Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	body_n	member_n	mystical_a	1,656	5	10.4255	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86681	The essence and unitie of the Church Catholike visible, and the prioritie thereof in regard of particular churches discussed. / By Samuel Hudson minister of the Gospell.	Hudson, Samuel, 17th cent.	1645 (1645)	Wing H3265; Thomason E271_19; ESTC R212195	42,476	56

Province that did outwardly professe the true Religion 1 Cor. 11.18 22. And so usually in the writings of Divines the company throughout the world so professing is called the visible Church Bifield on Art 9. Catholick in the most evident sense agreeth to the Church now under the Gospell since the partition wall betweene Jewes and Gentiles was broken down and yet in some sense it may agree to the Church from the beginning Idem For particular Churches either single or combined either Nationall Provinciall Classicall or Congregationall it is not belonging to this Question to discusse the Quaeries about them and therefore I shall only set down some descriptions of them positively as they are usually taken by others and give you my present apprehensions of them A Nationall Church A Nationall Church is where all the visible publike religious Assemblies of a Nation being parts of the Church Catholike living under one politick civill Government are by the profession of the same faith and communion in the same worship and Government united into one body Ecclesiastick or Ecclesiasticall Republike Two things as I conceive are required to make a Nationall Church First Nationall agreement in the same faith and worship Secondly Nationall Union in one Ecclesiasticall body in the same community of Ecclesiastical Government The Churches in France and the Netherlands have the same faith and worship and kind of Government but they are not in the same Nationall community thereof * Vide Apollō p. 29. See proofes for Nationall Churches under the Gospel Isai 55.5 Thou shalt call a Nation which thou knewest not and Nations which knew not thee shall runne unto thee It is spoken of Christ under the Gospel and there is set down both Gods call of a Nation and a Nations answer to that call and there can be no more required to make a Church Also Isai 19.25 Aegypt my people Assyria the worke of my hands and Israel mine Inheritance Where all those three Nations are called three sister Churches in effect if you marke the coherence It is a prophecy of Gospell times Psal 22.27 All the ends of the world shall turn unto the Lord and all the kinreds of the Nations shall worship before thee Revel 11.15 The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ Also Psal 72.11 and 86.9 And by the same reason when a part of a Nationall Church shall joyne in particular consociation and community in a City or Province or Classis they may receive denomination from thence the one containing a greater part of the Church Catholike the other a lesse For the Church Catholick being a similar body retaines the name Church in what parts parcels or quantities soever it be divided into for convenient community untill it be brought in minimum quod sic as the Philosophers say i. e. into the least parts that can enjoy publike communion in ordinances which is a particular congregation Gersom Bucerus in dissert de gub Eccles p. 11. hath this description of a particular Church Nos particularem Ecclesium intelligimus quemlibet credentium caetum in unam vocationem Divinam Evangelij praedicatione sacrarumque institutionum observatione adunatum ac uni Presbyterio subjunctum sacros verò conventus uno aut pluribus locis agitantem Nam paroeciarum in quibus convenitur numerus accidenturia res est nihil ad Ecclesiae particularis essentiam pertinons Now this seemeth to me to be a description of a Presbyteriall or classicall Church and so not to divide the Church Catholick into any lesse parts for enjoyment of all the usuall publike ordinances especially of some parts of discipline and ordination then a Presbyteriall Church Mr Cotton tels us that a visible Church is a mysticall body whereof Christ is the head the Members Saints called out of the world and united together into one Congregation by an holy Covenant to worship the Lord and to edifie one another in all his holy Ordinances But with due respect to so grave and worthy a man this seemes to me to belong to an invisible Church not a visible because the matter thereof is the mysticall body of Christ consisting only of Saints called not only from Idols but out of the world and therefore truly godly Neither dare I make a particular explicit holy Covenant to be the forme of a particular Church as this definition doth because I find no mention of any such covenant besides the generall covenant imposed on Churches nor example or warrant for it in all the Scriptures and therefore cannot account it an ordinance of God but a humane politick device to keepe the members together which in some places and cases may haply be of good use so it be not urged as an ordinance of God and so it be not used to inthrall any and abridge them of liberty of removall into other places and congregations for their convenience Or urged as the forme of the Church And for the enjoyment of all the Ordinances of God in one congregation it seemeth to me very inconvenient for some of the Ordinances and altogether impossible for others First It is inconvenient and of dangerous consequence that a Church consisting of 7 10 20 or 30. should passe the formidable sentence of Excommunication against any person to cast him out of communion not only with themselves but the whole Church Catholike visible and deliver him up to Satan For if it be inflicted by the votes of the whole congregation as some would have it many of the Members being private men and haply altogether illiterate or unexperienced through want of age education or parts are not able to understand the nature of the allegations and probations they may be so intricate or not able to apply the rule unto the case for inflicting of a just censure and may be in danger to beare particular favour or ill will unto their persons and so apt to be swayed by love pity or hopes from them or to be over-awed by feare or threatnings being poore men servants children work-men tenants and therefore our brethren for congregationall Churches have of late seeing this inconvenience debarred the people from votes and put it into the hand of the Elders onely * See M Cottons book set out by M. Goodwin M. Nie. Yea even the Elders of one congregation may be in danger of the same temptations because of particular relations and their dependance on them for maintenance but suppose they were as free as Angels from temptations or infirmities which they are not yet the weightinesse and solemnity of the censure require to be performed by a colledge of Elders of a combined Presbytery that so it being passed not by the votes of 3 or 4. onely and they lyable to so many temptations also but by the joynt consent of a greater Presbytery free from any such temptations or exceptions may be done with the more advice and combined authority and be more dreadfull to the party