Church Militant
Psalm 122:5-9
Community built with Order
A most beautiful verse and most beautifully expressing the characteristic of the church militant, if only I could achieve it in explanation. But be active in us, Lord, and we shall dare to try it. This at any rate is a difference between the church militant and the church triumphant other than what was said earlier, that there are seats in it and that they are manifest (that is, the powers and principalities of bishops, priests, etc.) but the sitter Himself, namely, Christ, does not appear and is hidden through faith and in faith, and yet He sits and is present, yes, extremely present, in them, since they are His seats.
Thus with these things that have been said, look at the church, and you will see that it has without doubt been thus arranged in orders and ranks, as this verse has described. I say, the church militant. It will be otherwise with the church triumphant. Now see that it expresses another beautiful mark of a peaceful king.