Schaff - History of the Christian Church Vol. 8 - Media Sabda Org

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corruptions of the papal Church, renewed the distinction of Augustin,
under a different and less happy designation of the congregation of the
predestinated or the elect, and the congregation of those who are only
foreknown. f660
The Reformers introduced the terminology “visible” and invisible” Church.
By this they did not mean two distinct and separate Churches, but rather
two classes of Christians within the same outward communion. The
invisible Church is in the visible Church, as the soul is in the body, or the
kernel in the shell, but God only knows with certainty who belong to the
invisible Church and will ultimately be saved; and in this sense his true
children are invisible, that is, not certainly recognizable and known to men.
We may object to the terminology, but the distinction is real and important.
Luther, who openly adopted the view of Hus at the disputation of Leipzig,
first applied the term “invisible” to the true Church, which is meant in the
Apostles’ Creed. f661 The Augsburg Confession defines the Church to be
“the congregation of saints (or believers), in which the Gospel is purely
taught, and the sacraments are rightly administered.” This definition is too
narrow for the invisible Church, and would exclude the Baptists and
Quakers. f662
The Reformed system of doctrine extends the domain of the invisible or
true Church and the possibility of salvation beyond the boundaries of the
visible Church, and holds that the Spirit of God is not bound to the
ordinary means of grace, but may work and save “when, where, and how
he pleases.” f663 Zwingli first introduced both terms. He meant by the
“visible” Church the community of all who bear the Christian name, by the
“invisible” Church the totality of true believers of all ages. f664 And he
included in the invisible Church all the pious heathen, and all infants dying
in infancy, whether baptized or not. In this liberal view, however, he stood
almost alone in his age and anticipated modern opinions. f665
Calvin defines the distinction more clearly and fully than any of the
Reformers, and his view passed into the Second Helvetic, the Scotch, the
Westminster, and other Reformed Confessions.
“The Church,” he says, f666 “is used in the sacred Scriptures in two senses.
Sometimes when they mention ‘the Church’ they intend that which is really
such in the sight of God (quae revera est coram Deo), into which none are
received but those who by adoption and grace are the children of God, and