The churche. / Marks of the church / Keies to bynde and loose.
The Master's Call to Learn
The Master affirms the Scholar's readiness to learn about the church.
Master. Indeed it is, and so it will be good for you to do that.1
The True Church Defined
The Scholar asks and the Master defines the church as a multitude professing pure Christ's teaching, governed by Christ in charity, and using the sacraments purely.
Scholar. That congregation is nothing other than a multitude of people who, wherever they are, profess the pure and upright teaching of Christ, exactly as it is faithfully set forth in the Holy Testament by the Evangelists and Apostles; who are in every way governed and ruled by the laws and statutes of their King and High Bishop, Christ, in the bond of charity; who use his holy mysteries, commonly called sacraments, with the same purity and simplicity (as to their nature and substance) as the Apostles of Christ used and left behind in writing.2
The Four Marks of the Church
The Master lists the four marks: pure preaching, brotherly love, upright sacraments, and brotherly correction or excommunication, which the fathers called discipline.
The marks of this church, therefore, are: first, pure preaching of the gospel; then brotherly love, out of which, as members of one and the same body, springs goodwill from each toward the other; third, upright and uncorrupted use of the Lord's sacraments, according to the ordinance of the Gospel; last of all, brotherly correction, and excommunication, or banishing from the church those who will not amend their lives. The holy fathers called this mark discipline.
The Church's Foundation and Authority
The Master describes the church as grounded on Christ, the pillar of truth, possessing the keys to bind and loose, and proclaiming the Gospel that brings salvation or damnation.
This is the church founded on the sure rock, Jesus Christ, and on trust in him. This is the church which Paul calls the pillar and upholding support of the truth.3 To this church belong the keys with which heaven is locked and unlocked: for this is done through the ministry of the Word, to which properly belongs the power to bind and loose—to hold guilty and to forgive sins. Thus, whoever believes the Gospel preached in this church will be saved; but whoever does not believe will be damned.
Read the original English
Master. That it is in dede: & so it shal be good for y• to do.
Scholer. That congregation is nothing elsse but a certayne multytude of menne: which, wher soeuer they be, professe the pure & vprighte learning of Christ, and that in such sort, as it is faithfully set fourth in the holye testamēt, by the Euangelists and Apostles: whiche in al points, are gouerned and ru led by the lawes & statutes of theyr kinge and hye Byshoppe Christe, in the bonde of charity: which vse his ho lye misteryes, that are commonlie called sacramentes, with such purenesse & simplicity (as touchinge theire nature and substaunce) as the Apostles of Christ vsed and left behinde in writing. The marckes therefore of this churche are: firste, pure preachyng of the gospel: thē brotherly loue, out of which as members of al one body, springeth good wyl of eche to other: thirdlye vprighte and vncorrupted vse of the Lordes sacraments, accordynge to the ordynaunce of the Gospell: laste of all brotherlye correction, and excōmunication, or banishynge those out of the church, that wyll not amend their liues. This marcke the holye fathers tearmed discipline. This is that same churche, that is grounded vpon the assured rocke Iesus Christ and vpō trust in hym. This is that same church, which Paul calleth the piller, and vpholding stay of truth. To this church belōg the keies, whearwyth heauen is locked and vnlocked: for that is done by the ministration of the worde: wherunto properly appertayneth the power to bynde and louse: to holde for gylty, and forgiue synnes. So that whosoeuer beleueth the Gospell preached in thys church, he shal be saued: but whoso beleueth not, he shal be dāpned.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source reading "y•" is treated as "you" (damaged early-modern second-person pronoun).
- 2 ↩Source 'learning of Christ' rendered as 'teaching of Christ' (doctrine), not schooling. 'Charity' kept for the theological bond uniting the church; 'holy mysteries…called sacraments' kept for sacramental specificity.
- 3 ↩Source 'vpholding stay' rendered as 'upholding support' (prop/stay = supporting brace); Paul's familiar phrasing is often 'pillar and foundation/ground of the truth'.
John Ponet's Short Catechisme (1553) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit