ber of the Church according
to his body, but according to his soul, nay, according to his
faith. Otherwise it might be said that a man is a nobler
Christian than a woman, because his physical structure is
superior to that of a woman, or that a man is a greater Christian
than a child, a healthy person a stronger Christian than an
invalid; lords and ladies, the rich and powerful, better
Christians than servants, maids, and the poor and lowly; whereas
Paul writes, Galatians v, "In Christ is neither male nor female,
neither lord nor servant, neither Jew nor Greek," [Gal. 3:28;
5:6] but as far as the body is concerned they are all equal. But
he is the better Christian who is greater in faith, hope and
love; so that it is plain that the Church[34] is a spiritual
community, which can be classed with a temporal community as
little as spirits with bodies, or faith with temporal
possessions.

This, indeed, is true, that just as the body is a figure or image
of the soul, so also the bodily community is a figure of this
Christian, spiritual community, and as the bodily community has a
bodily head, so the spiritual community has a spiritual head. But
who would be so bereft of sense as to maintain that the soul must
have a bodily head? That would be like saying that every live
animal must have on its body a painted head. If this literalist
(I should say, literary person) had really understood what the
Church[34] is, without doubt he would have been ashamed even to
contemplate such a book as his. What wonder, therefore, that from
a darkened and wandering brain issues no light, but thick, black
darkness St. Paul says, Colossians iii, "Our life is not on
earth, but hid with Christ in God." [Col. 3:3] For if the Church
were a bodily assembly, you could tell by looking at the body
whether any one were Christian, Turk or Jew; just as you can tell
by the body whether a person is a man, woman or child, or whether
he is white or black. Again, I can tell whether one is gathered
in temporal assembly with others in Leipzig, Wittenberg, or
elsewhere; but I cannot tell at all whether he is a believer or
not.

[Sidenote: The Church a Spiritual Thing]

Whosoever would not go astray should, therefore, hold fast to
this, that the Church[34] is a spiritual assembly of souls in one
faith, and that no one is reckoned a Christian for his body's
sake; in order that he may know that the true, real, right,
essential Church[34] is a spiritual thing, an