Rom. 9.Paule ſayth. Rom. ix. that not all they that are of Iſraell are Iſraelites, neither becauſe they be Abrahās ſede, are they all Abrahams childrē: but they onelyonly that folow the faith of Abraham. Euen ſo now none of them that beleue with their mouthes moued with the authority of their elders onelyonly, that is, none of thē that beleue with M. Mores fayth, the Popes fayth and the deuils fayth which may ſtand (as M. More cō feſſeth) ☞with all maner abhominatiōs, hauehave the right fayth of Chriſt or are of Who they be that are of …o… true Church.his Church. But they onelyonly that repēt & feele that the law is good, And hauehave the law of God written in their harts and the fayth of our Sauiour Ieſus, euen with the ſpirite of God. There is a carnali Iſraell & a ſpirituall. There is Iſaac and Iſmaell, Iacob, & Eſau. And Iſmaell perſecuted Iſaac & Eſau The fleſhly perſecute the ſpirituall.Iacob & the fleſhly the ſpiritual. Wher of Paul complayned in his tyme perſecuted of his carnall brethrē, as we do in our tyme and as the elect euer dyd & ſhall do till the worldes end. What a multitude came out of Egypt vnderunder Moſes of which the Scripture teſtifyeth that they beleued, moued by y• miracles of Moſes, as Symon magus beleued A….by the reaſon of Philippes miracles Actes. viij. Neuertheleſſe the Scripture teſtifieth that vj. hundred thouſād of thoſe beleuers periſhed thorough vnbelief and left their carcaſſes in the wilderneſſe and neuer entred into the land that was promiſed them. And euen ſo ſhal the children of M. Mores faythleſſe faith made by the perſuation The childrē of this world are the Papiſtes.of mā, leap ſhort of the teſt which our Sauiour Ieſus is riſē vntounto. And therfore let them embrace this preſent world as they do, whoſe children they are though they hate ſo to be called.
And hereby ye ſee that it is a playne & an euident concluſiō as bright as the ſunne ſhynyng that the truth of Gods word dependeth not of the truth of the congregation. And therfore when thou Queſtionsart aſked, why thou beleueſt that thou ſhalt be ſaued thorough Chriſt and of ſuch like principles of our fayth, aunſwere Aūſweres.thou wotteſt and feleſt that it is true. And when he aſketh how thou knoweſt that it is true, aunſwere becauſe it is written in thyne hart. And if he aſke who wrote it, aūſwere the ſpirite of God. And if he aſke how thou came firſt by it, tell him, whether by Aūſweres to be made to captions Papiſtes.readyng in bookes or hearyng it preached, as by an outward inſtrumēt, but that inwardly thou waſt taught by y• ſpirite of God. And if he aſke whether thou beleueſt it not becauſe it is written in bookes or becauſe the Prieſtes ſo preach, aunſwere no, not now, but onelyonly becauſe it is writtē in thyne hart and becauſe the ſpirite of God ſo preacheth and ſo teſtifieth vntounto thy ſoule. And ſay, though at the beginning thou waſt moued by readyng or preachyng, as the Samaritans were by y• wordes Iohn. 4.of the woman, yet now thou beleueſt it not therfore any lēger, but onelyonly becauſe thou haſt heard it of the ſpirite of God, and read it written in thine hart.
And concernyng outward teachyng we alledge for vsus Scripture elder thē any Church that was this. xiiij. hundred yeares, and old antenticke ſtories which they had brought a ſlepe where with we confounde their lyes. Remē ber ye not how in our owne tyme, of Teachers of Grāmer vnderſtode not the Latine toung.all that taught Grammer in England not one vnderſtode the Latin toung? how came we thē by the Latin toung agayne? not by them, though we learned certaine rules & principles of them by which we were moued & had an occaſion to ſeke further, but out of the old authours. Euen ſo we ſeke vp old antiquities out of whiche we learne and not of our Church, though we receaued many principles of our Church, at the begynnyng, but more falſehead then truth,
It hath pleaſed God of his exceding louelove wherewith he loued vsus in Chriſt (as, Paul ſayth) before the worlde was made, and whē we were dead in ſinne and his enemies, in that we did cōſent to ſinne and to liue euill, to write with his ſpirite ij. concluſions in our harts, The fayth … Chriſt, & louelove of our neighbors to all that is required of a Chriſtian man.by which we vnderſtād all thyng: that is to were, the fayth of Chriſt and the louelove of our neighbours. For whoſoeuer feleth the iuſt damnation of ſinne, and the forgeuenes and mercy that is in Chriſtes bloud for all that repent & forſake it, and come and beleue in that mercy, the ſame onelyonly knoweth how God is to be honoured and worſhipped, and can iudge betwene true ſeruing of God in the ſpirite, and falſe Image ſeruing of God with workes▪ And ye ſame knoweth that ſacramētes, ſignes, ceremonies and bodely things The vſe of ſignes & ce…nyescan be no ſeruice to God in his perſon but memorials vntounto men, and a remē braunce of the teſtament wherewyth God is ſerued in the ſpirite. And he that feeleth not that, is blynde in hys ſoule, and of our holy fathers generation, and maketh God an Image, & a creature, & worſhippeth him with bodely ſeruice. And on the other ſide, he that loueth his neighbour as himſelfe, vnderſtandeth all lawes, and cā iudge betwene good and euil, right & wrong, godly and vngodly, in all conuerſation, deedes, lawes, bargaines, couenaunces, ordinaunces and decrees of men, and knoweth the office of eueryevery degree, and the due honour of eueryevery perſon. And he that hath not that writen in his hart is popiſhe, and of y• ſpiritualtie which vnderſtādeth nothing ſaue his own honour, his own profite & what is good for himſelf onelyonly: and when he is as he would be, thinketh y• all the world is as it ſhould be.