Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	church_n	invisible_a	visible_a	2,160	5	9.2231	5	false

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

Judge of all Such is the happiness of our Christian State and I pray God that none of us failing of the grace of God by the springing up of any root of bitterness in us should Vers 15 c. ● 1. seem to come or fall short of it Now you know your Calling brethren ye are come that is ye are and stand admitted to ye are and continue members of ye profess and enjoy fellowship with the Church of Christ described here by its Nature 't is an Assembly by it's quantity 't is general by it's dignity 't is the Church of the first-born and by it's security 't is written or inrolled in heaven Ye are come to the General Assembly and Church of the first-born which is written or inrolled in heaven And hither we come and shall proceed in Order first considering the Church in the Nature of it as it is an Assembly THe word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is supposed by some to admit The Nature o● the Church eleven different significations in Scripture yet they all consent in this one General expression of an Assembly it therefore affords us the common and not the special or distinguishing nature of the Church Yet though we might reckon many more sorts of Churches or assemblies differenc'd by their Author Subjects qualities ends c. Yet I conceive they may be all reduced as to our present discourse to these three 1. There is an Assembly that is sinful called by the Psalmist a Congregation of evil doers the Divels Chappel Psal 26. 5. and the Synagogue of Satan 2. There is an Assembly Civil or a Church of man gathered together for Act. 19 v 32. Publick and Civil occasions 3. Lastly there is a Sacred Church a Holy Convocation the Church of God Such 1 Cor. 1. 1. is the Assembly in the Text. 1. Here we may Note 't is an Assembly not a Rabble a confused and turbulent meeting of ungovern'd persons upon their own heads but an Assembly that is a Congregation that is also a Convocation Warranted by a just and a Regular Calling Ecclesia saith S. Augustine ex vocatione appellata est It were easie to make it evident that profain Authours as well as Sacred and Ecclesiastical do place this call in the very definition of the Church propriè Coetum aliquem à superiori aliquo Convocatum in finem politicum vel Ecclesiasticum deno●at Yea the Church and the called are Synonimous terms generally in Scripture Let all Assemblies look to their Calling and if the Magistrate allows them not let them be sure of the word of God otherwise we fear who will claim them 2. It is an Assembly that is Habitually not always Actually so much less altogether in one and the same place the root of the Hebrew indeed signifies Congregare and the Church well enough is termed a Congregation but we must necessarily understand it to be so in the first act only not the Second 'T is so in its first constitution preparation disposition not alwayes in the exercise of Actual Fellowship and Communion Indeed the Nature of the Church is rather a SOCIETY or a COMMUNITY than a Communion 'T is a Community in order to Actual Communion but Actual Communion is rather the formal Action than the true Nature of the Church for if it were not so there would be no Church when there is no actual Assembling together and the dismissing the Congregation would be the dissolving and the destruction of the Church Besides the General Assembly or the Holy Catholick Church which cannot thus actually meet together would be no Church at all Yet we must note that the very Nature of the Church supposeth fellowship and Communion of Saints and consequently expects and requires it as occasion offers from all that profess themselves Members of it 3. Lastly This Assembly as it is an habitual so it is a set and fixed Society of Christians not a stolen or snatcht or occasional meeting but a set and fix'd Society whereby it is rendered visible and known to the world Hereby it was known what St. Paul meant when he wrote his Epistles to the Churches of Rome Corinth Ephesus Galatia c. Because they were fix'd and constant and open in the profession of Christianity in the same establish't Assembly It is the shame of our Churches especially in Cities that our Congregations are certain only in our Parishes and our Churches distinguish'd only by our Houses and Cohabitation Our Congregations being as fluent as Rivers as unconstant as water and as water mingling and confounding themselves one with another where indeed we have the same place but seldome or never the same company Many persons when they go out of their Houses they are scarce resolved to what Church they shall go but are easily disposed to be carried by the winde of Novelty or Party to any other Congregation rather than their own Now if we reflect upon what hath been observed of the Nature of the Church we may gather something of the definition of it It is as you heard a fix'd Society of persons called Supply the terms of this Call viz. from what and to what these persons are called and the Definition of the Church of Christ may be this The Church of Christ is a fix'd Society of persons called out of the world to the worship of the true God The D●finition s●●e Chu●ch Again by distinguishing these terms the World and the Worship of God the World as the world of Infidelity and the world of Impiety The Worship of God as external by Ordinances and internal by Graces you have the Church in its usual distinction as visible and invisible For The visible Church is nothing else but a company Disti●ct●●n called out or severed from the world of Infidels to worship God in his external Ordinances and the Church invisible is a company called out or severed from the world of wicked and impious men to worship God in spirit and truth But seeing those that worship God in spirit and truth do also worship him with external worship and those that believe with the heart do also confess with the Rom 10. mouth the Church invisible is found in the Church visible as a part in the whole and this distinction is justly Imperfect rejected at least concluded imperfect and improper by very judicious and learned Divines However it cannot be found in this Text where doubtless both the Members of it are held and signified by this Assembly especially as General and the General Assembly which consideration of the Church now offers it self HAving spoken somewhat of the Nature of the Ch●●ch ●s Catholick Church as it 's an Assembly we crave your patience to take some measure of the quantity of it from the word GENERAL The Church is here called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Omnis Caetus the whole Company or General Assembly upon which I conceive we may safely ground our belief of

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