History of Presbyterianism Lord—the supreme organizer of this His own di¬ vinely assumed spiritual body—the church. This is that church that great redeemed and blood pur¬ chased body of Jesus Christ the Lord of Glory to which He is head over all things, and which He so loved that He gave Himself for it, that He might present it to Himself "a glorious church, not having spot nor wrinkle, nor any such thing." When the whole family of the elect shall finally be thus gathered into one wholly united and beautified body by the free grace of God , ultimately com¬ pacted into one giant corporation, then this church will be really complete and forever constitute that great "general assembly and church of the First¬ born, whose names are written in heaven—the Body of Christ—the fullness of Him that filleth all in all." This is what is sometimes called the in¬ visible church, because it cannot now be seen and known in all its members by man, but has its full existence only in the all comprehensive mind of the Omniscient Jehovah himself: and although no doubt there is and will be order, rule and govern¬ ment in this invisible church throughout all its re¬ splendent future destiny, yet it is not with respect to it that government is mainly spoken of in Scrip¬ ture, but with respect to the present terrestrial or visible church, in which sense the term church is also used, but used to denote merely the aggregate body of those, together with their children, who at any one time, here on earth, profess the true re¬ ligion, or faith, in the Lord Jesus Christ, and who 182