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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. THE CHURCH IS A VISIBLE SOCIETY. " Hb founded a church to be to mankind a standing memorial of religion, and invitation to it: which he promised to be with always, even to the end. Of this church all persons, scattered over the world, who live in obedience to his laws, are members."—Bishop Butleb. " God hath had ever, and ever shall have, some church visible upon earth."—Hooker. Words are signs of things. Language is the vehicle of thought. As signs, words should always express the things signified. As a vehicle, language should always convey sentiment. Without this perspicuity and precision counsel is darkened by words without knowledge; and the truth, which should be inculcated and enforced, is veiled in partial or entire obscurity. Verbal accuracy is of the utmost importance. This is especially the case in the question before us. The term "church" has such a'variety and latitude of meaning in the sacred Scriptures, and is used so vaguely and indeterminately in other writings, that it is impossible for us to proceed until we have ascertained and determined its use and application. The Greek word eV/cXiytrta means "an assembly or congregation," and may be applied to any concourse ofpeople, good or bad, gathered for lawful or unlawful purposes. It is derived from eicKaeo, " to call out of or from," signifying an assembly gathered out of a multitude; and, as applied to the people of God, it is always connected with some other word which determines its meaning. Thus we have the phrase, "the chnrch of God," meaning a body of men called of God, and devoted to his service: "the church of Christ" denoting the followers of Christ, who believe in his name, imitate his example, keep his commandments, and expect his second appearing: " the church which was in the h...