has different significations, according to the different subjects to which it is applied.
1. It is understood of the collective body of Christians, or all those over the face of the whole earth who profess to believe in Christ, and acknowledge him to be the Saviour of mankind. This is what the ancient writers call the catholic or universal church. Sometimes the word church is considered in a more extensive sense, and divided into several branches; as the church militant, is the assembly of the faithful on earth; the church triumphant, that of the faithful already in glory; to which the Papists add the church patient, which, according to their doctrines, is that of the faithful in purgatory.
2. Church is applied to any particular congregation of Christians, who associate together and concur in the participation of all the institutions of Jesus Christ, with their proper pastors and ministers. Thus we read of the church of Antioch, the church of Alexandria, the church of Thebeslonica, and the like.
3. Church denotes a particular sect of Christians distinguished by particular doctrines and ceremonies. In this sense, we speak of the Romish church, the Greek church, the reformed church, the church of England, &c.
The Latin or western church, comprehends all the churches of Italy, France, Spain, Africa, the north, and all other countries whither the Romans carried their language. G. Britain, part of the Netherlands, of Germany, and of the North, have been separated from hence ever since the time of Henry VIII. and constitute what we call the reformed church, and what the Romanists call the western schism.
The Greek or eastern church, comprehends the churches of all the countries anciently subject to the Greek or eastern empire, and through which their language was carried; that is, all the space extended from Greece to Mesopotamia and Persia, and thence into Egypt. This church has been divided from the Roman, ever since the time of the emperor Phocas.
The Gallican church, denotes the church of France, under the government and direction of their respective bishops and pastors. This church has always enjoyed certain franchises and immunities, not as grants from popes, but as derived to her from her first origin, and which she has taken care never to relinquish. These liberties depend upon two maxims; the first, that the pope pope has no authority or right to command or order any thing either in general or in particular, in which the temporalities and civil rights of the kingdom are concerned; the second, that notwithstanding the pope's supremacy is owned in cases purely spiritual, yet, in France, his power is limited and regulated by the decrees and canons of ancient councils received in that realm.
4. The word church is used to signify the body of ecclesiastics, or the clergy, in contradistinction to the laity. See Clergy.
5. Church is used for the place where a particular congregation or society of Christians assemble for the celebration of divine service. In this sense, churches are variously denominated, according to the rank, degree, discipline, &c., as metropolitan church, patriarchal church, cathedral church, parochial church, collegiate church, &c. See Metropolis, Patriarch, &c.
Church-reeves, the same with church wardens.
Church-Stretton, a market-town of Shropshire, about twelve miles south of Shrewsbury: W. long. 2° 50', N. lat. 52° 35'.
Church-wardens, formerly called church-reeves, are officers chosen yearly, in Easter week, by the minister and parishioners of every parish, to look after the church, church-yard, church-revenues, &c., also to observe the behaviour of the parishioners in relation to such misdeemors as appertain to the censure or jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical court.
They are to be chosen by the joint consent of the minister and his parishioners; and by custom, the minister may choose one, and the parishioners another; or, if there be a custom for it, the parishioners may elect both, though it is against the canon. They were sworn into their office by the archdeacon; and if he refuses to swear a church-warden, a mandamus may issue out to compel him: for as the church-wardens have a trust reposed in them by the parish, as temporal officers, the parishioners are the proper judges of their abilities to serve, and not the archdeacon who swears them.
The church wardens are a corporation to sue, and be sued, for the goods of the church: they are to take care of the repairs of the church; and if they erect or add anything new to the same, they must have the consent of the parishioners, or vestry; and if in the church, the license of the ordinary: they have, with consent of the minister, the placing of the parishioners in the seats of the body of the church, appointing gallery keepers, &c., referring to the ordinary a power to correct the same. In London, the church-wardens have this authority in themselves: there also they are bound to fix fire-places, keep engines, &c., in their parishes, under the penalty of 10l.
Besides their ordinary power, the church-wardens have the care of the benefice during its vacancy: they are to join with the overseers of the poor in making rates for their relief, setting up trades for employing them, placing out poor apprentices, settling poor persons, &c. It is their duty to collect the charity-money upon briefs read in churches; they are to sign the certificates of those persons who receive the sacrament, to qualify them to bear offices, &c.
CHURCHING of women after child-birth, an office in the liturgy, containing a thanksgiving to be used by women after being delivered from the great pain and peril of child-birth.