The Church

The church of God is like the house of a certain king. It has a gate; it has a staircase, it has a dining room, and it has a bedroom. Everyone within the church has faith and has already entered the gate to the house, for, just as the gate opens the way to the rest of the house, so does faith provide entrance to the rest of the virtues.
--Gregory the Great (A.D. 5th century)