Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	church_n	member_n	visible_a	4,197	5	9.3868	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52054	A sermon preached to the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, and Court of Aldermen of the city of London, at their anniversary meeting on Easter Monday April 1652, at the Spittle wherein the unity of the saints with Christ, the head, and especially with the church, the body, with the duties thence arising, are endeavoured to be cleared : tending to heale our rents and divisions / by Stephen Marshal ...	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.	1653 (1653)	Wing M782; ESTC R206697	37,461	44

discourses of throughout the whole thirteenth Chapter and tels you all miracles all abilities to preach all that it is possible for man to be endowed with are not able to doe that good to the Church which the grace of love doth And the same Apostle Paul Col. 3. when he had exhorted Gods people to seeke after and put on all those graces wherein the new creature stands Bowels of mercy kindnesse humblenesse of minde c. adds ver. 14. But above all put on love why it is the band of perfection it is the perfect band or the band that perfectly tyes all Gods people together And therefore our Saviour Christ in Iohn 13. 34 35. makes it the Livery of the Church whereby in all places of the world they may be knowne to be his Disciples even by their loving one another and therefore also the Apostle in the fourth of the Ephesians vers. 16. when he had shewed that every joynt contributes and supplyes its part towards the building up of the whole body concludes it thus by that which every joynt supplyeth according to the effectuall working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the body unto the building up of it selfe in love as if the grace of Love were the thing that ran through them all and gave vigour and strength to them all in their working one with another and one for another Thus you have heard what the things are wherein all the Saints are one and what the bands are whereby they are thus united Now before I proceed to the application of necessity I must remove one great doubt out of the way It may be said If the Church of Christ be but one Church whence comes it that wee read mention of so many Churches of a Triumphant Church and a Militant Church of a visible and an invisible Church of the Church at Jerusalem the Churches of Judea the Churches of Galatia the seven Churches all the Churches where the Scripture doth mention so many Churches how are these expressions reconciled with this that all Gods people are but one Church I answer First it is most cleare that Jesus Christ hath but one mystical Church which is his body the Church of Christ is as we say in Logick Species specialissima it cannot be sub-divided into other Churches if we wil speake properly but though it be but one Body one reall individuall Church yet this one Church is capable of severall distributions from some properties or qualities or adjuncts which are found in it and those distributions or considerations of it doe and may in some sence obtaine the name of the Church To give you a little taste the Church of Christ though it be but one yet it is sometimes considered distributed or distinguished according to the manner and the measure of the communion which the parts and members inioy with their Head thus one part of this Church injoyes communion with the Head by sight and not by faith and the communion which they have with Christ is perfect freed from all imperfections or infirmities or crosses in this respect these members are called the triumphant Church Another part of the same Church hath communion with Christ by faith and not by sight and the communion which it injoyes with him is imperfect in all the Graces and mingled with corruptions temptations and afflictions in respect whereof this part of the Church is called the Militant Church but all these are not two Churches but one Church only one part of it hath shot the Gulfe and is at rest and the other is in another condition here upon earth Secondly that part of it which is upon earth in regard that the very life and being of it and of all the members of it lye in internall Graces which cannot be seen in that respect the Church of Christ is called an invisible Church but now as the same Church and Members doe make an outward profession of their faith and obedience sensibly to the eyes and eares of others in that respect it is called a visible Church but the visible is not one Church and the invisible another Church but meerly the same Church under severall denominations the one from their constituting Graces the other from the external profession of them How men who have no Grace come to be accounted a part of the Church I shal endeavour to expound afterwards Or Thirdly take it thus the selfe-same Church of Christ at one time hath been trained up under one kind of outward administration and forme of worship and Government one before Christs Incarnation and that is called the Church of the Jewes since Christs time there is another Administration and thence it comes to be called the Church of the Gentiles but Jewes and Gentiles before and since Christs incarnation are but one Church so likewise you may read that Jesus Christ though he have but one Church yet he hath appointed that the multitude of those who professe his Name for their better discipline instruction and edification should be ranged and ranked and ordered into particular assemblies now in regard of this Marshalling and Disciplining of them these severall Associations or Congregations make so many Churches but these Churches are not severall bodies of Christ but only parts of his one body as in a great Army the number of all who have listed their name in the Muster-role are all under one Generall and all under some generall Officers but yet for their better ordering there is this Brigade this Regiment or that Troop or that Company and every one of these under some meaner Officers yet all of these taken together are all but one Army so is it in the Church I might adde that sometimes these several associations are distinguished and known by the outward confessions which they make of their faith and in that respect you have in our dayes the Churches of the Reformation the Protestants and the reformed Protestants and these againe according to some of their confessions are purer and holier then others And just as it is in a great building some rooms it may be are more light and glorious and some of them more dark and it may be some of them have more weak timber and other materials then the rest and yet all of them are but parts of the self-same house So I say all these triumphant militant Jewes Gentiles visible invisible the severall Churches in the several quarters of the world in the East West North and South all these or rather the members of Christ in all these taken together doe make up that one Church of Christ which is his Body his Spouse his Kingdome his City his Vine his Love his Dove his Turtle his only one of her mother Now whether this Church of Christ that is thus one be authorised to meet in her representatives to make Lawes and to exercise Discipline whether it be the first subject of the Keys whether the government of particular