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The Progress of Christianity; From Its First Promulgation at Jerusalem, to Its Legal Establishment Under Constantine
The Progress of Christianity From Its First Promulgation at Jerusalem to Its Legal Establishment Under Constantine Author:Thomas Wood General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1805 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: A Sketch of the Primitive Chrijlian Church. Vhat was the Fabric, which was hardly rcar'd, By Aid fiom Heav'n of Miracles and Grace; And faith, and piay'r, and toils, and death of Men, Whofe higheft glory was -- to fee it rife ? Jehovah's Temple 1 founded in his Truth -- Unequali'd projeft of th" Eternal Mind -- Symmetrical, cemented ftrong by love, Adorn'd with beauty of fupernal art, And fill'd with praife, which fragrant fhall afcend, As lafting -- as its baGs fball endure. A HE word !xcx)ffi'a, as ufed by the writers of the New Teftament, is applied to the Difciples of Chrift in a fpiritual fenfe. It uniformly iignifies one af- fembly or congregation; or fuch a number of pro- feffed Chriftians as ftatedly met together, for the wor- fhip of God, and a participation of the ordinances of the Gofpel. Thus we read of the Church at Corinth, Antioch, Ephefus, Philippi, Coloffe, Theffalonica, and other places. When the members of a family were all Chriftians, or others joined them in religious wor- fhip, they were called the Church in fuch a one's houfe. It does not appear that the Apoftles ever ufed the word, to fignify a houfe or building, where the Chriftians aflembled for devotion : neither is it probable that, in the Apoftles' days, particular places were fet apart, or confecrated for the fervice of religion, fo as to be entirely free from all the common ufes of life; for it was not poffible that they could meet together , but by agreement, in fuch places, and at fuch times, as might be moft convenient for all, and expofe them to the leaft danger. Mofes inftituted the Jewifh Church; Chrif...« less