Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	catholic_n	church_n	unity_n	2,090	5	9.9512	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40709	The general assembly, or, The necessity of receiving the communion in our publick congregations evinced from the nature of the church, the Word of God, and presbyterian principles, in a sermon / lately preached in the Cathedral Church of Exeter by Francis Fullwood.	Fullwood, Francis, d. 1693.	1667 (1667)	Wing F2504; ESTC R35476	18,644	34

the Catholick or Universal Church Yea in this general affection of the Church do we not finde something special something distinguishing this from all other Assemblies certainly there is no Assembly so general this is emphatically the general Assembly being confined to no time to no place to no sort of people taking in Gods people in all ages spreading it self by the Gospel over all Kindreds and Tongues and People and Nations upon earth having its Head and ten thousand times ten thousand of its Members in Heaven and great multitudes under the Earth it self For though the Souls of the Saints are severed from their Bodies by Death yet in spight of Death and Hell it self both their Souls and their Bodies are for ever united to Christ and the Church for they dye in the Lord and sleep in Jesus 'T is true the word Cathol que as the Fathers against the Novatians acknowledge was not used by the Apostles nor applied to the Church till some time after them P●e●son on 〈◊〉 Cree● and then sometimes in one sense and sometimes in another as a very Learned Man of our own observes Yet as in the case of particular Churches the distinction of Par●shes was made long after yet the ground and reason of this distinction and of Parochial Churches or particular Congregations determined by Coha●itat●on is most evident in the Scripture where the several Churches bear the names of their several Cities So though the word Catholick was applied to the Church somet●me after yet the ground of this application of it is very apparent as in several other places so particularly in the Text before us for where the thing in truth is found it may fairly claim that name as it only signifies that th●ng Now by Cathol●ck Church we mean only the Universal Body of Christ containing all particular Members and Churches of Christ within it and consisting of them and this Universal Body we find in the General Assembly in the Text wherein we may therefore believe the Cathol●ck Church HEre we cannot but observe the Unity of the 〈…〉 ●he Chu●ch Church for if it be th● General Assembly it can be but one There are indeed many particular Christians and many particular Assemblies of Christians commonly cal●ed particular Churches but all these are knit and united together as many Sheep in one Fold and many Companies in one City and many Cit●es in one Kingdom in one common aggregative Body this great Un●versal Ind●viduum the Catholick Church or General Assembly There are many Members but one ● Co● 12. 20 Body Holding the head saith the Apostle from which all Col. 2. 19. the b●dy by joynts and bands having n●urishm●nt m●nistred and k●●t tog●●h●r increas●th w●●h the increase of God Here is first to be observed the Church in its Head and all the Body then the union of this Church which is double betwixt the Head and all the Body and betwixt the members of all the body among themselves Again here is a twofold effect of this double union of the union betwixt the Head and the Body the effect is N●u●ishment Ministred and of the union among the members and parts of this body is increase or growth in grace Here is lastly the means of all this viz. Joynts and Bands by which the members are all knit into one body and nourished and increased But what are those happy Joynts and Bands 't is The Bands of its unity worth our enquiry seeing the unity and consequently the prosperity of the whole body depends upon them the Apostle hath notably described them in that famous Eulogy of the Primitive Christians who I think were the Church of the first born and the small thing or infant of this General-assembly they saith he Continued stedfastly Act. 2. 41. in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of Bread and of prayers so that profession of the same faith and Communion in the same Worship are these happy Joynts and Bands by which all Christians stand united in one body and this blessed unity is maintained onely by continuing stedfastly in them a continuing stedfastly in the fellowship of the Apostolical Primitive Doctrine Sacraments and Prayers continues the being and unity of the one Holy Catholick and Apostolick Church to the end of the world The Apostle S. Paul is somewhat more particular he seems to prove that we are one body because we are one Spirit and both these because we have one Lord Epist 4. one Faith one hope one Baptism One Lord we being all Subjects under one Prince Law and Government we are thus one Kingdom one People one Church the summ of which Law we have in the D●calogue or ten Commandments one Faith i. e. professing the same Scriptures Articles and Fundamentals the sum of which we have in the Apostles Creed One Hope in the same promises and of the same happiness one Baptism that is by a figure a part of worship put for the whole we have but one and the same way of worshiping God We are all Baptized 1 Cor. 12. 13. into one body all in every place call upon the Name of the 1 Cor. 1. 1. Lord Jesus Christ and though we are many particular Christians and Churches yet we are all one bread and 1 Cor. 10. 16 17. one body for we are all partakers of that one bread But because a person may secretly abjure the Kingdom of Christ and Apostatize from his Lord and reject all hope in him and yet the world nor the Church suspect it Moreover seeing we expresly own Christ to be our Lord and our hope in him as our Saviour by faith and Worship our U●ion with Christ and the Church is said to be held onely by two Bands Faith and Worship Again for as much as we have seldom occasion to profess our Faith but in the means of the Publick Worship especially seeing the very Nature of the Church is an assembly but chiefly considering the Visible Church appears such only at least ordinarily by her set Constant and visible Assemblies the Apostle reduceth the whole matter to this one point Not forsaking the Heb. 10. 25. assembling of our selves together Yet once more because the word of the Gospel is to be preach'd to all nations and men as such though they be not Christians or of the Church are Naturally bound to the duty of prayer and because some do hence conclude though very absurdly that Set and Constant Communion in the word and prayer is no part of the No●● of the Church of God It may not be thought unreasonable to make the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little stricter and in ●ur age at least to lay most weight upon the reception of the Lords Supper This is certainly the special band of union and fellowship betwixt us and Christ and the Church the other Ordinances the Word and Prayer do even attend this Sacrament Breaking of Bread was the Apostolical Fellowship in the