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A   CATHOLIC   ATLAS 


HAR  2  1  W95 


A  CATHOLIC  ATLAS 

OR 

DIGEST    OF    CATHOLIC 
THEOLOGY 


COMPREHENDING 

FUNDAMENTALS    OF    RELIGION,   SUMMARY    OF    CATHOLIC 

DOCTRINE,  MEANS   OF    GRACE,  PERFECTION   WITH 

ITS   RULES   AND   COUNSELS,  WORSHIP 

AND    ITS    LAWS 


BY 
THE  RT.  REV.  CHARLES   C.  GRAFTON,  S.  T.  D. 

BISHOP  OF   FOND   DU  LAC 


LONGMANS,   GREEN,   AND    CO. 

91  AND  93  FIFTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK 

LONDON,  BOMBAY,  AND    CALCUTTA 
1908 


COPYRIGHT,  1908 
BY  CHARLES  C.  GRAFTON,  S.  T.  D. 


All  rights  reserved 


THE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS,    CAMBRIDGE,   U.  S.  A 


TO    OCR   MOTHER 
THE  ECCLESIA  ANGLICANA 

AND    IN    GRATEFUL   TRIBUTE   TO    HER   THREE 
GREAT  THEOLOGIANS 

PEARSON,  HOOKER,  PUSEY 

THIS    WORK    IS    INSCRIBED    BY   THE    HUMBLEST 
OF   HER   SONS 


PREFACE 

DEAR  READER  :  — 

Thou  wilt  find  somewhat  in  this  book  that  will  disagree  with  thee. 
And  in  what  it  disagrees  with  thee  thou  wilt  find  thy  most  advantage.  If 
it  be  not  writ  by  the  Spirit  mayest  thou  be  enlightened  to  the  answering 
thereof  to  thy  profit.  What  cometh  of  the  Spirit  will  profit  if  thou  hast 
that  "gracious  humility  which  hath  ever  been  the  crown  and  glory  of  a 
Christianly  disposed  mind." 

There  be  many  books  of  human  making  the  author  has  consulted  in 
forming  this,  but  that  whereby  he  has  most  profited  is  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
interpreted  by  the  common  consciousness  of  Apostolic  Christendom  and 
made  vital  by  meditation  and  prayer.  For  all  lovers  of  Jesus  agree  in  this 
that  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  is  best  learnt  in  the  companionship  of  those 
most  closely  united  to  Him  and  at  the  foot  of  the  cross. 

The  dispositions  of  our  time  have  engendered  much  disputation,  and 
more  indifference,  along  with  widespread  rejection  of  the  Christian  faith, 
which  is  a  suggestive  and  peace- composing  sign  as  betokening  that  the 
reign  of  evil  is  coming  to  an  end,  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord  draweth  nigh. 

The  three  principal  forms  of  assault  wear  the  livery  and  mask  of 
science,  of  higher  criticism,  and  of  modern  thought;  yet  the  truths  for 
which  two  stand  make  them  rather  champions  of  the  faith  than  its 
opponents. 

As  the  discovery  of  the  Copernican  system  was  found  not  to  contradict 
the  Scriptures,  so  the  discoveries  of  to-day  in  geology  and  of  the  process  of 
evolution  do  not  contradict  them.  As  it  was  not  declared  in  Scripture 
that  the  world  was  made  in  six  days,  for  the  sun  and  moon  did  not  appear 
till  the  fourth,  the  word  written  in  the  rocks  does  not  contradict  that 
written  in  Genesis.  The  evolutionary  process  in  the  formation  of  the 
universe  only  implies  method  and  the  intelligence  of  the  immanent 
Energy  in  directing  it.  The  reign  of  law  requires  a  lawgiver,  whose  laws, 
being  of  His  own  making,  are  His  and  not  He  their  servant.  They  are 
but  like  the  keys  of  an  instrument  on  which  the  Divine  Hand,  bringing 
out  new  harmonies,  plays.  In  the  presence  of  the  new  knowledge  that 
all  matter  is  but  the  expression  of  electricity  and  any  so-called  element 
is  changeable  into  another,  the  objections  to  certain  miracles  in  the  New 
Testament  practically  cease. 


viii  PREFACE 


The  modern  study  of  Holy  Scripture  has  revealed  much  concerning 
the  authority  and  origin  of  certain  books,  the  redactions,  the  employment 
of  Babylonian  material,  the  incorporation  of  folk- lore,  and  poetry  into 
them.  It  has  shown  the  human  element  of  the  writers  in  their  style, 
limitations,  and  historical  omissions.  But  the  regular  and  orderly  develop 
ment  of  the  types  in  the  patriarchal  stage  and  in  the  law,  and  the  revealed 
providential  guidance  of  the  Hebrew  race  throughout  its  history,  the  unity 
and  progressive  unfolding  of  the  great  design  of  a  promised  Deliverer  that 
runs  through  it,  are  witnesses  to  the  fact  that  a  Mind  other  than  that  of 
the  writers  guided  their  productions.  The  existence  and  evidences  of  the 
human  element  make  by  contrast  more  significant  the  presence  of  the 
divine. 

The  third  opponent  is  modern  thought,  the  most  advanced  form  of 
which  seeks  no  reconciliation  with  Christianity,  but  its  overthrow.  It  holds 
that  all  religions  are  controlled  by  development  and  that  this  presupposes 
change,  and  so  final  dissolution.  Christianity  will  therefore  pass  away. 
It  rejects  the  supernatural  or  the  possibility  of  miracles.  It  disbelieves 
in  the  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures.  As  man's  sinfulness  is  irreconcilable 
with  modern  philosophy,  redemption,  according  to  it, 'has  no  place  in 
religion.  It  denies  as  worthless  the  Christian  principles  of  self-denial  and 
self-sacrifice,  and  the  ideal  of  the  Christian  life.  It  adopts  for  its  conduct 
the  Epicurean  philosophy  of  self- pleasing  and  self-indulgence.  It  does  not 
believe  in  a  future  heaven,  and  lives  for  this  life  only.  The  vices  recorded 
in  the  Old  Testament  are  quoted  without  reference  to  the  punishments 
visited  by  God  upon  them,  while  these  advanced  thinkers  gloss  over  the 
immoralities  of  the  gay  Greek  life  which  they  commend. 

This  attack  has  nothing  new  in  it.  It  omits  to  notice  that  Christianity 
is  based  on  a  Person  in  a  way  no  other  religion  is,  and  has  within  it  a  super 
natural  and  indestructible  power  that  insures  it  from  destruction.  It  is 
proved  pragmatically  to  be  the  absolute  religion  because  it  has  been  found 
adapted  to  all  men,  of  all  nations.  It  is  not  a  series  of  doctrines,  but  a 
system  imparting  spiritual  gifts  proved  to  be  true  by  experiment  and  the 
experience  of  millions.  We  Christians  know  we  have  passed  from  a  mere 
natural  into  a  supernatural  state  of  life.  We  have  been  illuminated  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  the  perception  and  reception  of  the  faith.  We  do  not 
merely  believe  in  God,  we  have  come  to  know  Him.  He  dwells  in  us  and 
we  in  Him.  The  Father  and  the  Spirit  make  in  us  their  abode.  They 
fill  us  with  strength  of  will  and  light  of  understanding,  and  with  a  joy  and 
peace  the  world  cannot  give. 

In  a  more  modified  form  the  modern  thought  shows  itself  within  the 
church.  It  rejects  authority.  It  disbelieves  in  most  of  the  miracles.  It 
does  not  hold  the  Bible  to  be  God's  word.  It  bases  itself,  or  tries  to  do  so, 
on  facts.  It  begins  with  man's  nature  and  its  supposed  needs.  Its  pro- 


PREFACE 


IX 


posed  object  is  to  give  an  uplift  to  humanity.  Its  means  are  the  develop- 
.  ment  of  character  and  an  altruistic  spirit.  It  says  scholasticism  must  give 
way  to  modern  thought.  It  would  not  have  dogmas  imposed  by  church 
authority.  If  it  recites  the  creed  it  puts  its  own  interpretation  upon  it, 
denying  the  facts  stated  to  be  facts.  It  regards  the  creed  as  a  banner  or 
symbol  of  a  religious  cause  which  good  men  are  not  required  to  believe, 
but  are  invited  to  follow.  It  leaves  men  to  believe  as  they  please  and  only 
asks  that  they  be  moral  men  and  love  their  fellows. 

This  system  does  not  recognize  the  fact  that  the  Christian  religion 
was  not  the  product  of  human  thought,  but  a  revelation,  and  therefore  is 
not  changeable.  It  is  incompatible  with  the  truth  that  the  guardianship 
of  this  revelation  was  committed  to  the  keeping  of  a  church  indwelt  by  the 
Holy  Spirit.  It  does  not  realize  that  Christian  character  depends  on  an 
actual  and  not  a  mere  moral  union  of  the  individual  with  the  humanity 
of  Christ.  It  does  not  see  that  dogma  is  like  the  walls  of  a  well  that  pro 
tect  the  water  from  running  to  waste  and  yet  do  not  hinder,  within  limits, 
the  fresh  free  thought  from  rising  up  within.  It  says  "give  us  religion 
but  not  dogmas,"  which  is  much  like  saying  give  us  the  heavenly  bodies 
but  not  astronomy.  Give  us  flora  but  not  botany.  Give  us  fauna  but  not 
zoology.  Give  us  atoms  and  molecules  but  not  chemistry.  Theology  is 
as  much  of  a  necessity  of  religion  as  the  science  of  geology  is  of  the  earth. 
Moreover,  the  dogmas  of  the  church  are  a  protection  to  the  unlearned 
and  simple  from  the  vagaries  of  the  intellectual.  Give  up  dogmas,  and  an 
undogmatic  church  would  become  a  whirlpool  of  contradictory  speculations 
and  a  mother  of  unbelief. 

This  phase  of  modern  or  broad  church  thought  has  been  placed  under 
the  papal  ban.  There  is  a  difference,  however,  between  the  condemnation 
by  the  whole  church  and  by  the  papacy.  It  is  not  that  the  papacy  represents 
only  a  portion  of  the  Catholic  Church,  but  as  in  the  individual  Christian 
there  is  a  human  spirit  and  a  divine  spirit,  so  it  is  in  the  church.  The 
difficulty  with  the  papacy  is  that  it,  like  modern  thought,  is  the  production 
of  the  human  spirit.  The  contest  between  modern  thought  and  the  papacy 
is  not  therefore,  as  is  ordinarily  thought,  one  between  rationalism  and 
authority.  Modern  thought  and  the  papacy  are  both  manifestations  of  the 
human  spirit  in  insubordination  to  the  divine.  For  the  papacy  is  defended 
by  many  on  the  theory  of  development,  the  same  theory  as  that  of  modern 
thought.1  But  the  method,  the  end,  and  the  final  result  of  its  development 
show  it  to  be  the  work  of  the  human  and  not  of  the  divine  spirit. 

(a)  In  the  contributory  means  of   its  growth  we  find  frauds  and  for 
geries.    Now  God  has  no  need  of  men's  lies  to  carry  out  His  plans. 

(6)  In  the  end  reached  by  the  development  we  have  a  double  monarchy, 

1  For  the  Scriptural  argument  see  "  Christian  and  Catholic." 


PREFACE 


which  in  both  aspects  is  a  manifestation  of  earthly  wisdom,  of  love  of 
power,  and  of  a  carnal  mind. 

(c)  In  the  final  outcome  we  have  in  the  papacy  a  repetition  of  Israel's 
sin  in  desiring  a  visible  head,  with  the  result  of  the  division  of  Chris 
tendom. 

Thus  both  the  papacy  and  modern  thought  are  alike  the  outcome  of 
the  human  spirit. 

If,  dear  Reader,  thou  wouldest  be  controlled  by  the  divine  Spirit  thou 
must  first  abide  in  the  Holy  Apostolic  Catholic  Church  in  which  He 
dwelleth.  Given  by  Christ,  He  entered  into  it  at  Pentecost  and  abides  in 
it  to  this  day.  By  His  presence  the  Church  becomes  something  more  than 
a  divine  society,  it  is  a  spiritual  organism.  Its  unity,  being  organic  like 
that  of  the  Father  and  Son,  cannot  be  broken.  United  by  the  Sacra 
ments  to  Christ,  as  living  members  of  this  spiritual  organism,  we  are 
filled  with  its  light.  In  that  light  we  understand  the  faith  revealed.  The 
opinion  of  scholars  who  live  outside  of  this  sphere  of  divine  illumination  is 
the  more  likely  to  be  erroneous  the  more  intellectual  they  are.  It  is  only 
in  the  Church,  and  by  the  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  it,  the  truth  is  known. 

If  it  be  necessary  to  be  within  the  body  to  understand  the  faith,  it  is 
also  needful  to  enter  into  its  life.  The  faith  is  best  understood  by  the 
saints.  It  is  by  the  spiritual  that  things  spiritual  are  discerned.  This  is 
the  law  of  the  Church's  construction  and  interpretation  of  her  Scriptures. 
She  seeks  not  to  know  the  mind  of  the  writers,  but  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  their 
Author.  And  what  the  Holy  Spirit  dwelling  in  the  Church  reads  out  of 
the  Scriptures,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  must  have  put  into  them  to  be  so 
read.  This  was  the  way  Christ  and  the  Apostles  interpreted  the  old 
Testament  Scriptures  and  their  prophecies.  To  the  faithful  within  the 
spiritual  organism,  they  are  confirmation  of  the  faith.  To  those  without, 
the  Scriptures  are  not  of  the  same  import  as  to  those  within.  They  are  not 
by  themselves  convincing  proofs  to  the  unbelieving,  and  not  intended  to  be. 
For  the  unbelieving  needs  first  to  be  brought  under  conviction  of  sin  and 
to  be  converted  and  submit  to  Christ,  and  then  in  the  body  of  Christ  to  be 
fully  instructed.  It  is  thus  in  the  mystical  body  of  the  Church,  and  as 
filled  with  the  Spirit,  we  learn  from  the  Church  as  one  whole  entity  what 
Christ  has  revealed  as  necessary  for  our  salvation,  and  by  acting  on  it 
become  identified  with  Him. 

It  may  here  be  stated  that  the  idea  of  the  present  book  came  from  a 
French  work  published  fifty  years  ago  by  the  Abbe  Monnier,  but  it  is  not 
a  translation,  the  order  and  general  treatment  being  different,  and  the 
author  would  gratefully  acknowledge  his  indebtedness  to  it.  It  is  said 
that  while  of  the  clergy  there  are  no  better  than  the  Anglican,  the  Anglican 
laity  are  largely  uninstructed  in  the  faith.  This  treatise  it  is  hoped  will 
aid  priests  desirous  of  teaching  their  people,  by  giving  them  outlines, 


PREFACE  xi 


easily  filled  up  with  texts  and  illustrations,  out  of  which  they  can  give 
courses  of  dogmatic  instruction. 

The  signs  of  the  time  call  for  such  instruction,  for  Christian  character 
and  devotion  rest  on  Christian  Dogma.  And  as  in  preparation  for  the 
first  coming  of  Christ  there  was  a  special  work  of  the  Spirit  in  the  develop 
ment  of  sanctity,  so  the  second  is  to  be  heralded  by  signs  of  persecution 
and  unbelief  on  the  one  hand,  and  by  a  deep  revival  of  saintliness  on  the 
other.  The  Church  is  arising  from  her  slumbers.  The  hearts  of  men  are 
crying  out  for  a  living  Christ  and  a  practical  Christianity.  In  Rome 
men  are  becoming  sick  of  the  machine,  the  show,  and  the  intrigues  of 
a  worldly  monarchical  system.  They  want  something  more  vital  in  its 
piety,  more  in  touch  with  human  wants.  In  England  and  America  men 
are  turning  from  the  shallowness  and  unsatisfactoriness  of  a  disguised 
Unitarianism.  It  is  humbly  believed  that  the  Anglican  Church  is  being 
roused  to  her  great  providentially  protected  and  designed  mission.  She 
has  a  message  to  all  people.  May  God  unite  and  inspire  her  to  bear  it. 

The  joyous  end  is  drawing  nigh  when  the  predestined  number  of  the 
elect  will  be  completed  and  the  kingdom  of  righteousness  will  be  ushered 
in  by  the  glorious  coming  of  His  Divine  Majesty.  Then  the  systems 
developed  by  the  human  spirit  of  sects  and  papacy  will  be  scorched  up  in 
the  divine  light  and  the  Church  will  be  finally  purified.  Then  the  tempo 
rarily  allowed  permission  of  evil  and  sin  will  cease  and  Goodness  will 
finally  triumph.  The  faithful  will  be  gathered  into  glory  and,  upheld 
in  sinlessness,  will  be  eternally  blessed.  The  wicked  will  be  unable  to  sin, 
for  grace  being  withdrawn  it  cannot  be  resisted,  and  neither  without  it 
can  any  repent.  The  state  of  each  will  thus  be  eternally  fixed.  "  He 
that  is  unjust  let  him  be  unjust  still ;  and  he  that  is  filthy  let  him  be  filthy 
still ;  and  he  that  is  righteous  let  him  be  righteous  still ;  and  he  that  is 
holy  let  him  be  holy  still."  "He  which  testifieth  these  things  saith,  Surely 
I  come  quickly.  Amen.  Even  so,  come,  Lord  Jesus." 

C.    C.   FOND   DU   LAC. 


INTRODUCTION 
THE    FUNDAMENTALS    OF  RELIGION,  AND   MAN'S    END 


CATHOLIC    ATLAS 


THE  GENERAL  INTRODUCTION 


'Religion 

in                 -< 

general. 

As  revealed 

in  regard           -< 

to  man. 

GENERAL 
INTRODUCTION.  "" 

As  to  the 
Christian. 

Its  preserva 
tion,  de 

velopment,        x 
and 

witnesses. 

Catholic  Doctrine  considered  in  its  nature. 

The  duty  of  studying  it  and  the  dispositions  necessary  for  its 

right  understanding. 
Its  sources    in  tradition,   revelation,   conciliar    decisions,   the 

common  consent  and  the  Christian  consciousness. 
Religion  in  general  considered  in  its  nature,  its  necessity,  its 

origin,  its  end. 

As  revealed,  religion  has  regard  to  our  duties  as  man  to  God 
and  as  man  to  man. 

It  involves  our  belief  in  God,  our  worship  of  Him  and  submis 
sion  to  His  will. 

It  defines  our  duties  to  our  neighbour,  our  parents,  and  all 
men. 

It  enforces  the  proper  subordination  of  the  parts  of  our  three 
fold  nature,  the  lower  to  the  higher. 

In  regard  to  our  duties  as  Christians,  it  involves  our  belief  in 
the  injury  our  nature  has  received  by  sin,  its  loss  of  grace 
and  its  inability,  without  aid,  to  attain  a  heavenly  state. 

It  calls  on  us  to  acknowledge  our  sins  and  accept  Christ  and 
His  terms  of  mercy  as  our  promised  Redeemer. 

It  enjoins  the  use  of  all  the  sacramental  means  of  grace  pro 
vided  for  our  protection  and  spiritual  advancement. 

It  bids  us  work  for  the  increase  of  Christ's  Kingdom  and  for 
the  elevation  of  humanity. 

It  requires  us  to  worship  God  outwardly  in  the  way  ordained 
by  Him  and  inwardly  with  our  whole  heart,  soul,  and  mind. 

Its  preservation  in  the  world  in  the  Hebrew  nation  and  the 

Christian  Church. 
Its   progressive   developments  from   primitive  times   and  the 

revelation  of  the  law  to  its  completeness  in  Christ. 
Its  existing  monumental  witnesses,   science,  the  preservation 

of  the  Jewish  people.     The  extension  of  Christianity.     Its 

effect  on  civilisation. 
The  testimony  of  the  old  and  new  Testaments,  the  life  of 

Christ,  the  continuance  of  the  Church,  the  true  Christian 

life. 


Its  title  to  our  reception. 

blessings  it  brings,  generally  and  individually. 


4                                 CATHOLIC    DOCTRINE 

''upon    the    intrinsic    importance    of    everything    relating    to 

religion  ; 

upon  the  insufficiency  of  the  elementary  notions  received  in 

'  Its  necessity 

our  childhood; 

is  founded 

upon  the  absolute  necessity  of  knowing  our  obligations  to  God, 

to  our  neighbour  and  to  ourselves; 

upon  the  need  of  fortifying  oneself  against  the  sophisms  of 

the  world,  and  of  providing  a  way  of  escape  from  its  errors. 

'TI.      !.•  c.        f  the  sublimity  of  its  doctrines. 
It  satisfies     1    ,                         »  . 

,      .      ...      1  the  exactness  of  its  reasonings. 

i  iic  in  Ldii~    Ati           •••       *•  ••             f 
,          1  the  certainty  of  its  proofs. 

(jts  pervading  common  sense. 

Its                   -< 

advantages. 

It  is  for         ("of  the  most  noble  and  most  elevated  sentiments, 

the  heart     ~l  of  the  sweetest  and  most  powerful  emotions, 

-the  source     l^of  the  strongest  and  most  enduring  motives. 

rlst.  Prayer,  because  God  is  the  source  of  all  light  and  truth, 

and  the  Truth  is  apprehended  in  the  Light  He  gives; 

2nd.  The  banishment  from  one's  spirit  of  all  prejudices  and 

THE  CATHOLIC 
DOCTRINE  AS  A 
STUDY  ONE 

The  disposi 

adverse  predispositions  ; 
3rd.  The  search  for  the  truth  with  entire  good  faith,  not  allow 
ing  oneself  to  be  stopped  by  difficulties  in  matters  of  minor 
importance  ; 

OUGHT  TO 

UNDERTAKE. 

tions  of  the 
heart  and 

4th.  Contentment  with  proof  proper  to  the  subject;    not  de 
manding   a    demonstration,    of   which   the   subject   is     not 

mind  and 

capable  ; 

will  neces 

5th.  The   acceptance   of  the  truth,   once  sufficiently  proved, 

sary  to  profit 

although  one  does  it  at  the  cost  it  demands; 

by  it. 

6th.  The  constant  remembrance  that  it  is  not  enough  to  in 

tellectually  accept  religious  truth,  but  that  one  must  act  on 

it  in  order  to  know  it; 

7th.  As  religion  is  not  the  mere  revelation  of  doctrines  but  is 

embodied  in  a  Person,  Jesus  Christ,  its  essence  lies  in  our 

- 

union  with  Him. 

'1st.  The  Ancient  Traditions,  scattered  throughout  the  world. 

2nd.  The  Old  Testament  the     (  the  primitive  and 

depository  of                              (  Mosaic  revelations. 

3rd.  The  New  Testament  containing  the  completed  revela 

tion  of  God  to  man  by  and  in  Christ. 

4th.  The  Holy  Catholic  Church,1  in  which  the  Holy  Spirit 

dwells,  and  through  which  Christ  acts  and  speaks. 

5th.  The  Apostolic   traditions  embodied  in  the  Constitution 

Its  sources 

r 

and  practice  of  the  Church. 

.are 

6th.  The  decisions   of   the   Ecumenical   Councils  of  the  un 

divided    Church,    and   the   common    consent    of     Catholic 

Christendom. 

7th.  The  Liturgical  books  received  in  the  Church. 

8th.  The  writings  of  the  Fathers,  Doctors,  and  Theologians  of 

acknowledged  authority. 

9th.  The  general  Christian  consciousness  which  bears  a  cor 

roborative  witness  to  the  Church's  faith. 

The  appointed  guardian  of  the  faith,  a  spiritual  organism. 


RELIGION    IN    GENERAL 


ARTICLE  II.   NOTIONS  TOUCHING  RELIGION 


§  1 
RELIGION 

IN 
GENERAL. 


Its 
Nature 


Its 

Origin 


Its  end 


in  General, 

Its  Revealed  Duties, 

Its  Preservation, 

Its  Existing  Monuments, 

Its  Blessings. 


in  the          fit  is  CGod  to  man  by  His  Sovereignty  and   good- 
widest        J  the  bond  I       ness, 
sense.          |  which  "]  man  to  God  by  submission  and  love, 

(^unites  ^man  to  man  by  love  and  righteousness. 


In  the  relation  to  God,  it  is  the  worship  which  is  due  to 

Him  inwardly  and  outwardly,  in  private  or  in  public. 
Objectively,  as  an       pt  is  an  Screeds,  duties, 

•<  harmonious  •<  outward  acts 


narrower 
sense. 


appointed  institute 
or  rule  of  life 


Subjectively,  in 
J  reference  to  the 
Spirit,  as  a 
mental  act 


Bunion  of         ^of  piety. 


j  it  is  the 
(  knowledge 


of  God  and  His  per 
fections, 

of  oneself  and  of 
one's  needs, 

of  one's  duty  in  this 
life, 

of  one's  destiny  in 
another. 


Effectively,  fit  is  the 
as  an  act         desire  to 
of  the          <  reunite 
will  and          oneself 
affections      (^with  God 


by  belief  on  part  of  the  mind, 
by  the  affections  of  the  heart, 
by  the  submission  of  the  will, 
by  the  practice  of  outward  acts 
of  worship. 


Its 

Necessity 
results 


'His  inherent  right  as  Creator, 
His  absolute  authority  as  Sovereign  Lord, 
His  infinite  loveliness  and  Supreme  Goodness, 
His  free  gifts  as  our  good  God  and  the  Lover  of 
man. 

'on  account  of  his  position  as  a  creature  of  God, 
on  account  of  his  infinite  inferiority, 
on  account  of  his  need  of  happiness, 
on  account  of  the  benefits  he  has  received  from 
God. 

'on  account  of  the  impossibility  of  giving  a  true 
solid  basis  for  moral  obligations  without  religious 
principles. 

because  God  alone  is  the  Creator  and  therefore  the 
owner  of  man, 

because  the  Maker  alone  has  the  right  to  order  the 
manner  in  which  He  shall  be  served, 

because  man  would  never  have  known  how  to  have 
attained  his  final  happiness  if  God  had  not  re 
vealed  it  to  him. 

There,  by  grace  to  elevate  and  transform  and  unite  man  to  God  in  all 
J       parts  of  his  being, 

j  hereafter,  in  glory,  through  a  secured  sinlessness  to  make  him  partaker 
[_     of  eternal  bliss. 


'on  the  side 
of  God  from 


on  the  side 
of  man 


on  the  side 
of  his  duties 


("to  be  legitimate, 
J  could  not 
"]  come  except 

(^from  God, 


DUTIES   OF    REVEALED    RELIGION 


In  regard 
to  our 
duties 
as  man. 


Our 
obliga 
tions 


Our  duty    C  One  and  only  one  Creator  of  all  origins. 

towards          The  directing  Energy  of  all  developments. 

God  is       •<   The  Sustainer  of  all  existences  by  His  immanence. 

to  believe       The  Supreme  Governor  here  and  Rewarder  of  man  in 

in  Him       (^      another  life. 

f  Faith. 

Adoration  and  Prayer, 
e  and  Love. 
>n  of  His  will  and  submission 

{to  obey  them  in  childhood, 
respect  them  in  age. 
aid  them  in  poverty. 
To   love   our   relations   and 

friends, 
to  forgive  our  enemies  as  we 

would  be  forgiven, 
to    seek    the    betterment    of 

mankind. 

The  soul  to  rule  the  body 
that  it  be  not  given  to  un 
regulated  desires  and  drag 
man  down  into  animalism. 
The  spirit  to  rule  the  soul, 
that  the  man  be  not  ruled 
by  the  soul's  independ- 

§  2  towards       I  SUDOrdi-     J      ent  reasonings,  nor  made 

REVEALED  nation  in     |       worldly  through  covetous- 

RELIGION,  our  three-         ness. 

ITS  FUNDA-      I  fold  The  Holy  Spirit  to  rule  the 

MENTAL  nature.  human  spirit  so  that,  the 

DUTIES.  human    spirit,    being    by 

submission  free  from  pride, 
may    be    enlightened    by 
God. 
in  the  fact  of  the  injury  done  to  human  nature  by  sin 

and  its  transmitted  effects, 
in  the  promise  of  Redemption  and  Elevation  through 

Christ. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  we  accept  the  account  in 
Genesis  of  the  original  trial  and  fall  of  man  other 
Belief         ^      than  as  allegorical.     The  fact  of  Man's  impaired 

nature  and  need  of  divine  aid  is  obvious. 
It  is   a    mistake    to  suppose  Christ  came  merely  to 
restore  man  to  a  former  condition.     He  came,  un- 
baffled  by  man's  sin,  to  elevate  him  to  a  higher 
degree  of  life  by  union  with  Himself. 
In  order  to  this  union  it  is  needful  to  use  all  the  sacra 
mental  means  of  grace  provided  for  it. 
for  the  increase  of  God's  righteousness  among  men, 
for  the  extension  of  Christ's  Kingdom, 

Work         -4  for  the  keeping  of  our  faith  a  bright  and  living  faith, 
for  the  brotherhood  of  humanity  and  the  elevation  of 

mankind. 
Cby  offering  oneself  to  God, 

by  offering  the  ordained  worship  and  sacrifice, 
Worship    •<  by  keeping  holy  one  day  in  the  week, 

by  worshipping  God  in  the  prescribed  Liturgy  of  the 
Church. 


f                                         HUUrailUIl    i 

towards      J  Confidence 
Recognition 
[     to  it. 

to  our 

towards 

parents 

our 

neighbour  < 
are 

towards 

all. 

the  main 

tenance  of 

towards 
oneself 

a  proper 
subordi 
nation  in 

our  three 

fold 

nature. 

1 

In  regard 
to  our 
duties  as 
Christians. 


REVEALED     RELIGION 


was  maintained  from  earliest  times  in  simple  forms  of  belief  in 
God  and  His  promises. 


"Its 

Preservation 

was  later 
disfigured 

has  been 
nevertheless 
^preserved 

by  the  caprices  of  human  imagination, 
by  the  unruly  thoughts  of  the  heart, 
by  the  pride  of  the  human  intellect, 
by  contact  with  heathen  nations, 
_by  the  introduction  of  sensual  idolatry. 


("under  the  hundred  absurd  fables  of  paganism, 

in  the  minds  and  hearts  of  humble  souls  every- 
<       where, 

in  the  body  of  the  Hebrew  nation,  and  finally  in 
^     the  body  of  the  Christian  Church. 


§3 
REVEALED    < 
RELIGION. 

Its 
Progressive        x 
Development. 

Simple  and  childlike  under  the  dispensation  of  the  primitive 

revelation  made  to  the  Patriarchs. 
More  developed  under  the  dispensation  of  the  revelation  made  to 

Moses  and  the  Prophets. 
Perfected  under  the  dispensation  of  the  third  revelation  foretold 

by  the  two  first,  as  their  complete  development,  and  which  was 

brought  into  operation  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Notwithstanding  its  changes,  always  one  in  its  object,  which  is 

constantly  Jesus  Christ,  at  first  promised,  then  waited  for,  at 

last  who  came. 


Its 

Existing 
.Monuments. 


The  punishment  and  preservation  of  the  Jewish  people,  as  not 
destroyed,  but  left  without  priesthood  or  Temple  worship  and 
scattered  throughout  the  world,  a  witness  of  the  coming  and  of 
their  rejection  of  the  promised  Messiah. 

The  extension  of  Christianity  among  the  most  intellectual  nations. 

It  has  held  its  own  in  spite  of  the  most  persistent  attacks. 

From  the  beginning  its  claims  have  been  most  rigorously  scruti 
nised.  It  came  out  victorious  over  Paganism. 

It  was  not  submerged  by  the  deluge  of  Barbarian  ism. 

It  overcame  the  attacks  of  Mohammedanism. 

It  met  the  new  learning  of  the  16th  Century  and  is  meeting  the 
scientific  discoveries  of  the  19th.  They  are  not  found  to  con 
tradict  any  Dogma  of  the  Christian  faith. 

Its  proved  fitness  to  be  the  universal  religion,  and  so  God's 
greatest  gift  to  man. 

It  has  proved  its  value  in  the  civilisation  it  has  wrought,  in  the 
abolition  of  slavery,  the  mitigation  of  war,  the  elevation  of 
woman,  its  thousand  charitable  institutions,  the  social,  intel 
lectual  and  moral  freedom  it  has  brought;  social,  as  teaching 
self-government;  intellectual,  as  substituting  certainty  for 
speculation;  moral,  as,  by  its  aid,  making  man  free  to  keep 
the  law  of  his  being. 


REVEALED    RELIGION 


§4 

REVEALED 
RELIGION. 
ITS 

EXISTING 
MONUMENTS. 


REVEALED  RELIGION.    ITS  MONUMENTS  AND  PERFECTION 

'However  regarded  as  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  are  by  the  higher  critics,  yet 
they  contain  the  records  of  primitive  traditions. 

The  faith  of  the  Jewish  people  and  God's  purposes  as  revealed  in  the  history  of 
the  nations  and  His  dealing  with  the  chosen  people. 

The  Acts,  Epistles,  and  Revelation  form  a  group  by  themselves  wherein  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  seen  guiding  the  Apostles  into  a  remembrance  of  Christ's  words  and 
a  fuller  understanding  of  them. 

The  Gospels,  containing  an  account  of  the  life  and  death  of  Christ;  Sunday,  a 
weekly  memorial  of  His  resurrection ;  the  Sacraments  of  Baptism  and  the  Holy 
Eucharist,  living  witnesses  of  His  teaching  and  of  His  abiding  presence  in  His 
Church. 

The  Church,  Apostolic  and  Catholic,  which  neither  the  Roman  power,  nor  the 
heresies  and  divisions  within,  nor  the  Mahometan  invasion,  nor  false  prophets 
of  any  kind,  nor  the  debasing  influence  of  worldliness  or  sensuality,  nor  the 
solvents  of  modern  criticism  and  unbelief,  could  destroy,  but  which  bears 
within  herself  the  indestructible  life  of  her  risen  Lord. 

The  great  religious  orders  bearing  witness  to  the  power  of  Christianity  to  enable 
men  to  set  at  naught  the  world's  honours  and  lead  consecrated  lives ;  together 
with  the  body  of  the  faithful  and  of  the  Saints,  in  whom  the  supernatural  in 
dwelling  of  Christ's  life  is  seen  manifested. 


CHRISTIANITY 

THE   PER 
FECTION  OF 
REVEALED 
RELIGION. 


Its  Titles 
to  our 
Consideration. 


It  is  the  fulfilment  of  the  promises  God  has  made  to  man  dur 
ing  past  ages. 

It  is  the  realisation  of  the  types  and  symbols  in  the  Old  Testa 
ment,  and  especially  in  the  sacrifices  and  divinely  ordered 
mode  of  worship. 

It  is  the  fulfilment  of  all  the  prophecies  made  by  the  prophets, 
concerning  Christ  and  His  Kingdom. 

It  is  the  legitimate  inheritor  of  all  the  privileges  and  covenanted 
blessings  of  the  law,  which  order  Christ  came  "not  to  destroy 
but  to  fulfil." 

It  is  the  unfolding  of  the  Jewish  dispensation  into  the  new, 
higher  and  more  spiritually  endowed  one,  being  the  flower 
and  fruit  of  which  the  old  was  but  the  blossom. 

It  is  the  successor  of  the  ancient  order  of  worship,  liturgical, 
sacrificial,  ceremonial,  choral/  The  Jewish  ordinances  be 
ing  transformed  into  grace-communicating  sacraments,  like 
as  Christ  changed  the  water  into  wine. 

It  is  the  bringer  in  of  the  new  order  of  grace,  of  deliverance 
from  the  penalty  of  sin  by  the  death  and  sacrifice  of  Christ, 
and  of  our  clothing  with  the  Righteousness  of  God  by  faith. 

It  comes  to  bless  and  elevate  all  our  earthly  joys,  fortify  us  to 
bear  our  trials,  increase  our  happiness  in  this  life  and  secure 
for  us  a  blessed  eternity. 


THE    BLESSINGS    RELIGION    BRINGS 


Reconciliation  with  God. 

Forgiveness  of  man's  sin,  the  blotting  out  of  a  guilty  past. 

The  elevation  of  man's  nature,  through  union  with  the  nature  of  the 
God-Man,  Jesus  Christ. 

The  partaking  of  the  divine  nature,  the  becoming  a  son  of  God, 
and  an  inheritor  of  the  Kingdom  of  heaven. 

The  proffered  possibility  of  attaining  through  union  here  by  grace, 
a  supernatural  end  or  further  union  with  God  in  bliss  and  glory. 


§5 
THE 

BLESSINGS 
RELIGION 
BRINGS. 


Generally. 


Individually. 


Socially. 


It  enlightens  and  elevates  the  intellect  by  the  verities  it  reveals  by 
the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

It  ennobles  and  strengthens  the  will  by  its  moral  and  spiritual 
maxims  and  the  enabling  gifts  of  grace. 

It  comforts  and  fortifies  weakened  humanity  by  the  loving  sym 
pathy  of  Christ  with  whom  it  is  united. 

It  purifies  and  sanctifies  the  senses  by  the  practices  of  devotion  and 
the  holy  ceremonial  of  the  Liturgy. 

It  satisfies  all  the  noblest  instincts  and  aspirations  of  the  heart  de 
sirous  of  happiness  and  finding  it  in  union  with  God. 


fby  the  spirit, 
It  unites  God  and  man     I  J* 

entirely  together 


and 


It  regenerates,  reconstructs,  recreates  man  and  secures  for  him  an 
Eternity  of  Bliss. 

It  fills  man's  present  life  with  joy  and  hopefulness.  It  dissipates 
the  fear  of  death,  imparts  moral  courage,  makes  life  worth  living. 

It  lifts  man  above  life's  troubles,  enriches  and  sanctifies  all  his 
blessings,  endows  hirn  with  a  present  nobility  of  soul,  gives  him 
an  abiding  peace. 


It  is  the  blessing  of  the  family,  giving  it  a  sacramental  character, 
making  it  a  type  of  the  Trinity,  sanctifying  all  its  joys  and  all  its 
trials. 

It  unites  man  in  a  new  tie  of  brotherhood,  develops  philanthropy, 
promotes  the  peace  of  nations,  and  government  in  the  interests 
of  the  governed. 


10 


INSUFFICIENCY    OF    REASON 


SPECIAL   INTRODUCTION  TO   FIRST   PART 


REASON  BROUGHT  UNDER  SUBJECTION  BY  JESUS  CHRIST,  THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD 


SPECIAL  INTRODUCTION. 


f  Insufficiency  of  Reason. 
<  Necessity  of  Faith. 
{^Agreement  of  Faith  and  Reason. 


INSUFFICIENCY 

OF  REASON 

AND 

NECESSITY 

OF 

FAITH. 


Man 


f  owes  homage  to  God,  for  all  that  he  has  received  from  Him, 
•<  has  received  from  Him  all  he  is  and  all  he  has; 
himself  then  entirelyto  God. 


Man  has          f  capable  of  knowing  the  truth  ; 
received  an    J  wn^cn  l°ngs  constantly  after  the  truth; 

I  wn'c^  *s  *°°  lifted  to  know  and  comprehend  all  truth; 

^  which  easily  takes  error  for  truth. 


intelligence 


But  in 

him 

exists 


On  His 

side 

God  alone 


Hence 

it 

follows 


Thus  to 
submit  the 
Reason  is 


f  ignorance  of  many  things,  even  in  realm  of  nature; 

the  need  to  be  enlightened  upon  that  of  which  he  is  ignorant  or 
•s       which  he  does  not  understand; 

the  necessity  to  be  taught  if  he  wishes  to  be  enlightened; 
l^the  need  to  listen  to  those  wiser  than  himself. 


possesses  infinite  knowledge  of  all  things; 

knows  and  comprehends  all  possible  truths; 

cannot  reveal  aught  of  Himself,  but  that  which  is  mysterious ; 

is  of  all  truths  the  most  profound  and  the  most  wonderful; 

has  reserved  to  Himself  the  imparting  of  the  knowledge  of  the 

mysteries  He  judges  best  to  reveal  to  man; 
is  the  Truth  itself,  a  Shelter  from  all  error ; 
has  every  right  to  be  believed  on  His  Word  whatever  He  judges 

best  to  reveal  of  Himself  and  His  will. 


that  mysteries  are  not  only  probable,  but  also  inevitable  for 
man,  in  the  material  universe  and  much  more  in  things  im 
material  and  spiritual; 

that  religion  in  general,  and  any  prescribed  religion  whatever 
cannot  be  truly  divine,  but  on  the  condition  that  it  teaches 
mysteries; 

that  a  religion  that  has  no  mysteries,  is  by  that  alone  convicted  of 
being  but  a  human  invention ; 

that  man  should  submit  his  limited  intelligence  to  the  infinite 
intelligence  of  God,  as  soon  as  it  is  proved  to  him  that  such 
or  such  a  mystery  is  revealed  by  God,  even  though  he  does  not 
comprehend  it. 


to  have  trust  in  God; 

to  render  homage  to  the  infinite  intelligence  of  God; 
_to  fulfil  one's  first  duty  to  Him. 


AGREEMENT   OF   FAITH   WITH   REASON 


ii 


possible,  because  it  never  exceeds  the  Omnipotence  of  God; 
expedient,  because  nothing  is  more  natural  than  the  intercourse 

between  a  father  and  his  children,  instructing  them  in  those 

things  useful  or  necessary  to  them. 

{because,  chiefly,  without  this  help,  man  could  not 
have  arrived  at  a  knowledge  of  truths  pertaining 
to  his  destiny, 
because,  after  having  known  them,  he  allowed  them 
to  become  obscured  by  idolatries. 


the  first  time  in  a  limited  degree,  to  our  earliest  ancestors.  God 
speaking  through  nature  and  conscience,  and  in  other  ways. 

a  second  time  to  the  Hebrew  people,  through  the  ministry  of 
Moses  and  the  prophets,  to  preserve  and  develop  the  primitive 
revelation. 

a  third  time  to  the  entire  world  by  Jesus  Christ,  to  perfect  the 
design  of  the  preceding  revelations  and  make  known  the  full 
counsel  of  God  respecting  man's  redemption  and  elevation  to 
glory. 


upon  the  same  necessity  already  stated; 

upon  the  traditions  of  all  ancient  people; 

upon  the  unanimous  faith  of  Israelites  and  Christians,  each  one  of 

whom  it  concerns; 

upon  monuments  and  wonders,  which  surround  us  as  living  wit- 
^     nesses  to-day. 


has  allowed  the  human  mind  full  exercise  of  its  natural  powers ; 

has  never  humiliated  it; 

has  only  supplemented  man's  natural  powers  in  reference  to  super 
natural  truths; 

has  ennobled  and  elevated  man  in  opening  to  him  the  world  of  the 
supernatural ; 

has  done  an  act  of  goodness  and  benevolence  to  man. 


"The  fact  of 

revelation       -< 

was 

It  was 
given 

It  rests           -< 

AGREEMENT 

OF 

FAITH             -< 

WITH 

REASON. 

In  accom 
plishing  it, 
God 

Hence 


C  nothing  is  more  favourable  to  reason  than  revelation ; 
J  nothing  is  more  conformable  to  reason  than  submission  to  its 
]       teachings ; 
l_  nothing  is  in  better  accord  than  reason  and  faith. 


Cm  the  Holy  Books  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament; 
The  truths         Jn  the  decisions  of  the  seven  Ecumenical  Councils ; 
are  J  in  the  common  consent  to-day  of  the  Apostolic  Church; 

contained       .     in  the  Apostolic  traditions ; 

^abridged  in  the  Apostles'  and  Nicene  Creeds. 


to  go  against  reason; 
To  refuse         I  to  put  aside  Christ  and  His  Church ; 
to  believe       -s  to  put  one's  intelligence  above  that  of  God : 
them  is  |  to  refuse  Him  the  homage  of  reason ; 

to  deny  the  Eternal  Veracity  of  God. 


PART  ONE 

SUMMARY  AND  ANALYSIS  OF  CATHOLIC   DOCTRINE 


PART  I 


SUMMARY   AND   ANALYSIS   OF   CATHOLIC   DOCTRINE 


THE  REASON 
ENLIGHTENED. 


Man  unable  by  himself  to  solve  the  problems  concerning  his  nature  and 

destiny  needs  Divine  Help. 
The  problems  presented  and  the  enlightenment  given  considered  under  five 

heads : 


God. 


Man. 


TProofs  of  His  existence. 
J  His  Attributes. 

]  His  interior  Nature  —  Trinity,  etc. 
^His  external  operations  in  creation  and  redemption. 

fBody 
His  threefold  nature  composed  of    -1  Soul  and 

(^Spirit. 

His  origin  and  destiny. 
His  degeneration  and  restoration.      ^ 

His  possible  supernatural  elevation  to  a  blissful  union  with  God 
in  eternity. 


1 1  i>  Pre-existence. 
His  Incarnation. 

Chidden, 
His  visible  life  on  earth   <  public, 

^suffering. 
His  character. 
His  redemption. 
His  glorified  life.  ^ 
His  divinity  and  the  heresies; 

final  surrender  of  the  Kingdom,  that  God  may  be  all  in  all. 


In  general  as  a  Religious  Society: 


Jesus 
Christ. 


The 

Catholic 

Church. 


In  its  nature  and  establishment. 
Its  threefold  divisions. 
Its  visibility  and  notes. 
The  unity  of  its  parts. 
Its  preservation. 

In  its  organisation: 
Its  head,  the  Apostolic  College,  the  Hierarchy. 


As  the  Kingdom,  the  living  Temple,  the  Family  of  Christ;  His  Mystical  Body 
and  Bride. 


The  C relative  to  each  one  in  particular; 

Future      •<  relative  to  mankind  as  a  whole; 

Life  ^relative  to  its  nature  and  its  duration. 


THE    EXISTENCE    OF    GOD 


DOGMA.    THE  CATHOLIC  FAITH 
CONSIDERED  RESPECTING 


God. 

Creation. 
Man. 

Jesus  Christ. 
The  Church. 
^  The  Future  Life. 


CHAPTER  I.     GOD  CONSIDERED 
IN  RESPECT  OF 


:His  Existence. 
His  Attributes. 
His  Internal  Operations. 
His  External  Operations. 


ARTICLE  I.    THE  EXISTENCE  OF  GOD 


§  1 

EXISTENCE 
OF  GOD, 
PROOFS. 


Ontological 

or 

Metaphysical 


"A  First  uncaused  Cause  is  necessary  to  explain  the  existence  of 
contingent  beings. 


(a)  For  something  has  always  existed. 
If  not,  then  once  nothing  existed. 
As  out  of  nothing,  nothing  can  come,  it  would  follow  that 

nothing  now  exists. 

But  we  know  that  we,  i.e.,  something,  exists. 
Therefore  something  has  always  existed. 


(b)  What  is  it  ?    Is  it  matter  and  force  ? 

These  always  depend  on  some  antecedent  matter  and  force. 

They  could  not  therefore  have  always  existed. 

What  has  existed  always  can  have  no  antecedent  or  beginning. 

For  what  has  a  beginning  could  not  already  have  existed. 

It  must  therefore  be  a  will  or  self-stirring  Force  which  re 
quires  no  antecedent  that  is  necessary  to  explain  the  exist 
ence  of  contingent  beings. 


The  idea  possessed  by  man  of  the  Infinite,  etc.,  goes  to  prove  the 
existence  of  a  God. 


The  universal  idea  of  the  Infinite  pervading  the  thoughts  and  de 
sires  of  human  nature  would  be  an  effect  without  a  cause  if  the 
Infinite  had  no  existence. 


The  spiritual  desires  which  are  inherent  and  universal,  being 
part  of  the  constitution  of  man,  must  have  their  counterpart  in 
realities;  just  as  the  existence  of  those  things  necessary  to  the 
gratification  of  the  bodily  appetites,  could  be  proved  from  the 
existence  of  the  latter. 


THE    EXISTENCE    OF    GOD 


i5 


The  way  the  mind  of  man  works  shows  it  to  be  in  connection  with  mind 
other  than  its  own. 

Man  finds  himself  endowed  with  the  faculty  of  memory.  He  does  not 
trust  it,  because  by  experience  he  has  found  it  to  be  trustworthy.  He 
begins  by  trusting  it.  He  does  so  because  he  is  born  in  union  with 
some  Mind  on  whom  his  thought  depends. 

He  reasons.  .  In  reasoning  he  is  obliged  to  follow  certain  laws  of  thought. 
He  did  not  make  them,  but  is  obliged  to  obey  them.  There  is  thus 
seen  to  be  a  Reason  other  than  his  own. 


§  2 

PROOFS 
(continued). 


From 
Nature 
of  Man. 


From 

the 

Cosmos. 


His  understanding  cognises  "  universals,"  and  so  comes  to  know  "law  " ; 
which  is  something  the  reasoning  faculty  cannot  attain  unto  as  it  can 
only  arrive  at  probabilities.  If  law,  however,  exists  objectively  to 
man,  then  there  is  a  Mind  that  utters  it. 

He  wills  and  acts  on  the  law  of  "causation."  Cause  is  not  a  term  ap 
plied  to  our  observed  succession  of  things.  It  is  as  indigenous  to  our 
mentality  as  digestion  is  to  our  bodies.  It  not  only  connotes  neces 
sary  antecedents  to  all  contingent  beings,  but  no  antecedent  so  far 
as  Cause  itself  is  concerned.  There  is  then  a  First  Cause  or  Creator. 

His  heart  loves.  It  finds,  however,  naught  here  that  can  fully  satisfy 
his  desires  and  aspirations,  which  reach  into  a  future  and  seek  a  com 
pleted  happiness  of  being  in  union  with  the  Love  that  made  it. 
There  is  a  Father  that  loves  His  child. 

His  conscience.  Conscience  is  the  action  of  man's  spiritual  nature, 
knowing  and  acting  together  with  God.  This  spiritual  faculty  is  in 
health  and  joy  or  the  contrary,  as  it  obeys  or  disobeys  the  revealed 
standard  of  Righteousness.  There  is  a  God,  a  Rewarder  of  those 

•     who  love  and  obey  Him. 


The  geological  and  orderly  progress  seen  in  the  formation  of  the  world, 
each  age  preparing  the  way  for  a  further  development,  shows  design. 

The  Cosmos  moves.  The  sun  and  planets  arrange  themselves  and  the 
elements  chemically  combine  in  a  mathematical  order,  and  mathe 
matics  are  the  manifestation  of  mind. 

The  bees  and  ants,  without  the  needed  brain  to  build  as  wisely  as  they 
do,  build,  we  say,  by  "instinct"  or  rather  by  what  instinct  is:  — 
wisdom,  in  action,  or  God  immanent  in  nature. 

The  flowers  cannot  think,  yet  have  painted  perfumed  traps  that  in 
subtle  and  ingenious  ways  so  allure  the  bees  as  to  secure  the  propaga 
tion  of  their  species.  No  irrational  evolution  of  things  could  bring 
this  result  about.  It  is  God  that  does  it. 

The  development  of  the  brain  formation,  progressive  and  gradual,  ris 
ing  from  its  low  position  in  the  oyster  and  creeping  thing,  and  higher 
as  animal  life  proceeds,  up  at  last  to  the  head  of  man,  who  stands  up 
right,  as  the  world's  consummation  and  crown,  makes  a  completed 
work  and  so  one  of  Mind. 

The  marvellous  drama  of  the  construction  of  the  Cosmos,  proceeding 
act  by  act  until  it  culminates  in  a  world  prepared  for  men,  and  with 
man  upon  it,  is  as  likely  to  have  been  composed  without  an  Intelli 
gence  called  God  as  that  a  great  literary  drama  could  be  composed 
by  shaking  together  thousands  of  lettefs  of  the  alphabet. 


i6 


THE    EXISTENCE    OF    GOD 


The  beautiful  and  the  useful  though  distinct  ideas  are  one  in  Nature. 
The  laws  that  make  the  useful  make  the  beautiful.  The  beauty 
of  the  world  is  an  appeal  to  reason. 


The  Appeal 
of  Beauty. 


For  only  by  reason  can  beauty  be  discerned.  It  is  therefore  an 
appeal  of  Reason  to  reason.  It  is  a  testimony  that  nature  is  but 
a  Valamen  Domini  disclosing  God  and  through  which  He  speaks. 


The 

Ethical 

Proof. 

§3 

PROOFS 

(continued)  . 

'There  is  an  universal  and  indelible  knowledge  in  mankind  of  the 
essential  distinction  between  good  and  evil. 

There  follows  the  necessity  of  a  standard  between  right  and  wrong. 
Man  has  never  been  able  by  himself  to  make  a  permanent  or 
universal  one. 

There  results,  therefore,  the  necessity,  for  man's  well  being,  of  the 
revelation  of  one. 

Now  the  good  man  is  not  he  who  merely  does  right,  but  who  loves 
right;  and  so  love  is  at  the  basis  of  ethics.  As  man  cannot  love 
a  law  or  an  abstract  idea,  the  revelation  of  righteousness  is  made 
in  a  person. 

There  is  a  universal  and  indestructible  sense  of  responsibility  in 
man's  nature.  If  responsible,  it  must  be  to  one  greater  than  him 
self,  and  as  all  mankind  are  equally  responsible,  it  must  be  to  a 
Being  who  knows  all  the  thoughts  and  actions  of  all  men. 

Standing  in  this  relation  to  God,  no  one  can  be  moral  in  a  true  and 
full  sense  who  is  not  religious,  and  no  one  can  be  religious  who 
does  not  recognise  and  worship  God. 


The 
-Historical. 


f  The  common  consent  of  mankind  has  recognised  the  existence  of 
a  Divine  Being. 

However  mistaken  in  their  ideas  of  Him,  they  have  acknowledged 
their  duty  of  offering  Him  worship. 

They  have  come  to  recognise  Him,  in  the  most  cultivated  nations, 
as  the  Author  and  Supreme  Governor  of  all  things. 

There  are  hundreds  of  millions  of  persons  who  by  obedience  and 
prayer  have  not  only  come  to  believe  in  a  God,  but  can  bear  wit 
ness  that  they  actually  know  Him.  They  speak  to  Him  and  He 
answers  their  prayers.  They  know  that  they  dwell  in  Him  and 
He  in  them. 

The  belief  in  God  is  thus  a  belief  demonstrated  by  experiment  and 
experience. 

Moreover,  God  has  appeared  in  Jesus  Christ.     God  wrapped  round 
His  divine  nature  our  human  nature,  and  under  its  conditions 
*    acted  out  the  divine  Nature  that  we  might  know  God. 


THE    ATTRIBUTES    OF    GOD 


CONSIDERED  IN 

THEIR  NATURE. 


ARTICLE  II.    THE  ATTRIBUTES  OF  GOD 

God  is  a  Being  possessed  of  all  possible  Perfections  of  whom  we  cannot  con 
ceive  a  better  or  more  beautiful. 

His  Perfections  or  Attributes,  what  they  denote. 
How  apprehended  by  human  intelligence. 
Their  titles  and  content. 


WHAT  THEY  ARE. 


They  express  different  aspects  of  the  same  Essence. 
Each  one  of  God's  essential  attributes  is  God. 

God  for  example  is  not  merely  righteous,  but  Righteousness  is  God.  So 
God  is  Love,  and  Love  is  God.  God  is  Wisdom  and  Wisdom  is  God. 

The  Attributes,  being  of  the  Essence  of  God,  are  thus  properly  termed  God, 
but  are  not  separately  self-conscious,  like  the  two  internal  operations  of 
knowing  and  loving,  and  so  are  not  persons. 


How 

APPREHENDED. 


INCOMMUNICABLE. 


COMMUNICABLE 
IN  A  DEGREE 


A  full  and  exact  analysis  is  beyond  man's  powers,  as  yet  he  sees  through  a 
glass  darkly. 

They  may  for  our  better  apprehension  be  divided  into  those 

/~i    i  i       .     TT.       I*  (  internal  or 

God  has  in  Himself  •<  ,  .  . . 

(  external  in  operation. 

m,  ,       ,    ,      f  negatively  or  which  man  is  not, 

Ihose  that  are  apprehended     •<      s        ./.    ,        ,  .  ,   ^    ,  . 

(  and  positively,  which  God  is. 

C  incommunicable 
Those  that  are    •<  and  those 

^communicable  in  some  degree. 


r-r  .         i      J  Positive     {  Oneness  or  Simplicity,  Eternity. 
I  Negative   {  Infinity,  Immutability,  etc. 

^External   {Omnipotence,  Omniscience,  Omnipresence. 

J  Holiness,  Justice,  Goodness,  Love,  Beauty,  Blessedness  and  Joy. 


THE  ACTIVITY 

AND 

REPOSE 


God  is  at  once  Eternal  Activity  and  Eternal  Repose. 

God  is  in  absolute  Repose  and  incessant  Action.  Like  the  silver  shining 
of  the  moon  upon  the  lake,  it  is  so  still  because  the  vibrations  of  the  light 
are  so  intense. 

God  has  in  Himself  an  inexhaustible  fountain  of  possibilities,  new  begin 
nings,  new  revelations.  We  are  only  at  the  beginning  of  God's  wonder 
ful  creative  work.  The  millions  of  years  spent  in  forming  the  present 
Cosmos  is  only  the  preparatory  stage  of  what  is  to  be.  Our  dear,  good 
God  and  Father  is  inexhaustible  in  the  richness  of  His  divine  designs. 

The  future  of  the  Saints  is  one  fixed  in  holiness,  but  full  of  unceasing  frui 
tion,  wonder  and  joy,  in  an  active  following  of  "the  Lamb  whithersoever 
He  goeth." 

2 


i8 


THE    ATTRIBUTES  — THEIR    CONTENT 


GOD  is  SUBSTANTIAL  ONENESS.    "DEUS  EST  NON  UNUM  SED  UNUS" 


A  first  active  principle  necessarily  exists. 
Existing,  necessarily  it  is  one  single  independent  Essence. 
'  For  there  could  not  be  two,  as  one  would  be  unnecessary. 
Simplicity  excludes  from  God  every  kind  of  composition.    Thus 

God  not  only  possesses  all  that  is  perfect,  but  He  is  that  which 

His  perfections  signify. 
He  is  Truth,  Wisdom,  Light,  Life,  Love. 
The  Simplicity  of  His  being  makes  Him  invisible  to  all  beings 

beside  Himself  except  to  those  who  attain  in  Christ  the  Beatific 

Vision. 


THE 

ATTRIBUTES 
—  THEIR 
CONTENT 


His 

Oneness 

or 

Simplicity. 


Eternity 


God's  Life  is  a  Self-derived  Life,  "With  Thee  is  the  Well 
of  Life." 

It  is  the  result  of  God's  necessary  mode  of  Existence  as  the  "I 
Am  "  that  He  has  nought  to  do  with  succession  or  time. 

It  is  the  possession,  perfect  and  at  once,  of  life  without  beginning 
or  end. 

It  is  self-producing  life,  God  never  ceasing  to  live  His  life  as 
something  new. 

He  is  not  only  "the  Ancient  of  Days,"  but  "never  withering 
_  youth." 


Our  Father  in  Heaven  is  perfect. 

God  is  absolute  and  entire  perfection.    He  is  also  in  Himself  the  model  of  all  the 
perfections  found  in  His  creatures. 

He  is  infinite  in  understanding,  will,  and  consciousness. 
Infinity  signifies  the  unlimited. 

It  is  incompatible  with  dependence  and  so  is  an  Attribute  of 
God. 

As  "Immensity"  it  must  not  be  confounded  with  "Extension," 
which  implies  parts,  and  God  has  none. 


Infinity 


It  differs  from  "Omnipresence"  which  implies  the  existence  of 
creation. 

It  signifies  the  possession  of  all  perfection  to  which  nothing 
better  or  greater  can  be  added,  nor  conceived. 

It  declares  God's  transcendence  of  space  and  time.  If  He  were 
limited  by  them,  we  could  conceive  of  a  greater  Being  not  so 
limited. 

It  implies  that  God  has  every  conceivable  perfection,  in  the  ful 
ness  of  every  conceivable  form  and  degree. 

It  is  part  of  the  joy  of  the  eternal  state  that,  as  a  partaker  of  the 
goods  of  the  Good  God,  the  Saints  can  never  come  to  an  end 
of  them  because  they  are  Infinite. 


THE    ATTRIBUTES  — THEIR    CONTENT 


Immutability. 


"  I  am  the  Lord,  I  change  not." 

'God's  nature  is  unchangeable.  "I  change  not."  There  is  in 
a  perfect  being  no  cause  for  change.  No  external  power 
exists  that  could  effect  it;  and  God  Himself  could  not,  for 
being  perfect  He  could  not  change  for  the  better,  nor  could 
He  for  the  worse. 

His  decrees  are  immutable.  Creation,  the  Incarnation,  are  not 
evidences  of  any  change  in  God's  Mind,  but  the  results,  in 
their  ordered  time,  of  eternal  decrees. 

His  knowledge,  to  whom  all  is  as  present  in  an  eternal  "now," 
does  not  hinder  the  freedom  of  man's  choice  of  action.  Nor 
does  His  predestination  of  the  means  and  result  of  salvation 
predetermine  the  final  state  of  any  individual. 

His  immutability  does  not  prevent  His  providential  care  of  His 
children  and  answer  to  their  prayers,  for  He  ever  acts  on  the 
immutable  law  of  His  Being,  to  do  for  His  creature  the  best 
that  His  unerring  wisdom  and  love  dictate  to  His  omnipotent 
will. 

While  His  unchangeable  antagonism  to  and  decrees  against  sin 
must  ever  be  a  terrible  warning  to  sinners,  His  sure  promises 
are  of  unspeakable  consolation  and  strength  to  the  penitent 
and  just. 

"With  God  nothing  is  impossible." 

God  as  the  Absolute  Energy  is  all  powerful. 
This  power  is  inherent  in  the  Divine  Essence. 
It    is   without    beginning,    is   self-subsisting    and 
'What.  •<      essential  to  God. 

It  has  not  exhausted  itself  in  the  present  order  of 

creation,    but    is    possessed    of    inexhaustible 

possibilities. 

In  the  supernatural  commencement  of  the  world. 
By  its  power  over  all  being  other  than  Itself. 
In  the  laws  which  regulate  material  things. 
In  the  superseding  them,  as  by  miracle,  for  moral 

purposes. 
In  His  commencing  a  new  work  of  creation  in 

the  midst  of  the  already  existing  order.     Jer. 

xxxi.  22. 

:in  the  inorganic  world  it  is  the  principle  of  all 
motion. 
In  the  organic  it  is  the  principle  of  its  vitality. 
In  the  spiritual,  the  principle  of  spiritual  life. 


THE 
ATTRIBUTES 

—  THEIR 

CONTENT. 

(continued) . 


Omnipotence. 


How  it 
reveals 
itself. 


In  re 
lation  to 
creatures. 


Its 
limitations. 


Limitation  is  a  condition  of  infinitude. 

"Self-limitation  is  inseparable  from  a  perfect 
nature." 

God  cannot  do  wrong  or  sin,  for  sin  is  a  contra 
diction  of  His  own  nature. 

He  cannot  contradict  His  own  Being,  but  must 
act  in  harmony  with  His  own  laws. 

He  cannot  undo  the  past,  but  He  can  annul  the 
consequences  of  sin. 

He  cannot  produce  the  Infinite,  because  the  In 
finite  and  production  are  contradictory  ideas. 


20 


THE  ATTRIBUTES  — THEIR  CONTENT 


GOD  is  LIFE  AND  THE  LIFE  IN  HIM  is  LIGHT 

^p    ,                  fHow  ?    His  Knowledge  is  in  His  Essence, 
knows.            Iwhat?    All  things  knowable. 

'God  knows  not  as  man   knows  —  neither  by 

reasoning  nor  intuition. 

How.              - 

The  Divine  Essence  and  the  Divine  Intellect 
are  identical. 

God  knows  all  created  things  in  Himself  and 
as  caused  by  Himself,  and  as  existing  in  His 
..     own  Mind. 

Its 

character. 

'His   knowledge   penetrates   to   the   essence   of 
things. 

It  is  infinitely  perfect  and  unerring. 

It  embraces  all  that  is  knowable  in  one  act  of 

..     cognition. 

All  created  things. 

What  He 

All  things  possible  to  His  Will. 

Omniscience.    ., 

knows  in         •« 
Himself. 

The  thoughts  and  wills  of  Angels  and  men. 

THE 

Their  voluntary  actions,  good  and  bad. 

ATTRIBUTES 
—  THEIR        -< 

^All  the  past,  present,  and  future. 

CONTENT 
(continued). 

For  man's  free  will  is  dependent  on  God  for  its 
existence  and  exercise. 

It  does 
not  impair 
the  freedom    •* 
of  man's 
will. 

Its  free  determinations  are  therefore  known  by 
Him,  though  they  are  independent. 

As  all  things  are  known  in  one  act  by  God,  they 
are  known  from  all  eternity. 

But  the  Eternal  fore-knowledge  does  not  make 
man's  actions  necessitated,  but  leaves  him 

^     free. 

The  present  stage  of  creation  concludes  with  a 
judgment. 

He  who  judges  must  know  all  men  and  all  that 

is  in  man. 

^The  result.     •< 

Must  know  each  and  every  man's  history,  his 
trials,  temptations,  motives,  thoughts. 

• 

Only  an  Omniscient  One  can  do  this. 

It  is  also  the  comfort  of  the  feeblest  saint. 

Not  a  sparrow  falls  without  His  oversight. 

^Not  a  sorrow  or  trial  befalls  us  but  He  is  there. 

THE  ATTRIBUTES  — THEIR  CONTENT 


21 


"One  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all  and  through  all  and  in 
you  all." 


There  cannot  be  any  local  distance  between  God  and  creation.    He 
is  therefore  present  to  it 

It  is  upheld  by  His  power  and  so  He  is  immanent  in  it. 
He  is  in  all  things  and  all  things  are  in  Him. 

All  things  are  in  God  because  they  are  the  thoughts  of  God  made  by 
the  creative  fiat,  actual. 

God  is  in  all  created  things  by  His  Essence,  Power,  and  Presence. 
He  is  the  cause  of  their  being.    He  sustains  them  by  His  power. 


THE 

ATTRIBUTES 
—  THEIR 
CONTENT 
(continued). 


Omni 
presence. 


His 

Holiness 

essential. 


He  is  in  different  ways  present  with  them. 

But  though  creation  is  contained  in  God,  God  is  not  contained  in 
Creation. 


He  is  present 
in  different 
ways. 


One  way  in  nature; 

another  way  in  history  or  the  race; 

one  way  in  the  Church  and  sacraments; 

another  in  the  souls  of  the  just; 

one  way  in  heaven; 

another  in  hell. 


The  indwelling  of  God,  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  in  the 
Christian  Soul  elevates  it  into  participation  of  the  Divine  Nature 
and  fills  it  with  a.  new  life. 


Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  is  the  Lord  of  Hosts. 
Holiness.    ^  The  moral  perfection  of  God  is  called  Holiness. 

It  lies  in  the  pure  love  He  has  of  Himself  as  the  highest  Good. 


Negatively. 


Positively. 


Its 


It  is  freedom  from  all  fault  or  sin. 
Sin  in  creatures  lies  in  preferring  self  to  God. 
But  God  must  ever  prefer  Himself,  being  the  Su 
preme  Good  and  so  cannot  sin. 

God's  will  is  not  unstable,  capable  of  righteousness 
and  unrighteousness. 

As  He  can  but  know  what  is  right,  so  He  can  but 
do  what  is  just. 

The  moral  perfection  or  holiness  of  God  is  a  neces 
sity  of  His  being.  It  is  an  essential  attribute  of 
the  Divine  Nature  and  identical  with  it. 


C  Within  the  Divine  Life  God  worships  Himself. 
The  Eternal  Son  presents  and  returns  to  the  Eternal 


'.,...        •<      Father  the  Holy  Spirit. 

ra>      Without,  it   is   seen    in  the  sanctification   of   the 
[_     saints  on  earth  and  their  beatification  in  glory. 


22 


THE    ATTRIBUTES  — THEIR    CONTENT 


"For  My  own  sake  I  will  do  it." 

God  is  just,  not  as  conformable  to  any  external  standard  of  right,  but 
as  in  agreement  with  His  own  Wisdom  and  Goodness. 

In  His  dealings  with  His  creatures  He  is  just  as  conformable  to  arche 
types  existing  in  His  own  mind. 

His  Wisdom  requires  that  He  make  all  things  beautiful  and  good. 

His  Will  demands  that  the  means  be  provided  for  the  ends  desired. 
wHis  Holiness  binds  Him  to  the  fulfilment  of  His  promises. 


THE 

ATTRIBUTES 
—  THEIR 
CONTENT 
(concluded). 


His 

justice. 


In 

relation 
to  sin. 


His 

abhorrence 
of  sin. 


His 

permission 
.of  it. 


In  His 

dealings. 


/It  is 


seen 


'Sin  being  rebellion  against  God  is  an  act  not  only 
against  His  Glory  but  aimed  against  His  Life. 

It  were  impossible  for  Him  not  to  hate  it,  for  other 
wise  it  were  possible  for  Him  to  be  an  enemy  to 
Himself. 


God  cannot  will  it  in  itself,  or  as  a  means  to  a  good 

end. 
But  He  can  permit  it  temporarily  as  a  basis  of  His 

Redeeming  work. 
"Its  permission  thus  on  the  part  of  God  has  been 

held  a  positive  good." 


fin  all  His  dealings  with  the  race. 
•<  as  consistent  with  allowing  evil  men  to  succeed,  and 
[_     good  men  to  suffer,  for  this  life  is  but  the  beginning. 


God  is 
Love. 


"  God  is  Love,"  Love  Itself. 

It  is  Love  as  the  Holy  Spirit  that  unites  the  Father  and  Son  in  the 

Blessed  Trinity. 

It  is  this  Love  that  is  the  uniting  principle  of  God  and  Man. 
God's  life  in  the  Blessed  Trinity  is  one  of  perpetual  joy  and  delight. 
God  has  in  Himself  the  perfect  object  and  fruition  and  return  of  His 

own  Life  and  Love. 

He  lives  in  the  blessed  jubilation  and  blessedness  of  His  being. 
He  is  to  be  loved  for  what  He  is  in  Himself. 


It  leads  to  God  becoming  Incarnate  and  dying  on  the  Cross  to  save 

sinners. 
It  leads  to  the  establishment  of  the  Sacraments  as  means  of  uniting 

men  to  the  Incarnate  Lord. 
It  leads  to  the  sending  of  the  Holy  Spirit  by  whom  the  Sacraments 

are  made  effective. 

It  effects  the  dearest,  most  blessed  union  between  God  and  Man. 
"  I  neither  am,  nor  care  to  be,  if  He  is  not." 


f  "  How  great  is  His  goodness,  and  how  great  is  His  Beauty." 

God  takes  delight  in  the  goodness  and  beauty  of  His  Divine  Essence. 
-{  God  is  absolute  Beauty. 

Each  aspect  of  His  Being  is  glorified  by  it. 

l^His  Divine  Beauty  is  the  type  of  all  that  is  beautiful  in  creation. 


Towards 
man. 


SIMPLICITY    OF    ESSENCE 


r Simplicity  of  Essence. 

ARTICLE  III.     IN  His  INTERIOR  NATURE.  <  Quality  of  Internal  Operations. 

{^Trinity  of  Persons. 


IN  THE 

SIMPLICITY 
OP  His 

ESSENCE, 
GOD  ALONE 
POSSESSES. 


'Substantial 
being,  by 
virtue  of 
which  He  is 


Infinite 
intelligence, 
which  implies 


An  infinitely 
perfect  will, 
from  which 
follows 


one,  uncompounded,  pure  spirit,  existing  without  parts; 
necessary,  because  without  Him  the  contingent  could  not  exist  ; 

eternal,  because  He  is  that  which  has  always  existed,  having 
neither  beginning  nor  ending; 

infinite,  because  nothing  can  limit  Him; 

omnipotent,  by  virtue  of  which  He  can  execute  all  He  desires ; 

omnipresent,  because  all  that  is  lies  in  His  own  thought  and  is 
sustained  by  the  presence  of  His  Power. 

Cof  all  truth ; 

profound  and  inex-  J  of  all  goodness; 
^     haustible  source      ]  of  all  justice; 

l^of  all  perfection. 


Tpast, 
'His  omniscience  and  knowledge  J  present, 

of  all  things,  ]  future,  and  all 

(^potentialities. 

infallibility,  because  He  knows  all; 
veracity,  because  He  is  the  Truth  itself; 

wisdom,  because  He  never  acts  from  motives  unworthy  of  Him 
self,  or  without  purpose. 


Holiness,  which  is  essentially  identical  with  His  other  attributes 
and  God  is  Holiness  just  as  He  is  Love. 

Justice,  which  demands  a  recognition  of  His  sovereignty,  obedi 
ence  to  the  moral  law  and  which  renders  to  every  one  accord 
ing  to  his  work. 

Goodness,  that  leads  Him  to  seek  the  good  of  all  His  creatures ; 
here  by  gifts  and  discipline,  and  hereafter  by  a  perfected 
union  with  Himself. 

Love,  which  He  is  Himself.  He  is  Love.  His  love  towards 
His  creatures  is  a  Benevolent  love,  being  His  own  Love 
directed  towards  them. 

Is  a  Gratuitous  love,  being  freely  given. 

Is  a  Wise  and  Holy  love  that  punishes  to  save. 

Is  an  Intimate  love  that  unites  man  to  Itself  and  a  participation 
of  its  own  beatitude. 

In  its  relation  to  fallen  humanity,  it  is  mercy  and  salvation. 
In  its  relation  to  sinners,  it  is  long-suffering  and  freely  offered. 

His  Beauty,  Blessedness,  and  Joy,  as  complete  and  self-satisfying 
in  His  own  life. 


DUALITY    OF    INTERNAL    OPERATIONS 


,-,  C  Infinite  Intelhqence. 

GOD  is  ESSENTIALLY  •<  n  ' ,    ,  Tr/  .„    yJ1£-t    T 

\Perfect  Will  and  Infinite  Love. 


DUALITY  OF 

INTERNAL 

OPERATIONS. 


Two  operations  are  essentially  active  in  God,  and  God  is  Himself  the  first  and 
essential  object  of  their  action.     They  are  God's  acts  of  knowing  and  loving. 


Concerning 
the  two 
operations, 


An  infinite 
intelligence. 


As  perfect 
will  and 
unbounded 
love. 


the  one  of  the  Intelligence    whose  property  is  to  conceive  and 
produce  the  Thought; 

the  other  of  the  Will,  whose  property  is  to  aspire  and  unite  itself 
by  Love,  to  the  Thought,  so  conceived  and  produced. 


God  is  eternally  and  essentially  thinking  by  an  act,  pure  and 
always  effective. 

He  is  necessarily  Himself  the  essential  object  of  His  Eternal 
Thought. 

This  Eternal  Thought  is  the  faithful,  complete,  and  eternal  re 
production  of  Himself. 

By  the  same,  the  thought  is  eternally  and  essentially  living  and 
subsisting  in  Him. 

This  Thought,  eternally  living  and  subsisting  in  God,  is  then  the 
Product;  or  the  Son  eternally  conceived  and  begotten.  It  is 
the  Word,  the  Wisdom  of  the  Eternal  Father.  The  WTisdom 
knowing  itself  to  be  the  Wisdom  is  possessed  of  personality. 

Hence  two  primary  relations  exist  in  God:  —  Fatherhood  and 
Sonship. 


By  an  act  pure  and  simple  and  always  effective  of  His  Infinite 
Will,  God  aspires  and  unites  Himself  forever  and  essentially 
by  Love,  to  the  Word  that  He  eternally  conceives  and  be 
gets  in  Himself. 

The  Word  is  then  the  Eternal  Object  of  His  aspirations  and  of 
His  love. 

On  His  side,  this  Word  of  God,  this  Eternal  Son,  being  essen 
tially  living  and  subsisting  in  Him,  aspires  and  unites  Himself 
forever  and  essentially  by  love  to  the  Father,  who  conceives 
and  begets  Him  and  who  is  Himself  the  Eternal  Object  of 
the  aspirations  and  love  of  His  Son. 

The  result  of  this  mutual  aspiration  is  mutual  essential  Love, 
always  living  and  subsisting  in  God,  of  the  Father  Eternal,  for 
the  Son,  and  of  this  Eternal  Son  for  the  Father,  that  conceives 
and  begets  Him. 

Hence  it  comes  that  this  Love,  breathed  forth  and  proceeding,  is 
called  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  knowing  Itself  to  be,  is  a  Person. 


TRINITY    OF    PERSONS 


'There  is 
in  this 
Trinity 


And  in  this 
Trinity 
there  is 


fThe  Father, 
or  the 
Source, 

The  Son,  or 
the  Word  of 
the  Father, 

The  Holy 
Spirit,  or 
the  Love  of 
the  Father 
and  of  the 
Son, 


{who  is  neither  made  nor  created  nor  begotten; 
but  who  begets  ever  and  eternally  His  Son,  like  to 
Himself  hi  all  things,  save  in  the  act  of  begetting. 

(neither  made  nor  created,  but  eternally  and  ever 
being  begotten  of  the  Substance  of  the  Father. 


I 


neither  made  nor  created  nor  begotten,  but  ever 
proceeding  eternally  from  the  Father  and  through 
the  Son,  by  way  of  breath  or  spiration. 


J  unity,  consubstantiality,  perfect  equality  as  to  essence; 
]  distinction  without  division  or  confusion  of  personality. 


TRINITY 

OF              ^ 

PERSONS. 

Moreover 
this  adorable  " 
«.  Mystery 

Has  been  imperfectly  known  before  Jesus  Christ,  being  taught  in  an 
enigmatical  manner  in  the  Old  Testament;  positively  formulated 
and  taught  by  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  the  formula  given  for 
Holy  Baptism. 

Has  always  been  believed  since  then  as  the  fundamental  mystery  of 
Christian  and  Catholic  faith. 

Offers  nothing  in  its  annunciation  which  is  contrary  to  reason, 
,  f  the  Unity  is  affirmed  of  the  nature  of  the  Divine  Essence ; 

{ the  Trinity  of  the  personality  only. 

Although  relating  to  the  same  object,  this  double  affirmation  does 
not  treat  of  it  in  the  same  way,  and  this  accounts  for  there  being 
no  contradiction  of  terms. 

Is  nevertheless  above  the  powers  of  reason,  which  cannot  give  com 
pletely  to  itself  an  account  of  all  these  relations.  It  cannot  there 
fore  be  comprehended  by  reason,  though  it  may  be  apprehended 
by  it. 

Can  always  be  explained  to  a  certain  point,  by  the  similitudes  taken 
from  the  triple  nature  of  man,  consisting  of  body,  soul,  and  spirit; 
of  the  three  faculties  of  the  human  soul,  the  memory,  understand 
ing,  and  will ;  from  the  triple  oneness  of  light,  and  from  other  oper 
ations  of  nature,  where  one  sees  constantly  multiplicity  summing 
itself  up  in  unity. 

Is  in  perfect  accord  with  what  we  know  of  the  nature  of  God,  who 
cannot  be  conceived  of  as  without  being,  intelligence,  and  will,  and 
whose  nature  is  of  such  mysterious  character  that  these  three,  i.e., 
being,  intelligence,  and  will  may  readily  be  conceived  as  being 
eternally  distinct  centres  of  self-consciousness,  i.e.,  persons. 

Because,  if  there  were  not  three  persons  in  the  Godhead,  but  only 
one,  God  would  be  condemned  thereby  to  an  eternal  solitude,  and 
so  would  be  the  most  miserable  of  beings.  Thus  the  Unitarian 
hypothesis  is  seen  to  be  an  irrational  one. 

Hence,  the  mystery  satisfies  the  reason  of  him  who  apprehends  that 
God  must  be  the  most  blissful,  perfect,  and  beautiful  of  beings, 
and  which  without  this  Divine  Companionship  He  could  not  be. 


OF    THE    FATHER,    THE   FIRST   PERSON 


OF  THE 
FATHER, 
THE  FIRST 
PERSON. 


{of  the  Father, 
of  the  Son. 
of  the  Holy  Spirit. 


"Creation 
what  it  is. 


Opposing 
theories. 


It  is  the  act  by  which  God  gives  existence  to  all  that  which  is  not  Hun- 
self  and  draws  not  from  His  Own  Substance,  but  creates  from  no 
pre-existing  matter,  the  angels  in  the  heavens,  and  everything  from 
the  grain  of  sand  to  man,  on  the  earth. 

It  is  the  glorious  manifestation  of  the  Divine  Power. 

'Materialism  leaves  the  structure  of  the  Universe  to  chance,  which  is 
irrational. 

Pantheism,  or  the  theory  which  holds  that  "All  is  God,"  makes  God 
the  author  of,  and  responsible  for,  all  evil. 

The  dual  theory:  "No  God  without  a  universe  and  no  universe  with 
out  a  God,"  either  makes  two  Gods  or  confounds  God  and  matter. 


by  which  He  maintains  in  the  world  order 
*  (  and  moral. 


The  continuous 
energy  of 
God  in 
creation 


The  common 
action  of 
the  Godhead 
.in  it. 


assigns  to  each  being 


the  ends  to  which  it  ought  to  tend, 
all  means  for  attaining  these  ends, 


11  it,  i      u-  u  •       f  nutrition, 
all  that  which  is  .. 

,         <  preservation, 

^propagation. 


necessary 


concurs  "physically"  in  all  the  actions  and  operations  of 
created  things  and  persons. 

It  is  the  glorious  manifestation  of  the  intelligent  and  sustain 
ing  energy  of  God. 

Although  the  act  of  creation  by  the  doctrine  of  "appropria 
tions"  may  be  "economically"  attributed  to  the  Father,  yet 
all  the  external  works  of  creation  are  common  to  the 
Three  Persons  of  the  Blessed  Trinity. 

that  the  Blessed  Trinity  act  together,  "Let  us 
make  man," 

Thus  in  the  Father  shares  in  the  operations  of  the  Son, 

the  Holy  of  the  Son,  that  all  has  been  made  by  Him,  and 

Scriptures  <      without  Him  was  not  anything  made  that  was 

it  is  said  made. 

of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  He  brooded  over  the  face 
of  the  waters  and  breathed  into  man  the  breath 
of  life. 

The  Son  and  the  Holy  Spirit  thus  participate  equally  in  the 
creative  action  and  in  the  government  of  the  world. 

It  is  the  glorious  manifestation  of  the  oneness  of  the  Divine 
Will. 


EXTERNAL    OPERATIONS 


27 


EXTERNAL 
OPERATIONS. 


of  the  Son, 
or  the 
Second 
Person. 


The 

Incarnation 
by  which 


He  becomes 
the  second 
Adam. 


of  the 

Holy 

Spirit, 

or  the 

Third 

.Person. 


1 


The  Holy 

Spirit 

co-operates 


the  creative  activity  is  consummated  in  the  Incar 
nation. 

the  Word,  the  Son  of  God,  sent  by  the  Father,  by  the 
operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  takes  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  a  Body  and  a  Soul,  like  ours,  sin  only  ex- 
cepted,  and  becomes  man,  uniting  together  in 

TV  .      -n  fihe  divine  and 

His  one  Divine  Person  <  , 

Inhuman  natures. 

in  order  there  should  be  but  one  personaHty  unit 
ing  the  two  natures,  it  was  ordained  that  by 
birth  from  a  single  human  parent,  a  second  or 
human  personality  should  be  avoided. 

it  is  the  divine  personality  which  is  the  bond  of 
union  between  the  two  natures. 

Christ's  humanity  was  impersonal,  not  having  a 
personality  before  its  union  with  His  divinity. 
God  took  on  Him  not  the  nature  of  a  man  but 
of  man. 

in  the  Incarnation,  nothing  of  the  divine  nature, 
save  its  glory,  was  laid  aside. 

in  consequence  of  the  inseparability  of  the  two 
natures  and  the  oneness  of  the  person,  Christ's 
acts  and  words  are  the  acts  and  words  of  God. 

The  Incarnation  is  the  glorious  manifestation  of 
the  Divine  Wisdom. 


"Being  born  of  one  of  our  race,  Christ  becomes  not 
one  like  us,  but  one  of  us.  As  such  He  is  capable 
of  being  the  Representative  of  the  race,  with 
which  and  with  whose  fortunes  He  identifies 
Himself. 

By  His  obedience  unto  death,  in  which  humanity 
was  involved  by  sin,  He  reconciles  God  and 
humanity. 

By  His  victories  over  sin,  Satan  and  death,  He  re 
verses  Man's  defeat. 

In  consequence  He  becomes  as  the  second  Adam, 
the  head  of  a  new  and  redeemed  race. 

The  Incarnation  is  the  glorious  manifestation  of 
the  Divine  Goodness. 


in  inspiring  the  prophets  and  evangelists  who  pro 
claimed  Christ; 

in  making  fruitful  the  Blessed  Virgin  in  bringing 
Him  into  the  world; 

in  indwelling,  without  measure,  perpetually  in  Him ; 

in  consecrating  Him  to  His  Mission  as  the  Messiah 
on  the  day  of  His  Baptism; 

in  descending  finally  on  the  Church  at  Pentecost ; 

in  preparing  the  world  for  the  propagation  and  re 
ception  of  the  Gospel; 

in  abiding  in  the  Church,  and  making  the  preach 
ing  of  the  Word  and  the  ministration  of  the  Sacra 
ments  efficacious. 

The  Incarnation  is  the  glorious  manifestation  of 
the  Divine  Love. 


NATURE    OF    CREATION 


Cits  Nature,  Proofs,  Results. 

CHAPTER  II.     THE  CREATION  CONSIDERED.  <  The  Six  Epochs. 

\^Its  Fined  Purpose. 


ARTICLE  I.     NATURE  OF  CREATION. 


its  Definition. 


NATURE 

OF 

CREATION. 


'1st. 
Its 

definition. 
It  is  the 
act  by 
which  God 


2d. 
Its 

.character. 


Its 


. 
[^ 


having  before  Him  the  potentiality  of  created  things,  gives  to  His 

eternal  thought  an  actuality  of  existence. 
They  have  no  independent  or  substantial  life,  which  God  alone  has, 

but  have  a  dependent  existence. 

He  gives  them  this  existence,  and  appoints  the  nature  of  each  of  them, 
according  to  their  species  and  kinds. 

f  their  nourishment, 

furnishes  them  all  that  is  necessary  for  <  their  preservation, 

^ their  propagation. 

provides  for  their  different  needs  according  to  their  natural  consti 
tution. 

f  the  end  toward  which  each  should  tend, 
assigns  to  each  -<  the  method,  of  evolution  or  otherwise,  necessary  to 

^     attain  this  end. 

iu    i        it.  *    i.  11     Ttne  existence  of  creatures, 
lays  down  the  laws  that  shall       .1       •>     •    ,      j 

-<  the  physical  order, 

I  the  moral  order. 


maintain  and  perpetuate 


Negative. 
It  is 


Positive. 
.It  is 


neither  the  using  of  nothingness,  as  an  element  of  being, 

nor  a  simple  co-ordination    f   ,  ... 

V-     A-  }  of  pre-existing  elements,  as 

nor  a  combination  K       JT,  .     .  ,.  . &  .,  .  , 

,    .  Materialists  think, 

nor  any  use  whatever  ^ 

nor  an  emanation,      C 

nor  a  radiation,  I  of  the  one  divine  Substance, 

nor  a  generation,        ]  as  the  modern  Pantheists  teach 

nor  a  development,     (^ 

nor  a  chance  result,  as  Materialists  think. 

of  the  elements  of  the  beings  ; 
of    matter,    ponderable    and 

imponderable; 
of  the  laws  that  govern  their 

development. 

Tfrom  absolute  non-existence  to  real  and  posi- 
J       tive  existence. 

]  from  being  simply  potentialities  to  having 
^     existence  in  fact. 

It  is  a  purely  voluntary  act 
that    no    necessity    con- 
fof  the  ditions. 

free  will  •<  No    force    constrains,    no 

of  God.  need   determines,   no  duty 

obliges. 
I  is  His  unassisted  act. 


'the  primary  production 


the 
change 


the  result 
of  an  act 
pure  and 
^simple 


{to    whom    nothing    is    an 
obstacle, 
who  can  do  all  He  wishes, 
who  disposes  everything  in 
the  way  He  wills. 
.Creation  is  a  majestic  Mystery. 


PROOFS    OF    CREATION 


f  Traditional. 
ARTICLE  II.    PROOFS  OF  THE  CREATION.  <  Theological. 

^Scientific  and  Philosophical. 


PROOFS 
OF  CRE 
ATION. 


1st. 
Traditional. 


Theological. 


3d. 

Scientific 
and 
^philosophical. 


The  fact  of  a  primitive  creation  is  clearly  and  formally  attested  by 
the  traditions  and  cosmogony  of  all  ancient  peoples. 

It  reveals  itself  more  or  less  veiled,  disfigured  and  altered  in  the 
traditions  and  cosmogony  of  all  ancient  people  other  than  the 
Israelites. 

The  positiveness  of  monotheistic  affirmation  and  the  sublimity  of 
expression  of  the  Hebrew  tradition  contrast  with  the  polytheistic 
and  often  trivial  character  of  the  heathen  traditions,  and  give  to 
the  former  a  superior  authority. 

It  is  a  proof  that  the  fact  of  creation  rests  on  a  primitive  revelation. 


There  is  the  continuous,  authoritative  expression,  indicative  of  a 
true  act  of  Creation,  exclusive  of  all  antecedent  existence  and  of 
all  identification  with  the  Creator,  that  pervades  the  Sacred  Text. 

The  tradition  of  the  Hebrew  people,  in  this  respect,  was  always 
uniform. 

It  was  formally  confirmed  by  the  word  of  Jesus  Christ  declaring  ex 
pressly  that  there  was  a  time  when  the  world  did  not  exist. 

It  has  become  a  dogma  of  the  Christian  faith,  laid  down  in  the  evan 
gelical  writings,  always  believed  in  the  Church,  sustained  by  its 
doctors,  and  proclaimed  in  its  Creeds  and  its  Councils. 


We  know  that  a  world,  external  to  ourselves,  exists  and  is  composed 
of  dependent  or  contingent  beings  or  things. 

This  contingency  or  interdependence  of  the  elements  or  atoms  of  the 
material  world  is  recognised  by  Science,  which  requires  an  ante 
cedent  for  every  motion  in  nature. 

In  the  face  of  this,  the  theory  of  an  eternal  material  universe  disap 
pears,  for  that  which  is  eternal  can  have  no  beginning  and  no 
antecedent. 

The  theory  that  the  universe  is  kept  going  by  the  clash  of  suns,  which 
may  be  called  the  ''Bump  Theory,"  is  only  the  argument  in  an 
other  form,  of  the  turtle  resting  on  rocks  or  legs  "which  go  all 
the  way  down."  It  does  not  account  for  origin  and  could  not  be 
eternal. 

If  not  eternal,  the  world  must  have  been  created. 

The  power  that  created  it  could  not  have  been  a  contingent  or  de 
pendent  one,  or  itself  would  require  an  antecedent  or  creator. 

The  only  force  that  does  not  require  an  antecedent,  has  no  relation 
to  time  and  is  a  self-moving  one,  i.e.,  a  will  force. 

A  will  force  capable  of  producing  the  cosmos,  must  be  an  omnipo 
tent  Will  and  is  seen  to  be  an  intelligent  and  immanent  one. 

In  the  presence  therefore  of  contingent  beings,  creation  is  a  fact  of 
which  the  necessity  demonstrates  the  existence. 


3o 


RESULTS  OF  THE  CREATION 


ARTICLE  III. 


RESULTS 

OF   THE 

CREATION. 


1st. 
Time 
and 
space. 


Successive 
order. 


3d. 

Nature 
of  the 
angels. 


(Time  and  Space. 

RESULTS  OF  CREATION.  <  Successive  Order  of  Creation. 
I  The  Angels. 

Time  and  space  are  creations  of  God  and  have  their  beginnings. 
They  are  the  media  in  which  all  contingent  beings  subsist. 
Time  is  the  succession  recognised  by  thought  which  measures  the 
duration  of  these  beings. 


Relatively, 


to  those  who  do  not  yet  exist,  time  is  future; 
to  those  who  exist,  it  is  past  and  present; 
to  those  who  are  no  longer,  it  is  past; 
in  God  there  is  neither  past  nor  future,  all  things  are 
present,  but  God  takes  cognisance  of  tune  as  His 
^     creature. 


Space  is  the  union  of  all  the  elements  of  extent,  in  which  contingent 
beings  occupy  a  place,  and  which  serves  to  measure  the  distance 
which  separates  them,  the  one  from  the  other. 

In  God  there  is  no  space,  for  space  belongs  to  created  things;  with 
^  Him  is  incomprehensibility.  He  is  the  unlimited;  the  unconfined. 


("God  wills 

His  eternal 
<  thoughts  into 
existence 
and  creates. 


1st.   The  nature  purely  spiritual:  the  Angels. 

2d.  The  nature  inorganically  material :  ponderable, 
as  atoms;  elements:  imponderable,  as  ether. 

3d.  The  nature  organic  and  material:  as 
vegetation. 

4th.  The  nature  organic,  material,  sensible:  as 
animals. 

5th.  The  nature  organic,  material,  sensible,  rea 
sonable:  as  man. 


Nature.     J 


f  Angels  are  pure  spirits  endowed  with  <        ,    *?.. 


Creation. 


'The  Holy 
Scriptures 


show  them 


Test. 


tThey  do  not  naturally  come  under  the  cognisance  of  our 
senses. 

^suppose  the  angels  to  exist  by  way  of 

creation ; 

do  not  recount  the  history  of  their  creation, 
^created  in  a  state  of  per- 
J      fection  and  happiness. 
|  to  have  different  functions 
(_     and  duties. 

The  angels  were  able  by  their  fidelity  to  secure  the  con 
firmation  of  their  happiness,  and  a  further  elevation 
..     of  being  in  union  with  God. 

God  put  them  to  a  test  to  furnish  them  the  occasion  for 
obtaining  this  end. 

There  were  those  who  by  pride  missed  this  end  and  be 
came  bad  angels  or  devils. 

God  confirmed  in  holiness  those  who  remained  faith 
ful.  They  are  the  good  angels. 


The  occupations  of  the  good  angels  are  to  see,  possess,  praise  and 

love  God;  to  execute  promptly  His  Will; 
to  direct,  it  may  be,  the  powers  of  nature;   to  keep  watch  over  men 

and  to  bring  them  spiritual  aids. 
They  are  traditionally  held  to  consist  of  three  hierarchies  of  three 

orders  each. 


RESULTS    OF    THE    CREATION 


C  Preliminaries. 

ARTICLE  IV.     THE  Six  EPOCHS:  •<  Details  of  the  Divine  Action. 

{^Symbolical  Meaning. 


RESULTS 
OF  THE 
CREATION 
(continued). 


Prelimi 
naries. 


"In  the 

Beginning." 


God 
created 


'At  the  beginning  of  time  when  there  was  but  Eter 
nity. 

At  the  beginning  of  all  things,  when  God  alone  was. 

In  the  Word  whose  knowledge  comprehends  all  be 
ing  and  according  to  the  eternal  possibilities  of 
His  will; 

"The  Heavens  fthat  is  to  say,  space  and  matter, 
and  -<  and  all  the  elements  of  mate- 

the  Earth, "      [^     rial  things. 


These  words      {  do  not  designate  any  determinate  epoch. 


a  summary  of  a  creation  antecedent  to  the  work  of 
the  six  days, 


can  mean 


Exegesis. 


or  a  summary  designation  of  the  work  of  the  six 
days  as  a  prologue  to  all  that  follows  in  the  first 
chapter  of  Genesis. 


In  Holy  Scripture  the  word  "day  "  can  be  here  taken  in  the  sense  of 
an  indefinite  period  of  time.  It  does  not  mean  a  diurnal  period 
of  twenty-four  hours,  as  the  sun  is  not  said  to  appear  till  the  fourth 
day. 

The  Word  of  God  begins,  as  it  ends,  in  mystery.  It  begins  with  the 
mystery  of  Creation. 

The  succession  given  refers  to  the  causative  action  of  the  Divine 
Mind.  The  act  of  creation  is  indeed  one  act,  but  the  Eternal 
thought  becomes  manifest  in  time  which  is  something  created. 

The  creative  action  is  thus  expressed  in  successive  appearances,  the 
beginnings  of  which  only  are  recorded.  The  work  of  each  separate 
day  is  said  to  be  done  by  God. 

The  expression  "and  it  was  so  "  does  not  denote  the  immediate  com 
plete  execution  of  the  command,  but  is  an  affirmation  of  its  ful 
filment. 

The  purpose  of  revelation  is  not  to  teach  natural  science,  but  that 
God  is  the  maker  of  the  universe,  and  in  such  wise  that  the  succes 
sive  generations  of  mankind  could  understand  it.  If  God  had 
described  creation  in  modern  scientific  language  He  could  not  have 
been  understood.  The  account  in  Genesis  is  to  tell  us  that  all 
things  were  made  by  Him. 

Science  partially  discloses  the  general  correspondence  of  the  con 
struction  of  the  solar  system  with  the  acts  as  revealed  to  us  of  the 
Divine  Mind. 


RESULTS    OF    THE    CREATION 


The  record  in  the  rocks  and  the  picture  in  Genesis  are  not  far  apart. 

God  creates  space  and  primordial  matter  "without  form 
and  void."  It  seems  to  signify  that  condition  in  which 
our  solar  system  originally  was.  Motion  necessarily 
accompanies  it,  for  matter  cannot  exist  without  related 
activity.  Thus  God  who  is  "Creation's  secret  Force" 
is  said  to  "brood"  over  the  elementary  mass.  The 
created  motion  results  in  light. 
And  so  God  is  represented  as  saying,  "Let  there  be  light, 

and  there  was  light." 
^This  diffused  light  precedes  that  given  by  the  sun. 


RESULTS 
OF  THE 
CREATION 
(concluded). 


Details 
of  the 
Divine 
Action 
as  it 
unfolds 
itself  in 
Creation. 


First. 


Second. 


Third. 


Fourth. 


Fifth. 


Sixth. 


^According  to  a  theory  the  motion  eventuates  in  great 
rings  such  as  we  see  now  about  some  of  the  planets. 
In  consequence  of  the  different  degrees  of  velocity  in 
their  different  parts  they  break  up  and  by  force  of 
gravitation  form  themselves  into  spherical  bodies. 
Later  discoveries  have  modified  this  conception  of  the 
planet's  formation.  It  is  now  said  to  be  by  way  of 
separation  and  condensation.  These  are  the  two 
actions  given  in  the  Scripture.  God  divides  and  so 
makes.  It  was  in  this  way  the  moon  was  subsequently 
taken  out  of  the  earth.  So  taken,  like  a  material  Eve, 
the  human  race,  by  the  formation  thereby  of  present 
continents,  owes  its  development  to  her.  (See  Prof. 
Pickering,  Harper's  Magazine,  June,  1907.)  The 
firmament  made  by  apparent  separation  as  a  canopy, 
is  called  the  heavens. 

In  our  planet's  development  the  separation  of  seas  and 
land  takes  place.  The  lowest  forms  of  marine  vegeta 
tion  appear. 

In  the  logical  order  before  the  existence  of  animal  or  liv 
ing  forms  food  must  be  provided  for  them.  And  it 
was  so. 

The  further  cooling  of  the  earth  takes  place  and  with  it 
the  dispersion  of  its  enclosing  vapors,  and  so  eventually 
comes  the  appearance  of  the  sun  and  moon.  At  first 
the  latter  was  much  nearer  the  earth.  Their  appear 
ance  was  necessary  for  the  development  of  the  vegetable 
and  animal  kingdoms. 

The  gradual  and  fuller  development  of  the  animal  king 
dom.  And  God  said,  "Let  the  waters  bring  forth 
abundantly."  It  may  be  noted  that  water  is  the  birth 
place  of  the  first  living  forms.  Not  merely  of  fishes, 
but  of  "moving"  or  "creeping,"  amphibious  creatures 
and  of  winged  insects  as  well.  Moreover  the  fish  in 
the  waters  and  the  birds  in  the  air  are  stated  to  have 
existed  before  the  animals,  as  was  the  case. 


fThe  terrestrial  animals  come  next  and  lastly  man. 
<  The  upward  united  progress  of  the  whole,  shows  that  the 
[_     whole  as  such,  was  governed  by  a  Mind. 


Matter  did  not  make  itself.  Nor  did  God  make  substance  endowed 
with  certain  powers  and  allow  it  to  evolve  without  any  interference. 
For  God  remains  immanent  in  the  universe  and  is  the  intelligent, 
directing  energy  of  its  unfolding  or  development. 


SYMBOLICAL    MEANING    OF    THE    SIX    DAYS       33 


First. 


'The  six 

periods 
of  man's 

spiritual 

progress. 

THE 

• 

SYMBOLICAL 

MEANING       -< 

OF   THE 

Six  DAYS. 

All  telling 
of  a  Final    •< 

Judgment. 

Second. 


Third. 


Fourth. 


The  Revelation  of  creation  is  a  parable.     "He  that  hath  ears  to  hear  let  him  hear." 

"As  there  are  six  periods  or  actions  in  the  construction  of  the  material 
universe  so  there  are  six  periods  in  the  formation  of  the  spiritual  one. 
These  are  divided,  as  those  in  the  construction  of  the  material  world 
are,  by  a  gift  of  God,  by  which  man  stands  in  consequence  in  a 
new  relation  to  Him. 

The  Paradisaic  day.  The  day  of  light.  The  day  of  in 
nocence.  Humanity  is  in  its  childhood.  God's  gift 
of  grace. 

The  day  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil.  The  day 
of  choice.  The  day  of  separation  from  God  and 
consequent  loss  of  grace. 

-The  Natural  day  or  Antediluvial  period.  Man  left 
largely  to  his  own  powers.  The  failure  of  nature. 
Man  unable  to  conquer  himself  sinks  into  animalism. 
The  separation  of  the  waters,  i.e.,  the  separation  of 
evil  and  good  men.  The  only  day  hi  the  natural  order 
which  is  not  called  "good." 

(The  Patriarchal  day.  The  day  of  the  Covenant.  The 
further  revelations  of  God  to  man.  The  Promised 
Deliverer.  The  deepening  sense  of  man's  personal 
responsibility.  The  developing  virtues  in  man  of 
faith,  trust,  and  service. 

-The  Mosaic  day.  The  dawn  of  the  Church.  A  day  of 
Light.  Of  Light  organised  in  an  institution,  like 
the  appearing  in  the  natural  order  of  the  sun  and 
moon.  The  day  of  the  Law.  The  day  when  the 
prophets  proclaim  the  coming  of  Christ,  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness. 

vThe  day  of  advancing  spirituality. 

^  Christian  day.  The  day  when  God  became  In 
carnate.  When  God  the  Son  was  visible  on  earth. 
When  the  waters  brought  forth  abundantly  at  His 
baptism  as  the  Messiah.  A  day  like  that  of  the  first 
Adam  of  short  duration.  It  was  a  day  unique  by 
itself.  It  was  the  day  of  restored  grace.  The  day  of 
victory  over  Satan,  Death,  and  Hell. 
^A  new  Head  is  given  to  a  new  Race. 

{The  day  of  the  Paraclete.    The  day  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
The  day  of  the  new  creation.    The  day  of  the  Church. 
The  day  when  the  Holy  Spirit  breathes  into  man  the 
breath  of  life  and  he  becomes  a  son  of  God,  a  par 
taker  of  the  Divine  Nature. 
It  is  the  last  day  before  the  final  Sabbath  of  rest  and  peace. 
It  is  to  be  noted  that  each  day  ends  with  a  crisis  or  judgment. 
Adam  has  his  trial  and  failing  is  cast  out  of  Paradise.    The  World 
rejects  the  teaching  of  the  prophets  and  Noah  is  saved  but  the 
unbelieving  are  drowned. 

The  Patriarchal  day  ends  with  the  contest  between  Pharaoh  and 
his  people,  and  Moses  and  the  Israelites.  The  Israelites  saved 
by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  go  forth  in  safety,  the  Egyptians  and 
Pharaoh  perish. 

The  Mosaic  day  is  one  also  of  trial,  and  Israel  rejecting  God  for  their 
King  and  choosing  a  visible  head,  becomes  divided  and  both 
parts  are  sent  into  captivity,  but  a  remnant  returns  and  is  saved. 
The  day  of  Christ  presents  its  trial.  Israel,  after  the  flesh,  rejects 
Christ  and  Jerusalem  is  destroyed  and  the  Nation  is  scattered, 
but  the  Church  of  Christ  is  formed. 

And  so  the  sixth  and  last  day,  the  day  of  the  Paraclete,  will  end  with 
the  final  judgment  at  the  second  coming  of  Christ. 
3 


Fifth. 


Sixth. 


FINAL    END    OF    CREATION 


{Its  Nature. 
Its  Motives. 
Its  Means. 

God  being  Wisdom  Itself  does  nothing  without  a  motive  worthy  of  Him 
self. 

He  has  made  all  for  Himself,  which  is  creation's  highest  good. 
He  is  the  final  end  of  all  His  works,  as  He  is  the  beginning. 


FINAL 
END  OF 
CREATION. 


1st. 
Its 
nature. 


Its 
motives. 


to  manifest  His  infinite  perfections  to  the  eyes  of  in 
telligent,  reasonable  creatures,  capable  of  knowing, 
loving,  and  serving  Him; 

He  has         I  to  furnish  them  with  all  the  means  of  knowing,  loving, 
wished          |       and  serving  Him,  during  all  the  course  of  their  ex 
istence  ; 

to  make  them  participate  afterwards  in  the  happiness,  in 
which  He  rejoices,  by  the  possession  of  Himself. 

All  coming  from  God,  all  are  made  capable  of  returning  to  God. 


'  Alone 
possessing 
existence. 


God  can  find  in  Himself  alone  the  ultimate  reason  for 
communicating  existence  to  the  beings  not  yet  possess 
ing  it. 

No  necessity  of  any  kind,    r&Te  able  to  constrain 
no  force  of  any  sort  \     Him. 


3d.  ("To  arrive 

Its  <  at  this 

means.       (^result 


Fully  sufficing  to  Himself,  He  has  no  need  to  create. 
Absolutely  Lord  of  all,  no  law  can  put  the  duty  upon  Hun. 

Supremely  good,  He  can  only  have  done  it  to  exercise  His  infinite 
goodness. 

Supremely  perfect,  He  could  not  in  the  doing  propose  to  Himself  an 
ultimate  end  less  perfect  than  Himself,  and  to  gather  up  in  Himself 
the  creatures  who  owe  to  Him  their  existence. 


God  gives  existence  to  myriads  of  creatures. 

He  creates  them  of  natures,  forms,  dimensions,  structures, 
qualities,  aptitudes,  faculties,  inclinations  vastly  varied. 


the  proofs  of  His  goodness, 
the  immensity  of  His  power, 

the    inexhaustible    fertility   of    His    re 
sources, 

the   mindful   and   minute   cares    of  His 
paternal  Providence, 

the   designs   that   He    has   towards    His 
creatures, 

^the  determination  to  perpetuate  His  work. 


Everywhere 
proclaiming 
in  them 


God  establishes  between  them  a  connection,  which  by 
almost  insensible  transitions  presents  existence  in  all 
L     its  degrees. 


NATURE    OF    MAN 


35 


CHAPTER 
ARTICLE  I. 

CH  is  Nature. 

TTT      ,.-          1  His  Origin. 
III.    MAN.  -<  TT.    ^ 

]  His  Degeneration. 

[^His  Restoration. 

fin  General. 
THE  NATURE  OF  MAN  -<  ,     D    .-    • 
\^In  Particular. 

NATURE 
OF  -< 

MAN. 


1st. 

In 

general. 


fMan  is  a 
rational,  com 
plex  creature, 
having  a 
triple 
composition. 


2d. 
In 

^particular. 


The 
body 


The 
soul 
and 
spirit. 


The  body,  which  falls  under  the  cognisance  of  the  senses; 
the  soul,  in  which  the  reasoning  faculty  and  memory 
reside;  all  that  man  has  in  common  with  the  an 
imals  but  in  a  higher  degree; 

the  spirit,  by  which  God  is  known;  moral  right  and 
wrong  discerned ;  and  without  which  man  could  not 
be  immortal. 

The  union  of  these,  in  a  single  personality,  constitutes  a  man's  nature, 
is  com-        Cot  five  external  senses, 

posed         \of  a  multitude  of  internal  and  external  organs. 
Each  of  these  senses,  or  of  these  organs  has  a  special  function, 
...      /some  are  under  the  direction  of  the  soul,  others 
\     are  absolutely  without  its  control; 
Neither  as  the  instruments  of  action,  the  means 

<      of  preservation,  or  legitimate  sources  of  en- 
for  man, 

^     joyment. 

From  the  double  point  of  view,  physical  and  moral,  the  body 

is  the  servant  of  the  soul. 

God  has  placed  man's  soul  in  the  body,  as  He  placed  Adam  in 
..     the  garden,  to  care  for  it  and  rule  over  it. 

Faith  teaches  us  that  he  is  in  the  image  and 
likeness  of  God. 

His  soul  and  spirit  cannot  fall  under  the  cog 
nisance  of  any  of  our  senses. 

Their  operations  are  all  immaterial. 

One  cannot  attribute  to  them  any  of  the  prop 
erties  of  matter. 

By  them  man  holds  communication  with  his 
fellow-man  and  God. 

It  has  the  inherent  conviction  that  it  can  do 
or  not  do  as  it  chooses. 

All  men  are  inwardly  convinced  of  their  liberty 
of  choice. 

All  the  customs  of  life  assume  it  constantly. 

All  divine  and  human  laws  prove  it. 

Divine  revelation  expressly  confirms  it. 

Without  it  man  could  not  be  a  responsible 
being. 

His  spiritual  nature  being  one,  simple,  spiritual, 
and  not  consisting  of  parts,  cannot  be  dis 
solved. 

All  his  best  instincts  demand  it  and  what  is 
demanded  by  our  nature  must  have  its 
satisfaction. 

Humanity,  as  a  whole,  is  persuaded  of  it  and 
the  social  order  would  be  impossible  if  it 
were  not  true. 

The   order   of   Divine   Providence   demands 
another   life   to   balance   and   redress   the 
wrongs  and  inequalities  of  this. 
^Christ  formally  teaches  it. 


Man  is 
possessed 
of  a 

triplicity 
of  nature. 


He  has  a 
free  and 
responsible 
will. 


.Immortality. 


36 


ORIGIN    OF    HUMANITY 


ARTICLE  II.    THE  ORIGIN  AND 
ENDOWMENTS  OF  HUMANITY. 


ORIGIN 

OF  << 

HUMANITY. 


"Man  a 
created 
being. 


Human 
nature 
has  come 
from  God. 


As  in  the 
Image 
of  God. 


The 
oneness 
of  human 
nature. 


Man's  Creation. 

In  God's  Image. 

Oneness  of  Nature. 

His  Original  Privileges. 

Relation  to  God. 

His  Final  End  or  Vocation. 


There  may  have  been  other  beings  bodily  and  physically  like  man 

on  earth  before  the  spirit-endowed  man  came.      But  with  these 

Scripture  does  not  deal. 
The  earth  of  itself  did  not  bring  forth  this  spirit-endowed  man  as  its 

fruit,  for  then  there  would  have  been  many  beginnings  of  such 

in  many  countries. 
But  since  God  formed  him,  God  expresses  the  oneness  of  His  own 

nature  by  beginning  with  one,  who  was  to  be  the  head  of  the  new 

race. 
The  description  given  in  the  early  chapters  of  Genesis  may  be  taken 

as  historical,  or  as  symbolically  true. 
As  the  Word  of  God  ends  in  the  mysteries  of  Grace  and  Glory,  so  it 

begins  with  the  mystery  of  creation. 

'By  way  of  formation  of  man's  body  from  the  dust  of  the  earth.  He 
brew  Scripture  and  Science  are  here  in  accord. 

The  length  of  time  or  details  of  the  process  are  not  given. 

It  may  have  come  by  an  evolutionary  process,  one  stage  of  devel 
opment  succeeding  another. 

The  Scripture  merely  reveals  the  fact  that  it  had  its  origin  from  the 
earth. 

By  way  of  further  development  of  soul  and  spirit :  These  could  not 
be  produced  by  matter,  for  there  cannot  be  more  in  the  result  than 
there  is  in  the  premises.  Like  demands  like,  or  something  greater 
of  the  same  kind  for  its  existence,  and  in  this  case  it  is  God. 

'In  that  he  is  a  triple  unit  consisting  of  body,  soul,  and  spirit. 
In  the  three  faculties,  of  memory,  understanding,  and  will,  or  as  we 
now  say,  intellect,  feelings,  and  will,  which  reflect  the  Inner  life  of 
God  as  Source,  Wisdom,  and  Love 

In  the  full  expression  of  human  nature  as  man,  woman,  and  child, 
wherein  there  is  an  image  of  the  Three  Persons  in  the  Blessed 
k.     Trinity. 

God  did  not  create  man  one  by  one  or  separately  as  He  did  the  angels. 
He  created  a  nature,  that  with  His  co-operation,  would  express  itself 

in  many  individuals. 

He  ordained  the  sexual  relation  for  this  purpose. 
He  creates  man  first  because  he  is  to  be  the  head,  and  then  the  woman. 
Woman's  body  was  not  taken  from  the  earth  for  then  she  would  have 

had  a  nature  only  like  that  of  Adam. 

Her  body  was  taken  physically,  in  germ,  from  the  man,  that  she  might 

be  a  part  of  the  same  human  nature. 
She,  too,  is  in  the  Image  of  God ;  is  weaker  than  man  physically,  but 

is  stronger  in  her  spiritual  nature. 
^Human  nature  is  one  entity. 


ORIGIN    OF    HUMANITY 


In  respect  of  man's  original  state,  two  theological  extremes  are  to  be  noticed :  —  that 
which  makes  him  but  little  different  from  an  animal;  and  that  which  exalts  him 
into  a  perfect  being,  endowed  with  supernatural  wisdom,  and  with  a  raiment  of 
bodily  glory  that  protected  him  from  disease. 

A  more  probable  opinion  avoids  these  extremes. 


in  a  state  of  Innocence,  that  is,  in  the  actual  exemp 
tion  from  all  sin,  because  God  does  nothing  and  can 
do  nothing  disorderly. 

of  justice,  or  perfection  of  nature,  because  God  in 
creating  a  nature  is  bound  by  the  law  of  his  own 
righteousness  to  give  to  it  all  its  nature  demands. 


ORIGIN 

or 

HUMANITY 

(continued) . 


Its 

original 

privileges. 


Human 
nature 
was 
constituted 


Man's 
relation 
to  God. 


rHis  life, 
I  happiness, 
]  and 
(^future 


of  sanctity,  for  as  the  happiness  of  man  depends  on 
the  union  of  God  and  Man,  God  gave  a  superadded 
grace  by  co-operation  with  which  the  union  by  man's 
obedience  might  be  maintained. 

of  supernatural  happiness,  as  derived  from  union 
with  God,  the  satisfaction  of  all  good  desires,  the 
absence  of  any  fear  of  death,  the  hope  and  poten 
tiality  of  a  blissful  immortality. 

were  dependent  on  his  continued  union  with  God. 

His  life  by  union  with  His  power;  his  happiness  and 
holiness  by  union  with  His  grace. 

This  is  set  before  us  by  God's  presence  with  man  in 
the  garden. 

His  communion  was  to  be  maintained  mentally  and 
morally  with  Him  who  is  represented  as  walking 
therein. 

It  was  to  be  maintained  by  an  ordained  act  of  sacri 
ficial  worship,  which  had  a  sacramental  character. 

Man,  in  obedience  to  God's  decree  was  to  abstain 
from  the  fruit  of  a  certain  tree. 

God  on  His  part  would  give  in  return  to  man,  if  obe 
dient,  the  tree  of  life. 

By  his  obedience  man  was  secure  in  his  present  happi 
ness  and  would  gain  a  further  advancement  and 
reward. 

This  is  the  revealed  law  of  God's  Sovereignty  and  of 
man's  happiness  and  future  as  dependent  on  Him. 


Of  all  terrestrial 
creatures, 
man  alone 


f  can  come  to  know  God, 
enter  into  communication  with  Him, 
love  and  serve  Him, 

receive  and  correspond  with  superadded  gifts  that  will  unite 
man  to  Him  iri  a  supernatural  way. 

.This  is  called  His  obediential  gift. 


THE    FINAL    END    OF    HUMANITY 


Humanity  in  general  and  man  in  particular,  have  a  mission  to  fulfil 
in  creation. 


The  vocation  of  humanity  in  the  world  answers  to  the  sublime  facul 
ties,  of  which  God  has  given  to  man  the  exclusive  privilege,  and  by 
which  He  has  distinguished  him  from  ah1  His  other  earthly  creatures. 


with  an  intelligence  capable  of  knowing  its 
Creator,  and  appreciating  the  magnificence 
of  His  works,  the  admirable  mirror  reflecting 
His  Infinite  Perfections; 


1st. 

Man's 

vocation. 


Alone.  < 


Human 
nature 
is 
endowed 


It  has 
.received 


with  a  heart  capable  of  loving  its  Creator  by  the 
sole  motive  of  His  Infinite  loveliness ; 

with  a  free  will  capable  of  conforming  to  the 
commands  and  wishes  of  its  Creator's  will. 

the  idea  of  the  Infinite  and  of  the  absolute ; 

the  instinct  of  truth,  justice,  injustice,  good,  and 
evil; 

an  insatiable  desire  for  happiness,  by  the  pos 
session  of  that  which  can  fully  satisfy  his  in 
telligence,  his  heart,  and  his  will; 

the  feeling  that  an  Infinite  Good  can  alone 
satisfy  fully  his  need  of  truth,  justice,  and 
happiness ; 

the  assisting  grace  of  God  by  which  he  can  know 
and  love  God  and  do  His  will. 


Humanity    f  yield  to  God  the  glory  which  is  due  Him  from  the  work 
alone  -s      of  His  Creation,  and  render  to  God  a  worship  of  faith, 

then  can       ^     hope,  and  love. 

Hence  he  owes  it,  as  his  final  end,  his  mission. 

to  know  Him  by  faith  through  the  spirit; 
to  tend  toward  Him,  by  hope; 


God  calls 
then,  man 
and  all 
humanity 


in  this 
life 


in  the 
next 


to  love  Him  with  all  his  heart,  by  charity; 
to  serve  Him  with  all  his  faculties; 

to  love  his  fellow-man  for  His  sake,  and  work 
for  his  temporal  and  spiritual  betterment. 

{to  serve  God  as  the  angels  do  in  perfect  obe 
dience,  harmony,  and  advancing  felicity. 


In  this  noble  and  unselfish  mission  all  men  are  called  to  unite,  for  God 
and  their  fellow- men. 


PROOFS    OF    DEGENERATION 


{Its  Proof. 
Its  Preliminaries. 
Its  Results. 


PROOFS 

OP  -< 

DEGENERATION. 


In  man 

himself. 


In  its 


In 

history. 


development. 


•In  man's  proneness  to  act  otherwise  than  for  his  best  good. 
In  his  natural  rebellion  against  law. 
In  the  sin-engendered  impulse  law  arouses  within  him. 
In  the  weakness  of  his  natural  powers  to  do  right. 
In  the  strife  between  the  different  parts  of  his  nature,  the 

flesh  and  the  spirit. 
In  the  inclination  of  all  men,  more  or  less,  to  evil  in  one  form 

or  another. 

In  the  shame  man  often  feels  at  his  imperfect  condition  and 
the  discord  in  himself. 

In  the  misery  he  experiences  in  himself  at  the  contradiction 
between  his  good  desires  and  his  practice. 

in  his  tendency  exclusively  to  be  governed  by  self-interest 
and  not  by  God. 

In  the  inborn  tendency  to  prefer  the  motive  of  egoism  to 
that  of  law. 

In  his  oppression  of  his  fellows  through  greed  of  wealth  or 
power. 

In  the  disposition  of  unregenerate  man  to  steal,  lie,  and  to 
be  impure. 

In  the  dominion  that  external  things  get  over  him,  making 
him  their  slave. 

In  the  inordinate  power  of  his  bodily  appetites. 

In  the  follies  and  crimes  to  which  his  nature  incites  him. 

In  the  credulity  with  which  he  accepts  superstitions  and  re 
jects  the  truly  supernatural. 

In  his  general  restlessness,  discontent,  and  lack  of  peace. 

'The  efforts  for  progress  so  often  checked. 

The  impotence  of  culture  and  secular  education  to  deliver 
man  from  his  vices. 

The  result  in  civilised  countries  which  have  depended  on 
education  apart  from  religion,  seen,  e.g.,  in  the  corrup 
tion  of  city  governments,  in  a  widespread  system  of  graft 
ing,  in  the  decay  of  commercial  integrity,  and  the  sanctity 
of  family  life. 

The  opposition  and  hatred  the  civilised  world  power  has  to 
God  and  Christ's  Church. 

Its  efforts  for  reform  being  ever  based  on  law  or  force,  which 
can  never  make  man  good. 

Unexplained  by  the  injury  transmitted  to  man's  nature,  he 
is  the  most  incomplete,  contradictory,  and  inexplicable  of 
creatures. 

The  testimony  of  philosophic  students  of  man's  nature,  Kant, 
Schleiermacher,  and  others,  is  to  man's  inborn  sinfulness. 

The  testimony  given  in  Holy  Scripture  is  of  the  inherent 
tendency  of  man  to  rebel  against  God. 


4o       PRELIMINARIES    OF    THE    DEGENERATION 


PRELIMINARIES 
OF  THE 
DEGENERATION. 


-Man's 
state 
revealed 
in  Holy 
Scripture. 


Subjected 
by  God  to 
•a  test. 


"How  are  we  to  account  for  the  fact  of  man's  degeneracy  or 
tendencies  ? 

To  keep  man  from  the  errors  of  supposing  evil  to  be  of  God's 
creation,  or  inherited  by  man  from  a  former  state,  or  as 
being  a  principle  in  itself,  God  gave  an  explanation. 

He  did  it  in  a  symbolical  or  allegorical  manner  that  could  be 
easily  understood  in  all  times  and  by  all,  young  and  old. 

It  shows  how  the  Maker  of  man  is  God;  what  man's  com 
plex  nature  is;  how  it  stands  in  a  living  relationship  to 
God  on  whom  its  life  and  happiness  depend,  and  how  evil 
came  into  it. 


Desiring  the  voluntary  love  and  obedience  of  His  creature 
God  gives  man,  and  every  man,  a  trial  by  which  that  obe 
dience  shall  be  tested  and  that  love  developed. 

Man  was  forbidden  to  eat  of  a  certain  tree,  called  the  tree  of 
the  Knowledge  of  Good  and  Evil.  A  test  was  here  pre 
sented  to  his  whole  nature. 

God  in  the  great  allegory  reveals  how  man  is  ever  attacked 
by  three  foes:  —  within  himself,  by  the  curiosity  of  his 
intellect,  the  sensuality  of  his  body,  and  the  pride  of  his 
will.  Outwardly,  through  the  world,  or  the  solicitations 
of  others,  or  by  the  suggestions  of  evil  angels  or  Satan. 


ITS 
RESULTS. 


primary 
I  result  of 
^disobedience. 


The  result  of  man's  disobedience  is  to  separate  himself  from 
the  loving  presence  of  God.  God  in  the  allegory  puts  him 
outside  the  garden  to  show  what  disobedience  brings  on 
itself,  and  how  by  his  own  exertions,  man  cannot  return 
to  his  former  estate. 

God  had  mercifully  warned  man  of  this  result  of  sin:  "  In 
the  day  thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die."  There 
are  three  kinds  of  death.  Physical  death,  which  was  in 
the  animal  world  before  man  was  on  the  earth.  Then 
there  is  an  eternal  death,  or  the  eternal  loss  of  the  Beatific 
Vision.  There  is  also  a  spiritual  death,  or  the  loss  of  the 
superadded  grace,  which  enables  man  to  serve  God  and 
attain  this  end. 

When  man  sinned,  he  immediately  lost  this  grace,  as  God 
said  he  would,  on  the  day  he  sinned.  Then  he  spiritually 
died. 

{his  innocence  and  holiness; 
his  peace  and  happiness; 
his  ability  to  attain  to  God. 

his  intelligence  becomes  obscured;  his 
will  weakened.  His  senses  revolt 
against  his  reason.  Physical  death 
As  to  his  powers  <  became  to  him  in  the  nature  of  a 
punishment,  because  it  did  not  open 
a  way  as  now  it  does  to  the  Christian, 
of  a  union  with  God. 

The  record  of  the  primal  temptation  is  a  mirror  in  which 
every  man  may  see  himself. 

The  subjective  experience  of  serious  and  fairly  introspec 
tive  persons  bears  such  a  powerful  testimony  to  the  fact 
that  man  is  fallen  that  the  historical  and  objective  cir 
cumstances  of  the  fall  become  to  such  a  matter  of  minor 
importance. 


RESTORATION    OF    HUMANITY 


4i 


RESTORATION 

OF 
HUMANITY. 


need. 


{The  Need. 
Its  Nature. 
Its  Means. 


Disobedience,  lawlessness,  sin,  from  the  first  entered  into  human 
nature. 

Human  nature  was  not  made  like  that  of  the  angels,  but  was  from  the 
first  one  whole  thing  and  was  a  transmissible  nature. 

Now  God  deals  with  us  not  only  as  individuals,  but  also  as  a  whole, 
a  nation  or  race,  or  with  our  nature. 

When,  then,  man  fell  out  of  his  true  relation  to  God  and  in  conse 
quence  lost  grace,  his  nature  was  injured;  and  as  it  could  not  re 
store  itself  the  nature  was  transmitted  with  its  inherited  effects  of 
sin.  How  does  this  take  place  ? 

There  have  been  those  who  held  the  theory  of  "Traducianism."  The 
opposite  view  is  that  of  "Creationism."  There  is  also  a  middle  and 
orthodox  view  that  regards  the  human  parents  and  God  as  co- 
factors  both  in  regard  to  the  body  and  soul,  though  in  different  de 
grees  and  ways.  This  gives  room  for  the  observed  facts  of  heredity. 

Man's  nature  is  still  good,  not  as  Calvin  and  Luther  taught,  totally 
depraved.  What  is  called  "original  sin"  is  the  inherited  result  of 
the  wrong  doing  the  weakness  and  wilfulness  and  ignorance  of 
those  who  have  gone  before  us  back  to  the  beginning  of  our  race. 

More  or  less  in  individuals  and  somewhat  in  all,  the  transmitted  tenden 
cies  of  our  ancestors  are  seen,  in  the  violence  of  our  bodily  appetites, 
our  mental  weaknesses,  our  tendencies  to  a  sinful  independence  of 

.     God. 

It  is  a  theandric,  or  God-and-man  work. 

God  places  within  man's  reach  the  means  of  his  restoration  in  such 
wise  that  it  is  at  once  His  work  and  that  of  mankind. 

Having  voluntarily  turned  from  God  it  is  necessary  that  man  should 
return  voluntarily. 

God  offers  a  possible  salvation  and  restoration  freely  to  all,  and  pro 
vides  the  means  for  their  attainment.  It  is  for  man  to  make  it  actual 
by  using  the  provided  means. 

"Reconciliation  is  effected  by  Christ's  atoning  death,  Restoration 
through  union  with  His  Humanity. 

Those  who  preceded  Christ  attained  reconciliation  through  faith  in 
the  promised  Redeemer  and  were  perfected  by  His  communication 
of  Himself  at  His  descent  into  Hades. 

Those  who  succeeded  Him  share  in  His  merits  by  faith  and  are  united 
to  Him  by  the  Sacraments. 

To  all  God  gives  His  prevenient  grace,  the  grace  that  prompteth  every 
good  desire  and  action  of  the  will,  and  leads  men  to  faith  and  re 
pentance. 

He  enlightens  also  the  conscience  of  the  heathen  and  will  judge  them 
according  to  their  light,  and  provide  for  their  final  union  with  Christ 
-     in  ways  known  to  His  mercy. 


Its 
nature. 


Its 
-means. 


42     PUE-EXISTENGE    OF    OUR    LORD    JESUS    CHRIST 


CHAPTER  IV.     OUR   LORD   JESUS   CHRIST. 


His  Pre-existence. 
His  Incarnation. 
His  Earthly  Life. 
His  Character. 


His  Redemption. 
His  Glorious  Life. 
His  Divinity. 
The  Heresies. 


ARTICLE  I.     PRE-EXISTENCE  OF  OUR  LORD 
JRJUS  CHRIST. 


/  As  Second  Divine  Person  foretold 
_     as  coming  Deliverer. 


PRE-EXISTENCE 
OF  OUR  LORD 
JESUS  CHRIST. 


'1st. 

As 

Second 

Person 

of  the 

Holy 

Trinity. 


2d. 

As  Future 
Deliverer. 


"  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God, 
and  the  Word  was  God.  The  same  was  in  the  beginning  with 
God.  All  things  were  made  by  Him  and  without  Him  was 
not  anything  made  that  was  made.  And  the  Word  was 
made  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us." 

Jesus  Christ  Himself  declared  that  He  existed  before  Abraham ; 
that  He  came  down  from  heaven;  and  He  asked  the  Father 
to  glorify  Him  with  the  glory  He  had  with  the  Father  before 
the  world  was. 

He  had  a  pre-existing  life,  not  only  with  the  Father,  but  one  in 
relation  to  the  world.  Through  Him  the  Divine  Light  shines 
into  Creation. 

He  is  the  source  of  all  Truth,  the  Light  shining  in  the  Law ;  the 
Light  in  heathen  philosophy;  the  Light  of  the  conscience. 
He  is  the  "essential "  but  not  the  "actual "  Mediator  between 
God  and  His  creatures  before  His  coming. 

There  was  from  the  earliest  times  preserved  in  the 
Hebrew  race,  a  tradition  of  a  coming  "seed," 
who,  though  himself  should  be  wounded  thereby, 
would  crush  the  serpent  "evil "  under  its  foot. 
There  were  treasured  promises  made   in  various 
ways  to  the  Patriarchs,  to  Moses  and  to  David, 
Foretold  and  by  the  Prophets  before  and  after  the  Exile, 

by  •<       designating  the  nation,  the  tribe,  the  family  of 

promises  whom  the  Deliverer  was  to  come.    He  is  to  be  a 

prophet  like  unto  Moses,  the  Messiah  or  Anointed ; 
the  Priest-King  like  Melchizedek.  He  is  the 
"Orient"  of  heavenly  origin.  His  name  is  Je 
hovah,  the  eternal  self -existing  One.  He  is  the 
Burden  Bearer  of  our  sins.  He  is  the  vicarious 
sufferer  by  whose  stripes  we  are  healed. 

His  office  of  Saviour  was  set  forth  by  the  story  of 
Noah  and  the  ark.  Noah,  the  preacher  of  right 
eousness  and  deliverer,  being  a  type  of  Christ  ; 
the  ark,  —  with  its  three  divisions,  symbolising 
the  three  dispensations  of  the  Church,  Patri 
archal,  Jewish,  and  Christian,  with  its  one  door, 
Christ,  and  one  window,  Faith,  —  a  type,  as  it 
bears  men  in  safety  over  the  waters  and  up  from 

and  in       J      earth  to  the  mountain-top,  of  the  Church. 

types.  |  His  offices  of  priest,  prophet,  and  king  are  unfolded 
in  an  orderly  succession  of  typical  representations. 
That  of  priest,  by  Melchizedek  and  Abraham. 
The  first  of  the  Eternal  Priesthood  and  the  spir 
itual  offering  of  the  Holy  Eucharist,  —  the  other 
of  the  temporal  priest's  action  with  the  shedding 
of  blood.  Abraham's  great  vision  is  of  sacrifice. 
He  offers  Isaac.  He  goes  everywhere  building 
an  altar  unto  the  Lord. 


THE    PROMISED    DELIVERER 


THE 

PROMISED 

DELIVERER 


foretold 
in  types 


and  by  deal 
ings  with  the 
Jewish  nation 


and  particular 
.prophecies. 


Isaac  follows  as  the  typical  victim,  and  in  his  yielding  to  wrong 
and  injustice,  of  the  victim  spirit. 

Jacob  is  a  type  of  our  Lord  as  the  prophet.  His  vision  is  of  the 
ladder  joining  earth  and  heaven,  with  the  angels  ascending 
and  descending,  and  he  goes  forth  as  a  Missionary.  He 
comes  back  leading  the  two  flocks  that  symbolise  the  Jew 
and  Gentile  folds. 

Joseph  is  the  type  of  Christ  as  King.  His  visions  are  of  the 
sheaves  that  do  obeisance  to  his  sheaf,  of  the  sun  and  moon 
and  stars  that  likewise  honour  him.  He  is  plotted  against  by 
his  Jewish  brethren  and  falsely  accused  by  the  Egyptian 
Gentiles.  He  delivers  himself  by  his  own  supernatural 
power  from  the  prison  of  death  and  changing  his  raiment 
ascends  to  the  throne.  He  sends  from  thence  gifts  and  pro 
visions  in  large  abundance  to  his  people. 

Aaron,  Moses,  and  Joshua  in  a  wider  recurring  circle  depict 
the  same  typical  representation  of  Christ  as  Priest,  Prophet, 
and  King.  The  Ark,  the  Paschal  Lamb,  the  brazen  serpent, 
the  smitten  rock,  the  Manna,  declare  His  nature,  offices,  and 
redeeming  work. 

The  punishments  of  the  Jews  testify  of  Christ.  They  were 
God's  chosen  people  and  through  His  dealings  with  them 
God  instructs  the  world. 

They  were  to  teach  the  existence  of  the  one  true  and  only 
God,  and  through  the  Hebrew  nation  the  world  has  thus 
been  taught. 

But  they  had  a  tendency  to  fall  back  into  the  sin  of  Idolatry 
and  often  did  so. 

At  last  they  were  punished  for  this  by  a  seventy  years'  captivity. 

We  are  now  in  face  of  the  fact  that  God  has  punished  them  by 
a  nineteen  hundred  years'  dispersion. 

What  can  they  have  done  to  deserve  this? 

If  it  was  seventy  years  for  Idolatry,  for  what  is  this  punishment 
of  nineteen  hundred  years  ? 

What  can  it  be  but  the  rejection  of  their  Messiah  ? 

Again  —  for  all  these  nineteen  hundred  years  the  essential  part 
of  their  religion  has  been  taken  away  from  them.  They  have 
no  temple,  no  priesthood,  no  sacrifices.  They  have  lost  the 
means  by  which  they  as  individuals  or  a  nation  were  recon 
ciled  to  God. 

What  have  they  done  to  deserve  that  their  old  worship  should 
be  taken  from  them,  that  it  has  ceased? 

The  only  common  sense  answer  is,  the  Messiah  has  come. 

Thus  Moses  prophesied,  the  Lord  thy  God  will  raise  up  a 

Prophet  like  unto  me. 
David  declared  He  was  to  be  a  priest  forever.     Zechariah,  a 

king- 
He  would  be  our  Saviour.     He  would  be  wounded  for  our 

iniquities  and  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  be  laid  upon 

Him. 
And  this  is  the  Name  whereby  He  shall  be  called :  —  the  Lord 

Our  Righteousness. 
And. there  "shall  be  root  of  Jesse  and  to  it  shall  the  Gentiles 

seek."    "In  Hun  shall  the  Gentiles  trust." 


THE    PROMISED    DELIVERER 


THE 

PROMISED 
DELIVERER 
(continued). 


Characteris 
tics,  time, 
and  circum 
stances. 


The  general 
characteristics 
designating 
the  Messiah. 


The  age  of 
His  advent. 


The  circum 
stances  of 
His  birth. 


His  life  as 
announced 
by  the 
prophets. 


The  great 
events  of 
His  life 


His 

sufferings. 


Consequences 
.of  His  death. 


'As  the  Vanquisher  of  Satan,  the  Hope  of  the 
Nation,  the  Mighty  Counsellor,  the  Wonder- 
\Vorker,  Mediator,  Saviour,  Redeemer,  King, 
Shepherd,  God,  Lord,  and  Judge. 

When  the  Jewish  people  would  no  longer  be 
masters  of  themselves,  and  the  sceptre  shall 
have  departed  from  Judah.  Gen.  xlix,  10. 

Before  the  destruction  of  the  second  Temple. 
Haggai  ii;  Mai.  iii. 

Before  the  end  of  the  seventy  weeks  prophesied 
in  Daniel.  Dan.  ix,  25. 

His  mother  would  be,  as  the  Jews  before  Christ 

translated  the   word,   "a  Virgin"  and  "He 

would  be  God  with  us."    Isa.  vii. 
He  would  be  born  at  Bethlehem.    Micah  v,  2. 
A  star  would  be  seen  as  a  sign  and  kings  would 

come  to  greet   Him.     Num.  xxiv,   17;  Isa. 

Ix,  3. 

'He  would  be  humble  in  station. 

He  would  perform  signs  and  wonders. 

He  would  be  filled  with  the  spirit  of  God. 

He  would  preach  good  tidings,  bind  up  the 
broken-hearted,  proclaim  liberty  to  those  held 
captive  by  sin.  Isa.  Ixi,  1. 

He  would  be  preceded  by  a  Forerunner,  the 
messenger  of  the  Covenant,  who  should  pre 
pare  the  way  before  Him.  Mai.  iii,  1. 


He  would 
be 


f  betrayed,  sold,  abandoned  by  His 
own,  buffeted,  mocked,  spit 

<  upon,  beaten,  delivered  to  death 
for  the  sins  of  the  world.  Isa. 
liii. 


David  saw  His  body  lacerated  by  blows,  His 
feet  and  hands  pierced,  His  mouth  filled 
with  gall,  His  vestments  divided  by  lots.  Ps. 
xxii. 

In  His  death  He  would  be  associated  with  crim 
inals.  Isa.  liii. 

His  sepulchre  would  be  with  the  rich.  But  He 
would  rise  from  the  dead.  Ps.  xvi;  Acts 
ii,  31. 

His  seed  would  be  counted  for  a  generation 
which  should  not  pass  away. 

The  people  who  had  rejected  Him  would  no 
longer  be  His  people,  their  city  and  temple 
would  be  destroyed  in  that  generation,  and 
they  would  be  dispersed  till  the  end. 

Idolatry  would  fall  and  the  nations  would  come 
to  know  the  true  God. 

The  Gospel  would  be  preached  as  a  witness  to 
all  the  world. 

The  Messiah  would  reign  over  souls  and  His 
reign  will  have  no  end. 


THE    PROMISED    DELIVERER 


THE 

PROMISED 

DELIVERER 

(concluded) . 


The 

preparations 
for  His 
coming. 


The  Divine  ordering  of  events  preparatory  to  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah  in  general. 

The  education  of  the  Hebrew  people  as  guardians  of  the  Divine 
Revelation. 

Their  ordained  worship  typical  of  the  Messiah  and  His  work. 

The  particular  Providence  over  the  Jewish  nation  preserving  it, 
and  making  it  a  spiritual  lighthouse  to  the  nations.  As  Greece 
gave  the  laws  of  thought  and  precision  of  speech,  and  Rome 
law  and  government,  the  Jewish  nation,  religion. 

The  chastisement  inflicted  by  the  captivity  upon  Israel,  which 
delivered  it  from  the  sin  of  Idolatry,  and  made  it  faithful  to  its 
belief  in  the  one  and  only  God. 

The  course  of  Providence  shown  in  the  .Assyrian  and  Persian 
Empires,  in  the  deliverance  of  Greece  from  Eastern  domina 
tion.  The  providing  thereby  of  a  common  language  for  the 
dissemination  of  Christianity. 

The  extended  dominion  of  the  Roman  Empire  providing  the 
means,  by  the  great  national  roads,  of  easy  intercourse;  the 
insured  means  of  safety  for  travel  by  sea  by  the  destruction  of 
the  pirates  who  had  infested  the  Mediterranean ;  the  world 
wide  peace  that  removed  distractions  and  was  propitious  to 
inquiry. 

The  preparation  of  the  human  mind,  by  the  acknowledged  failure 
of  philosophy  to  solve  life's  problems,  or  bring  the  needed 
strength  for  man's  good  conduct.  He  saw  the  better  and  pur 
sued  the  worse. 

The  creation  of  an  intellectual  environment  that  was  suitable  for 
the  reception  of  the  Gospel.  Philosophy  had  "magnificently 
proved  that  man  could  not  save  himself,  and  how  splendidly 
worth  saving  he  was." 

The  preparation  of  the  cosmos  and  of  this  special  planet.  Millions 
of  years  are  occupied  in  its  development.  It  is  all  for  one  pur 
pose  :  —  the  formation  of  the  elements  needed,  and  the  neces 
sary  condition,  to  make  fitting  the  Incarnation. 

The  surpassing  dignity  of  the  event  is  emphasised  by  the  grandeur 
and  length  of  the  preparation. 

The  preparation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  as  the  human  and 
moral  instrument  of  the  Incarnation,  as  full  of  grace,  wonder 
ful  in  her  gifts,  unique  in  her  great  office,  blessed  among  women. 

The  condition  of  the  Jewish  nation,  the  growing  expectation  of 
the  Messiah,  the  development  of  sanctity  among  those  specially 
waiting  His  coming,  the  announcement  by  Saint  John  Baptist, 
the  sanctity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  endowed  as  "full  of  grace" 
for  her  high  great  office. 


46 


THE    INCARNATION    OF    CHRIST 


C  Exposition  of  the  Mystery. 

ARTICLE  II.     THE  INCARNATION  OF  J  Its  Possibility. 
OUR  LORD  JESUS  CHRIST.  ]  Its  Suitableness. 

[^Its  Necessity. 


THE  INCARNA 
TION  OF  OUK 
LORD  JESUS 
CHRIST. 


-1st. 

The  exposi 
tion  of  the 
Mystery. 


t    be  Cod 


There  is 
in  the 
God-Man 


two 

distinct 

natures. 


two 

distinct 

wills. 


one 

person- 
^ality. 


2d. 
Its 

possibility. 


3d. 
Its 
-suitableness. 


The  Son  of  God  takes,  by  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in 
the  womb  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  without  ceasing 
a  k°^v  fQrmed  °f  ner  substance, 
a  soul  created  by  God. 

The  union  of  these  two  natures  secures  man's  final  end. 

By  it  a  new  development  in  creation  is  begun. 

The  God-Man  becomes  the  Bridge  joining  God  and  Man 
together. 

He  becomes  the  Medium,  or  the  Royal  "Way  "  by  which  man 
may  pass  to  a  further  and  lasting  union  with  God. 

The  Divine  Nature  is  preserved  en 
tire  for  He  could  not  lay  aside  any 
of  His  essential  attributes  with 
out  ceasing  to  be  God. 

It  gives  an  infinite  merit  to  the  acts 
of  the  human  nature. 

The  human  nature  entire  is  taken, 
in  order  to  deliver  it  from  its  foes, 
pay  the  debt  humanity  owes  to 
.  God,  and  elevate  it  to  glory. 

f  The  Divine  Will,  because  He  does 
I      not  cease  to  be  God. 
]  The  Human  Will,  because  He  made 
^     Himself  truly  man. 

His  humanity  was  impersonal,  His 
Person  was  that  of  the  Son  of  God, 
in  whom  the  two  natures  are 
united  inseparably.  As  His  na 
tures  could  not  act  separately  or 
apart  from  His  Person,  all  He 
said  and  did  were  the  utterances 
and  action  of  God. 
In  itself  ;  because,  since  in  man  the  spiritual  nature  of  the  soul 
and  the  material  nature  of  the  body  are  personally  united, 
there  is  nothing  repugnant  in  the  nature  of  God  being  per 
sonally  united  to  the  complex  nature  of  man,  which  offers 
on  its  spiritual  side  a  point  of  contact  with  the  nature  of 
God. 

In  the  manner  in  which  it  is  accomplished;    because  God, 

creating  the  first  man,  without  the  concurrence  of  a  father 

and  mother,  was  able  for  still  stronger  reasons  to  form  the 

humanity  of  His  Son  in  a  manner  less  extraordinary. 

The  goodness  of  God  thereby  found  a  means  to  manifest  itself 

in  uniting  Himself  more  fully  to  His  creatures. 
The  justice  of  God  therein  found  a  means  to  fully  satisfy  itself 

without  injury  to  that  which  His  mercy  demands. 
Man  obtains  thereby  reconciliation  with  God;  he  is  emanci- 
pated  from  the  law  of  his  old  descent  ;  is  incorporated  into 
Christ,  the  second  Adam;  is  given  a  new  start  and  oppor 
tunity  under  grace;  a  more  glorious  destiny  is  revealed  to 
him  with  the  possibility  of  the  individual's  attaining  it. 
Nothing  then  is  more  in  harmony  with  the  interests  of  God 
and  man  than  the  Incarnation. 


ITS    NECESSITY 


4. 

ITS 
NECESSITY. 


It  was 
the  original 
purpose 
of  God. 


It  was 
requisite 
for  man's 
reconciliation 


and  for  his 
-deliverance. 


'God  ever  intended  to  complete  creation  by  an  Incarnation. 
The  Incarnation  was  not  an  independent  after-thought  of  God. 

It  is  the  greatest,  grandest  work  of  God  as  the  completion  of  His 
creative  design. 

By  it  that  which  is  created  is  brought  into  a  permanent  union 
with  Himself,  and  a  sinless  and  glorious  creation  is  made 
possible. 

We  cannot  suppose  God's  most  glorious  work  to  be  one  depend 
ent  on  the  sin  of  His  creature  though  foreseen,  or  that  sin  was 
a  necessary  condition  for  the  glory  of  the  Incarnation. 

The  union  of  human  nature  with  God  is  the  perfection  of  creation. 
It  was  begun  in  the  God-Man. 

God,  ever  purposing  to  unite  creation  to  Himself  by  an  Incarna 
tion  of  Himself,  and  so  secure  for  man  an  eternal  state  of  hap 
piness,  does  not  let  the  sin  of  His  child  baffle  His  great  design. 

The  Incarnation  from  the  beginning  was  an  eternal  thought  of 
God. 


He  comes,  moreover,  in  consequence  of  the  sin  to  reconcile  and 
deliver  His  child. 

As  man  could  not  do  either  for  himself,  God  becoming  Incarnate 
does  both.    He  reconciles  man  to  God  by  His  atoning  death. 

His  divine  nature  gives  an  infinite  value  to  His  act  of  reparation 
so  that  it  is  available  for  all  mankind. 

It  was  thus  necessary  that  He  should  be 


at  once  man, 


and  God, 


so  as  to  be  able  to  represent  the  race  of  which 
He  was  a  member. 

in  order  to  merit  our  pardon,  and  reconcile 
humanity  to  God,  which  as  mere  man  He 
could  not  do. 


Ju  order  to  deliver  man  from  his  enemies  and  the  consequences 
of  his  sins,  it  was  necessary  that  as  man  He  should  meet  and 
overcome  them. 

Coming  as  the  Second  Adam  to  the  fight  He  overcomes  sin, 
Satan,  and  death;  and  opens  the  prison-house  to  them  that 
were  bound. 

He  restores  those  who  avail  themselves  of  His  redeeming  work 
by  uniting  them  to  His  Humanity,  making  them  sharers  in  His 
Victory. 

He'  recreates  penitents  in  Himself,  making  them  partakers  of  the 
Divine  nature,  sons  of  God,  and  inheritors  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Glory. 


THE    EARTHLY    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST 


THE 
EARTHLY 
LIFE  OF 
JESUS 
CHRIST. 


'His 
birth. 


(His  Birth. 

ARTICLE  III.    THE  EARTHLY  LIFE  OF  OUR  LORD  JESUS  CHRIST.  J  Hls  J/^T  : 

and  Suffering  Life. 

{^Seven  Last  Words. 

Against  human  probabilities  which  seemed  to  designate  Nazareth  as  the 
place  of  His  birth,  Christ  was  born  at  Bethlehem. 

He  was  born  there  in  fulfilment  of  prophecy  brought  about  by  the  Provi 
dence  of  God. 

On  the  visible  entrance  of  God  into  the  universe  all  creation  most  properly 
is  present  by  representation  to  do  Him  honour. 

Our  planet,  the  jewel  of  our  solar  system,  if  not  of  the  universe,  gives  Him 
shelter,  all  it  has  to  give,  in  the  cave. 

The  heavens  which  He  made  were  luminous  with  the  stars;  for  whom  no 
nobler  purpose  for  their  existence  can  be  ascribed  than  that  of  shin 
ing  over  God's  advent  into  creation. 

Angels  and  men  are  there.  Of  mankind  the  representatives  of  both  the 
Gentile  and  Hebrew  races  •  and  of  mankind,  both  sexes  were  present. 

There,  too,  are  the  cattle  in  the  stalls,  the  products  of  the  vegetable  and 
animal  kingdoms  in  the  straw  of  the  manger,  and  the  gold,  frankin 
cense,  and  myrrh. 

When  God  came  visibly  into  His  creation,  all  creation  presented  itself  be 
fore  Him  in  acknowledgment  of  Him  as  its  Creator. 

He  came  as  an  infant  and  grew  bodily  to  manhood  that  He  might  experi 
mentally  identify  Himself  with  our  nature  and  be  a  source  of  sympathy 
..  and  strength  to  every  age. 


'As  born  of  a  woman  and  so  becoming  one  of  the  race,  He  comes  under 
the  Law  and  is  circumcised  and  receives  the  Name  given  from  heaven 
of  "Jesus"  or  God  the  Saviour. 

As  being  the  Saviour  He  is  called  by  Isaiah,  "Emmanuel,"  that  is,  "God 
with  us." 

He  is  adored  by  the  Jewish  shepherds  and  the  Gentile  Magi,  the  latter 
probably  led  from  Jerusalem  by  an  angel-borne  star  to  Bethlehem. 

He  is,  according  to  the  prophecy  of  Malachi,  presented  in  the  Temple, 
which  had  for  forty  years  been  adorned  for  this  event,  and  is  recognised 
by  holy  Simeon  and  Anna  under  divine  inspiration  as  the  promised 
Messiah. 

He  is  carried  into  Egypt,  that  the  word  may  be  fulfilled  "out  of  Egypt  have 
I  called  my  Son."  There  Joseph  would  have  had  no  means  to  sustain 
the  Holy  Family  had  it  not  been  for  the  providentially  directed  Magi 
making  an  offering  of  gold. 

After  the  Egyptian  sojourn  He  returns  and  is  brought  up  at  Nazareth, 
the  name  signifying  "the  city  of  Branches,"  and  He  as  "the  Branch" 
or  Shoot  of  the  root  of  Jesse,  is  called  a  Nazarene. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  years  He  gives  the  first  recorded  manifestation  of 
His  wisdom  in  His  intercourse  with  the  Doctors  of  the  Temple;  and 
reveals  to  His  Blessed  Mother  and  St.  Joseph,  His  relation  and  su 
preme  duty  to  God.  He  has  come  to  be  "about  His  Father's  business." 

Passing  through  all  stages  of  human  life,  from  infancy  to  maturity,  He 
glorifies  the  weakness  of  Infancy,  the  obedience  of  childhood,  the  no 
bility  of  labour,  the  return  due  parental  care,  the  endurance  of  honest 
poverty,  the  holiness  of  the  home,  the  worship  of  the  synagogue,  the 
keeping  of  the  Church's  discipline. 


His 

hidden 

life. 


THE    EARTHLY    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST 


His 

public 
lif.e  as 
teacher. 


THE  LIFE  THAT  WAS  IN  HIM  WAS  LIGHT 

He  began  His  ministry  by  the  miracle  at  the  marriage  feast  which  sym 
bolised  His  changing  the  water  of  the  law  into  the  wine  of  the  Gospel; 
the  change  of  the  Jewish  priesthood,  sacrifices,  liturgy,  ordinances, 
into  more  spiritual  ones;  the  feasts  into  Christian  ones;  and  the 
glorification  of  the  Old  Testament  by  a  revelation  of  Christ  as  its  inner 
meaning. 

He  began  His  teaching  in  the  Synagogue  claiming  that  the  prophecy  of 
Isaiah  concerning  the  Messiah  was  fulfilled  in  Himself. 

He  was  formally  announced  by  the  divinely  sent  Messenger  as  the  Lamb 
of  God,  and  the  Founder  of  the  New  Kingdom. 

He  began  His  revelation  of  the  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom  and  its  spirit  in 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

The  great  subject  of  His  teaching  in  consequence  of  His  Nature  and 
Office  was  necessarily  Himself.  He  was  the  Light,  Life,  Way,  the 
Truth. 

He  called  the  Apostles  and  especially  instructed  them,  leading  them  into 
the  belief  and  acknowledgment  of  His  Divinity,  uniting  them  to  His 
prophetical  office  and  commissioning  them  to  "go  and  teach." 

His  prophetical  office  is  evidentially  set  forth  by  His  Transfiguration 
whereby  He  is  proclaimed  "the  Light  of  the  World."  The  Father 
uttering  the  words,  "  This  is  My  beloved  Son,  hear  Him." 

Christ  is  the  Word  Incarnate,  and  His  words  have  gone  like  morning 
over  the  earth. 

"  BELIEVE  ME  FOR  THE  WORK'S  SAKE  " 
He  is  a  prophet  mighty  not  in  words  only,  but  in  deeds. 
The  material  world  recognises  her  Lord  and  Maker. 

The  heavens  are  opened  at  His  baptism,  the  Holy  Spirit  as  a  dove  de 
scends  upon  Him. 

The  waves  and  the  winds  obey  Him,  the  fish  assemble  at  His  word  into 
the  net,  the  wild  beasts  of  the  wilderness  are  subdued  before  Him,  the 
growing  fig-tree  withers  at  His  command. 

Nature  yields  obedience  to  her  Lord.  He  walks  on  the  waters,  matter 
obeys,  and  the  loaves  are  multiplied. 

A  voice  like  thunder  is  heard  in  the  Temple  speaking  to  Him.  A  star 
announces,  another  leads  the  Magi  to  His  birth. 

The  sun  is  darkened  at  His  crucifixion,  the  earth  shakes  at  His  resurrec 
tion,  a  mighty  wind  and  tongues  of  fire  follow  on  His  ascension. 

In  His  public  life,  devils  cry  out  and  flee  before  Him.  Disease  and  sick 
ness  yield  to  His  word.  The  lame  walk,  the  blind  see,  the  dumb  speak, 
death  gives  up  its  prey. 

His  works  bear  witness  of  Him.    He  is  that  Prophet  that  should  come  and 
*.     is  the  "Resurrection  and  the  Life." 

4 


THE 

EARTHLY 
LIFE  OF 
JESUS        -< 
CHRIST 
(contin'd). 


His 

works  do 
testify 
of  Him. 


5o 


THE   EARTHLY    LIFE   OF   JESUS   CHRIST 


"  BEHOLD  AND  SEE  IF  THERE  BE  ANY  SORROW  LIKE  UNTO  MY  SORROW  " 


i 

His 

bodily 

and               •< 

THE 
EARTHLY 

mental 
sufferings. 

LIFE  OF 

? 

JESUS 

CHRIST 

(con 
cluded). 

i 

1 

It  was  prophesied  that  He  should  suffer,  be  a  man  of  sorrows  and  ac 
quainted  with  grief,  be  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  and  bruised 
for  our  iniquities,  be  cut  off  out  of  the  land  of  the  living,  and  stricken 
for  our  transgressions. 

He  becomes  an  object  of  jealousy,  hatred,  and  persecution.  The  envy 
of  the  Pharisees,  the  wickedness  of  the  High  Priests,  the  worldliness 
of  Pilate,  the  sensuality  of  Herod,  the  anger  of  the  people,  the 
cruelty  of  the  soldiers,  the  avarice  of  Judas,  at  last  condemn  Hun 
to  death. 

He  suffers  mentally  from  the  hardness  of  men's  hearts,  the  blindness 
of  His  countrymen,  the  betrayal  by  one  Apostle,  the  forsaking  of 
all. 

He  endures  a  mysterious,  voluntary  agony  in  the  Garden  of  Geth- 
semane  where  the  sight  of  the  sins  of  the  race  of  which  He  has  made 
Himself  a  member  and  representative  and  wrapt  about  Himself  like 
some  filthy  dead  man's  leprous  garment,  causes  Him  to  sweat  drops 
of  blood. 

He  is  treated  with  every  indignity,  mocked,  lied  against,  struck,  spit 
upon,  delivered  to  a  most  cruel  flagellation,  crowned  with  thorns,  re 
jected  for  a  murderer,  and  delivered  up  to  crucifixion. 

He  suffers  in  every  portion  of  His  Body,  in  back  and  sides,  in  hands 
and  feet  and  head;  suffers  by  racking  pains  and  tormenting  thirst, 
surrounded  by  a  mocking  and  blaspheming  multitude. 

He  rejects  the  cup  of  gall  first  offered  Him,  and  which  might  stu 
pefy  Him,  in  order  that  He  may  bear  the  full  pain  of  His  cruel 
crucifixion*. 

At  last  He  separates  His  human  soul  from  His  body  by  His  own  act 
and  so  dies. 

No  man  taketh  my  life  from  me  "  but  I  lay  it  down  of  Myself." 


Its 
efficacy. 


At  the  conclusion  of  the  crucifixion,  the  veil  in  the  Temple,  which  was 
a  type  of  His  body  and  was  on  the  day  of  the  Atonement  sprinkled 
seven  times  with  blood,  was  rent  in  twain. 

It  symbolised  the  truth  of  the  passing  of  the  law  and  that  He  had 
opened  a  new  and  living  way  through  the  veil  that  is  His  flesh  into 
a  new  union  for  man  with  God. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  He  was  a  priest  after  two  orders,  that  of  Melchi- 
zedek  and  Aaron.  He  fulfils  the  latter  by  His  bloody  oblation  on 
the  cross.  He  fulfils  the  first  in  the  Upper  Chamber,  when  He  offers 
Himself  voluntarily,  and  unites  the  Apostles  to  His  own  priesthood 
by  the  commission  to  offer  or  "do  this"  as  a  memorial  of  His 
death. 


THE    SEVEN    LAST    WORDS 


5i 


THE  SEVEN  WORDS,  "THE  PILLARS  SEVEN  OF  SEVENFOLD  WISDOM." 


His  HOLY 
ENDING. 

THE 
SEVEN 
LAST 
WORDS. 


'Jesus  Christ's  sufferings  were  consummated  on  Calvary. 
During  His  crucifixion  He  utters  seven  great  words,  divided  into  two  classes. 
The  first  three  relate  to  His  triple  Messianic  office. 

1st.  As  High  Priest,  and  as  the  Lamb  of  God,  He  pleads  for  mankind,  "Father 
forgive  them  for  they  know  not  what  they  do." 

2d.  As  King,  He  rescues  the  penitent  thief,  a  type  of  all  sinners,  and  promises  him 
an  entrance  into  His  Kingdom  —  "To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Para 
dise." 

3d.  As  the  Prophet  and  Shepherd,  He  recognises  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  and  S. 
John,  types  of  the  Church,  and  unites  them  together  in  Himself  by  Love, 
"  Woman  behold  thy  son  !  Behold  thy  mother !  " 


The  next  four  words  concern  His  twofold  nature  as  the  God-Man  and  the  extension 
of  the  Incarnation  in  a  generation  which  is  His  Seed. 

4th.  In  the  midst  of  His  Agony,  He  begins  the  recitation  of  the  22d  Psalm,  which 
tells  of  Himself  as  the  Incarnate  One,  and  whatever  desolation  He  may  ex 
perience,  God  is  His  God.  The  Psalm  declares  His  nature  and  office.  He 
is  one  taken  out  of  His  Mother's  womb.  He  prays  for  her,  as  she  is  a  repre 
sentative  of  the  Church,  that  His  "darling  may  be  delivered  from  the  power 
of  the  dog."  While  reciting  His  sufferings  and  humiliation,  the  Psalm  fore 
tells  the  coming  Kingdom  and  the  Seed  counted  unto  Him  as  a  generation. 
A  people  that  shall  be  born  in  baptism,  whom  the  Lord  hath  made  and 
that  shall  eat  and  worship  Him  in  the  Eucharist,  and  extend  to  the  ends  of 
the  world. 

5th.  The  reality  of  His  having  a  true  body  is  announced  by  the  word,  "  I  thirst," 
and  fully  in  the  69th  Psalm  from  which  it  is  taken  and  upon  which  our  Lord 
thus  puts  His  seal.  It  tells  also  of  the  seed  that  shall  love  His  Name,  drawn 
by  the  Love  of  Him  lifted  up  for  them.  And  therefore  rejecting  the  gall 
offered  Him  by  enemies,  He  accepts  the  vinegar-wine  offered  by  a 
friend. 

6th.  He  has  a  human  soul,  that  reasons  and  understands  and  wills,  and  can  say  with 
the  whole  scope  of  prophecies  before  Him,  "It  is  finished."  He  utters  the 
words  of  Daniel.  The  great  prophecy  is  now  accomplished.  He  came  "  to 
finish  transgression  and  to  make  an  end  of  sins,  and  to  make  reconciliation 
for  iniquity  and  to  bring  in  everlasting  righteousness  and  to  seal  up  the 
vision  and  prophecy  and  to  anoint  the  most  Holy." 

7th.  He  has  a  spiritual  nature  in  union  with  God  and  can  confidently  say,  "Drawn 
out  of  the  net  they  have  privily  laid  for  me;  into  Thy  hands  I  commend 
my  Spirit."  He  looks  on  to  the  Eternal  Glory  —  "  Show  Thy  servant  the 
light  of  Thy  countenance."  A  glory  to  be  shared  in  by  all  His  saints. 


THE    CHARACTER    OF    JESUS    CHRIST 


(  His  Principles. 

ARTICLE  IV.    THE  CHARACTER  OF  JESUS  CHRIST.  <  Poverty  and  Obedience. 

{^Trials  and  Character. 


THE 

CHARACTER 
OF  JESUS 
CHRIST. 


His 

principles. 


His 

poverty 

and 

obedience. 


His 

trials 

and 

.character. 


He  is  preceded  by  S.  John  Baptist  as  His  Herald,  who  by  revelation 
from  heaven  points  Him  out  as  the  "Lamb  of  God "  who  will  take 
away  the  sins  of  the  world  and  who  will  baptise  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  with  Fire. 

As  the  Messiah,  He  takes  not  on  Himself  this  order,  involving  that 
of  priest,  prophet,  and  king,  but  is  consecrated  at  His  baptism, 
when  the  Holy  Ghost  is  given  Him  for  this  office,  with  the  word 
of  the  Father,  "This  is  my  Beloved  Son."  He  is  called  of  God 
as  was  Aaron,  not  by  an  inward  call  only,  but  by  one  through 
God's  minister  ordained  for  that  purpose. 

His  two  great  principles  were  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of 
men.  "Lo,  I  am  come  to  do  Thy  will,  O  God,"  and,  "I  have  a 
baptism  to  be  baptised  with ;  and  how  am  I  straitened  till  it  be 
accomplished." 


His  life  was  marked  by  a  voluntary,  chosen  poverty,  obedience,  and 
trial.  He  deprives  Himself  of  everything.  He  has  no  home.  "The 
foxes  have  holes  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests,  but  the  Son 
of  Man  hath  not  where  to  lay  His  head."  He  suffered  for  want 
of  food,  from  hunger  and  fatigue.  He  was  the  greatest  of  ascetics. 
He  took  the  position  of  man  as  cast  out  of  Paradise  into  the  wilder 
ness,  and  who  for  man  and  as  man  was  to  fight  His  way  back 
into  it. 

He  practised  obedience.  In  His  mission  to  save  mankind,  the  way 
had  been  laid  down  for  Him  by  God,  in  the  sacrifices  of  the  law 
and  in  the  prophets.  He  cast  His  human  soul  into  the  mould  of 
Holy  Scripture.  He  comes  not  to  do  His  own  will  but  the  will  of 
Him  who  sent  Him.  In  all  that  He  does,  He  is  led  by  the  Spirit, 
and  so  He  says:  —  "As  I  hear,  I  speak." 


(-His  life  was  one  of  continued  trial  and  temptation.  As  it  was  essen 
tial  that  He  should,  as  man,  reverse  man's  defeat,  He  might  not 
call  upon  His  divine  power  to  save  Himself  from  pain.  He  may 
work  miracles  for  others,  but  not  for  Himself.  He  may  not  turn 
the  stones  to  bread,  or  relieve  Himself  from  the  sufferings  of  the 
Cross.  The  power  to  do  this  and  the  duty  not  to,  made  the  trial 
so  intense  and  persistent. 

He  is  morally  tried.  He  might  lay  aside  His  Glory  but  not  the 
divine  personality  to  which  reverence  was  due.  He  must  have 
keenly  felt  the  indignities  offered  Him.  But  He  restrains  the 
rightful  moral  indignation  at  the  insults  done  His  sacred  person 
because  He  is  to  be  the  meek  Lamb  of  God,  and  so  to  His  tor 
mentors  He  does  not  open  His  mouth.  Naught  can  move  Him  to 
utter  a  cry  or  a  retaliatory  word. 

He  combines  in  His  character  all  excellencies  and  virtues.  "He  is 
tender  without  false  sentiment,  benevolent  without  weakness, 
resolute  without  passion.  His  condescension  never  degenerates 
into  mere  familiarity,  His  dignity  is  free  from  symptoms  of  pride. 
His  lofty  freedom  from  the  world's  tyranny  never  becomes  con 
tempt  for  man.  His  stern  condemnation  of  sin  is  allied  with 
loving  compassion  for  the  sinner." 


REDEMPTION 


53 


C Reconciliation  Needed. 

ARTICLE  V.    THE  REDEMPTION  WROUGHT  BY  J  The  Cross  its  Instrument. 
OUR  LORD  JESUS  CHRIST.  "]  The  Deliverance  Effected. 

[_  The  Results  General  and  Special. 


REDEMPTION. 


three  actions. 


..       .  f  The  reconciliation  of  God  and  man. 

Redemption  involves     I  r™      j  i-  ,.  <•         i  • 

•<  Ine  deliverance  of  man  from  his  enemies. 

t^The  reconstruction  and  elevation  of  his  nature. 


God  is  love  —  but  a  love  that  cannot  be  injured  or  wounded 
would  not  be  true  love. 

The  notion  that  His  greatness  does  not  require  an  atonement 
is  a  denial  that  His  Love  does  not  feel  the  rebellion  of  sin. 

Sin  having  separated  man  from  God,  a  reconciliation  was  neces 
sary,  for  however  God  may  love  His  creature,  the  active 
manifestation  of  that  love  is  hindered  so  long  as  man  is  in  a 
state  of  rebellion. 

As  the  separation  concerned  God  as  well  as  man,  the  recon 
ciliation  was  a  divine  necessity  and  was  predicted. 

A  mere  act  of  forgiveness,  without  the  removal  of  the  cause  of 
the  estrangement,  would  not  reconcile. 

The  cause  was  the  disobedience  and  rebellion  of  man  which 
hindered  the  action  of  God's  love  to  His  creature. 

The  barrier  had  to  be  taken  away  by  obedience  and  submission 
to  God  and  an  act  of  reparation  proportionate  to  the  offence. 

God  does  not  in  this  punish  the  just  for  the  unjust,  but  Christ 
voluntarily  offers  Himself  to  save  the  race  with  which  He 
has  identified  Himself. 


Reconciliation 
necessary. 


Effected 
by  the 
Cross. 


God  deals  with  us  as  individuals  and  also  with  human  nature 
as  an  entity. 

Christ  as  the  Second  Adam  takes  the  place  of  humanity. 

God  having  identified  Himself  by  His  Incarnation  with  the 
race,  Christ  could  represent  it;  and,  being  absolutely  obe 
dient,  fulfilled  its  obligation  of  obedience  perfectly. 

Needing  not  to  make  any  act  of  propitiation  for  Himself,  being 
sinless,  He  was  free  to  make  one  on  behalf  of  mankind,  as 
its  representative. 

He  did  this  by  an  act  of  penitence  in  the  Garden,  and  an  act 
of  penance  on  the  Cross.  His  holy  sorrow  on  account  of 
man's  sins  was  the  secret  and  soul  of  all  His  suffering.  He 
is  our  penitential  representative.  He  is  our  substitute  on  the 
Cross  as  the  scape-goat.  He  is  our  Ransom.  He  is  the  Sin- 
victim.  He  is  the  Lamb  slain  for  us.  His  death  is  the 
ground  of  our  reconciliation  and  redemption. 

The  acceptance  of  Christ's  offering  on  the  Cross  rested  on  God's 
covenant  with  Him.  By  the  fulfilment  of  it  on  His  part, 
Christ  effected  man's  redemption.  All  His  works  were 
meritorious,  for  they  were  voluntary,  good,  done  in  grace, 
and  infinite  in  value.  He  merited  our  salvation.  He  gained 
thereby  the  right  to  make  others  sharers  in  His  merits,  and 
be  saved  by  them. 

The  sin  of  man  offers  injury  and  insult  to  an  Infinite  God  and 
His  Infinite  Love,  but  the  action  does  not  affect  God  intrin 
sically.  The  reparative  act  of  Christ  has  an  infinite  value 
from  His  Divinity  and  is  accepted,  so  that  God  is  more 
honoured  by  Christ's  obedience  than  dishonoured  by  man's 
sins. 


REDEMPTION 


Man  by  sin  sold  himself  to  Satan.  "His  servants  ye  are  whom 
ye  obey."  He  had  come  under  the  power  of  death.  He  could 
not  attain  to  heaven.  Even  the  just  were  detained  in  Hades 
as  prisoners  of  hope.  For  before  Christ  no  one  had  ascended 
to  heaven. 

Our  Lord  had  a  personal  struggle  with  Satan,  disguised  it  may 
be  as  an  angel,  and  vanquished  him.  He  allowed  His  physi 
cal  death,  which  Satan  had  instigated,  to  take  place  and  by 
His  own  act  and  victory  over  it  changed  its  character. 

He  descended  into  Hades  and  preached  and  released  the  just. 
The  Kingdom  was  His,  but  He  retook  it  by  right  of  conquest. 
He  is  the  victorious  warrior  whose  garments  are  rolled  in  blood. 
"His  feet  bear  wound  prints  as  He  mounts  the  stair  of  glory; 
the  Hand  that  grasps  the  sceptre  is  a  wounded  hand."  He  is 
the  Lord  mighty  in  battle.  He  thus  restores  us  at  the  cost  of 
all  His  sufferings,  and  redeems  us  at  the  price  of  His  precious 
blood. 

We  are  enabled  in  union  with  Christ  to  pass  through  death  vic 
toriously  into  the  eternal  life.  Eternal  life  is  a  life  wherein, 
upheld  in  Christ,  we  are  made  secure  of  eternal  happiness 
through  the  Beatific  Vision. 


REDEMPTION 
(continued). 


The 
deliverance. 


The 

general 

results. 


Special 
results. 


By  His  Cross  and  Passion  Christ  reveals  to  us  the  awful  character 
of  sin,  in  its  effects  and  as  an  act  against  God. 

By  His  offering  Himself  in  satisfaction  of  our  sins  He  discloses 
God's  love  and  mercy. 

By  His  whole  life  He  paid  the  debt  of  obedience  and  made  by  His 
death  reparation  to  God  for  our  disobedience. 

He  fully  satisfied  the  divine  justice  for  the  sins  of  mankind,  and 
the  divine  righteousness  by  being  the  consummation  of  crea 
tion  in  righteousness. 

He  overthrew  the  empire  of  Satan  and  changed  death  into  a 
gate  of  life. 

He  reconciled  God  and  man,  and  man  and  God.  He  is  the  At-one- 
maker,  His  work,  the  Atonement. 

He  founded  the  Kingdom  of  Grace,  provided  remedies  for  sin, 
the  cleansing  of  our  consciences  by  His  precious  blood,  the 
healing  of  our  soul's  wounds  by  the  impartation  of  His  life- 
giving  manhood. 

He  died  for  all  men  and  renders  salvation  possible  for  all. 


There  are  two  distinct  sheddings  of  the  Precious  Blood :  —  that 
before  the  "Consummatum  est "  which  is  connected  with  the 
atonement;  and  that  after,  from  His  side,  when  the  water  and 
the  blood  flow  out. 

This  tells  us  that  He  is  the  Second  Adam  from  whose  side  the 
Church  is  taken  and  that  all  graces  of  all  kinds  accorded  to  us 
come  from  Him;  that  His  humanity,  communicated  to  us  by 
the  different  sacraments  our  Lord  has  instituted,  is  the  instru 
mental  source  of  our  new  life. 

That  all  the  merits  man  can  acquire  in  this  life,  in  practising 
virtue  under  the  influence  of  grace,  are  acceptable  through 
union  with  His  merits. 

That  all  the  recompenses  God  reserves  for  the  justified  are  in 
union  with  Christ. 

The  Cross  is  Christ's  altar,  pulpit,  and  throne,  is  the  measure  of 
man's  sin,  the  means  of  our  redemption,  the  source  of  all  merit, 
the  tree  of  life. 


THE    GLORIFIED    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST 


55 


ARTICLE  VI. 
OUR  LORD 


C  Resurrection. 
•<  Ascension. 

of  the  Holy  Ghost. 


THE 

GLORIFIED 
LIFE  OF 
JESUS 
CHRIST. 


-1st. 
His 

Resurrection. 
The 
doctrine. 


Proofs 
of  it 

from  His 
enemies. 


THE  GLORIFIED  LIFE  OF 
JESUS  CHRIST. 


After  Christ  had  finished  His  work  on  the  cross  and  by  His  own 
act  separated  His  soul  from  His  body, 

His  soul  went  into  Hades,  the  place  of  departed  spirits.  S.  John 
Baptist  had  gone  thither  and  announced  His  coming.  Christ 
preached  there  to  those  detained. 

He  communicated  to  the  righteous  the  fruits  of  His  passion  needed 
for  their  perfection. 

They  become  thereby  the  spirits  of  "just,"  or  justified  men,  "made 
perfect."  They  were  made  ready  to  ascend  with  Him.  Bodies 
of  the  saints  arose. 

His  body  was  placed  in  the  tomb  which  was  sealed. 

As  when  a  soldier  draws  his  sword  fro.m  its  sheath  the  one  is  in  his 
hand,  the  other  at  his  side,  so  neither  the  body  of  Christ  nor  His 
soul  were  separated  from  His  divine  nature. 

His  body  was  not  dead  as  ours  are  when  separated  from  their  vital 
principle,  the  soul.  It  could  not  see  corruption.  It  was  incapa 
ble  of  destruction. 

When  our  Lord  had  completed  His  work  in  Hades  He  reunited 
His  soul  to  His  body  and  so  rose. 

He  did  not  come  back  to  His  former  condition,  but  passed  through 
death  into  a  new  state  of  life. 

He  had  taken  upon  Himself  the  likeness  of  our  sinful  flesh  and  re 
strained,  save  at  the  Transfiguration,  the  manifestation  of  a  glory 
which  belonged  to  it  by  virtue  of  its  union  with  His  divine  nature. 

As  no  one  could  take  His  life  from  Him,  so  by  His  own  power  (the 
power  of  the  Father  and  His  own  being  one),  He  raised  Himself 
from  the  dead. 

Having  passed  through  death  His  body  rejoices  in  an  agility  and 
subtlety  under  the  control  of  His  spirit  so  that  it  moves  at  will 
from  place  to  place,  can  pass  through  closed  doors  or  the  rock 
of  the  tomb. 

It  waits,  however,  for  forty  days  before  its  final  glorification,  when 
His  Divinity  forever  is  manifested  by  the  radiance  of  His  form 
as  seen  by  S.  John. 

Our  Lord  predicted  several  times  to  His  disciples  and  enemies  that 
He  would  rise  after  His  death,  and  He  rose  "as  He  said." 

It  was  of  the  utmost  importance  to  His  enemies  to  expose  any  im 
posture  and  prove  His  prediction  untrue. 

They  assured  themselves  of  His  death.  His  death  was  officially 
certified.  The  spear  wound  piercing  to  His  heart  would  alone 
have  caused  death.  The  embalming  would  have  suffocated  a 
live  person.  There  was  no  possibility  of  a  revival. 

His  body  was  placed  in  a  tomb  under  the  security  of  the  public 
seal,  and  guarded  by  a  band  of  Roman  soldiers. 

According  to  the  Gospel  narrative  on  the  third  day  the  body  had 
disappeared.  As  it  was  in  the  keeping  of  the  Jews  it  was  for 
them  to  account  for  the  disappearance. 

The  story  they  told  of  the  disciples  taking  it  away  while  the  soldiers 
slept,  is  obviously  untrue,  as  the  disciples  would  have  neither  a 
motive  nor  courage  for  such  a  task;  and  the  soldiers  could  not 
have  slept  through  the  necessary  disturbance,  or  known  who  did 
the  deed  if  they  were  all  asleep. 

Neither  were  the  soldiers  punished,  nor  the  Apostles  prosecuted  for 
breaking  the  public  seal. 

Many  thousand,  who  had  been  opposed  to  Christ  and  were  on  the 
spot  and  could  examine  the  facts,  came  to  the  belief  that  Christ 
had  risen. 


56 


THE    GLORIFIED    LIFE    OF    JESUS    CHRIST 


Testimony 

of  the 

Apostles. 

THE 

GLORIFIED 

n 

LIFE  OF 

JESUS 

CHRIST 

(continued). 

Monumental 

•4 

witnesses. 

"  YE  ARE  WITNESSES  OP  ME  " 

'As  Christ  had  finished  His  public  prophetical  mission,  He  no  longer 
appeared  to  the  world,  but  only  to  His  disciples. 

They  made  a  public  proclamation  of  the  fact  of  Christ's  Resurrec 
tion,  and  to  the  authorities  of  the  Jewish  Church. 

They  from  the  first  based  their  teaching  on  Christ's  Resurrection. 
The  belief  in  it  was  not  therefore  an  afterthought  or  myth-like 
growth. 

They  had  all  seen,  talked  with  Him,  ate  with  Him,  handled  Him, 
at  many  different  times  and  places,  during  a  period  of  forty  days, 
and  it  is  impossible  the  appearance  of  Christ  should  be  of  the 
character  of  a  visual  deception. 

He  had,  moreover,  gone  on  with  His  teaching,  instructed  them  in 
the  meaning  of  the  law  and  the  prophets  respecting  Himself,  in 
stituted  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism,  revealed  the  name  of  the 
Blessed  Trinity,  made  known  the  things  concerning  the  King 
dom  of  God.  His  appearance  could  not  have  been  a  mere  mental 
one,  or  reminiscence,  or  they  would  only  have  known  those 
things  He  had  previously  taught. 

The  Apostles  became  changed  men  by  the  fact  and  unitedly  bore 
witness  to  it,  laying  down  their  lives  in  witness  of  their  sincerity 
and  its  truth. 


I  WILL  GIVE  POWER  UNTO  MY  Two  WITNESSES  " 

The  Sacrament  of  Baptism,  because  its  institution  can  only  be 
traced  to  the  days  of  our  Lord's  Resurrection. 

The  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist,  because  it  bears  witness  to  the 
body  and  blood  of  our  Lord  which  has  passed  through  death 
and  still  lives. 

The  keeping  of  the  first  day  of  the  week,  instead  of  the  seventh,  as 
a  memorial  of  Christ's  rising  from  the  dead. 


General 
results. 


'I  AM  THE  RESURRECTION  AND  THE  LIFE,"  SAITH  THE  LORD 

'The  Resurrection  was  the  great  credential  of  Christ.     It  is  the 
adamantine  fact  on  which  Christianity  is  based. 

He  is  seen  to  have  not  only  power  over  death  but  is  Himself  the 
Resurrection  and  the  Life. 

It  is  the  sacred  point  where  death  has  been  overcome  in  creation. 

It  is  not  only  a  restoration  of  the  old  life,  but  the  glorification  of 
the  body  and  the  beginning  of  a  higher  life. 

Matter  passes  into  a  new  state  by  subjection  to  the  spirit  and  is 
emancipated  from  some  of  its  conditions. 

Without  the  Resurrection  of  Christ  and  man's  union  with  Him, 
the  eternal  life  would  be  no  more  than  an  hereafter. 

The  denial  of  it  is  a  denial  of  the  entire  conception  of  Christ's 
transfiguring  and  glorifying  work. 

Lit  is  the  joy  and  strength  of  the  Christian  Church. 


THE    GLORIFIED    LIFE   OF   JESUS    CHRIST 


2d. 
His 

ascension. 


THE 

GLORIFIED 

LIFE  OF 

JESUS 

CHRIST 

(concluded). 


His 

elevation. 


ASCENSION  is  CHRIST'S  CORONATION  DAY 

Jesus  Christ  elevated  Himself  visibly  in  broad  day 
light,  raising  His  hand  in  blessing.  A  cloud  hid  Him 
from  the  Apostles'  sight. 

His  ascension  is  not  a  change  from  one  locality  in  this 
material  universe  to  another. 

He  carries  His  Glorified  Body  to  the  right  hand  of 
power. 

He  becomes  thereby  the  living  centre  of  the  new  spir 
itual  universe. 

He  goes  to  prepare  mansions  or  stations  for  His  people. 
He  is  our  advocate  through  whom  all  our  prayers  pass 
Its  J       and  by  whom  they  are  presented, 

purpose.  ]  He  withdraws  from  sight;  but  He  remains  in  His 
Mystical  Body  which  He  forms  by  union  with  Him 
self. 

to  convince  His  Apostles  of  the  certitude  of  His  Resur 
rection. 

to  complete  His  instructions  which  during  His  public 
life  were  incomplete. 

to  reveal  the  things  concerning  the  kingdom. 

to  restore  Peter  to  the  place  and  apostleship  he  had 
lost,  commissioning  him  to  feed  the  sheep  of  the  old 
dispensation  and  the  lambs  of  the  new,  and  open  the 
Kingdom  to  Jew  and  Gentile. 

to  associate  the  apostles  with  His  kingly  office  as  be 
lts  J       fore  He  had  with  His  prophetical  and  priestly  ones, 
delay  is         |  to  institute  the   Sacrament  of   Holy  Baptism   in   the 
name  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  by  which 
persons  could  be  made  members  of  the  kingdom. 

to  bestow  the  royal  power  of  pardon  by  which  persons 
who  had  fallen  away  might  be  restored  to  the  king 
dom. 

to  give  power  to  the  Apostles  to  consecrate  others, 
promising  to  be  with  them  to  the  end  of  the  world. 

to  give  them  mission  and  jurisdiction  in  all  nations, 
leaving  to  them  by  His  assistance  powers  over  nature 
and  the  government  of  the  Church. 

Having  ascended,  Christ,  according  to  the  prophecy 
of  S.  John  Baptist,  baptised  the  assembled  Church 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
with  Fire. 

The  Holy  Spirit  had  been  given  without  measure  to 
Him,  and  comes,  without  leaving  His  indwelling  in 
Christ,  from  Him  into  His  Church  to  unite  it  to 
Himself. 

The  Holy  Spirit  came  down  to  abide  in  the  Church, 
The  J       which  before  had  been  like  the  unquickened  body  of 

result.  I       Adam,  to  make  it  a  living  spiritual  organism. 

The  Apostles  who  had  at  different  periods  of  our  Lord's 
life  been  commissioned  and  associated  with  His 
prophetical,  priestly,  and  kingly  offices,  were  now 
consecrated  and  empowered  by  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

They  were  thus  made  "able"  ministers  of  the  word, 
i.e.,  enabled  to  perform  those  acts  they  had  received 
authority  to  perform. 

day  of  Pentecost  is  the  birthday  of  the  Church. 


3d. 

The  gift 
of  the 
Holy 
-Ghost. 


58 


THE    DIVINITY    OF    JESUS    CHRIST 


ARTICLE  VII.    THE  DIVINITY  OF  OUR  LORD 
JESUS  CHRIST  WITNESSED  BY 


The  Messianic  Predictions. 
His  Exceptional  Character. 
His  own  Affirmations. 


^The 
doctrine. 

The  twofold 

character 

of  the               •< 

Messianic 

prophecies. 

His 

character 

THE 
DIVINITY 

differentiates   -< 
Him  from 
all  men. 

OF 

JESUS 

CHRIST. 

His 

affirmations 

regarding 
Himself. 

"Jesus  Christ,  who  was  born  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  suffered, 
died,  rose,  ascended,  and  is  in  the  language  of  the  Nicene  Creed, 

"  The  only  begotten  Son  of  God.     Begotten  of  His  Father  before 
all  worlds,  God  of  God,  Light  of  Light,  Very  God  of  Very  God ; 
Begotten  not  made;   Being  of  one  substance  with  the  Father;   by 
L     whom  all  things  were  made." 


'He  was  as  Son  of  Man  to  be  despised,  rejected,  betrayed,  and  cruci 
fied,  having  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  laid  upon  Him. 

He  is  also  the  Son  of  God.  He  is  the  "Mighty  God "  "Wonderful," 
"Emanuel,  God  with  us."  He  has  an  eternal  pre-existence.  He 
is  Fellow  or  Equal  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  He  is  the  Angel  of  the 
Covenant,  "Jehovah."  The  "First  and  the  Last,"  the  "Lord" 
our  Redeemer,  whose  goings  forth  have  been  from  everlasting. 


f  By  His  freedom  from  the  prejudices  of  nation,  age,  religion,  and  en 
vironment,  He  is  seen  to  differ  from  ordinary  humanity. 

He  is  shown  to  be  not  only  holiest  of  men,  but  by  His  sinlessness  above 
the  holiest,  no  known  man  being  without  sin. 

The  purity  and  sanctity  of  His  innermost  being  are  seen  in  that,  with 
His  intense  horror  of  sin,  He  makes  no  appeal  to  God's  mercy  for 
Himself. 

He  asserts  His  sinlessness  before  man  and  God.  Before  man,  "  Which 
of  you  convinceth  Me  of  sin."  As  to  God,  "  I  do  always  those 
things  that  please  Him." 

He  is  not  merely  the  greatest  of  men,  but  in  character  unlike  any  other 
known  man. 


-He  was  the  object  of  His  own  teaching. 
He  claimed  an  antecedent  life.    "Before  Abraham  was,  I  am." 

He  had  come  down  from  heaven.  He  prayed  the  Father  to  glorify 
Him  with  the  glory  He  had  with  Him  before  the  world  was. 

He  claimed  a  co-equality  with  the  Father,  a  parity  of  power  and  equal 
right  to  the  homage  of  mankind. 

He  revealed  His  absolute  oneness  of  Essence  with  the  Father,  as 
distinct  from  any  mere  moral  or  intellectual  unity.  "  He  and  the 
Father  were  one  thing."  He  said  "  He  that  hath  seen  Me  hath  seen 
the  Father." 

Beginning  with  the  Apostles  He  led  them  on  to  the  perception  and 
confession  of  His  Divinity.  il  Thou  art,"  they  said,  "the  Christ, 
the  Son  of  the  Living  God,"  and  again,  "My  Lord  and  My  God." 

He  could  not  have  accepted  this  worship  consistently  if  it  was  not 
true. 

He  asserted  His  Divinity  before  the  Sanhedrim  and  was  condemned 
^     to  death  for  claiming  to  be  "the  Son  of  God." 


THE    DIVINITY    OF    JESUS    CHRIST 


THE 

DIVINITY 

OF 

JESUS 
CHRIST 
(con 
tinued). 


{The  Alternate  Belief. 
The  Miracles  of  Christ. 
The  Spirit's  Witness. 
The  Historical  Result. 


Our  Lord's  moral  character  was  marked  by  His  sincerity  and  a  pro 
found  humility.  He  was  the  Truth  itself.  He  sought  not  His  own 
glory. 

He  was  true  and  humble,  but  His  claim  to  Divinity  if  untrue  would  be 
neither  consistent  with  His  sanctity  nor  His  humility. 


The 

alternate 

belief. 


His 

Divinity,  a 
necessity 
of  Christian 
belief. 


His 

miracles 
bear  wit 
ness  to  His 
Divinity. 


He  came  to  bear  witness  to  the  truth,  and  if  He  is  not  to  be  believed 
about  Himself,  He  was  either  self-deceived  or  an  impostor. 

Either  we  are  forced  to  reject  Him  as  a  Teacher  and  Example,  or  ac 
cept  the  claim  to  Divinity  which  His  truthfulness  and  our  salvation 
required  Him  to  make. 

In  the  presence  of  His  moral  perfections  we  must  believe  His  claims 
.     to  Divinity. 


""Christ,  according  to  Christian  belief,  is  our  Redeemer,  our  Justifier, 
our  coming  Judge. 

He  could  not  be  our  Redeemer  unless  Divine,  for  then  His  merits  not 
being  of  infinite  value  would  not  avail  for  all  mankind. 

He  could  not  be  our  Justifier,  for  the  principle  that  brings  about  res 
toration  cannot  be  different  from  that  by  which  all  things  were 
brought  into  existence. 

He  could  not  come  and  be  the  final  judge  of  all  men  as  He  prophesied 
He  would  be,  for  only  God  can  know  all  things  and  the  hearts  of 
men. 

-To  be  our  judge  He  must  be  our  God. 


'Who  ever  believes  that  God  is,  and  that  He  made  the  world  out  of 
nothing  can  have  no  difficulty  in  believing  in  any  other  accredited 
miracles. 

It  was  to  be  expected,  if  God  became  incarnate  and  so  entered  crea 
tion,  He  would  manifest  His  control  over  the  world  He  had  made. 
It  would  obey  Him  and  it  did. 

Christ  worked  two  kinds  of  miracles,  those  that  set  forth  His  redemp 
tive  office,  i.e.,  healing  the  sick,  casting  out  devils,  raising  the  dead; 
and  those  prodigies  which  declared  His  Lordship  over  creation  by 
walking  on  the  water,  multiplying  the  loaves,  stilling  the  storm. 

Unlike  the  prophets,  who  called  on  the  Name  of  the  Lord  to  aid  them, 
Christ  asserted  His  own  prerogative  and  wrought  in  His  own  name 
and  so  declared  His  Divinity. 

This  was  farther  witnessed  by  the  great  credential  miracles  which  re 
lated  to  His  own  person :    His  Resurrection  from  the  dead,  His 
miraculous  exit  from  the  world  by  His  ascension,  and  His  entrance 
into  it  by  His  miraculous  conception.     "The  Word  was  made 
I     Flesh." 


6o 


THE    DIVINITY    OF    JESUS    CHRIST 


'The  Apostles  in  many  ways  proclaim  Christ's  Godhead  or  base 
their  teaching  on  it. 

S.  Paul  states  His  pre-existence.    He  is  before  all  things,  and  by 
Him  all  things  consist.    By  Him  were  all  things  created  that  are 
in  heaven  and  earth,  visible  and  invisible. 

Witness 
by  the                x 
Apostles. 

He  has  an  eternal  generation,  being  the  brightness  of  God's  glory 
and  so  coincident  with  His  source. 

He  is  the  Son  and  so  of  one  nature  with  the  Father. 

He  is  the  great  God  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 

He  is  over  all,  God  blessed  forever. 

S.  Peter  declares  Him  to  be  "God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ." 

Our  Lord  and  Saviour  to  whom  glory  eternally  is  due. 

^S.  John,  that  He  was  the  Word  with  God  and  was  God. 

f  As  found  in  Holy  Scripture. 

There  Christ  is  declared  to  be  the  "Logos"  or  "Word,"  the  only 
Begotten  Son.    As  the  Word  He  is  not  only  with  God  but  "the 
Word  was  God." 

He  was  not  only  of  one  substance  as  the  Word,  but  a  Divine  Person 
as  the  only  Begotten  Son. 

THE 
DIVINITY 

OP 

JESUS 
CHRIST 
(con 
cluded). 

The  Holy 
Spirit's 
witness. 

He  is  the  "Life"  in  the  sense  of  self  -existing  Being.     The  eternal 
life  which  is  the  essence  of  God.    He  is  called  the  Word  of  Life. 

Love  is  the  bond  of  the  Being  of  God.    The  Son  loves  the  Father 
as  the  Father  loves  the  Son.    The  Word  loves  the  Father  and  in 
obedience  to  that  love  comes  into  the  world.     Only  God  could 
have  such  love. 

He  is  Light.    He  is  the  Light  that  lighteneth  every  man.    He  pro 
claims  Himself  to  be  the  Truth  and  the  Light  of  the  world,  and 
»-     as  the  Light  He  is  the  Light  which  is  the  very  essence  of  God. 

rUnitarianism  or  Arianism,  which  believes  Christ  to  be  a  Teacher 

sent  from  God  yet  denies  His  Deity,  is  an  irrational  and  illogical 
position. 

The 
historical            < 
result. 

For  God  having  delivered  His  ancient  people  from  the  sin  of  idolatry, 
would  not  have  sent  a  Teacher,  the  result  of  whose  teaching  would 
be  to  lead  His  followers  back  into  the  sin  of  idolatry  by  the  wor 
ship  of  Himself. 

As  nearly  all  of  His  followers  have  worshipped  Him  as  God,  either 
He  is  no  teacher  sent  from  God,  or  the  result  of  His  teaching 
shows  that  He  is  God.    Logically,  we  must  either  give  up  Christ 
_     or  worship  Him. 

'The  heavens  shone  and  a  star  led  to  His  birthplace. 

The  winds  and  waves  and  all  nature  obeyed  God  visible  in  the  flesh. 

The  sun  is  darkened  at  His  Crucifixion. 

Accompanying 
^signs. 

The  earth  shakes  at  His  Resurrection. 
The  cloud  enfolds  Him  at  His  Ascension. 

Angels  attend  His  birth,  are  with  Him  in  the  wilderness,  in  the  time 
of  His  agony,  proclaim  at  His  Resurrection,  announce  His  re- 
^     turn. 

HERESIES 


61 


ARTICLE  VIII.    THE  HERESIES  CONCERNING  OUR  LORD 
JESUS  CHRIST  AS  GOD-MAN. 


'Concerning 
His  body. 


The  Gnostic,  the  word  meaning  "knowing.  "  The  Gnostics  claimed 
to  be  in  possession  of  superior  knowledge.  They  sought  to  recon 
cile  Christianity  with  other  faiths  and  broaden  it  to  a  world-wide 
acceptance.  There  were  three  principal  types  of  their  specula 
tions  —  Judaistic,  Oriental,  and  Greek.  S.  Paul  speaks  of  their 
knowledge  as  of  a  "Science  falsely  so  called." 

The  Ebionites,  one  party  of  whom  did  not  acknowledge  the  pre- 
existence  of  Christ  and  another  denied  His  Virgin  birth. 

The  Cerinthians,  who  held  that  Jesus  and  Christ  were  distinct. 
A  power  from  God  descended  on  Jesus  to  form  Jesus  Christ.  A 
somewhat  similar  modern  heresy  is  found  in  the  pretended  distinc 
tion  between  the  "historical  Christ"  and  the  "essential  Christ." 

The  Docetse  taught  that  our  Lord  had  not  a  real,  but  only  an  apparent 
body.  He  did  not  therefore  really  suffer.  The  fathers  met  this  by 
saying  that  then  God  practised  a  deceit. 

Marcion  rejected  the  Old  Testament  and  denied  the  resurrection  of 
the  body.  The  Church  teaches  that  Christ  had  a  perfect  human 
body.  "  The  Word  was  made  Flesh."  Christ's  body  rose,  and 
His  resurrection  is  a  pledge  of  ours. 


HERESIES. 


Concerning 
His  soul. 


Apollinarius  held  that  Christ  had  not  a  rational  soul,  but  that  the 
Divine  nature  took  the  place  of  it  in  Christ.  He  was  condemned 
by  the  Council  of  Constantinople. 

Eutyches  asserted  that  from  the  union  of  the  two  natures  in  our  Lord 
there  resulted  but  one  nature,  the  divine ;  and  implied  the  ultimate 
extinction  of  the  human. 

The  Monophysites  held  a  somewhat  similar  doctrine  of  but  one 
nature  and  this  error  was  condemned  by  the  Council  of  Chalcedon. 

The  Monothelites  declared  that  there  was  but  one  will  and  operation 
in  Christ.  It  was  into  such  a  sanction  of  this  error  Pope  Honorius 
was  drawn  that  he  was  anathematised  by  the  Sixth  Ecumenical 
Council. 

Nestorius  taught  that  there  were  two  persons  in  Christ  and  denied 
that  the  Blessed  Virgin  was  the  God-bearer,  because  what  was 
born  of  her  was  not  united  in  one  person.  The  Church  called  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  Theotokos,  to  protect  the  doctrine. 

The  Church  condemned  these  heresies,  declaring  that  His  two  natures 
were  united  in  one  Divine  person.  The  Church  also  declared  there 
were  two  wills  in  Christ,  the  divine  and  the  human  will.  Each 
nature  and  will  performs  its  operations  in  communion  with  the 
other  ;  the  human  principle  dependently  upon  the  Divine.  In  a 
divine  manner  Christ  does  human  things,  and  divine  things  in  a 
human  manner. 


Ga 


HERESIES 


Sabellius  held  that  there  were  not  three  distinct  persons  in  the  Blessed 
Trinity,  but  that  the  Word  and  the  Holy  Spirit  were  in  the  nature 
of  functions.  God  sometimes  manifested  Himself  as  a  Father, 
sometimes  as  the  Word,  sometimes  as  Love.  He  confounded  the 
persons. 

Arius  taught  that  Jesus  Christ  was  Divine  in  a  certain  sense,  but  was 
not  of  the  same  substance,  was  not  God  of  God,  not  consubstan- 
tial  with  the  Father.  The  Nicene  Creed  declares  Him  to  be  of  one 
substance  with  God. 

The  Church  teaches  that  it  was  the  Second  Person  of  •  the  Blessed 
Trinity  who  became  Incarnate.  The  unity  of  the  nature  of  God 
causes  also  that  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit  dwell  in  Him.  The 
Holy  Spirit  is  present  as  the  Spirit  of  Christ.  Christ  is  also  in  the 
Father  and  the  Father  in  Him.  This  presence  is  theologically 
known  as  "  presence  by  concomitancy." 


The  Church  not  only  teaches  us  that  it  was  the  Second  Person  who 
became  Incarnate,  but  the  manner  of  the  Incarnation. 

For  the  right  faith  is  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  is 
God  and  man. 

God  of  the  substance  of  the  Father  begotten  before  the  worlds  and 
man  of  the  substance  of  His  Mother  born  in  the  world. 

Perfect  God  and  perfect  man,  of  a  reasonable  soul  and  will  and 
human  flesh  subsisting. 

Who  although  He  is  God  and  man,  yet  He  is  not  two  but  one 
Christ. 

The  two  natures  are  not  united  like  natural  things  by  way  of  com 
position  or  commingling,  but  by  a  union  in  the  person  of  the  Son 
of  God. 

So  that  while  there  are  two  natures,  there  is  only  one  personality  or 
ego  in  Christ.  This  union  is  called  the  hypostatic  union. 


'Christ  is  then  God  manifest  in  the  flesh. 

From  this  unity  of  person  it  follows  that  whatever  Christ  said  or  did 
it  was  God  that  said  or  did  it. 

As  by  the  conception  in  Mary  the  human  nature  was  united  to  the 
divine  person,  Mary  was  the  bringer  forth  or  Mother  of  God. 

As  the  human  nature  was  united  to  the  divine,  it  learned  not  only  as 
ours  but  from  within. 

The  union  of  Christ's  human  nature  to  the  divine,  is  the  source  of 
His  supernatural  gifts  to  man. 

Man  in  Christ  is  lifted  up  into  the  knowledge  of  God  now,  and  here- 
^     after  into  the  further  sight  of  Him  and  participation  in  His  life. 


Concerning 
His 

divinity. 

HERESIES 
(continued).  * 

The 

Catholic         •< 

doctrine. 

1 

s.  results. 

THE    CHURCH 


63 


CHAPTER  V.     THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD. 
I.  IN  GENERAL.    II.  As  A  WHOLE.    III.  ITS  ORGANISATION.    IV.   ITS  AUTHORITY. 


THE  CHURCH. 
Its  End:  — 


It  is  the  consummation  and  glorification  of  Creation  passing 

into  its  final  stage  of  development. 
It  is  the  eternally  enduring  spiritual  organism  filled  with  the 

light,  life,  and  love  of  God. 
It  is  the  perfected  Kingdom  of  God  in  which  He  reigns  in 

Righteousness  and  which  reflects  His  perfections. 


ARTICLE  I.    THE  CHURCH  IN  GENERAL.  •< 


THE 
CHURCH. 


The  origin 
and  head. 


Its  four 
developments. 


Its  Origin  and  Head. 
Its  Four  Developments. 
The  Law  of  its  Growth. 
The  Progressive  Prophecies. 
Its  Earthly  Christian  Life. 
Its  Continuity  of  Organism. 


'1st. 
In  its 
primitive 
condition. 

C  Under 
-<  the 
^regime 

2d. 

The 

fUnder 

organisation 
under 
Moses. 

1  the 
^regime 

3d. 
The 
Christian 
society. 

fUnder 
1  the 
(^regime 

4th. 
The 
kingdom 
of  God. 

C  Under 
-<  the 
^regime 

The  origin  of  the  Church  is  to  be  found  in  God's  eternal  purpose 
so  to  create  that  man  by  His  aid  might  become  elevated  into  such 
a  supernatural  union  with  God  as  would  secure  him  in  sinless- 
ness  and  so  eternal  bliss. 

Since  God  bestows  His  gifts  ordinarily  through  instrumentalities, 
the  means  or  aid  by  which  the  individual  can  attain  this  end  is 
accomplished  in  the  perfected  organism  of  the  Church. 

Of  this  body  the  Incarnate  God,  Jesus  Christ,  is  the  head.  He  is 
the  founder.  As  it  is  His  mystical  body,  by  His  indwelling,  He 
is  its  life.  As  the  founder,  all  authority  in  it  comes  from  Him. 


of  the  law  of  conscience; 
the  earliest  revelations; 
help  by  heavenly  visions; 
the  faith  in  the  promised  seed; 
known  as  "Children  of  God"; 
the  Patriarchal  family. 

of  the  written  law; 

the  Hebrew  revelations; 

help  by  prophetical  inspirations; 

the  faith  in  a  promised  Messiah; 

known  as  the  "people  of  God"; 

the  Synagogue,  or  Israel. 

of  the  Gospel ; 

the  Revelation  in  Jesus  Christ; 

help  of  grace  and  truth; 

the  faith  in  Christ  present  and  to  come ; 

known  as  the  Body  of  Christ; 

the  family  of  Jesus  Christ. 

of  God  all  in  all; 

the  Revelation  of  God  in  the  Beatific 
Vision ; 

the  help  of  the  Vision  and  the  heavenly 
worship ; 

when  Faith  is  lost  in  sight,  and  Love  fol 
lows  the  Lamb; 

known  as  the  Bride  of  God; 
Jhe  Living  Temple  filled  with  glory. 


In  each  of  the  first  three  there  was  the  contrast  between  the  ideal  and 
the  actual. 

Each  proclaimed  thereby  its  own  finality,  by  its  failure  to  reach  and 
embody  its  ideal. 

Each  of  them  was  by  its  imperfect  structure  and  spiritual  power  a 
veiled  utterance  of  a  better  and  more  spiritual  organisation  that 
was  to  come.  Faith  looked  on  exultingly  to  a  future. 

Each  was  filled  in  an  increasing  degree  with  the  spirit  of  prophecy 
that  illuminated  and  glorified  its  structure  and  proclaimed  the 
grandeur  of  the  heavenly  beauty  and  power  of  its  successor. 

Each  and  all  of  them  were  built  upon  the  one  that  preceded  it.  The 
former  always  lays  the  foundation  of  the  later.  The  later  grows 
out  of  the  former.  It  is  ever  the  flower  of  which  its  predecessor  is 
The  former  is  the  foundation  which  denotes  the  char 
acter  of  organisation  which  is  raised  on  it.  The  one  is  organically 
and  spiritually  united  to  its  predecessor. 

So  gradually  the  last  development  arrives  and  the  Regnum  Dei  rises 
to  its  perfection  and  glorification  as  the  spiritual  organism,  which 


As  seen  in  its  organisation  it  was  a  family. 

It  told  of  the  unity  of  the  Church,  organically  one  as 
being  of  one  Blood. 

It  was  united  in  one  inherited  traditional  faith.  The 
father  of  the  family  was  its  priest  and  God  was  wor 
shipped  by  way  of  sacrifice. 

It  had  the  covenanted  ordinance  of  circumcision, 
which  identified  the  individual  with  the  sacrificial 
worship. 

It  had  a  glorious  promise  of  extension  to  all  nations 
through  a  promised  Seed. 

It  was  of  a  temporary  character  and  was  to  develop 
into  a  wider  and  stronger  organisation  under  a  fur 
ther  revelation.  While  nature  looks  back,  the 
Church  looks  on  to  the  future,  for  its  golden  age. 

'Seen  in  its  organisation,  it  was  a  tribal  confederation 
in  covenant  with  God  as  its  head. 

The  desire  for  a  monarchy  and  visible  head  in  a  king 
led  to  its  division,  weakness,  and  final  punishment. 

It  had  a  priesthood,  determined  by  natural  descent,  a 
forecast  of  the  Christian  priesthood  by  spiritual 
descent. 

It  had  a  twofold  form  of  worship,  by  word  in  the  syna 
gogue,  and  by  sacrifice  in  the  temple,  foretelling 
of  the  Christian  divine  office  and  the  Gospel  sacri 
fice  of  the  altar. 

It  was  filled  with  a  spirit  of  prophecy  which  foretold 
of  the  Messiah,  as  King,  Prophet,  and  Priest,  and 
of  the  future  kingdom  which  would  be  universal 
in  extent  and  be  both  temporal  and  eternal,  and 
which  should  go  forth  like  living  waters  from 
Jerusalem. 

It  was  preparatory  and  temporary.  The  sacrifices 
could  not  cleanse  the  conscience.  The  moral  law 
was  not  fulfilled. 

It  was  the  schoolmaster  or  guide  to  lead  to  Christ 


'"Law 

that  illumii 

of  its              " 
growth. 

grandeur  oi 
Each  and  all  < 

former  alwi 

mit  of  the  f 

the  bud.    H 

acter  of  org 

and  spirituf 

So  gradually  t 
to  its  perfe< 

..     is  the  etern 

"In  the 

Patriarchal   •< 

Church. 

THE 

CHURCH     ^ 

IN 

GENERAL. 

In  the 

Jewish           -< 

Church. 

The 

progressive     ^ 
prophecies. 

THE   CHURCH   IN   GENERAL 


65 


THE 
CHURCH 
IN 

GENERAL 
(con 
tinued). 


The 

progressive 
prophecies 
.(continued). 


In  the 

Christian 

Church. 


The 

apocalyptic 
consum 
mation. 


ITS 

EARTHLY 

HISTORICAL 

LIFE. 


'As 

Patriarchal, 
Jewish,  and 
Christian. 


Seen  in  its  organisation  it  was  a  kingdom  of  which 
Jesus  Christ  was  the  head.  A  kingdom  with  its 
officers  under  Him.  The  Mystical  Body  of  Christ 
being  an  extension  of  the  Incarnation. 
It  was  as  the  family  of  Jesus  Christ  united  by  a 
blood  relationship  to  Him,  and  its  members  to  one 
another,  forming  one  generation.  It  was  united  also 
by  a  common  faith,  and  possessed  of  a  heavenly  life. 
It  was  possessed  of  manifold  means  of  grace.  It  was 
not  only  a  society  or  an  organisation,  but  a  spiritual 
organism  having  life  in  itself  by  the  indwelling  of 
Christ  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  capable  of  com 
municating  life. 

It  was,  however,  temporary,  and  under  the  media 
torial  reign  of  Christ. 

It  was  the  kingdom  of  God  in  making,  the  final  con 
summation  of  the  divine  purpose  for  the  rational 
creation. 

In  the  apocalyptic  revelation  the  kingdom  is  seen 
from  its  divine  side.  As  a  revelation  it  is  given 
by  way  of  vision.  It  is  not  a  literary  production. 
It  bears  its  own  witness  in  that  it  gathers  up  all 
the  apocalyptic  visions  given  to  prophets  of  old, 
showing  thereby  its  divine  origin  by  their  oneness. 
It  follows  the  sublime  law  of  unity  and  design  that  runs 
through  the  whole  Word  of  God  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end. 

It  is  divided  into  two  parts :  —  the  first,  relating  to 
Christ  as  the  Prophet,  King,  and  Priest ;  the  second, 
to  the  Church  as  the  Living  Temple  and  the  Bride. 
Under  all  there  are  portrayed  the  forces  opposed  to 
Christ  and  the  Church.     The  latter  is  attacked  by 
the  two  forms  of  worldliness,  ancient  and  modern, 
and  by  the  degenerate  and  evil  Church. 
After  the  final  conflict  comes  the  final  triumph,  and 
the  destruction  of  sin  and  all  evil.     The  glory  of 
the   everlasting  kingdom  of   God  and   His    right 
eousness  begins  its  eternal  and  triumphal  reign. 
The  restraining  and  directing  action  of  Divine  Providence 
makes  the  course  of  one  dispensation  a  fulfilment  of  the 
preceding  and  a  foretelling  of  another. 
The  Patriarchal  is  divided  into  two  periods,  Preparatory  and 

Wandering,  and  then  a  settled  one  in  Egypt. 
The  Jewish  has  its  preparatory  stage  in  the  Wilderness,  — 

when  Israel  is  led  out  of  Egypt. 
The  Christian  has  its  preparatory  one  when  Christ  leads  His 

flock  out  of  Judaism. 

Israel  was  settled  in  the  Holy  Land,  the  Christian  Church  was 
established  under  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  at  Jerusalem. 
Israel's  twelve  tribes  are  confederated  together  under  the 
judges  with  God  as  the  unseen  head,  and  so  the  Christian 
Church  in  the  sub-Apostolic  and  primitive  ages  was  under 
the  Episcopate  and  Christ. 

Israel  comes  under  its  self-chosen  monarchy,  which  leads  to 
its  disruption,  and  so  the  Christian  Church  under  the  Papacy 
is  rent  asunder  into  East  and  West. 

Israel  is  divided  and  goes  into  captivity,  and  so  is  the  Chris 
tian  Church  outwardly  divided  and  loses  its  spiritual  power. 
Israel  is  delivered  and  the  remnant  returns  and  there  is  a  re 
vival  of  holiness  and  a  wonderful  development  of  sanctity 
in  the  holy  band  made  ready  for  Christ's  coming. 
So  in  the  end  there  is  to  be  a  revival  of  sanctity  in  all  parts  of  the 
Catholic  Church  in  preparation  for  Christ's  Second  Advent. 
5 


66 


The  Church  as  "the  Kingdom  of  God"  will  be  the  mystical  Bride 
of  Christ. 


ITS 

EARTHLY 
HISTORICAL    .< 
LIFE 
(continued). 


Christian 
as  the 
Bride  of 
Christ. 


As  the  Bride  of  Christ  she  will  become  conformed  to  His  likeness,  by 
passing  through  a  life  of  toil  and  suffering  like  unto  His. 

The  Church  like  her  Lord  was  born  in  the  Upper  Chamber,  where  the 
great  gift  was  made  of  Christ  as  the  Living  Bread,  —  Christ  was 
born  in  Bethlehem,  the  House  of  Bread. 

The  infant  Church  for  the  first  three  centuries  was  persecuted,  so 
the  Infant  Christ  was  persecuted  by  Herod  and  the  innocents  were 
slain. 

The  Church  is  assaulted  by  heresies  concerning  the  Incarnation, 
while,  like  the  Blessed  Mother,  she  meditates  on  the  great  Mystery 
and  keeps  all  these  things  in  her  heart 

The  Church  like  Christ  has  to  pass  through  her  trials,  with  false 
teachers,  i.e.,  with  Mohammedanism,  with  barbarians,  then  with 
worldliness,  with  traitors  within,  with  deserters,  with  the  falling 
away  of  disciples. 

Modem  history  is  the  antagonism  between  the  two  kingdoms,  that 
of  the  evil  world  and  that  of  Christ. 

The  world  finally  will  reject  the  Church,  as  Christ  was  finally  re 
jected.  In  the  end  the  Church  is  torn  outwardly  asunder.  The 
outward  robe  of  Christ  is  rent.  The  bones  are  not  broken,  but  out 
of  joint.  The  outward  organisation  suffers  shipwreck.  The  sun 
and  the  moon  are  darkened.  But  the  Gospel  will  be  preached  as 
a  witness  to  all  nations,  and  then  Christ  will  come  in  triumph  with 
all  His  saints  and  the  Kingdom  of  Glory  will  be  inaugurated. 


fThe 

n  -4  Church's 

CONTINUITY.  ^Qneness. 


As  the  material  creation  is  one,  so  likewise  is  the  spiritual  creation. 
The  Church  is  one  just  as  the  Cosmos  is  one. 

Unity  runs  through  all  the  dispensations  and  there  is  a  continuity  of 
life  which  binds  them  together. 

Each  dispensation  grows  out  of  the  preceding  one.  The  new  rises  on 
the  foundations  of  the  old.  It  is  the  flower  of  which  its  predecessor 
was  the  bud. 

There  is  never  any  denial  of  doctrine  previously  revealed.  The  new 
flood  of  divine  light  brings  its  new  divine  gift  and  also  illuminates 
the  old. 

The  change  in  the  law  requires  a  change  in  the  priesthood.  The 
hierarchal  government  passes  on  from  a  lower  quality  of  priest 
hood  to  a  higher. 

The  sacrificial  worship  rises  from  the  different  preceding  sacrifices 
into  the  glorious  and  efficacious  reality  of  the  Christian  altar  which 
is  to  give  way  to  the  eternal  worship  in  glory  of  the  Lamb. 


THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH  — ITS    NATURE 


ARTICLE  II.    THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 
As  A  WHOLE,  CONSIDERED. 


§  1 
ITS 

NATURE. 


In  its  Nature. 

In  its  Establishment. 

In  its  Three  Divisions. 

Its  Visibility  and  Marks. 

The  Community  of  its  Parts. 

Its  Preservation. 

Its  Body  and  Soul. 


As 
Christian. 


'"Revealed 

by 
Christ. 

ITS                         _, 
ESTABLISHMENT. 

As 
founded. 

As 

indwelt       -< 

^by  Him. 

'It  is  a  Christian  family  composed  of  all  who  are  validly  baptised 

and  made  members  of  Christ. 
It  is  a  divinely  founded  Society  of  those  united  in  a  common 

faith  and  under  the  apostolically  descended  ministry. 
It  is  a  spiritual  organism,  composed  of  those  who  live  by  the 

power  of  sacramental  grace,  and  form  a  spiritual  temple  of 

living  stones  in  which  Christ  dwells,  vivifying  and  illuminat- 
.     ing  it. 

The  Gospel  Christ  preached  was  the  "Gospel  of  the  Kingdom." 

He  declared  its  twofold  character  in  the  parables  of  the  King 

dom  of  Heaven. 
It  would  have  the  outward  form  of  a  visible  society,  and  an  in 

ward  spiritual  power  through  the  indwelling  of  Himself  and 

the  Holy  Spirit. 
The  outward  form  would  be  the  product  of  human  and  divine 

action.    It  would  be  both  like  a  "net"  constructed  by  human 

skill  and  like  a  "great  tree,"  the  product  of  divine  power. 
It  would  as  a  spiritual  power  "be  within  you,"  like  a  new  life 

sown  within  a  man  as  "a  seed,"  or  like  "leaven"  hidden  in 

society. 
Though  visible  and  having  outward  form,  it  would  be  hidden 

in  the  world  like  a  treasure  that  must  be  sought  for.     As  a 

spiritual  power,  it  was  like  a  pearl  of  great  price,  most  valuable 

and  most  to  be  desired. 


Christian  Church  was  built  by  Christ  on  the  foundation  of 
the  Jewish.  He  came  not  to  destroy  but  to  fulfil. 

He  changed  the  old  priesthood,  sacrifices,  liturgy,  worship,  into 
those  of  a  higher  and  more  spiritually  endowed  character. 

The  work  He  did  during  His  visible  life  was  a  preparatory  one. 
It  was  a  gathering  of  materials,  a  commissioning  of  officers, 
and  a  preliminary  and  practical  teaching  them. 

He  made  the  Church  a  living  organism  by  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  at  Pentecost. 


Church,  which  Christ  loved  and  for  which  He  gave  His 

Blood,  is  one,  like  a  walled  city  or  a  temple,  or  mystical  body. 
It  is  a  spiritual  organism  in  which  He  dwells.    The  Holy  Spirit! 

does  not  come  to  take  the  place  of  an  absent  Lord. 
The  Holy  Spirit  comes  to  make  Christ's  Presence  effective  in 

every  part  of  the  city,  or  temple,  or  body. 
It  makes  effective  all  the  ministrations  of  the  priesthood,  in  bap 

tising,  confirming,  absolving,  blessing,  anointing,  interceding, 

ordaining,  consecrating. 
The  Church  has  in  consequence  a  supernatural  character  and 

vitality. 


68 


ITS    THREEFOLD    DIVISION 


'It  is  composed  of  all  those,  who  were  in  covenant  with  God,  either 
under  the  Patriarchal  or  Mosaic  dispensations. 

Of  those  after  Christ,  who  were  made  soldiers  of  Christ  in  Holy 
Baptism. 

All  these  are  regarded  as  pilgrims.    Those  in  the  Christian  state 
are  pilgrims  of  light.    All  are  wayfarers. 

And  in  the  Church  are  the  tares  and  wheat,  the  wise  and  the  foolish, 
the  bad  and  the  good.     They  await  the  final  sorting. 


Consisting  formerly  of  the  justified  who  were  waiting  in  Hades  the 
coming  of  Christ  and  were  released  at  His  advent. 

Those  since,  who  die  with  grace  not  extinguished,  but  who,  secured 
from  temptation,  cannot  gain  aught  by  resisting  it.  They  must 
be  purified  from  the  effects  of  old  sins,  be  delivered  from  self- 
love,  and  all  that  hinders  the  operations  of  God  in  their  souls. 

They  must  suffer  the  sight  of  their  lives  in  the  light  of  God's  neg 
lected  love,  and  endure  His  purificative  discipline.  They  are 
helped  by  the  prayers  of  the  faithful  and  especially  by  the  offer 
ing  of  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Altar. 


'There  is  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  radiant  with  surpassing  glory. 
The  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  Queen  of  all  Saints. 
The  nine  orders  of  Angelic  Beings. 

The  saints,  who  by  their  heroic  correspondence  to  grace,  have  at 
tained  their  crowns. 

All  those  who  have  become  wholly  purified  and  have  gained  the 
Beatific  Vision. 

These  all  are  united  in  perfect  charity  and  live  in  a  supernatural 
union  with  God,  filled  with  never  ending  joy  and  bliss. 


'"As  militant 
on  earth. 

ITS 
THREEFOLD   -< 

Expectant 
in  purifica 
tion. 

DIVISION. 

Triumphant 
<.in  glory. 

ITS 

VISIBILITY. 


The  Church  is  a  visible  body,  for  it  is  like  a  family,  a  city,  a  temple.  In  the  totality 
of  its  three  parts,  it  is  visible  to  God  only. 

To  those  in  glory,  those  in  purification,  those  militant,  it  is  visible,  in  different  de 
grees  and  ways. 

On  earth  it  is  visible  as  a  Society  under  its  Bishops,  Sacraments,  and  Worship.  This 
society  is  the  Catholic  Church.  The  interruption  of  communion  between  its 
several  portions,  Eastern,  Roman,  and  Anglican,  does  not  destroy  the  visibility 
of  the  several  parts,  nor  of  the  whole  considered  as  one  body.  The  family  is  rec- 
ognised  as  a  family,  though  its  members  may  have  ceased  to  speak  to  one  another. 

The  Roman  Catholic  body  cannot  be  said,  in  the  presence  of  the  fact  of  the  Ortho 
dox  Eastern  Church,  to  be  the  whole  Church,  and  if  not  the  whole,  she  cannot  be 
the  only  true  Church. 


ITS    FOUR    MARKS 


The  Lord  so  established  His  Church  that   His  followers  might  be  able  to  recog 
nise  and  be  guided  to  it.    He  gave  it  four  marks. 


ITS 

FOUR       •< 
MARKS. 


"It  was 
to  be 
Apostolic. 


It  was 
to  be 
Catholic. 


It  was 
to  be 
Holy. 


Christ  founded  a  ministry  which  would  represent  Himself  and  through 
which  as  His  agency,  He  would  continue  to  act,  going  about  doing  good. 

He  formed  the  Twelve  into  an  order  representing  Himself,  and  empow 
ered  them  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 

He  gave  them  mission  and  jurisdiction  over  all  nations  and  promised  to 
be  with  them  to  the  end  of  the  world. 

When  there  was  a  vacancy  in  the  Twelve,  Christ  showed  whom  He  had 
chosen,  and  then  Matthias  was  consecrated  along  with  the  others  at 
Pentecost. 

Christ  after  His  Ascension  personally  called  Paul  and  commissioned  him 
as  He  had  done  the  others,  and  then  the  Holy  Spirit  was  given  him  in 
like  degree  and  he  was  received  into  the  Apostolic  fellowship. 

In  the  New  Testament,  no  other  ministry  is  recognised  save  that  in  official 
fellowship  with  the  Apostles. 

Apostolic  Ministry  is  to  be  found  to-day  only  in  the  Catholic  Church. 


The  Church  is  universal  as  enduring  throughout  all  ages.  Is  Catholic, 
for  she  can  satisfy  the  needs  of  all  men  of  all  nations. 

She  teaches  the  whole  circle  of  revealed  truth. 

Her  dogmas  bear,  for  their  credibility,  the  test  of  Catholicity.  They  have 
been  held  from  the  beginning,  everywhere,  and  by  all  the  Church,  and 
are  proclaimed  by  its  Living  Voice  to-day. 

What  the  whole  Church  teaches  is  corroborated  by  Holy  Scripture  of 
which  she  is  the  guardian  and  interpreter. 

The  Church  is  Holy  because  Jesus  Christ  is  its  Head  and  the  Holy  Ghost 
dwells  in  it. 

Is  holy  in  its  moral  theology  and  its  revelation  of  the  spiritual  inner  life. 
In  the  counsels  of  perfection  illustrated  in  its  religious  orders. 

In  the  production  of  saints  who  have  heroically  corresponded  to  grace  and 
attained  to  special  sanctity. 

In  the  high  standard  of  life  the  Church  places  before  all  her  children. 

In  the  possession  of  a  priesthood  and  sacraments  by  which  they  may 
attain  it. 

In  the  communion  of  saints,  by  prayers  for  the  departed,  by  the  mutual 
intercessions  of  the  whole  Church  as  it  worships  together  as  one  body. 

In  the  marvels,  miracles,  and  answers  to  prayer,  continued  from  the 
^     Apostles'  times. 


7° 


ITS    FOUR    MARKS 


ITS 

FOUR 
MARKS 
(con 
tinued). 


There  is  a  distinction  between  unity  and  union. 

Christ  prayed  that  the  Church  might  be  one,  as  He  and  the  Father  were  one, 
that  is,  by  a  unity  of  nature,  and  His  prayer  was  answered. 

The  Church  is  one  as  being  one  body  and  having  one  Head,  Jesus  Christ. 

Her  oneness  is  secured  by  the  Sacramental  union  of  all  her  members  in  Him, 
and  so  to  one  another. 

They  form  thus  one  family  by  a  union  which  cannot  be  broken  and  against 
which  the  gates  of  hell  cannot  prevail. 

Christ  also  prayed  for  an  outward  union  that  the  world  might  recognise  it  as 
a  supernatural  sign,  and  be  drawn  to  the  faith. 

-Unity.  -^  The  union  to  impress  the  world  would  have  to  be  one  of  an  order  whose 
several  parts  under  an  Invisible  Head  were  united  in  love.  Thus  the 
Church  was  practically  united  for  one  thousand  years.  In  this  way  the 
Eastern  and  the  Anglican  Communions  are  bound  together.  In  the  same 
manner  might  the  whole  Church. 

An  enforced  union  by  an  absolute  monarchical  arrangement  has  nothing 
supernatural  about  it  and  does  not  convince  the  world. 

The  Church  is  united  now  so  far  as  each  portion  of  it  holds  the  common  faith 
held  by  the  undivided  Church,  put  forth  in  the  Seven  Ecumenical  Councils, 
guarded  by  the  Creeds,  set  forth  in  the  Liturgy,  realised  in  the  Sacraments. 

Through  sin,  union  is  now  in  abeyance  and  the  will  of  God  hindered 
thereby.  It  is  our  duty  to  pray  and  work  for  its  recovery,  to  minimise 
differences,  to  put  away  prejudices,  to  learn  from  one  another,  to  work  for 
mutual  recognition  and  intercommunion. 


THE 

COMMUNITY 
OF  ITS 
PARTS. 


The  four  marks  of  the  Church  are  only  fully  applicable  to  the  Church  Militant, 
Expectant  and  Triumphant,  recognised  as  one  Body. 

The  Church  Militant  is  Apostolic  in  descent  and  government,  Catholic  in  doctrine 
and  extension,  one  in  the  oneness  of  its  members  in  Christ,  but  it  is  not  holy  as 
the  Church  in  Glory  is  holy.  It  possesses  the  means  of  holiness,  but  contains  the 
tares  and  the  wheat. 

All  parts  of  the  Church,  as  Militant,  Expectant,  Triumphant,  are  in  communion 
with  one  another,  and  participate  in  a  common  worship. 

The  Church  Militant  prays  for  those  departed  and  asks  of  God  a  portion  in  their 
prayers.  Christ  in  the  use  of  the  prayers  of  the  synagogue  prayed  for  the  dead 
and  left  no  injunction  not  to  do  so.  The  Church  has  followed  His  example  and 
has  prayed  for  their  pardon  and  peace,  rest  and  advancing  felicity. 

We  are  not  told  how  they  are  made  cognisant  of  our  intercession  for  them  or  of  our 
asking  their  prayers.  They  may  know  through  the  ministrations  of  angels  or 
as  revealed  by  God. 

From  all  for  whom  we  may  pray,  we  may  ask  their  prayers  in  return.  The  invoca 
tion  of  the  saints  is  the  outcome  of  the  love  that  binds  the  Church  together. 


ORGANISATION    OF    THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH       71 


ORGANISATION 
OF  THE 
CATHOLIC 
CHURCH. 


preservation. 


Its  body 
and  soul. 


.Schism. 


Christ  loved  His  Church  and  gave  Himself  for  it. 

The  Church's  preservation  is  made  secure  by  the  indwelling  of 
Christ  and  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  Church  in  its  completed  condition  is  secure  in  glory,  being 
supernaturally  upheld  in  God  in  Eternal  Bliss. 

The  Church  Expectant,  in  a  state  of  progressive  purification, 
is  secure  of  its  salvation. 

The  Church  Militant,  by  virtue  of  Christ's  promises,  is  secure 
of  its  continuance  unto  His  Second  Coming. 

It  has  not  been  promised  that  the  Church  Militant  will  so  con 
quer  the  earth  as  to  make  it  Christian.  Nor  has  it  been 
promised  that  it  shall  not  be  rent;  rather  the  contrary  has 
been  set  forth  by  Psalm  and  parable  and  word  of  Christ. 

It  has  been  promised  that  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
against  it,  but  not  that  the  net  shall  not  be  broken,  nor  that 
the  outward  garment  shall  not  be  rent,  or  its  bones  be  out 
of  joint,  or  that  the  outward  frame  shall  not  suffer  shipwreck. 
When  our  Lord  cometh  "shall  He  find  faith  on  the  earth." 

However,  in  spite  of  heresies,  the  evil  lives  of  prelates,  the  sub 
tleties  of  false  teachers,  the  errors  of  reformers,  the  mistaken 
lights  of  philanthropists,  the  division  of  Christendom,  it  has 
been  preserved. 

Though  it  be  the  "last  time"  and  the  sun  and  moon  be  dark 
ened  and  stars  fall,  and  there  come  the  last  struggle  with  the 
final  antichrist,  yet  the  Church  having  a  supernatural  life 
will  await  her  Lord's  coming. 

The  last  antichrist  will  take  the  form  of  a  counterfeit  Christ. 
It  will  invade  politics,  government,  religion.  It  will  base 
itself  on  science  and  reason,  and  eschew  the  Christian  creeds 
and  sacraments  and  dogmas  as  superstitions,  and  propose 
great  things  in  the  name  of  humanity  for  man's  betterment. 

It  will  have  no  need  of  a  Saviour  or  of  repentance  and  convic 
tion  of  sin. 

Its  momentary  triumph  will  be  succeeded  by  the  advent  of 
Christ,  the  overthrow  of  the  world,  and  the  bringing  of  the 
new  kingdom. 

Theologians  have  regarded  the  Church  under  the  analogy  of 
a  human  being,  as  possessed  of  a  body  and  soul.  There  are 
those  who  are  members  of  the  external  visible  society,  but 
who,  not  having  a  living  faith,  do  not  belong  to  its  soul. 
There  are  those,  who  without  fault  of  their  own,  are  not 
members  of  the  body  but  have  a  living  faith  in  Christ  and 
all  He  has  revealed,  whom  God  may  regard  as  belonging  to 
the  Soul  of  the  Church. 

Holy  Scripture  tells  us  that  schism  is  a  sin.  Like  all  sins  it  may 
be  regarded  as  formal  or  material.  Schism  to  be  sinful  must 
be  formal;  the  party  committing  it  doing  it  wilfully  and 
knowingly. 

Schism  is  a  division  in  the  Church,  the  result  of  some  quarrel. 
How  are  we  to  know  which  side  is  in  the  wrong  ?  It  cannot 
be  by  the  size  of  either  party,  nor  necessarily  by  the  priority 
of  establishment,  but  the  guilty  party  is  he  who  makes  and 
is  responsible  for  the  keeping  up  of  the  quarrel. 

If  one  party  insists  on  unscriptural  or  uncanonical  terms  of 
Communion,  that  party  is  the  one  guilty  of  schism. 

The  Papacy  in  demanding  such  by  late  decrees,  is  consequently 
in  material  schism  everywhere. 


72     ORGANISATION    OF    THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH 


Its  head 

Jesus 

Christ. 


ORGANISATION 
OF  THE 
CATHOLIC 
CHURCH 
(continued). 


Cits  Head. 

ARTICLE  III.    THE  ORGANISATION  OF  THE    I  The  Apostolic  College. 
CATHOLIC  CHURCH.  ]  The  Hierarchy. 

{^Jurisdiction. 

"  CHRIST  is  THE  HEAD  OF  THE  BODY,  THE  CHURCH  " 

•As  Militant,  Expectant,  and  Triumphant,  and  forming  one  body, 
as  making  by  a  spiritual  birth  one  family,  as  united  in  obedience 
in  a  kingdom,  Christ  is  the  Head. 

As  a  temple  composed  of  living  stones,  Christ  is  the  rock  on 
which  it  all  rests  and  is  the  Central  Stone  that  binds  all  together 
in  unity  with  Himself. 

The  Church  being  a  visible  body  requires  a  visible  head,  and  as 
a  divine  body  a  Divine  Head  which  is  Christ. 

Christ  is  visible  to  the  different  portions  of  the  Church  in  different 
ways  according  to  the  capacities  of  the  members  to  discern  Him. 

He  is  visible  to  the  great  portion  of  the  Church  in  Glory,  He  is 
visible  to  the  members  of  the  Waiting  Church,  as  they  pass  be 
fore  Him  for  judgment.  He  is  visible  to  the  Church  Militant 
under  the  veil  of  the  Sacraments,  whereby  He  hides  the  glory  of 
His  person. 

The  Church  Militant  is  not  a  corporate  body  or  entity  by  itself, 
and  therefore  does  not  require  a  representative  head  any  more 
than  the  Church  Expectant. 

For  its  successful  work  it  is  not  necessary  that  the  Church  should 
be  under  a  pope. 

The  Church  was  to  be  a  kingdom,  but  not  like  an  earthly  kingdom 
under  a  visible  monarch,  our  Lord  saying  this  shall  not  be  so. 

The  papal  organisation,  after  the  fashion  of  an  earthly  monarchy, 
injures  the  spiritual  character  of  the  Church.  It  is  the  embodi 
ment  of  a  carnal  and  worldly  spirit.  It  is  of  the  earth,  earthy. 
It  is  the  repetition  of  the  Sin  of  Israel  in  desiring  a  king.  It 
has  led  to  the  same  evil  result  of  division.  The  papacy  is  not 
a  principle  of  unity,  but  has  been  the  great  source  of  division 
of  Christendom. 

The  Church  should  be  united  in  intercommunion  and  fellowship, 
in  mutual  subordination  each  to  the  other  portion,  in  the  love 
^  and  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"  BUILT  UPON  THE  FOUNDATION  OF  THE  APOSTLES  AND  PROPHETS  " 

The  Lord  built  His  Church  on  twelve  foundations,  Himself  being 
the  underlying  Rock  on  which  they  were  laid.  There  were  the 
twelve  patriarchs,  twelve  tribes,  twelve  stones  in  the  high  priest's 
breastplate,  twelve  gates  to  the  heavenly  city. 

The  Apostles  were  called  and  commissioned  by  Christ  as  one  body. 
"Go  ye  into  all  the  world,"  and  to  them  as  one  body  was  mis 
sion  and  jurisdiction  given. 

The  Apostles  were  all  on  an  equality  one  with  another,  and  all 
were  subordinate  to  the  Apostolic  College  as  a  whole.  Thus  the 
Apostles  send  Peter  and  John  to  Samaria  to  confirm,  and  divide 
the  spheres  of  jurisdiction  of  the  Gentiles  and  Jews  between  S. 
Peter  and  S.  Paul. 

The  While  S.  Peter  is  a  rock  on  the  foundation  which  is  Christ,  and 

Apostolic    J      is  the    leader,  foundation   layer,   who  opens  the  kingdom   to 
College.  Jew  and  Gentile,  has  the  keys,  leads  the  sheep  of  the  old  dispen 

sation,  and  the  lambs  of  the  new  into  the  new  pasture,  he  has 
no  authority  over  the  other  Apostles,  and  none  is  given  or  claimed 
by  him  or  recognised  by  the  other  Apostles. 


ORGANISATION    OF    THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH     73 


ORGANISATION 

OF  THE 

The 

CATHOLIC           -< 

Apostolic 

CHURCH 
(concluded). 

College. 
(continued). 

While  to  S.  John  is  committed  the  care  of  the  Blessed  Mother, 
the  type  of  the  Church,  and  he  is  made  the  organ  through 
which  the  Ascended  Lord  communicates  with  the  Church  on 
earth,  yet  neither  S.  John  nor  S.  Peter  have  successors  in 
offices  which  were  strictly  personal  to  themselves. 

The  fathers  of  the  first  six  centuries  when  directly  commenting 
on  the  words  of  our  Lord  to  S.  Peter  do  not  state  that  he  was 
to  have  a  successor  in  any  office;  and  there  is  no  record  in 
Scripture  or  history  of  his  ever  transferring  any  office  to  an 
other. 

The  theory  of  development  explains  but  does  not  confirm  the 
papacy.  For  the  result  shows  it  to  be  of  the  human  not  the 
divine  spirit. 


"As  MY  FATHER  HATH  SENT  ME,  EVEN  so  SEND  I  You;  AND  Lo,  I 

AM    WITH    YOU    ALWAY    EVEN    UNTO    THE    END    OF    THE    WORLD  " 


During  His  visible  life  our  Lord  only  commissioned  His  Apostles. 
On  Pentecost  the  whole  Church  was  endowed  with  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  the  Apostles  consecrated  and  empowered  for  their 
work  and  office. 

By  the  joint  action  of  Christ  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  out  of  the  one 
complete  Apostolate,  three  orders  were  developed  by  a  gather 
ing  into  itself  of  persons  sharing  in  different  degrees  in  its 
spiritual  powers. 

The  indwelling  of  Christ  and  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  Church  was 
revealed  by  the  calling  and  consecration  of  S.  Paul. 

Like  the  other  Apostles  he  was  called  by  Christ,  then  empowered 
by  the  Holy  Ghost  as  they  had  been  and  then  received  into  the 
Apostolic  body. 

There  are  no  ordinations  to  the  ministry  recorded  in  Holy  Scrip 
ture  other  than  with  Apostolic  co-operation. 

The  three  orders  of  deacons,  presbyters,  and  a  higher  grade  of 
angels  of  the  churches,  or  now  called  bishops,  are  recorded 
in  Scripture  and  certified  by  early  history. 

For  fifteen  hundred  years  the  Christian  Church,  however  divided, 
was  under  an  apostolically  descended  Episcopal  government, 
and  two-thirds  of  all  Christians  are  to-day  so  governed. 


The 
hierarchy. 


"  LEST  I  SHOULD  BUILD  ON  ANOTHER  MAN'S  FOUNDATIONS  " 

f  Jurisdiction  signifies  the  right  to  exercise  one's  office  in  a  par 
ticular  locality  and  over  certain  people. 

Our  Lord  gave  universal  mission  and  jurisdiction  to  the  Apos 
tolic  college  as  a  Solidarity.  Each  bishop  as  a  joint  partici 
pant,  shares  in  this  right,  but  is  restrained  for  the  sake  of 
order,  in  its  exercise  by  canon  law. 

When  a  see  is  vacant,  jurisdiction  flows  back  into  the  diocese, 
which  through  its  chapter  or  otherwise,  elects  a  bishop.  The 
Jurisdiction.  •<  election  is  confirmed  by  the  other  dioceses  and  bishops  or 
metropolitan.  The  diocese  says,  "We  will  have  this  man  to 
rule  over  us."  The  other  dioceses  and  bishops  confirming, 
acknowledge  this  right  as  against  themselves. 

When  a  metropolitan  see  is  vacant,  the  metropolitan  jurisdic 
tion  flows  down  into  the  comprovincials. 

When  the  papacy  is  vacant,  it  goes  back  to  the  cardinal  electors. 
The  claim  of  the  Pope  to  be  the  source  of  all  jurisdiction,  is 
not  in  conformity  with  ecclesiastical  history  or  canon  law. 


AUTHORITY    OF    THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH 


AUTHORITY 
OF  THE 
CATHOLIC 
CHURCH. 


(Its  Necessity. 
Its  Usefulness. 
Its  Source. 
How  Preserved. 
Its  relation  to  Holy  Scripture. 
"  HEAR  THE  CHURCH  " 

Christ  having  brought  a  religion  for  the  salvation  of  men,  it  was  nec 
essary  that  He  should  establish  some  means  by  which  they  with 
reasonable  certainty  should  know  what  it  was,  and  what  they  were 
to  do. 

Christ  therefore  established  His  Church  for  this  purpose  and  gave  to 
its  officers  authority  to  teach,  to  minister  in  His  name,  and  pre 
serve  by  discipline  the  Society's  organisation. 

Seeing  that  humanity  increases  in  knowledge,  it  is  a  necessity  that 
"Its  I  Christ's  teaching  should  be  not  only  recorded  in  a  book,  but  that 

necessity.  j  there  should  be  a  living  authority  to  interpret  it  and  to  answer  the 
questions  of  the  growing  intelligence  of  mankind. 

To  maintain  that  Jesus  Christ  left  His  followers  to  grope  their  way 
without  a  living  guide,  left  them  to  believe  or  not  according  to  their 
own  prepossessions  and  interpretations  of  Scripture,  is  to  accuse 
Him  of  folly. 

To  have  left  His  religion  without  the  guardianship  of  such  authority 
would  have  been  to  leave  the  simple  faithful  believers  exposed  to 
the  despotic  tyranny  of  intellectual  scepticism. 

"  TEACHING  THEM  TO  OBSERVE  ALL  THINGS  I  HAVE  COMMANDED  You  " 

Christ  came  not  only  to  teach,  but  to  save  and  elevate  mankind. 
The  work  He  "began  to  do,"  He  continues  through  His  Church. 

The  Church  teaches.  It  proclaims  the  faith  once  delivered,  interprets 
Holy  Scripture,  examines  and  decides  all  matters  of  faith  and 
morals. 

The  Church  also  elevates.  It  brings  to  man  the  sacramental  means 
of  grace,  by  which  he  is  transformed  and  made  a  child  of  God. 

It  makes  laws  for  the  regulation  of  the  Church's  worship,  the  fasts 
and  feasts,  the  observance  of  matrimony,  the  restoration  of  peni 
tents. 

It  is  a  safe  guide  to  all  humble  minds,  a  city  of  refuge  for  all  sinners, 
a  tower  of  strength  to  all  the  faithful. 

It  can  dispense  from  laws  of  its  own  making,  it  can  cast  out  those 
whose  conduct  is  scandalous,  or  who  are  wilfully  disobedient  and 
unbelieving. 

The  Church  saves.  It  perpetuates  by  its  preaching  the  offer  of  salva 
tion.  It  pardons,  in  Christ's  name,  believing  penitents.  It  min 
isters  the  helps  and  sacraments  for  the  sanctification  of  the  faithful. 

The  two  sources  of  the  Church's  authority  are  Christ  and  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Christ  is  the  Logos,  the  Word,  the  Truth,  the  Life,  the 
Revelation  of  God  to  man.  Revelation  is  complete  in  Him. 

The  Holy  Spirit  dwells  in  the  Church  to  lead  her  into  all  the  truth 
Christ  revealed,  and  to  enable  her  to  protect  it. 

The  office  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  to  be  separated  from  Christ.  The 
Spirit  does  not  dwell  in  the  Church  to  make  it  the  organ  of  new 
revelations,  but  to  lead  the  Apostles  into  all  truth:  (1)  by  bringing 
to  their  remembrance  all  things  the  Lord  had  said,  and  (2)  by 
enabling  them  to  understand  what  before  Pentecost  they  could  not 
understand. 

The  Apostles  so  guided  declared  they  had  not  shunned  to  "declare 
the  whole  counsel  of  God." 

If  an  angel  from  heaven  was  to  announce  anything  different,  it  was 
„.  to  be  rejected.  The  faith  as  once  given  was  to  be  preserved. 


Its 

usefulness. 


Its 

source. 


THE    CHURCH'S    AUTHORITY 


THE  CHURCH'S  AUTHORITY, 
How  PRESERVED. 


:in  Her  Office  as  Teacher. 
As  Restorer  of  Man. 
As  Protector  of  the  Organisation. 


THE 

CHURCH'S 

AUTHORITY. 


Its 

preservation 
as  teacher 
of  the 
faithful. 


As 

restorer. 


As  pro 
tector  of 
order,  by 
love  and 
charity. 


The  preservation  of  her  authority  is  bound  up  with  her  existence, 
and  that,  Christ  has  promised,  should  never  fail. 

As  teacher  —  God  protects  the  Church  in  her  office  in  two  ways : 
by  the  aid  of  His  inspiring  grace  and  by  His  Providence. 

By  enlightening  the  bishops  in  council  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  en 
abling  them  to  discern  heresies  and  frame  definitions  required 
to  guard  the  faith. 

The  new  definition  dissipates  the  fog  of  error  and  enables  the  faith 
ful  to  see  and  hold  clearly  what  was  of  faith,  and  so  Christ  opens 
the  mouth  of  His  Church  to  speak. 

But  seeing  that  councils  are  composed  of  men,  who  may  be  de 
ceived  as  by  forged  documents,  or  compelled  to  act  under  duress, 
or  otherwise  led  astray,  God  protects  His  Church  by  His  Provi 
dence,  by  laying  His  Hand  on  her  mouth. 

God  allows  divisions  to  take  place  and  so  protects  the  Church  by 
not  permitting  her  to  speak  with  Ecumenical  authority,  when 
she  might  go  amiss. 

But  as  each  portion  of  sundered  Christendom  holds  the  faith  of 
the  Seven  Ecumenical  Councils  and  the  common  consent  of  un 
divided  Christendom,  it  proclaims  with  authority  the  faith. 

It  is  a  living  voice  sounding  through  each  part  of  the  Church,  say 
ing,  "This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it." 

This  voice  is  spoken  to  those  within  the  spiritual  body  and  who 
have  within  themselves  the  light  of  the  Spirit,  and  who  by  its 
light  discern  the  truth,  and  by  acting  on  it  come  to  know  it  ex 
perimentally. 

The  reconstructing  power  of  the  Church  is  given  through  her 
ministrations  and  Sacraments. 

Their  preservation  depends  upon  the  existence  of  an  authorised 
priesthood  through  which  as  His  agent  Jesus  Christ  acts. 

The  Sacerdotal  office  in  the  Episcopate  and  presbytery  has  been 
carefully  preserved  in  the  Church,  and  nowhere  more  carefully 
than  in  the  Anglican  Communion.  The  proof  is  of  the  double 
character  of  historical  evidence  and  the  Church's  ordinal,  and 
also  of  the  sacramental  results. 

The  Eastern  Orthodox,  the  Roman,  and  the  Anglican  are  all  pos 
sessed  of  a  valid  priesthood. 

It  is  by  the  subordination  of  the  laity  to  their  pastors. 

Of  the  pastors  to  their  bishops. 

Of  the  bishops  to  each  other  in  their  councils. 

Of  all  national  and  provincial  councils  to  the  Ecumenical. 

Of  all  bishops  to  the  Solidarity  of  the  Episcopate  and  the  general 

mind  and  consent,  and  by  recognition  of  the  Canon  Law,  and 

especially  by  divine   grace   and  charity,  is  the  Church's  order 

preserved. 
As  churchmen  our  allegiance  is  primarily  due  to  the  whole  Church 

which  Christ  made,  and  not  to  any  one  of  the  divisions  made 

more  or  less  by  the  sin  of  man. 
It  is  by  the  pride  of  national  spirit,  by  fostered  ignorance  of  other 

portions  of  the  Church,  by  inherited  corrupting  prejudices,  by 

lack  of  humility  and  love  that  Christendom  is  kept  divided. 


76 


AUTHORITY    OF    THE    CHURCH 


THE  CHURCH  IN  RELATION  TO  HOLY  SCRIPTURE,  J     *  f m     lc^1' 

AND  OF  HOLY  SCRIPTURE  TO  THE  CHURCH. 

\^As  its  Interpreter. 

The  Church  separates  her  writings  into  two  classes  and  one  she  calls 

her  Holy  Scriptures. 
She  collects  the  various  books  and  decides  what  ones  shall  be  put  in 

that  category. 
She  accepts  the  Old  Testament  and  the  writings  that  form  the  New 

as  agreed  at  the  Council  of  Carthage. 
It  matters  not  by  whom  they  were  originally  written  or  amended, 

the  selection  by  the  Church,  acting  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 

Ghost,  collates  them  together. 
These  writings  though  written  by  many  persons,  largely  independent 

of  one  another,  and  through  many  centuries,  nevertheless  form  one 

whole,  through  which  a  common  purpose  runs  setting  forth  Christ 

and  His  Church. 
The  typical  meaning  which  pervades  it  in  an  orderly  manner  of  which 

the  writers  were  unconscious,  proves  that  there  was  a  Mind  engaged 

in  the  composition  other  than  the  writers'  own. 
The  Church  declares  the  work  to  be  the  Word  of  God,  having  the 

Holy  Spirit  for  its  Author  in  a  way,  as  He  is  not  the  Author  of  any 

other  book. 

rThe  Scriptures  are  a  Revelation  of  God.  His  dealings  with  man  and 
man's  duties  to  God. 

They  are  written  or  compiled  by  men  inspired  so  to  do.  Inspiration 
does  not  coerce  the  human  element  or  make  it  a  mere  recording 
mechanical  instrument. 

Revelation  is  an  impression  made  by  God,  of  a  truth  or  fact  not 
naturally  knowable,  upon  a  human  mind.  Inspiration  is  the  in 
fusion  of  an  intellectual  light  given  to  discriminate  revelation  from 
other  operations  either  in  one's  own  mind  or  other's,  and  to  present 
the  revealed  truth  in  the  most  useful  manner. 

God  sometimes  uses  the  allowed  forgetfulness  or  negligence  of  a 
writer,  as  in  the  non-recording  of  the  genealogy  of  Melchisedek, 
to  set  forth  a  divine  truth. 

The  Inspiration  is  given  equally  to  all  composers  of  Holy  Scripture, 
therefore  it  is  inspired  in  all  its  parts. 

It  does  not  insure  the  inerrancy  of  the  material  details  but  only  their 
inerrancy  in  regard  to  the  facts  or  truths  revealed  or  their  appli 
cation. 

Of  the  Scriptures,  being  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Holy  Spirit 
dwelling  in  the  Church  is  the  Interpreter. 

The  Holy  Spirit  best  knows  the  truths  He  intended  to  convey.  It  is 
therefore  only  by  those  dwelling  within  the  Church,  which  is  the 
sphere  of  divine  illumination,  that  the  Scriptures  can  be  rightly 
understood. 

Human  learning,  however  great  outside  the  Body  of  Christ,  not  be 
ing  moulded  by  its  traditions  or  enlightened  by  its  sacraments,  is 
of  little  worth  in  the  exposition  of  its  Scripture,  not  having  the 
necessary  predispositions. 

The  Church  has  followed  the  example  of  Christ,  the  Evangelists,  and 
Apostles  in  their  mode  of  interpreting  the  Old  Testament. 

Her  rule  of  interpretation  has  been :  that  what  the  Holy  Spirit  enables 
the  Church  to  read  out  of  Holy  Scripture  that  the  Holy  Spirit  put 
into  it  to  be  so  understood. 


"As 

guardian 
of  Holy 
Scripture. 

AUTHORITY 

OF   THE 

CHURCH 

IN  RELA-      •< 

TION   TO 

HOLY 
SCRIPTURE. 

As  an 
inspired        •< 
revelation. 

As  the 

interpreter   •< 
of  it. 

77 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES  HAVE  A  MUTUAL  RELATIONSHIP 


"The 

relation 

of  the 

Holy 
Scriptures 
to  the 

Church. 

THE 

AUTHORITY 

OF   THE 

CHURCH  IN    .> 
CONNECTION 

WITH  HOLY 

' 

SCRIPTURE. 

And  to 
individuals. 

(In  the  order  of  time  the  Church  exists  before  her  Scriptures,  but 
the  two  are  practically  united. 

The  Holy  Scripture  is  the  Word  written.  The  Church  is  the  Word 
in  action. 

The  Church  certifies  the  Canon  of  Holy  Scripture,  of  what  it  con 
sists,  and  how  it  is  to  be  interpreted. 

The  Church  proclaims  the  message  of  salvation  to  those  without, 
and  offers  the  evidence  of  her  own  experience  and  life  to  the 
validity  of  her  message. 

The  Church  teaches  those  within  her  who  have  the  light  of  divine 
faith  and  are  able  by  that  light  to  see  and  understand  the  faith 
objectively  presented  in  its  fulness  to  them. 

The  Holy  Scriptures  guide  and  protect  the  Church  in  this  her  pro 
phetical  office. 

The  Holy  Scriptures  are  a  chart,  which  the  Church  studies  and 
by  which  she  directs  and  controls  herself.  They  are  a  mirror 
in  which  she  sees  the  deposit  of  the  faith  and  arms  herself  to 
defend  it.  They  are  a  constitutional  protection  against  the  human 
element  within  her. 

So  the  Church  cannot  teach  any  doctrine  as  of  faith  that  is  not 
explicitly  or  implicitly  contained  in  Holy  Scripture. 

In  the  proof  of  doctrine,  the  Church  construes  the  written  word 
together,  as  one  whole  and  consistent  revelation  of  God's  mind. 
It  shuns  the  error  of  heretics  who  base  their  teachings  on  isolated 
passages  or  texts. 

As  the  Church  is  God's  authorised  teacher  the  faithful  listen  first 
to  her.  She  teaches,  the  Bible  corroborates  her  teaching. 

As  printing  was  not  invented  for  fourteen  hundred  years  after 
Christ  it  is  obvious  that  the  Lord  did  not  intend  that  persons 
were  to  learn  what  the  Christian  religion  was  by  an  individual 
and  independent  study  of  its  contents. 

It  is  a  wrong  use  of  the  Bible  for  the  individual  to  expect  that  every 
doctrine  can  be  proved  from  Scripture  by  a  logical  process  that 
will  exclude  its  opposite.  This  is  the  manner  of  heretics. 

The  Holy  Scriptures  furnish  the  faithful  with  corroborative  evi 
dence.  They  are  seen  to  be  reasonably  patent  of  such  an  inter 
pretation  as  to  be  in  accord  with  what  the  Church  teaches. 

The  Church  has  both  her  inherited  traditions  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  guide  and  protect  her.  The  individual  who  humbly  receives 
and  lives  and  acts  according  to  her  teaching,  becomes  illuminated 
with  heavenly  light  and  not  only  believes  but  knows,  and  not 
only  knows  but  possesses,  the  truth.  God  comes  to  dwell  with 
him  and  he  with  God. 

It  is  by  the  study  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  in  the  Church  and  under 
her  guidance  that  the  man  of  God  becomes  thoroughly  furnished 
to  all  good  works. 


78 


THE    FUTURE    LIFE 


C For  Each  Individual. 
CHAPTER  VI.    THE  FUTURE  LIFE  <  For  Humanity. 

\^Its  Nature  and  Duration, 

Cits  Certainty. 
ARTICLE  I.    THE  FUTURE  LIFE  OF  EVERY  MAN.  <  The  Present  Life. 

\^  The  Particular  Judgment. 


^Its 
certainty. 

The 

present       •< 
life 

THE 

FUTURE 

LIFE. 

CONCERN 

ING  THE 

INDIVIDUAL. 

The 

- 

particular 
judgment. 

/'The  soul  of  man  made  in  the  image  of  God  is  immortal. 

Its  immortality  has  been  philosophically  defended  from  the  indivisi 
ble  nature  of  the  soul.  As  it  cannot  be  divided,  it  cannot  perish. 

Religion  teaches  that  while  God  can  annihilate  man,  He  cannot  take 
from  him  what  is  essential  to  his  nature  and  leave  him  man.  He 
is  therefore  immortal. 

This  belief  had  been  witnessed  by  the  universal  desire  and  belief  of 
mankind.  Man  shrinks  from  annihilation. 

What  belongs  to  the  nature  of  man's  soul,  like  a  function  of  the  body, 
must  have  its  gratification  and  fulfilment. 

In  the  presence  of  so  much  successful  unrighteousness  and  unjust 
suffering,  disbelief  in  immortality  is  immoral,  it  accuses  God  of 
folly. 

It  must  be  a  personal  immortality,  for  an  impersonal  immortality  is 
only  another  name  for  annihilation.  Man  as  such  lives  forever. 

This  truth  is  revealed  in  God's  Word.  It  runs  through  the  Bible. 
It  is  found  in  the  great  poem  of  Job,  is  set  forth  in  the  mysteries 
of  Enoch's  and  Elijah's  translations,  is  taught  explicitly  by  David 
and  Isaiah,  became  the  common  belief  of  the  Jews,  was  taught  by 
^  Jesus  Christ. 


If  there  is  a  future  life  the  present  one  is  temporary.  In  relation  to 
the  future  it  must  be  a  time  of  preparation. 

As  endowed  with  a  power  of  choice  it  remains  with  man  what  he  will 
make  of  it. 

As  a  moral  being  he  is  responsible  for  the  use  he  makes  of  its  oppor 
tunities  and  the  life  he  leads. 

The  good  God  has  extended  to  him  in  Jesus  Christ  the  offer  of  salva 
tion  and  a  supernatural  elevation  of  being  in  union  with  God  in 
eternal  bliss. 

He  will  be  judged  according  to  his  light,  the  grace  received,  his  en 
vironment,  as  to  his  acceptance  or  rejection  of  the  Divine  offer. 

The  good  heathen  will  be  a  law  unto  themselves  and  Christ  may 
reach  them  in  some  way  as  they  individually  come  before  Him, 
after  death,  while  those  living  in  Christian  lands  will  have  no 
excuse. 


After  death  comes  the  individual  judgment.  It  is  not  a  judgment 
after  the  manner  of  men. 

It  is  not  like  the  heathen  conception,  a  weighing  of  a  man's  good  and 
evil  actions,  and  according  to  their  preponderance  receiving  reward 
or  condemnation. 

Man  will  not  be  judged  by  any  standards  of  his  own  making  or  by 
the  world's  judgment  of  greatness  or  goodness. 

Nor  can  man  by  any  natural  efforts  or  goodness  attain  to  a  super 
natural  end. 

Neither  has  God  set  up  a  standard  of  holiness  to  which  all  men  to 
be  saved  must  attain. 


THE    FUTURE    LIFE 


79 


The  one  test  of  this  judgment  is  whether  the  individual  is  united  to 
Christ  and  Christ's  life  is  in  him.  If  so  he  will  attain  the  end  offered 
hi  Christ,  —  if  not,  he  will  miss  it. 


The 

particular 
judgment 
(continued). 


If  he  miss  it,  considering  that  God  has  Himself  come  and  pleaded  and 
died  for  men,  whose  fault  will  it  be  ? 

Men  go  out  of  life  either  purified  from  self,  holy  and  in  grace,  or  imper 
fect,  or  wilfully  reprobate. 

The  first  pass  into  heavenly  glory.  The  second  class  must  endure  the 
enlightening  and  purificative  discipline  of  God;  the  third  as  having 
lost  the  proffered  end  in  Christ,  await  the  final  judgment  and  their 
eternal  loss. 


THE 

FUTURE 

LIFE 

(con 
tinued). 

The 

preparatory   •" 
w  state. 

'In  heaven  persons  do  not  live  separate  individual  lives  but  are  members 
of  the  Christ. 

In  the  state  of  bliss,  the  Church  as  one  body,  loves  God  with  supreme 
love  and  obeys  Him  with  absolute  obedience. 

In  order  to  attain  to  this  state  it  is  necessary  that  each  individual  should 
be  so  filled  with  divine  love  as  to  love  God  supremely  and  for  Himself 
and  all  in  God. 

No  soul  can  be  in  heaven  and  form  part  of  the  holy  body  in  whom  there 
is  any  remains  of  self-love.  The  soul  must  be  emptied  of  self,  per 
fectly  clarified  and  filled  with  charity. 

There  can  be  no  murmuring,  no  complaining,  no  criticising,  no  shrink 
ing  from  any  task,  no  unwillingness  to  work  under  others,  no  gossip 
ing,  no  disliking  of  any. 

Love  must  reign  absolutely  and  in  all  and  for  all  that  God  may  work 
through  all. 

It  is  for  this  end  that  the  soul  passes  through  a  state  of  purification.  In 
it,  it  sees  itself,  as  never  before,  what  it  has  done  and  what  it  has  not 
done.  It  has  the  happiness  of  knowing  that  it  is  saved  but  the  pain 
of  knowing  what  it  is  and  what  it  has  to  become. 

It  is  free  from  the  temptations  of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  but 
the  old  nature  has  to  be  put  to  death.  As  it  is  not  tempted  it  cannot 
by  resisting  gain  aught.  The  soul  must  pray  and  wait  on  God's 
mercy  and  remedial  processes. 

Our  Lord  implies  there  is  such  a  state  when  He  said  concerning  the  sin 
against  the  Holy  Ghost,  "It  shall  not  be  forgiven  neither  in  this  world 
nor  in  the  world  to  come."  And  of  certain  souls  detained,  "  Thou 
shalt  not  go  out  thence  till  thou  hast  paid  the  uttermost  farthing." 
The  statement  in  I  Cor.  iii.  13-15  is  held  by  many  of  the  Fathers  as 
revealing  some  future  purification  for  the  righteous. 

It  has  ever  been  the  Church's  custom  to  pray  for  those  detained,  es 
pecially  at  the  Sacrifice. 

The  prayers  of  the  Church  Militant  have  a  special  value,  for  its  members 
have  an  advantage  of  those  at  rest  and  even  over  the  angels  that  now 
they  can  serve  God  by  deeds  and  alms  that  cost  them  something. 


8o       THE    FUTURE    LIFE    CONCERNING    HUMANITY 


{The  Mission  of  Humanity. 
Its  Earthly  End. 
The  Second  Advent 
of  Christ. 


"The 

mission  of    •< 

humanity. 

THE 
FUTURE 
LIFE 
CONCERNING 

The 
earthly          •< 
end. 

HUMANITY. 

>•• 

The 

second 
coming  of 
^Christ. 

'Humanity  was  not  designed  to  reach  its  end  on  earth.  It  was  not 
to  arrive  at  its  perfection  here. 

God  created  humanity  that  out  of  the  children  of  men  He  might 
create  a  kingdom  formed  of  the  children  of  God. 

The  civilisation  that  has  accompanied  Christianity  is  only  a  sub 
ordinate  testimony  of  its  value,  not  its  end. 

The  present  world,  its  nations,  its  glories,  its  schemes  are  destined 
to  perish. 

Science  declares  that  in  time  the  world  must  die  and  become,  if  it 
exist,  but  a  wandering  graveyard. 

The  new  development  will  be  ushered  in  by  the  coming  of  our  Lord 
.     and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 

"When  He  will  come  is  not  revealed. 

Some  signs  will  be  the  increasing  antagonism  of  the  world.  The 
sign  of  the  Cross,  i.e.,  that  of  persecution,  will  be  seen. 

There  will  a  second  Beast  arise,  or  a  concert  of  nations  represent 
ing  modern  thought  and  civilisation.  It  will  have  a  like  power 
to  that  of  the  first  Beast,  or  the  old  Roman  Empire. 

There  will  be  a  great  increase  of  scientific  knowledge,  the  doing  of 
mighty  marvels,  the  bringing  down  of  fire  or  electricity  from 
heaven.  The  world  will  go  wondering  after  the  Beast  and  wor 
shipping  it. 

Its  power  will  be  such  that  worldly  success  will  be  conditioned  on 
thinking  as  the  Beast  thinks  and  doing  its  behests.  Its  mark 
must  be  on  the  forehead  and  hand  of  its  subjects. 

There  will  be  the  rise  of  false  religions  and  more  especially  a  per 
version  of  Christianity.  The  final  antichrist  will  be  a  counter 
feit  Christ. 

There  will  be  a  denial  of  Christ's  deity  and  the  facts  of  the  Creeds, 
together  with  a  profound  zeal  for  humanity  and  philanthropy, 
and  many  will  be  deceived. 

The  heavenly  powers  of  the  Church  will  be  shaken,  but  the  faithful 
will  rejoice,  knowing  their  Redeemer  draweth  nigh. 

The  second  coming  will  be  the  unveiling  of  Jesus  Christ.  When 
He  ascended,  a  cloud  received  Him. 

He  will  come  in  glory  with  His  angels,  and  saints.  The  whole 
heavens  will  be  full  of  them. 

It  will  be  the  awarded  reparation  to  our  Lord  for  the  indignities  and 
cruelties  and  neglects  He  suffered. 

His  coming  will  be  the  overthrow  of  the  evil  world  and  bring  con 
fusion  on  His  enemies.  It  will  be  a  great  reversal  of  human 
judgments. 

Then  will  be  given  the  rewards  of  the  faithful.    God  who  saves  us 
gratuitously  by  His  merits,  rewards  the  good  deeds  done  by  His 
w     grace. 


NATURE    OF    THE    FUTURE    LIFE 


81 


^Its  nature 

as  eternal     „. 

life  for 

the  just. 

As  the 

NATURE 

AND 

triumph  of  •< 
goodness. 

DURATION 

OF   THE 

FUTURE 

LIFE. 

The 

duration 

of  the 

^•new  epoch. 

f  For  the  Just. 
ARTICLE  III.    NATURE  AND  DURATION    I   A    „  ,,    „,  .        , 

,-,  •<  As  God  s  1  numph. 

OF  THE  FUTURE  LIFE.  I  T.    r.        ,  r.     *7- 

\^Its  Eternal  Duration. 


r  Reason  indicates  the  existence  of  a  future  life.     Revelation  declares 
its  nature  for  the  wicked  and  the  just. 

For  the  just  it  is  the  gift  of  Eternal  Life  in  Jesus  Christ.  Immor 
tality  belongs  to  the  nature  of  man.  Eternal  Life  is  a  gift  offered 
by  Jesus  Christ. 

Immortality  denotes  an  endless  existence.  Eternal  Life  is  a  special 
union  with  God. 

There  are  three  modes  of  man's  union  with  God:  by  power,  grace,  and 
glory.  By  the  last  union  man  is  upheld  in  perfect  and  unswerving 
virtue  and  so  in  bliss. 

As  Christ  redeemed  man's  whole  nature,  man's  body  risen,  spirit- 
..     ualised,  glorified,  will  reign  with  its  soul  and  spirit  in  glory. 


'God's  purpose  in  creation  was  that  it  should  mirror  His  Goodness, 
beauty,  and  love. 

As  perfected  in  the  Eternal  Life  it  does  this.  It  forms  one  glorious 
body,  from  which  all  evil,  sin,  pain,  sorrow,  are  banished,  and  where 
God  is  all  and  in  all 

Goodness  must  triumph.  God  will  reign  absolutely.  Sin  will  be  ren 
dered  impossible. 

It  is  rendered  impossible  for  the  just  by  their  special  union  with  God. 
It  is  impossible  for  the  lost,  for  the  day  of  grace  being  over,  they  can 
no  longer  reject  or  disobey  it,  and  therefore  cannot  sin. 


'The  condition  of  man  becomes  forever  fixed,  either  in  the  union  in 
Christ  with  God  in  glory,  or  in  the  eternal  loss. 

If  the  one  state  is  not  fixed  and  eternal,  neither  can  the  other  be ;  and 
the  law  which  determines  one,  determines  the  other. 

Those  who  attain  to  this  union  with  God  will  be  secure  in  their  obe 
dience  and  sinlessness  and  so  eternally  happy.  They  will  follow  the 
Lamb  withersoever  He  goeth. 

Those  who  have  wilfully  missed  this  union  will  be  forever  unable  to 
attain  it,  for  the  period  of  probation,  of  choice,  and  of  proffered 
grace  is  over.  The  door  is  shut. 

It  is  true  that  they  cannot  sin  any  more,  for  all  grace  is  withdrawn  from 
them  and  without  the  aid  of  grace  they  neither  have  any  desire  to 
repent  nor  can  they  do  so. 

They  can  no  more  repent  without  the  aid  of  grace  than  an  animal 
could  breathe  in  an  exhausted  receiver. 

They  cannot  annihilate  themselves,  for  to  annihilate  is  as  great  an  act 
of  deity  as  to  create. 

The  lost  therefore  cannot  either  destroy  themselves  or  repent;  nor 
could  God  consistently  allow  the  latter. 

For  if  God  is  bound  whenever  his  creature  repents  to  forgive  him,  then 
man  conquers  God,  and  God  would  cease  to  reign. 
6 


PART    TWO 
THE   NECESSITY   OF  DIVINE  AID,  AND  THE  MEANS  OF  GRACE 


MAN    RESTORED    BY    JESUS    CHRIST 


85 


PART  II 


CATHOLIC   DOCTRINE 


PART  II. 
MAN  RE 
STORED  AND 
TRANSFORMED  BY 
JESUS  CHRIST, 
REDEEMER  AND 
SECOND  ADAM. 


TRANSITION 

Unable  by  himself  to  attain  a  supernatural  end, 
man  needs  for  his  deliverance  and  transformation 

DIVINE  HELP 


'The  supernatural  in  general. 

Its  kinds  and  source. 

Grace,  uncreated  and  created. 

The  necessity  of  grace. 

The  different  kinds  of  grace. 

Grace  in  relation  to  freedom. 

Distribution  of  grace.    <b" 

Predestination. 
>.  Salvation  and  reward. 


Means  of 

restoration. 

Grace. 


Received 

through 

sacraments. 


Nature  of  the  sacraments  in  general.      <f<£ 
Divine  institution  of  the  sacraments. 
Ministration  of  them. 
Purposes  of  their  institution. 
Harmony  of  the  sacraments  with  each  other. 
Their  efficacy  dependent  on  man's  co-operation. 
The  Sacrament  of  Baptism. 
Its  nature,  administration,  effects. 
Confirmation,  —  its  origin,  efficacy.  I". 
The  "  sevenfold  gifts  " ;  recipients. 

Penance,  —  its  institution,  minister,  effect,  needed  dis 
positions. 

Holy  orders;  founder;  ministerial  character;  apostolic  ex 
tension;  three  orders. 

Holy  matrimony;  sacramental  character;  and  indissolu- 
bility. 

Unction,  —  origin,  nature,  minister,  effect. 

Holy  Eucharist,  a  sacrifice  and  sacrament.  Its  pre-eminence, 
the  Real  Presence,  relation  to  Calvary,  and  the  heavenly 
presentation. 


Obtained 
.by  prayer. 


fits  natural  basis;  necessity;  the  command. 
<  Example  of  Christ;    conditions  of  acceptable  prayer; 
^     swers  to  prayer;  objections  by  unbelievers. 


an- 


86     TRANSITION    FROM    FIRST    TO    SECOND    PART 


TRANSITION 
OF  THE 
FIRST 

TO  THE 

SECOND 
PART. 


TRANSITION  FROM  THE  FIRST  TO  THE  SECOND  PART 

{The  Powerlessness  of  Man  to  save 
or  Reconstruct  Himself. 
The  Necessity  of  Divine  Help. 

Man  is  powerless  to  attain  with  certainty  to  the  truths  which  con 
cern  the  Being  of  God  and  his  relation  to  Him. 

He  is  powerless  because  of  the  limitations  of  his  nature  and  be 
cause  it  has  been  enfeebled  by  sin. 

Supernatural  and  divine  truths  being  thus  above  his  natural 
capacity,  he  needs  both  that  they  be  revealed  to  him  and  that 
an  interior  light  should  be  given  whereby  he  may  understand 
them. 

If,  however,  truth  was  only  what  man  needed,  God  could  have 
made  it  known  to  man  through  superior  beings  or  angels. 

It  is  necessary  in  order  that  truth  be  effective  that  it  be  spoken  by 
those  who  experimentally  know  our  nature,  and  it  be  embodied 
in  an  example.  And  angels  could  do  neither,  and  so  it  was 
given  us  in  the  Son  of  Man,  Jesus  Christ. 

If,  however,  an  Example  only  was  needed,  God  need  not  have 
humbled  Himself  to  be  born  of  a  Virgin,  but  might  have  taken 
a  nature  like  ours  from  the  dust  of  the  earth,  and  in  it  given  us 
in  word  and  example  the  ideal. 

As,  however,  man  had  sinned,  something  more  than  an  example 
was  needed  in  an  atonement  for  his  sin.  Therefore  God  enters 
into  the  race  He  comes  to  save  and  becomes  identified  with  it, 
being  born  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

As  being  one  of  the  race  He  can  represent  and  make  an  atonement 
for  it  and  so  do  what  man  by  and  for  himself  cannot  do. 


'The 
natural 
power- 
lessness 
of  man. 


Christ 

his 

redeemer 

and 

restorer. 


Man's 
need  of 
.conversion. 


If,  however,  reconciliation  was  all  that  man  needed,  then  when 
our  Lord  had  accomplished  that  work  on  the  Cross,  there  would 
have  been  no  need  in  the  Divine  economy  why  the  nature  as 
sumed  for  that  purpose  should  not  be  laid  aside. 

Man  needing  not  reconciliation  only,  but  restoration  and  eleva 
tion,  God  not  only  took  on  Himself  our  nature,  but  never  put  it 
off.  He  wears  it  now  and  will  through  all  eternity. 

For  it  is  by  union  with  His  Humanity,  our  nature  is  to  be  restored, 
transformed,  made  partakers  with  the  Divine  Nature,  and  up- 

.  •  held  through  all  eternity  in  the  Blessed  Vision  of  God. 


Because  man  having  turned  away  from  God  needs  to  be  turned 
back  to  Him; 

because  his  corrupt  inclinations  are  more  potent  than  the  natural 
strength  of  his  will; 

because  he  is  so  ready  to  delude  himself  concerning  the  sovereignty 
of  God's  claims  and  the  nature  of  his  duties; 

because  he  prefers  his  present  gratification  and  pleasing  to  his  true 
happiness  found  in  the  service  of  God; 

because  until  he  is  convicted  of  the  greatness  of  his  sin  and  his  per 
sonal  guilt,  and  repents,  calling  on  Christ  for  mercy  and  accept 
ance,  he  remains  in  his  unreconciled  sinful  state  and  will  surely 
perish. 


MEANS    OF    REMOVAL 


87 


MAN'S  SIN  AND  SINFULNESS  REMOVED  BY  JESUS  CHRIST,  REDEEMER  AND  LIFE-GIVER 

{As  Supernatural. 
By  aid  of  Grace. 
TL        O 
1  fie  sacraments. 
Prayer. 


CHAPTER  I 

Humanity  reconciled  to  God  by  the  Cross  needs  for  its  attainment  to  the  proffered  supernatural 
end,  a  Divine  supernatural  aid. 

ARTICLE  I.    THE  SUPERNATURAL  IN  GENERAL.    ITS  KINDS  AND  SOURCE 

'The  supernatural  is  not  the  supersensible.    The  soul  is  supersensi 
ble,  but  is  not  therefore  supernatural. 

Nor  does  it  apply  to  things  created  immediately  by  God,  for  the 
angels  are  so  created  but  are  not  classed  as  supernatural. 

Nor  is  it  expressed  by  the  distinction  between  the  finite  and  the  in 
finite,  the  "created  and  the  uncreated,"  for  the  supernatural 
can  exist  in  created  human  beings  by  way  of  elevation  above 
nature. 

The  supernatural  is  something  nature  cannot  claim  nor  produce. 
It  is  not  something  due  to  it.  It  is  in  its  essence  a  gift.  . 

God  alone  is  its  author. 
It  is  a  divine  gift  to  man. 

Man's  nature  is  such  that  it  is  capable  of  receiving  a  supernatural 
or  added  gift. 

By  the  aid  of  grace,  i.e.,  a  divine  aid,  he  has  an  "obediential  " 
power  of  corresponding  with  it. 

The  supernatural  gift  offered  him  is  salvation,  reconstruction,  and 
an  elevation  of  nature  by  and  through  Jesus  Christ. 

By  this  gift  human  nature  becomes  restored  and  elevated  to  the  par 
ticipation  of  a  higher  nature  in  that  of  the  Incarnate  God. 

It  becomes  thereby  a  partaker  of  the  divine  nature  and  an  adopted 
son  of  God. 


'The  supernatural  proper  differs  from  the  miraculous,  for  in  the 
supernatural,  nature  is  neither  cause  nor  effect. 

In  the  conversion  of  a  sinner  the  cause  that  produces  and  the  grace 
produced  are  both  supernatural. 

This  principle  applies  to  the  other  ministrations  of  grace.  The  co 
operation  of  man's  obediential  power  does  not  destroy  the  super 
natural  character  of  the  action. 

In  a  miracle  like  the  restoration  to  life,  or  opening  of  the  eyes  of  the 
blind,  a  supernatural  power  is  exercised  but  the  effect  is  natural, 
for  life  and  sight  are  properties  belonging  to  man. 


^The  super 
natural  in        -< 

general. 

MEANS 

OF                      -< 

REMOVAL. 

It  differs 

from  a              -< 

^miracle. 

88 


MEANS    OF    REMOVAL 


'The  supernatural  may  be  considered  as.  absolute  and  relative. 

The  absolute  elevates  nature  above  itself  to  a  new  and  special  union 
with  God. 

Man  is  united  to  God  in  three  ways,  by  nature,  grace,  and  glory. 

The  source  of  the  last  is  to  be  found  in  the  hypostatic  union  of  the 
divine  and  human  natures  in  Christ. 

This  union  is  one  in  person.  The  two  natures  being  united  in  one 
personality.  The  human  nature  of  Christ  being  thereby  admitted 
to  a  unity  of  Being  with  God. 

By  a  finally  perfected  union  with  the  humanity  of  Christ  man  attains 
to  the  Beatific  Vision,  or  a  union  with  God  in  glory. 

This  union  differs  from  the  hypostatic  union,  not  being  in  person. 
But  the  creature  is  so  assimilated  to  the  Divine  Life  as  to  know 
and  love  God  as  an  immediate  object  of  possession  and  enjoyment. 

This  union  with  Himself  in  glory  is  the  highest  and  best  gift  God  can 
bestow  on  His  child,  for  it  is  the  gift  of  Himself. 

The  means  God  has  provided  for  obtaining  this  elevation  of  being 
is  union  with  the  God-Man,  Jesus  Christ. 

He  is  the  "Way  "  or  bridge  between  the  finite  and  infinite,  His  divine 
nature  being  one  with  God,  by  His  Humanity,  He  being  one  with 
us. 

In  Him  we  pass  into  a  new  relation  with  God  and  are,  as  it  were, 
upheld  in  Christ  to  know  and  love  Him. 

This  Beatific  Vision  and  its  necessary  union  with  Christ  being  things 
supernatural,  require  (since  nature  can  only  attain  by  its  own 
powers  that  which  is  natural)  supernatural  aids. 

These  means  are  the  convicting,  converting,  justifying,  sanctifying 
agencies,  which  result  in  a  condition  preparatory  to  and  finally 
capable  of  attaining  to  the  light  and  joy  of  God's  revelation  of 
Himself. 


'This  participation  of  a  lower  nature  in  the  perfections  of  a  higher 
has  led  to  the  adoption  of  the  term  "supernature." 

The  degree  of  participation  is  now  experimentally  made  known  by 
grace.  What  it  will  be  hereafter  in  glory  lies  beyond  our  present 
conceptions. 

Even  now  we  are  made  partakers  of    the  divine  nature  and  are 
..     adopted  sons  of  God. 

The  relatively  supernatural  differs  from  the  absolute  in  that  it  brings 
no  new  life  or  elevation  of  being,  but  helps  to  keep  human  nature 
free  from  sin  and  aids  it. 

Between  the  natural  and  supernatural  there  is  a  class  of  gifts  called 
"preternatural."  They  do  not  unite  to  God  nor  affect  the  moral 
nature. 

They  are  gifts  alongside  of  nature,  such  as  would  be  freedom  from 
_     pain  or  death,  or  the  gifts  pertaining  to  our  glorified  bodies. 


The  super 
natural. 

Its  kinds 

and  source. 

As 

absolute. 

>• 

Obtainable 

in  Christ. 

MEANS 

OF                      •< 

REMOVAL 

(continued). 

• 

Our 

supernature. 

The 

relative 

super 
natural           -< 

and 

preter- 
^natural. 

GRACE 


ARTICLE  II.     GRACE  AS  UNCREATED  AND  CREATED 


In  itself 
as  un 
created. 


In  all  the  works  external  to  the  Blessed  Trinity  all  co-operate. 

Holy  Scripture,  however,  ascribes  certain  names,  attributes,  and  opera 
tions  to  particular  persons.  This  is  known  as  the  doctrine  of  "Ap 
propriations." 

Thus  the  Father  is  spoken  of  as  Creator,  the  Son  as  Wisdom,  the  Holy 
Ghost  as  Sanctifier. 

The  assignment  of  Power,  Wisdom,  and  Goodness  to  any  one  person 
does  not  exclude  it  from  the  others. 

But  there  is  a  special  relationship  of  the  person  to  the  attribute  which 
makes  him  its  fitting  representative.  He  is  the  proximate  agent  of 
the  action  of  God  and  the  principle  in  the  creation  of  its  operation. 

Holy  Ghost  as  sanctifying  and  uniting  is  the  Uncreated  Grace. 


GRACE. 


The 

temporal 

and 

personal 

mission. 


Holy  Scripture  also  speaks  of  the  temporal  mission  of  the  Divine 
Persons. 

The  perfect  equality  existing  in  the  Blessed  Trinity  excludes  the  notion 
of  authority ;  and  the  perfect  coherence  excludes  that  of  separation. 

There  are  two  manners  of  divine  missions,  the  visible,  as  in  the  Incarna 
tion,  and  the  invisible,  by  the  indwelling  of  the  Son  and  Holy  Spirit 
in  man. 

The  indwelling  is  not  by  the  bestowal  of  a  gift  or  principle  only  but  by 
a  presence  of  God  in  us. 

The  union  of  the  creature  with  God  is  not  by  the  communication  of  the 
divine  substance,  but,  as  Holy  Scripture  describes  it,  a  most  intimate 
indwelling  whereby  the  soul  becomes  a  spiritual  temple. 

And  where  the  Holy  Spirit  is,  there  too  must  the  Father  and  the  Son  be. 
"We  will  come  unto  him  and  make  our  abode  with  him." 

The  personal  mission  implies  thus  a  bestowal  of  the  divine  persons  to 
the  soul  in  a  unique  and  supernatural  manner. 


Extending 
God's  own 
life  in 
the  soul. 


This  gift  of  God  is  by  way  of  manifesting  His  own  life.  It  gives  in  man 
a  representation  of  it.  It  is  subject  to  created  conditions,  as  to  its 
extension. 

Each  of  these  persons  entering  and  taking  possession  of  the  soul  as  a 
spiritual  temple  does  so  in  his  own  peculiar  way  and  manner. 

The  Son  enters  as  the  Image  and  Brightness  of  the  Glory  of  the  Father, 
that  the  soul  may  be  filled  with  the  illumination  of  faith  and  know 
and  possess  God.  In  thy  Light  we  see  Light. 

The  Holy  Spirit,  the  love  that  binds  the  Father  and  the  Son  together, 
enters  that  the  soul,  as  the  adopted  daughter  of  the  Father  and  the 
bride  of  the  Son,  may  be  joined  in  love  to  God,  and  in  the  love  and 
with  the  love  of  God,  love  God. 

The  two  internal  operations  in  God  of  knowing  and  loving  are  thus 
.     extended  in  us. 


9° 


GRACE    IN    ITSELF 


CHAPTER  II 

fin  Itself.  Cln  Relation  to  the  Will. 

GRACE.  •<  Its  Necessity.       <  Its  Distribution. 
{^Different  Kinds.    {^Predestination. 

ARTICLE  I.    GRACE  AS  CREATED.    ITS  PURPOSE.    RELATION  TO  MAN 


Grace  as  a  divine  aid  differing  from  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  called 
"created"  grace. 

It  is  not  created  out  of  nothing.  It  is  not  one  of  those  substances  which 
suppose  nothing  pre-existing  on  which  their  existence  depends. 

Without  man  it  would  not  exist,  for  it  is  the  aid  given  his  obediential 
faculty  to  correspond  with  God. 

It  has  its  source  in  the  goodness  of  God,  having,  as  the  word  grace  im 
plies,  a  favour  towards  an  individual. 

God's  favour,  however,  differs  from  man's  good  will.  Man's  good  im 
pulses  may  and  often  do  pass  away,  or  he  may  be  unable  to  fulfil  them. 
God  as  an  Almighty  Being,  is  always  able,  —  and  as  a  moral  being  is 
always  bound  to  perfect  His  intentions  in  action. 

God's  favour  towards  man  is  therefore  always  coupled  with  a  gift.  And 
in  relation  to  his  soul,  it  is  a  gift  of  grace. 

"Created  grace  "  is  thus  a  movement  of  God's  goodness  towards  the  soul 
conveying  the  gift  of  divine  aid. 


A  different  estimate  is  made  of  man's  original  condition  according  as  we 
accept  the  Thomist  or  the  Scotist  view  of  the  Incarnation. 

If  God  came  to  restore  man  to  a  state  of  perfection  which  he  had  lost, 
then  what  He  now  does,  it  is  argued,  will  reveal  to  us  what  man  was. 

As  our  union  with  God  and  elevation  to  the  Beatific  Vision  is  wrought  by 
union  with  the  Incarnate  God  and  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
who  comes  from  Him  into  us,  welding  us  together,  until  the  Incarna 
tion  this  condition  was  not  possible. 

God  did  not  then  come  merely  to  restore  man  to  a  primitive  condition, 
but  to  advance  him  to  a  much  higher  one. 


We  may  for  the  sake  of  discriminating  between  nature  and  grace,  con 
template  human  nature  abstractly  under  five  different  aspects. 

First,  as  a  natural  being  upheld  by  God's  immanence  in  creation  and  in 
a  state  of  innocence. 

Secondly,  as  a  human  being  consisting  of  body,  soul,  and  spirit,  having 
by  the  creative  action  all  that  belongs  to  the  integrity  of  his  nature,  be 
ing  in  the  Image  of  God  and  immortal.  If  exempted  from  death  it 
would  be  called  a  preternatural  gift. 

Thirdly,  as  a  being  having  an  end  obtainable  by  obedience  through  the 
aid  of  a  gift  of  created  grace,  which  would  help  preserve  in  harmonious 
subordination  man's  triple  nature,  bind  him  to  God  in  holiness,  and 
make  him  in  His  likeness. 

Fourthly,  as  a  sinful  or  fallen  being,  who  had  by  disobedience  lost  the 
gift  of  grace,  and  so  become  spiritually  dead,  and  unable  by  himself  to 
obtain  the  celestial  end  designed  for  him. 

Fifthly,  as  a  being  reconciled  and  recreated  in  the  Incarnate  one,  united 
to  Him  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  made  an  adopted  Son  of  God,  a  partaker 
of  the  divine  nature,  and  capable  of  attaining  the  future  union  with 
„  God  in  Glory. 


"  Grace 

as                t 
created. 

GRACE 

IN                 < 

ITSELF. 

The 
purpose. 

Its  rela 
tion  to 
different     •* 
human 
^states. 

NECESSITY    OF    GRACE 


91 


{As  Medicinal. 
Its  Application. 
Its  Catholic  Sense. 


NECESSITY 

OF 

GRACE. 


"Needed  as 
medicinal 
to  cure 
man's 
disorders. 


In  its 
application.  < 


Its 

Catholic 

sense. 


Man,  who  in  a  state  of  innocence  and  integrity  could  not  without  the 
help  of  God  attain  a  supernatural  end,  can  much  less  do  so  in  his 
present  sinful  and  disordered  condition. 

His  impuissance  to  attain  it  is  radical  and  absolute.  For  experience 
shows  that  each  portion  of  his  being  rebels  against  that  which  is 
over  it.  The  body  against  the  soul,  the  soul  against  the  spirit,  and 
spirit  against  God. 

In  each  there  is  a  root  of  evil  tendency.  Sensuality  in  the  body, 
covetousness  in  the  soul,  pride  in  the  spirit. 

The  body,  unwilling  to  obey  the  dictates  of  the  understanding  and 
will,  drags  the  soul  down  into  bestiality.  The  soul  governing  itself 
by  its  own  reasonings,  rejects  the  guidance  of  its  spiritual  nature 
and  falls  into  the  slavery  of  unbelief.  The  spirit  through  pride 
rebels  against  God,  and  becomes  the  servant  of  the  devil. 

This  disorder  has  been  noticed  by  heathens,  has  been  manifested  in 
human  history,  is  declared  in  Holy  Scripture. 


should  be  given  him  and  should  act  on  all  por 
tions  of  his  nature. 

in  enlightening  his  in- 
should  forecome  him  J  telligence. 

in  touching  his  heart. 

in  soliciting  his  will. 


In  consequence 
man  has  need 
that  grace 


should  accompany 
him,  sustain  him, 
follow  him, 


in  his  combat  with  evil, 
in  his  practice  of  virtue, 
in  all  the  actions  of  his 
life. 


It  is  absolutely  necessary,  therefore,  that  he  be  converted,  surrender 
himself  wholly  to  Christ,  to  believe  what  Christ  says  because  He 
says  it,  and,  melted  by  penitence,  to  be  remoulded  by  grace  in  Him. 


The  radical  impuissance  of  man  and  the  absolute  necessity  of  medic 
inal  grace  extends  only  to  salvation,  and  salutary  actions. 

Man  is  able  without  grace  to  perform  acts  which  are  in  themselves 
moral  and  virtuous. 

They  may,  however,  be  performed  from  bad,  evil,  wicked  or  selfish 
motives,  in  which  case  they  are  sinful. 

Man  may  rulelhis  life  by  a  moral  law,  but  if  he  leaves  God  out  of  ac 
count,  his  life  is  an  immoral  one,  for  he  is  in  rebellion  against  God. 

Man  may  perform,  before  being  justified,  good  acts  inspired  by  pre- 
venient  grace ;  all  such  acts  being  done  by  divine  aid,  are  part  of 
the  preparatory  process  of  justification  and  are  pleasing  to  God. 

But  without  the  aid  of  grace  man  can  neither  believe  the  faith,  nor 
avoid  all  mortal  sins,  nor  possess  the  theological  virtues,  nor  attain 
to  union  with  Christ. 

With  it  he  can  become  savingly  united  to  Christ  and  do  works  which 
will  attain  a  heavenly  reward. 


KINDS    OF    GRACE 


f"  Actual  —  transient  and  pre- 
ARTICLE  III.    THE  DIFFERENT  KINDS  J      paratory. 

OF  GRACE.  |  Habitual  —  justifying  and 

^     permanent. 


God  gives  man  prevenient  aid.  He  forecomes  us  in  every  good  thought.  He  lightens  every  man 
that  cometh  into  the  world.  He  calls  all  men  to  receive  Him.  Behold  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock. 

This  grace  is  the  aid  God  gives,  moving  the  soul  to  repentance,  to  fulfil  his  duties. 

It  is  compatible  with  a  state  of  mortal  sin,  because  without  its  aid  the  sinner  could  not  get  out  of 
this  state. 

It  is  the  Good  Shepherd  grace  that  seeks  for  the  lost,  cares  for  the  wounded,  inspires  the  faithful 
to  good  works. 

It  is  the  grace  of  light,  or  Illuminating  Grace,  when  ad 
dressed  to  the  intellect. 

The  grace  of  strength,  or  Aspirative  Grace  when  empower 
ing  the  will. 

Prevenient  Grace  when  it  precedes  the  will's  co-operation. 

"Concomitant,"  when  it  accompanies  it. 

"Subsequent,"  when  it  renders  the  action  of  the  will  per 
severing. 

"Sacramental,"  as  communicating  the  grace  the  sacrament 
signifies. 

"Efficacious,"  as  effecting  that  to  which  it  is  sent. 

"Sufficient,"  the  good  God  giving  to  every  man  all  the  help 
his  salvation  requires. 

"Victorious,"  when  the  will  by  the  aid  of  prevenient  grace 
surrenders. 


To  arrive  at  the  faith  in  revealed  truth.  Reason  may  be 
a  torch-bearer,  but  only  in  Thy  light  given  by  prevenient 
grace,  can  we  see  the  truth. 

To  make  the  faith  our  possession  and  be  possessed  by  it, 
we  must  by  sacramental  grace  be  incorporated  into  the 
Church  and  be  living  members  of  it. 

To  arrive  from  belief  to  knowledge  and  possession  there 
must  be  not  only  actual  but  habitual  grace. 

It  is  actual  grace  that  renders  supernatural  all  good  works 
and  natural  virtue. 

By  actual  grace  all  good  works  are  performed.  By  it  Be- 
zaleel  and  Aholiab  designed  the  adornments  of  the  Taber 
nacle,  and  prophets  spoke  and  wrote  the  Holy  Scriptures. 


he  glory  of  the  Christian  state.  Before  Christ  came  all 
that  was  given  to  fallen  humanity  was  actual  grace.  It  had  not  the  gift 
of  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  because  before  the  sinless  humanity 
of  Christ  came  the  Holy  Spirit  could  not  dwell  in  man.  The  dove  found 

,  But  God  gave  by  actual  grace  gifts  and  aids  to  man. 
Actual  grace  is  like  the  wind  which  acts  on  man's  nature,  habitual  grace 
is  like  a  power  which  inhabits  or  dwells  within  man.  One  is  like  the 
wind  which  comes  and  dies  away,  the  other  is  like  the  steam  power 
within  the  ship. 

It  is  the  Good  Samaritan  Grace  that  not  only  rescues,  but  heals,  pouring 
the  oil  and  wine  into  the  wounds,  placing  the  man  on  the  humanity  of 
Christ,  and  housing  him  in  the  Inn  of  the  Church. 


'is  called 

by  different  -< 

names. 

r  Actual 

grace 

is  indis 

pensable 
for  man, 
for  faith 

KINDS 

and  good 
^works. 

OF                 -< 

GRACE. 

Habitual  grao 

that  was  gn 

of  the  indw« 

of  Christ  ca 

no  rest  for  i 

Habitual 
grace. 

Actual  grac< 
is  like  a  po 

GRACE  AND  THE  HUMAN  WILL 


C Respective  power  of  Grace 
ARTICLE  IV.     GRACE  IN  ITS  RELATIONS  <      and  of  the  Witt. 

TO  FREEDOM.  {^Results  of  their  Activity. 

f The  Designs  of  God. 
INFLUENCE  OF  GRACE  ON  THE  WILL.  -<  Grace  and  Free  Will. 

^  Their  Reciprocal  Action. 


"God's 
designs 
in  the 
concession 
of  grace. 


"God,  having  designed  a  kingdom  in  which  He  shall  be  served  and 
loved  voluntarily  by  beings  endowed  with  free  will,  in  giving  of 
grace,  respects  the  liberty  He  has  given  man. 

Grace  is  thus  an  offered  aid  capable  of  being  freely  accepted  and 
not  an  influence  that  obliges  man  to  submit  in  spite  of  himself. 


Grace,  with  the  co-operation  of  the  will,  raises  man  to  a  high  per 

fection  and  a  supernatural  union  with  God. 

Without  the  help  of  grace,  man  is  powerless  to  attain  to  righteous 

ness  and  the  offered  elevation  of  being  in  glory. 

Able  by  the  use  of  his  will  to  resist  grace,  he  preserves  the  sad 

faculty  of  being  powerful  against  God. 

God  gives  to  all  men  prevenient  and  sufficient  grace,  by  aid  of  which 

every  man  may  correspond  to  all  the  other  needed  gifts  and  graces 

brought  to  him. 

§  1. 

Grace 

Thus  there  are  these  two  powers  that  necessarily  need  each  other's 

THE 

and  free       •* 

aid  and  in  whose  union  lies  strength. 

RELATIVE 

will. 

In  one  sense  the  human  will  is  stronger  than  grace,  because  it  can 

POWERS 

^               •< 

reject  it,  for  grace  does  not  paralyse  the  determinations  of  the  will. 

OF  GRACE 

AND    OF 

But  when  aided  by  the  incipient  grace  the  will  has  surrendered  itself 

THE  HUMAN 

to  the  fuller  operations  of  grace,  and  the  will  of  man  has  become 

WILL. 

one  with  the  will  of  God,  then  grace  reigns  in  the  soul.     Then 

grace  is  victorious  and   the  king's  heart  is  in  the  hand  of  the 

Lord,  He  turneth  it  whithersoever  He  will. 

The  need  of  prevenient  grace  guards  the  sovereignty  of  God.     God, 

moving  the  will  to  action  freely  according  to  its  nature,  respects 

the  liberty  of  man. 

Con  the  truths  it  must  believe  ; 
'Grace 

enlightens     J  tne  duties  it  must  perform  ; 

the  m-               fne  Sacraments  it  must  use  ; 

tellect 

Lthe  way  to  make  them  profitable. 

Action 

{to  faith  in  the  revealed  truths; 

of  the 

-< 
one  on 

to  the  practices  of  the  Christian  life; 

r 

.the  other. 

to  a  following  of  the  example  of  Christ; 

to  a  life  of  devotion  and  consecration. 

can  either  respond   to  grace,  greatly  desiring  its  in- 
The  crease,  finding  its  joy  in  its  communion  with  God, 

human  -s       or  by  stifling  good  impulses,  quenching  the  spirit, 

-will  and  becoming  more  and  more  hardened,  spiritually 

perishes. 


94     FREE    WILL    UNDER    INFLUENCE    OF    GRACE 


DIVERSE  RESULTS  OF  THE  ACTIVITY  OF  THE  f  Responsiveness. 
WILL  UNDER  THE  INFLUENCE  OF  GRACE.    "\Resistance. 


Whether  the  human  will  responds  to  or  resists  the  action  of  grace,  it  acts  always  in  the  fulness  of 
its  liberty.  It  acts  with  the  consciousness  of  being  able  to  act  otherwise,  even  in  a  manner  utterly 
opposed  to  it. 

That  is  why  the  agreement  or  opposition  of  Grace  and  the  will  result  in  the  following  consequences : 


'produces  an  increase  of  actual  grace; 
disposes  to  the  reception  of  sanctifying  grace,  when  one  does  not  yet 

possess  it; 
increases  the  sanctifying  grace  in  those  who  do  possess  it. 


rThe 

ra  growth  of  virtues  and  meritorious  actions,  perse 

response 

_«     .!„ 

verance  and  exemption  from  mortal  sin,  final  per 

oi  the 
MI  *.          ^ 

produces 

severance,  and  the  grace  of  a  death  holy  and  precious 

will  to 

in  them 

before  God. 

the  action 

Eternal  Glory,  which  is  the  definite  reward  of  fidelity 

of  grace 

and  grace. 

It  realises    more  fully  and  vividly  the    majestic  mysteries  of    the 

Catholic  faith.     Develops  in  souls  the  fruit  of  Christ's  redemption, 

and  a  spiritual  union  with  Him. 

§£> 

It  seconds  and  finishes  by  leading  souls  to  glory,  the  merciful  designs 

2. 

-     of  God  for  mankind. 

DIVERSE 

RESULTS 

OF  THE 

'thwarts  the  designs  of  God  for  mankind,  and  often  ruins  them  en 

FREE  AC 

tirely  in  souls; 

TIVITY  OF        < 

diminishes  or  renders  void  for  themselves  the  fruit  of  Christ's  re 

THE  WILL 

demption  ; 

TINDER   THE 

leaves  their  souls  more  or  less  in  their  natural  weakness; 

INFLUENCE 

dries  up  the  source  of  many  other  graces; 

OF  GRACE. 

Cio  the  conversion  of  the  sinner, 

,  P                <  to  the  perseverance  of  the  just, 

ODSltlClG                           i  •       '             1  1     •          "_i 

l^to  his  growth  m  virtue; 

finishes  by  quenching  the  spirit  and  bidding  God  depart. 

The 

'of  the  uselessness  of  life  or  of  its  wrong  use; 

resistance 

of  the  hardening  of  the  heart  which  stiffens  itself 

of  the 

.     , 

against  God  as  did  Pharaoh; 

will  to 

is  tne 

•< 

of  the  blinding  of  the  spirit  which  refuses  the  light  ; 

the  action 

source 

of  perseverance  and  of  growth  in  evil; 

rvf   n  T»Q  r*f* 

of  final  impenitence  and  of  death  in  sin; 

v-v"  &"*" 

of  eternal  damnation. 

The  reality  of  this  complete  liberty  of  the  will  in  deciding  for  itself  — 
under  the  action  of  grace,  and  of  the  diverse  results  which 


are  the 
conse 
quence  of 
it,  are 
established : 


1st,  by  the  oracle  of  Holy  Scripture,  and  all  the  monu 
ments  of  tradition; 

2d,  by  the  teaching  and  the  constant  belief  of  the 
Catholic  Church; 

3d,  by  the  daily  experience  of  the  just  and  of  sinners. 


DISTRIBUTION    OF    GRACE 


( Gratidtousness  and  Universality. 
ARTICLE  V.     DISTRIBUTION  OF  GRACE.  -<  Inequality  and  Difference. 

{^Means  of  Communication  and  Corollary. 


DISTRIBU 
TION  OF 
GRACE. 


Gratuitous- 
ness  and 
universality 
of  grace. 


Inequality  and 
difference 
in  the  dis 
tribution. 


Means  of 
communica 
tion  and 
.corollary 


Grace  is 
a  gift 
essentially 
gratuitous 


Actual 
grace 
is  given 
to  all, 


Tthat  God  owes  to  no  one; 

J  that  God  gives  to  whom  it  seems  good  to  Him; 
]  that  God  distributes  as  He  pleases;    otherwise 
^     it  would  not  be  a  grace. 

1st,  because  God  sincerely  wishes  the 
salvation  of  all,  and  that  all  may  come 

univer-        I      to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth. 

sally,  |  2d,  because  Jesus  Christ  dies  for  all,  and 

that  no  one  is  excluded  from  the  benefit 
of  the  redemption. 

unequally,  because  God  is  the  Master  of  His  various 
gifts;  and  divides  to  every  man  severally  as  He 
will. 

sufficiently,  even  for  those  who  receive  it  less 
abundantly. 


All  may  have  sufficient  to  secure  their  salvation. 


The  number 
of  divine 
aids  spread 
over  the 
whole  life 
are  generally 
composed 
of  graces. 


Of  all 
graces 


Grace  is 
communi 
cated  to  us, 


From 
which  it 
follows :  — 


Ordinary,  that  God  refuses  to  no  one; 

extraordinary,  that  God  grants  to  whom  He 
pleases ; 

absolute,  of  which,  whatever  one  may  do,  one 
is  never  deprived; 

conditional,  which  depend  above  all  on  the 
responsiveness  to  other  preceding  grace; 

sacramental,  which  can  only  be  received  in  the 
sacraments  to  which  they  are  attached; 

decisive,  which  have  an  influence  on  the  pre 
vious  response  to  grace  in  securing  a  man's 
salvation,  or  his  greater  sanctification. 

that  of  prayer  is  the  most  ordinary  and  the  most 

absolute, 
that  of  final  perseverance  is  the  only  one  that 

we  know  certainly  to  be  decisive  for  salvation. 

1st,  by  an  infinity  of  means,  be  it  interior  or  ex 
terior,  of  which  God  reserves  to  Himself  the 
use,  and  which  are  in  nowise  at  our  disposi 
tion. 

2d,  by  means  which  God  has  put  in  our  reach, 
of  which  He  recommends  to  us  the  use,  and 
to  which  He  has  promised  or  attached  it. 
These  means  are  prayer  and  the  sacraments. 

1st,  that  God  has  shown  Himself  infinitely  merci 
ful  in  the  work  of  the  redemption ; 

2d,  that  He  wishes  sincerely  the  salvation  of 
all,  since  His  grace  comes  to  all,  by  all  manner 
of  ways; 

3d,  that  if  man  deliberately  rejects  the  Mercy 
of  God  set  forth  on  Calvary,  and  offered  in 
the  Sacraments,  he  cannot  before  God's  judg 
ment  seat  claim  it.  He  cannot  reject  mercy 
now  and  claim  then  what  he  has  rejected. 


PREDESTINATION 


ARTICLE  VI.    PREDESTINATION.    WHAT  is  PREDESTINED.     ERRORS  TO  BE  AVOIDED. 
PUNISHMENTS  AND  REPROBATION 

COf  Human  Nature  to  Glory. 

PREDESTINATION.  •<  The  Means  of  its  Accomplishment. 
[  Of  the  Individual  Attainment. 

Predestination  is  not  a  quality  of  the  creature,  but  like  Providence 
an  action  of  the  Eternal  Goodness. 

It  is  the  predestination  of  human  nature  to  a  celestial  elevation  and 
beatitude. 

It  is  the  eternal  purpose  and  decree  of  God  to  complete  creation  in 
a  Kingdom  of  Righteousness  which  shall  be  a  reflection  of  His  own 
nature,  united  to  Him  supernaturally  in  unchangeable  bliss. 

It  is  the  predestination  of  this  end  and  of  all  the  means  necessary 
thereto  through  the  Incarnation  and  our  perfected  union  with  it. 

It  is  the  predestination  of  nations,  i.e.,  Jacob  have  I  loved,  —  Esau 
have  I  hated,  —  to  their  mission  in  the  divine  plan. 

It  is  the  predestination  of  the  Church  as  the  Bride  of  Christ,  the  liv 
ing  Temple  of  His  tabernacling. 

It  is  the  predestination  of  those  finally  composing  this  body,  who, 
chosen  "in  Christ,"  i.e.,  for  His  merits,  are  brought  "by"  Him, 
i.e.,  as  they  use  the  means  of  grace  He  has  provided,  to  everlasting 
salvation. 

As  God  doeth  all  things  by  weight  and  number,  the  requisite  number 
required  for  the  Church's  everlasting  beauty,  order,  and  complete 
ness  is  predestinated. 

But  as  one  may  so  perfectly  design  a  building  as  to  specify  every 
separate  article  to  be  used  in  it  and  yet  not  designate  any  par 
ticular  article  as  entering  into  its  composition,  so  God  may  design 
with  absolute  completeness  His  temple,  leaving  it  free  to  men 
to  become  as  they  choose  to  respond  to  His  grace,  its  living  stones. 


PREDESTI 
NATION. 


"What  pre 
destined. 


Of  God's 
fore 
knowledge. 


will. 


Those  who  will  finally  compose  the  kingdom  are  known  to  God  who 
sees  the  end  as  ever  present. 

His  sight  of  those  who  will  or  will  not  accept  His  call,  does  not  cause 
their  action  any  more  than  our  knowledge  of  what  happened  yester 
day  caused  it  to  happen. 

The  called,  chosen,  justified,  and  glorified  are  foreknown  but  their 
being  foreknown  does  not  effect  their  being  called,  justified,  and 
glorified. 

It  is  not  the  will  of  God  that  any  should  perish. 

God  makes  possible,  therefore,  the  salvation  of  all  men  and  provides 

the  means  of  their  securing  it. 
God  calls  some  to  a  special  office  as  Paul  before  birth,  but  He  calls 

all  men  exteriorly  and  interiorly  to  the  knowledge  of  Himself  and 

obedience   (Gal.  i.  15). 
He  stands  at  the  door  of  every  man's  heart  and  knocks.    It  is  in  man's 

power  to  refuse  to  listen  and  keep  the  door  closed. 
As  nature,  with  weakened  will  and  wrong  desires,  cannot  move  itself 

to  good  without  divine  aid  (no  man  coming  unless  the  Father  draw 

him),  God  bestows  sufficient  grace  on  all  men. 
Thus  the  knock  penetrates  within,  and  moves  the  mind,  heart,  and 

will.    When  man  co-operating  with  this  grace  opens  the  door,  God 

enters   in ;   by   His  Sacraments  the  called   become   the   elect  or 

chosen,  are  justified  and  conformed  to  Christ's  Image,   and  the 

persevering  are  finally  glorified. 


ERRORS    CONCERNING    PREDESTINATION 


97 


SOME  ERRORS  TO  BE  AVOIDED  CONCERNING 


f  Predestination 
\     and  Grace. 


§2 

ERRORS 
CONCERNING 
PREDESTINATION 
AND  GRACE. 


Calvinism. 


Pelagianism. 


It  is 
an  error 
to  hold 


Anninianism. 


Which  taught  that  God  by  an  absolute  decree  foreordained 
some  to. faith  and  blessedness  and  others  to  unbelief  and 
damnation. 

This  arbitrary  action  is  defended  on  the  ground  of  God's 
sovereignty.  "  Who  art  thou,  O  man,  that  repliest  against 
God?" 

It  denies  the  free  will  of  man,  makes  the  work  of  grace  irre 
sistible  and  assures  the  final  perseverance  of  the  elect. 

This  doctrine  is  not  held  by  the  Catholic  Church. 


As  Calvinism  is  grace  without  will,  Pelagianism  is  will  with 
out  grace.  It  regards  human  nature  as  capable  of  itself 
avoiding  all  sin  and  fulfilling  the  moral  law.  Semi-Pela- 
gianism  admitted  the  assistance  of  grace,  but  held  that 
the  initial  or  preparatory  acts  were  performed  by  man's 
unaided  powers. 

Arminius  held  that  God  predestined  a  certain  fixed  number 
of  individuals  to  glory,  but  that  this  decree  was  based  on 
His  foreknowledge  that  those  so  predestined  would  make 
good  use  of  the  grace  given. 

But  either  man  has  the  natural  power  without  grace  to  cor 
respond  to  God's  calls,  and  then  this  theory  is  Pelagian, 
or,  knowing,  that  before  any  man  can  respond  favourably, 
he  must  have  the  aid  of  grace,  God  gives  it  to  all  men, 
and  so  not  to  a  few  seeing  what  use  they  will  make 
of  it. 

In  asserting  the  predestination  of  certain  individuals  to 
glory,  this  theory  so  far  agrees  with  Calvinism. 

rthat  man's  free  will  is  sufficient  without  grace  to  avoid  all 
sin  and  obey  fully  the  moral  law; 

that  man's  free  will  has  become  so  impaired  and  weakened 
as  to  be  incapable  of  responding  to  grace; 

that  man  cannot  resist  God's  calls  or  the  movements  of  grace, 
and  that  it  operates  without  man's  co-operation; 

that  if  once  in  a  state  of  grace,  he  cannot  fall  away  from  it, 
but  remains  ever  in  an  accepted  state; 

that  man  cannot  do  good  works  before  justification  by  the 
aid  of  actual  grace  given  him; 

that  the  Christian  cannot  perform  good  works  which  merit, 
according  to  Christ's  promise,  a  reward; 

that  Christ  did  not  die  for  all  and  make  satisfaction  for  the 
sins  of  the  whole  world; 

that  He  does  not  give  sufficient  grace  to  every  man  whereby 
he  may  be  saved. 

7 


§3 

PUNISH 
MENT  AND 
REWARD. 


T-,  f Punishments. 

PUNISHMENT,  REWARDS,  AND  ENDS   I  n       ... 

OF  LIFE  1  ReProbatlon- 

{^Salvation  and  Rewards. 


Christ  has  paid  the  debt  due  by  humanity  to  God's  Justice.     He 

has  made  a  full,  perfect,  and  sufficient  satisfaction  for  the  sins  of 

the  whole  world. 
The  distinction  that  He  thereby  delivered  man  from  the  eternal 

loss  due  sin,  but  did  not  so  satisfy  God's  justice  as  to  remove 

temporal  punishment,  which  man  must  do  by  his  good  deeds, 

seems  unsound,  for  man  by  no  act  can  satisfy  the  demands  of 

God's  justice. 
Christians  united  to  Christ  have  part  in  the  full  satisfaction  to 

God's  justice  that  Christ  has  made. 
God  in  love  may  visit  them  with  chastisements  not  to  satisfy  His 

justice,  but  for  their  good. 
When  public  scandal  is  given  as  in  the  case  of  King  David,  public 

punishment  may  follow  after  his  repentance,  to  teach  the  nation, 

and  for  his  own  good. 
Though  forgiven,  punishment  in  private  cases  may  follow  after 

reconciliation  for  remedial  purposes. 
Those  who  being  imperfect  die  in  grace,  must  suffer  the  scorching 

sight  of  Christ's  absolute  holiness,  and  the  painful  revelation 

of  their  own  self-love. 
There  must  be  mental  pain  in  the  burning  of  the  acts  of  "  wood 

and  hay  and  stubble  "  done  for  selfish  or  worldly  motives. 
But  now  as  Christians  put  love  into  their  losses,  afflictions,  and  pains, 

they  anticipate  or  render  unnecessary  such  future  discipline. 


Punishments 
as  due. 


Reprobation. 


Salvation 

and 

reward. 


It  is  the  will  of  God  in  His  goodness  to  create,  although  seeing  that 
some  will  not  attain  the  end  of  the  Beatific  Vision. 

God  is  just  in  that  no  man  loses  that  end  and  perishes  but  by  his 
own  fault.  No  one  is  decreed  to  reprobation. 

And  God  sees  that  while  the  creation  of  the  perfected  kingdom 
of  beauty  and  holiness,  involves  temporarily  the  permission  of 
evil  and  the  loss  by  some  souls,  yet  greater  good  is  done  by 
creating  than  by  not  creating. 

We  are  saved  by  and  in  the  Incarnate  Son  of  God.  He  is  the 
Saviour,  the  Living  Way,  the  True  Vine,  the  Life. 

The  way  to  glory  is  that  new  and  living  way  opened  to  us  "through 
the  veil,  that  is  Christ's  Flesh.' 

From  Him  comes  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  needed  gift 
of  habitual  grace,  which  incorporates  us  into  Him. 

For  those  who  lived  before  His  Advent,  Christ  provided  by  enter 
ing  Hades,  preaching  and  communicating  Himself  to  those  who 
had  conformed  to  the  grace  as  given  them  and  to  others  "some 
time  disobedient,"  and  uniting  them  in  safety  to  Himself. 

He  can  now  minister  to  the  heathen  and  all  souls  as  they  appear 
before  Him  for  judgment. 

In  my  Father's  house  are  many  stations  where  souls  thus  saved 
may  pass  in  their  progressive  purification  to  a  heavenly  state. 

There  is  the  144,000  who  belonged  while  on  earth  to  the  body 
and  soul  of  the  Church,  and  the  great  innumerable  multitude 
who  belonged,  by  acting  on  the  grace  given  them,  to  its  soul  and 
whom  Christ  gathered  unto  His  Body  by  His  own  personal 
ministration. 

And  there  every  good  deed  done  in  grace  for  Christ's  sake  will 
„  have  its  reward. 


NATURE    OF    THE    SACRAMENTS 


99 


Nature. 

Institution. 

A  dministration. 

Reasons  for  Institution. 

Harmony. 

Validity. 

C  Definition. 
NATURE  OF  THE  SACRAMENTS.  -C  Analysis. 

^  Characteristics. 


CHAPTER  III.    THE  SACRAMENTS  IN 
GENERAL. 


ARTICLE  I. 


^Defini 
tion. 

NATURE 

OF   THE 

SACRA 

MENTS. 

Analysis.  " 

Charac 
teristics. 

Man  approaches  God  by  external  acts  of  worship.  God  approaches  man 
through  external  acts  of  grace. 

As  in  the  order  of  nature  God  bestows  life  and  its  sustenance  through  or 
dained  factors  and  instrumentalities,  so  He  bestows  and  sustains  the  new 
spiritual  life  in  like  manner  through  ordained  instruments. 

The  first  and  chief  of  these  is  the  Humanity  of  Jes-us  Christ,  "that  saving 
grace  which  Christ  originally  is,  by  sacraments  He  severally  deriveth 
into  every  member"  of  His  Church — Hooker.  Grace  flows  from  the 
Humanity  of  Jesus  Christ  into  us. 

The  Gospel  sacraments  unite  us  to  that  Humanity  and  preserve  us  in  union 
with  it. 

The  Sacraments  are  effective  through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  "Born 
of  water  and  the  Holy  Ghost." 

A  sacrament  of  the  gospel  differs  from  those  of  the  old  law  which  were 
merely  signs,  pledges,  tokens  of  a  covenanted  relationship,  in  that  a 
sacrament  of  the  gospel  "works  invisibly  in  us  and  quickens  or  gives  life 
to  faith." 

A  sacrament  is  thus  an  outward  and  visible  sign  of  an  inward  and  spirit 
ual  grace,  whereby  we  receive  the  same.  "  They  strengthen  and  confirm 
faith." 

The  sacraments  also  came  to  be  known  by  the  name  of  "  The  Holy 
Mysteries." 

The  term  "  matter  and  form"  came  into  more  precise  theological  use  in 
the  thirteenth  century  and  the  distinction  is  a  useful  one. 

We  must  consider  the  material  required  and  the  forms  or  words  used  in 
the  sacramental  administration. 

We  must  discriminate  between  the  essential  and  divinely  instituted  rites 
proper  to  a  sacrament,  and  those  non-essential  and  of  ecclesiastical  in 
stitution. 

We  must  note  the  special  effect  peculiar  to  each  sacrament  and  which 
separates  it  from  others. 

Also  the  minister  who  has  the  lawful  authority  of  administering  the  sacra 
ment  validly,  and 

the  conditions  required  in  the  recipient  for  its  beneficial  reception. 

The  sacraments  are  then  the  external  and  obvious  channels  of  an  inward 

and  invisible  grace. 
They  are  called  by  Article  XXV,  "Effectual  signs  of  grace,"  i.e.,  a  sign 

that  carries  its  effect  along  with  it. 
A  sacrament  embodies  and  conveys  to  us  an  act  of  God's  favour  and  so  is 

a  communicator  of  grace;  God's  favour  always  being  accompanied  with 

a  gift  to  the  individual. 
The  sacraments  are  grace  clothed  in  outward  form  and  so  are  like  the 

human  nature  which  they  come  to  aid. 
They  ,have  a  resemblance  to  the  revelation  of  God  under  a  human  form  in 

the  Incarnation. 

They  are  as  agencies  communicating  grace,  differentiated  from  the  some 
times  so-called  sacraments  of  the  law,  which  were  but  shadows  and 

symbols  of  the  evangelical  sacraments. 

The  gospel  sacraments  convey  grace  where  no  obstacles  are  placed  in  their 
L     way. 


ioo     DIVINE    INSTITUTION    OF    THE    SACRAMENTS 


ARTICLE  II.    THE  DIVINE  INSTITUTION 
OF  THE  SACRAMENTS. 


The  Divine  Source. 
The  Divine  Author. 
The  Foreshadowings. 
The  Fitness. 


'The 
divine 

source. 

The 
divine           -< 
author. 

DIVINE 
INSTITU 

TION  OF 

THE 

SACRA 

MENTS. 

The 
divine 
fore 
shadowing. 

The 
divine           "4 
^fitness. 

No  sensible  object  has  by  reason  of  its  own  nature  the  virtue  of  produc 
ing  and  of  communicating  grace. 

God  alone  can  so  empower  nature  as  to  produce  a  supernatural  effect 
by  natural  means. 

Sacraments  as  capable  of  producing  or  communicating  divine  aid  can 
not  be  of  human  institution. 

God  is  therefore  their  author,  employing  for  the  distribution  of  His  aid 
instrumental  agencies. 

The  agencies  are  made  efficient  by  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
the  Church. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  Mediator  and  Head  of  the  Church,  is 
the  direct  or  indirect  Institutor  of  the  Sacraments. 

Christ  instituted  and  ordained  the  matter  and  form  of  the  two  sacra 
ments  of  Baptism  and  the  Holy  Eucharist  as  the  means  by  which 
individuals  could  receive  a  new  nature  and  its  nourishment,  by  in 
corporation  into  Himself. 

The  Holy  Spirit  acting  through  the  Apostles  gave  the  matter  and  form 
of  the  other  sacraments,  authorised  by  Christ's  words  and  example, 
and  needed  for  the  preservation  and  well  being  of  the  Church. 

Baptism  was  foreshadowed  by  those  in  the  ark  "  saved  by  water"  from 
perishing,  by  the  salvation  of  the  Israelites  by  their  baptism  in  the 
Red  Sea,  by  the  brazen  laver,  the  sprinkling  of  the  leper,  by  the  clean 
water  and  the  gift  of  new  heart  prophesied  by  Ezekiel,  by  the  bap 
tism  of  Christ  in  Jordan. 

The  Holy  Eucharist  by  the  Tree  of  Life,  the  living  coal,  the  manna,  the 
shekinah,  the  shew  bread,  Elijah's  cake,  and  by  our  Lord's  miracle 
of  the  multiplication  of  the  loaves  and  feeding  the  famishing  multitude. 

Absolution,  by  the  word  of  the  Lord  through  Nathan  on  David's  re 
pentance,  the  forgiveness  of  the  Ninevites,  by  the  restoration  of 
Israel,  by  the  word  of  the  Lord  as  the  Son  of  Man,  by  His  forgive 
ness  of  sinners,  by  His  breathing  on  the  Apostles,  signifying  that  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  and  word  of  mouth  they  were  to  forgive  sins  in  His 
name. 

Holy  Orders,  by  the  anointing  of  Aaron  and  the  Jewish  priesthood,  by 
the  washing  of  the  Apostles'  feet  as  symbolical  of  their  priestly  office, 
by  consecrating  them  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  outwaid  signs  of 
wind  and  fire. 

Confirmation,  by  the  promised  gifts  of  the  spirit  by  Isaiah,  by  the  super 
natural  strength  given  to  Samson,  by  the  weapons  with  which  David 
conquered  the  Giant,  by  the  Mantle  of  Elijah,  by  the  laying  of  Christ's 
hands  on  the  little  children,  and  in  the  anointing  of  the  eyes  of  the 
blind. 

Unction,  by  the  answer  to  the  prayer  of  Elijah  for  the  life  of  the  child, 
by  the  recovery  vouchsafed  to  Hezekiah,  by  the  healings  wrought 
by  the  Apostles  when  sent  out  by  Christ  and  anointing  the  sick  with 
oil,  by  the  happy  deaths,  or  falling  asleep  in  Jesus  of  Christians. 

Holy  Matrimony,  by  its  primal  institution,  by  its  blessing  by  Christ 
at  Cana,  by  its  symbolical  significance  as  a  type  of  the  union  between 
Christ  and  His  Church. 

By  the  sacramental  system  Christ  provides  for  the  body  and  soul. 
By  the  apparent  feebleness  of  the  means  He  humbles  man's  pride. 
By  the  placing  of  the  means  of  salvation  within  the  easy  reach  of  man. 
By  showing  forth  the  Mercy  of  God  in  gentle  and  most  loving  forms. 
By  giving  men  established  assurances  of  their  acceptance  with  God. 


THE    MINISTRATION    OF    THE    SACRAMENTS     101 


THE 
MINIS 
TRATION 

OF   THE 

SACRA 
MENTS. 


CBy  the  Apostles  ; 

ARTICLE  III.     THE  MINISTRATION  OF    I  Witnessed  by  the 
THE  SACRAMENTS.  ]      Holy  Spirit  ; 

l^And  the  Church. 

Christ,  who  had  delivered  mankind  by  the  cross,  brought  restoration 
to  men  by  the  sacraments. 

The  Apostles,  through  whom  Christ  and  the  Holy  Spirit  acted,  estab 
lished  their  ministration. 

They  admitted  into  the  body  of  Christ  three  thousand  persons  by  bap 
tism  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 

When  asked  by  individuals,  "What  shall  we  do,"  they  said,  "Repent 
and  be  baptised." 

When  they  found  those  who  had  only  received  John's  baptism,  they 
gave  them  Christian  baptism.  Acts  xix. 

They  laid  hands  on  the  baptised  and  confirmed  them,  and  they  received 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

Wlien  they  learned  that  Samaria  had  received  the  word,  they  sent  Peter 
'Promul-  and  John,  that  they  might  receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  when  the 

gated  Apostles  laid  their  hands  on  them  they  received  the  Holy  Spirit, 

by  the  |  They  exercised  the  power  of  retaining  sin  and  casting  out  of  the  Church, 

Apostles.  and    of   restoration    and   forgiveness.     "If   I    forgave   anything,    to 

whom  I  forgave  it,  forgave  I  it  in  the  Person  of  Christ." 

They  ordained  elders  or  presbyters  in  the  cities,  and  those  who  were  to 
have  the  government  of  local  churches  as  "Angels  or  Bishops." 

The  giving  of  orders  conveyed  a  gift.  "  Stir  up  the  gift  of  God  which  is 
in  thee  by  the  putting  on  of  my  hands." 

They  gave  laws  respecting  the  marriage  of  the  laity,  and  of  deacons  and 
deaconesses  or  widows  or  presbyters.  These  officers,  as  bearing  wit 
ness  to  the  one  Church  and  one  Lord,  were  to  be  married  but  once. 

They  took  order  respecting  the  sick  and  bade  them  send  for  the  elders 
and  make  their  confession  and  be  anointed. 

They  continued  in  the  "breaking  of  Bread"  and  offered  at  Jerusalem 
daily  the  Holy  Eucharist,  made  it  the  service  "for  the  Lord's  day" 
and  "set  in  order"  the  rites  concerning  its  ministration. 

The  Holy  Spirit  declared  that  Christian  Baptism  was  for  "  the  remis 
sion  of  sins,"  that  "laying  on  of  hands"  in  confirmation,  was  for 
"  the  receiving  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  that  "penance"  was  for  restora 
tion  by  the  clergy,  or  persons  spiritual,  and  was  "  the  ministry  of 
Reconciliation"; 

that  Holy  Orders  bestowed  a  gift  and  made  the  recipients  ambassadors 
of  Christ  and  "stewards  of  the  mysteries"; 

that  matrimony  was  a  union  of  those  "in  the  Lord"  and  a  mystery  of 
the  union  of  Christ  and  His  Church; 

that  God  would  hear  the  prayer  of  faith  and  raise  up  the  sick,  and  if 
they  had  committed  sins  they  should  be  forgiven  him; 

that  the  Holy  Eucharist  was  a  "showing  forth  of  the  Lord's  death  "  and 
a  "partaking  of  Christ's  Body  and  Blood." 

The  Church  has  borne  witness  to  all  these  means  of  grace  by  her  use  of 
them.  She  has  adapted  her  use,  as  for  example,  in  the  substitution 
of  private  for  public  confession,  in  the  different  modes  in  the  Eastern 
and  Western  churches  of  administering  confirmation  and  in  giving  the 
Holy  Eucharist  to  infants. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  order  of  their  institution  does  not  determine  the 
order  of  their  administration.  Christ,  e.g.,  instituted  the  Holy  Eu 
charist,  because  connected  with  His  passion,  before  Holy  Baptism 
and  Absolution,  which  belonged  to  His  kingly  office. 


Witnessed 
by  the 
Spirit, 


and  the 
Church. 


IO2 


PURPOSES    OF    THEIR    INSTITUTION 


ARTICLE  IV.     PURPOSES  OF  THEIR  fAs  Witnesses  of  the  Faith. 
INSTITUTION.  \Pledges  and  Seals  of  Grace. 

The  sacraments  are  the  gospel  in  action.  They  are  living  witnesses  of 
the  faith. 

They  are  probably  one  of  the  two  candlesticks,  one  of  the  two  olive 
trees,  one  of  the  two  witnesses  of  the  apocalypse. 

They  are  encyclopedic  in  the  comprehensiveness  of  their  testimony. 

Baptism  tells  of  the  sinful  state  of  man  and  the  need  of  his  cleansing. 

It  bears  witness  to  the  foundation  truth  of  Christianity  in  the  three  per 
sons  of  the  Blessed  Trinity. 

The  Holy  Eucharist  declares  the  fact  of  the  Incarnation  by  the  neces 
sary  use  of  the  words,  "this  is  My  Body,  this  is  My  Blood." 

They  bear  witness  also  to  the  permanency  of  the  union  of  the  two 
natures,  for  the  words  would  not  declare  a  truth  to-day  if  the  humanity 
'As  wit-  had  been  laid  aside. 

nesses         J  It  sets  forth,  by  the  breaking  of  the  bread  and  the  separate  consecration 
of  the  ]      of  the  cup,  the  death  of  Christ. 

faith.  It  proclaims  the  unity  of  the  Church,  as  being  one  Loaf,  by  all  partak 

ing  of  the  one  Bread. 

Confirmation  shows  forth  the  abidingness  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the 
Church  and  indwelling  in  the  faithful. 

Holy  Orders  declare  the  prophetical,  priestly,  and  kingly  offices  of 
Christ,  who  as  the  Prophet,  King,  and  High  Priest  has  representa 
tives  under  Him. 

Penance  is  the  manifestation  in  an  organised  form  of  Christ's  mercy 
and  of  the  restorative  power  of  the  Precious  Blood. 

Matrimony  proclaims  the  indissolubility  of  the  bond  that  unites  Christ 
to  His  Bride,  the  Church. 

Unction  tells  how  Christ's  redemption  of  man  extended  to  his  body  as 
well  as  his  soul. 


PURPOSES 

OF  THEIR 

INSTITU 
TION. 


As  God's 
pledges 
to  us. 


As  seals 
whereby 
we  are 
.sealed. 


The  sacraments  are  holy  and  sure  pledges  of  God's  good  will  to  us. 

Our  Heavenly  Father  would  not  have  us  left  in  doubt  concerning  His 

love  and  our  acceptance. 
He  would  not  have  us  left  to  the  uncertainties  of  our  own  feelings  or  to 

the  mistakes  of  our  theological  convictions. 
He  has  placed  His  gifts  in  such  outward  instrumentalities  that  they 

may  be  possessed  with  a  divine  certainty  and  be  within  the  reach  of 

all  in  Christian  lands. 
Wherever  the  gospel  goes,  the  silver  trumpets  proclaiming  the  year 

of  jubilee  are  ever  sounding.     The  fountain  of  cleansing  is  ever 

troubled. 

The  table  of  the  Lord  is  ever  spread. 
Christ,  in  the  sacraments,  sets  forth  the  fulness  and  freeness  of  His 

mercy.     He  nails  His  Hands  in  Benediction  and  opens  an  inex 
haustible  fountain  of  grace  in  His  pierced  side. 

In  the  Patriarchal  dispensation  God  gave  the  seal  of  circumcision  as 

the  token  of  a  covenanted  state.     It  was  continued  in  the  Jewish 

times. 
In  the  Christian  we  have  not  a  seal  only,  but  are  sealed  with  the  Spirit. 

The  Fathers  speak  of  baptism  as  a  holy  and  indelible  seal. 
By  the  sealing,  a  character  is  imparted  to  the  soul.     "Grieve  not  the 

Holy  Spirit  whereby  ye  are  sealed." 
The  three  sacraments  which  impart  character  are  Baptism,  Orders,  and 

Confirmation. 

These  sacraments  therefore  cannot  be  repeated. 
Baptism  and  Penance  are  called  sacraments  of  the  dead.    The  others 

are  sacraments  of  the  living,  or  those  in  a  state  of  grace. 


HARMONY    OF    THE    SACRAMENTS 


io3 


( Between  Themselves. 

A  IT      -a  0  I  With  the  Seven  Staqes  of  Life. 

ARTICLE  V.    HARMONY  OF  THE  SACRAMENTS.  •<  TJ7.,L  .,     Ar    ,      ,  •>,     A,     ' , 

With  the  Needs  of  the  Church. 

\With  the  Final  Aim  of  Religion. 


HARMONY 

OF   THE 

SACRA 
MENTS. 


Between 
them 
selves. 


With  the 
seven 
stages 
of  life. 


With  the 
needs 
of  the 
Church. 


With 

our 

union 

with 

Christ. 


With 
the 

final 
aim  of 
.religion. 


'In  the  order  of  time  Baptism  is  the  first  because  in  order  to  live  one  must 
be  born. 

Confirmation  is  next,  because  being  born  one  must  be  clothed,  or  pro 
tected  by  heavenly  armour. 

The  Eucharist  next,  because  as  it  is  impossible  to  live  without  food  so 
the  spiritual  life  needs  the  nourishment  of  the  Bread  from  heaven. 

Penance,  because  it  is  the  remedy  for  the  soul's  sickness  and  injuries 
done  itself  by  sin. 

Marriage  is  a  state  of  life  and  provides  subjects  for  the  sacraments;  and 
Holy  Orders,  the  ministers  of  them. 

Unction  comes  last,  being  for  the  good  of  the  body  and  the  commenda 
tion  of  the  soul  to  God. 

Baptism  as  the  first  sacrament  is  for  the  reception  into  the  Church  of 

penitent  adults,  and  is  fittingly  also  the  sacrament  of  infancy. 
Confirmation  which  is  conferred  in  the  Eastern  Church  on  infants  by 

anointing,  is  in  the  west  conferred  by  laying  on  of  hands  and  so  is 

the  sacrament  of  adolescence. 
The  Holy  Eucharist  and  Penance  belong  to  our  whole  life  because  our 

souls  are  ever  in  need  of  spiritual  food,  cleansing  and  restoring. 
Order  and  Matrimony  are  for  those  in  mature  life,  and  necessary  for 

the  preservation  and  government  of  the  Christian  family. 
Unction  is  for  the  time  of  our  illness  and  decaying  strength  and  comfort 

in  our  passing. 

Baptism  gives  Her  spiritual  children. 

Confirmation  makes  them  Church  soldiers. 

Penance  gives  them  back  alive  to  her.    They  were  lost  and  are  found. 

The  Eucharist  provides  the  worship  of  the  gospel  and  the  feast  upon  the 
sacrifice. 

Orders  prolong  the  ministration  of  Christ  in  the  Church  in  the  three 
offices  of  deacons,  priests,  and  bishops. 

Marriage  endows  the  Church  with  a  living  witness  to  the  heavenly  bride 
groom,  the  eternal  bride,  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb. 

Unction  is  a  witness  of  the  abiding  of  the  spirit  and  prepares  her  chil 
dren  for  their  meeting  with  the  Lord. 

In  Baptism  we  are  made  members  of  Him. 

In  Confirmation  are  armoured  and  united  to  His  Mission. 

In  Absolution  cleansed  by  His  blood. 

In  the  Eucharist  made  partakers  of  His  Body  and  Blood. 

In  Holy  Orders  united  to  His  priesthood,  prophetical  and  kingly  offices. 

In  Unction  we  receive  of  His  health  and  peace. 

In  Matrimony  we  are  joined  in  Him  to  one  another. 

The  aim  is  our  supernatural  union  with  God. 
It  begins  in  baptism,  the  sacrament  of  life  and  light. 
It  increases  in  confirmation,  the  sacrament  of  strength. 
It  is  renewed  in  penance,  the  sacrament  of  Pardon. 
It  is  maintained  and  developed  by  the  other  sacraments. 
^It  is  consummated  in  the  Holy  Eucharist,  which  gives  us  Christ  Himself. 


THE    VALIDITY   OF    THE    SACRAMENTS 


THE 

VALIDITY 
OF  THE 

SACRA- 
MEXTS. 


Their 
validity. 
On  what 
dependent. 


*  trr     rr>       -IT  C  Their  Subjects. 

ARTICLE  VI.     THE  VALIDITY  OF  THE    I  „,,       T7  /, 

~  <  When  Valid. 

SACRAMENTS.  I  „,,     r,.        ... 

\^ihe  Dispositions. 

The  subjects  are  all  members  of  the  human  race,  for  Christ  died  for  all 

men,  and  humanity  alone  is  capable  of  receiving  grace. 
The  five  sacraments  of  Baptism,  Confirmation,  Holy  Eucharist,  Pen 
ance,  and  Unction,  are  for  all  according  to  their  respective  needs. 
'The  Baptism  and  the  Eucharist  are  universally  necessary  where  they  may 

subjects  be  had.     Baptism,  for  without  it  we  are  not  united  to  Christ;    the 

of  the  -s       Holy  Eucharist,  for  to  wilfully  neglect  it  is  to  be  disobedient  to  His 

sacra-  command. 

ments.  The  sacrament  of  Holy  Orders  is  for  those  who  are  called  to  the  office 

and  work  of  the  priesthood.    The  call  is  a  joint  one,  inwardly  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  outwardly  through  the  Church. 

The  Sacrament  of  Holy  Matrimony  is  for  Christians  as  they  shall  judge 
the  same  to  serve  better  to  Godliness. 

When  the  right  matter  and  form  are  applied,  the  sacraments  are  valid, 
not  otherwise.  It  would  not  be  valid  to  administer  baptism  with  milk, 
or  the  Blessed  Sacrament  with  water  or  unfe^mented  wine.  In  the 
last  case  it  would  not  be  the  Lord's  Supper  but  a  man-made  service 
and  no  covenanted  blessing  would  be  attached  to  it. 

The  matter  and  form  of  the  sacraments  are  to  be  applied  simultaneously. 
In  the  giving  of  Holy  Orders,  in  the  Anglican  Church,  the  bestowal 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  the  bishop's  hands  for  the 
office  and  work  of  the  priesthood,  is  given  along  with  a  designation 
of  an  exclusively  sacerdotal  power,  and  that  of  the  Episcopate  with 
the  scriptural  statement  of  the  Spirit's  gift  of  the  power,  etc.,  be 
longing  to  that  order. 

In  the  bestowal  of  the  sacraments  their  proper  order  must  for  their 
validity  be  observed.  Baptism  or  incorporation  into  Christ  is  the 
foundation  necessary  for  the  reception  of  all  other  sacramental  gifts 
from  Christ. 

Persons  cannot  receive  validly  the  other  sacraments  who  have  not  first 
been  baptised.  Should  any  discover  that  they  had  not  been  validly 
baptised,  they  should  be  baptised  conditionally  and  receive  in  like 
manner  the  other  sacraments. 

There  must  be  a  proper  minister  to  officiate,  i.e.,  a  deacon  cannot  cele 
brate  the  Holy  Eucharist,  a  priest  cannot  ordain.  But  a  layman  may 
baptise  by  the  recognised  Church's  permission  for  whom  he  acts. 
Matrimony  does  not  require  a  priest  save  for  blessing.  The  contract 
ing  parties  are  the  agents  of  the  sacrament. 

There  should  be  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  officiant  to  do  what  the 
Church  desires  to  be  done. 

The  unbelief  or  un worthiness  of  the  minister  cannot  affect  the  validity 
of  the  sacrament. 

Nor  the  positive  determination  not  to  do  what  the  Church  orders,  be 
cause  this  would  be  a  sinful  act,  ultra  vires,  and  so  not  operative. 

The  sacraments  convey  the  grace  of  which  they  are  the  bearers  when 
no  obstacle  is  put  in  the  way. 

Infants  are  thus  rightly  baptised.  In  the  Eastern  Church  they  are  also 
confirmed  and  receive  the  Holy  Eucharist.  In  the  case  of  the  uncon 
scious  it  is  held  they  may  receive  baptism,  which  when  conscious  they 
desired.  The  insane  in  like  manner  according  to  their  mental  ability 
to  respond  to  grace. 

For  the  beneficial  reception  by  adults  there  must  be  faith  in  Christ  and 
repentance. 

For  penance,  attrition,  confession,  purposed  amendment  of  life  with 
such  satisfaction  as  the  case  admits. 

The  other  sacraments,  for  their  beneficial  reception,  require  one  to  be 
in  a  state  of  grace  or  charity. 


And  the 

necessary 

disposition. 


THE    SACRAMENT    OF    BAPTISM 


io5 


Cits  Essence. 

CHAPTER  IV.    THE  SACRAMENT  OF  J  Administration. 
BAPTISM.  ]  Holy  Scripture. 

{^Effects  and  Obligations. 


ARTICLE  I.     ESSENCE  OF  BAPTISM. 


Its  Nature. 
Its  Institution. 


THE 
SACRA 
MENT  OF 
BAPTISM. 


Its 

nature. 


Its 
.institution. 


It  is  the  first  sacrament  and  the  foundation  for  the  reception  of  all 
the  others. 

It  is  the  calling,  or  election  to  grace,  made  manifest. 
It  is  the  rainbow  of  the  New  Covenant. 

It  is  not  a  pledge  of  only  external  aid,  but  a  conveyance  of  a  divine 
gift. 

It  conveys  God's  forgiveness,  and  an  incorporation  into  Christ  and 
into  His  Church. 

It  is  therefore  called,  as  a  seminal  gift  of  life  and  birth  into  the 
Church,  the  sacrament  of  regeneration. 

^It  is  the  instrumental  cause  on  God's  part  of  our  justification. 

'There  are  four  baptisms  in  the  New  Testament,  which  must  be 
discriminated  from  each  other. 

These  are,  the  baptism  by  John,  the  baptism  of  Christ,  that  by 
Christ,  and  Christian  baptism. 

The  baptism  by  John  was  not  in  the  name  of  the  Blessed  Trinity, 
for  that  name  had  not  been  revealed,  and  his  baptism  conveyed 
not  the  gift  of  the  Spirit  for  the  Spirit  was  not  yet  given. 

The  baptism  of  Christ  was  for  the  identification  of  Himself  as  the 
representative  Penitent  of  the  sinful  race  He  came  to  save,  and 
for  the  anointing  of  the  Spirit  for  His  Messianic  office  as  its  de 
liverer. 

The  one  and  only  baptism  by  Christ  was  that  of  the  whole  Church 
with  fire  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  when  the  Holy  Spirit,  coming  from 
Christ,  took  up  His  abode  in  the  Church,  uniting  it  to  Him. 

Christian  baptism,  in  the  name  of  the  Blessed  Trinity  is  the  baptism 
instituted  and  commanded  by  our  Lord. 

The  time  when  our  Lord  instituted  Christian  baptism  was  in  the 
days  of  His  victory  and  when  He  manifested  His  kingly  powers. 

By  right  of  conquest  He  now  sends  His  Apostles  into  all  the  world 
and  bids  them  make  subjects  of  all  nations  to  Himself. 

As  at  the  beginning  of  the  Jewish  dispensation,  God  was  revealed 
by  His  Name  Jehovah,  so  the  new  creation  begins  with  the  revela 
tion  of  God  as  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 

The  name  of  God  reveals  the  nature  of  God,  by  it  we  understand 
his  attributes,  His  essence,  His  own  self.  To  be  baptised  into 
His  Name,  signifies  a  new  incorporation  into  Himself  which 
takes  place  in  Christ. 

Christian  baptism  was  first  administered  at  Pentecost  by  the  Apos 
tles.  John's  baptism  was  a  baptism  to  repentance.  But  Christian 
baptism  conveyed  "remission  of  sins." 

The  baptism  by  John,  not  being  Christian  baptism,  had,  where 
given,  to  be  supplemented  by  the  Christian  sacrament.  Acts  xix. 


io6 


THE    ADMINISTRATION    OF    BAPTISM 


ARTICLE  II.    THE  ADMINISTRATION    I  „,, e 

T»  •<  The  Mode. 

\^The  Necessity. 

'No  power  of  order  or  of  jurisdiction  is  required  to  validly  administer 
baptism. 

A  layman,  even  a  heretic  or  schismatic,  may  do  so  according  to  the 
Church's  ruling  and  practice. 

Baptism  differs  from  the  other  sacraments  which  require  a  consecra 
tion  of  elements,  or  a  laying  on  of  hands,  or  the  exercise  of  a  judi 
cial  power. 

One  reason  why  one  not  in  the  body  can  admit  into  it  is  that  baptism 
is  purely  an  act  of  God,  and  by  it  we  are  admitted. 

Christ  is  the  door  and  Christ  opens  the  door. 

But  while  lay  baptism  is  valid  and  to  be  used  in  cases  of  necessity,  the 
lawful  ordinary  minister  is  a  bishop  or  priest,  the  extraordinary  one 
a  deacon. 

Where  there  was  a  desire  for  baptism  before  death,  it  is  held  that  the 
rule  of  equity  applies,  and  that  God  will  act  Himself  or  consider  that 
done  which  was  intended  to  be  done. 


THE  AD 
MINISTRA 
TION  OF 
BAPTISM. 


'The 
minister. 


The 
mode. 


The 
necessity. 


The  element  or  matter  is  water. 

In  the  physical  order  of  nature,  while  the  sun  is  the  source  of  material 

life,  the  ocean  is  its  birthplace. 
Water  was  thus  appropriately  taken  as  the  element  for  the  sacrament 

of  our  new  birth. 
The  words  or  form  are  "I  baptise  thee  "  or  "Thou  art  baptised,"  which 

express  the  action  and  its  subject;   with  the  words  "In  the  name  of 

the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  which  express 

the  Being  into  whom  the  person  is  baptised. 
Baptism  into  "The  name  of  God"  would  not  be  Christian  baptism, 

nor  in  "The  name  of  Jesus,"  which  would  not  be  baptism  into  the 

Holy  Trinity. 
The  amount  of  water  used  is  not  of  the  essence  of  the  sacrament.    The 

earliest  mode  was  ordinarily  by  immersion,  but  could  not  have  been 

so  in  all  cases. 
It  is  validly  administered  by  pouring,  and  properly  once  at  the  name 

of  each  person  of  the  Blessed  Trinity. 
As  baptism  signifies  washing,  the  water  should  be  seen  to  touch  the  skin 

and  to  flow. 

The  words  and  the  application  of  the  water  are  to  be  simultaneous. 
The  Anglican  Church  places  the  font  ordinarily  by  the  church  door, 

signifying  that  baptism  is  the  initiation  into  the  Church. 
It  allows  of  private  baptism  in  cases  of  sickness  or  necessity. 
It  uses  exorcism  or  impetration  for  deliverance  from  the  devil,  the 

world,  and  the  flesh. 

The  water  is  blest  and  sanctified  for  the  mystical  washing  away  of  sin. 
The  minister  takes  the  child  in  his  hands,  symbolising  the  action  of 

Christ  as  adopting  the  child  and  uniting  it  to  Himself. 
The  sign  of  the  cross  is  made  on  the  baptised  as  significant  of  its  seal 
ing  in  the  Lord. 
The  adult  is  to  come  prepared  by  prayer  and  fasting. 

Because  our  Lord  proclaimed  it  in  His  discourse  to  Nicodemus.  Ex 
cept  one  be  "born  anew,"  "born  of  water  and  the  Spirit,"  he  cannot 
enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

He  also  said,  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptised  shall  be  saved.  Whereby 
baptism  is  made  a  condition  equally  with  belief. 

Because  no  one  can  be  saved  but  by  and  in  Christ,  and  baptism  is  the 
means  of  putting  on  Christ. 


THE    ADMINISTRATION    OF    BAPTISM 


107 


111 

THE  AD 
MINISTRA 
TION  OF 
BAPTISM 
(continued) . 


The  Subjects. 
£3 


rr, 

THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  BAPTISM. 


A  living  human  being  not  yet  baptised  validly. 

If  an  adult,  one  having,  by  the  aid  of  prevenient  grace,  faith  and  re 
pentance. 

Faith,  explicitly  in  Christ  as  stated  in  the  Apostles'  Creed,  and  im 
plicitly  (as  entering  the  Church  as  a  scholar),  in  all  the  Church  be 
lieves  and  teaches. 


Adult 
subjects. 


.Infants. 


Repentance  for  all  actual  sins,  with  a  detestation  of  mortal  sins  and 
a  resolve  to  live  a  Christian  life. 

These  conditions  are  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  given  before  bap 
tism,  as  seen  in  cases  of  Saul,  Cornelius,  and  Apollos. 


'The  Church,  guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  has  ever  admitted  infants  to 
baptism. 

She  has  done  this  on  the  command  of  her  Lord  to  make  by  baptism 
disciples  of  all  nations,  and  infants  are  a  part  of  a  nation  and  in 
cluded  in  it. 

Our  Lord  did  not  say  except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  the  spirit 
he  cannot  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  God,  but  "TIM"  i.e.,  anyone, 
a  man,  woman,  or  child. 

Our  Lord  was  much  displeased  with  those  that  would  keep  children 
back  from  Him,  and  said  "of  such,"  expressing  His  desire  to  re 
ceive  them,  "is  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven." 

The  Apostles  baptised  whole  households,  which  included  the  slaves 
and  where  some  children  must  have  been;  for  children  are  recog 
nised  as  being  Christian  children  as  "  being  in  the  Lord,"  which 
could  be  only  by  baptism. 

God  foreknew  that  the  general  custom  of  the  Church  would  be  to  bap 
tise  infants,  and  since  it  was  not  forbidden,  the  result  shows  He  in 
tended  that  infants  should  be  baptised. 

The  condition  of  baptism,  or  of  entering  the  Kingdom,  as  given  by 
our  Lord,  is  to  become  like  a  little  child,  and  repentance  and  faith 
are  required  of  adults  that  they  may  fulfil  that  condition. 

The  infant  has  no  sins  to  repent  of,  and  as  he  has  not  lifted  up  his  will 
against  God,  has  not  by  an  act  of  faith  to  take  it  down. 

The  adult  must  bring  himself  into  this  passive  condition  of  the  little 
child,  and  does  so  by  faith  and  repentance. 

The  original  sin  in  the  infant  is  no  bar  to  baptism,  for  the  existence 
of  something  to  be  removed  is  no  obstacle  to  its  removal. 

As  an  infant  without  any  will  or  act  of  its  own  is  born  with  an  im 
paired  nature  and  without  needed  grace,  it  is  but  fair  that  without 
any  action  of  its  own  its  imperfection  should  be  healed. 

That  children  unconsciously  may  receive  a  gift  of  grace,  the  Lord 
shows  by  taking  young  children  up  in  His  arms  and  blessing  them. 

For  this  gift  the  Anglican  Church  in  her  baptismal  service  gives  hearty 
thanks  to  God  over  every  infant,  thanking  God  "that  it  hath  pleased 
Thee  to  regenerate  this  infant  with  Thy  Holy  Spirit." 

The  Church  does  not  hold  that  this  gift  is  confined  to  a  predestined  few, 
or  is  dependent  on  the  faith  of  sponsors,  seeing  that  in  the  private 
baptism  of  infants  she  does  not  require  them. 


o8 


BAPTISM    IN    HOLY    SCRIPTURE 


BAPTISM 
IN  HOLY 
SCRIPTURE. 


ARTICLE  III.    BAPTISM  IN  HOLY  SCRIPTURE.    ITS  TYPES 


'The  Fathers  saw  a  type  in  the  creative  action  of  the  brooding  —  of 
the  Spirit  upon  the  waters  and  the  waters  bringing  forth  the 
creature  that  hath  life. 

A  type  of  baptism  is  to  be  discerned  at  the  beginning  of  all  the  dis 
pensations. 

In  Paradise  we  find  the  River  that,  divided  into  four  parts,  flowed 
out  to  all  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth  and  symbolised  the  life 
that  was  to  flow  out  to  all  mankind. 

The  Patriarchal  dispensation  was  ushered  in  by  the  "saving  by 
water  "  of  those  in  the  Ark. 

The  Mosaic  Church,  by  its  deliverance  from  the  worldly  power  of 
Pharaoh  and  its  baptism  to  Moses  in  the  Red  Sea. 

Israel  as  a  new  nation  enters  into  its  promised  possession  by  its  pas 
sage  through  Jordan. 

The  Christian  dispensation  is  ushered  in  by  the  baptism  in  Jordan 
of  Christ. 

There  are  also  types  and  symbols  in  each  period  of  the  Church's 
development. 

In  the  Patriarchal  time,  we  have  the  wives  of  the  patriarchs  who 
typify  the  Christian  Church,  found  by  the  well;  and  Hagar, 
whom  Holy  Scripture  declares  a  type  of  the  Jewish  Church,  on 
crying  to  the  Lord,  has  her  eyes  opened  and  is  directed  to  the  well 
of  water  and  lives. 

In  Israel's  journeyings,  there  is  the  smitten  rock,  the  brazen  laver, 
the  levitical  purifications,  the  bitter  water  of  Mara  made  sweet 
and  life-sustaining  by  the  wood  of  the  cross. 

In  Canaan,  there  is  the  water  of  the  well  of  Bethlehem,  the  cleansing 
of  Naaman  in  Jordan,  the  raising  of  the  iron  from  the  water  by 
the  wood,  the  water  and  fire  of  Elijah's  victory,  the  stream  of 
Ezekiel's  vision. 


'Types  of 
baptism. 


The  New 
Testament. 


'Christ  came  by  water  and  blood.  By  water,  that  is,  His  baptism  by 
John  wherein  He  identified  Himself  with  us  sinners,  and  by  Blood 
whereby  He  redeemed  us. 

During  His  visible  ministry  Jesus  baptised  not.  The  baptism  at 
this  time  by  the  Apostles  was  not  Christian  baptism,  for  the  name 
of  the  Trinity  had  not  been  revealed  or  the  Holy  Spirit  given. 

Christian  baptism  was  instituted  and  commanded  by  Christ;  and 
the  Fathers  universally  interpret  His  words,  "except  one  be  born 
of  water  and  the  spirit,"  of  baptism. 

The  Apostles  replied  to  the  multitude,  asking  what  they  should  do, 
"Repent  and  be  baptised  unto  the  remission  of  your  sins." 

After  Saul,  the  Jew,  was  converted,  Ananias  the  prophet  came  and 
said,  "Arise  and  be  baptised  and  wash  away  thy  sins." 

When  Cornelius,  the  gentile  centurion,  had  received  the  prevenient 
grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  was  converted,  he  was  recognised  as 
a  fit  subject  for  baptism,  and  was  baptised. 

When  the  jailor  at  Philippi  was  converted  he  and  all  his  were  baptised. 

The  Apostles  taught  that  baptism  was  the  instrument  conveying  for 
giveness  of  sins.  By  it  we  were  saved,  were  born  again.  It  united 
the  person  to  Christ;  by  it  we  put  on  Christ;  we  are  buried  with 

w     Him,  and  so  have  part  in  His  resurrection. 


THE    EFFECTS    OF    BAPTISM 


109 


ARTICLE  IV.    THE  EFFECTS  OF 
BAPTISM. 


The  Gift  of  Regeneration. 
Its  Effeds  on  the  Pasty 

Present,  and  Future 

of  the  baptised. 
Its  Obligations. 


''The  gift 
of  re 

genera 
tion. 

THE 

EFFECTS 

OF 

BAPTISM. 

Past, 

present, 

and           •< 

future 

effects. 

Baptism  is  the  ordained  instrument  of  our  regeneration. 

Regeneration  is  not  connected  in  the  New  Testament  with  anything  save 
with  baptism. 

It  is  an  act  of  God  which  bestows  a  gift,  and  a  grace. 

By  it  we  are  gifted  with  a  new  birth,  born  anew,  born  from  above. 

It  is  one  act  by  which  we  are  born  of  "water  and  the  Spirit." 

As  birth  is  one  act,  there  cannot  be  two  separate  births,  one  of  water, 
and  another  of  the  Spirit,  nor  a  partial  one  at  one  time,  completed  at 
another. 

We  are  thus  reborn  by  God's  act,  "of  God."  Not  "through"  or  "by," 
but  "of"  God.  Our  nature  is  reinforced  by  the  communication  of  a 
new  seminal  principle  of  life  from  God. 

The  divine  agent  of  this  communication  is  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Spirit 
is,  however,  given  to  adults  before  baptism  in  preparation  for  its  recep 
tion,  and  after  it  in  confirmation,  and  in  other  ways.  But  as  the  Life- 
Giver  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  operative  agent  in  baptism. 

The  new  seminal  principle  of  life  so  given  comes  from  Christ.  We  are 
made  members  of  Him  and  the  Holy  Spirit  abides  in  the  soul  as  the 
bond  of  union  to  Him. 

In  the  Anglican  baptismal  office  the  minister  prays,  "Give  Thy  Holy 
Spirit  to  this  infant  that  he  may  be  born  again."  S.  Peter  declared 
that  God  "shall  baptise  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost,"  that  the  baptised 
"should  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  and  "that  ye  are  the 
Temple  of  God  and  the  Spirit  of  God  dwelleth  in  you." 

The  act  of  regeneration  connotes  three  things :  —  Conception  or  a  gift 
of  life,  the  deliverance  from  our  natural  sin-bound  environment,  the 
birth  into  the  kingdom  of  light. 

There  is  a  difference  between  regeneration  and  conversion.  Conversion 
is  a  turning  to  God.  Regeneration  is  an  act  of  God  on  the  soul.  Con 
version  in  adults  precedes  baptism.  The  soul  baptised  in  infancy,  that 
has  turned  away  from  God  must,  as  an  adult,  turn  back  to  Him. 

As  the  baptismal  character  remains  one  cannot  be  rebaptised,  but  by  a 
conversion  the  grace  of  the  sacrament  revives. 

Thus  Simon  Magus  who  received  baptism  unworthily,  was  not  rebap 
tised  by  the  Apostle,  but  only  bidden  to  repent. 


Respecting  the  past,  Christian  baptism  is  for  "the  remission  of  sins," 
original  and  actual.  Paul  was  converted  on  his  way  to  Damascus,  but 
his  sins  were  not  remitted  by  his  conversion  but  by  his  subsequent 
baptism. 

Remission  of  sins  is  not  a  mere  removal  of  an  impediment  to  goodness ; 
it  is  the  blotting  out  of  the  past.  It  is  sin's  deluge. 

Respecting  the  present,  it  is  the  deliverance  from  bondage,  a  release  from 
the  dominion  of  sin.  It  gives  us  by  union  with  Christ's  nature  and  life 
a  new  nature  and  new  spiritual  life. 

By  baptism  we  become  "sons  of  God,"  "born,  not  of  blood  nor  of  the  will 
of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God."  We  become  "par 
takers  of  the  divine  nature,"  not  of  His  substance,  but  of  His  life  of 
knowing  and  loving,  and  so  are  capable  of  knowing  and  loving  Him 
supernaturally. 


no      OBLIGATIONS    CONTRACTED    BY    BAPTISM 


THE 

Past, 

EFFECTS 

present, 

and 

OF 

BAPTISM. 

future 

(continued). 

effects 
(continued). 

Necessity 

of  co-             •* 

operation. 

OBLIGATIONS 

CONTRACTED    -< 
BY  BAPTISM. 

Its 

motives. 

.Duties.          •* 

Respecting  the  future,  it  is  the  ushering  into  the  kingdom  of  light. 

It  makes  us  heirs  with  Christ,  inheritors  of  the  Kingdom  of 

Heaven. 
By  the  Holy  Spirit's  indwelling  we  have  also  gifts  of  created  or 

habitual  grace,  that  we  may  successfully  struggle  against  the 

world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil. 
The  virtues  of  Faith,  Hope,  and  Charity  are  developed  so  "that 

we  be  steadfast  in  faith,  joyful  through  hope,  rooted  in  charity." 
Baptism  operating  in  us,  a  renovation  makes  us  acceptable  to 

God  and  justified  in  His  sight. 
It  leaves  within  us  the  unexterminated  roots  of  desire,  as  God 

left  heathen  nations  in  Canaan  for  the  Israelite  to  conquer,  to 

be  for  us  a  ground  of  humility,  watchfulness,  and  final  victory 

through  grace. 

'God,  who  has  provided  the  means  of  man's  salvation  does  not 

secure  it  to  him  without  his  co-operation. 
Man,  who  has  abused  the  gift  of  his  free  will  to  his  own  loss,  must 

contribute  to  his  restoration. 
He  is  especially  bound  to  work  out  his  salvation,  seeing  that  God 

gives  him  the  primary  grace  to  do  so. 
The  gift  of  regeneration  does  not  dispense  with  effort  to  preserve 

and  develop  the  life  given. 
The  fact  that  the  gifts  of  baptism  are  neglected  by  many  does  not 

prove  they  have  not  been  received. 
The  development  of  the  Christian  character,  so  different  in  its 

ideal  from  that  of  paganism,  or  philosophy,  bears  witness  to 

the  new  nature. 

As  a  child  of  God  it  becomes  the  baptised  to  cherish  a  sense  of 

the  dignity  of  his  new  nature. 
As  an  heir  with  Christ  of  an  eternal  inheritance,  to  live  above  the 

ambitions  of  earthly  wealth. 

As  intrusted  with  a  divine  gift,  to  guard  and  protect  it  from  de 
filement  or  loss. 
As  made  a  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  reverence  the  body  and 

consecrate  the  soul. 
As  a  soldier  of  Christ,  to  bring  one's  nature  and  its  various  parts 

under  constant  discipline. 
As  a  witness  to  Him,  to  guard  our  words  and  acts  that  scandal  is 

given  to  none. 
As  a  redeemed  sinner,  to  show  forth  our  gratitude  and  love  to 

God  by  a  life  of  self-sacrifice. 
As  one  with  the  great  brotherhood  of  Christians,  to  do  all  one  can 

to  further  the  kingdom. 

To  use  daily  prayer  and  practise  self-examination. 

To  prepare  for  and  receive  the  other  sacraments  according  to 

one's  need. 
To  attend  at  the  offering  of  the  Holy  Eucharist  on  Sundays  and 

the  great  Festivals. 
To  observe  Lent,  by  practising  self-denial,  attendance  at  Church, 

increased  devotion. 

To  make  one's  communions  regularly  and  with  preparation. 
To  strive  after  increasing  holiness  of  life. 
To  remember  that  the  sign  of  the  cross  given  in  baptism  is  not 

to  be  laid  aside,  but  for  use. 
To  give  alms  and  help  to  support  the  parish,  the  diocese,  and  the 

Church's  missions. 
To  give  of  one's  time  and  personal  service  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 


CONFIRMATION 


ii  i 


its  Origin  and  Ministration. 


CHAPTER  V.    CONFIRMATION. 


ARTICLE  I.    ITS  ORIGIN. 


Recipients. 
MATTER  AND  FORM. 


MINISTER 


CONFIRMA 
TION. 


Origin.     -< 


Titles, 
matter, 
and 
form. 


The 
.minister. 


In  the  progressive  development  of  creation,  man  being  made,  God 

breathed  into  him  the  breath  of  lives. 
This  progressive  action  is  seen  in  Christ.    From  the  first  instant  of  His 

conception  the  Holy  Spirit  was  given  without  measure  unto  Him, 

but  He  received  the  form?!  consecration  of  His  Messiahship  when 

the  Dove  descended  upon  Him. 
The  Church  is  formed  in  like  manner.     Christ  makes  it  during  His 

visible  life,  then,  ascended,  fills  it.    He  fills  it  with  the  abiding  presence 

of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
The  "ministration  of  the  Spirit"  was  committed  to  the  Apostles,  it  is 

"  he  that  ministereth  the  Spirit  unto  you." 
God  is  the  author  of  the  sacraments.     They  were  instituted  by  our 

Lord.    Baptism  and  the  Eucharist  were  ordered  by  Him  immediately 

since  He  appointed  their  matter  and  form.     The  five  others  were 

ordered  mediately  through  the  Apostles  under  the  guidance  of  the 

Holy  Ghost. 
The  Apostles,  guided  by  the  Holy  Ghost  into  an  understanding  of  Christ's 

words  and  acts,  practised  confirmation.     Acts  viii.  14-17;    xix.  1-6. 
They  made  frequent  references  to  it.     II  Cor.  i.  21,  22;    Eph.  i.  13; 

Tit.  iii.  5  ;  I  John  ii.  20,  27. 
It  belonged  to  the  Gospel  system  of  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  commu 

nicating  of  spiritual  gifts,  which  was  one  of  "  the  principles  of  the 

doctrine  of  Christ."     Heb.  vi.  1. 

From  the  references  made  to  it  in  Holy  Scripture  it  has  been  known  by 

several  titles.     It  has  been  called  "  The  Seal  of  the  Lord,"  "The 

Anointing  "  or  "Chrism,"  "The  laying  on  of  hands,"  "Confirmation." 
The  Church,  being  the  source  of  its  promulgation,  has  exercised  the 

right  of  its  regulation.     It  may  be  administered  in  connection  with 

infant  baptism,  or  reserved  for  a  later  age. 
It  has  been  administered  in  the  East  by  chrism  blest  by  a  bishop;   in 

the  West  by  the  laying  on  of  hands  and  chrism;    in  the  Anglican 

Church  by  the  former  method,  accompanied  by  some  with  the  sign 

of  the  cross  on  the  forehead. 
As  the  Eastern  and  Roman  churches  both  use  chrism,  it  would  char 

itably  tend  to  uniformity  if  the  Anglican  Church  did  so.    It  may  be 

thought  within  the  jus  lilurgicum  of  the  bishop  to  do  this. 
In  the  Church  in  Scotland  the  sign  of  the  cross  is  used  in  confirmation, 

and  chrism  was  made  after  the  Eastern  formula.1     Chrism  is  used 

in  the  English  Church  at  coronations. 
As  no  form  is  recorded  in  Holy  Scripture,  confirmation  has  varied  in 

different  parts  of  the  Church,  being  regulated  by  ecclesiastical  au 

thority. 
In  the  Anglican  Church,  the  bishop  invokes  the  seven  gifts  of  the  Holy 

Spirit  upon  the  confirmed,  and  confirms  them,  laying  on  his  hand 

with  the  words,  "Defend,  O  Lord,  this  thy  child  with  thy  heavenly 

grace,"  etc. 

The  only  ministers  of  confirmation  as  given  in  the  New  Testament  are 

the  Apostles. 
When  the  original  Apostolate  became  developed  in  the  three  orders  it 

was  fitting  that  confirmation  should  continue  to  be  administered  by 

the  highest  order  of  the  ministry.    In  the  East  it  is  administered  by 

a  priest  with  chrism,  blest  by  a  bishop. 

1  Wirgman  on  Confirmation,  483,  484. 


THE    EFFICACY    OF    CONFIRMATION 


C An  Inward  Gift. 

ARTICLE  II.     EFFICACY  OF  CONFIRMATION,  AS  •<  Its  contrast  urith  tliat 

^     of  Baptism. 

THE  GIFT  AND  CONTRAST 

In  confirmation  the  Holy  Spirit  is  given  us.  It  is  the  peculiarity  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  that  it  may  be  given  for  different  purposes  and  in  different 
and  progressive  degrees.  We  may  be  filled  with  it  for  one  purpose, 
and  it  may  be  given  more  and  more  increasingly. 

It  is  given  for  the  purpose  of  "signifying,"  as  where  the  Spirit  gave  the 
gift  of  tongues  to  the  Gentiles  to  assure  the  Apostles  that  they  were 
to  be  gathered  into  the  Church  by  baptism.  Acts  x.  45,  46.  Signs 
may  also  follow  after  a  sacrament  to  bear  witness  that  the  persons 
have  received  its  grace.  Acts  xix.  6. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  also  given  for  individual  protection,  against  disease 
and  the  powers  of  nature,  according  to  our  faith  and  the  Church's 
needs.    S.  Mk.  xvi.  17,  18.    But  neither  its  "signifying"  nor  "provi- 
The  dential "  operations  bestow  grace. 

inward      ^  It  gives  grace  before  baptism,  to  lead  to  faith  and  repentance  and  pre- 
gift.  pare  souls  for  the  reception  of  it,  and  so  of  other  sacraments. 

In  the  New  Testament  at  the  laying  on  of  the  Apostles'  hands,  the  out 
ward  signifying  gifts  were  given  along  with  the  inward  grace,  but  as 
being  things  distinct  in  themselves,  they  are  not  necessarily  so  com 
bined. 

We  may  hold  that  none  of  God's  gifts  to  His  Church  are  lost,  but  now 
according  to  the  Church's  needs  and  our  faith  so  will  they  continue 
to  be  manifest. 

But  in  the  ordinary  ministration  of  the  sacrament,  no  miraculous  sign 
now  accompanies  it  lest  we  should  walk  by  sight  rather  than  by 
faith. 

In  confirmation  the  gift  of  the  Spirit  is  an  inward  one,  for  the  needs 
of  the  soul. 

The  Holy  Spirit  according  to  Christ's  promise  comes  to  us  as  the  Com 
forter.  As  Com-fort-er,  the  strong  One,  He  comes  to  make  us  strong. 
As  Confirmed,  grace  is  given  to  be  firm,  steadfast  in  the  faith,  and 
abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord. 

In  confirmation  we  are  sealed  with  the  Holy  Spirit  promised  us.  As 
the  seal  leaves  its  impression  on  the  warm  wax,  so  now  we  receive 
not  a  mere  token  or  pledge  of  help,  but  are  sealed  by  the  Spirit  and 
a  character  is  given  us. 

By  baptism  we  are  born  "from  above"  and  the  seed  of  Christ's  nature 
is  implanted  in  us.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  living  bond  which  unites 
us  in  Baptism  to  Christ's  nature. 

But  in  confirmation  the  Holy  Spirit  comes  with  fuller  purpose  and 
pregnancy  to  develop  the  Christ  nature  in  us  and  make  us  after 
Christ's  likeness. 

It  gathers  us  into  union  with  His  Spirit-led  life  and  is  an  ever-present 
aid  in  the  progressive  work  of  the  development  of  the  Christian 
character. 

It  is  not  like  a  gift  or  seed  planted  in  us,  but  an  assured  fellowship  with 
a  person  who  as  the  "  Finger  of  God  "  guides  and  supports  us. 

In  baptism  we  are  saved,  in  confirmation  we  are  sealed.  In  baptism 
we  become  members  of  Christ,  in  confirmation  we  are  by  the  sealing 
acknowledged  as  His. 

In  baptism  we  are  born,  in  confirmation  clothed  with  heavenly  armour. 
In  baptism  we  are  made  children  of  God,  in  confirmation  we  be 
come  kings  and  priests. 

In  baptism  we  are  united  to  the  nature  of  Christ,  in  confirmation  to 
His  offices. 


§1 

THE 

EFFICACY 
OF  CON 
FIRMATION. 


Contrast 

with 

baptism. 


THE    SPIRIT'S    ABIDING    PRESENCE 


n3 


ARTICLE  III.     CONFIRMATION.     THE  SPIRIT'S    fits  Three  Effects. 

ABIDING  PRESENCE.  \The  Sevenfold  Gift. 


rThree 

effects 
of  con 

firmation. 

THE 

SPIRIT'S 
ABIDING 

PRESENCE. 

The 

seven 

fold  gift     -< 
bestowed 
by  it. 

'There  are  three  effects  wrought  by  Confirmation  as  revealed  by  the 
titles  of  the  Holy  Spirit  given  in  Holy  Scripture. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  there  represented  under  the  symbols  of  the  Wind 
and  Fire  and  Oil. 

Now  in  baptism  three  things  are  done :  we  receive  a  seminal  principle 
of  new  life,  we  are  delivered  from  the  womb  of  nature  and  our 
natural  environment,  we  are  born  into  the  Kingdom  of  Light. 

In  the  new  kingdom  we  are  surrounded  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  fills 
it  as  an  atmosphere.  So  man  in  the  natural  order,  needs  for  life  and 
growth  not  only  food,  but  air. 

What  the  air,  or  wind,  is  to  our  natural  life,  that  the  Spirit  is  to  our 
new  life. 

As  it  is  by  continual  breathing  our  bodies  are  kept  alive,  so  by  con 
tinued  correspondence  with  the  Holy  Ghost  our  Christ-received 
nature  is  kept  vitalised. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  spoken  of  as  Fire. 

In  baptism  we  are  brought  out  of  darkness  into  the  spiritual  organ 
ism  of  the  Church,  in  which  Christ,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  abides. 

As  without  an  atmosphere  we  could  not  breathe,  neither  could  we 
receive  heat  from  the  sun,  so,  by  the  Holy  Spirit  we  receive  the 
life-giving  and  developing  heat  on  which  our  growth  depends. 

As  it  is  the  property  of  fire  to  transmute  one  element  or  thing  into  an 
other,  so  are  we  changed  gradually  into  the  perfect  man. 

As  by  fire  precious  jewels  are  formed,  so  are  the  saints  made  by  the 
fire  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  symbolised  by  oil.  It  denotes  light  and  the  neces 
sity  of  having  a  continual  supply  in  our  lamps.  .  It  also  denotes 
anointing  and  our  elevation  as  kings  and  priests  unto  God.  We 
are  thus  being  vitalised,  transformed,  and  elevated  by  the  gift  of  the 
v  Spirit  in  Confirmation. 

The  Prayer  Book  gives  as  the  sevenfold  gift  the  spirit  of  wisdom,  of 

understanding,  of  counsel,  of  Ghostly  strength,  of  knowledge,  of 

Godliness  or  piety,  and  the  fear  of  the  Lord. 
The  spirit  of  wisdom  keeps  the  Incarnate  Wisdom  before  us,  that  we, 

turning  away  from  the  folly  of  mere  worldly  wisdom,  may  seek  after 

God. 
The  spirit  of  Understanding  reveals  the  divinely  illuminated  spiritual 

temple  which  is  the  Church,  and  the  glories  of  the  Catholic  faith. 
The  spirit  of  Counsel  helps  us  to  be  guided  by  God's  will  in  deciding 

on  our  vocation,  and  all  matters  of  duty. 
The  spirit  of  Ghostly  Strength  makes  us  strong  to  overcome  the  evil 

within,  resist  temptation,  and  bravely  witness  for  Christ. 
The  spirit  of  Knowledge  enables  us  not  only  to  believe  in  Him,  but 

to  come  to  know  Him  experimentally. 

The  spirit  of  Godliness  or  piety  establishes  in  us  a  filial,  trusting  re 
lation  to  Him,  on  whose  mercy  we  rely,  in  whose  love  we  rest. 
The  spirit  of  Holy  Fear  wraps  us  in  a  protective  vestment  as  of  fire 

against  sin,  and  lifts  us  up  into  the  eternal  verities  of  the  heavenly 
..     worship. 

8 


n4        ITS    RECIPIENTS    AND    CHURCH'S    CARE 


ARTICLE  IV.    CONFIRMATION. 


Its  Recipients. 
The  Church's  Care. 
Errors. 


CONFIRMA 
TION. 


Its  re 
cipients, 
and  the 
Church's 
care. 


The 

baptised 
in  a 
state  of 
grace. 


The 

Church's 

care. 


Errors 
concern- 
mg  it. 


The  Church,  in  the  exercise  of  her  rightful  powers,  has  in  the  East  made 
infants  the  subjects  of  Confirmation.  As  Confirmation  is  the  comple 
ment  of  baptism  it  is  theologically  proper  that  the  sacraments  should 
be  joined  together. 

The  Western  Church,  separating  the  ministration  of  the  two  sacraments 
(as  she  had  the  power  to  do),  has  reserved  the  sacrament  till  the  period 
of  adolescence. 

The  Anglican  as  part  of  the  Western  Church  has  followed  this  rule,  re 
quiring  the  candidate  to  be  old  enough  to  know  the  creed,  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  and  the  Ten  Commandments. 

The  danger  in  the  Anglican  Communion  is  the  delaying  confirmation 
until  the  passions  have  manifested  themselves  and  the  child  is  left  to 
battle  with  them  without  this  special  aid  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  will  which  has  been  weakened  by  sin 
is  stronger  than  the  will  that  has  not  yielded  to  it. 

It  is  necessary  that  the  recipient  be  baptised,  be  in  a  state  of  grace,  should 
be  instructed  in  the  faith,  and  be  desirous  of  being  confirmed. 

As  the  Holy  Spirit  cannot  be  received  into  a  soul  in  a  state  of  mortal  sin, 
it  is  desirable  that  candidates  should  previously  go  to  confession  and 
be  absolved  whenever  there  is  a  burden  on  the  conscience  or  the  per 
son  is  in  ignorance  of  his  spiritual  state. 

When  the  sacrament  is  received  unworthily,  it  cannot  be  repeated.  The 
grace  lies  within  like  a  liquid  in  a  sealed  bottle,  which  can  be  opened 
by  penitence  and  its  virtues  transmitted  to  the  soul. 

When  the  sacrament  is  invalid  by  lack  of  a  proper  minister,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  Lutherans,  the  bishop  may  accept  it  so  far  as  the  inten 
tion  of  witnessing  to  Christ  is  concerned,  and  only  require  that  the 
person  receive,  and  it  may  be  privately,  the  laying  on  of  hands. 

Confirmation  is  a  manifestation  of  the  motherly  care  of  the  church  for 

her  spiritual  children. 
They  are  not  taught  that  they  are  heathen  or  outside  God's  covenant  of 

grace,  but  are  by  their  baptism  members  of  Christ,  children  of  God 

and  inheritors  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 
They  are  not  left  till  having  fallen  into  sin  they  become  conscious  of  the 

need  of  repentance  and  conversion. 
The  Church  in  Confirmation  acknowledges  them,  claims  them  as  her 

own,  and  takes  them  up  in  her  arms  for  blessing. 

The  popular  errors  concerning  Confirmation  are  that  it  is  "a  joining 
the  Church,"  when  we  were  made  members  of  it  by  our  baptism. 

It  is  thought  to  be  "a  confirming  of  our  baptismal  vows,"  when  we  do 
not  come  to  confirm,  but  to  be  confirmed  by  receiving  the  Gift  of  the 
Spirit. 

It  is  shrunk  from,  on  account  of  an  unwillingness  "to  take  upon  oneself 
new  obligations,"  when  this  is  an  impossibility.  We  can  no  more  in 
crease  our  religious  duties  than  we  can  the  weight  of  the  atmosphere. 
We  owe  certain  duties  to  God  and  others,  and  confirmation  helps  us 
to  fulfil  them. 

It  is  said  by  some,  "We  are  already  converted  and  have  the  spirit."  Then 
since  Christ  has  left  this  means  for  a  special  gift  of  the  Spirit,  you  are 
entitled  to  it,  and  if  humble  minded  will  seek  it. 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 


n5 


§1 

THE 
SACRA 
MENT  OF 
PENANCE. 


CHAPTER  VI.    PENANCE,  OR  SPIRITUAL   I   AJ    .   /,    .. 

T,  •<  Administration. 

RESURRECTION.  \  T\-        •*• 

^Dispositions. 

C  Need  of  a  Remedy  for  Post-baptismal  Sins. 

ARTICLE  I.  J  The  Instituted  Sacrament  of  Confession  and  Absolution 
IN  ITSELF.    ]  Its  Matter  and  Form. 

{^Penance  and  Punishments. 


'The  baptised  and  confirmed  are  assaulted  by  continual  temptations 

from  without  and  within,  and  no  wonder  many  often  fall. 
The  effect  of  sin  when  it  is  grave  in  matter  and  deliberate  as  to  will 

is  to  separate  the  soul  from  the  grace  of  God. 
The  effect  of  accumulated  lesser  sins  becoming  habits  and  chilling  the 

soul  has  a  like  result. 
While  retaining  the  character  given  it,  the  soul  by  sin  forfeits  the 

privilege  of  its  spiritual  sonship  and  its  heritage  of  heaven. 
If  it  feels  no  agony  it  is  the  sign  of  a  dead  soul.    If  any  agony  is  felt 

it  is  a  symptom  that  the  soul  is  yet  spiritually  alive. 
But  just  as  no  one  can  baptise  himself,  so  no  one  can  be  his  own  ab- 

solver  and  assure  himself  of  the  renewed  favour  of  God. 
To  meet  the  natural  desire  to  unburden  itself  by  confession  and  to 

receive  an  assurance  of  acceptance  other  than  by  an  uncertain  feel 
ing,  God  instituted  the  sacrament  of  penance. 
Moreover,  God  in  His  justice  would  never  threaten  the  sinner,  if  He 

had  not  provided  a  way  by  which  the  penitent  might  know  he  was 

forgiven. 


The 
need. 


The 
institution. 


God  only  forgives  sin.  But  now  the  Father  judgeth  no  man  but  hath 
committed  all  judgment  to  the  Son. 

He  hath  given  Him  authority  to  execute  judgment  not  simply  as  God, 
but  because  He  is  the  Son  of  Man.  Christ  claimed  to  exercise  this 
power  to  forgive  sins  as  "the  Son  of  Man"  and  worked  a  miracle 
to  prove  it. 

During  the  exercise  of  His  prophetical,  priestly,  and  kingly  powers, 
He  gathered  the  Apostles  into  union  with  each  of  them  separately. 

While  teaching  He  bade  them  "Go  and  preach."  They  were  to  speak 
with  authority.  They  and  their  order  were  to  decide  on  ecclesias 
tical  matters  judicially. 

As  relating  to  themselves  and  their  successors,  in  their  prophetical 
office  in  the  matter  of  doctrine  and  discipline,  etc.,  Christ  said 
"Whatsoever  ye  shall  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven." 

He  associated  them  with  His  priestly  office  when  He  bade  them  offer 
the  Holy  Sacrifice  as  a  memorial  of  His  death. 

In  the  period  of  His  triumph,  He  as  King  bade  them  make  subjects  by 
baptism  and  exercise  the  right  of  sovereignty  in  pardoning. 

The  bestowal  of  each  commission  separately  shows  that  a  special  and 
not  a  general  gift  was  bestowed  when  He  said,  "Whosesoever  sins 
ye  remit  they  are  remitted."  It  was  a  gift  different  from  preach 
ing  or  baptising  which  were  given  by  themselves. 

The  time  of  its  bestowal  was  most  fitting  and  appropriate.  It  was  the 
time  of  His  great  victory,  when  the  gift  of  pardon  is  most  fittingly 
bestowed  by  a  King. 

It  was  when  Christ  had  conquered  death,  Satan,  and  hell,  and  secured 
^  an  open  way  through  Himself  into  glory. 


n6 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 


PENANCE. 


{Its  Matter  and  Form. 
The  Punishments. 


§2 

THE 

SACRA 
MENT  OF 

PENANCE 

(continued  . 

The  insti 

tution 

(con 
tinued). 

Its 

matter        " 

and  form. 

>-• 

- 

Penance 

and 

punish-       " 
s.ments. 

As  He  first,  after  His  resurrection,  seeks  the  wandering,  the  fallen,  the 
discouraged,  so  at  this  time  He  established  a  perpetual  remedy  for 
each  class. 

Symbolical  of  the  priestly  office,  Christ  in  making  His  Apostles  priests, 
washed  their  feet.  In  giving  the  commission  to  absolve,  He  breathed 
on  them,  who  by  word  were  to  communicate  the  breath  of  life  for 
the  resuscitation  of  souls. 

Our  Lord  gave  to  His  Apostles  the  power  to  remit  and  retain  sins.  The 
word  "remit"  means,  Mark  vii.  8,  to  lay  aside;  "retain"  signifies 
"hold  on  to."  God  lays  aside  our  sins,  casting  them  behind  His 
back  so  that  they  are  as  if  they  had  never  been.  The  word  "remit " 
thus  signifies  in  its  fullest  sense  "forgiven."  I  John  i.  9.  It  is  thus 
used  in  the  Anglican  Ordinal.  He  blots  out  our  transgressions. 

Christ  hereby  established  His  ministers  as  judges  of  the  conscience. 
The  Apostles  sit  on  thrones  judging  the  twelve  tribes.  Christ  also 
made  His  ministers  physicians  of  the  soul,  and  by  the  grace  of  order, 
priests  have  given  them  grace  to  exercise  their  office  of  judge  and 
physician. 

There  has  been  much  disputation  among  theologians  of  an  academic 
character  concerning  its  scientific  arrangement.  It  is  well  to  accept 
for  practical  purposes  "absolution"  as  the  form.  In  the  West  and 
in  the  Anglican  Church,  the  indicative  formula  is  used.  The  three 
acts  of  repentance:  contrition,  confession,  and  satisfaction,  are  the 
matter. 


As  the  Church  may  in  her  discipline  impose  penances  on  her  penitents, 
so  she  may  lessen  or  remit  them  by  way  of  mercy  or  indulgence. 

This  was  done  in  early  times  when  penances  were  long  and  severe  and 
were  granted  often  at  the  entreaties  of  those  on  the  way  to  martyrdom. 

If,  however,  Christ  has  made  a  full  satisfaction  to  God  for  our  sins,  no 
debt  can  remain  in  the  absolved,  due  to  the  justice  of  God  for  the 
the  wrong  done  Himself. 

As  the  satisfaction  of  Divine  Justice,  even  for  a  single  sin,  requires  a 
reparation  of  infinite  value,  only  the  God-Man  can  make  it;  and  as 
His  acts  are  of  infinite  value  the  satisfaction  must  have  been  complete. 

As  no  acts  of  man  can  satisfy,  on  account  of  their  imperfect  quality, 
none  can  be  added  to  those  of  infinite  value.  Neither  are  Christ's 
merits  to  satisfy  the  Divine  Justice,  being  infinite,  capable  of  receiv 
ing  an  addition. 

While  nothing  man  can  do  can  adequately  satisfy  the  Divine  Justice 
or  wrong  done  to  God,  yet  as  regards  ourselves  Justice  requires  that 
punishment  should  follow  our  sins. 

While  the  consequences  of  the  eternal  loss  is  removed  by  absolution, 
this  temporal  punishment  which  continues  may  be  changed  or  re 
mitted,  by  humility,  prayer,  alms  —  deeds,  and  God's  merciful 
appropriation  to  us  of  the  merits  of  the  Church. 

For  the  Church  being  one  body,  its  members  share  in  all  its  good  deeds 
and  so  with  all  the  merits  of  the  whole  body. 


THE    MINISTRATION    OF    PENANCE 


ARTICLE  II.     THE  ADMINISTRATION 
OF  PENANCE. 


THE 

MINISTRA 
TION  OF 
PENANCE. 


'Its 
minister. 


Its 
effects. 


fits  Minister. 
\Its  Effects. 

power  of  absolution  belonging  to  our  Lord  He  now  exercises  by 

sending  others  in  His  Name.     "As  My  Father  sent  me,  even  so 

send  I  you." 
To  "  bear  God's  Name  "  is  the  designation  of  ministerial  authority  in 

the  Old  Testament.    Ex.  xxxiii.  21.    And  so  it  is  "to  bear  Christ's 

Name,"  in  the  New.    "  He  is  a  chosen  vessel  unto  Me  to  bear  My 

Name." 
The  Apostles  were  thus  the  accredited  agents  of  Christ  through  whom 

He  now  acts,  the  remission  of  sins  being  preached  in  His  Name. 
By  reason  of  this  their  ministry  is  called  "  The  Ministry  of  Reconcilia 

tion,"  the  "  Ministry  of  Righteousness." 
They  exercised  the  ministry  not  only  in  preaching,  but  both  by  re 

taining  and  remitting  sins.    Thus  S.  Peter  retained  those  of  Ananias 

and  Sapphira,  and  S.  Paul  delivered  the  back-sliding  Corinthian 

unto  Satan. 
So  S.  Paul  restored  the  penitent,  forgiving  him  in  the  person  of  Christ  ; 

and  S.  Peter  said  judicially,   "^Eneas,   Jesus  Christ  maketh  thee 

whole." 
This  power  was  exercised  by  others  than  the  Apostles,  for  S.  James 

bids  the  sick  send  for  the  presbyters  and  make  confession,  and  if 

they  have  committed  sins  they  shall  be  forgiven. 
As  forgiveness  of  sin  hath  reference  both  to  sin  in  its  relation  to  God 

and  to  the  Church,  it  is  probable  when  Christ  spoke,  others  beside 

the  Apostles  were  present  ;   for  the  Church  in  its  collective  capacity 

forgives  sins  committed  against  itself.    But  just  as  the  priest  in  the 

old  dispensation  could  alone  offer  the  sin  offering,  so  now  the  priest 

alone  can  forgive  sins  in  their  relation  to  God. 
In  the  Ordinal  of  the  Anglican  Church,  the  sacerdotal  power  of  Ab 

solution  is  coupled  with  the  laying  on  of  hands  and  the  gift  of  the 

Holy  Ghost.    "Receive  the  Holy  Ghost  for  the  office  and  work  of 

a  priest,  —  now  committed  to  thee  by  the  imposition  of  our  hands. 

Whose  sins  thou  dost  forgive  they  are  forgiven,  and  whose  sins  thou 

dost  retain  they  are  retained." 
rThe  efficacy  of  the  sacrament  is  not  due  to  the  acts  of  the  penitent  but 

wholly  to  the  merits  of  Christ.    It  restores  life  to  the  soul  lost  or  im 

paired  by  sin. 
While  perfect  contrition,  being  a  work  of  grace,  signifies  God's  for 

giveness,  Absolution  is  a  sealing  of  God's  pardon,  giving  assurance 

and  peace  to  the  soul.     Confession  deepens  penitence,  Absolution 

increases  grace. 
It  pardons  and  effaces  all  sins  however  numerous  they  may  be  and 

however  enormous  their  guilt. 
It  reconciles  the  soul  to  God,  restores  it  to  a  state  of  grace,  or  increases 

it  if  in  grace. 
It  tends  to  heal  the  wounds  occasioned  by  sin  and  fortifies  the  soul 

against  temptation. 

It  communicates  aid  to  its  virtues  but  does  not  render  it  impeccable. 
It  re-establishes  its  communion  with  God,  but  does  not  assure  its  final 

perseverance. 
It  delivers  from  eternal  punishment,  but  not  from  the  temporal  con 

sequences  of  our  sins. 
It  does  not  debar  God  —  where  the  sins  are  of  a  national  character 

as  in  the  case  of  the  Israelites,  Num.  xiv.  20-23,  or  have  occasioned 

public  scandal,  as  in  the  cases  of  David  and  Miriam  —  from  pun 

ishing  after  forgiveness  as  a  warning  to  others  and  for  the  good  of 

those  who  have  sinned. 
While  God's  justice  is  fully  satisfied  by  the  infinite  merits  of  Christ, 

He  may  yet  inflict  some  punishment  as  due  or  as  a  remedial  disci- 
.     pline  in  this  world  or  the  next. 


n8 


CONTRITION 


§  i 

CON 
TRITION. 


{Contrition  and  Repentance  for 
n      t       • 
Confession  or  Acknowledgment 
of  It. 
Abandonment  and  Reparation, 

Cits  Nature. 
CONTRITION.  <  Its  Kinds. 

\^Its  Qualities. 

This  sacrament  of  loving  mercy  differs  from  the  others  in  that  the  re 
cipient  must  not  only  put  no  barrier  in  the  way  of  its  reception,  but 
must  actively  co-operate  with  it. 
Contrition  or  repentance  is  an  indispensable  condition  to  the  obtaining 

of  God's  forgiveness. 

Its  J  Aaron  and  David's  penitence,  Peter's  and  Paul's,  the  Magdalene  and  the 

nature.  penitent  thief's,  the  publican  and  the  prodigal  son's  are  examples  given 

us  of  the  necessary  broken  and  contrite  heart. 

It  begins  under  the  influence  of  God's  prevenient  grace  calling  and  draw 
ing  the  soul  to  penitence. 

In  its  developed  state  it  combines  three  elements:  sorrow  for  having 
offended  God,  hatred  of  sin,  resolution  to  sin  no  more. 

There  are  two  degrees  of  this  contrition  called  perfect  and  imperfect. 

Contrition  is  perfect  when  it  has  for  its  motive  the  love  of  God,  and  the 
soul  is  filled  with  sorrow  because  the  Father's  heart  has  been  grieved, 
Christ  has  been  wounded,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  insulted  and  wronged. 

Contrition  is  imperfect  when  its  motives  are  somewhat  less  than  these  and 
is  known  as  supernatural  attrition.  It  is  a  sorrow  arising  from  the  fear 
of  eternal  punishment  in  the  next  life,  or  from  other  supernatural  motive, 
and  has  a  beginning  of  the  love  of  God. 

As  being  a  work  of  grace  it  renders  one  fit  to  receive  absolution.  It 
often  becomes  perfected  through  the  act  of  confession. 

But  whether  perfect  or  imperfect,  contrition  must  have  four  qualities. 
It  must  be  interior  and  sincere.     It  must  come  from  the  heart.     "Turn 

ye  even  unto  Me  with  all  your  heart,  with  fasting,  with  weeping,  with 

mourning."    We  must  weep  with  Peter  and  wash  Christ's  feet  with  our 

tears. 
It  must  proceed  from  supernatural,  not  mere  natural  motives.    The  latter 

are  such  as  proceed  from  our  lost  or  compromised  honour,  from  our 

injured  health  or  worldly  prosperity,  from  any  civil  punishments,  from 

the  shame  attached  to  certain  faults,  from  the  loss  of  friends  or  property. 

These  latter  motives  produce  natural  Attrition. 
These  motives  can  result  only  in  a  natural  and  human  repentance,  which 

may  take  place  apart  from  grace  and  do  not  merit  the  name  of  even 

imperfect  contrition. 
The  sorrow  to  be  effectual  must  also  be  of  a  universal  character.    It  must 

extend  to  all  our  sins  and  to  our  sinfulness.    No  one  mortal  sin  can  be 

forgiven  without  all  being  repented  of,  and  no  one  be  accepted  without 

acknowledging  himself  to  be  a  sinner. 
The  sorrow  must  be  of  a  sovereign  character.    It  must  not  be  merely  in 

the  emotions  but  in  the  will.    We  must  have  a  will  to  suffer  anything 

rather  than  offend  God  by  sin,  and  to  do  what  we  can  in  the  way  of 

reparation  to  God  and  man. 
It  must  desire  to  make  some  reparation  to  the  wounded  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Make  me  as  thy  hired  servant. 
By  these  four  signs  can  our  repentance  be  tested,  whether  it  is  a  whole 

or  a  partial  repentance,  whether  it  is  genuine  and  sincere. 


Its 
kinds. 


Its 

qualities. 


CONFESSION 


Its  Nature. 


CONFES 
SION. 


Its 

nature. 


Its 

power. 


Attending 
advantages. 


When  to 
be  used. 


Advantages. 
Use. 


Confession  is  the  accusation  made  of  our  sins  to  God  in  the  presence 
of  a  priest.  A  priest  is  necessary  for  counsel  and  to  judge  concern 
ing  the  fitness  of  the  penitent  to  receive  Absolution. 

A  confession  without  the  desire  of  absolution  has  not  a  sacramental 
character  and  is  only  a  conference. 

Confession  is  not  of  our  neighbour's  sins  but  of  our  own,  and  it  is  not 
necessary  for  a  penitent  to  say  who  he  is,  for  his  name  is  not  a  sin. 

It  should  be  of  all  known  deadly  or  mortal  sins,  in  then-  kinds,  number, 
and  circumstances,  so  far  as  affecting  our  own  guilt. 

It  is  not  necessary  but  beneficial  that  lesser  sins  should  be  confessed, 
for  the  increasing  watchfulness  and  discipline  of  the  soul  ;  and  be 
cause  repentance  is  an  abiding,  progressive,  deepening,  and  life 
long  process;  and  absolution  strengthens  and  cleanses  more  and 
more. 

As  all  souls  are  more  or  less  infected  with  ignorance  of  their  faults  and 
with  self-love,  confession  as  a  medicine  for  the  sick  is  beneficial  to  all. 

It  should  be  prepared  for  by  prayer  for  light,  and  by  examination  on 
the  commandments,  the  precepts  of  Christ,  the  duties  of  our  posi 
tion,  the  seven  capital  sins,  our  habits,  and  interior  dispositions. 

Sacramental  confession  is  the  specific  for  mortal  sins. 
It  is  the  life  preserver  after  shipwreck. 

It  is  the  invigorating  tonic  for  the  struggling  and  weak  hearted. 
It  is  the  protecting  wing  of  safety  to  the  tempted. 
It  is  the  renewal  of  energy  to  the  running  athlete. 
It  is  the  perpetual  application  of  the  cleansing  of  the  Precious  Blood. 
It  is  Christ's  hand  stretched  forth  to  heal  and  to  hold,  that  nothing 
pluck  us  out  of  it. 

Sacramental  confession  gives  to  the  sinner  an  opportunity  of  making 

the  amende  honorable.     In  the  old  dispensation  his  offence  was 

against  the  unseen  God,  now  it  is  against  God  visible  in  the  person 

of  Christ. 
As  the  sin  is  now  against  the  Man  Christ  Jesus  the  acknowledgment 

of  the  fault  is  made  in  the  presence  of  the  priest  who  represents  Him. 
On  the  part  of  Christ  it  gives  Him  the  welcome  opportunity  of  exercis 

ing  the  right  bought  by  His  Passion  to  pardon  and  save. 
In  the  Eucharist,  Christ  feeds  the  just,  in  Penance  He  ministers  to  the 

sinful.     The  Sacred   Heart   rejoices   at  every  application   of  the 

Precious  Blood. 

It  should  be  resorted  to  immediately  after  a  fall  into  any  mortal  or 

grievous  sin. 
God  who  has  promised  pardon  to  sin  has  promised  no  morrow  to  the 

sinner's  delay. 
It  should  be  used  in  our  last  illness  and  the  priest  is  to  urge  the  sick 

man  to  it  where  it  is  possible. 
Confession  should  be  resorted  to  before  receiving  baptism,  orders, 

confirmation,  unction,  entering  into  matrimony,  that  these  sacra 

ments  be  received  by  us  in  a  state  of  grace. 
It  is  not  necessary  before  every  Eucharist,  and  its  frequency  is  regu 

lated  by  the  individual's  needs. 
As  absolution  is  inherent  in  the  priesthood,  the  privilege  of  resorting 

to  it  is  the  right  of  every  layman. 


I2O 


ABANDONMENT    AND    REPARATION 


CONFESSION.    ABANDONMENT  AND  REPARATION 


§3 

ABANDON 
MENT  AND 
REPARATION. 


Abandonment. 


Reparation. 


Confession  should  be  accompanied  by  a  sincere  purpose  in  re 
spect  of  all  mortal  sins  to  sin  no  more.  This  belongs  to  all 
solid  repentance. 

It  must  not  be  a  simple  desire  or  wish,  which  says  "I  would 
like,"  or  "I  hope  so,"  which  is  not  a  real  determination  of 
the  will 

It  must  be  accompanied  with  a  firm  resolve  to  flee  all  proxi 
mate  occasions  of  sin,  to  part  with  all  dangerous  companion 
ships  and  friendships,  even  to  the  causing  of  pain. 

The  resolution  must  be  made  not  trusting  in  our  own  strength, 
but  with  humble  reliance  on  the  grace  of  God. 

God  often  leaves  souls  to  fall  into  sin  until  they  have  learned 
they  cannot  conquer  by  their  own  strength  and  are  grounded 
in  humility. 

In  respect  of  venial  sins  there  should  be  the  resolve  to  watch 
against  them  and  to  cultivate  the  opposite  virtues. 

Sincerity  is  shown  in  faithfulness  in  self-examination  and 
prayer,  vigilance  over  oneself  and  against  the  dangers  to 
which  one  is  exposed,  fidelity  in  corresponding  to  the  inspira 
tions  of  the  Spirit,  promptitude  in  resisting  the  solicitations 
of  sensual  desire,  and  the  flying  from  dangerous  surroundings 
and  temptations. 

Abandonment  means  not  only  leaving  sin,  but  girding  our 
selves  with  the  whole  Christian  armour  to  fight  against  it. 

True  repentance  requires  so  faT  as  is  in  our  power  reparation 
done  to  God,  and  of  the  wrong  done  our  neighbour. 

Reparation  due  our  neighbour  consists  in  restoring,  as  far  as 
we  are  able,  the  property  or  honour  of  which  one  has  deprived 
him,  in  repairing  any  damage  our  faults  have  occasioned 
him,  in  making  reparation  for  any  scandal. 

The  reparation  done  to  God  is  manifested  in  our  desire  to  do 
something  in  forwarding  His  interests,  through  His  Church, 
and  for  our  fellows. 

This  double  satisfaction  rests  on  the  natural  right  that  all  in 
jury  done  another  should  be  repaired  by  him  who  is  the  cause 
of  it;  and  upon  the  natural  desire  to  express  our  gratitude 
to  God  for  His  merciful  forgiveness,  by  doing  something  for 
Him. 

It  is  part  of  the  loving  goodness  of  God  that  He  allows  us  to 
break  our  box  of  alabaster  over  His  feet,  or  consecrate  our 
selves  to  His  service. 

The  penances  imposed  by  the  confessor  are  an  integral  part  of 
the  sacrament,  are  obligatory,  and  should  be  accomplished 
as  soon  as  practicable. 

But  they  are  now  usually  light,  and  the  loving  heart  will  seek 
to  show  its  love  and  thankfulness  in  fuller  degree. 

"Godly  sorrow  worketh  repentance  to  salvation."  "Behold 
what  carefulness  is  wrought  in  you,  what  clearing  of  your 
selves,  what  indignation,  what  fear,  what  vehement  desire, 
what  revenge." 


HOLY    ORDERS 


121 


CHAPTER  VII.    SACRAMENT  OF  HOLY  ORDERS. 


HOLY 
ORDERS. 


Mediatorial 
nature. 


Repre 
sentative 
character. 


Its  Function. 

Founder. 

Extension. 

Three  Orders. 

Priesthood. 

Ordination. 


"Necessity. 


f Necessity. 
ARTICLE  I.    FUNCTION.  •<  Nature. 

^Character. 

'The  sacrament  of  orders  is  the  Generator  and  Preserver  of  the  spiritual 

pastorate. 
It  conserves  the  spiritual  paternity  and  government  of  the  Christian 

family. 
It  is  the  means  by  which  Christ  extends  the  operation  of  His  threefold 

office  of  prophet,  priest,  and  King. 
It  is  by  the  ministry  that  Christ  makes  known  the  Gospel  offer  of 

salvation,  and  "stretches  forth  His  Hand  to  heal"  through  the 

sacraments. 
It  is  thus  necessary  that  the  Church  should  have  a  ministry  through 

whom  it  officially  acts  and  performs  its  functions. 
It  is  so  rieedful  that  if  the  ministry  should  cease,  the  integrity  of  the 

Church  of  Christ  on  earth  would  come  to  an  end. 

The  nature  of  the  ministry  is  found  in  the  mediatorial  character  of 
Christ  and  the  Church. 

The  mediatorial  office  is  to  be  seen  in  God  and  in  natural  and  revealed 
religion. 

In  God  the  only  Begotten  Son  is  the  mediating  One  through  whom 
the  Holy  Spirit  proceeding  from  the  Father  returns  to  its  source. 

In  the  order  of  nature,  the  material  world  is  the  medium  through 
which  God  bestows  gifts,  and  man  by  using  them  for  His  glory 
communes  with  God. 

In  revealed  religion,  the  patriarchal  family,  the  Jewish  and  the  Chris 
tian  churches  are  mediating  institutions  by  which  their  members 
receive  divine  gifts  and  through  co-operation  with  which  they  in 
crease  in  union  with  God. 

Christ  as  the  God-Man  is  the  Mediator  between  God  and  man,  through 
whom  gifts  pass  from  God  to  man,  and  through  whom  man  passes 
to  God. 

The  Christian  ministry,  as  necessary  for  the  performance  of  the  func 
tions  of  the  Church,  in  and  by  whom  we  are  united  to  Christ,  par 
takes  of  this  mediatorial  character. 

The  mediatorial  nature  of  the  Christian  ministry  implies  its  double 
representative  character,  of  Christ  and  the  Church. 

It  is  an  order  of  men.  Angels  might  have  been  sent  to  teach  us  but 
they  would  not  have  been  representatives  of  us  or  of  Christ. 

As  representatives,  the  ministers  must  not  be  self-chosen,  but  authori 
tatively  set  apart,  chosen  by  man,  but  ordained  by  God. 

The  principle  of  representation  is  seen  in  the  natural  order  by  the 
father,  the  chief  and  the  king ;  in  the  revealed  order  in  the  tribe  of 
Levi,  the  family  of  Aaron,  and  the  high  priest. 

As  the  whole  Church  is  a  body  of  kings  and  priests,  the  ministers 
representing  the  body  are  kings  and  priests  and  with  special  offices 
and  powers. 

The  Christian  ministers  are  "Messengers,"  i.e.,  Apostles,  are  "Am 
bassadors"  representing  Christ  the  King.  They  are  "Watchmen  " 
exercising  a  prophetical  office  (Ez.  iii.  17),  and  "Stewards"  having 
a  mediatorial  priestly  character,  who  receive  and  offer  gifts  and  dues 
to  the  over-lord  and  dispense  His  gifts  to  His  people. 


122 


THE  FOUNDER  OF  HOLY  ORDERS 


ARTICLE  II.    HOLY  ORDERS. 


/  The  Founder. 

\Christ  and  the  Holy  Spirit. 


THE 

FOUNDER 
OF  HOLY 
ORDERS. 


'Jesus 
Christ 


and  the 

Holy 

Ghost. 


It  is  not  by  the  body  of  the  faithful  nor  by  those  chosen  by  them  for  that 
purpose,  that  the  ministerial  powers  with  which  Christ  endowed  His 
Church  are  exercised. 

Our  Lord  instituted  His  ministry  and  gave  it  authority  to  act  in  His 
Name  in  preaching,  baptising,  absolving,  blessing,  ordaining,  and 
offering  the  holy  memorial  sacrifice. 

It  is  a  common  error  to  suppose  He  did  this  at  any  one  time  or  by  one 
act.  Following  the  divine  method  it  was  a  gradual  and  progressive 
work. 

He  first  called  the  disciples  and  chose  from  them  twelve,  and  named  the 

twelve  "Apostles"  at  the  time  of  their  appointment. 

• 

He  gave  them  a  special  training  and  enlightenment,  and  commissioned 
them  for  their  work  by  gradually  associating  them  with  His  own  three 
fold  office. 

It  has  been  stated  how  during  His  prophetical  ministration  He  bade 
them  go  and  teach,  and  gave  them  the  power  to  decide  on  matters  of 
doctrine  and  discipline.  "He  that  heareth  you  heareth  Me."  "What 
soever  ye  bind  on  earth,  is  bound  in  heaven." 

When  as  priest  offering  up  the  Holy  Sacrifice,  He  bade  them  "Do  this 
in  remembrance  of  Me,"  and  associated  them  with  His  priesthood. 

When  He  had  risen  in  the  exercise  of  His  Kingship  He  bade  them  make 
subjects  of  the  Kingdom  by  baptism,  and  to  restore,  those  who  had 
by  sin  forfeited  their  citizenship,  by  absolution. 

These  and  all  the  powers  belonging  to  their  ministry  He  gave  one  by 
one,  accompanying  the  commission  by  some  significant  action. 


But  as  yet  they  were  not  consecrated  or  empowered.  It  was  not  until 
the  day  of  Pentecost  that  their  consecration  was  completed. 

Then  the  Holy  Ghost,  with  the  outward  signs  of  wind  and  fire,  descended 
on  the  collected  Church  and  made  it  a  living  spiritual  organism  and 
the  Apostles  became  "able  ministers  of  the  word,"  able  to  do  what 
they  had  been  commissioned  to  do. 

The  case  of  S.  Matthias  is  in  conformity  with  this  order.  The  Apostles, 
not  having  received  the  Holy  Ghost,  are  unable  to  consecrate  one  to 
fill  the  vacancy.  They  do  not  even  choose  or  select.  As  Christ  had 
called  them  so  must  Christ  show  whom  He  had  chosen,  which  He  did. 

Then  Matthias  being  thus  called  and  associated  with  the  twelve  was  able 
to  be  consecrated  with  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  along  with  the  others, 
and  was  made  an  Apostle. 

The  continued  presence  of  Christ  and  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Church  is 
witnessed  by  the  cases  of  Paul  and  Barnabas.  Christ  personally  ap 
pears  and  calls  Paul.  The  Holy  Spirit  audibly  manifests  Himself  at 
Antioch.  Then  Paul  and  Barnabas  being  called,  one  directly  by 
Christ,  the  other  through  the  Church,  receive  through  the  ministra 
tion  of  the  prophets  the  consecrating  gift  of  the  Spirit.  Lastly  they 
are  received  into  the  Apostles'  fellowship,  and  "are  numbered  with 
the  Apostles." 


123 


ARTICLE  III.     THE  EXTENSION  OF    Cits  Necessity. 

HOLY  ORDERS.  \  The  Apostolic  Agency. 


THE  EX 
TENSION 

OF   THE 

MINISTRY. 


'Its 
necessity. 


The 

Apostolic 
.agency. 


'It  was  necessary,  if  Christ  was  not  speedily  to  return,  that  the  Church 
should  be  provided  with  officers  and  a  ministry. 

The  Apostles,  filled  with  the  wonders  of  the  Ascension  and  Pentecost, 
looked  for  an  early  Advent  and  had  to  be  educated  in  respect  of  this 
ministerial  need. 

It  may  be  that  our  Lord  gave  them  some  instructions  concerning  this 
during  the  forty  days  when  He  spoke  to  them  of  the  things  concern 
ing  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

But  Christ  dwelt  in  the  Church,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  gave,  in  the  cases 
of  Paul  and  Barnabas,  a  demonstration  of  His  will  regarding  the  ex 
tension  of  the  ministry. 

It  was  to  be  made  (Christ  acting  through  the  Apostles)  in  the  same 
way  as  they  themselves  had  been  made  Apostles. 

Its  members  were  to  be  called  out  by  authority  from  the  body  of  disci 
ples,  and  be  brought  by  the  Apostles  into  official  union  with  them 
selves  and  Christ. 

The  ordained  would  receive  from  Christ  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  for 
the  performance  of  their  office  and  grace  for  themselves. 

The  Apostles  were  thus  enlightened  internally  by  the  Holy  Spirit  and 
forced  to  act  by  outward,  providentially  ordered,  circumstances. 

Under  this  inspiration  and  guidance  the  one  Apostolic  Order,  in  its  per 
manent  qualities,  unfolded  itself  in  the  triple  form  of  bishop,  priest, 

.     and  deacon. 

•"The  Twelve"  stand  in  their  relation  to  Christ  and  the  Church  in  a 

double  capacity  or  twofold  order. 
They  had  a  unique  office  in  bearing  witness  to  the  resurrection  and 

were   endowed    for   their    foundation    office    with    special   gifts   of 

inspiration  and  the  working  of  miracles. 

The  Twelve  were  the  foundation  stones  laid  on  Christ,  the  underlying 

Rock.    S.  Peter  was  "first,"  Cephas  a  rock  himself,  the  key-bearer, 

door  opener,  shepherdising  the  sheep  of  the  old  dispensation  and 

lambs  of  the  new  into  the  kingdom. 
But  this  order  of  foundation  stones  and  foundation  laying  could  have 

no  successor. 
The  Twelve,  however,  had  been  united  to  the  three  offices  of  Christ 

which  were  to  be  extended  and  were  necessarily  transmissible. 
No  one  had  in  this  respect  received  any  gift  or  office  different  from  any 

other,  consequently  there  was  nothing  in  the  Apostolate,  as  it  was  to 

be  continued,  from  which  an  earthly  head  could  be  developed. 
They  had  as  a  collegiate  body  received  mission  and  jurisdiction  over 

all  nations,  which  each  possessed  in  joint  tenancy  with  the  others. 
The  Apostles  by  sending  Peter  and  John  to  Samaria,  and  dividing  the 

jurisdiction  of  the  Gentiles  and  Jews  between  S.  Peter  and  S.  Paul, 

showed  that  S.  Peter  did  not  exercise  jurisdiction  over  them,  but  they 

over  Peter. 
As  united  to  the  three  offices  of  Christ,  they  ordained  and  gathered 

others  into  different  degrees  of  authority  with  themselves  and  the 

ministry  of  Christ  in  whose  Name  they  acted. 

By  this  union,  holy  orders  are  given  by  their  successors;   and  the  only 
..     authorised  ministry  of  Christ  is  an  Apostolically  derived  one. 


THE    THREE    ORDERS 


ARTICLE  IV.    THE  THREE  ORDERS. 


(  Difference  between  Priesthood  and 
J      ^e  Prophetical  Office. 
I  Evolution  of  the  Three  Orders. 
Their  Final  Establishment. 


THE 

THREE 

ORDERS. 


Prophets 

and 

Priests. 


Deacons, 

Presbyters, 

Bishops. 


Final 
establish 
ment. 


Holy  Scripture  reveals  two  kinds  of  God's  ministers:  —  priests  and 
prophets. 

In  the  first  dispensation  the  priests  were  designated  by  belonging  to 
a  special  tribe  or  family.  They  formed  an  order  by  virtue  of  their 
natural  descent  and  ordination. 

The  Christian  priest  is  not  an  ambassador  of  the  unseen  God,  but  of 
the  God-Man,  Christ  Jesus;  and  must  therefore  receive  his  cre 
dentials  from  Him,  as  from  any  earthly  monarch,  by  visible  means 
and  through  the  established  agency. 

The  prophets  are  not  an  "order,"  but  persons,  who  have  received  spir 
itual  gifts  for  a  special  work. 

If  the  sectarian  preachers  claim  to  be  prophets  then  they  should  not 
be  ordained ;  if  ministers  of  Christ,  they  could  only  be  such  by  being 
ordained  by  "the  Order"  Christ  authorised  to  act  for  Him. 


Very  gradually  the  Apostolic  order  unfolded  itself. 

It  is  helpful  to  see  how  God  has  used  the  quarrels  within  the  Church,  as 

well  as  the  persecutions  from  without,  to  forward  the  divine  purposes. 
The  disputes  between  the   Jewish  and  Gentile  converts  forced  the 

Apostles  to  ask  for  relief  in  serving  tables. 
The  disciples  selected  seven  persons  out  of  their  number,  and  the 

Apostles  ordained  them  by  prayer  and  laying  on  of  their  hands. 
This  ordination  shows  it  was  not  to  a  mere  eleemosynary  or  charity 

distributing  office  to  which  they  were  appointed. 
The  Apostles,  possibly  building  wiser  than  they  knew,  under  God,  laid 

the  foundation  of  the  ripened  order  of  deacons. 
Some  are  found  preaching  and  baptising,  doing  evangelistic  work,  and 

finally  a  recognised  order  of  the  ministry  is  formed.    Phil.  i.  2. 
The  necessity  of  leaving  some  one  in  charge  of  newly  formed  congrega 
tions,  led  S.  Paul  and  S.  Barnabas  to  ordain  elders  in  every  church. 

Acts  xiv.  4 ;  Titus  i.  3. 
We  have  this  order  recognised  by  the  church  and  sitting  in  council  with 

the  Apostles  at  Jerusalem. 
The  growing  needs  of  the  church  and  possibly  troubles  at  Corinth  led 

eventually  to  the  establishment  of  a  higher  order  representative  of 

the  Apostles. 
Timothy  and  Titus  are  ordained  and  made  Apostolic  delegates  with 

the  power  of  ordination.     No  other  order  save  the  Apostles  and 

those  who  represent  them  are  recorded  as  having  this  power. 
While  the  Apostles  were  for  the  most  part  engaged  in  missionary  labours, 

the  church  at  Jerusalem  was  presided  over  by  a  locally  resident 

Apostle,  S.  James. 


At  Jerusalem  we  find  the  three  orders  established  and  as  the  church 
extended  throughout  the  world,  it  conformed  itself  to  the  type  given 
in  the  Mother  Church. 

The  second  order  that  was  called  presbyters  and  once  overseers,  finally 
became  known  by  the  former  one;  and  the  title  overseer  or  bishop, 
when  the  original  order  of  the  Twelve  had  passed,  was  given  to  those 
in  the  first  rank  of  the  ministry. 


THE    PRIESTHOOD 


C  The  Priesthood  of  the  Church. 
ARTICLE  V.  <  The  Priestly  Title  of  its  Ministers. 
\^Their  Priestly  Powers. 


THE 
PRIEST 
HOOD. 


'The 
Church's 
priest 
hood. 


The 

priestly 

title. 


The 

priestly 

powers. 


'By  baptism  we  are  made  partakers  of  the  nature  of  Christ,  by  confirma 
tion  of  his  offices ;  and  so  the  Church  is  possessed  of  a  mediatorial  and 
priestly  character. 

All  its  members,  by  virtue  of  the  laying  on  of  hands  in  confirmation,  are 
united  to  Jesus  Christ  as  the  High  Priest;  and  so,  subordinate  to  Him, 
minister  unto  God. 

As  Israel  was  made  a  consecrated  people,  and  a  kingdom  of  priests,  so  by 
Jesus  Christ  was  His  Church  made  a  body  of  "Kings  and  Priests  unto 
God." 

The  ministers,  taken  from  this  body,  have  as  members  of  it  a  priestly  char 
acter,  and  being  ordained  to  perform  priestly  functions  form  a  sacerdotal 
order. 

The  title  of  "priest"  in  the  old  Hebrew  sense  of  "hierus"  or  a  sacrificing 
priest  is  given  in  the  prophecies  of  the  Bible  to  the  ministers  of  the  Chris 
tian  Church. 

Speaking  of  the  Christian  dispensation  it  was  declared  that  then  God  would 
take  of  the  Gentiles  "for  priests  and  Levites."  Is.  Ixvi.  21.  The  same 
title  of  "priest "  is  used  in  the  New  Testament  (Rev.  i.  6),  and  as  requir 
ing  a  priesthood  there  were  to  be  Christian  altars.  Heb.  xiii.  10. 

S.  Paul  in  dwelling  on  the  grace  given  him  as  an  Apostle  uses  throughout 
terms  of  priesthood.  Rom.  xv.  16.  The  grace  has  been  given  him  that 
he  as  a  priest  (Aeiroupyov),  offering  up  (tepeyoiWa)  a  sacrificial  offering 
(Trpoarifiopa) ,  it  might  be  acceptable. 

At  the  beginning  the  title  of  presbyter  or  elder  was  taken.  This  title  was 
not  taken  from  the  synagogue,  for  that  elder  did,  by  virtue  of  his  office, 
neither  preach,  nor  pray,  nor  sing. 

The  priesthood  was  changed  (Heb.  vii.  12),  and  a  new  name  was  taken  to 
discriminate  between  the  old  and  new  priesthood  and  to  mark  the  new 
one's  connection  with  Christ. 

For  the  old  priesthood  was  only  a  temporary  and  substituted  one.  It  was 
temporarily  accepted  in  place  of  the  first  born  or  "elder,"  to  whom  by 
right  of  birth  the  priesthood  belonged. 

It  was  to  pass  away  when  the  true  First-born  and  our  Elder  Brother,  Jesus 
Christ,  should  come.  Hence  the  name  elder  or  presbyter  marks  the 
higher  character  of  the  Christian  priesthood  by  its  connection  with  Jesus 
Christ. 

The  universal  use  of  the  word  "priest "  as  the  shortened  form  of  presbyter, 
with  the  ancient  sense  attached  to  it,  shows  that  the  church  has  always 
believed  she  possessed  a  sacerdotal  priesthood. 

The  question  is,  however,  not  one  of  names  but  of  powers,  and  as  the  Chris 
tian  minister  has  given  him  the  same  powers  as  the  Jewish  priest,  only 
in  a  higher  degree,  it  is  thereby  demonstrated  that  he  has  a  priestly 
character. 

The  eight  powers  of  the  Jewish  priest  were  to  admit  to  the  covenant,  to 
teach  (Mai.  ii.  7);  to  judge  (Deu.  xix.  17);  to  rule  (Deu.  xvii.  11,  12); 
to  reconcile  (Lev.  xiv.  11);  to  offer  sacrifice  (Lev.  ix.  7);  to  intercede 
(Num.  xvi.  46-48) ;  to  bless  (Num.  vi.  23-26). 

The  Christian  ministry  likewise  was  to  admit  by  baptism,  to  teach  authori 
tatively  (S.  Matt,  xviii.  20);  to  judge  (S.  Matt.  xvii.  17);  to  rule 
(S.  Matt,  xviii.  18) ;  to  reconcile  (S.  John  xx.  22,  23) ;  to  do  or  offer 
(S.  Luke  xxii.  19;  Heb.  xiii.  10);  to  intercede  (S.  James  v.  14,  15);  to 
bless  (II  Cor.  xiii.  14). 


ORDINATION 


ORDINATION. 


The 

minister. 


The 
subject. 


("Minister  of  the  Sacrament. 
ARTICLE  VI.    THE  GIVING  OF  HOLY  ORDERS.  •<  Its  Subject. 

[^  The  Matter  and  Form. 

In  the  Holy  Scriptures  we  find  no  ordinations  conferred  save  by  the 
Apostles  or  those  who  had  been  invested  with  their  authority. 

This  power  resides  by  the  Church's  custom  exclusively  in  the  bishops. 
"What  is  there,"  says  S.  Jerome,  "which  a  bishop  can  do  and  a 
priest  cannot  do,  save  ordaining." 

The  Anglican  Church  does  not  recognise  any  other  orders  except 
those  of  Episcopal  ordination.  It  receives  Roman  priests  with 
out  further  ordination,  but  requires  it  of  all  sectarian  ministers. 

The  bishops  who  ordain  should,  according  to  the  ancient  canons, 
have  jurisdiction. 

The  subject  should  be  of  the  male  sex,  a  member  of  the  Christian 

body  by  baptism,  without  which  the  ordination  is  invalid. 
He  should  be  of  the  age  required  by  the  canons,  and  exempt  or 

dispensed  from  canonical  irregularity. 
He  should  have  a  vocation  to  the  ecclesiastical  state  and  a  sufficient 

knowledge  of  the  Catholic  faith  and  a  determination  to  teach  it. 
He  pledges  himself  to  the  reverent  offering  of  the  Holy  Sacrifice  as 

provided  for;   to  the  daily  recitation  of  the  divine  office;   and  to 

holiness  of  life. 

•There  has  been  much  discussion  concerning  the  matter  and  form 
of  the  sacrament. 

It  has  been  admitted  that  the  words  "Receive  the  Holy  Ghost" 
are  not  of  ancient  use,  being  unknown  for  nigh  twelve  hundred 
years,  and  the  delivery  of  the  chalice  and  paten  introduced  about 
the  tenth  century,  though  once  so  stated  by  papal  authority,  is 
not  of  the  matter. 

It  is  now  held  that  all  that  is  required  is  the  imposition  of  the  bishop's 
hands  with  prayer,  and  a  definite  expression  of  the  order  to  be 
conveyed. 

The  Anglican  Church  at  the  revisal  of  her  ordinal  deliberately  pre 
served  the  three  sacred  orders  and  officially  stated  in  its  preface 
her  intention  that  these  orders  as  they  had  been  should  be  "con 
tinued." 

This  official  and  explicit  statement  of  her  purpose  and  intention  in 
the  revisal  must  govern  the  ordinal's  construction.  It  was  to 
make  more  clear,  full,  and  scriptural  the  conveyance  of  the 
sacerdotium. 

Thus  in  the  ordination  of  a  priest,  the  candidate  being  a  deacon,  is 
presented  to  the  bishop  "to  receive  the  order  of  priesthood." 

The  bishop  after  prayer  ordained  him  (according  to  the  form  used 
in  Elizabeth's  time),  laying  his  hands  upon  his  head  and  saying, 
"Receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  whose  sins  thou  dost  forgive,  they  are 
forgiven ;  and  whose  sins  thou  dost  retain,  they  are  retained ;  and 
be  thou  a  faithful  dispenser  of  the  word  of  God  and  of  His  holy 
sacraments." 

There  is  thus  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  given  for  the  office,  desig 
nated  by  the  special  work  which  only  a  priest  can  perform;  and 
also  the  whole  range  of  priestly  power  in  the  delivering  the  word 
and  administering  all  "the  sacraments,"  which  includes  the  offer 
ing  of  the  Holy  Sacrifice. 

For  the  further  manifestation  of  her  mind,  the  Anglican  Church  in 
her  last  revision  in  1662  added  the  words,  "Receive  the  Holy 
Ghost  for  the  office  and  work  of  a  Priest  in  the  Church  of  God." 

The   supernatural   effects   wrought  by  her  sacraments  prove  that 

•     the  Anglican  Church  is  possessed  of  the  priesthood. 


Matter 

and 

form. 


MARRIAGE    AS    A    SACRAMENT 


127 


CHAPTER  VIII.     HOLY  MATRIMONY 


ARTICLE  I.    ITS  SACRAMENTAL  CHARACTER,  f  ^firmed  by  the  Father, 

[^     oon,  and  Holy  Ghost. 


"Established 

by  the            •< 
Father 

and 

the  Son. 

MARRIAGE 

AS   A                      •< 

SACRAMENT. 

'Holy  matrimony  is  a  sacrament  ordained  by  God. 
It  has  the  distinguished  honour  of  having  all  three  persons  of  the 

Blessed  Trinity  severally  engaged  in  its  formation. 
The  Holy  Father  created  human  nature  in  the  dual  form  of  man 

and  woman.     "Male  and  female  created  He  them." 
The  sex  appetite  for  the  extension  of  the  race,  like  hunger  and 

thirst  given  for  the  sustaining  of  the  body,  is  the  gift  and  creation 

of  God  and  as  such  is  in  itself  good.    "And  God  saw  everything 

that  He  had  made,  and  behold  it  was  very  good." 
All  the  appetites  when  properly  used  are  thus  well  pleasing  to  God 

and  to  His  glory.     "Whether  ye  eat  or  drink  or  whatsoever  ye 

do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God." 
The  transmission  of  life  is  honourable  among  all  men  and  child 

bearing  is  meritorious. 
Marriage  was  established  in  man's  state  of  innocence,  and  by  it 

God  made  a  revelation  of  His  own  image. 
In  the  man  as  the  beginning  and  source,  and  the  partner  begotten 

from  the  man,  and  the  offspring  proceeding  from  the  twain,  we 

have  a  type  of  the  Trinity. 

On  this  marital  union,  as  an  outward  sign  of  Himself,  God  the 
-     Father  gave  His  blessing.    It  was  a  sacrament  of  nature. 

"Jesus  Christ  had  not  to  establish  matrimony  as  He  did  the  other 
sacraments,  because  it  had  already  been  founded. 

He  republished  its  sacramental  character  and  restored  it  in  the 
Christian  system  to  its  original  dignity. 

Christ  not  only  reasserted  its  divine  institution,  but  by  virtue  of 
His  divine  authority,  its  elevation  as  a  divine  mystery  of  the 
gospel. 

By  the  miracle  wrought  at  the  marriage  feast  He  showed  how  all 
former  ordinances,  including  marriage,  were  changed  into  those 
of  a  higher  degree. 

He  begins  His  miracles  at  a  marriage  to  teach  that  the  Incarnation 
was  itself  a  marriage  between  the  human  and  divine  natures  and 
also  that  He  was  in  the  new  creation  the  bridegroom  and  the 
Church  the  bride. 

In  the  union  of  the  man  and  woman  whom  God  declared  as  mak 
ing  one  flesh,  there  is  an  outward  sign  of  the  dual  natures  in  the 
Incarnation  united  in  oneness,  which  Christian  marriage  in  the 
Lord  symbolises. 

In  the  Christian  marriage  there  is  also  set  forth  the  mystery  of  the 
union  between  Christ  and  His  Church  on  which  a  blessing  or 
grace  is  given.  It  is  thus  both  republished  and  elevated  by 
Christ  into  a  gospel  sacrament. 

For  holy  Thou  indeed  dost  prove 

The  marriage  vow  to  be, 
Proclaiming  it  a  type  of  love 

Between  the  Church  and  Thee. 


128       THE    CHARACTER    OF    HOLY    MATRIMONY 


The  sacramental  character  of  Holy  Matrimony  as  a  state  signifi 
cant  of  a  mystery  and  coupled  with  a  grace  is  revealed  by  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

The  mystery  it  signifies  is  the  union  of  Christ  and  His  Church. 
Thus  it  is  written,  "the  husband  is  the  head  of  the  wife  even  as 
Christ  is  the  head  of  the  Church." 

"As  the  Church  is  subject  unto  Christ  so  let  wives  be  to  their  own 
husbands."     "Husbands  love  your  wives  as  Christ  loved  the 
As  re-  Church  and  gave  Himself  for  it." 

vealed  by         I  For  this  cause  shall  they  be  joined  and  "they  two  shall  be  one 
the  Holy  flesh."     "This  is  a  great  mystery  (or  sacrament)  but  I  speak 

Ghost.  concerning  Christ  and  the  Church." 

The  elevation  of  matrimony  under  the  gospel  implies,  as  setting 

forth  a  divine  mystery,  a  gift  of  grace. 

Also  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  the  respective  duties  of  each  partner 
are  given,  and  where  duties  are  assigned  grace  is  vouchsafed 
for  their  performance. 

There  are  thus  the  divine  authors,  the  symbolical  state,  the  grace 
of  the  sacrament,  and  the  increase  of  sanctifying  grace  bestowed 
for  its  duties. 


ARTICLE  II.    THE  CHARACTER  OF    Cits  Monogamy. 

HOLY  MATRIMONY.  \Its  Indissolubility. 


IIS 

monogamous-: 
character. 

THE 

CHARACTER    < 
OF  HOLY 

MATRIMONY. 

Its  indis- 

w  solubility. 

The  divinely  ordained  monogamous  character  is  set  forth  by  the 

primal  creation  of  but  one  man  and  one  woman  as  its  subjects. 
When  man  was  in  his  fallen  state,  polygamy  was  practised  by  those 

in  recognised  covenant  with  God. 
God  did  not  allow  of  polygamy  as  something  wrong  in  itself,  which 

it  was  not,  but  as  allowable  to  those  who  had  not  the  Christian 

grace  requisite  for  holy  matrimony. 
When  matrimony  was  restored  by  Christ  to  its  original  institution, 

and  grace  was  given,  polygamy  was  no  longer  allowable,  but  a 

sin. 
As  the  Christian  sacrament  was  to  bear  witness  to  Christ  and  His 

Church,  there  could  be  only  one  bridegroom  and  one  bride. 

Second  marriages  were,  however,  conceded  by  the  Church. 

The  bond  of  Christian  marriage  is  indissoluble  save  by  death.  The 
duties  of  parents  to  children  and  of  children  to  parents  in  old  age 
is  a  reason  of  nature  for  this. 

The  welfare  of  the  state  which  is  based  on  that  of  the  permanence 
of  the  family  also  demands  it.  Either  party  may,  however,  sepa 
rate  from  the  other  on  the  grounds  of  adultery,  peril  of  life,  grave 
causes  of  a  religious  or  moral  character,  but  neither  may  re 
marry. 

For  the  cases  of  the  allowed  remarriage  of  converts  and  mixed 
marriages  (I  Cor.  vii.  12-16)  see  Watkins  on  Matrimony,  pages 
438-590. 

One  religious  reason  why  the  innocent  party  in  the  case  of  the  un 
faithfulness  of  the  other  cannot  marry  is  that  if  the  bond  is 
broken  for  one  it  is  for  both;  and  also  because  Christian  mar 
riage  is  to  bear  witness  to  the  indissolubility  of  Christ  and  the 
Church. 

Every  Christian  must  bear  witness  to  the  faith  by  his  life.  If  a 
great  calamity  has  befallen  him  he  must  bear  it,  knowing  God's 
grace  will  be  sufficient  for  him. 


HOLY    MATRIMONY 


129 


ARTICLE  III.    HOLY  MATRIMONY. 


°* 
and 


^Three 
kinds. 

HOLY 

MATRIMONY.  "* 

Matter 

and             •< 
form. 

Its 
blessings. 

Its 
^obstacles. 

-Marriage  in  Holy  Scripture  is  found  in  the  state  of  man's  innocence, 
in  his  unregenerate  condition,  and  in  his  restored  Christian  state. 

In  Christianity  it  has  somewhat  different  significations  and  regula 
tions  in  regard  to  different  classes  of  persons. 

The  marriage  of  the  baptised  laity  symbolises  the  union  of  Christ 
and  His  Church,  and  is  therefore  indissoluble. 

The  marriage  of  the  clergy  was  to  symbolise  the  oneness  of  the  bride 
groom  and  the  bride,  and  therefore  if  married  they  were  to  be  but 
'once  married.  See  Liddon's  notes  on  S.  Timothy  iii. 

This  seems  to  be  the  meaning  of  the  texts,  "a  bishop,"  "the  deacons," 
"must  be  the  husbands  of  one  wife." 

For  the  same  rule  is  also  given  for  the  "widows  "  who  are  to  be  placed 
on  the  Church's  roll.  She  "must  have  been  the  wife  of  one  man." 

There  is  also  the  mystical  marriage  of  those  consecrated  as  religious 
to  the  Lord,  by  which  the  all-sufficiency  of  the  eternal  Bridegroom 
and  His  grace  is  declared. 

In  regard  to  the  matter  and  form  there  has  been  much  dispute.  The 
matter  may  be  regarded  as  the  baptised  persons  who  seek  to  be 
united  in  marriage. 

The  form,  the  actual  union  by  mutual  consent,  whereby  their  wills 
or  souls  are  united,  and  the  consummation  by  which  their  bodies 
are  united. 

The  priest's  blessing  is  not  of  the  essence  of  the  sacrament,  but  con 
veys  a  grace  for  the  performance  of  its  duties. 

Matrimony  is  not  only  a  sacrament,  but  a  sacramental  state. 

It  sanctifies  the  sources  of  natural  life.  It  is  the  consecration  of 
natural  paternity.  It  purifies  the  affections  of  the  family.  It  gives 
to  the  married  an  increase  of  sanctifying  grace. 

It  imposes  the  duties  of  mutual  love  and  conjugal  fidelity,  of  mutual 
support  and  modesty,  of  the  Christian  education  of  their  children. 

The  obstacles,  "diriment,"  i.e.,  annulative  or  prohibitive,  are: 

Those  which  make  the  supposed  marriage  null  and  void,  from  rela 
tionship  forbidden  by  God, 

Where  there  was  an  essential  error  of  the  person  by  fraud  or  other 
wise,  but  not  of  the  condition,  wealth,  or  social  position  of  the 
party, 

Where  there  was  a  lack  of  free  consent,  which  might  be  even  if  the 
words  of  the  marriage  service  were  uttered, 

Where  violence  was  resorted  to,  or  the  person  in  grave  fear, 
Where  there  was  a  defect  of  legal  or  canonical  age, 
Where  one  party  was  insane  or  physically  incompetent. 

In  order  that  the  marriage  be  the  sacrament  of  Christian  matrimony 
both  parties  must  be  baptised,  otherwise  the  union  is  not  "in  the 
Lord." 

9 


i3o 


HOLY    UNCTION 


CHAPTER  IX.    HOLY  UNCTION.  • 

Cits  Origin. 
<  Its  Nature, 
[its  Effects. 

HOLT 

UNCTION. 


'Its 
origin. 


Its 

nature. 


Its 

effects. 


Christ  who  redeemed  both  body  and  soul  provided  salutary  remedies  for 
each  against  their  enemies. 

He  gave  power  to  His  Apostles  to  cast  out  devils,  to  heal  the  sick,  to  make 
men's  bodies  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  so  to  unite  them  to  Him 
self  that  death  would  have  no  permanent  dominion  over  them. 

The  Church's  mode  of  dealing  with  the  sick  was  formally  promulgated  by 
S.  James,  the  presiding  Apostle  at  the  Mother  Church  of  Jerusalem. 

The  Apostolic  action  was  probably  forwarded  in  this  as  in  the  case  of  holy 
orders,  by  the  circumstances  of  the  primitive  church. 

The  Holy  Spirit  had  endowed  it  with  supernatural  gifts  and  among  them 
were  those  of  healing.  In  the  exercise  of  this  gift  it  was  but  natural 
some  disorders  and  dangers  should  arise. 

For  the  good  order  of  the  Church,  the  Apostle  ruled  that  the  sick  were 
not  to  send  to  the  persons  specially  endowed  with  healing  gifts,  but  to 
the  regularly  ordained  clergy. 

Their  ministrations  were  quite  sufficient  through  their  faith  as  were  those 
of  the  prophet  Elijah. 

As  the  well  being  of  the  body  is  subservient  to  that  of  the  soul,  the  firgt 
step  to  restoration  is  its  healing.  This  the  lay,  faith  or  miracle  healer, 
could  not  do  as  the  priest  could. 

The  sick  was  therefore  to  make  first,  confession,  and  become  reconciled 
and  at  peace  with  God.  Then  prayer  and  anointing  with  oil  were  to 
follow ;  and  if  God  so  willed,  the  sick  would  recover ;  if  not,  receiving 
spiritual  benefit  he  would  depart  in  peace. 

'Regarded  as  a  sacrament  its  suggestion  is  found  in  the  action  of  Christ 
in  sending  out  the  Apostles  with  power  against  man's  enemies. 

"And  they  cast  out  many  devils  and  anointed  with  oil  many  that  were 
sick  and  healed  them." 

The  sacrament  has  been  known  by  many  names,  viz.:  the  "Oil  of  Bless 
ing,"  the  "Oil  of  Prayer,"  "The  Holy  Oil,"  "The  Extreme  or  Last 
Unction." 

It  not  being  in  the  nature  of  a  public  office  nor  necessary  for  salvation, 
it  does  not  find  place  in  early  apologies,  etc.,  but  is  witnessed  to  inci 
dentally  by  some  of  the  fathers  and  by  the  concurrent  custom  of  East- 
em  and  Western  Christendom. 

The  oil  is  blest  by  a  bishop  in  the  West ;  by  several  priests,  or,  if  necessary, 
by  one  in  the  Eastern  church. 

'The  effects  are  forgiveness,  if  aught  remains  unforgiven ;  the  restoration 
to  health  if  it  is  for  the  soul's  good  or  the  benefit  of  Holy  Church;  the 
support  of  the  soul  in  its  passing;  the  establishing  it  in  its  hold  on 
Christ ;  the  giving  it  a  victory  over  its  last  temptations ;  the  casting  out 
all  fear  by  love;  and  bestowing  a  final  adornment  for  presentation  at 
the  Court  of  the  Great  King. 

It  is  a  sacrament  that  is  to  be  administered  when  the  illness  is  of  a  serious, 
or  likely  to  be  permanent,  character  and  may  be  repeated. 


THE    EUCHARIST    IN    ITSELF 


CHAPTER  X.    THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST:  A  SACRIFICE  AND  SACRAMENT 


ARTICLE  I.    THE  EUCHARIST  IN  ITSELF, 


Its  Pre-eminence. 

The  Dignity  of  the  Sacrament. 


THE 

EUCHARIST 
IN  ITSELF. 


'Reason  for 
its  pre 
eminence. 


Its  great 
dignity. 


The  Holy  Eucharist  is  the  most  august  and  sublime  of  all  the  sacra 
ments. 

It  is  the  greatest  and  most  venerated  in  that  it  contains  not  only 
grace,  but  Jesus  Christ  Himself,  the  Author  and  Source  of  all 
grace. 

In  the  other  sacraments  grace  is  bestowed  in  the  act  by  which  it  is 
communicated  to  the  receiver,  but  the  Holy  Eucharist  requires 
by  the  previous  consecration  of  the  elements  the  presence  of 
Christ  before  the  communion. 

The  Article  XXVIII  of  the  Anglican  Church  declares  that  the  Body 
of  Christ  is  "given"  and  "taken"  in  the  sacrament,  and  in  order 
to  be  "given  and  taken  "  it  must  be  there  before  it  is  received. 

The  sacrament  is  thus  most  eminent  because  it  contains  Christ  in 
a  way  that  the  other  sacraments  do  not. 

By  the  act  of  baptism  the  child  receives  Christ's  nature  and  is  born 
anew.  By  the  consecration  of  the  elements  Christ  is  made  present 
objectively  to  all,  whether  they  receive  or  not. 


It  is  of  the  highest  dignity  because  it  is  the  end  of  all  the  others  which 
are  related  to  it  either  by  way  of  preparation  or  preservation  of 
its  fruits. 

It  is  the  most  extensive  and  noble  of  sacraments  as  the  one  in  which 
the  whole  church  unites  in  making  it  the  chief  act  of  worship. 

It  is  the  sacrament  by  which  Christ  reveals  the  institutional  and 
churchly  character  of  His  Religion,  for  the  meal  in  common  de 
notes  a  Christian  family. 

It  is  the  sacrament  most  blessed  as  securing  to  the  Church  Militant 
the  veiled  but  real  presence  of  Christ  as  her  head. 

It  is  the  sacrament  of  prodigies,  whereby  the  supernatural  power  of 
Christ  over  nature,  in  making  the  elements  subordinate  to  His 
word,  is  seen  abiding  in  the  Church. 

It  is  the  sacrament  which  testifies  to  the  emancipation  of  Christ's 
risen  and  ascended  Body  from  the  control  of  earthly  conditions, 
and  gives  to  the  faithful  a  test  of  faith. 

It  is  a  sacrament  which  marks  God's  progressive  action  over  crea 
tion,  in  creation,  and  by  creation.  He  spoke  and  the  world  was. 
He  entered  it  and  the  "Word  was  made  flesh."  He  completed  it 

saying,  "This  is  My  Body." 

Christ  thus  provided  the  means  by  which  man  could  be  elevated  by 
a  new  union  with  Himself,  and  so  creation  became  complete. 

It  is  the  sacrament  par  excellence  of  the  Love  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
it  is  a  sacrament  so  marked  by  the  love,  goodness,  compassion, 
hiddenness,and  beauty  of  God,  that  God  only  could  have  invented  it. 

It  is  the  sacrament  of  mysterious  depths,  baffling  to  human  reason, 
..     yet  ever  unfolding  its  meaning  and  powers  to  devotion  and  faith. 


THE    HOLY    EUCHARIST 


ARTICLE  II.    THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST. 


Its  Author. 

Its  Threefold  Character. 


rite 

author, 
Jesus 
Christ. 

THE 
HOLY              < 
EUCHARIST. 

Its 
three 
fold 
^character. 

'Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  author  and  promulgator  of  this  Holy 

Sacrament. 

Every  circumstance  connected  with  it  declares  its  solemn  and  mys 
terious  character. 
The  selection  of  the  large,  furnished,  upper  room  is  not  without 

significance.    Christ  may  be  born  in  a  cave,  but  nothing  less  than 

the  best  in  Jerusalem  will  do  for  this  solemn  service  and  worship 

of  God. 
The  miraculous  means  by  which  it  was  taken,  building  it  by  no 

earthly  means  or  sound  of  axe  or  hammer,  was  fitting  to  the  first 

Christian  temple.     S.  Luke  xxii.  10. 
The  ceremonial  of  the  Paschal  Supper  was  a  fitting  liturgical  prelude 

to  a  partaking  of  "the  Lamb  that  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the 

world." 
The  symbolical  action  of  our  Lord  laying  aside  His  upper  garment, 

typical  of  His  laying  aside  His  glory,  and  His  girding  Himself  with 

the  towel,  significant  of  our  humanity,  betokened  His  priestly 

vesting. 
He  washed  the  feet  of  the  Apostles,  signifying  their  association  with 

His  priesthood,  and  wiped  them  with  the  towel  wherewith  He  was 

girded. 
He  then  fulfils  the  type  of  the  Melchisedecian  priesthood,  and  takes 

the  bread  and  wine,  and  voluntarily  offers  Himself  up  to  God  for 

man's  redemption. 
He  took  bread  and  gave  thanks  and  brake  it  saying,  "This  is  my 

Body  which  is  being  given  for  you.    This  cup  is  the  new  covenant 

in  my  Blood." 

It  was  something  the  Church  was  to  continue,  offering  it  as  a  memo- 
-     rial  sacrifice,  and  identifying  herself  with  it  by  feeding  upon  it. 

"The  Holy  Eucharist  is  a  witness,  a  sacrifice,  and  sacrament. 

In  addition  to  the  written  and  preached  word,  Christ  made  the  sacra 
ments  living  witnesses  of  Himself. 

The  Holy  Eucharist  is  a  witness  to  the  Incarnation,  Atonement, 
Resurrection.  It  bears  witness  to  the  Incarnation  by  the  words, 
"This  is  My  Body,"  which  declare  that  God  took  our  nature  upon 
Him  and  wears  it  now. 

It  witnesses  to  the  death  of  Christ  by  the  breaking  of  the  Bread  and 
separate  consecration  of  the  cup  setting  forth  the  outpoured  Blood. 

It  declares  His  Resurrection  as  it  extends  and  applies  Christ's  life 
to  men  and  transforms  them  by  it.  It  is  a  living  witness  of  His 
resurrection. 

It  is  the  sacrificial  action  by  which  the  Church  pleads  the  death  of 
Christ,  and  in  union  with  which  the  Church,  offers  up  herself  to 
God. 

The  Eucharist  is  the  sacrament  which  brings  to  us  the  Body  and 
Blood  of  Christ  which  are  "spirit  and  are  life,"  and  so  have  a 
quickening  power. 

It  is  the  Tree  of  Life  planted  in  the  paradise  of  the  Church,  concern 
ing  which  the  forbidding  command  "not  to  eat"  is  now  reversed, 
and  we  are  bidden  "to  eat  and  live." 


THE    HOLY    EUCHARIST 


i33 


THE  HOLY 
EUCHARIST 
(continued). 


Its 
definition. 


fits  Definition. 

ARTICLE  III.     THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST.  •<  Matter  and  Form. 

[^  Objections. 

'It  is  the  gift  of  Christ  to  His  Church  to  be  a  Witness,  Sacrifice,  and 
Sacrament. 

It  is  the  re-presentation  of  the  sacrifice  of  Himself  that  He  volun 
tarily  and  formally  made  in  the  upper  chamber;  of  the  one 
offered  with  blood  shedding  on  the  Cross;  and  identical  with 
the  presentation  of  Himself  in  heaven  as  the  Lamb  slain  before 
the  foundation  of  the  world. 

It  is  the  sacrament  of  the  living  Bread.  Earthly  bread  we  incor 
porate  into  our  bodies,  the  heavenly  Bread  incorporates  us  into 
Himself. 

In  baptism  we  are  forgiven,  receive  a  seminal  principle  of  the  In 
carnate  nature,  are  born  into  the  Kingdom  of  Light.  In  the 
Eucharist,  Christ  gathers  us  up  into  union  with  His  glorified 
Body  and  prepares  us  for  the  beatific  vision. 

In  the  Eucharist  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ  are  given  us  under 
the  outward  form  of  bread  and  wine. 

The  Body  and  Blood  are  inclusive  of  Christ's  whole  humanity  and 
the  divine  nature  united  to  it. 

It  is  the  whole  Christ  that  is  present  and  is  given  under  each  kind. 
"He  that  eateth  Me  shall  live  by  Me."  "Whosoever  shall  eat 
the  bread  or  drink  the  cup  unworthily  shall  be  guilty  of  the 
Body  and  Blood  of  the  Lord."  R.  V. 

The  matter  is  wheaten  bread  and  the  fermented  juice  of  the  grape. 
The  bread  may  be  leavened  or  unleavened.  It  is  of  custom  to 
mingle  a  little  water  with  the  wine,  in  memory  of  the  blood  and 
water  from  Christ's  side,  and  symbolical  of  the  union  of  Christ 
and  His  Church. 

The  form  is  the  words  by  which  the  consecration  is  effected,  and 
are  those  of  the  Lord,  "This  is  My  Body,"  "This  is  My 
Blood." 

The  invocation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  after  the  consecration  as  in  the 
Eastern  and  American  liturgies,  testifies  as  in  the  latter  by  the 
use  of  the  word  "gifts"  in  addition  to  that  of  "creatures,"  that 
a  change  has  taken  place  and  prays  that  receiving  them  accord 
ing  to  "Christ's  holy  institution  we  may  be  partakers  of  His 
most  Blessed  Body  and  Blood." 

It  is  objected  that  Christ  is  at  "God's  Right  Hand."  It  is  by  rea 
son  of  this  that  His  Body  is  not  under  the  dominion  of  locality. 

It  is  objected  that  Christ  has  a  body  and  so  cannot  be  in  two  or 
more  places  at  the  same  time. 

Sacramental  presence,  however,  takes  place  in  the  sphere  of  the 
spiritual  body  of  Christ  and  material  laws  do  not  apply  to  it. 

Christ's  spiritual  body  is  not  ubiquitous,  but  by  reason  of  its  union 
with  the  divine  nature  it  can  appear  in  the  sphere  of  the  new 
creation  when  and  where  He  wills. 

Thus  S.  Stephen  saw  in  vision  Christ  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  but 
without  a  local  movement  He  could  appear  to  S.  Paul  in  the 
roadway. 

Another  objection  is  to  the  change  effected,  by  which  what  were 
bread  and  wine  only  become  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ. 

But  modern  science  having  done  away  with  what  were  formerly 
called  "primary  elements"  and  resolved  all  matter  into  a  mani 
festation  of  electric  force,  recognises  the  change  of  one  element 
into  another,  as  a  part  of  the  system  of  natural  law. 


Matter 
and  form. 


Objections. 


DIFFERENT    EUCHARISTIC    DOCTRINES 


( The  Different  Doctrines. 

ARTICLE  IV.    THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST.  <  Protestant  and  Catholic. 

and  Calvin. 


§1 

DIFFERENT 

EUCHARISTIC 

DOCTRINES. 


'The 
doctrine 
of  Zwingli. 


The 

Calvinistic 

doctrine. 


The  loss  of  the  episcopate  and  priesthood  by  sectarians  brought 
necessarily  with  it  the  loss  of  a  valid  sacrament  and  so  of  the 
Presence  of  Christ's  Body  and  Blood  in  the  sacrament. 

We  find  this  testified  to  by  their  devotional  literature,  and  their 
formularies  and  practice. 

They  naturally  repudiate  the  Church's  doctrine  of  the  objective 
Presence,  to  which  their  own  Christian  consciousness  does  not 
bear  witness,  and  receive  in  their  pews  or  sitting  about  a  table. 

The  doctrine  of  Zwingli,  which  is  now  that  of  most  sectarians,  re 
gards  the  elements  as  mere  symbols  of  a  Thing  absent. 

This  theory  contradicts  Christ's  words,  making  Hun  say  "This 
Bread  is  a  symbol  of  My  Body,"  not  "This,"  which  He  held  in 
His  Hand,  "is  My  Body." 

It  makes  the  sacrament  not  an  "effectual"  sign  of  grace  as  the 
Articles  affirm,  but  only  a  badge  or  token  or  empty  sign,  which 
the  Anglican  Articles  say  it  is  not. 


The  doctrine  of  Calvin  regards  the  elements  as  empty  but  holy 
signs,  on  receiving  which  the  heart  of  the  elect  believer,  being 
lifted  up  by  faith  to  Christ  in  heaven,  communicates  with  Him. 

This  theory  involves  a  dual  action,  one  on  earth  and  one  in  heaven. 
The  believing  soul  as  if  transported  into  heaven  in  a  super 
natural  manner  is  made  partaker  of  Christ. 

So  it  would  follow  if  there  were  no  true  believers  present  there 
would  be  no  sacrament. 


It  is  thus  only  a  spiritual  presence  in  the  heart  of  the  receiver, 
presence  is  called  theologically  a  virtual  presence. 


This 


A  somewhat  similar  doctrine  misinterprets  our  Lord's  words  of 
institution.  It  makes  them  read,  "This  Bread  eaten  with  faith 
will  be  accompanied  by  the  gift  of  My  Body." 

It  has  the  advantage  from  a  protestant  view-point  of  doing  away 
with  the  need  of  a  ministry,  and,  save  for  good  order,  a  layman 
might  make  a  communion  by  himself  out  of  common  bread. 

It  is  open  to  philosophical  objections  more  difficult  of  explana 
tion  than  those  which  identify  Christ's  Body  and  Blood  with 
the  consecrated  elements. 

It  does  not  satisfy  a  scholarly  interpretation  of  Christ's  words. 
Neither  of  these  forms  of  Protestantism  produces  the  same  high 
type  of  sacrifice  or  saintliness  of  character  seen  in  the  Catholic 
L     Church. 


DIFFERENT    EUGHARISTIG    DOCTRINES         i35 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST. 


The  Lutheran  Doctrine. 
The  Catholic  Doctrine. 


§  2 

DIFFERENT 
EUCHARISTIC 
DOCTRINES 
(continued). 


'The 
Lutheran 
doctrine. 


The 

Catholic 

.doctrine. 


The  Lutheran  doctrine  repudiates  the  empty  symbolism  of  Zwingli 
and  avoids  the  dualism  of  Calvinism.  It  asserts  the  Real  Presence 
of  Christ  in  the  Eucharist. 

It  does  this  by  holding  that  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ  are  united 
to  the  elements,  "  by  a  marriage  of  the  heavenly  and  earthly 
substances." 

But  it  is  inconsistent  with  the  immemorial  and  universal  tradition 
and  consciousness  of  Catholic  Christendom  which  has  ever  re 
garded  the  act  of  consecration  as  determining  the  bread  and  wine 
to  be  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ. 

For  Lutheranism  holds  that  Christ  is  not  present  apart  from  the  act 
of  reception. 

It  declares  the  Real  Presence  of  Christ's  Body  and  Blood  but  ex 
plains  it  theologically  away.  It  argues  that  as  a  principle  of  God's 
life  is  behind  our  natural  food,  so  we  are  made  partakers  of  Christ 
as  the  principle  of  our  new  creation. 

The  presence  is  only  a  principle  of  Christ's  nature  that  we  receive. 
"It  is  the  power  of  Christ's  resurrection  that  is  in  the  bread  we 
eat." 

It  substitutes  for  Christ's  words,  "This  is  My  Body,"  the  words, 
"  This  is  Bread  and  Christ's  Body." 


The  Catholic  doctrine  takes  our  Lord's  words  literally  and  with 
out  change  or  alteration. 

Our  Lord  did  not  say  "This  Bread  is  My  Body."  If  He  had  named 
two  things  one  might  have  been  taken  as  a  representative  of  the 
other. 

Of  that  He  held  in  His  Hand  He  said,  "This  is  My  Body." 

There  is  this  difference  between  a  man's  naming  a  thing  and  God's 
naming  it\  Man  by  naming  anything  puts  it  in  a  class  of  things. 
When  God  names  anything  it  becomes  what  He  names  it. 

Bread  and  Wine  therefore  become  His  Body  and  Blood.  And  since 
Christ  Himself  is  present  His  act  of  condescension  calls  for  an 
act  of  worshipful  and  adoring  recognition  on  our  part. 

The  objective  reality  of  the  sensible  species,  which  popular  error 
has  tended  to  deny,  and  which  formed  a  difficulty  for  Catholic 
theologians  in  the  later  middle  ages  who  were  under  the  influence 
of  nominalism,  is  now  admitted. 

In  the  Latin  Communion  the  doctrine  of  the  Eucharistic  conver 
sion  is  designated  by  the  term  transubstantiation. 

In  popular  apprehension  this  is  conceived  of  as  transaccidentation. 
The  consecrated  elements  being  regarded  as  accidents  of  our 
Lord. 

It  is  this  conception  that  overthrows  the  nature  of  the  Sacrament 
and  is  condemned  by  our  Articles. 

In  the  Eastern  Church  the  metabola  or  change  is  called  from  esse, 
transessentialation. 

In  the  Anglican  communion,  the  reality  of  the  change  is  regarded, 
as  it  is  throughout  the  Catholic  Church. 

In  America  in  1837  Dr.  S.  F.  Jarvis,  Oriental  professor,  wrote:  It 
was  allowable  to  hold  "the  Real  Presence  of  Christ  in  the  Sacra 
ment  rising  to  a  mysterious  change,  by  which  the  very  elements 
themselves,  though  they  retain  their  original  properties,  are  cor 
porally  united  with  or  transformed  into  Christ." 


i36     TYPES  AND   USE   OF   THE   HOLY   EUCHARIST 


ARTICLE  V.    THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST. 


'Its  Anticipations  in  the 

Old  Testament. 
Its  Use  in  the  New. 


^Tvpes  in 
the  Old 

Testament. 

TYPES  AND 

USE   OF 

THE  HOLY    "* 

EUCHARIST. 

The 

use  in           ^ 

the  New 

^Testament. 

The  Holy  Eucharist  is  an  extension  of  the  Incarnation. 
It  would  be  strange  if  so  wonderful  a  gospel  gift  should  not  be  an 
ticipated  in  the  Old  Testament  by  type  and  figure. 

So  we  find  it  there  in  the  Bible,  which  is  the  dear  word  of  God,  under 
many  forms. 

The  Tree  of  Life  in  Eden  tells  of  it  as  the  Tree  of  Life  whose  leaves 

are  for  the  healing  of  the  nations. 
The  manna  by  which  the  Israelites  were  fed,  is  accepted  as  a  type 

of  the  Eucharist,  as  our  supernatural  and  supersubstantial  food 

from  heaven. 

The  food  that  God  supplied  Elijah  foretold  the  supernatural  pro 
vision  of  the  Eucharist.  It  is  God's  wonderful  gift. 

The  unwasteable  measure  of  meal  and  cruse  of  oil  declared  the 
Gospel's  inexhaustible  sacramental  supply  so  long  as  the  Church 
shall  last. 

The  food,  in  the  strength  of  which  the  prophet  went  forty  days,  wit 
nessed  to  the  sacrament's  sustaining  power,  in  the  higher  walks 
of  the  spiritual  life. 

The  twelve  loaves  on  the  holy  table  made  known  the  mystery  of  the 
^  Church's  oneness  as  one  bread. 


'That  the  Eucharist  was  instituted  by  Christ  to  be  continued  and  to 

be  the  chief  act  of  Christian  worship  is  seen  by  the  practice  of  the 

Apostles.    They  continued  the  breaking  of  the  bread  in  the  house 

or  upper  chamber  daily  at  Jerusalem.    It  was  the  regular  Lord's 

day  service.     Acts  xx.  7. 
In  the  Epistles  its  sacrificial  character  penetrates  the  whole  idea  of 

practical  Christianity.  '  S.  Paul  represents  himself  as  the  hiero- 

phant  (AciToupyov)  of  Jesus  Christ,  that  the  offering  up  (wpoox^opa) 

of  the  Gentiles  might  be  acceptable,  being  sanctified  by  the  Holy 

Ghost. 
He  desires  Christians,  in  words  intimately  identified  with  the  liturgy, 

to  present  themselves  "a  living  sacrifice  to  God,"  and  reminds 

them  that  they  have  an  "altar." 
He  refers  to  the  Eucharist,  when  opposing  the  use  of  an  unknown 

tongue,  and  asks,  "how  shall  the  unlearned  say  Amen"  at  the 

special  giving  of  thanks. 
He  offers  the  Holy  Eucharist  at  Troas  and  raises  Eutychus  from 

seeming  death,  a  symbol  of  the  Eucharist's  life-giving  power  to 

body  as  well  as  soul. 
He  rebukes  the  Corinthian^  for  not  discerning  the  Lord's  Body  and 

says  such  are  guilty  of  the  Body  and  Blood  of  the  Lord. 
He  bids  them  know  that  the  punishment  of  sickness  and  death  which 

has  befallen  some  of  them  was  a  consequence  of  their  unworthy 

reception. 
He  withholds  further  action  until,  with  probable  conference  with  the 

other  Apostles,  he  will  take  "order"  for  such  a  reverent  celebration 

as  will  protect  it  from  future  profanation. 

After  this  we  find  celebrations  taking  place  after  the  Agape,  or  any 
-     meal,  practically  ceasing. 


CHRIST    TEACHES    THE    REAL    PRESENCE       i37 


ARTICLE  VI.    THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST. 


(  Tht  ^^  °f  Christ 
^     the  Real  Presence. 


§  i 

CHRIST 
TEACHES 
THE  REAL 
PRESENCE. 


'The  synoptic  gospels  contain  the  account  of  the  Institution  of  the  Blessed  Sacra 
ment.  The  Fourth  Gospel  supplements  this  by  giving  the  teaching  of  our  Lord 
concerning  it. 

His  discourse,  found  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  S.  John,  is  divided  into  two  parts.  The 
first  part  ending  probably  with  an  appropriate  peroration  at  verse  47. 

In  the  first  part  God  the  Father  is  the  donor,  "My  Father  giveth  you,"  etc.  The  gift 
is  Christ,  "  who  cometh  down  from  heaven."  The  duty  inculcated  is  "faith."  "  He 
that  believeth  in  Me  hath  everlasting  life." 

In  the  second  part  Christ  is  the  donor,  "The  Bread  that  I  will  give,"  etc.  The  gift 
is  Christ's  Flesh  and  Blood.  "The  Bread  that  I  will  give  is  My  Flesh."  The  duty 
is  not  faith,  but  reception.  "Except  ye  eat  the  Flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man  and  drink 
His  Blood  ye  have  no  life  in  you." 

One  logical  error  of  those  who  deny  the  Real  Presence  lies  in  not  discerning  the  two 
parts  of  the  discourse,  and  confusing  the  duty  of  believing  in  Christ  with  that  of 
receiving  Him  in  the  sacrament. 

Another  arises  from  not  noticing  the  difference  between  two  figures  of  speech  used 
by  Christ  in  the  different  parts  of  the  discourse. 

In  the  first  He  speaks  of  Himself  as  the  Bread  of  Life  and  says,  "He  that  cometh  to 
Me  shall  never  hunger  and  he  that  believeth  on  Me  shall  never  thirst."  He  here 
uses  a  familiar  metaphor  of  wisdom  under  the  form  of  food. 

In  the  second  part,  He  does  not  use  this  metaphor,  but  says,  he  "that  eateth  My 
Flesh  and  drinketh  My  Blood."  The  idea  is  an  entirely  different  one.  To  eat  the 
flesh  of  a  person  signified  metaphorically  to  do  him  an  injury,  and  as  the  phrase 
could  not  have  this  meaning  it  must  have  the  literal  one. 

The  test  of  the  meaning  of  our  Lord's  words  must  be,  how  He  allowed  them  to  be 
understood  by  His  hearers. 

They  understood  Him  literally,  and  said  "how  can  this  man  give  us  His  flesh  to 
eat?" 

Our  Lord's  method  in  meeting  like  objections  when  He  had  been  misunder 
stood,  was  to  explain  His  meaning.  Thus,  when  He  said,  "Our  friend  Lazarus 
sleepeth,"  and  they  said,  "if  he  sleeps  he  shall  do  well,"  our  Lord  corrected  them 
and  said  Lazarus  is  dead. 

But  when  our  Lord's  hearers  took  His  words  literally  and  He  meant  to  be  so  taken, 
His  custom  was  to  meet  their  objections  by  a  repetition  of  His  statement.  When 
the  Jews  objected  to  the  saying  "Your  father  Abraham  rejoiced  to  see  my  day," 
He  repeated  it,  "Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you  before  Abraham  was,  I  am." 

So  when  they  objected  to  His  giving  them  His  flesh  to  eat,  He  did  not  explain  away 
His  words  but  said,  "Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you  except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son 
of  Man  and  drink  His  Blood  ye  have  no  life  in  you." 

He  appealed  to  the  coming  fact  of  His  ascension,  in  proof  that  He  was  not  a  common 
man,  and  said,  "flesh,"  i.e.,  common  flesh  like  yours,  would  profit  nothing,  but 
the  things,  TO.  p^ara,  I  have  been  speaking  to  you  about,  viz.,  "  My  Body  and 
My  Blood,  they  are  life  giving,"  "for  they  are  spirit  and  life." 


i38    INSTITUTION   DECLARES   THE   REAL  PRESENCE 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST. 


by  the  Institution. 


§2 

THE  IN 
STITUTION 
DECLARES     -< 
THE  REAL 
PRESENCE. 


'The  words  of  the  Institution  are  recorded  in  S.  Matthew,  S.  Mark,  S.  Luke,  and 
were  specially  revealed  to  S.  Paul.  I  Cor.  xi.  23-25. 

Our  Lord  took  bread  and  blessed  and  broke  it  and  said,  "This  is  My  Body,"  and 
in  like  manner  the  chalice,  saying,  "This  is  My  Blood  of  the  new  Covenant." 

The  Catholic  Church,  believing  in  the  omnipotence  of  Christ,  has  ever  taken  these 
words  in  their  plain  literal  sense,  and  her  spiritual  consciousness  declares  them  to 
be  true. 

The  sectarians  whose  consciousness  declares  they  have  only  symbols,  which  is  all 
they  do  have,  explain  the  words  of  Christ  as  meaning*this  bread  represents  My 
Body. 

They  cite  two  classes  of  texts  in  favour  of  this  interpretation,  neither  of  which  are 
parallel  and  so  do  not  apply. 

The  texts  are  such  as  these:  "The  seven  good  kine  are  seven  years."  Gen.  xii. 
26;  "The  ten  horns  are  ten  kingdoms,"  Dan.  vii.  24;  "The  field  is  the  world," 
"The  good  seed  are  the  children  of  the  kingdom,"  S.  Matt.  xiii.  38,  39;  "The 
rock  was  Christ,"  I  Cor.  v.  4;  "These  are  the  two  covenants,"  Gal.  iv.  24. 

In  these  cases  the  word  "is"  means  represent.  But  none  of  these  instances  are 
similar  to  the  words  of  Institution.  They  are  all  explanations  of  visions,  or  para 
bles,  or  an  allegory. 

In  Genesis  Joseph  interprets  the  King's  vision.  The  explanation  by  Daniel  is  that 
the  ten  horns  signify  ten  kingdoms.  Our  Lord  speaks  in  parables  and  then  points 
out  their  meaning.  The  field  is  the  world.  S.  Paul  declares  he  is  relating  an 
allegory  when  he  says  the  Rock  was  Christ.  So  none  of  these  examples  apply. 

In  another  class  of  cases:  "I  am  the  Door,"  "I  am  the  Vine,"  Christ  is  not  saying 
that  He  represents  the  Door  or  Vine,  or  that  any  particular  door  represents  Him. 
But  is  saying  that  He  is  the  living  way  and  that  His  Humanity  is  the  stock  with 
which  we  must  be  united.  The  Protestant  exegesis  thus  fails. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  condemnation  by  S.  Paul  of  the  unworthy  receivers  deter 
mines  beyond  reasonable  question  the  Real  Presence  of  Christ's  Body  and  Blood. 

For  He  declares  that  he  that  eateth  and  drinketh,  eateth  and  drinketh  judgment 
unto  himself  if  he  discern  not  the  Body.  If  the  Lord's  Body  was  not  there,  he 
would  not,  by  not  discerning,  sin  against  it. 

The  whole  transaction  of  consecration  and  communion  takes  place  not  in  the 
natural  world  but  in  the  supernatual  spiritual  organism  of  which  Christ  and  the 
faithful  are  members. 

Christ  ever  stands  in  the  midst  of  His  Body,  the  Church.  He  does  not  have  to 
move  to  be  present.  In  the  Eucharist  He  does  by  His  priests  what  He  did  when, 
being  visible,  He  took  the  elements  and  by  His  word  incorporated  them  into  His 
own  person  and  made  them  His  Body  and  Blood. 

And  on  Him,  thus  veiled,  we  feed  and  to  Him  give  the  outward  expression  of  our 
devotion  and  love. 


THE    FATHERS    WITNESS    TO    REAL    PRESENCE       i39 


ARTICLE  VII.    THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST.  /r*f  R™\  Presence  guessed  in 

V.     the  Patnstic  Writings. 


§  1 
THE 
FATHERS 
WITNESS 

TO   THE 

REAL 
PRESENCE. 


'Along  with  differences  of  expression  and  some  variations  on  points  of  undefined 
doctrine  there  is  an  agreement  by  the  fathers  on  the  fact  of  the  Real  Presence  of 
Christ  in  the  Sacrament. 

The  presence  is  so  supernatural  and  may  be  used  in  so  many  ways  in  illustration 
or  defense  of  other  truths,  that  "expressions  may  be  found  concerning  it  quite 
orthodox  in  one  sense  and  false  in  another."  Wilhelm  and  Scannel,  Vol.  II.  4,  4. 

There  is,  for  instance,  no  change  wrought  apparent  to  the  senses.  Hence  in  refer 
ence  to  this  it  might  be  said  that  no  change  takes  place. 

S.  Gregory  of  Nyasa,  however,  says,  "The  bread  sanctified  by  the  word  of  God  is 
transmade  (or  changed)  into  the  Body  of  God." 

After  the  consecration  the  outward  sign  of  bread  remains  and  so  the  sacrament  may 
still  be,  as  in  the  Roman  liturgy,  called  "bread,"  just  as  the  blind  man  whose 
eyes  were  opened  was  still  called  blind. 

As  our  Lord's  Body  is  present  under  the  species,  the  species  are  properly  called  the 
sign  or  symbol  of  His  Body.  Thus  S.  Clement  of  Alex  calls  the  wine  "the  mystic 
symbol  of  the  Holy  Blood."  The  word  symbol  then  meaning  "that  which  is," 
as  well  as  "represents." 

Our  Lord's  body  was  visible  during  His  ministry.  In  the  sacrament  it  is  not  dis 
cernible  by  the  senses  and  His  Body  is  now  in  a  glorified  and  spiritual  condition, 
so  He  is  said  to  be  spiritually  present  because  spiritually  discerned. 


Throughout  the  Fathers  there  is  a  concurrent  agreement  on  certain  points, 
sacrament  is  not  a  mere  figure  of  Christ's  absent  body. 


The 


"Christ  did  not  say  this  is  a  figure,  but  this  is  My  Body,"  Theophylact,  Matt.  xxvi. 
26.  S.  Cyril  uses  the  word  figure  but  says  "In  the  figure  of  bread  is  given  thee 
His  Body,  and  in  the  figure  of  wine  His  Blood."  Magnes,  Bishop,  4th  Century. 
"For  it  is  not  a  type  of  the  Body,  nor  a  type  of  the  Blood,  as  some  have  blindly 
and  idly  said,  but  is  in  truth  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ." 

The  Body  and  Blood  is  verily  and  indeed  present  as  the  "Res  sacramenti,"  or  Thing 
the  sign  signifies. 

Implying  this  as  the  common  belief,  S.  Ignatius  (ad  Sym.)  rebukes  the  Docetic 
heretics  for  not  believing  "that  the  Eucharist  is  the  flesh  of  our  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ." 

"We  have  been  taught,"  wrote  S.  Justin  Martyr,  "that  the  food"  of  the  Eucharist 
"is  both  the  flesh  and  blood"  of  Jesus. 

The  Fathers  held  that  Christ's  Body  was  present  by  the  act  of  consecration  and 
"The  Bread  is  changed  by  a  wonderful  operation."  Theophylact.  "Before 
the  consecration  it  is  called  another  Thing;  after  consecration  it  is  called  blood." 
S.  Ambrose. 

A  full  catena  of  authority  may  be  found  in  Pusey  on  the  Real  Presence,  D.  Stone  on 
"The  Holy  Communion,"  Wilhelm  and  Scannel's  Catholic  Theology,  Fran- 
zelin,  etc. 


THE    FATHERS 


THE  HOLT  EUCHARIST 


TESTIMONY  OF  THE  FATHERS 


THE 
FATHERS. 


We  condense  the  following  from  Dr.  Pusey,  England's  great  theologian  and  saint: 


"The  Apostles  received  of  the  Lord  this  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Eucharist.  The  cup  of 
blessing  which  we  bless  is  it  not  the  Communion  of  the  Blood  of  Christ  ?  The 
Bread  which  we  break  is  it  not  the  Communion  of  the  Body  of  Christ  ?  He  does 
not  say,  'a  communion,'  or  'communication,'  or  what  men  will  of  a  'grace,' 
or  a  'virtue,'  or  a  'power,'  or  an  'efficacy,'  or  an  'influence'  from  Christ's 
absent  Body  in  heaven."  Nor  is  the  fact  of  such  influence  from  our  Lord's 
All-Holy  Body  in  heaven  ever  in  the  remotest  degree  hinted  at.  "  To  us  He  hath 
given  the  communion  of  His  Body,  not  in  heaven  as  yet,  but  here  on  earth.  The 
Bread  which  we  break  is  it  not  the  Communion  of  the  Body  of  Christ  ?  " 


'This  doctrine  of  the  Real  Presence  all  who  know  ever  so  little  of  the  ancient  Fathers 
and  Councils,  know  to  have  been  taught  from  the  first." 


'  Minds,  the  most  simple  or  the  most  philosophical ;  the  female  Martyrs  of  Persia, 
or  what  are  known  as  the  philosophic  Fathers;  minds  wholly  practical,  as  Ter- 
tullian  or  S.  Cyprian,  S.  Firmilian,  S.  Pacian  or  S.  Julius,  or  those  boldly  imagina 
tive,  as  Origen ;  or  poetic  minds,  as  S.  Ephrem  or  S.  Isaac  or  S.  Paulinus ;  fathers 
who  most  use  a  figurative  interpretation  of  the  Old  Testament,  as  S.  Ambrose, 
or  such  as,  like  S.  Chrysostom,  from  their  practical  character  and  the  exigencies 
of  the  Churches  in  which  they  preached,  confined  themselves  most  scrupulously 
to  the  letter;  mystical  writers,  as  S.  Macarius;  ascetics,  as  Mark  the  hermit, 
Apollo  or  the  Abbot  Esaias ;  writers  in  other  respects  opposed  to  each  other ;  the 
friends  of  Origen,  as  S.  Didymus,  or  his  opponents,  as  Theophilus  of  Alexandria 
and  S.  Epiphanius;  or  again,  S.  Cyril  of  Alexandria  and  Theodoret;  heretics, 
even  when  the  truth  condemned  their  heresy,  as  the  Arian  Eusebius  and  Theo- 
dorus  Heracleotes,  or  defenders  of  the  faith,  as  S.  Athanasius;  Apollinarius  or 
S.  Chrysostom  who  wrote  against  him;  Nestorius  or  S.  Cyril  of  Alexandria,  all 
agree  in  one  consentient  explanation  of  our  Lord's  words,  'This  is  My  Body,' 
'This  is  My  Blood.'  Whence  this  harmony,  but  that  One  Spirit  attuned  all  the 
various  minds  in  the  one  body  into  one,  so  that  even  the  heretics  were  slow  herein 
to  depart  from  it  ?  " 


'However  different  the  occasions  may  be,  upon  which  the  truth  is  spoken  of,  in 
whatever  variety  of  ways  it  may  be  mentioned,  the  truth  itself  is  one  and  the  same, 
one  uniform,  simple  consentient  truth;  that  what  is  consecrated  upon  the  altars 
for  us  to  receive,  what,  under  the  outward  elements,  is  there  present  for  us  to  re 
ceive,  is  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ;  by  receiving  which  the  faithful  in  the 
Lord's  Supper  do  verily  and  indeed  take  and  receive  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ ; 
by  presuming  to  approach  which  the  wicked  become  'guilty  of  the  Body  and 
Blood  of  the  Lord;'  i.e.,  become  guilty  of  a  guilt  like  theirs  who  laid  hands  on 
His  Divine  Person,  while  yet  in  the  Flesh  among  us,  or  who  shed  His  All-Holy 
Blood." 


THE    HOLY    EUCHARIST    A    SACRIFICE 


ARTICLE  VIII. 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST  AS 
SACRIFICE. 


:The  Nature  of  Sacrifice. 
Its  Presence  in  the  Gospel 
System. 


rThe 
nature  of    •* 
sacrifice. 

§  1 

THE  HOLY 
EUCHARIST 
A  SACRIFICE. 

Its 

presence 
in  the          •< 
Gospel 
system. 

* 

'The  offering  of  sacrifices,  either  because  man  feared  or  desired  to 
hold  communion  with  God,  is  a  natural  instinct. 

It  has  been  the  ordained  means  by  which  man  in  all  stages  of  his 
spiritual  progress  worshipped  God. 

In  its  revealed  forms  it  has  been  expressive  of  the  offerer's  spiritual 
condition  and  attitude  towards  God,  and  of  God's  attitude  to 
him. 

It  has  always  involved,  which  has  by  most  theologians  been 
overlooked,  a  reciprocal  action  —  man's  gift  to  God  and  God's 
returning  gift  to  man. 

In  its  essence  sacrifice  is  thus  the  means  of  a  real  communion  of 
man  with  his  Maker. 

It  therefore  is  to  be  found  in  all  dispensations :  —  in  Paradise,  under 
the  law,  and  in  the  gospel. 

In  a  state  of  innocence  man  offers,  by  abstaining  from  its  fruit,  the 
tree  which  symbolises  his  pure  and  innocent  condition,  and  God 
in  return  gives  to  him  the  tree  of  life. 

When  sin  has  brought  him  under  the  dominion  of  death,  then,  as 
acknowledging  his  guilty  condition,  the  life  of  the  animal  is  taken, 
God  giving  back,  by  His  acceptance  of  the  sacrifice  and  man's 
partaking,  an  assurance  of  his  covenanted  blessing. 

When  man  has  become  restored  in  Christ,  he  presents  Christ  in  the 
Eucharist,  and  pleads  His  death,  and  God  gives  back  Christ  to 
the  offerer  and  he  feeds  on  His  Body  and  Blood. 

There  is  thus  no  complete  religion  without  worship  by  way  of 
sacrifice. 

Just  as  it  was  prophesied  there  should  be  "priests"  in  the  gospel 
dispensation  (Is.  Ixvi.  21),  so  it  was  foretold  there  should  be  "sacri 
fice,"  Mai.  i.  10,  11,  in  its  external  worship. 

The  prophet  Malachi  having  declared  the  future  abolition  of  the 
old  order  ("neither  will  I  accept  an  offering  at  your  hand"), 
declares  "that  everywhere  among  the  Gentiles  incense  and  a  pure 
oblation  shall  be  offered  unto  my  name." 

In  the  lately  discovered  book  of  sub- Apostolic  times,  "The  teach 
ing  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,"  the  Eucharist  is  referred  to  as  a 
sacrifice  and  this  prophecy  of  Malachi  applied  to  it. 

If  sacrifice  demands  an  altar,  and  an  altar  implies  sacrifice,  Chris 
tians  have  a  sacrifice,  for  they  are  told  they  "have  an  altar,  whereof 
they  have  no  right  to  eat  which  serve  the  tabernacle." 

This  could  not  mean  the  cross,  which  was  something  past,  for  it 
refers  to  a  present  possession.  Moreover,  of  the  cross  one  can 
not  "eat,"  but  of  an  altar  one  can. 

Again,  Christians  were  forbidden  to  eat  of  meats  offered  in  sacrifice 
on  heathen  altars,  because  they  had  altars  of  their  own. 

As  the  Jewish  people  rejecting  the  Messiah  lost  their  temple  wor 
ship,  priesthood,  and  sacrifice,  so  the  sectarians  rejecting  the 
church  have  lost  the  same  and  retained  only  a  synagogue  worship. 


THE    EUGHARISTIG    SACRIFICE    INSTITUTED 


THE  EUCHARIST  AS  A  SACRIFICE. 


l^utedby  Christ. 
and  How. 


THE 

EUCHARISTIC 
SACRIFICE 
INSTI 
TUTED. 


"Insti 
tuted 
by 
Christ. 


When 

and 

how. 


Sacrifice  is  the  law  of  man's  spiritual  life.  It  is  the  establishment  of 
a  reciprocal  action  between  God  and  man. 

Christ  as  the  representative  of  the  race  offers  Himself  to  God,  and 
God  gives  Him  back  to  man. 

The  Church  offers  herself  up  to  God  in  union  with  her  Head  and 
God  gives  Him  back  to  her  to  be  her  life. 

Unworthy  to  offer  independently  anything  of  his  own,  the  individual 
Christian  offers  himself  to  God  in  Christ  and  is  identified  with  Christ 
and  accepted  in  Him. 

Christ  crucified  is  the  living  way,  united  to  whom  man  is  accepted, 
redeemed,  and  finally,  perfected,  attains  to  glory. 

To  leave  to  His  church  the  means  by  which  it  might  be  united  to 
Himself,  Christ  instituted  the  Holy  Communion  which  was  both  a 
sacrament  and  sacrifice. 

'In  ancient  sacrifices  the  victim  was  offered  by  means  of  bread  and 
wine.  The  bread  was  broken  and  sprinkled  with  the  wine  on  the 
head  of  the  victim  while  alive. 

This  done  the  sacrifice  was  considered  to  be  duly  offered  so  far  as 
concerned  the  gift  and  its  acceptance. 

With  this  and  deeper  meaning  our  Lord  took  the  bread  and  blessed 
and  broke  it  and  said,  "This  is  My  Body  which  is  given  for  you," 
"This  is  My  Blood  of  the  new  covenant  which  is  poured  out 
for  you." 

Thus  our  Lord  voluntarily  consummated  the  oblation  of  Himself  by 
the  unbloody  but  real  offering  and  sacrifice  of  Himself. 

Had  His  purpose  only  been  to  leave  a  sacrament  of  Himself  on  which 
we  might  feed,  it  might  have  been  given  under  one  kind. 

But  by  the  consecration  of  each  kind  separately,  He  set  forth  His  death 
and  sacrifice,  by  the  consecration  of  His  body  and  then  of  His 
blood. 

By  the  Word,  the  elements  become  not  only  His  Body  but  are  His 
Body  "broken,"  and  the  cup  is  His  Blood  "poured  out." 

The  sacrifice  of  Himself  is  thus  voluntarily  manifested  in  the  mystical 
shedding  of  the  upper  chamber;  is  made  with  actual  blood  shed 
ding  on  the  cross ;  is  consummated  by  the  presentation  of  the  blood, 
which  has  passed  through  death,  in  heaven.  It  is  all  one  trans 
action,  parts  of  one  sacrifice. 

In  the  upper  chamber  Christ  is,  as  the  true  Paschal  Lamb,  the  sacri 
fice  which  delivers  His  people  from  the  bondage  of  Satan  and  death. 

On  the  cross,  He  fulfils  the  sacrifice  of  the  day  of  atonement,  and  rec 
onciles  God  and  Humanity,  and  makes  God  and  man  at  one. 

In  heaven,  He,  as  the  Lamb  and  High  Priest,  presents  Himself  and 
completes  His  sacrificial  action,  and  is  the  offering  of  the  Church 
,     of  the  redeemed,  and  an  object  of  worship. 


THE    EUGHARISTIG    SACRIFICE 


Its  Relation  to  the  Offering  in  Heaven  and 

on  the  Cross. 
CONSIDERED  IN   •<  Its  Prefigurement  by  the  Paschal  Lamb, 

and  the  Cross  by  the  Day  of  Atonement. 
The  Eucharist  a  Proper  Sacrifice. 


§3 
THE 

EUCHARISTIC 
SACRIFICE 

IN   ITS 

RELATION. 


'To  the 
Heavenly 
Presenta 
tion  and 
Calvary. 


As  related 
to  the 
Paschal 
Lamb  and 
Day  of 
Atonement. 


Its 

efficacy. 


Our  Lord  lays  aside  none  of  His  offices.  He  is  ever  the  King, 
Prophet,  and  High  Priest.  In  glory  He  is  seen  arrayed  in  priestly 
vestments,  and  as  the  Lamb  that  had  been  slain. 

The  crucified,  risen,  and  glorified  body  of  Christ  is  the  same  body ; 
and  that  in  the  sacrament  is  identical  with  It. 

The  Lord  began  the  formal  offering  of  Himself  voluntarily  in  the 
upper  chamber.  It  was  followed  by  the  actual  slaying  of  the 
victim  on  Calvary.  It  was  completed  by  the  presentation  of 
Himself  in  glory. 

The  subject  of  the  Eucharistic  sacrifice  is  one  with  that  in  heaven, 
and  represents  and  pleads  that  of  Calvary. 


"At  the  first  Eucharist  there  was  present  the  true  Paschal  Lamb, 
by  feeding  on  whom  the  Apostles  were  united  to  Christ,  and  de 
livered  from  the  bondage  of  sin  and  death. 

Each  succeeding  Eucharist,  unlike  the  annual  Jewish  Passover 
which  was  a  typical  representative  of  the  original  lamb,  has 
Christ  as  really  present  as  at  the  first  celebration. 

The  Jewish  nation  was,  as  a  token  of  its  covenanted  relation  with 
God  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  sacrifice,  and  this  was  renewed 
year  by  year  on  the  Day  of  Atonement. 

Every  year  the  Jewish  nation  as  a  nation  had  to  be  reconciled  to 
God,  and  until  this  was  done  the  daily  sacrifice  could  not  be 
offered.  The  Day  of  Atonement  renewed  the  daily  sacrifices. 

In  like  manner  Christ  made  an  atonement  for  humanity.  He  did 
not  thereby  do  away  with  sacrifice,  but  gave  to  His  Church  the 
power  to  offer  the  Eucharistic  sacrifice  which  takes  the  place  of 
the  sacrifices  of  the  law. 


By  His  offering  on  Calvary  Christ  redeemed  the  world.  Its  merits 
cannot  be  increased  nor  the  act  renewed. 

The  Anglican  Church  along  with  the  whole  of  Catholic  Christen 
dom  holds  that  the  Eucharist  is  a  sacrifice.  It  sets  forth  the 
sacrifice  of  Christ  on  the  cross.  This  is  done  by  the  breaking 
of  the  bread  and  the  separate  consecration  of  each  of  the  ele 
ments. 

It  is  a  service  ordained  by  Christ,  by  which  the  Church  pleads  by 
act  the  merits  of  Christ,  as  she  does  in  word  in  her  prayers. 

It  is  thus  a  sacrifice,  in  which  the  Church  presents  Christ  and  her 
self  in  Christ;  and  pleads  for  all,  the  living  and  the  dead,  "that 
we  and  all  thy  whole  Church  may  obtain  remission  of  our  sins, 
and  all  other  benefits  of  His  passion." 


THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST  AS  A  SACRAMENT 


'Its 

purpose. 

- 

Its 

effects. 

THE 

HOLY 

EUCHARIST  •< 

AS   A 

SACRAMENT 

The 

character 

of  the 

union. 

Obliga-      x 
^tions. 

THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST  AS  A  SACRAMENT 

Cits  Purpose. 

ARTICLE  IX.    THE  EUCHARIST  A  SACRAMENT.  <  r.    JJe      . 

]  Its  Character. 

\^Its  Obligations. 

The  Eucharist  is  a  sacrifice  and  a  feast  upon  it.  It  is  first  an  offering 
made  to  God,  and  then  God's  gift  to  us. 

This  truth  is  taught  by  our  Lord  who  said,  "My  Flesh  is  meat  indeed, 
My  Blood  is  drink  indeed."  "Whoso  eateth  My  Flesh  and 
drinketh  My  Blood  hath  eternal  life." 

It  was  manifested  by  its  institution  under  the  forms  of  bread  and 
wine  which  are  the  means  of  ordinary  nourishment. 

It  was  obviously  thus  given  to  furnish  spiritual  nourishment  to  the 
..     body  and  soul. 

'It  benefits  the  body  by  implanting  in  it  the  principle  of  its  glorious 
resurrection  and  future  transformation. 

It  increases  more  potently  than  the  other  sacraments,  sanctifying  grace. 

It  supports  the  spiritual  life,  cleanses  the  soul,  develops  the  charity 
which  unites  us  to  God. 

It  fortifies  the  soul  against  temptations,  and  as  forgiven  and  borne 
with  by  God,  enables  us  to  forgive  and  bear  with  others. 

It  transforms  us  by  the  infusion  of  Christ's  virtues,  calming  the  pas 
sions,  and  making  peace  to  rule  in  our  hearts. 

It  gives  a  sense  of  freedom  and  rest,  a  joyful  contentment  of  soul,  and 
some  thirst  for  sacrifice. 

-It  has,  moreover,  its  own  peculiar  gift  of  a  special  union  with  our  Lord. 

'We  are  partakers  of  Christ's  nature  by  baptism,  are  made  members 
of  His  body,  are  united  to  Him  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 

We  are  in  Christ  and  Christ  in  us.  "My  Father  will  love  Him  and  we 
will  come  unto  Him  and  make  our  abode  with  Him." 

In  the  Eucharist  Christ  is  sacramentally  present  so  long  as  the  species 
remain  unchanged  and  is  for  that  time  specially  present  with  us. 

He  imparts  thereby  to  our  bodies  and  souls  special  gifts  and  graces, 
and  transmits  the  virtues  of  His  soul  to  ours. 

The  soul  thus  united  to  Christ  can  say,  "Not  I  live,  but  Christ  liveth 
in  me." 

The  union  of  all  the  members  in  Christ  gives  to  the  Church  an  organic 
unity  which  cannot  be  broken. 

.It  is  a  fulfilment  of  the  prayer  "that  they  may  be  one,  as  we  are  one." 

It  is  necessary,  to  receive  worthily,  that  one  should  be  in  a  state  of 
grace. 

To  receive  beneficially,  one  should  come  prepared  and  with  devotion. 
To  grow  in  grace,  one  should  receive  regularly  and  often. 

To  come,  unless  invalided  by  sickness  or  infirmity,  conforming  to  the 
Church's  custom  of  fasting. 


PRAYER    IN    ITSELF 


CHAPTER  XI 


Cits  Definition. 

ARTICLE  I.    PRAYER.  •<  Advantages. 
^Purposes. 


PRAYER 

IN 

ITSELF. 


"Its 
definition. 


Advantages. 


Purposes. 


Prayer  is  the  act  of  a  rational  and  spiritual  nature  communing  with 

God. 

"God  is  man's  old  home,"  from  whose  eternity  we  come. 
It  is  a  natural  instinct,  expressive  of  man's  dependent  nature  and  his 

filial  relation  to  God.     ' 
Its  form  may  vary.    It  may  be  silent  or  vocal.    It  may  be  in  thought 

or  action. 
In  its  comprehensiveness  it  can  invest  with  communing  power  every 

action,  the  resistance  of  temptation,  the  bearing  of  sorrow  and  pain, 

and  can  make  life  a  prayer  of  good  works. 

It  is,  the  Fathers  have  said,  the  ascent  of  the  soul  to  God.  It  is  the  lift 
ing  up  of  heart  and  mind  to  Him.  It  is  communion  with  God  by 

love. 
It  is  thus  like  the  chariot  of  fire  bearing  the  soul  Godward.    It  is  like 

Jacob's  ladder  on  which  messages  descend  from  God  to  man. 

By  the  practice  of  prayer  we  come  to  know  God,  just  as  living  and  con 
versing  daily  with  a  friend  we  come  to  know  him. 

Habitual  prayer  preserves  us  in  our  true  attitude  of  constant  depend 
ence  and  self-surrender  to  God. 

Its  constant  use  keeps  up  the  wires  of  communication  with  God  so 
likely  to  be  thrown  down  by  storm  or  neglect. 

By  it  we  place  ourselves  at  God's  disposal  and  enable  Him  to  work 
effectively  through  us. 

It  secures  to  us  God's  providential  protection  and  brings  us  the  strength 
of  daily  manna  for  our  heavenward  way. 

The  purposes  for  which  the  soul  comes  before  God  are  revealed  by  the 

fourfold  character  of  the  ordained  Jewish  sacrifices. 
Man  owes  to  God  as  the  sovereign  of  the  universe,  an  allegiance  as  his 

Maker  which  expresses  itself  in  acts  of  submissive  adoration.     "O 

come  let  us  worship  and  fall  down  and  prostrate  ourselves  before  the 

Lord  our  Maker." 
Man  is  a  dependent  creature  and  for  all  the  gifts  of  nature  and  grace 

owes  the  good  God  heartfelt  thanksgiving. 
"Praise  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all  His  benefits." 
God  has  rescued  man  from  death  by  the  sacrifice  of  Calvary  and  man 

must  unite  himself  with  it  by  act  and  prayerful  self-surrender. 
"God  forbid  that  I  should  glory  save  in  the  Cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus 

Christ." 
God  has  made  His  giving  dependent  largely  on  our  asking.    We  are, 

for  the  aversion  of  evils  and  obtaining  goods,  to  seek  them  from  His 

Fatherly  Hand,  who  knows  how  to  give  good  gifts  to  them  that  ask 

Him. 
"Ask  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you,  seek  and  ye  shall  find;  knock  and 

it  shall  be  opened  unto  you." 
Prayer  may  be  addressed  to  any  one  of  the  persons  of  the  Blessed 

Trinity,  as  we  prayerfully  energise  in  union  with  God,  moving  about 

in  Him  with  childlike  familiarity,  but  all  prayer  has  for  its  object  the 

One  God. 

10 


i46        NECESSITY    AND    EFFICACY    OF    PRAYER 


ARTICLE  II.     NECESSITY  AND  EFFICACY  OF  PRAYER 


^Necessity 

on  man's    •< 

part. 

On  the 

part  of        •< 
God. 

NECESSITY 

AND 

EFFICACY 

OF  PRAYER 

And 

^efficacy. 

The  necessity  of  prayer  is  founded  on  an  universal  instinct  in  man's 
nature. 

"The  general  and  perpetual  voice  of  men,"  says  Hooker,  "is  the  sen 
tence  of  God  Himself." 

Man's  misery  engulfed  in  sin  and  its  consequences  makes  prayer  for 
help  necessary. 

Grace  is  necessary  for  man's  spiritual  life  as  air  or  water  to  his  natural 
one,  and  prayer  is  thus  necessary  for  its  use  and  increase. 

It  is  necessary  that  man  understand  and  feel  his  misery  and  sinfulness 
and  turn  in  prayer  to  God  for  deliverance. 

Consequently  prayer,  which  is  a  confession  of  man's  impuissance  and 
his  heart's  desire,  is  necessary  for  his  salvation.  "Watch  and  pray." 


God,  apart  from  the  inceptive  sufficient  grace  given  to  all,  grants  His 

gifts  and  grace  on  the  condition  of  their  being  asked  for. 
As  the  divine  Master  of  His  gifts,  He  rightfully  grants  them  on  the 

conditions  His  wisdom  exacts. 
Prayer  He  requires  because  it  fits  us  to  receive  His  gifts,  keeps  us 

humble,  encourages  intercourse,  develops  love. 
He  enforces  prayer  by  way  of  command,  by  promises,  by  example,  by 

blessing. 
Therefore  He  makes  it  a  matter  of  divine  precept  which  involves  an 

obligation  and  a  sin  if  we  omit  it.    "Call  upon  Me  and  I  will  an- 
^     swer  thee."   Ter.  xxxiii.  3.    "After  this  manner  pray  ye." 


The  efficacy  of  prayer  is  assured  by  the  all  powerfulness  of  God  who 
can  do  all  He  wishes,  by  His  infinite  bounty  which  wishes  all  for 
our  good,  by  His  promises  to  hear  and  answer  prayer. 

Prayer  enables  God  to  act,  by  putting  ourselves  at  His  disposal;  it 
moves  Him  to  do  so;  it  obtains  His  benediction,  the  graces  asked 
for,  and  in  some  way  is  always  answered. 

He  discerns  the  harmony  or  disagreement  of  our  petitions  with  His 
designs,  the  nature  of  our  requests,  and  our  motives  in  asking. 

Disposing  all  things  to  His  glory  and  our  salvation,  He  knows  what 
is  best  for  us,  at  what  time,  under  what  circumstances,  and  in  what 
measure. 

Moreover,  all  Christian  prayers  pass  to  God  through  Christ,  who 
changes  them,  since  we  ask  ever  in  accordance  with  God's  will,  and 
then  makes  them  His  own. 

The  efficacy  of  prayer  in  respect  of  man  is  seen  in  the  transforming 
influence  it  has  on  his  life.  We  become  like  that  we  love  and  have 
intercourse  with. 

Prayer  also  increases  sanctifying  grace,  and  if  habitual  secures  us  in 
final  perseverance. 

Its  efficacy  with  God  depends  on  the  state  of  mind  in  which  we  pray, 
the  motives  influencing  us,  and  the  mode  of  asking. 

Christians  pray  effectively,  for  our  prayers  pass  through  Christ  and 
are  presented  by  Him.  But  merely  to  name  Christ  in  prayer  is  not 
to  pray  "in  His  Name."  To  do  this  we  must  be  baptised  into  Him, 
and  pray  in  the  way  He  has  ordered,  and  by  His  authority. 

Seeing  then  we  have  a  great  high  priest,  let  us  come  boldly  unto  the 
throne  of  grace,  and  "all  things  whatsoever  ye  ask  in  prayer  believ 
ing,  ye  shall  receive."  Matt.  xxi.  22. 


PRAYER    COMMENDED 


1/17 


.  TTT      „  f  The  Example  of  Christ. 

ARTICLE  III.    PRAYER  COMMENDED,  AND    ,  ^  Cmd&J  4  P        v 

ITS  CONDITIONS. 

^ 


PRAYER 
COMMENDED. 
WHEN 
ACCEPTABLE. 


'The 
example 
of  Christ. 


Conditions  of 
acceptable 
.prayer. 


Christ  prayed  morning  and  night,  at  all  times  and  places,  be 
fore  miracles,  during  His  visible  prophetical  and  priestly  life. 

"In  the  morning  rising  up  a  great  while  before  day,  He  went  out 
and  departed  into  a  solitary  place  and  there  prayed." 

"He  went  into  a  mountain  to  pray  and  continued  all  night  in 
prayer  to  God." 

"He  departed  into  a  mountain  to  pray."  "He  withdrew  Him 
self  into  the  wilderness  and  prayed." 

He  prayed  before  choosing  His  Apostles,  working  miracles, 
raising  the  dead.  "Father,  I  thank  thee  that  thou  heardest 
Me  and  I  know  that  Thou  hearest  Me  always." 

He  prayed  at  His  baptism,  and  the  heavens  were  opened  and 
God  spake,  on  the  Transfiguration  Mount,  when  again  God 
said  "This  is  My  Beloved  Son,"  in  the  temple  when  the  voice 
of  the  Father  audibly  responded  to  His  appeal. 

He  prayed  in  His  need  in  the  wilderness,  and  agony  in  the  garden, 
and  angels  came  to  succour  Him. 

He  prayed  for  the  Apostles,  and  taught  them  to  pray,  and  He 
prayed  for  all  mankind,  "Father  forgive  them  for  they  know 
not  what  they  do." 


Prayer  to  be  acceptable  must  have  for  its  object  things  good  in 
themselves;  those  which  will  advance  Christ's  Kingdom  or 
our  own  sanctification,  or,  if  temporal,  that  can  minister  to 
them. 

It  should  be  made  in  submission  to  the  will  of  God  as  to  the 
manner  of  our  petitions  being  granted. 

It  should  be  in  union  with  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  whom  and 
through  whom  we  pray,  united  to  Him  by  faith,  hope,  and 
charity. 

In  Faith,  believing  that  "what  things  soever  ye  pray  and  ask 
for,  believe  that  ye  have  received  them,  and  ye  shall  have 
them." 

In  Hope,  in  trust,  and  confidence  in  God's  love.  "  If  ye  abide 
in  Me  ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will  and  it  shall  be  done  unto 
you." 

In  Charity  with  all.  "When  ye  stand  praying,  forgive  if  ye  have 
aught  against  any." 

In  humility,  realising  one's  unworthiness  and  nothingness,  and 
as  having  no  claim  on  God's  mercy  save  through  and  for  the 
merits  of  Jesus  Christ. 

With  perseverance  that  tarries  the  Lord's  leisure  and  through 
dryness  and  desolation  of  spirit  continues  to  pray.  "Though 
He  slay  me  yet  will  I  trust  Him." 


1 48 


ANSWERS    TO    PRAYER 


ARTICLE  IV.     ANSWERS  RECORDED  IN  fin  the  Old  and 

GOD'S  WORD.  \     New  Testament. 


"So  Abraham  prayed  and  God  healed  Abimelech."    Gen.  xx.  17. 

"Isaac  entreated  the  Lord  for  his  wife  Rebekah,"  and  "the  Lord 
was  entreated  of  him."  Gen.  xxv.  21. 

Jacob  prayed  for  the  Lord's  protection  and  the  Lord  delivered 
him  from  the  hand  of  Esau  and  brought  him  to  his  father's 
house  in  peace. 

Moses  cried  unto  the  Lord,  as  his  hands  were  held  up  by  Aaron, 
and  Amalek  was  defeated. 


ANSWERS  TO 
PRAYER. 


'In 

the  Old 
Testament. 


In 

-the  New. 


When  at  Taberah  the  fire  of  the  Lord  burnt  the  people,  Moses 
prayed  unto  the  Lord  and  "the  fire  was  quenched." 

Samuel's  prayer  delivered  Israel  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Philistines. 

Elijah  prayed  that  it  might  not  rain  and  it  rained  not  by  the  space 
of  three  years  and  six  months. 

Elisha  and  Elijah  prayed  for  restoration  to  life  and  life  came  back 
to  the  widow's  son,  and  the  child  of  the  widow  of  Shunem. 

Daniel  prayed  for  his  people  and  the  angel  Gabriel  brought  the 
Lord's  answer  to  his  petition. 

The  New  Testament  begins  with  the  answer  made  known  in  the 
Temple  to  Zacharias'  prayer,  and  to  those  of  Simeon  and  Anna. 

The  pentecostal  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  comes  after  the  united  ten 
days'  prayer  of  the  Apostles,  with  the  women  and  Mary  the 
Mother  of  Jesus. 

In  the  selection  of  one  to  fill  the  vacancy  in  the  Apostolate,  the 
eleven  prayed,  "Thou  Lord  which  knowest  the  hearts  of  all 
men,  shew  whether  of  these  two  Thou  hast  chosen,"  and  the 
Lord  answered  the  prayer. 

The  prayer  of  Stephen,  "lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge,"  is  fol 
lowed  presently  by  the  conversion  of  Saul. 

As  Cornelius  prays,  his  prayers  and  alms  come  up  as  a  memorial 
before  God,  and  the  Gospel  is  brought  to  the  Gentiles. 

The  Church  continues  in  prayer  for  Peter,  and  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  is  sent  to  deliver  him  out  of  prison. 

S.  Peter  prays  and  Dorcas  is  restored  to  life. 

Paul  and  Silas  prayed  and  sang  praises  to  God  in  the  prison  and 
the  prison  doors  were  opened  and  the  jailor  was  converted,  and 
all  his  were  baptised. 

When  Peter  and  John  were  come  down,  they  prayed  for  the  Samari 
tan  converts  that  they  might  receive  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  they 
received  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Writing  to  Philemon  S.  Paul  says,  "I  trust  through  your  prayers 
I  shall  be  given  unto  you." 

In  the  midst  of  the  storm,  the  angel  of  God  appeared  saying,  "Fear 
not,  Paul;  God  hath  given  thee  all  them  that  sail  with  thee." 


PRAYER 


1/19 


/Objections. 
Kinds. 
\^A  Life  of  Prayer. 


PRAYER.    -< 


'Objections 
to  prayer. 


Its  kinds 
.and  life. 


It  is  objected  that  prayer  of  petition  is  unnecessary  because  God  knows 
our  needs.  Prayer  includes  praise  and  thanksgiving,  and  as  to  our 
needs,  our  telling  them  to  God  helps  us  to  realise  His  blessings  and 
prepares  us  to  receive  them. 

Besides  our  Father  likes  His  children  to  tell  Him. 

We  cannot,  it  is  urged,  change  God's  will.  We  do  not  seek  to  change 
His  will,  but  His  will  is  that  His  giving  depends  largely  on  our  asking. 

It  is  said  He  acts  only  through  laws,  so  does  man  who  combines  and 
uses  them,  and  God  can  operate  on  them  just  as  musicians  can  make 
new  combinations  of  sound  on  the  keys  of  an  instrument. 

The  laws  of  nature  are  only  the  thoughts  of  God  and  when  it  serves  His 
purpose  He  can  control  them  at  His  will. 

Prayer  is  a  law  of  the  spiritual  world,  just  as  gravitation  is  of  the  natural 
one,  and  God  as  our  Father  can  grant  His  children's  petitions. 


Prayer  is  either  common  and  public,  or  private. 

It  is  either  vocal,  like  the  recitation  of  the  divine  office,  or  in  the  form 
of  meditation. 


is  after  two  kinds  :  —  the  ancient,  which  proceeds  in  the 
order  of  adoration,  thanksgiving,  or  the  more  modern  form,  of  pre 
lude,  and  exercise  of  the  understanding,  examination,  will,  resolution, 
and  colloquy. 

There  is  the  more  advanced  stage  of  effective  prayer  where  the  soul, 
laying  aside  meditation,  and  filled  with  a  divine  love,  makes  acts  of 
resignation,  self-effacement,  and  love. 

God  leads  some  souls  on  to  a  further  state  of  prayer  in  which  the  soul 
remains  in  a  passive  state,  and  God  effects  it  rather  than  it  speaks 
to  God. 

The  soul  is  like  a  babe  on  its  mother's  breast.  We  become  like  little 
children  to  enter  the  kingdom.  A  higher  stage  is  found  in  the  babes 
and  sucklings,  who  repose  on  the  divine  will  and  show  forth  His 
praise. 

Some  souls  have  at  times  the  blessing  of  the  gift  of  the  "prayer  of 
quiet,"  in  which  it  is  so  gathered  up  into  union  with  God  that  it 
speaks  not,  but  is  held  in  the  embrace  of  the  Spirit. 

It  would  be  unspiritual  to  ask  God  for  further  or  special  tokens  of  His 
presence,  but  as  self  dies  Christ  reigns,  and  the  soul  becomes  Christ 
led  and  Spirit  controlled. 

In  its  progress,  prayer  becomes  habitual  and  constant,  and  the  emo 
tions,  the  fears,  hopes,  sorrows,  joys,  are  all  brought  in  union  with 
Christ's  interior  life. 

PrayCTJs  life,  for  it  is  the  inbreathing  of  God  in  the  soul  and  the  soul's 

^     continued  repose  and  ascent  in  God. 


PART    THREE 

THE    PERFECTION    ATTAINABLE    HERE,  AND    ITS    RULES 

AND   COUNSELS 


PART  III 


^Teaching 
regarding 

The 

necessary          < 
struggle. 

The 

THE  LIFE 

AS 

Divine              •< 
commands. 

THE  WORK 
OF  CHRIST 

AND    OF   THE 

HOLY  SPIRIT. 

Christ  our 
Life. 

The  evidence 

of  the 

^Holy  Spirit. 

f  Works  and  Faith. 
•<  Law  and  Freedom. 
(.The  Christian  Ideal. 

Justification  considered  as  the  basis  of  our  new  life. 

The  Protestant  and  Catholic  Doctrine. 

The    Efficient,    Instrumental,    Formal,    and    Final    causes    of 

Justification. 

Conversion  of  the  soul.     Its  necessity  and  signs. 
The  battle  of  Life.     Man's  nature  and  his  enemies. 
The  Great  Issue,  Self  or  God. 
.The  seven  capital  sins  and  how  to  meet  them. 

The  Decalogue.     A  revelation  of  God's  own  life  and  man's 

duties. 
The   Cardinal  Virtues.     Temperance,  Prudence,  Justice,  and 

Fortitude,  the  basis  of  a  moral  life.       /??- 
The  Theological  Virtues.     Faith,  Hope,  and  Charity,  the  basis 

of  a  supernatural  life.    <f| 
The  Eight  Beatitudes.     The  revelation  of  the  principles  of  the 

heavenly  life  of  God  in  the  soul.        ,  y. 

Christ  our  Ideal,  Exemplar,  and  Model. 
Christ  the  Vine,  we  the  branches. 
Christ  our  Life,  transmitting  His  virtues  into  us. 
Christ  in  us  and  we  in  Him. 

Christ's  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  revealing  the  principles  of  the 
Christian  life. 

The  Holy  Spirit,  the  indwelling  power  of  our  new  life. 

The  Holy  Spirit,  His  gifts,  virtues. 

The  formation  of  habit  by  cooperation  with  the  Spirit. 

The  Holy  Spirit's  fruits.  His  fragrance  and  beauty  as  impart 
ing  a  beatitude  to  virtues. 

The  three  Evangelical  Counsels  as  practised  by  our  Lord  and 
given  by  Him  to  those  called  to  embrace  them  in  any  special 
manner. 

Poverty,  Chastity,  and  Obedience.  Reason  for  their  selection  by 
Christ.  The  training  of  the  Apostles  in  them. 

They  in  a  degree  enter  into  every  Christian's  life  as  involved 
in  our  baptismal  vows,  and  are  the  foundation  of  the  conse 
crated  life  in  religious  orders. 

Their  recognition  in  the  Church  and  the  various  forms  of  this  life. 

Christian  Perfection  so  far  as  attainable  here. 
Beatific  vision  our  triumphant  end  in  God. 


i54     TRANSITION   FROM   SECOND   TO   THIRD   PART 


CHAPTER  I.    THE  CHRISTIAN  LIFE 


TRANSITION 

FROM   THE 

SECOND 

TO   THE  ' 

THIRD 
PART. 


Works 

and 

faith. 


Law 

and 

freedom. 


The 

Christian 

ideal. 


Belief  in  God,  Christ,  and  the  Church  is  insufficient  without  obe 
dience. 

Man  owes  God  not  only  the  homage  of  his  intelligence,  but  also  the 
obedience  of  his  will. 

Man  under  grace  is  freed  from  an  external  law  whose  penalty  for  any 
violation  is  death.  Under  grace  he  has  a  higher  spiritual  code  re 
vealed  by  Christ  and  written  by  the  Spirit  in  his  heart  which  by 
the  grace  given,  he  can  endeavour  and  which  it  is  his  delight  to 
obey. 

It  is  the  error  of  unbelievers  that  the  submission  of  the  intelligence 
is  not  necessary  and  a  moral  life  will  suffice. 

It  is  an  error  of  Protestantism  that  good  works  are  not  necessary 
and  that  faith  will  suffice. 

The  Church  has  held  that  works  without  faith  are  of  no  avail,  and 
faith  separated  from  works  is  dead. 


The  Gospel  did  not  free  its  followers  from  the  observance  of  moral 
laws  by  bringing  them  under  the  new  dispensation. 

The  Gospel  brought  deliverance  from  the  penalty  of  the  law  and 
emancipation  from  the  slavery  of  sin,  making  us  the  servants  of 
righteousness. 

Christ  has  made  us  free,  but  true  freedom  co-exists  with  restraint. 
It  is  found  in  a  willing  obedience  to  a  law  which  one  knows  he  can 
disobey. 

The  Christian  acts  in  obedience  to  the  Christian  code,  because  now 
law  is  not  something  external  to  himself,  but  has  become  his  law : 
the  law  of  his  life,  and  "disobedience  would  be  torture." 


The  Gospel  sets  before  us  a  new  ideal  of  character  and  life,  one  per 
meated  with  the  spirit  of  Christ. 

It  reveals  virtues  that  the  pagan  world  at  its  best  had  not  known.  In 
virtues  it  despised  was  seen  the  highest  glory  of  humanity. 

It  transforms  all  actions  by  the  elevation  of  their  motive  and  endows 
the  commonest  with  a  divine  glory. 

It  strengthens  man  in  all  the  cardinal  virtues  and  makes  his  life 
righteous  with  the  theological  ones. 

The  Christian  walks  in  the  sunshine  of  God's  love,  and  as  he  looks  to 
Him,  the  shadows  of  life's  burdens  and  sorrows  fall  behind  his 
back. 

The  Gospel  combines  in  its  beauty  the  love  of  God  with  the  love 
of  our  fellow-men,  and  the  Christian  life  is  one  of  charity  and 
righteousness. 

The  third  part  treats  of  the  new  man  and  how  we  are  gathered  into 
Christ's  life  and  He  comes  to  reign  in  us. 


JUSTIFICATION 


i55 


CHAPTER  II.    OUR  NEW  LIFE  IN  CHRIST 


f The  Necessary  Struggle. 

Justification. 
CONSIDERED  IN    I  ^      '     . 

REFERENCE  TO    1  ^fTT'  *  r  v 
TVie  Bottfe  o/  Lt/e. 

Seven  Capital  Sins. 


C  Justification. 
ARTICLE  I.  •<  General  Agreements. 

[^Protestant  and  Catholic  Doctrine. 


§  1 

JUSTIFICA 
TION. 


General 
agreements. 


Protestant 
and 

Catholic 
.doctrine. 


In  order  to  be  justified  one  must  be  pardoned  and  born  again 

in  Christ. 
We  are  justified  for  the  sake  of  His  merits  and  not  for  our  own 

works  or  deservings. 
It  is  "the  blood  of  Christ  that  alone  cleanseth  from  all  sins." 

It  is  for  His  sake  we  are  adopted  children  of  God  in  Christ. 
Man  is  unable  to  obtain  forgiveness  or  adoption,  or  without  the 

grace  of  God  to  move  himself  towards  righteousness. 
Works  done  from  mere  natural  motives  and  without  grace  do 

not  establish  a  claim  on  God  nor  make  men  meet  to  receive 

grace. 
Prevenient  grace  is  given  freely  without  any  merit  on  man's 

part,  because  God  would  have  none  to  perish. 
Man  has,  through  assisting  grace,  the  power  to  accept,  or  by  his 

own  perverse  will  is  able  to  reject  God  and  his  salvation. 
It  is  agreed  to  by  all  that  we  are  justified  only  in  Christ  by  faith, 

and  not  by  our  own  works  nor  the  works  of  the  Law. 


The  Protestant  and  Catholic  doctrines  differ  on  several  points. 

The  Protestant  holds  that  justification  means  acquittal,  accept 
ance,  pardon;  the  Catholic  holds  it  is  something  more;  that 
it  is  a  gift  of  new  life. 

The  Protestant  separates  justification  from  sanctification.  The 
Catholic  holds  that  the  act  that  justifies  must  also  sanctify. 

The  Protestant  believes  that  the  righteousness  of  Christ  is  only 
by  a  fiction  imparted  to  the  believer.  The  Catholic  believes 
that  when  God  declares  one  just,  He  makes  him  so  and  His 
righteousness  in  a  degree  is  imparted. 

The  Protestant  looks  on  justification  as  a  finished  act.  The 
Catholic  as  an  act  involving  a  gift  and  a  state,  capable  of 
progressive  increase. 

The  Protestant  formularies  teach  that  Christ's  obedience  to  the 
moral  law  is  a  substitute  for  ours.  The  Catholic  holds  it  to 
be  binding  and  that  God  has  given  us  grace  to  fulfil  it. 

The  Protestant  holds  that  faith  alone  justifies,  confining  the  act 
of  faith  to  the  mind  believing,  and  the  heart  trusting.  The 
Catholic  holds  that  justifying  faith  is  the  action  and  habit 
of  the  whole  of  man's  nature,  love  involving  obedience  as 
well  as  trust. 

The  Protestant  makes  man  independent  of  the  church  by  making 
faith  the  instrument.  The  Catholic  makes  baptism  the  instru 
ment  on  God's  part  and  faith  the  receptive  action  on  our 


i56 


CAUSES    OF    JUSTIFICATION 


f  The  Causes  as  Efficient. 

rr»       /~i  T  J  Instrumental. 

THE  CAUSES  OF  JUSTIFICATION.  <  „ 

1  Formal. 

\^Final,  and  their  Divisions. 


§2 

CAUSES  OF 
JUSTIFICATION. 


The 

efficient 

cause. 


The 

instrumental 

cause. 


The 

subjective 

cause. 


The  formal 
.and  final. 


The  causes  of  justification  may  be  analysed  under  three  heads : 
Efficient,  Formal,  and  Final. 

The  efficient  cause  is  remote  or  proximate. 

As  remote,  it  has  its  source  in  the  Love  and  Mercy  of  God. 
"Being  justified  freely  by  His  grace."  Rom.  iii.  24.  "Ac 
cording  to  His  Mercy  He  saved  us."  Titus  iii.  5.  "God 
so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  Begotten  Son  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
everlasting  life."  S.  John  iii.  16.  "The  justifier  of  him 
which  believeth  in  Jesus."  Rom.  iii.  16. 

As  remote  in  the  person -of  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  Mediator 
between  God  and  man ;  Who  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins ; 
Who  is  the  Lamb  of  God,  the  Sin  Victim;  in  Whom  we 
have  redemption  through  His  Blood.  Through  Whom  we 
have  now  received  the  reconciliation. 

'The  proximate  cause  is,  on  the  part  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  con 
sidered  on  its  objective  and  instrumental  side,  baptism. 

According  to  His  mercy  He  saved  us  through  the  laver  of  re 
generation  and  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Baptism  is  not  only  a  sign  of  profession,  but  of  Regeneration 
or  New  Birth,  whereby  as  by  an  instrument  "we  are  grafted 
into  the  Church,"  which  is  the  Body  of  Christ. 

"As  many  of  you  as  were  baptised  into  Christ  did  put  on 
Christ."  Being  baptised  into  His  death  "who  died  for  our 
sins,"  we  are  also  partakers  of  His  resurrection,  "who  rose 
for  our  justification." 

"Even  baptism  doth  now  save  us,  through  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus  Christ."  By  which  we  receive  remission  of  sins.  "  One 
baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins." 

The  proximate,  subjective,  and  receptive  means  of  justifica 
tion  is  faith. 

Man  is  not  justified  by  the  works  of  the  law  nor  by  his  own 
works,  but  only  in  Jesus  Christ  by  faith  and  for  His  merits. 

We  are  justified  freely  by  His  grace  through  the  redemption 

that  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  "apart  from  the  works  of  the  law," 

"by  faith." 
Faith  is  the  eye  that  sees,  the  heart  that  trusts,  the  hand  that 

grasps,  the  action  of  the  whole  nature  submitting  itself  to 

God.     It  is  "a  faith  working  by  love." 

This  faith  is  only  ideally  not  practically  separable  from  good 
works.  S.  James  ii.  22. 


("The  formal  cause  of  justification  is  the  remission  of  sins.    Rom. 
J      iv.  7. 

I  The  final  cause  is  the  immediate  gift  of  the  new  life  and  the 
(^     righteousness  that  God  gives. 


CONVERSION 


.07 


ARTICLE  II.    CONVERSION. 


:its  Necessity. 
The  Signs  of  the  Unconverted  State. 
The  calls  of  God. 


CONVERSION.   .< 


Necessity. 


Signs 
of  an 

unconverted 
heart. 


The  calls 
of  God. 


-Our  Lord  who  says  "Except  one  be  born  of  water  and  the  Spirit, 
he  cannot  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  heaven"  also  says,  "Ex 
cept  ye  be  converted,  ye  shall  not  enter  "  into  it. 

Conversion  in  case  of  an  adult  should  take  place  before  his  bap 
tism,  as  in  the  instance  of  Saul. 

In  case  of  those  baptised  in  infancy,  it  takes  place  after.  Some 
growing  up  in  a  course  of  continuous  conversion  of  being  con 
formed  to  God,  others,  and  the  larger  part,  needing  to  be  re 
called  after  estrangement  from  Him. 

Regeneration  and  conversion  are  different  acts  and  both  are 
needed  for  our  salvation. 


Many  communicants,  clergy  and  laity,  live  in  a  self-satisfied  state, 
performing  their  religious  duties  perfunctorily,  never  having 
been  convicted  of  sin,  or  realised  their  lost  condition,  or  ex 
perienced  the  work  of  grace  in  their  souls. 

Not  a  few  while  outwardly  conforming,  yet  live  in  the  indulgence 
of  secret  sins,  have  hearts  set  on  the  world,  are  full  of  pride, 
vanity,  envy,  dishonesty,  untruthfulness,  and  do  not  know 
they  are  in  an  unconverted  state. 

Some  signs  of  which  are:  the  habitual  consent  to  any  known  sin, 
the  willing  resistance  to  any  article  of  the  Catholic  faith,  a  de 
light  in  worldly  companionships  and  seeking  the  world's  favour, 
a  neglect  to  watch  over  daily  and  little  sins,  unfaithfulnesses, 
insensibility  to  the  sins  of  omission,  and  no  sorrow  because 
God  is  injured  and  grieved  by  our  spiritual  condition. 


God  calls  and  recalls  the  soul  in  many  ways.  This  mostly  takes 
place  through  bitterness  and  suffering,  as  the  restoration  to 
life  does  in  the  natural  order. 

Sorrow,  sickness,  suffering*  loss,  bereavement  are  often  used 
by  Him  to  correct  our  vitiated  self-love  and  love  of  earthly 
pleasures. 

Sometimes  He  brings  vividly  before  the  soul  the  terrifying  vision 
of  the  eternal  loss,  sometimes  the  folly  and  vanity  of  a  worldly 
life  and  the  heart  loathes  it,  sometimes  the  soul  has  a  revela 
tion  of  forgotten  sins  or  its  sinful  state  so  that  its  salvation 
seems  an  impossibility. 

In  many  solemn  ways  God  warns  and  rouses  souls  to  flee  from 
the  wrath  to  come,  or  He  opens  the  arms  of  His  Love  to  them, 
and  they  gain  the  assurance  of  His  acceptance  through  His  es 
tablished  means  of  grace. 

They  come  to  an  experimental  knowledge  of  Christ  through  their 
surrender  of  body,  mind,  and  soul  to  Him. 

God  not  only  calls  the  soul  that  has  strayed  back  to  Him,  but 
calls  the  soul  to  turn  more  and  more,  by  a  continual  conver 
sion,  to  higher  degrees  of  self-surrender  and  union. 


i58 


THE    BATTLE    OF    LIFE 


ARTICLE  III.    THE  BATTLE  OF 


CThe  Temple. 

LIFE.  •<  „,,  e  rJ1^^ 

]  The  Traitors  Within. 

[^  The  Soul's  Allies. 


THE 
BATTLE 
OF  LIFE. 


Man's 

triple 

nature. 


The  three 
roots  of 
sin. 


Our  three 
enemies 
and  three 
-allies. 


Man's  nature  is  like  unto  the  Temple  or  Tabernacle  with  its  three  divi 
sions.  The  open  court  signifying  the  body,  the  Holy  Place,  the  soul ; 
the  Holy  of  Holies,  the  Spirit. 

Man  is  thus  a  triple  unit  and  as  such  a  type  of  God.  This  triplicity  is 
revealed  to  us  in  Holy  Scripture.  "May  your  spirit,  soul,  and  body  be 
preserved  entire."  I  Thess.  v.  23. 

There  is  a  distinction  between  the  soul  and  spirit.  "  For  the  word  of 
God  is  piercing  even  to  the  dividing  of  soul  and  spirit."  Heb.  iv.  12. 
"  Stand  fast  in  one  spirit  with  one  soul." 

The  soul  embraces  the  memory,  reasoning  faculty,  understanding,  and 
other  powers  by  which  the  mind  comes  to  conclusions  more  or  less 
probable.  4  ***•  *' 

The  spirit  acts  in  union  with  God,  and  so  it  knows.  Man,  by  the  consti 
tution  of  his  nature,  begins  by  knowing  more  than  his  reasoning  faculty 
can  prove. 

By  his  union  with  God,  he  is  conscious  of  the  distinction  between  right 
and  wrong. 

fin  each  department  of  his  nature  there  is  now  a  tendency  to  independence 
and  so  in  each  a  root  of  lawlessness  or  sin.  These  three  are  called  "the 
lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life." 

In  the  body  lies  concupiscence  or  the  unruly  desires  of  the  wilfully  stimu 
lated  appetites. 

The  soul  looking  out  on  the  world  covets  it  and  all  it  can  give.  The 
Spirit  asserting  its  independence  rebels  against  God's  rule. 

Thus  sensuality,  covetousness,  and  pride  are  the  roots  of  all  sin. 

The  body  rebelling  against  the  soul  seeks  to  draw  it  down  to  its  animal 
ism.  The  soul  would  enslave  the  spirit  and  not  allow  it  to  believe  but 
what  the  reason  by  itself  can  prove.  The  spirit  ceases  by  its  pride  to 
be  controlled  by  God. 


f  We  have  three  enemies,  the  World,  the  Flesh,  and  the  Devil. 

The  world  is  whatever  comes  between  any  soul  and  God  and  hinders 
their  union.  The  flesh  is  our  bodily  appetites  rendered  unruly  by 
excessive  indulgence,  the  devil  is  represented  by  the  bad  angels. 

We  have  three  allies.  Opposed  to  the  world  there  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  Opposed  to  the  flesh,  the  pure  flesh  of  the  Crucified.  Op 
posed  to  the  devil,  the  hosts  of  the  good  angels. 

Within  the  Christian  there  is  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  engrafted  nature  of 
Christ;  the  gifts  of  sacramental  grace. 

Around  him  is  the  watchful  providence  of  God;  for  him,  the  prayers 
of  the  Church  are  ever  ascending.     His  are  the  sure  promises  of  a 
w     covenant-keeping  God. 


THE    SEVEN    CAPITAL    SINS 


169 


THE  ISSUE:   SELF  OB  GOD 


ARTICLE  IV.    THE  SEVEN  CAPITAL  SINS 


§  1 
THE 

SEVEN 

CAPITAL 

SINS. 


"Self-love 
their 
source. 


Pride. 


Envy. 


The  controlling  motive  in  man  is  desire  or  love.     "Wheresoever  I  am 

borne,  it  is  love  that  bears  me." 
It  may  be  directed  in  one  of  two  ways.     Love  of  God  unites  us  by  love 

to  God  and  subordinately  to  our  fellow- man. 
Love  of  self  alienates  us  from  God  and  humanity  and  is  the  parent  of 

sin,  which  is  developed  selfishness. 
Self-love  manifests  itself  in  the  seven  capital  sins,  so  called  not  because 

they  are  always  mortal,  but  because  they  are  the  heads  or  causes  of 

many  other  sins. 
They  are  classified  conveniently  as  Pride,  Envy,  and  Anger,  having  root 

in  the  spirit ;  as  Avarice,  arising  from  selfish  desires  of  the  soul ;    as 

Gluttony,  Lust,  Sloth,  the  unruly  appetites. 


"Pride  goeth  before  a  fall."    It  lies  in  the  spirit's  love  of  independence. 

It  was  probably  the  sin  of  the  fallen  angels. 

It  is  unwilling  to  recognise  its  created  relationship  and  its  dutiful  sub 
ordination  to  God.      It  turns  from  God,  or  ignores  Him,  and  makes 

self  its  God  and  is  a  worshipper  of  self. 
It  denies  its  dependence  on  God  for  life,  for  all  the  gifts  of  nature,  for 

health,  intellect,  position,  and  regards  them  as  its  own  and  is  filled  with 

self-esteem. 
It  exalts  itself  above  its  fellows,  being  self-conceited,  boastful,  and  ready 

to  criticise  and  instruct  others,  who  may  be  wiser. 
It  loves  and  seeks  for  praise,  earthly  honours,  popularity,  and  is  vain  of 

gifts  of  birth  or  accomplishments,  or  of  person. 
It  is  moved  to  the  detraction  of  others,  especially  towards  rivals,  and  often 

with  ill-will  and  injustice. 
It  is  presumptuous  through  trusting  in  its  own  strength,  seeking  and 

undertaking  what  is  beyond  its  capacity. 
In  its  developed  form,  though  accompanied  with  morality,  it  is  the  most 

deadly  of  sins,  and  more  likely  to  ruin  man  than  sins  of  the  flesh. 


Envy  was  the  sin  which  led  the  chief  priests  to  demand  the  death  of  Christ. 

"For  envy  they  delivered  Him." 
In  its  passive  form  it  is  sorrow  at  another's  good,  disturbing  the  peace  of 

the  soul. 
It  springs  from  self-love,  for  true  love  envieth  not.    Charity  recognises  the 

oneness  of  the  Christian  family  and  rejoiceth  in  another's  good. 
In  its  passive  form  of  thought  it  issues  in  malice,  in  its  active  form  in 
.    detraction. 
It  is  more  likely  to  be  exercised  against  equals  and  rivals  than  towards 

superiors  or  inferiors. 
When  a  man's  position  is  envied,  envy  plots  to  deprive  him  of  it;   when 

it  is  influence,  envy  seeks  to  diminish  it;  when  it  is  his  abilities,  envy 

endeavours  to  frustrate  his  plans. 
It  takes  the  forms  of  emulation,  rivalry,  jealousy,  discontent ;   it  rejoices 

in  the  failure  of  rivals,  at  their  misfortunes  and  even  falls.     It  is  the 

meanest  of  all  vices,  and  deadly  as  it  is  mean. 


i6o 


THE    SEVEN    CAPITAL    SINS 


'Anger  may  be  justifiable.  "Be  ye  angry  and  sin  not."  Anger  being 
in  some  circumstances  a  "reflection  of  the  justice  of  God." 

The  absence  of  it,  in  the  presence  of  the  violation  of  the  moral  law, 
is  a  sign  of  the  absence  of  rational  moral  judgment. 

It  is  sinful  when  it  proceeds  from  self-love,  because  we  are  wronged, 
not  because  a  wrong  has  been  done. 

It  is  the  spirit  that  desires  another's  injury  because  of  the  evil  done 
oneself. 

It  has  the  element  of  hatred  in  it,  coupled  with  the  desire  of  revenge. 

It  may  seek  revenge  in  invoking  the  law,  or  taking  it  into  one's  own 
hands,  or  inflicting  an  unjustifiable  penalty. 

It  may  show  itself  in  thought,  or  word,  or  act,  and  the  degree  of  guilt 
depends  on  the  manner,  matter,  and  motive  of  the  act. 

It  often  leads  to  acts  of  violence,  and  each  spark  of  anger  has  murder 
at  heart.  It  is  roused  in  the  unbelieving  by  the  sight  of  holiness. 

It  shows  itself  towards  God  in  cursing  and  blasphemy,  towards  men 
in  injuries  and  detractions,  in  withdrawing  of  intercourse,  in  break 
ing  up  of  families. 

It  shows  itself  in  lesser  ways  by  impatience,  fretting,  sharp  words, 
moods  of  feeling,  by  making  oneself  disagreeable. 

It  violates  the  commands  and  example  of  Christ,  who  would  have 
us  control  our  feelings,  be  charitable  in  our  judgments,  forgive  our 
enemies,  even  as  God  has  for  Christ's  sake  forgiven  us. 


THE  SEVEN 
CAPITAL 

SINS 
(continued). 


Anger. 


Covetous- 
ness. 


"He  that  loveth  riches  shall  reap  no  fruit  from  them." 

Covetousness  is  an  immoderate  love  of  possession.  It  is  also  called 
avarice  or  the  love  of  money. 

The  desire  we  naturally  have  for  things  external  for  use  and  enjoy 
ment  is  natural  and  not  sinful.  It  is  a  duty  to  ourselves  and  others 
to  accumulate  that  which  will  provide  for  us  and  them. 

Avarice  does  not  consist  in  our  having  possessions.  The  sin  of  covet- 
ousness  may  be  committed  more  readily  by  the  poor  than  the 
wealthy. 

Our  Lord  did  not  condemn  any  for  being  rich,  but  said  how  hard 
it  was  for  those  who  trust  in  riches  to  enter  into  the  kingdom. 

For  he  who  trusts  in  them  makes  them  an  Idol,  and  so  covetousness 
becomes  idolatry  and  it  is  a  sin  that  increases  with  age. 

It  is  the  craving  to  accumulate,  increase,  and  hoard  for  the  love  of 
hoarding. 

It  develops  into  selfishness,  miserliness,  neglect  of  charities,  in  in 
justice  and  overreaching  in  business,  and  in  hardness  of  heart  and ' 
dimness  of  faith. 

The  folly  of  the  avaricious  is  not  in  that  he  cannot  carry  his  riches 
with  him,  but  where  his  treasure  is  there  is  also  his  heart,  and  the 
moth  and  rust  of  worldliness  that  preys  on  his  treasure  eats  up 
his  heart. 


THE    SEVEN    CAPITAL    SINS 


161 


The  sins  of  the  Flesh:  Sloth,  Gluttony,  and  Lust.  "When  men  slept 
the  enemy  came  and  sowed  tares."  " Slothf ulness  casteth  into  a 
deep  sleep." 

Sloth  is  an  inordinate  love  of  ease,  bodily  and  mental. 

It  shuns  exertion  and  is  lazy  and  procrastinating  and  the  parent  of 
the  sins  of  omission. 


§3 
THE 

SEVEN 
CAPITAL 
SINS 
(concluded). 


Sloth. 


Gluttony 

and 

.lust. 


It  is  marked  by  an  indisposition  and  torpor  of  mind,  and  instability 
and  weakness  of  will. 

In  temporal  affairs,  it  shuns  duties,  is  idle,  works  spasmodicaUy  and 
only  as  obliged. 

In  spiritual  matters,  it  is  indifferent  to  God's  claims,  is  without  regu 
larity  or  constancy  in  its  religious  exercises  and  church  duties. 

If  unaroused  from  its  lethargy  it  becomes  lukewarm,  and  then  luke- 
warmness  is  succeeded  by  aversion  to  sanctity. 

It  becomes  filled  with  rancour  towards  counsellors  who  urge  a  better 
and  more  zealous  life. 

A  spiritual  numbness  takes  possession  of  the  soul.  It  at  last  sinks 
under  the  temptations  of  lust.  A  fatal  despair  often  completes  the 
soul's  ruin. 


The  bodily  appetites  created  by  God  demand  their  legitimate  and 
lawful  gratification. 

It  is  their  inordinate  and  uncontrolled  desires  that  lead  into  sinful 
self-indulgence. 

Appetite  is  inordinate  when  it  violates  the  control  of  right  reason. 

Gluttony  is  an  inordinate  excess  or  greediness  in  eating  or  drinking, 
or  an  overfastidiousness  in  the  use  of  food. 

It  is  the  use  of  nourishment  without  thankfulness  to  God  and  with 
no  higher  motive  than  bodily  gratification. 

It  leads  to  the  gross  excess  of  drunkenness,  to  mere  animalism,  the 
loss  of  health. 

It  undermines  the  strength  of  character,  the  nobility  of  man's  nature, 
impairs  the  spiritual  sense,  and  is  mostly  accompanied  with  impurity. 

Lust  or  luxury  is  the  vice  opposed  to  chastity.     It  is  an  inordinate 


desire  of  carnal  indulgence. 

It  brings  about  the  ruin  of  body  and  soul.  It  is  a  defilement  of  the 
body  which  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

It  is  in  a  Christian  a  personal  insult  to  Christ  and  the  indwelling  Spirit. 

Its  effects  are  seen  in  hardness  of  heart,  loss  of  conscience,  reck 
lessness  as  to  honour,  debasement  of  nature,  dimness  and  loss  of 
faith,  and  final  impenitence. 

soul  immersed  in  the  body's  filth  cannot  see  God. 
11 


CHAPTER  III.    THE  DIVINE  COMMANDS 


{The  Decalogue. 
The  Cardinal  Virtues. 
The  Theological  Virtues. 
The  Beatitudes. 


§1 
THE 

DECALOGUE 
IN  GENERAL. 


The  term  signifies  the  ten  (deka)  words  or  laws  (logous). 

It  is  a  compendium  of  morals  as  the  creed  is  of  faith  and  has  God  for  its  Author. 

A  morality  so  beyond  the  conceptions  of  the  heathen,  so  fitted  to  every  condition 
of  man,  so  universal  in  its  character,  has  on  it  the  seal  of  a  divine  authorship. 

It  is  not  like  a  human  code,  the  invention  of  a  legislature,  or  such  as  a  parent 
might  devise  for  his  child. 

The  decalogue  is  a  revelation  of  God's  own  Being  and  man's  relation  to  Him  and 
his  fellow-man. 

The  commandments  are  radiations  from  His  own  nature,  and  like  the  rays  that 
stream  forth  from  the  sun  could  not  be  other  than  they  are. 

They  are  in  two  tables  or  divisions.  The  first  four  affirm  and  guard  the  rights  of 
God,  the  six  other  those  of  man. 

In  the  first  God  proclaims  His  deity,  His  supremacy  and  unrivaled  sovereignty  v 
the  awe  and  worshipful  reverence  due  His  Name,  the  combination  of  ceaseless 
activity  with  absolute  rest,  that  is  to  be  found  in  Himself  and  in  His  immanence 
and  transcendence  in  creation,  and  which  is  copied  in  the  alternate  labour  and 
weekly  cessation  in  man. 

The  second  table  is  the  Magna  Charta  of  human  rights,  guarded  first  by  the  sub 
mission  to  parental  and  lawful  authority.  It  declares  the  inherent  sanctity  of 
human  life  and  guards  its  transmission.  It  protects  the  rights  of  property  and 
character.  It  reveals  the  all-satisfying  fulness  of  God  while  it  bans  the  covet- 
ousness  that  leads  to  the  violation  of  human  rights. 

Christianity  gave  to  the  commandments  a  wider  application,  a  higher  ideal,  a 
nobleness  of  motive,  and  brought  grace  which  enabled  man  to  keep  them. 

The  decalogue  was  not  as  to  the  Jew  a  law  externally  imposed,  but  revealed  by 
the  spirit  within ;  as  his  own  law  the  Christian  desires  to  keep  it,  and  by  love  the 
law  is  fulfilled. 

By  its  observance  he  escapes  evil,  secures  happiness  in  this  world,  and  the  rewards 
of  eternal  life. 

It  is  one  sign  of  the  last  times,  that  man  not  corresponding  to  the  environment  of 
revealed  truth,  misuses  his  spiritual  nature  and  the  light  within  him  becomes 
darkness. 


THE    FIRST    COMMANDMENT    DECLARES 


1 63 


ARTICLE  I.    THE  FIRST  COMMANDMENT 


"I  AM  THE  LORD  THY  GOD :  THOU  SHALT  HAVE  NONE  OTHER  GODS  BUT  ME" 


§2 

THE  FIRST 
COMMANDMENT 
DECLARES 


God  to  be 
a  Person. 


His 

Personal 
Relation 
ship. 


His 

Sovereignty. 


Our  duty 
to  Him. 


God  reveals  Himself  as  a  personal  God.     "I  am." 

The  perfection  of  His  nature  demands  this.  The  perfectly 
good  would  be  incomplete  without  personality. 

The  human  "ego"  becomes  conscious  of  itself,  not  by  cogni 
tion  of  the  "non  ego  "  but  by  its  relation  to  another  ego. 

When  the  grace-illuminated  spirit  comes  to  know  itself  it  be 
comes  conscious  that  it  is  in  union  with  a  Spirit  not  its  own, 
which  is  God. 

Christian  ethics,  therefore,  are  not  based  on  aught  save  God 
and  man's  relation  to  Him. 


'The  command  not  only  declares  God's  personality  but  His 
sovereignty.  "I  am  the  Lord." 

Christian  ethics  are  thus  seen  to  be  indissolubly  annexed  to 
dogma.  Christian  morality  cannot  exist  apart  from  dog 
matics. 

For  dogma  being  rejected,  ethics  is  lacking  in  its  fundamental 
principle.  Submission  to  God,  while  dogma  accepted  by 
grace,  has  an  ethical  value. 


God  is  not  only  "the  Lord,"  but  a  Being  who  stands  in  a  per 
sonal  relationship  to  each  of  His  creatures.  He  is  "Thy 
God." 

God  is  a  God  of  Love.  Man  is  bound  to  Him  by  the  tie  of 
creation,  most  intimate  and  loving. 

God  is  immanent  in  the  universe,  and  where  His  power  is  there 
is  He. 

It  awakens  a  responsive  and  ethical  acknowledgment,  i.e., 
"He  is  my  God  and  I  am  His  child." 

Love  must  thus  rule  our  actions,  be  our  motive,  and  unite  us 
to  God. 


He  in  love  says,  "Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  but  Me." 
Which  assures  us  that  He  alone  will  be  our  God. 

It  also  declares  that  man  is  a  free  and  not  a  necessitated  being. 

There  is  a  sphere  within  which  his  power  of  choice  may  freely 
move,  for  God  would  not  hold  him  responsible  if  he  were  not 
free  to  act. 

His  commandments  are  not  grievous.  His  grace  is  sufficient. 
His  providence  will  protect. 

It  is  thus  man's  loving  duty  to  believe  in  Him,  to  trust  Him,  to 
love  and  obey  Him. 

To  reject  is  the  sin  of  the  foolish  man,  who  to  rid  himself  of  his 
obligations,  says,  "There  is  no  God,"  also  that  of  those  who 
deny  His  transcendence  and  personality,  saying  "there  is  no 
God  without  a  universe  and  no  universe  without  a  God,"  or 
of  those  who  admit  His  existence  but  disbelieve  His  provi 
dence  and  revelation. 

The  Christian  knows  and  loves  God  and  walks  with  Him. 
"God  only.  God  always.  God  in  all  things,"  is  his  motto. 


THE    SECOND    COMMANDMENT 


THE  SECOND  COMMANDMENT 


"Tnou  SHALT  Nor  MAKE  UNTO  THEE  ANY   GRAVEN   IMAGE. 

DOWN  TO  THEM  NOB  SERVE  THEM  " 


THOU   SHALT  NOT   Bow 


"The 
unlawful 
use  of 

images. 

§3 
THE  SECOND 
COMMANDMENT. 

The 
lawful 
use  of 
art 

Latria 
and 
.  dulia. 

'The  natural  man  believed  there  were  gods  many,  gods  of  the  rivers, 
of  the  hills,  and  plains.  All  the  known  forces  of  nature  were  per 
sonified.  Images  which  signified  them  were  set  up  and  worship 
was  offered  through  them  to  the  non-existing  beings  or  devils. 

To  appease  angry  deities  human  sacrifices  were  offered  and  gross 
orgies  and  sensualities,  the  natural  accompaniment  of  cruelty, 
attended  these  rites. 

God  speaking  to  the  race  in  its  childhood  and  through  the  Hebrew 
race  condemns  this  false  and  sensual  idolatry.  He  forbade  the 
making  of  any  Image  representative  of  a  supposed  deity  to  which 
worship  was  to  be  paid. 


But  since  God  has  revealed  Himself  in  Jesus  Christ,  it  is  not  un 
lawful  to  make  representation  of  Him,  because  God  has  given 
to  us  an  Image  of  Himself  in  Christ. 

The  heathen  philosophers  defended  themselves  from  idolatry  by 
the  argument  that  they  did  not  worship  the  Image,  but  that 
which  it  represented.  The  answer  was  that  the  image  was  not 
an  authorised  one  and  did  not  represent  anything  unless  devils. 

As  the  woman,  who  kneeling  touched  Christ's  garment,  was  not 
idolatrous,  for  she  worshipped  Him,  so  the  act  of  adoration  given 
to  Christ  in  the  Eucharist  is  not  so,  for  it  has  His  Person  as  its 
object. 

As  in  the  old  dispensation  God  enjoined  the  use  of  images  and  pic 
tures  in  the  Tabernacle,  so  in  the  new,  Christianity  has  conse 
crated  art  in  all  its  departments  to  the  worship  of  God. 


It  was  an  evil  heretical  spirit  that  led  to  the  breaking  down  of 
altars,  the  destroying  of  the  carved  work  of  the  sanctuary. 

While  the  worship  of  "latria,"  which  involves  self-surrender,  is 
due  to  God  only,  subordinate  worship  or  reverence  is  due  to  all 
holy  persons  and  things. 

* 

Especially  to  the  Ever  Blessed  Virgin  and  to  all  the  Saints  and 
Angels. 

The  commandment  forbids  the  worship  of  "latria"  to  any  crea 
tion  of  the  hands  or  mind,  to  any  human  idol  however  made. 

Men  make  them  idols  of  causes,  plans,  beliefs,  and  they  worship 
them  as  did  the  heathen  theirs  of  silver  and  gold. 

The  commandment  condemns  all  superstitions  or  acts  of  any  false 
religion  like  spiritualism,  or  witchcraft,  or  the  artifices  of  astrol 
ogy,  or  fortune  telling,  or  judging  by  omens. 

In  religion  follow  no  man.     This  forbidden  principle  made  the 
*     sects.     "Hear  the  church."     So  keep  from  idols. 


THE    THIRD    COMMANDMENT 


i65 


THE  THIRD  COMMANDMENT 
"Tnou  SHALT  NOT  TAKE  THE  NAME  OF  THE  LORD  THY  GOD  IN  VAIN" 


^Revealed 
religion. 

§4 
THE  THIRD 
COMMANDMENT. 

Its 

authority. 

Its  sanc 
tions  and 
^prohibitions. 

'The  first  two  commandments  having  placed  God  before  man, 
the  third  advances  from  what  has  been  called  natural  to  re 
vealed  religion. 

If  the  universe  had  no  God  behind  or  in  it,  it  would  be  an  un- 
solvable  riddle,  a  hideous  nightmare.  If  God  did  not  make 
a  revelation  of  Himself  it  would  be  an  immoral  one. 

The  third  commandment  bids  man  take  heed  unto  and 
reverence  the  Name  of  God  and  the  Name  of  God  is  a 
matter  of  revelation. 

The  revelation  of  it  has  been  made  progressively  and  it  reveals 
the  Nature  of  God,  now  as  the-Blessed  Three  in  One. 

We  are  bidden  to  reverence  Him  in  the  way  He  has  revealed 
Himself,  which  in  the  New  Dispensation  is  in  Christ  and 
His  Church. 


The  Name  of  God  also  signifies  the  authority  of  God.  To  act 
in  His  Name  is  to  act  in  and  by  His  authority. 

The  commandment  is  violated  by  sectarian  ministers  who 
proclaim  they  are  acting  in  His  Name  when  they  have  re 
ceived  from  Christ  no  authority  to  do  so. 

The  duty  of  reverence  to  God,  and  all  that  represents  Him, 
is  violated  by  refusing  the  worship  of  the  body  in  kneeling 
in  prayer,  or  at  the  Incarnatus  in  the  Creed,  or  unwilling 
ness  to  follow  the  custom  of  the  Church  in  making  the  sign 
of  the  cross. 


The  command  inculcates  inward  reverence  along  with  out 
ward  form,  for  the  form  without  the  inward  spirit  is  a  taking- 
of  God's  Name  in  vain. 

The  Church  regards  as  lawful  the  taking  of  oaths  required  in 
civil  procedures. 

It  sanctions  vows  made  in  baptism,  confirmation,  marriage, 
and  in  the  entrance  into  the  religious  state. 

It  forbids  all  forms  of  profanity,  blasphemy,  and  cursing.  The 
guilt  being  mortal  or  venial  according  to  the  advertence  and 
motive  of  the  utterance. 

The  Christian  will  avoid  all  frivolity  in  the  use  of  Holy  Scrip 
ture  and  cherish  a  reverence  towards  God's  word  and  all 
holy  persons  and  things. 

The  irreligious  tendency  of  modern  life  must  be  met  by  an 
increasing  reverence  to  all  that  belongs  to  revealed  re 
ligion. 


i66 


THE    FOURTH    COMMANDMENT 


THE  FOURTH  COMMANDMENT 

"Six  DAYS  SHALT  THOU  LABOR  AND  DO  ALL  THAT  THOU  HAST  TO  Do. 

THOU  KEEP  HOLY  THE  SABBATH-DAY  " 


REMEMBER  THAT 


§5 

THE 

FOURTH 

COMMANDMENT   ^ 

CONCERNS 

WORSHIP. 


"It  rests 
on  a 
positive 
command. 


The 
days 
change. 


Its 

memorial 

character. 


What 
forbidden 
and 
allowed. 


'The  commandments  proceed  in  order,  first  God,  then  revealed 
religion,  and  next  labour  or  service  and  worship. 

God  being  Love,  seeks  for  a  manifestation  of  love  in  the  double 
way  of  service  and  worship. 

Man's  response  of  love  by  way  of  service  and  worship  strengthens 
his  intellect  and  will  and  ennobles  his  whole  nature. 

The  commandment  enforcing  a  periodic  weekly  rest  protects 
man  from  his  own  greed. 

The  Sunday  rest  is  "the  friend  of  the  poor,  and  the  foe  of  human 
selfishness,"  and  so 

The  rest  needed  to  be  enforced  by  a  divine  authority.  "The 
Sabbath  was  made  for  man." 

The  commandment  reveals  the  authority  of  the  Church  which 
in  the  old  dispensation  so  strictly  enforced  it. 

By  the  observance  of  the  first  day  of  the  week,  in  place  of  the 
seventh,  the  authority  of  the  Christian  Church  is  acknowledged. 

The  worship  commanded  has  assigned  to  it  a  memorial  character. 

The  Jew  kept  the  seventh  day  as  a  memorial  of  the  restfulness 
of  God's  activity  in  creation  and  of  his  national  deliverance 
from  Pharaoh's  bondage. 

The  Christian  keeps  the  first  day  as  a  memorial  of  Christ's  resur 
rection  and  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  Sunday  at 
Pentecost. 

The  memorial  character  of  the  day  extends  to  the  ordained  wor 
ship,  which  in  the  Christian  dispensation  is  the  memorial  sacri 
fice  of  the  death  of  Christ. 

The  element  of  mystery  in  the  selection  of  a  seventh  day  is  in 
harmony  with  the  worship  of  Him,  who  is  the  veiled  and  the 
unveiled  God.  See  Wordsworth  Com.  Ex.  xx.  10. 

The  principle  of  hallowing  all  the  labour  of  the  six  days  by  the 
special  consecration  of  the  seventh  to  God,  is  in  accord  with 
~     God's  covenanted  mercies. 

What  is  now  forbidden  is  the  profanation  of  the  day  by  unneces 
sary  servile  labour. 

What  is  allowed  is  such  recreation  as  shall  not  turn  the  soul 
away  from  devotion. 

What  is  encouraged  is  the  consecration  of  the  day  to  worship  and 
rest,  and  worship  by  its  change  from  ordinary  duties  brings  a 
recuperative  rest  to  body  and  soul. 

What  is  of  obligation  is  the  offering  by  the  priest  of  the  Holy 
Sacrifice  and  the  attendance  thereat  by  the  laity. 


THE    FIFTH    COMMANDMENT 


167 


THE  FIFTH  COMMANDMENT 

"HONOUR  THY  FATHER  AND  THY   MOTHER  THAT  THY  DAYS  MAY  BE  LONG  IN  THE  LAND 
WHICH  THE  LORD  THY  GOD  GlVETH  THEE  " 


§6 
THE 
FIFTH 
COMMANDMENT. 


Its 

basis 

love. 


The 

authority 
a  repre 
sentative 
one. 


The 
mutual 
obliga 
tions. 


Christian  ethics  are  based  on  love.  The  first  table  which  reveals 
our  duties  to  God  begins  with  the  Love  of  God  to  us.  "I  am 
thy  God." 

The  second  table  which  safeguards  man's  rights  begins  with  the 
God-inspired  love  of  parent  and  child. 

Man  is  a  social  being  and  so  needs  some  form  of  government, 
and  the  principle  of  family  life  should  extend  to  the  tribal  or 
national  family. 

The  principle  of  Christian  government  is  authority  guarded  by 
love  in  its  administration  and  by  love  honoured  and  accepted. 


'Behind  this  is  the  fact  that  all  true  authority  comes  from  God, 
and  we  give  honour  to  parents,  pastors,  governors,  because  in 
their  several  spheres  they  represent  Him. 

There  is  thus  a  limitation  to  their  authority.  Parents  may  not 
command  anything  contrary  to  God's  law  or  the  teaching  of 
His  Church. 

Parents  cannot  forbid  their  children  the  reception  of  the  sacra 
ments  of  the  Church.  Bishops  only  act  authoritatively  when 
they  are  mouthpieces  of  the  collective  Episcopate  or  of  the  uni 
versal  Church  or  the  explicit  utterances  of  their  own  Church. 

The  state  cannot  set  aside  a  Christian  marriage,  but  as  it  has  the 
right  to  enforce  life  contracts  so  it  should  recognise  those  of 
matrimony  made  between  churchmen  who  take  each  other 
"Till  death  do  us  part." 

•As  the  relation  between  parents  and  children,  husbands  and 
wives,  pastors  and  people,  is  a  mutual  one,  so  are  their  duties 
—  on  the  one  hand  of  love,  reverence,  and  obedience,  on  the 
part  of  children  and  care  for  their  parents  in  old  age,  on  the 
part  of  parents,  of  care,  education,  and  moral  training. 

The  laity  are  to  reverence,  obey,  and  care  for  those  set  over  them 
in  the  Lord,  and  the  priests  are  to  care  for  and  feed  their  flocks, 
and  the  bishops  to  be  shepherds  not  wolves  to  the  clergy  and 
people. 

The  civil  powers  should  strive  for  the  common  good,  considering 
both  the  rights  of  the  minority  and  majority,  and  fulfil  the 
duties  of  their  office  with  incorruptible  justice. 

This  commandment  has  a  promise  annexed,  which  in  the  Chris 
tian  dispensation  has  a  wider  and  more  glorious  meaning  than 
^     it  assured  the  Jew. 


1 68 


THE    FIFTH    COMMANDMENT 


§7 

THE 

FIFTH                   < 
COMMANDMENT 

(continued). 

- 

The 

duties  of 

parents     •« 
to  their 

children. 

How  to 

bring 
^them  up. 

THE  DUTIES  OF  PARENTS  TO  THEIR  CHILDREN 

It  is  the  duty  of  parents  to  provide  food  and  clothing  and  shelter 
for  their  children,  such  as  is  suitable  to  their  condition  in  life. 

As  Christians  they  should  endeavour  to  make  their  home  a  happy 
home  and  make  their  children  respect  them  and  love  it. 

The  home  life  should  be  so  developed  as  to  bring  out  its  unity  of 
effort,  mutual  dependence,  and  love  for  one  another. 

Fathers  and  mothers  are  to  cooperate  in  the  training  and  edu 
cation,  intellectual  and  religious,  of  their  children. 

They  cannot  place  this  duty  on  others,  or  perform  it  by  such  in 
junctions,  "Do  as  I  say,  not  as  I  do."  They  must  be  living 
examples  of  unselfishness  and  righteousness. 

They  should  as  parents  pray  together  and  for  their  children.  Not 
letting  the  little  ones  say  their  prayers  "to  them,"  but  to  God 
with  them. 

They  should  win  the  confidence  of  their  children.  The  children 
should  never  be  afraid  to  come  and  confess  to  them  any  wrong 
they  have  done  or  mischief  into  which  they  have  fallen. 

Children  should  always  come  to  know  that  their  parents  love  them 
and  are  their  best  friends. 


Boys  are  to  be  taught  to  fear  nothing  but  doing  what  is  wrong. 
Girls,  that  modesty  is  the  beauty  of  a  woman's  character. 

It  is  wise  to  begin  their  religious  instruction  with  a  knowledge  and 
belief  in  the  angels.  If  begun  with  Santa  Glaus  or  fairy  tales 
they  come  to  know  they  are  untrue  and  so  reject  all  the 
supernatural. 

It  is  a  mistake  in.  dogmatic  teaching  to  begin  with  the  fall  and 
need  of  redemption.  Best  begin  with  Christ  as  the  Good  Shep 
herd  and  the  means  of  grace. 

The  baptised  child  is  a  member  of  Christ.  When  he  needs  by  sin 
the  saving  work  of  Christ  crucified,  he  will  be  led  to  it. 

The  parent  should  never  chastise  a  child  in  anger,  but  always  make 
him  understand  that  the  chastisement  is  due  because  God's  law 
is  broken. 

The  child's  moral  character  is  to  be  developed,  not  on  mere  enforced 
obedience  to  law,  but  on  honour,  and  honour  is  developed  by 
trust. 

If  a  boy  is  found  stealing  small  things  he  is  not  necessarily  thereby 
a  bad  boy.  The  disposition  comes  perhaps  from  some  ancestor. 
So  about  other  sins. 

The  boy  who  turns  out  a  good  man,  may  be  found  to  be  lying  occa 
sionally.  Parents  make  timid  natures  lying  by  threats,  and 
sensual  because  not  parentally  warned  and  instructed. 

If  clergy  desire  the  salvation  of  their  children,  they  should  never 
discuss  parochial  affairs  before  them,  or  speak  of  any  of  their 
people's  faults,  or  how  badly  they  themselves  have  been  treated. 


THE     SIXTH   AND    SEVENTH    COMMANDMENTS     169 

THE  SIXTH  AND  SEVENTH  COMMANDMENTS 

"THOU  SHALT  NOT  KILL."    "THOU  SHALT  NOT  COMMIT  ADULTERY" 
THE  PROTECTION  AND  TRANSMISSION  OF  LIFE 


The  taking  of  life  is  justifiable  by  the  state  in  the  administration 

of  justice  and  for  the  protection  of  society. 
It  is  justifiable  in  the  case  of  just  wars,  but  all  Christians  should 

labour  for  peace  through  arbitration. 

It  is  justifiable  in  case  of  self-defense  where  there  is  no  other  ob 
vious  means  of  self-protection. 

It  is  unlawful  to  procure  the  death  of  a  child  before  birth,  but 
not  if  to  hasten  the  birth  is  for  the  saving  of  the  life  of  the 
mother  and  with  baptism  of  the  child. 

The  command  forbids  duelling  as  an  unchristian  method  of  de 
fending  one's  honour  or  in  settlement  of  disputes. 

The  command  is  broken  by  unjust  wars,  by  religious  persecu 
tions,  by  the  oppressions  of  capital,  by  the  cruelties  of  child 
labour. 

Suicide  is  a  mortal  sin,  for  man  has  not  the  right  of  dominion 
over  his  body,  but  only  the  use  of  it. 

Those  are  guilty  who  refuse  medical  treatment  or  continue  in 
practices,  like  drunkenness,  that  will  bring  on  death. 

Hatred,  anger,  revenge  in  the  soul,  or  expressed  in  words  and 
acts,  are  mortal  or  venial  according  to  the  degree  of  provoca 
tion  or  manifestation. 

One  of  the  most  subtle  forms  of  this  sin  is  that  of  soul-murder, 
by  helping  to  destroy  a  person's  faith,  or  keeping  another 
^     back  from  a  vocation  to  the  priesthood  or  the  religious  life. 

The  seventh  commandment  guards  the  sacredness  of  the  trans 
mission  of  life. 

It  forbids  all  sins  against  chastity,  that  with  another's  wife  or 
husband,  which  is  called  adultery,  the  sin  of  fornication,  which 
is  between  unmarried  persons,  incest,  which  is  the  sin  be 
tween  relatives,  sacrilege  when  holy  persons  or  places  are 
violated. 

One  of  the  worst  forms  of  this  sin,  is  the  enticing  of  others,  es 
pecially  the  young,  into  impure  actions.  Better,  said  Christ, 
that  a  millstone  were  hanged  about  the  neck  of  such  an  one 
and  he  were  cast  into  the  sea. 

One  may  sin  in  external  acts  by  looks,  touches,  or  words,  by 
reading  bad  books,  by  attending  lascivious  plays,  by  im 
modest  dancing. 

It  is  not  a  sin  to  be  tempted  by  sensual  thoughts,  feelings,  or  sug 
gestions,  and  which  are  not  sinful  unless  consciously  and 
willingly  assented  unto. 

Unless  one  positively  knows  they  were  made  a  matter  of  con 
scious  and  wilful  indulgence,  it  is  best  to  decide  that  one  is 
not  responsible  for  them. 

"Those  dogs  keep  on  barking,"  said  Francis  of  Sales,  "because 
they  were  not  let  into  the  house." 


"The 
sixth 
command-   " 
ment. 

§8 
THE  SIXTH 
AND  SEVENTH 
COMMAND 

MENTS 

The 
seventh 
command 
ment. 

i7o       THE    EIGHTH    AND    NINTH    COMMANDMENTS 


THE  EIGHTH  AND  NINTH  COMMANDMENTS 
"THOU  SHALT  NOT  STEAL."    "Tnou  SHALT  NOT  BEAR  FALSE  WITNESS 

AGAINST  THY    NEIGHBOUR" 


§9 

THE  EIGHTH 
AND  NINTH 
COMMAND 
MENTS. 


Property 
God's  gift. 


Sins 
against  it 


or  against 
.reputation. 


'These  commandments  are  for  the  protection  of  man's  property 
and  the  dearer  possession  of  his  reputation. 

A  noted  French  philosopher  said  that  "property  was  theft." 
God  by  forbidding  theft  sanctions  thereby  the  rights  of 
property. 

Man  has  a  right  to  the  property  he  has  acquired  or  inherited, 
yet  it  is  a  limited  one,  for  God  gave  him  the  ability  or  so  or 
dered  his  birth  that  he  should  have  it. 

Not  to  recognise  God's  claim,  by  charity,  by  aid  to  the  Church, 
to  one's  fellows,  is  to  rob  God. 


'The  commandment  is  violated  by  robbery  or  taking  by  force, 
by  theft  or  taking  secretly,  by  borrowing  with  no  intention 
or  reasonable  expectation  of  repayment,  by  cheating  in  buying 
and  selling,  by  appropriating  money  intrusted  to  us,  by  ex 
tortion  and  intimidation  of  the  weak,  by  negligence  in  the 
performance  of  duties. 

Also  by  not  restoring  things  lent,  by  not  paying  our  just  debts, 
by  running  in  debt  needlessly,  by  not  seeking  the  owner  of 
things  found,  in  keeping  of  stolen  goods,  by  taking  things  as 
perquisites  which  we  know  our  employers  would  not  allow. 

Man  should  be  honest,  which  in  the  old  English  sense  meant 
to  act  "honourably."  Honesty  is  better  than  all  policy.  He 
who  is  honest  simply  because  it  is  the  best  policy  was  called 
by  Whately  a  dishonest  man. 


And  not  by  act,  but  by  word  are  we  to  guard  our  neighbour's 
reputation  as  we  would  have  him  guard  ours. 

Words  may  wound  more  than  knife  or  blow.  The  gift  of  speech 
is  to  be  sacredly  guarded.  Truth  is  a  virtue  and  lying  lips  are 
an  abomination  unto  the  Lord. 

Men  lie  to  advance  their  own  unlawful  gains;  lie  in  their  ad 
vertisements,  in  their  adulterations,  their  financial  schemes, 
in  respect  to  the  credit  of  their  competitors,  in  the  manufac 
ture  of  rumours  to  influence  trade. 

The  commandment  is  violated  by  a  thousand  methods  of  mis 
representation,  insinuation,  detraction,  talebearing,  and  gossip. 

But  a  professional  person,  a  lawyer  or  priest,  is  not  bound  to 
answer  questions  respecting  clients  or  penitents  of  which  per 
sons  could  and  would  not  rightly  expect  to  be  informed.  The 
knowledge  had  belongs  to  a  different  department  which 
neither  party  has  the  right  to  use. 

We  are  bound  to  not  only  speak  but  to  act  truthfully  and  to  be 
true. 


THE    TENTH    COMMANDMENT 


171 


THE  TENTH  COMMANDMENT 


"Tnou  SHALT  NOT  COVET 


rThe  joy     ^ 
of  loving 
God. 

§  10 

THE  TENTH 
COMMANDMENT. 

- 

The 

• 

misery  of   x 

mammon 

^worship. 

commandments  which  have  enforced  obedience  in  word  and 
deed  have  finally  to  do  with  motives. 

It  enters  into  a  region  civil  law  cannot  enter.  God  looks  at  the 
heart. 

How  it  is  to  be  directed.  The  heart  can  only  serve  one  master. 
Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon. 

When  the  heart  is  set  on  God,  it  finds  its  satisfaction  in  God  and 
rests  contentedly  in  His  will. 

Even  in  outward  poverty,  it  finds  a  joy  as  it  endures  and  suffers 
with  its  Lord. 

It  learns  to  trust  Him,  in  sickness  and  health,  in  storm  and  sun 
shine,  in  prosperity  and  adversity. 

The  heart  set  on  God  desires  more  and  more  to  be  united  to  Him, 
who  is  the  satisfying  fulness  of  the  soul. 

The  soul  thus  becomes  emancipated  from  the  thraldom  of  worldly 
honours,  distinctions,  wealth,  and  with  face  upturned  to  God, 
looks  down  upon  the  world. 

The  world  cannot  buy  it  or  influence  it  adversely  or  make  it  its 
slave. 


'The  covetous  man  is  ever  a  disappointed  one;  the  evil  desire  ever 
growing  with  its  goods,  never  satisfied,  ever  seeking  for  more. 

The  things  on  which  the  man  sets  his  heart  at  last  own  him,  not 
he  them,  and  the  miser  is  so  held  in  the  vise  of  avarice  that  he 
cannot  part  with  wealth. 

The  evil  is  admitted  to  be  one  of  the  most  prevalent,  and  the  haste 
and  greed  for  wealth  destroys  health  and  honour  and  the  soul. 

Children  are  injured  by  teaching  that  worldly  success,  wealth, 
civil  position  are  to  be  made  the  aim  of  their  lives,  and  not 
nobility  of  character. 

The  special  commendation  in  the  public  journals  of  those  who 
.have,  beginning  with  almost  nothing,  amassed  fortunes,  in 
jures  the  national  life,   as   if  character  should   not  outrank 
wealth. 

The  man  with  the  muck  rake  scrapes  a  little  pile  of  earth  about 
it,  but  leaves  it  when  he  dies.  He  who  lives  for  God  has  an 
endowment  of  true  riches  that  will  last  an  eternity. 

Our  Lord  gives  the  summary  of  the  decalogue:    "Thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul, 
^     and  with  all  thy  mind,  and  thy  neighbour  as  thyself." 


172 


THE    CARDINAL    VIRTUES 


ARTICLE  II.    THE  CARDINAL  VIRTUES 


{Temperance. 
Prudence. 
Justice. 
Fortitude. 


§1 

THE  CARDINAL 

VIRTUES 

AS  A  WHOLE. 


'"If  a  man  love  righteousness,  her  labours  are  virtues;  for  she  teacheth: 
Temperance  and  Prudence,  Justice  and  Fortitude." 

Virtue  is  that  habit  which  strengthens  man  to  work  righteousness,  to  do  good, 
and  to  be  good. 

The  cardinal  virtues  regulate  the  conduct  of  men  towards  themselves  and 
fellows  in  the  ordinary  details  of  daily  life. 

They  are  remedial  agencies  of  the  four  wounds  in  our  nature  caused  by 
disobedience. 

The  body  having  suffered  from  the  unrestrained  gratification  of  its  appetites, 
needs  to  be  restrained  by  Temperance. 

The  body  which  has  asserted  its  independence  of  the  soul  must  be  brought 
under  the  control  of  right  reason. 

The  soul  has  suffered  from  its  asserted  independence  of  the  spirit,  and  being 
thus  deprived  of  its  proper  enlightenment  is  enslaved  in  its  own  limitations 
and  ignorance. 

The  soul  needs  therefore  to  be  brought  back  to  its  normal  relation  to  the  spirit 
and  to  be  guided  by  a  spiritually  illuminated  Prudence. 

The  spirit,  in  its  self-assertion  and  pride  of  rebellion  against  the  Holy  Spirit, 
must  submit  to  give  God  the  obedience  that  is  His  due,  and  on  which  our 
true  life  depends. 

The  spirit  humbling  itself  before  God  must  be  reestablished  in  its  proper 
relation  to  Him  in  obedience  to  the  law  of  Justice,  which  gives  to  each 
their  due. 

These  four  are  known  as  the  cardinal  virtues  as  being  the  pivots  or  hinges  on 
which  the  others  turn. 

They  are  called  natural  virtues  because  man  to  a  certain  degree  can  acquire 
them  by  his  own  strength,  but  they  may  be  elevated  to  a  supernatural  dignity 
by  grace,  which  gives  supernatural  motives  and  higher  ideals  and  greater 
strength. 

They,  properly  understood,  guide  our  actions  in  the  right  "mean"  or  middle 
path  between  the  extremes  of  excess  or  deficiency,  exaggeration  or  imper 
fection. 

An  act  of  real  virtue  must  be  done  understandingly,  with  freedom  of  choice, 
disinterestedly,  and  upon  principle. 

For  the  perfection  of  any  action  all  four  of  the  cardinal  virtues  must  combine. 

It  is  a  mistake  therefore  to  judge  of  goodness  by  particular  or  single  virtues, 
for  they  may  be  the  result  of  imitation,  or  of  one's  position,  or  the  mask  of 
selfish  ends. 


"One  great  vice  may  be  the  parent  of  many  virtues." 
Sermons.     The  Pharisees. 


Mozley,  University 


The  truly  good  man  is  one  who  does  right  because  it  is  right  and  whose  whole 
conduct  is  conformable  to  that  law. 


THE    VIRTUE    OF    TEMPERANCE 


i73 


§2 
THE 

VIRTUE  OF 
TEMPERANCE. 


'Its 
definition. 


Its 

growth. 


Its 

cultivation. 


THE  VIRTUE  OF  TEMPERANCE 

Temperance  signifies  moderation.  It  is  the  lawful  use  of  the 
creatures  which  minister  to  our  bodily  sustenance  and 
gratification. 

The  notion  that  matter  is  evil  is  a  Manichean  heresy,  and  that 
bodily  gratification  is  sinful  is  a  Puritan  one.  God  made  His 
children  to  enjoy  and  be  happy  in  body,  soul,  and  spirit. 

In  different  degrees  it  becomes  the  soul  to  rule  over  the  bodily 
appetites  and  practise  self-denial  and  self-control.  It  does  this 
by  the  help  of  divine  grace,  and  so  becomes  the  virtue  of 
Temperance. 

It  takes  the  forms  of  abstinence,  soberness,  and  continence,  the 
practice  of  which  are  most  needed  in  youth,  when  the  passions 
and  appetites  are  most  demanding. 

The  first  great  fight  of  the  Christian  is  with  the  body  and  its  natural 
appetites,  for  which  God  has  provided  deliverance  through  mar 
riage,  and  the  discipline  of  the  fasts  and  abstinences  of  the 
Church. 

The  virtue  of  Temperance  demands  for  its  successful  cultivation 
a  rigid  discipline  like  that  of  a  soldier  encamped  in  an  enemy's 
country. 

The  Christian  soul  must  realise  that  it  stands  guard  like  a  chival 
rous  knigh£  over  the  honour  of  Christ  who  dwells  within  it,  and 
prefer  death  to  yielding  to  aught  that  would  dishonour  Him. 

It  must  cultivate  a  growing,  violent  hatred  of  sin  —  of  all  evil 
thoughts,  and  of  all  the  occasions  of  sin,  and  of  all  that  has  led 
or  allured  it  to  evil. 

It  must  discipline  itself  into  the  watchfulness  of  a  soldier  on  picket 
duty,  against  the  insinuations  of  the  enemy. 

It  must  have  a  thorough  and  abiding  distrust  of  self,  and  its  own 
strength  and  resolutions,  and  a  daily  and  hourly  active  trust  in 
the  grace  of  God.  Distrust  and  Trust  are  its  watchwords. 

As  the  virtue  of  Temperance  grows,  it  will  extend  itself  to  all 
excesses  of  bodily  indulgence,  to  overfastidiousness  regarding 
food,  to  any  excesses  in  drink,  to  slothfulness  in  conduct,  and 
all  neglect  of  righteous  duties. 

It  will  seek  to  control  its  time  and  social  pleasures.  The  King 
owns  us  and  all  we  have  is  His,  and  our  first  duty  is  to  Him. 

The  means  we  have,  have  come  from  God,  and  we  must  spend 
money  on  ourselves  with  measured  moderation,  and  with  gen 
erosity  toward  God. 

The  gift  of  speech  ennobles  man,  and  first  it  is  to  be  used  in  the 
worship  and  praise  of  God,  and  governed  by  the  law  of  charity 
in  respect  of  persons. 

Time  is  a  precious  privilege.  Only  for  a  few  years  can  we  serve 
God  here,  with  a  service  which  involves  some  sacrifice.  Our 
position  in  eternity  depends  upon  our  use  of  time.  How  we 
do  waste  it  in  newspaper  reading,  frivolous  conversation,  idle 
amusements. 

Temperance  is  moderation  in  the  lawful  use  of  all  God's  creatures, 
but  is  also  the  virtue  that  uses  all  we  are  and  have  to  the  greater 
glory  of  God. 

Temperance  has  within  itself  the  spirit  of  self-denial  and  sacri 
fice.  It  delivers  man  from  animalism  and  lifts  him  into  the 
peaceful  order  and  reign  of  law. 


174 


THE    VIRTUE    OF    PRUDENCE 


THE  VIRTUE  OF  PRUDENCE 


"THE  WISE  IN  HEART  SHALL  BE  CALLED  PRUDENT."    PROV.  xvi.  21 


§3 
THE 
VIRTUE 
OF 
PRUDENCE. 


Is 

vigilant. 


Is 

judicious. 


Is 

wise 


and 
perse 
vering. 


Prudence  is  reason  spiritualised.  Temperance  is  the  virtue  of  the 
body,  Prudence  is  that  .of  the  soul.  It  is  the  soul  brought  under 
the  guidance  of  the  spirit. 

It  has  several  elements:  vigilance,  judiciousness,  wisdom,  and 
perseverance. 

Vigilance!  Prudence  stands  on  the  watch-tower.  It  is  ever  on  the 
look  out.  It  is  in  this  respect  the  first  of  all  virtues,  "the  most 
needed  for  the  well-being  of  human  life."  .Liddon. 

It  forecasts  the  work  to  be  done,  the  tower  to  be  built,  the  enemy  to 
be  overcome. 

It  carefully  estimates  its  resources,  scrutinises  the  justice  of  the 
action,  the  best  time  for  proceeding,  makes  allowance  for  un 
seen  eventualities. 


It  has  a  judicious  temper,  not  carried  away  by  impulse  or  swayed  by 

prejudices,  or  overruled  by  friendships  or  enmities. 
It  sits  like  an  impartial  judge  weighing  the  different  arguments  for  or 

against  and  deciding  which  is  the  most  weighty  because  most  worthy, 

as  well  as  practical. 
In  practical  matters  it  steers  a  middle  course  between  timidity  which 

hinders  timely  action,  and  rashness  which  acts  thoughtlessly  and 

with  impetuosity. 
It  can  be  decided  without  obstinacy,  prompt  without  needless  delay, 

judicious  in  action,  vigorous  with  caution. 
It  has  ever  a  practical  object  in  view,  for  "forecast  without  action  is 

dreaminess,  and  action  without  forecast  is  always  folly."    Liddon. 


It  takes  counsel  of  the  wise,  "for  they  that  do  all  things  with  coun 
sel  are  ruled  by  wisdom."  Prov.  xiii.  10-16. 

As  enlightened  with  heavenly  wisdom,  it  looks  beyond  the  present 
life.  It  acts  with  the  day  of  judgment  in  view  of  and  with  an  eye 
to  eternity. 

It  observes  the  words  of  highest  wisdom,  "What  shall  it  profit  if  a 
man  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul."  "If  a  man 
forsake  all  for  My  sake  he  shall  receive  an  hundredfold  reward." 

Heavenly  wisdom,  in  doing  best  for  oneself,  acts  on  the  highest  of 
motives,  for  we  cannot  seek  our  own  spiritual  advantage  without 
promoting  the  greater  glory  of  God,  nor  can  we  seek  God's  glory 
without  seeking  our  own  best  good. 

The  wisdom  from  above  ever  leads  to  humility.  The  soul  does  not 
only  ask  whether  such  a  work  is  a  good  work,  but  am  I  called  to 
do  it. 


Prudence  and  perseverance  go  hand  in  hand.  As  prudence  does  not 
outrun  providence,  so  it  waits  on  it. 

By  its  practice  souls  are  won,  where  argument  fails.  It  keeps  the  soul 
itself  constant  to  its  religious  duties,  to  its  prayers,  communions, 
confessions,  self-examinations.  It  keeps  before  the  soul  the  cer 
tainty  of  death  and  the  final  doom. 


THE    VIRTUE     OF    JUSTICE 


THE  VIRTUE  OF  JUSTICE 


'THUS  SAITH  THE  LORD,  KEEP  YE  JUDGMENT  AND  DO  JUSTICE" 


'Its 

origin. 

Relation 
to  God. 

§4 
THE 
VIRTUE  OF 
JUSTICE. 

To  our 

neighbour 

and 
,  ourselves. 

Justice  is  a  virtue  which  inclines  the  will  to  constantly  render  to  each 

his  due. 
The  sense  of  justice  is  one  of  the  most  elementary  notions  of  our 

spiritual  nature. 

As  the  body  is  controlled  by  the  law  of  gravitation  and  the  mind  by 

the  laws  of  thought,  so  the  spiritual  nature  energises  by  virtue  of 

the  union  with  the  divine  spirit. 
It  recognises  the  difference  between  right  and  wrong,  its  relationships, 

the  duty  to  care  for  the  rights  of  others  and  to  give  to  each  their 

due. 

It  finds  its  exercise  in  three  forms:    Justice  towards  God,  Justice 

towards  our  neighbour,  Justice  towards  ourselves. 
God  has  His  rights.    He  made  us.    He  bought  us.    We  belong  by  a 

double  right  to  Him,  and  we  owe  Him  service. 
As  the  eternal  Truth  He  claims  the  homage  of  our  understanding. 

As  the  All- Holy  One  He  claims  the  homage  of  our  wills;    as  the 

eternal  Beauty,  that  of  our  hearts. 
He  has  the  right  to  be  believed  when  He  speaks,  to  be  trusted  when 

He  offers  to  save,  to  be  worshipped  when  He  manifests  Himself. 
We  can  never  give  Him  all  that  is  worthily  His  due,  but  in  Christ  all 

that  we  are  and  have  is  accepted  by  Him. 

In  dealing  with  our  neighbour,  justice  bids  us  "do  unto  all  men  as 
we  would  they  should  do  unto  us." 

It  recognises  the  rights  of  man  to  live,  and  by  honest  labour  re 
ceive  the  necessaries  of  life,  to  a  protection  of  person  and  property 
justly  acquired,  to  a  government  that  seeks  the  well-being  of  the 
governed. 

It  unites  capital  and  labour  by  mutual  concessions  and  fair  dealing 
and  the  golden  rule. 

It  makes  men  jealous  of  others'  reputations  as  of  their  own  and 
checks  hasty  judgments  of  others'  conduct. 

In  religion,  justice  makes  us  realise  how  much  we  owe  to  our  spirit 
ual  ancestors  and  the  debt  we  owe  to  missions  and  to  those  who 
come  after  us. 

Justice  towards  ourselves  makes  us  feel  the  responsibility  of  being 
intrusted  with  a  body,  soul,  and  spirit  with  which  we  can  serve  God 
and  attain  a  blessed  end. 

The  failure  of  human  justice,  as  between  man  and  man,  morally  de 
mands  a  future,  which  justice  to  ourselves  warns  us  not  to  forfeit. 

All  unrealities  are  a  violation  of  the  law  of  justice.  The  need,  if  just, 
of  being  true. 

Justice  to  others  is  patriotism  to  our  country,  piety  to  our  parents, 
fair  dealing  in  our  business,  philanthropy  to  our  brothers,  to  the 
sick  and  aged  and  poor.  It  is  devotion  to  God  and  truthfulness  to 
ourselves.  "To  thyself  be  true." 


176 


THE    VIRTUE    OF    FORTITUDE 


THE  VIRTUE  OF  FORTITUDE 


"BE  IT  KNOWN  UNTO  THEE,  O  KING,  THAT  WE  WILL  NOT  SERVE  THY  GODS,  NOR  WORSHIP 
THE  GOLDEN  IMAGE  WHICH  THOU  HAST  SET  UP" 


Fortitude  is  the  virtue  which  gives  power  to  do  and  to  bear.  It  em 
powers  the  will  in  doing  one's  duty.  It  enables  it  to  endure  what 
the  permissive  will  of  God  allows  to  befall  us. 

It  is  thus  both  active  and  passive;  as  active  is  known  as  courage,  as 

passive,  as  patience. 
As  a  natural  virtue  enlarged  and  elevated  by  divine  grace,  it  has  the 

greater  glory  of  God  as  its  end,  the  will  of  God  for  the  law  of  its 

action,  the  love  of  God  for  its  dominant  motive. 


§5 
THE 

VIRTUE  OF 
FORTITUDE. 


The 
soul's 
knight 
errant. 


As  re 
lated  to 
the  world 
and  the 
Church. 


In  re 
gard  to 
oneself. 


It  knows  God  is  working  out  His  own  plan,  that  with  Him  nothing 
is  impossible,  that  our  failures  are  often  the  means  by  which  He 
accomplishes  His  ends. 

Self-reliance  is  the  product  of  nature;  the  cardinal  virtue  of  Forti 
tude  is  based  on  absolute  distrust  of  self  and  trust  in  God. 

It  is  the  knight  errant  of  the  soul  and  its  weapon  is  the  cross,  and  its 
armour,  humility. 

Fortitude  puts  itself  in  union  with  God's  will.  It  seeks  not  that  God 
will  aid  it  in  the  carrying  out  of  its  plans,  but  surrenders  itself  to 
God  that  He  may  carry  out  His  plans  through  it. 

The  world  may  seemingly  triumph,  but  our  faith  rises  above  the 
apparent  defeat  and  so  overcomes  the  world. 

It  is  a  blessed  privilege  to  live  in  the  later  days,  when  the  heavenly 
powers  are  shaken,  that  we  may  glorify  God  in  the  fires. 

In  times  of  peace  souls  more  easily  keep  the  true  faith  and  are  saved ; 
in  the  days  of  trouble  and  trial  saints  are  made. 

The  spirit  of  martyrdom  and  persecution  is  abroad  and  the  sign  of 
the  Son  of  Man  is  thus  seen  in  the  heavens. 

Christ  did  not  call  any  into  Peter's  boat,  a  type  of  the  old  dispensa 
tion,  but  said  all  who  sailed  in  the  gospel  boat  of  Paul  should  be 
saved,  though  the  outward  frame  went  to  pieces. 

Fortitude,  in  the  presence  of  unbelieving  criticism  humbly  takes 
shelter  in  the  fortress  of  the. Faith  once  and  for  all  delivered,  and 
kept,  and  witnessed  to  by  the  concurrent  consent  of  Apostolic 
Christendom. 

Fortitude  in  respect  of  ourselves  is  seen  in  bearing  with  our  worldly 
condition,  with  illness,  with  losses  of  those  we  love,  with  the  con 
stant  and  daily  trials  of  life. 

It  enables  the  clergy,  who  are  at  once  as  united  to  our  Lord,  priests 
and  victims,  to  endure  opposition  and  to  preach  the  cross  from 
the  pulpit  of  the  cross. 

It  enables  the  Catholic  layman  in  social  and  family  life  to  bear  with 
the  environment  of  prejudiced  or  uninstructed  churchmanship. 

It  enables  every  Christian  to  bear  with  his  own  temperament  while 
he  endeavours  to  subdue  it,  to  be  patient  with  his  own  slowness 
in  achieving  the  victory,  to  resolve  to  die  fighting. 

He  gains  a  victory  with  God  who  never  despairs  of  his  mercy  and 
rises  quickly  after  stumblings  and  falls.  Fortitude  teaches  him 
how  to  "coin  victory  of  humility  out  of  defeat,  and  turn  the  stones, 
over  which  he  has  stumbled,  into  stepping  stones  to  heaven." 


FAITH 


177 


ARTICLE  III.    THE  THEOLOGICAL  VIRTUES 
FAITH 

'By  GRACE  ARE  YE  SAVED  THROUGH  FAITH,  AND  THAT  NOT  OF  YOURSELVES, 
IT  is  THE  GIFT  OF  GOD  " 


§  1 
FAITH. 


'Human 
and 
divine 
faith. 


Divine 

faith 

entire. 


Character 
of  divine 
faith. 


Belief  may  be  the  result  of  the  human  mind  trusting  in  human  testimony, 
or  the  preponderating  weight  of  probabilities. 

This  belief  or  human  faith  may  include  the  Being  of  God,  and  be  shared  in 
by  devils  who  believe  there  is  one. 

But  in  divine  faith,  through  which  we  are  saved,  there  is  an  action  of  God 
on  the  soul. 

God's  grace  forecometh  us  in  all  returns  to  Himself.  He  arouses  the  un- 
baptised  sinner,  and  disposes  him  to  faith  and  repentance.  He  revives 
in  the  baptised  the  dormant  habit  of  faith. 

Faith  is  thus  the  soul  and  spirit  quickened  by  grace,  which  enables  it  to  see 
and  submit,  to  believe  and  trust,  to  venture  and  lay  hold. 

It  is  the  beginning  of  the  soul's  new  life.  It  is  the  spiritual  ear  listening, 
hearing  the  heavenly  word;  the  eye  piercing  through  things  material  to 
the  unseen;  the  hand  laying  hold  of  His  Hand  of  promise. 

God  worketh  in  us  to  think,  to  will,  and  to  do.  Grace  aideth  thought, 
rouses  the  affections,  strengthens  the  will.  It  helps  and  guides  the  hand 
to  withdraw  the  bolt  and  open  the  door. 


'The  material  object  of  faith  is  Christ  and  all  He  is,  has  said  and  done  and 
instituted  in  and  by  His  Church,  which  is  His  living  witness  and  the 
keeper  and  guardian  of  the  gospel. 

To  believe  in  any  Christian  doctrine  solely  because  it  commends  itself  to 
our  reason  is  not  to  have  faith,  though  the  faith  as  revealed  by  the  Church 
is  conformity  with  the  best  reason. 

The  faith  that  justifies  must  be  the  action  not  of  the  mind  or  will  believ 
ing  only,  but  of  the  whole  combined  nature;  the  mind  accepting,  the 
heart  trusting,  the  will  surrendering  to  do  God's  will. 

Living  faith  is  practically  inseparable  from  good  works.  Works  done  with 
out  God's  grace  cannot  justify,  such  works  cannot  save. 

But  faith  without  works  is  seen  to  be  dead. 


f  Faith  which  is  of  God  will  be  entire.  It  will  not  pick  and  choose.  It  will 
not  accept  one  doctrine  and  refuse  another.  It  expects  to  find  difficul 
ties  and  believes  in  spite  of  them. 

It  grows  by  obedience  to  have  an  assuring  witness  in  itself.  As  it  does  the 
will  of  God,  it  learns  of  the  doctrine.  The  spirit  beareth  witness  with 
our  spirit  and  it  knows  in  whom  it  believes. 

If  it  be  hard  to  believe,  remember  God  gives  the  gift  of  faith  to  those  who 
seek  it.  "If  thou  art  not  drawn,  pray  that  thou  mayst  be  drawn."  If 
thou  canst  not  pray  fervently,  pray  for  the  spirit  of  prayer.  Heed  not 
if  thou  seem  not  at  first  to  be  heard.  Remember  the  Syrophenician 
woman  and  persevere. 

"Act  faithfully  according  to  thy  light  and  thou  shalt  have  more  light.    Be 
courageous  and  make  the  venture.    Take  the  step  that  seems  to  be  one 
in  air  and  thou  shalt  find  the  Rock  under  thy  feet." 
12 


178 


HOPE 


THE  THEOLOGICAL  VIRTUES 


HOPE 


"WE  ARE  SAVED  BY  HOPE" 


§  2 
HOPE. 


True 
hope. 


False 
^hope. 


Hope  is  a  virtue  by  which  with  an  inspired  confidence  the  soul  trusts  the  prom 
ises  of  Christ  of  salvation  and  the  means  thereto  as  made  personally  to  itself. 

The  material  object  is  God,  our  possession  of  Him  and  the  means  which  lead 
to  the  possession. 

The  formal  object  or  motive  is  the  Mercy  and  Omnipotence  of  God  and  His 
faithfulness  to  His  promises. 

Faith  sees  the  heavenly  vision  and  God's  gifts;  Hope  says  they  are,  by  His 
mercy  and  grace,  for  me. 

Hope  is  a  grace  and  gift  of  God.  It  is  given  in  a  degree  by  actual  grace 
before  baptism,  is  implanted  in  germ  in  baptism  by  habitual  grace. 

It  is  increased  by  prayer,  by  deeds  of  love  and  ripened  by  trials  and  afflictions. 

It  brings  joy  and  peace.  Now  "the  God  of  hope  fill  you  with  all  joy  and  peace 
in  believing." 

It  is  a  virtue  full  of  sweetness,  leading  to  a  rest  in  Him  who  will  never  fail  us, 
to  an  abiding  in  Him  who  holds  us  fast  in  Himself,  to  a  satisfaction  ia  the 
joyful  possession  of  Him  "who  is  our  Hope." 

"For  our  hope,"  says  Dr.  Pusey,  "is  not  the  glory  of  heaven,  nor  rest  from 
labour,  nor  fulness  of  our  wishes,  nor  torrent  of  delight,  but  Christ  our  God, 
the  Hope  of  Glory." 

'The  hope  of  the  Christian  is  as  an  anchor  sure  and  steadfast,  cast  within  the 
veil ;  but  the  hope  of  the  wicked  is  as  dust  blown  with  the  wind. 

They  have  a  rotten  and  delusive  hope,  who  hope  to  be  saved  by  their  belief  in 
some  system  of  theology,  or  because  of  outward  church  membership,  or  as 
having  once  experienced  religion. 

They  delude  themselves  with  false  hopes  who  delay  their  repentance,  for  God 
who  offers  thee  pardon  on  repentance  offers  no  morrow  to  thy  delay. 

Those  are  deceitful  hopes  which  lead  men  to  live  on  without  repentance,  neg 
lecting  the  sacraments,  and  hoping  to  be  saved  because  they  are  no  worse 
than  the  most  of  men. 

They  are  in  self-destroying  error  who  hope  to  be  saved  by  joining  some  society 
man  has  made,  like  the  Masons,  Odd  Fellows,  or  any  like  order;  membership 
in  them  cannot  save  us. 

Those  hopes  are  presumptuous  that  flatter  men  with  the  sense  of  their  goodness, 
popular  esteem,  or  reliance  on  the  general  idea  of  the  mercy  of  God. 

They  are  "false,  sickening,  miserable  hopes  when  a  man  seeks  for  any  happi 
ness  out  of  God,"  and  seeking  his  portion  in  this  life  hopes  for  God  as  his 
portion  in  the  next. 

"The  hope  of  the  righteous  shall  be  gladness,  but  the  expectation  of  the  wicked 
..     shall  perish." 


CHARITY 


79 


AND  NOW  ABIDETH  FAITH,  HOPE,  CHARITY,  THESE  THREE,  BUT  THE 
GREATEST  OF  THESE  is  CHARITY  " 


§3 
CHARITY. 


-Its 

nature. 


Its 
necessity. 


Its 

great 

value. 


How 
increased. 


Love  is  a  supernatural  virtue,  implanted  incipiently  by  God  in  us  at  bap 
tism,  developed  in  us  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in  a  progressive  conversion, 
growing  into  perfection  through  the  discipline  of  providence  and  the 
gifts  of  grace. 

It  is  the  virtue  by  which  we  love  God  above  all  things  and  our  neigh 
bour  for  His  sake. 

It  is  a  love  drawn  out  by  His  love  who  created  and  redeemed  us,  who 
loved  us  with  an  everlasting  love,  and  when  estranged  by  sin  re 
deemed  us. 

It  is  a  gift  by  which  the  love  of  God  is  diffused  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

The  essence  of  the  virtue  lies  in  the  response  of  unselfish  love  to  the  un 
selfish  love  of  God  and  the  mutual  love  and  intercommunion  between 
the  two. 

Without  charity  in  some  degree  nothing  will  profit  to  a  man's  salva 
tion,  nothing  will  merit  a  reward. 

"Though  I  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  angels  and  have  not 
charity,  I  am  become  as  a  sounding  brass ;  though  I  have  the  gift  of 
prophecy  and  understand  all  mysteries;  though  I  have  all  faith  so 
that  I  could  remove  mountains  and  have  not  charity,  I  am  nothing. 
And  though  I  bestow  all  my  goods  to  feed  the  poor  and  my  body  to 
be  burned,  and  have  not  charity,  it  profiteth  me  nothing."  I  Cor. 


The  virtue  of  charity  is  discriminated  from  generosity  or  philanthropy, 
which  are  the  outcome  of  a  natural  disposition,  as  being  the  creation 
of  grace. 

With  any  feeling  of  uncharitableness  in  the  heart  no  one  can  enter 
heaven  where  love  must  reign  in  all. 

Love  is  the  greatest  of  all  virtues,  because  it  has  its  source  in  what  God 
Himself  is.  God  is  love. 

It  is  the  queen  of  all.  "Above  all  things  have  charity,  which  is  the  bond 
of  perfection." 

It  is  the  most  enduring,  for  while  faith  and  hope  end  in  the  sight  of  God 
and  in  the  possession  of  eternal  life,  charity  remaineth  forever,  grow 
ing  and  increasing  and  uniting  us  more  and  more  to  God. 

It  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law,  for  it  is  the  motive  of  keeping  it  and  the 
end  to  be  gained  thereby. 

It  is  the  soul  of  all  virtues,  it  animates  all;  but  is  beyond  all.  It  is 
Temperance  keeping  itself  pure,  Fortitude  enduring  all  things,  Jus 
tice  serving  God  alone,  Prudence  keeping  close  to  Him. 

Love  waits  and  watches  for  the  coming  of  whom  it  loves.  It  dwells  on 
Him,  cherishes  His  every  word.  It  loves  all  that  belongs  to  Him, 
sacrifices  itself  to  His  interests,  gladly  suffers  for  the  One  it  loves, 
hath  no  other  will  but  His.  It  counts  nothing  too  little  and  nothing 
too  great  for  Him.  It  seeks  to  love  all  in  Him,  for  His  dear  sake. 


i8o 


CHARITY 


§4 

CHARITY 
(continued). 


'WE  BEING  MANY  ABE  ONE  BODY  IN  CHRIST,  AND  EVERY  ONE 
MEMBERS  ONE  OF  ANOTHER  " 


Love  has  its  degrees.  The  lowest  form  is  the  love  that  springs  from 
need.  It  is  a  Christian  form  of  this  love  that  man  loves  God  be 
cause  He  has  redeemed  and  saved  him.  Then  having  tasted  of  His 
spiritual  gifts  the  soul  loves  Him  for  the  joy  this  intercourse  gives. 
But  then  the  soul  finally,  even  through  the  pain  of  having  this  sensi 
ble  sweetness  withdrawn,  begins  to  love  Him  for  Himself  alone. 


Its 
degrees. 


Its 
action. 


Its 
reward. 


The  tests  whether  we  have  the  love  of  God  are  also  the  means  of  grow 
ing  in  it.  The  soul  not  only  thinks  of  God  in  time  of  trouble  and 
felt  need,  but  is  ever  looking  out  for  Him,  watching  for  His  presence, 
glad  to  resort  to  Him,  shutting  out  needless  distractions  and  worldly 
interests  that  she  may  abide  with  Him. 

The  soul  that  loves  Him,  will  study  His  interests,  His  Church's  needs, 
will  gladly  make  sacrifices  for  Him.  "Love  sweetens  all  bitter 
things,  softens  all  hard  words,  smoothes  all  that  is  toilsome,  makes 
fasting  a  feast,  self-denial  a  joy,  labour  a  rest." 


"As  the  love  of  God  takes  control  of  us  it  goes  out  to  others ;  to  our  re 
lations  and  friends  in  the  order  of  nature ;  to  our  fellow-churchmen, 
united  to  us  in  the  kingdom  of  grace ;  to  strangers,  sinners,  enemies, 
in  the  realm  of  charity. 

The  virtue  declares  that  whoever  God  has  made  is  our  brother  by 
creation,  and  we  have  a  responsibility  to  all,  as  being  our  brother's 
keeper. 

It  counsels  us  to  remember  that  we  are  all  alike  sinners  redeemed  by 
the  precious  blood. 

It  bids  us  act  on  the  principle  that  if  our  debt  of  ten  thousand  talents 
has  been  forgiven  we  should  be  willing  to  forgive  others. 

The  love  of  God  helps  us  to  conquer  ourselves  and  love  with  the  love 
He  gives,  those  who  are  our  enemies,  and  to  be  willing  to  be 
reconciled  and  forgive  them  for  His  sake. 

The  virtue  controls  the  manner  of  our  actions,  doing  as  we  would  be 
done  by,  and  not  doing  what  we  would  not  others  should  do. 

We  should  endeavour  to  love  others  as  Christ  loved  us,  seeking  their 
highest  interests  in  the  salvation  of  their  souls,  and  if  we  can  do  no 
more,  praying  for  them. 

It  is  by  the  multitude  of  little  unselfish  actions  charity  shows  itself  and 
to  it  is  given  an  especial  apostolate  in  winning  souls  to  God. 


'It  brings  a  joy  into  the  soul,  and  peace.  Divine  love  mortifies  self- 
love.  So  the  Imitation  teaches.  "The  more  a  man  dies  to  himself, 
the  more  he  begins  to  live  to  God." 

It  is  the  love  of  anything  apart  from  God  that  hindereth  the  love  of 
God.  "Lord,"  saith  S.  Augustine,  "he  loveth  Thee  too  little  who 
loveth  anything  with  Thee  which  he  loveth  not  for  Thee." 

It  is  by  charity  here  and  hereafter  we  are  united  to  God. 


THE    FIRST    BEATITUDE 


181 


§  i 

THE  FIRST 
BEATITUDE. 


Actual 
poverty. 


Its 


Spiritual 
poverty. 


.blessing. 


ARTICLE  IV.     THE  BEATITUDES 
'And  He  opened  His  mouth  and  taught  them  '* 

THE  FIRST  BEATITUDE 
"BLESSED  ARE  THE  POOR  IN  SPIRIT" 

'The  Incarnate  God  united  our  nature  to  His  and  speaks  through  it.  It 
is  always  God  who  acts  and  speaks.  He  speaks  through  our  nature 
as  a  man  speaks  through  a  speaking-trumpet.  So  God  opened  His 
mouth  and  taught. 

The  Beatitudes  form  one  whole,  arranged  in  a  progressive  order, 
every  new  spiritual  elevation  being  the  result  of  that  which  pre 
ceded  it.  They  are  the  golden  ladder  of  the  spiritual  life. 

The  first  round  of  it  is  poverty  of  spirit.  Blessed  are  the  poor.  Bless 
edness  begins,  in  Christ's  view,  where  in  human  estimation  misery 
begins. 

Actual  poverty  or  the  want  of  earthly  means  is  blessed  when  it  tends 
to  a  dependence  and  trust  in  God  and  seeking  His  help. 

Wealth  is  consistent  with  the  spirit  of  poverty  when  man  holds  it  as  a 
^.     steward  and  God  is  the  true  riches  of  the  soul. 

"The  poverty  specially  commended  is  spiritual  poverty,  or  poverty  of 
spirit. 

This  poverty  lies  at  the  basis  of  evangelical  piety  and  is  the  condition 
of  its  reception. 

He  is  poor  in  spirit  who  has  become  conscious  of  his  frailties  and  im 
perfections,  of  the  sinfulness  of  his  own  nature,  of  the  untrust- 
worthiness  of  his  own  resolutions,  of  the  incapacity  of  himself  to 
reform  himself. 

He  is  poor  who  mourns  over  his  lack  of  faith  and  inability  by  himself 
to  keep  God's  law,  his  failings  and  imperfections,  and  has  no  trust 
in  his  own  righteousness. 

He  is  poor  who  recognises  his  own  nothingness  apart  from  God,  his 
lost  condition  through  sin,  his  only  hope  through  the  mercy  of  God, 
.     and  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  blessing  —  "theirs  is  the  Kingdom"  is  not  of  man's  merit,  but 
of  Christ's  free  gift,  blessed  of  God.  Grace  designed  it,  grace  be 
stows  it,  grace  receives  it. 

Christ's  word  is  to  the  hearts  broken,  the  souls  feeling  their  sins,  the 
souls  not  rich  in  their  own  esteem,  but  poor  in  spirit,  feeling  keenly 
their  need. 

Theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  It  is  for  them.  The  kingdom  of 
peace  and  salvation  and  joy  has  come.  It  has  come  to  them  and  if 
it  has  come  to  them  in  any  degree  it  will  come  in  fuller  measure. 

It  will  come  progressively  in  its  light  and  love  and  power  more  and 
more.  The  emptier  they  are  of  self,  the  more  the  kingdom  will  fill 
them. 

It  comes  with  its  joy  and  peace,  with  the  special  companionship  of  the 
saints  and  angels,  who  intercede  for  us  in  glory,  and  watch  over  us 
on  earth. 


i8a 


THE    SECOND    BEATITUDE 


THE  SECOND  BEATITUDE 


1  BLESSED  ARE  THEY  THAT  MOURN,  FOR  THEY  SHALL  BE  COMFORTED  " 


THE 

SECOND 

BEATITUDE. 


Its 

nature. 


Its 

blessing. 


The  first  round  on  the  ladder  is  poverty  of  spirit,  the  second  is  that  of 
mourning. 

It  is  not  the  mourning  attending  temporal  loss  or  afflictions.  "Man  is 
born  to  sorrow."  Nor  is  it  the  sorrow  of  this  world  which  leadeth 
to  despair  and  worketh  death. 

The  mourning  is  the  outcome  of  the  evangelical  poverty  of  spirit,  that 
feels  its  nothingness  and  trusts  God's  Almightiness. 

It  differs  from  repentance  which  leads  to  conversion,  for  it  is  the  act 
of  a  soul  that  has  turned  to  God  but  sees  itself  in  His  Holiness. 

It  is  a  mourning  by  His  Spirit  in  God,  after  God,  and  for  God  and  His 
glory. 

It  is  the  deepening  and  abiding  sorrow  for  past  and  forgiven  sin  that 
comes  with  increasing  knowledge  and  love  of  God. 

The  more  I  know  Thee,  the  more  I  love  Thee;  yet  the  more  I  love, 
the  more  I  grieve  for  having  offended  Thee. 

It  is  in  the  soul  a  condition  consistent  with  a  special  peace  and  joy, 
resting  on  Christ's  merits  and  in  His  love. 

The  mourning  is  with  Christ,  and  in  union  with  His  tears  over  Jeru 
salem,  and  over  a  rejecting  and  dying  world. 


Unlike  the  stoicism  of  heathen  philosophy,  the  soul  does  not  become 
indurate,  but  while  sorrowing  with  Christ  and  drinking  of  His  cup, 
is  sustained  by  Him  in  peace. 

We  are  exiles  here,  and  heaven  is  our  home.  Here  with  Christ  we  in 
patience  carry  our  cross  after  Him,  and  have  fellowship  in  His 
sufferings. 

In  proportion  as  we  enter  into  them  shall  we  be,  comforted,  comforted 
by  the  Comforter  shedding  abroad  the  love  of  God  in  our  hearts  and 
assuring  us  we  are  the  sons  of  God. 

If  we  mourn  over  our  sins  or  sinfulness,  we  have  also  the  consolation 
that  Christ  is  our  propitiation ;  that  we  are  accepted  in  the  Beloved, 
and  Christ  in  us  is  the  hope  of  glory. 

If  tried  by  adversity,  by  losses,  by  persecutions,  it  standeth  sure  that 
they  who  suffer  with  Him  shall  also  reign  with  Him. 

If  assaulted  by  temptations,  within  or  without,  the  soul  is  comforted 
with  a  security  the  world  cannot  give  or  take  away. 

k."  Your  sorrow  shall  be  turned  to  joy." 


THE    THIRD    BEATITUDE 


i83 


THE  THIRD  BEATITUDE 


"BLESSED  ARE  THE  MEEK;  FOR  THEY  SHALL  INHERIT  THE  EARTH" 


§3 

THE  THIRD 
BEATITUDE. 


The  first  beatitude  lays  the  foundation  of  sanctity  in  self-abnegation  and  poverty 
of  spirit.  The  second  principle  is  a  permanent  and  deepening  sorrow  for  our 
forgiven  sins  and  sinfuhiess,  as  the  remains  of  our  old  nature. 

The  first  deepens  the  sense  of  our  nothingness  and  the  virtue  of  humility;  the 
second,  an  advancing  contrition  through  increasing  love. 

The  third  advances  from  the  purificative  way  to  the  illuminative,  or  conformity 
to  the  example  of  Christ.  "Learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  of  heart." 

Meekness  is  not,  as  is  often  supposed,  the  manifestation  of  a  gentle,  soft,  yielding, 
plastic  nature,  that  is  too  inert  and  feeble  to  feel  resentment  and  not  subject 
to  passion. 

It  is  the  grand  virtue  gained  by  the  severest  self-discipline,  by  a  fierce  battle  with 
the  multitudinous  forms  of  self-love,  by  a  masterful  conquest  over  the  natural 
emotions,  by  the  development  of  a  strong  Christ-controlled  will. 

It  is  to  be  seen  in  Christ,  who  feeling  intensely  the  indignities  offered  to  Him,  the 
blows,  the  lies,  the  spitting,  nevertheless  restrained  the  righteous  indignation 
that  was  their  due. 

Meekness  is  thus  a  victory  over  self  and  its  emotions,  through  righteousness  and 
goodness,  ruling  them  as  with  an  iron  sceptre,  and  if  need  be  with  a  scourge. 

It  requires  the  highest  moral  courage.  The  meek  lives  with  God  and  in  another 
world,  and  so  cannot  be  insulted  by  a  worldly  man. 

The  angry  man  is  the  weak  man,  and  what  the  world  thinks  weakness  in  the  meek 
is  the  result  of  colossal  strength. 

It  is  because  he  is  victor  over  self  that  he  becomes  the  helper  and  ruler  of  others. 
He  conquers  others  who  first  conquers  himself. 

Before  the  martyr's  meekness  the  Roman  empire  gave  way  and  the  Church  began 
a  possession  of  the  world. 

The  strength  of  the  meek  lies  in  his  trust  in  God,  to.  whom  he  commits  himself 
and  his  cause;  in  God  to  whom  vengeance  belongeth  and  who  will  repay. 

The  reward  promised  is  won  through  spiritual  victories,  and  is  a  present  and  also 
a  future  one.  Even  here  the  land  is  ours. 

As  to  the  Israelites  the  inheritance  of  the  promised  land  was  given,  so  the 
Christian  has  an  assured  inheritance  in  the  new  heaven  and  earth. 

Now  in  sympathy  with  man's  estate  the  whole  creation  travails  and  groans  in  pain, 
but  it  will  share  with  him  in  the  final  restitution,  and  in  that  new  earth  the  meek 
shall  reign. 


1 84 


THE    FOURTH    BEATITUDE 


THE  FOURTH  BEATITUDE 

'BLESSED  ABE  THEY  THAT  HUNGER  AND  THIRST  AFTER  RIGHTEOUSNESS, 
FOR  THEY  SHALL  BE  FILLED  " 


§4 
THE 
FOURTH 
BEATITUDE. 


Its 

connection 
with  the 
foregoing. 


What  the 
hunger  and 
thirst  is. 


The 
reward. 


The  soul  abiding  in  lowly  poverty  of  spirit,  in  loving  sorrow,  in 

the  developing  meekness  of  self -crucifixion,  becomes  possessed 

of  a  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness. 
The  soul  advancing  from  the  purificative  way  set  forth  in  the  first 

two  beatitudes  proceeds  into  the  illuminative  set  forth  in  the 

third,  fourth,  and  fifth. 
It  has  become  a  follower  of  the  meek  and  lowly  One  and  now  is 

filled  with  a  desire  to  be  like  Him. 
God,  by  whose  grace  the  remaining  natural  desire  for  goodness  is 

thus  developed,  gives  the  kind  of  food  the  awakened  spiritual 

appetite  demands. 
This  hunger  and  thirst  being  not  a  single  act,  the  satisfaction  is 

not  therefore  like  the  act  of  acceptance,  but  a  continuous  gift 

of  the  bread  of  heaven  and  the  water  of  life. 


This  hunger  and  thirst  is  not  one  for  salvation  which  has  been 
given,  nor  is  it  an  emotional  desire  for  religion  or  piety  as  some 
thing  beautiful  and  sweet,  and  so  desirable. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  a  grace-endowed  will,  that  knowing  self  pro 
foundly  distrusts  self,  condemns  self,  hates  self,  is  self's  exe 
cutioner. 

It  leaves  self  wherever  it  finds  self,  sharply  schools  the  tongue, 
cauterises  self-love  by  humiliations,  seeks  self -crucifixion,  that 
Christ  may  reign  in  the  soul. 

It  is  a  persistent  and  growing  desire  after  righteousness  which  lies 
in  the  destruction  of  the  old  nature  and  the  being  recreated  by 
penitence  and  made  a  new  creature  in  Christ. 

It  is  a  never  satisfied  desire.  The  grace  given  in  response  to  the 
desire  while  it  satisfies,  increases  it.  "They  that  eat  Me  shall 
yet  be  hungry  and  they  that  drink  Me  shall  yet  thirst."  (Ecc. 
xxiv.  21.) 

As  the  hungry  man  cannot  wait  or  brook  delay,  so  spiritual  hunger 
conquers  laxity  and  sloth.  "The  King's  business  requires 
haste." 

As  the  hungry,  to  sustain  life,  eats  any  food  within  his  reach,  so 
the  hungry  soul  eats  the  bread  of  affliction,  trial,  sorrow,  loss, 
pain  as  often  the  best  of  nourishments. 

As  the  hungry  man  forgets  in  his  present  need  what  he  had  yester 
day,  so  the  spiritual  man  forgets  the  things  that  are  behind  in 
the  one  aim  of  pressing  on  to  perfection  —  Excelsior. 


The  righteousness  the  soul  hungers  and  thirsts  for,  it  shall  be  filled 
with;  not  merely  virtues,  or  gifts,  or  graces,  but  with  Christ 
Himself,  who  is  our  Righteousness. 

He  will  feed  us  with  Himself,  not  with  mere  religious  feelings,  but 
with  His  own  food  which  was  "to  do  the  will  of  Him  that  sent 
Me." 

The  soul  that  so  hungers  and  thirsts  shall  progress  and  its  path  be 
as  the  shining  light  that  shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  per 
fect  day. 


THE     FIFTH    BEATITUDE 


i85 


THE  FIFTH  BEATITUDE 


"BLESSED  ARE  THE  MERCIFUL  FOR  THEY  SHALL  OBTAIN  MERCY" 


§5 

THE 

FIFTH 

BEATITUDE. 


Its 
nature. 


Its 
motives. 


Its 

result. 


The  life  in  Christ  must  manifest  itself  in  good  works.  From  our  grace- 
saved  relation  to  Him  what  should  follow  but  mercy  to  others.  This 
is  the  third  development  in  the  illuminative  path. 

Mercy  is  both  a  feeling  of  compassion  and  a  desire,  which,  when  a 
virtue,  takes  the  intelligent  and  active  form  of  ministering  relief. 

It  is  an  active  operative  principle.  It  does  not  weep  but  gives.  It 
does  not  sorrow  but  feeds.  It  does  not  sympathise,  it  relieves. 

It  is  not  content  with  deploring  the  moral  wretchedness  of  mankind, 
it  exerts  itself  to  meet  the  wants  of  humanity. 

It  has  its  basis  in  the  love  wherewith  Christ  has  loved  us  and  it  flows 
out  through  us  towards  others. 

To  exercise  Christian  mercy  the  soul  must  have  felt  the  need  of  God's 
mercy,  and  labour  that  others  may  experience  it  also. 


'It  is  love  evoked  by  the  sight  of  misery  more  strongly  felt  when  it  seems 
undeserved,  or  in  contrast  with  former  happiness. 

It  is  only  a  virtue  when  it  is  not  the  result  of  the  human  motive  that 
we  may  come  into  like  condition,  but  when  it  is  the  outcome  of  God's 
mercy  to  us. 

It  is  not  the  manifestation  of  an  easy-going  good  nature  that  cannot 
say  "no"  to  child  or  friend,  or  of  a  philanthropic  one  that  scatters 
alms  without  judgment. 

The  mercy  that  obtains  a  final  reward  will  be  that  which  had  for  its 
motive  "ye  have  done  it  unto  Me." 

It  will  be  of  the  kind  that  recogni  ing  the  oneness  of  the  family  of 
Christ,  for  His  sake  bears  another's  burdens. 

It  shows  itself  in  the  seven  corporal  works  of  mercy:  To  feed  the 
hungry,  give  drink  to  the  thirsty,  clothe  the  naked,  visit  the  prison 
ers,  minister  to  the  sick,  show  hospitality,  bury  the  dead. 

It  shows  itself  in  the  spiritual  works  of  mercy :  To  convert  the  sinner, 
instruct  the  ignorant,  counsel  the  doubting,  pray  for  others,  com- 
.     fort  the  afflicted,  return  good  for  evil,  forgive  our  enemies. 


'It  conforms  us  to  the  image  of  God.  "  Be  merciful  even  as  your  Father 
is  merciful:"  and  of  Christ,  "Who  went  about  doing  good." 

It  feels  for  the  whole  Church's  needs.  "Who  is  offended  and  I  burn 
not."  It  leaves  no  part  of  it,  the  living  or  dead,  out  of  its  prayers. 

To  it  God's  word  is  pledged.  "With  what  measure  ye  mete,  it  shall 
be  measured  to  you  again.  Give  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you. 
Forgive  and  ye  shall  be  forgiven." 


1 86 


THE    SIXTH    BEATITUDE 


THE  SIXTH  BEATITUDE 


BLESSED  ARE  THE  PURE  IN  HEART  FOR  THEY  SHALL  SEE  GOD  " 


f  Purity 
of  heart. 


§6 
THE 
SIXTH 
BEATITUDE. 


Its 

reward. 


Christ  here  reveals  the  advance  from  the  illuminative  stage  of  the 
spiritual  life  to  that  of  the  imitive. 

The  soul  is  freed  from  mortal  sins  and  has  nothing  so  much  in  horror 
as  venial  ones. 

The  intellect  in  its  memory,  understanding,  imagination,  thought,  has 
been  filled  with  Christ ;  and  its  heart  and  will,  in  its  choices,  affec 
tions,  emotions,  and  aspirations  is  centered  on  Him. 

The  soul  has  become  mostly  emptied  of  self :  —  of  self-love,  self-deceit, 
self-interest. 

It  has  become  detached  from  persons,  plans,  worldly  interests,  human 
respect,  in  its  attachment  to  Christ. 

It  has  become  single  in  aim,  desire,  end.  Its  end  is  the  greater  glory 
of  God,  its  law  of  conduct  God's  blessed  will,  its  dominant  motive, 
the  love  of  God. 

The  pure  heart  has  no  fold  of  deceit  in  it,  is  marked  by  simplicity, 
singleness  of  eye,  sincerity,  and  is  ever  advancing  to  a  greater  de 
gree  of  love. 

It  is  love  absorbing,  illuminating,  transporting,  consuming,  courageous, 
inebriating,  triumphant. 

It  advances  from  the  more  active  state  of  corresponding  to  grace  to 
the  more  passive  and  receptive  one. 

It  is  a  walking  with  God,  a  communion  with  Him,  a  life  hidden  in  Hun. 
"Henceforth  I  live,  yet  not  I." 


The  pure  heart  sees  God. 

It  sees  God  in  nature,  which  is  His  veil.  In  His  providential  guidance 
of  nations  and  the  Church,  sees  Him  especially  in  Christ,  who  is 
God  manifest  in  the  flesh.  Sees  Him  as  veiled  in  the  sacraments, 
sees  Him  as  dwelling  within  the  hearts  and  souls  of  the  faithful,  and 
the  spiritual  sight  fills  the  soul  with  joy. 

When  the  soul  has  passed  into  His  presence  it  will  see  and  enjoy  Him 
in  proportion  to  the  love  it  had  here,  and  which  will  determine  the 
ratio  of  our  progress  in  eternity. 

It  will,  in  Christ,  see  God,  and  in  its  glorified  condition  be  able  to  see 
Him  as  He  is;  and  be  transformed  into  His  likeness. 


THE    SEVENTH    BEATITUDE 


187 


THE  SEVENTH  BEATITUDE 
'BLESSED  ARE  THE  PEACEMAKERS,  FOR  THEY  SHALL  BE  CALLED  THE  CHILDREN  OF  GOD 


§7 
THE 
SEVENTH 
BEATITUDE. 


'The 

Christian's 
vocation. 


A  peace 
maker. 


How 
exercised. 


Its 

reward. 


To  every  soul  God  gives  a  vocation.  There  is  a  divinely  appointed 
work  for  each  to  do.  There  is  a  divinely  prepared  path  safe 
guarded  and  illuminated,  for  each  to  follow.  To  learn  this  is 
the  Christian's  duty,  to  follow  it  is  to  be  in  the  path  of  safety. 

The  sixth  beatitude  reveals  the  unitive  state,  the  seventh  the 
general  law  and  principle  of  vocation.  We  are  all  called  to  be 
peacemakers. 

The  source  of  this  calling  is  Christ,  who  is  our  Peace,  who  has 
made  peace,  who  gives  us  His  peace,  who  abides  in  us,  that  the 
peace  of  God  may  rule  in  our  hearts. 


'Peace  lies  in  the  harmony  of  our  nature,  in  the  fixedness  of 
its  order,  in  its  reconciliation  with  God,  in  the  mastery  of  suc 
cessful  conflict. 

Our  Lord  who  said  "My  peace  I  give  unto  you,"  also  said,  "I 
come  not  to  send  peace  but  a  sword."  For  the  gospel  brought 
disputes,  differences,  separations,  but  to  the  soul  united  to  Him 
it  brought  peace. 

The  beatitude  does  not,  however,  merely  refer  to  a  peaceable  dis 
position  and  its  calmness,  but  to  the  active  peacemaker. 


This  is  the  vocation  of  all  Christians,  who,  spirit-controlled,  keep 
peace  within,  strive  for  peace  between  nations  and  individuals, 
in  families,  in  parishes,  who  work  and  pray  for  the  restoration 
of  Christian  fellowship  between  the  divided  branches  of  a  Catho 
lic  Christendom. 

They  are  specially  peacemakers  whose  vocation  is  to  be  priests  or 
religious,  for  they  reconcile  souls  to  God,  and  help  heal  the 
Church's  divisions. 


The  seventh  beatitude  adds  to  the  reward  of  the  sixth,  they  shall 
not  only  see  God,  but  be  called  the  sons  of  God.  They  are 
adopted  sons  of  God. 

God's  adoption  differs  from  a  human  adoption  by  the  communica 
tion  of  a  principle  of  sonship  and  making  the  adopted  a  par 
taker  of  the  Divine  nature. 

It  is  a  relation  which  will  be  acknowledged  by  God  Himself,  and 
made  known  to  the  saints  and  angels.  They  shall  be  called  the 
sons  of  God.  To  the  hesitating,  considering  their  vocation, 
Christ  says,  "Consider  the  sublimity  of  the  reward." 


1 88 


THE    EIGHTH    BEATITUDE 


THE  EIGHTH  BEATITUDE 


"BLESSED  ARE  YE  WHEN  MEN  SHALL  REPROACH  YOU,  AND  PERSECUTE  YOU,  AND  SAY  ALL 
MANNER  OF  EVIL  AGAINST  YOU  FALSELY  FOR  MY  SAKE  :  REJOICE  AND  BE  EXCEEDING  GLAD  ; 
FOR  GREAT  is  YOUR  REWARD  IN  HEAVEN" 


§8 
THE 
EIGHTH 
BEATITUDE. 


The 
blessing 
of 

persecu 
tion. 


Its 

various 
forms. 


Its 

great 

.reward. 


Suffering  for  another  is  the  highest  expression  of  love.  God  so 
loved  us,  on  the  cross  He  died  for  us.  The  Saints  respond  to  His 
love  by  suffering  and  dying  for  Him. 

Our  Lord  foretold  that  His  disciples  should  in  the  world  have  tribu 
lation,  promised  those,  who  as  religious  had  left  all,  they  should 
have  persecutions. 

In  the  higher  degrees  of  sanctity  souls  welcome  pain,  adversities,  re 
proaches,  persecutions,  revilings,  contempt,  and  rejections  because 
by  these  they  are  united  to  their  Lord  and  made  like  Him. 

They  rejoice  in  being  wronged,  insulted,  lied  against,  as  it  gives  them 
an  opportunity  of  uniting  themselves  to  Christ's  act  of  forgiveness 
on  the  cross. 

They  are  glad  to  suffer  for  Christ's  or  righteousness'  sake,  for  the 
world  can  give  them  no  greater  blessing  than  a  cross. 


All  who  by  their  steadfastness  to  the  Church,  shrink  not  from  bear 
ing  witness,  by  observances  of  its  precepts,  must  bear  the  sneers, 
taunts,  and  scoffings  of  the  ungodly. 

Christ  said  "I  am  come  to  set  a  man  at  variance  against  his  father 
and  the  daughter  against  her  mother.  And  a  man's  foes  shall  be 
they  of  his  own  household." 

As  all  holiness  provokes  the  world's  hatred,  so  the  Church  in  various 
forms  is  ever  being  persecuted,  by  abuse,  violence,  and  slander. 

From  the  beginning  of  Christianity  the  saints  have  longed  to  suffer 
for  Christ,  and  rejoiced  in  it,  and  in  suffering  and  by  faith  have 
overcome  the  world. 

"Were  any  to  offer  me,"  said  S.  Chrysostom,  "the  whole  heaven  and 
Paul's  chain,  I  would  prefer  that  chain.  Were  any  to  ask  whether 
he  would  place  me  with  the  angels  or  with  Paul  in  bonds  ?  I  would 
choose  the  prison.  Nothing  is  nobler  than  to  suffer  for  Christ's 
sake." 


f  To  those  who  suffer  for  His  sake,  Christ  promises  a  great  reward  in 
the  heavens.  All  reward  depends  on  the  merits  of  Christ  and  His 
gracious  covenant  to  give  it. 

Man,  by  using  the  grace  freely  given,  can  obtain  more  grace,  and 
through  his  cooperation  with  grace  attain  a  supernatural  reward. 

The  beatitudes  begin  with  the  blessing  to  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs 
is  the  kingdom,  they  end  with  the  exceeding  great  reward  of  those 
who  attain  saintliness. 


OUR    LIFE    IN    CHRIST 


ARTICLE  IV.     OUR  LIFE  IN  CHRIST 
CHRIST  THE  IDEAL,  EXEMPLAR,  MODEL 


^Christ 

is  the      •< 

model. 

Christ 

is  the      < 

vine. 

§  1 

OUR  LIFE 

IN                       < 

CHRIST. 

Christ 

is  our      < 

life. 

Trans 

mitting 
His 

virtues 

^to  us. 

"Man  needs  in  religion  an  authoritative  teacher,  the  embodiment  of  the 
teaching  in  a  living  example,  a  deliverer  and  restorer,  and  Christ  alone 
satisfies  these  wants. 

But  God  purposing  to  raise  man  to  a  supernatural  union  with  Himself, 
gives  to  humanity  in  Christ  a  new  head  of  a  new  race. 

He  is  the  second  Adam,  the  new  man  from  heaven,  whose  humanity  has 
a  quickening  or  life-giving  quality  and  who  is  not  only  our  model,  but 
our  mould  and  moulder. 


He  is  yet  something  more,  for  He  is  the  living  vine  and  we  are  the  branches. 
His  life  is  transmitted  into  us  and  brings  forth,  with  our  cooperation, 
fruits. 

The  Christian  comes  to  live  with  His  life.  All  toil,  all  work  is  glorified 
by  it.  All  work  is  made  beautiful  by  Him,  all  labour  elevated  by  the 
joy  of  grace. 

The  soul  united  to  Him  and  indwelt  by  Him,  sees  with  His  eyes,  works 
with  His  assisting  hands,  thinks  His  holy,  happy  thoughts,  loves  with 
His  love. 


Abiding  in  Him  the  soul  is  kept  from  mortal  sin.    Whoso  abideth  in  Him 
sinneth  not. 

In  Christ  Jesus  are  ye  "who  of  God  is  made  unto  us  wisdom  and 
righteousness,  and  sanctification  and  redemption." 

We  do  not  look  at  Him  and  try  to  follow  His  example,  but  He  gathers  us 
into  Himself  and  is  the  soul  of  our  soul,  the  life  of  our  life. 

He  brings  to  bear  on  our  souls  the  various  powers  of  His  soul,  with  all 
their  virtues,  and  so  extends  His  life  in  us. 


f  The  Church  as  His  bride  thus  partakes  of  His  likeness.    He  extends  the 
great  principles  of  His  own  life  to  her. 

"I  come  to  do  thy  will."  "I  receive  not  honour  from  men."  "I  seek 
not  my  own  glory."  "I  must  be  about  my  Father's  business."  "Led 
by  the  Spirit."  "As  I  hear  so  I  speak."  "That  the  scripture  might 
be  fulfilled."  "I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptised  with." 

The  Christian  thus  prays,  "Soul  of  Christ  sanctify  me,  Body  of  Christ 
save  me,  Blood  of  Christ  cleanse  me,  Passion  of  Christ  strengthen  me." 

Humility  of  Christ  make  me  humble,  zeal  of  Christ  make  me  zealous, 
patience  of  Christ  make  me  patient,  fortitude  of  Christ  make  me  strong, 
purity  of  Christ  make  me  pure,  meekness  of  Christ  make  me  meek, 
prayerfulness  of  Christ  make  me  prayerful,  love  of  Christ  fill  me  with 
Thy  love. 

Christ  having  developed  these  virtues  in  humanity  in  an  heroic  degree 
transmits  them  to  His  members,  and  so  the  Church,  which  is  His 
bride,  is  the  extension  of  the  Incarnation. 


KJO 


CHRIST    IN    US 


CHRIST  IN  Us 


§2 
CHRIST 

IN  Us. 


"Christ 
in  us 
our  life. 


Our  life 
in  union 
.with  His. 


Creatures  are  perfect  when  most  like  their  type.  Christians  are  so  as  they 
reproduce  the  principles  of  Christ's  life. 

He  bids  us  learn,  not  merely  of  His  doctrine,  and  not  merely  from  what  He 
says,  but  of  Himself. 

Learn  of  Me  —  of  Myself  —  of  my  life,  my  motives,  aims,  conduct  in  all 
the  circumstances  and  departments  of  My  life. 

Not  as  God  did  I  meet  trial,  temptation,  suffering,  but  as  man  did  I  fight 
and  overcome  —  aided  as  you  may  be  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  Christian  has  also  Christ  within  him.  The  blood  of  the  old  sacrifice 
was  poured  out  beneath  the  altar,  now  the  Blood  is  communicated  and 
His  life  is  in  us. 


His  visible  life  was  divided  into  four  parts,  His  hidden  life,  His  public  life, 
His  suffering,  and  risen  life.  He  gathers  our  life  into  union  with  His. 

1.  His  hidden  life  in  the  womb  of  his  blessed  Mother,  humbling  Himself 
to  thus  enter  creation  and  become  one  of  us;    then  remaining  thirty 
years  in  obscurity,  hidden  even  as  God  is  hidden  in  nature ;  as  a  youth 
obedient  to  His  Mother  and  S.  Joseph ;  labouring  at  His  trade,  a  poor 
man  among  the  poorest;  God  submitting  Himself  to  be  ruled  by  His 
creatures.     From  thence, 

The  Christian  learns  to  bear  with  his  lot,  even  that  of  poverty,  with  want 
of  notice,  fame,  the  being  put  aside,  failing  of  influence,  to  the  schooling 
of  obedience,  to  a  life  of  hiddenness  and  prayer.  Consider, 

2.  Christ  in  His  public  life,  a  life  of  mixed  work  and  contemplative 
prayer.      He  entered    into  it  by  a  fast  of  forty  days  and  a  severe 
temptation.    It  was  a  life  of  constant  work,  so  that  often  there  was  not 
time  to  eat.    He  was  constantly  speaking  to  the  multitude,  daily  dealing 
with  the  Disciples,  meeting  His  enemies  subtly  endeavouring  to  entangle 
Him  and  find  aught  to  accuse  Him.    Always  going  about  doing  good, 
healing  the  sick,  raising  the  dead,  ministering  to  souls.     Continuing 
this  life  through  His  Church.     Consider, 

3.  His  suffering  life,  foreseen  and  accepted  from  the  first.    The  passion, 
the  blows,    scourging,   crowning  with   thorns,   nailing,   thirst,  agony, 
crucifixion,  all  the  bodily  and  mental  pains.     The  marvelous  words, 
the  conversion  of  the  penitent  thief,  the  beginning  of  that  drawing,  that 
was  to  be  felt  in  all  the  world,  drawing  men  to  lives  of  sacrifice  in  union 
with  His  cross.     Consider, 

4.  His  risen  life.     Christ  with  His  own;    their  peace,  their  life,  their 
strength,  their  joy,  their  Lord  and  God,  their  hope,  their  justification 
and  secured  possession. 

5.  Ascended  He  further  unites  them  to  Himself  by  His  Holy  Spirit.    They 
are  supernaturally  His.    They  dwell  with  Him  and  He  with  them.    He 
is  their  love,  their  soul's  delight,  their  advocate,  their  mediator,  the 

.     preparer  of  their  heavenly  mansions,  their  all  in  all. 


CHRIST'S    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT 


CHRIST'S  SERMON  ON  THE  MOUNT 
Our  Lord's  discourse  as  given  us  may  be  divided  into  six  parts 

I.    THE  BEATITUDES  WHICH  AS  SUMMING  UP  THE  MOTIFS  OF  THE  WHOLE  ARE  LIKE  A 

DIVINE  OVERTURE 

{Ye  are  the  Salt  of  the  Earth. 
The  Light  of  the  World. 
A  City  set  on  a  Hill. 
Built  on  the  Old  Foundation. 
The  Altar. 


§  1 

CHRIST'S 
SERMON 

ON   THE 

MOUNT. 


'The 
temple 
idea. 


The 
salt. 


The 
light. 


The 
city. 


The 
altar. 


(^Before  our  Lord's  mind  as  the  order  shows,  there  rises  the  glorious  vision  of 

Jerusalem,  with  its  splendid  gold-crowned  temple,  its  holy  sacrifices,  its 

<       pile  of  salt  for  the  offerings  without,  the  golden  candlestick  within  lighting 

the  holy  place,  and  the  atmosphere  of  covenanted  blessings  and  reconcilia- 

(^     tion  that  pervaded  it. 


"Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth."    Salt  is  a  preservative  from  corruption,  gives 
savour,  is  an  emblem  of  friendship  and  fidelity. 

Christians  are  salt  as  one  with  the  rock  which  is  Christ.     But  if  separated 
by  exposure  or  by  any  foreign  admixture  the  salt  has  lost  its  quality,  it 
.     becomes  worthless. 

_It  is  not  by  a  nominal  Christianity,  but  a  living  one  the  workHs  blessed. 


"Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world.  Christ  is  the  Light.  The  disciples  must  be 
connected  with  Him  as  the  candlestick  holding  the  oil. 

It  is  by  union  with  Him,  the  light  is  sure,  ever  the  same,  permanent,  enduring 
from  generation  to  generation. 

The  disciples  are  not  to  hide  the  faith  under  a  bushel  of  rationalism,  in  the 
pretence  of  saving  it  from  the  blasts  of  unbelieving  criticism,  but  fix  it 
firmly  in  the  traditional  candlestick. 

They  are  the  light  of  the  world,  but  the  supernatural  light  will  not  enlighten 
the  worldly  minded,  but  will  give  light  to  those  "in  the  house." 

'Christianity  will  be  like  an  ancient  city.  It  will  have  its  walls,  a  gate,  and 
government.  It  will  be  a  visible  organisation,  like  a  city  set  on  a  hill. 

It  will  be  built  on  the  old  foundation.  Christ  came  not  to  destroy  the  law 
but  to  fulfil  it,  by  His  obedience,  and  by  filling  it  full  of  Himself,  changing 
its  priesthood  and  ordinances  into  those  of  a  higher  kind. 

Speaking  before  Jews  but  to  Christians,  Christ  reveals  the  fact  that  in  the 
church  there  should  be  an  altar,  coming  to  which  reconciled  to  God,  we 
should  come  reconciled  and  in  charity  with  one  another. 

Abiding  in  the  Church  obediently,  loyally,  faithfully,  and  keeping  its  pre 
cepts,  we  shall  be  called  great  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 


CHRIST'S    SERMON     ON    THE    MOUNT 


m 
, 


C  Marriage,  Christ  and  His  Church. 


T  AW 

AjAW 


T  OVF        °/  O<rfA*  am*  SPeec/l  io  our  Neighbour. 

i_/*JVr.  .     ^    /^.m    /~<        j        .    .  /^ 

]  Of  Conduct  to  our  Opponents. 
\O    Love  towards  our  Enemies. 


The  law 

of  love. 

§2 

CHRIST'S 

SERMON 

ON   THE               •< 

MOUNT 

(continued). 

The 

exercises 
of  love. 


'In  revealing  His  Kingdom,  after  the  Beatitudes  which  declare  the 
blessings  of  the  Kingdom,  and  then,  in  veiled  language,  the  visibil 
ity  of  it  and  the  continuance  of  the  old  dispensation  under  higher 
spiritual  forms,  Christ  declares  the  law  of  love  that  should  animate 
its  members. 

He  begins  with  marriage  because  it  is  the  symbol  and  witness  of  His 
own  union  with  the  Church. 

His  words  allow,  for  a  specified  condition,  of  a  separation,  but  do  not 
allow  of  the  remarriage  of  either  party.  A  Christian  marriage  is 
that  of  two  baptised  persons,  and  as  their  union  is  to  bear  witness 
to  the  indissolubility  of  the  union  between  Christ  and  His  Church, 
it  is  indissoluble. 

Our  Lord  forbids  the  needless  and  voluntary  taking  of  oaths  and  bids 
us  cultivate  truthfulness  and  simplicity  of  speech.  Let  your  yea 
be  yea,  and  your  nay,  nay. 

In  our  conduct,  while  it  is  justifiable  to  defend  ourselves,  and  to  re 
buke  evil  actions  as  He  did  when  smitten,  yet  we  are  to  govern  the 
angry  and  litigious  and  revengeful  spirit. 

In  our  dealings  we  should  for  charity's  sake  and  the  good  of  souls  be 
willing  to  suffer  wrong  and  not  in  little  matters  stand  out  for  our 
rights. 

Rising  above  ourselves  into  the  love  of  God,  we  should  pray  for,  for 
give  and  bless  our  enemies. 

IV.     THE  EXERCISES  OF  LOVE,    Care  Alms,  Prayer, 
CH.  VI.  1-18,  \     and  Fasting. 

'A  Christian  gives  alms  out  of  love  to  God.  Philanthropy  seeks  to 
benefit  mankind,  often  for  its  own  glory  and  in  opposition  to 
Christ's  kingdom. 

To  seek  to  benefit  mankind  apart  from  God  is  to  act  in  opposition  to 
God. 

Christ  does  not  forbid  publicity  in  almsgiving,  for  He  commended  the 
Magdalene's  offering,  but  the  spiritual  man  will  always  be  doing 
something  hiddenly.  "My  secret  is  with  the  Lord." 

Prayer,  our  Lord  commanded,  because  He  loves  the  spiritual  man  to 
call  upon,  depend  on  Him,  return  His  love.  Prayer  is  not  a  mere 
asking  for  help,  but  an  exercise  of  love,  that  gathers  the  soul  into 
the  embrace  of  God. 

Fasting  stands  for  all  forms  of  mortification.  Without  mortification 
accepted  and  practised  there  can  be  little  progress.  The  unmorti- 
fied  person  always  remains  in  a  low  spiritual  state. 

Fasting  unites  the  loving  soul  to  Christ's  fasting.  If  it  does  not  unite 
to  Him  it  is  of  no  avail. 

All  self-discipline  uniting  us  to  Christ  should  awaken  joy  and  cheer- 
.     fulness.     "Anoint  thy  head,"  etc. 


CHRIST'S    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT 


198 


§3 

CHRIST'S 
SERMON 

ON   THE 

MOUNT 

(concluded). 


V.    CH.  VI.  19-34.    THE  LIFE  OF  LOVE.    LOVE  OUR  LIFE 


Live  not  as  if  the  present  world  were  a  completed  state  of  life.  The 
world  passeth  away.  Life  here  is  but  a  moment  of  our  existence. 

Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  here,  for  your  heart  being  with 
your  treasure,  will  be  absorbed  and  perish  with  it. 

Lay  up  for  yourselves  treasure  in  heaven.  God  has  promised  a  re 
ward  of  the  two  and  five  talents  to  those  who  serve  Him  and  the 
reward  will  be  an  eternal  one. 

Let  the  heart  be  undivided  in  its  allegiance.  Ye  cannot  serve  God 
and  mammon. 


The  life 
of  love. 


Let  thine  inward  eye  be  single,  fixed  on  Christ,  and  thy  whole  being 
shall  be  full  of  light. 

Put  thou  thy  trust  in  Him.  Be  not  anxious.  He  who  cares  for  the 
grass  and  the  sparrows  will  provide  for  thee.  Cast  all  thy  care  on 
Him.  His  arm  will  support,  His  love  provide. 

Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness,  and  all 
necessary  things  shall  be  added  unto  you. 

God  must  deal  with  us  as  a  race,  as  well  as  with  us  as  individuals. 

If  God  allows  famines,  pestilences,  etc.,  it  is  to  instruct  mankind 
how  to  meet  them.  Disastrous  volcanic  eruptions  and  earth 
quakes  are  allowed  for  warnings  and  to  develop  human  brother 
hood. 

These  dealings  with  us  as  a  race  are  thus  not  signs  of  God's  neglect, 
and  by  them  individuals  that  have  made  Him  their  all,  are  gath 
ered  into  the  safer  and  better  land. 


VI.     CH.  VII.  1-27.     LOVE  A  LIFE  OF  UNION  WITH  GOD  IN  CHRIST 


Our  Lord  introduces  this  last  portion  by  a  warning  to  His  disciples 
not  to  judge  others. 

It  is  most  appropriately  introduced  here,  because  Christians  hav 
ing  themselves  advanced  in  spirituality,  are  specially  tempted 
to  judge  others  by  the  new  standard  they  have  gained  for  them 
selves. 


With  God 
in  Christ. 


The  discourse  ends  in  the  communion  with  God  in  a  life  of  progres 
sive  prayer. 

It  builds  up  our  spiritual  life  on  the  Rock  that  is  Christ.  We  rest 
safely  on  His  merits,  joyfully  on  His  love,  and  His  life  extends 
itself  into  us  and  we  become  like  Him. 

Let  love  of  Him  be  thy  food  and  drink.  Thy  motto,  "Jesus  only, 
Jesus  always.  All  for  Jesus." 


13 


THE    LIFE    OF    THE    SPIRIT 


ARTICLE  V,    THE  LIFE  OF  THE  SPIRIT 


FOR  TO  BE  CARNALLY  MINDED  is  DEATH;  BUT  TO  BE  SPIRITUALLY 
MINDED  is  LIFE  AND  PEACE  " 


THE  LIFE  OF 
THE  SPIRIT. 


"Though  Himself  the  eternal  Word,  yet  Christ  willed  that  the  Holy  Spirit  should 
dwell  in  His  human  nature  and  in  all  His  words  and  acts,  His  feelings  and 
emotions  He  should  be  led  by  the  Spirit. 

The  Holy  Spirit  comes  from  Christ's  humanity  into  His  body  the  Church  and 
into  every  individual  member,  uniting  them  to  Christ  and  revealing  Christ 
to  them. 

By  the  inbreathing  of  the  Spirit  at  Baptism,  the  germs  of  the  theological  virtues 
are  given. 

The  Spirit  comes  to  dwell  in  our  spirit  and  the  three  virtues  tend  to  the  healing 
of  ignorance  in  the  intellect,  weakness  in  the  will,  disorder  in  the  affections. 

These  gifts  are  different  from  "graces,"  for  graces  are  given  to  individuals  for 
special  works  or  development  of  sanctity,  while  the  gifts  are  bestowed  on  all, 
but  in  different  degrees. 

It  is  a  matter  of  allowed  theological  difference  whether  gifts  and  virtues  are 
identical. 

It  is  held  as  more  probable  that  while  they  have  the  Holy  Spirit  as  their  one 
source  they  may  be  theologically  discriminated,  for  there  seems  to  be  a  differ 
ence  between  their  functions. 

Moreover  though  the  Spirit  and  the  gifts  and  virtues  are  given  in  baptism,  by 
farther  gifts  and  use,  the  incipient  virtues  become  abiding  principles  and 
habits. 

The  virtue  is  capable  of  a  yet  further  development  by  the  addition  of  the  grace 
of  Unction,  which  fills  the  virtue  with  a  heavenly  sweetness. 

When  the  virtue  has  acquired  not  only  strength  and  loveliness,  it  has  as  a  ma 
tured  fruit  of  the  Spirit  a  beatitude  or  fragrance  of  its  own. 

The  Spirit  bestows  on  us  His  sevenfold  gifts,  elsewhere  described  and  analysed. 

He  shows  Himself  in  fruits,  of  love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness, 
goodness,  meekness,  etc. 

The  Spirit  not  only  brings  home  to  us  the  words  of  Christ  but  His  miracles  and 
parables  with  special  application  to  ourselves,  ever  working  in  us  a  deeper 
conviction  of  sin,  and  more -complete  transformation  of  character. 


THE    THREE    EVANGELICAL    COUNSELS 


195 


ARTICLE  VI.    THE  EVANGELICAL  COUNSELS 


THE  THREE  EVANGELICAL  COUNSELS:  POVERTY,  CHASTITY,  OBEDIENCE. 
WHY  AND  BY  WHOM  GIVEN.     THEIR  RATIONALE. 


^For  His 

special 
lovers. 

Christ 

§  1 

gives           -< 
counsels. 

THE 

THREE 

EVANGELICAL 

COUNSELS. 

The 

reason 
for  their 

selection. 

Their 
reward. 

V 

'By  the  light  burden  of  His  precepts  Christ  guides  all,  but  out  of  His 
great  love  provides  counsels  for  those  drawn  to  a  closer  con 
formity  to  Himself. 

There  are  souls  so  moved  by  grace  that  they  thirst  for  a  participa 
tion  in  His  life  of  entire  consecration  and  oblation. 

They  are  so  filled  with  His  love  they  can  have  no  other  love  but  His. 
They  long  to  serve  Him  without  distraction.  At  His  feet  they 
would  ever  sit.  Him  they  consult  in  all  things,  on  Him  they  wait. 
He  is  their  light,  their  love,  their  holy  joy. 

Our  Lord  provides  for  their  desires  by  giving  them  the  three  counsels, 
so  called,  of  perfection.  They  are  so  called  because  they  are 
helps  to  it. 


"To  the  rich  young  man  our  Lord  said,  "If  thou  wilt  be  perfect  go 
and  sell  that  thou  hast  and  give  to  the  poor." 

Concerning  the  unmarried  state  He  said  "there  are  eunuchs  which 
have  made  themselves  eunuchs  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven's 
sake.  He  that  is  able  to  receive  it,  let  him  receive  it." 

When  He  was  asked  who  is  greatest  in  the  Kingdom,  He  placed  a 
little  child  in  the  midst  of  them  and  said  "Whosoever  shall  humble 
himself  as  this  little  child  the  same  is  greatest." 

He  thus  counselled  for  some  poverty,  obedience,  and  by  the  lan 
guage  He  used,  a  permanent  unmarried  estate,  which  could  only, 
morally,  be  made  permanent  by  vows. 


The  reason  why  poverty,  chastity,  and  obedience  were  given  as  the 
three  counsels  was  because  they  are  the  three  specific  remedies 
for  the  three  roots  of  sin  in  our  nature. 

Chastity  is  the  remedy  for  sensuality  of  the  body,  poverty  is  the 
reverse  of  covetousness  of  the  soul,  obedience  is  the  mortifica 
tion  of  the  pride  of  the  spirit. 


'The  practice  of  these  remedies  is  laid  on  all  in  baptism.  All  take 
vows  to  keep  them.  The  difference  in  which  they  are  practised 
by  the  religious  is  one  of  degree. 

Saintliness  may  be  attained  in  the  world  as  in  the  cloister,  but  the 
latter  offers  greater  opportunities  of  service,  training,  and  helps 
in  the  spiritual  life,  and  more  complete  self -consecration. 

It  has  its  own  special  reward.    "  Every  one  that  hath  forsaken  houses 
or  brethren  or  sisters  or  father  or  mother  or  wife  or  children  or 
w     lands  for  my  name's  sake  shall  receive  an  hundredfold." 


196 


THE    EVANGELICAL    COUNSELS 


§2 

THE  EVAN 
GELICAL 
COUNSELS 
(continued). 


Christ 

the 

exemplar 

of 

poverty, 


of 
obedience, 


of 
chastity. 


As  EXEMPLIFIED  BY  CHRIST 


Christ  laid  the  foundation  of  the  religious  life  and  exemplified  the 
counsels  in  His  own  person. 

He  was  the  great  religious  and  the  founder  of  the  religious  estate. 

In  respect  of  poverty  He  was  by  choice  born  in  poverty.  His  hidden 
life  was  that  of  a  poor  workman  in  a  poor  village.  He  could  not 
save  up  anything. 

On  entering  His  public  life  He  identified  Himself  with  humanity  as 
cast  out  of  paradise,  and  became  an  outcast. 

He  abandoned,  in  fulfilment  of  His  office,  all  means  of  support,  being 
dependent  on  God's  providential  care. 

He  had  no  place  whereon  to  lay  His  head.  He  was  often  without 
food,  eating  of  the  raw  corn,  famished  at  the  wellside,  seeking 
food  of  the  barren  fig  tree. 

He  owned  nothing  save  the  garments  His  blessed  Mother  had  made 
for  Him,  and  these  were  taken  away  at  His  crucifixion. 

The  forty  days  of  fasting  with  which  He  entered  on  His  ministry  had 
so  reduced  His  body,  that  at  His  crucifixion  they  jeered  at  His 
emaciated  figure. 

He  met  with  the  people  and  sat  at  their  table,  but  He  endured  hard 
ness  and  was  the  great  ascetic. 


"Moreover  He  practised  in  an  heroic  degree  the  virtue  of  obedience. 
His  whole  being  and  life  was  surrendered  to  the  will  of  God,  and 
He  was  obedient  to  death. 

Although  Almighty  God,  He  humbled  Himself  and  became  obedient 
to  His  human  creatures  in  the  persons  of  the  Blessed  Mother  and 
S.  Joseph. 

He  was  obedient  to  the  requirements  of  the  law  and  the  Church  and 
to  those  in  authority  who  sat  in  Moses'  seat. 

He  did  not  come  as  a  reformer,  planning  and  working  out  a  scheme 
for  man's  redemption. 

It  was  all  laid  down  for  Him,  in  the  law  and  the  prophets  and  psalms, 
and  the  rites  and  sacrifices  of  the  Temple. 

The  Holy  Scriptures  gave  Him  as  a  religious,  His  rule  of  life. 


He  practised  chastity.  He  was  ever  a  virgin.  But  chastity  signifies 
not  merely  purity  of  body,  but  of  soul. 

It  involves  the  subordination  of  all  ties  and  affections  to  one's 
mission. 

No  tie  was  ever  so  dear  as  that  that  bound  the  Blessed  Mother  and 
Himself  together.  Yet  He  abandons  her  to  the  care  of  God,  as  He 
takes  His  way  unto  His  Messianic  work. 


THE    EVANGELICAL    COUNSELS 


THE  TRAINING  OF  THE  APOSTLES 


Christ's 

training 

of  the 

apostles 

in 

poverty, 

§3 

THE 

EVANGELICAL  < 

COUNSELS 

(continued). 

and  in 

obedience 

as 

individu-    < 

als  and 

as  an 

• 

order. 

In  the  manner  of  life  our  Lord  lived  He  trained  His  apostles.  They 
were  to  become  living  embodiments  of  His  teaching  and  so  in 
struments  through  which  He  could  act. 

So  He  called  them  from  their  postulant  condition  under  John  the 
Baptist,  or  out  of  the  world,  into  His  novitiate  and  its  school  of 
hardness. 

No  duty,  no  tie  was  to  stand  in  the  way  of  obedience  to  His  call. 
They  were  to  leave  all  and  follow  Him. 

They  were  to  undergo  the  severe  regimen  of  His  uncertain  pro 
vision  of  food,  and  shelter,  sleep  in  the  open,  be  rocked  in  the 
same  boat  in  the  storm. 

It  was  part  of  their  training  to  be  placed  in  jeopardy  of  their  lives, 
for  the  strengthening  of  their  character  and  preparation  of  their 
martyrdoms. 

They  were  to  follow  a  Lord  who  would  be  crucified,  and  they  must 
look  forward  to  martyrdom  as  a  joyful  consummation  of  their 
Apostleship. 


Christ  trained  them  in  obedience  as  individuals  and  as  a  community. 

They  were  to  obey  because  bidden,  even  if  the  commands  required 
faith  in  a  supernatural  guidance. 

Thus  our  Lord  bade  two  go,  saying  they  would  find  an  ass  tied 
and  to  take  him  with  no  other  word  than  that  the  Master  had 
need  of  him. 

They  were  to  go  into  the  city  and  find  a  man  bearing  a  pitcher  of 
water  and  to  go  into  the  house  whither  he  entered  and  bid  the 
owner  prepare  for  the  Passover. 

Christ  trained  them  as  a  community,  giving  them  a  rule  which  regu 
lated  their  conduct  and  mode  of  life. 

They  were  at  first  to  confine  their  work  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel,  their  teaching  to  the  proclamation  of  the  King 
dom.  They  were  to  provide  neither  gold  nor  silver  nor  brass  in 
their  purses.  They  were  to  take  nothing  for  their  journey;  no 
script,  no  bread,  no  money. 

They  were  not  to  have  two  habits  or  coats.  They  were  not  to  go 
from  house  to  house.  They  were  to  eat  and  drink  such  things 
as  were  given  them. 

They  were  to  go  out  two  and  two,  and  to  preserve  in  their  journey 
a  silence,  saluting  no  man  by  the  way. 

He  disciplined  them  by  severe  rebukes.  "Get  thee  behind  me, 
Satan."  "Ye  know  not  what  manner  of  spirit  ye  are  of." 

Their  action  at  His  crucifixion  when  they  forsook  Him  was,  along 
with  His  restoration  of  them  at  His  resurrection,  a  part  of  their 
training  as  novices. 

.They  were  professed  and  consecrated  at  Pentecost. 


i98 


THE    EVANGELICAL    COUNSELS 


THEIR  RECOGNITION  AND  DEVELOPMENT  IN  THE  CHURCH 


Scriptural 
instances. 


From  the  earliest  times  persons  are  found  who  have  embraced  these 
counsels  and  lived  by  them. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  the  daughters  of  Philip  the  deacon,  who  are 
called  "Virgins"  belonged  to  this  class,  and  S.  Ignatius  mentions 
the  widows  as  of  a  special  order. 


The  her- 

mitical 

form. 


§4 

THE 

EVANGELI 

CAL 

COUNSELS 

(concluded). 

The 

monastic. 

The  first  form  the  life  took  for  men  was  that  of  the  hermit  character. 
Persons  fled  from  the  world  to  live  dedicated  to  God  in  solitude  and 
prayer.  One  reason  they  sought  the  desert  was  in  imitation  of  our 
Lord's  going  into  the  wilderness. 

'The  life  in  time  took  on  the  monastic  form.  The  religious  were 
gathered  into  communities  by  great  saints  like  S.  Benedict,  and 
kept  a  common  rule. 

The  different  orders  extended  over  Europe  and  were  centres  of  Chris 
tian  influence  and  civilisation. 

They  were  schools  of  education,  manufactories  of  libraries,  toilers  in 
agriculture,  the  founders  of  legislative  government. 


The 
friars. 


'The  next  development  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  times  was  the  rise  of 
the  friars,  like  the  Franciscan  and  Dominican  orders. 

The  monk  was  taken  out  of  his  cell  and  went  forth  as  an  evangelist 
and  preacher. 


Clerks 
regular. 


'Next  arose  the  modern  orders,  which  were  seculars  under  vows  and 
mostly  in  military  organisations  under  generals. 

These  were  composed  of  clergy  and  called  clerks  regular.  The  same 
development  taking  place  in  the  communities  of  women. 

S.  Vincent  took  them  out  of  their  cells  by  making  an  order  of 
Sisters  of  Charity.  Following  this  adaptation  to  modern  needs 
many  orders  have  arisen,  given  to  educational  and  other  work. 


The 
witness. 


'The  existence  of  such  forms  of  the  Christian  life  is  one  proof  of  the 
existence  of  a  valid  priesthood  and  sacraments  in  any  Church  that 
has  them. 

For  they  bear  witness  to  the  oneness  of  the  Church  with  the  past 
and  its  true  priesthood,  for  without  valid  sacraments  the  religious 
life  cannot  be  maintained. 

They  shall  have  hereafter  a  special  reward;  along  with  martyrs  and 
confessors  they  have  the  aureole  of  virginity,  and  follow  the  Lamb 
whithersoever  He  goeth. 


'99 


ARTICLE  VII.     CHRISTIAN  PERFECTION 
"BE  YE  PERFECT  AS  YOUR  FATHER  IN  HEAVEN  is  PERFECT" 


CHRISTIAN 
PERFECTION. 


'Love  the 
principle  of 
perfection. 


Its 

progressive    -< 
•stages. 


Absolute  perfection  is  arrived  at  in  the  Beatific  Vision;  here  only 
an  incomplete  perfection  is  attainable. 

The  principle  of  the  spiritual  man  is  God  in  the  soul.  God  dwell 
ing  in  the  soul  moves  it  according  to  its  nature,  —  that  is  by 
love. 

The  love  developed  by  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit  unites  us 
to  God,  even  as  the  Spirit  unites  the  Blessed  Trinity  in  joy  and 
bliss. 

This  love  is  capable  of  continued  increase,  till  it  comes  to  be  an 
habitual  union  of  all  our  powers  in  God. 

The  special  means  for  this  increase  are  prayer,  mortification,  and 
doing  for  others. 

The  love  of  God  does  not  extinguish  our  love  for  others,  but  rightly 
used,  our  love  for  others  increases  our  love  to  God. 


Charity  or  love  enters  into  all  the  stages  of  our  Christian  life.  It 
is  to  be  found  in  the  purificative,  the  illuminative,  and  unitive 
ways,  and  in  various  degrees  in  each. 

The  soul  in  the  fervour  of  its  first  conversion  is  full  of  a  love  of 
gratitude  to  Him  who  has  been  a  more  than  good  Samaritan  to 
it  and  has  welcomed  it  home  with  a  father's  love. 

Advancing,  the  soul  begins  by  acting  on  the  impulses  of  love  to 
form  a  habit.  By  courageous  perseverance  in  spite  of  failings 
and  stumblings  love  becomes  next  a  ruling  principle. 

Gradually  the  divine  principle  purifies  the  soul  from  its  imperfec 
tions,  the  dross  of  old  sins,  the  hindrances  to  God's  indwelling. 

Love  acts  like  fire,  consuming,  purifying,  and  developing  the  jewels 
of  virtue  in  the  soul.  "Its  imperfections,"  says  S.  John  of  the 
Cross,  "are  lost  in  perfect  love,  as  mould  on  metal  is  lost  in  fire." 

The  lover  increasingly  desires  to  serve  Jesus,  to  do  all  it  can  for 
Him.  It  has  a  consuming  zeal  for  His  service  and  for  souls. 
Jesus  is  its  all,  and  its  all  is  for  Jesus. 

In  more  elevated  condition,  nature  being  brought  into  control, 
Love  reigns  imperially.  United  to  Jesus  it  ever  looks  to  Him, 
waits  on  His  will,  lives  in  His  smile. 

Emptied  of  self,  and  love  becoming  the  governing  principle,  the 
promise  becomes  fulfilled  in  ampler  measure:  —  "We  will  come 
unto  him  and  make  our  abode  with  him." 

In  union  with  the  inner  life  of  Christ,  the  soul  rejoices  in  humilia 
tions,  afflictions,  losses,  persecutions,  suffering,  and  pain. 

And  so  on,  through  purifying  desolations  and  the  "dark  night  of  the 
Spirit,"  to  the  sweetness  and  peace  of  love  "absorbing,  trans 
forming,  and  deifying."  In  this  life  though  inchoative,  yet  full 
of  power  and  delight. 


2OO 


THE    BEATIFIC    VISION 


ARTICLE  VIII.    THE  BEATIFIC  VISION 


THE 

BEATIFIC 

VISION. 


'The  sight 
of  God. 


The  light 
of  glory. 


The  object 
of  the 
vision. 


The  con 
summation 
of  creation. 


The  finally  blessed  are  gathered  into  a  supernatural  union  with  God, 

and  enjoy  the  sight  of  Him  called  the  Beatific  Vision. 
Here  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly,  then  face  to  face  shall  we  see 

Him  as  He  is,  and  shall  know  even  as  we  are  known. 
This  sight  of  God  Himself,  since  our  nature  by  itself  is  incapable  of 

attaining  it,  is  vouchsafed  us  by  the  Light  of  Glory. 
This  Light  of  Glory  is  not  God  Himself,  but  is  a  supernatural  infused 

power,  elevating  and  strengthening  the  soul  and  spirit  to  see  God. 

"As  habitual  charity  is  given  in  heaven  to  love  God,  so  an  habitual 

light  is  given  to  see  Him,"  and  with  the  light  as  with  the  love  the 

created  life  concurs. 
This  light  of  glory  is  given  not  in  proportion  to  a  man's  intellectual 

powers.    God  does  not  bestow  a  supernatural  reward  upon  natural 

gifts,  but  upon  virtues. 
The  ignorant  through  their  greater  love  of  God  will  receive  a  greater 

degree  of  light  and  happiness  than  the  learned  and  intellectual  who 

have  not  so  attained. 

The  union  in  glory  means  that  "we  shall  see  Him  in  all  His  adorable 
perfections,  by  a  clear  and  unclouded  perception  of  His  Divine  Es 
sence.  We  shall  gaze  with  unspeakable  delight  and  rapture  upon 
that  beauty,  ever  ancient  and  ever  new.  We  shall  drink  in  all  knowl 
edge  of  its  living  source,  unmingled  by  error  or  doubt.  We  shall 
see  the  august  and  sublime  mystery  of  the  most  Holy  Trinity  and 
the  Great  Eternal  God.  See  Him  in  the  eternity  of  His  duration, 
in  the  abysses  of  His  mercies,  in  the  spotlessness  of  His  sanctity, 
in  the  severity  of  His  justice,  in  the  might  of  His  irresistible 
power,  in  the  charms  of  His  captivating  beauty,  and  in  the  splendour 
of  His  majesty  and  glory." l 

This  union  with  God  is  permanent  and  secures  the  soul  in  its  sinless- 
ness  and  consequent  happiness  and  bliss  beyond  all  that  we  can 
here  conceive. 

In  this  state  creation  arrives  at  its  perfection,  and  all  evil,  sin,  separa 
tions,  and  miseries  are  done  away,  and  the  kingdom  of  righteousness 
and  love  and  beauty  is  established  forever. 

The  blessed  have  the  joys  of  communion  with  one  another,  every  tie 
here  formed  in  grace  is  perfected  there  in  love,  and  the  saints  and 
angels  all  unite  in  joyful  worship  of  the  Lamb. 

The  body  changed  and  glorified,  possessed  of  new  powers  of  enjoy 
ment,  will  be  united  to  the  soul.  It  will  be  like  that  of  the  risen 
Christ,  agile,  subtle,  incorruptible,  glorified. 

The  life  is  not  an  inactive  one  of  repose,  but  an  ever-developing  one, 
which  never  comes  to  the  end  of  God's  goodness  and  gifts  because 
He  is  Infinite. 


Happiness  in  Heaven,  Chap.  III. 


PART    FOUR 
WORSHIP 


TRANSITION   FROM   THIRD   TO   FOURTH   PART     208 


TRANSITION  FROM  THE  THIRD  TO  THE  FOURTH  PART 


THE  NECESSITY  OF  AN  EXTERIOR  AND  SENSIBLE  WORSHIP 


ine 
necessity. 

The 
duality. 

TRANSITION 

FROM   THE 

THIRD  TO      < 
FOURTH 
PART. 

The 
character. 

The 
^.result. 

As  God  redeemed  the  body  and  soul  of  man,  and  both  will  be  elevated 
into  glory,  God  here  as  there  is  to  be  worshipped  by  both  an  interior 
and  exterior  and  sensible  worship. 

As  man  is  not  only  an  intelligent,  but  a  sensible  being,  gifted  with 
different  senses  in  intimate  relations  with  the  soul,  he  must  manifest 
his  inner  sentiments  through  bodily  action. 

_An  exterior,  worship  is  thus  due  to  God  and  is  a  necessity  for  man. 


The  dual  form  corresponds  to  man's  nature  and  needs.  Exposed, 
for  his  own  gratification,  to  the  seduction  of  the  senses,  he  uses 
them  in  devotion  to  overcome  their  natural  tendency. 

Inclined  to  the  neglect  of  God,  and  with  difficulty  realising  Him,  he 
is  aided  in  his  duty  by  an  external  worship. 

Disposed  to  rest  in  the  outward  form,  there  is  need  of  such  as  shall 
quicken  his  spiritual  nature. 

The  two  are  thus  to  be  so  united  as  that  the  action  of  the  soul  be  not 
hindered ;  nor  be  so  exclusively  inward  as  to  omit  the  worship  due 
from  the  body. 


We  owe  it  to  God  to  worship  Him  with  our  whole  nature,  with  all  the 
powers  of  our  soul,  and  with  all  the  gifts  God  has  bestowed  upon  us. 

It  is  therefore  proper  that  all  that  art  can  do,  in  the  way  of  architec 
ture,  music,  painting,  should  be  made  an  offering  to  God  in  His 
worship. 

For  His  Honour  and  Majesty,  His  worship  should  be  most  reverent 
and  spiritual  as  commanding  our  homage. 

The  most  understandable  in  language  and  ceremonial,  that  men  may 
worship  with  "the  spirit  and  understanding." 

Most  truly  devotional,  that  it  may  engage  the  will  and  affections. 

It  must  also  be  commemorative  and  symbolical,  that  it  may  be  pre 
servative  of  the  faith,  for  experience  shows  that  where  the  tradi 
tional  ceremonial  has  been  laid  aside  a  loss  of  the  faith  has  followed. 


"Worship  is  the  expression  of  man's  primal  duty  of  submission  and 
conformity  to  God's  will. 

Implying  self-surrender,  it  is  the  basis  of  all  our  acts  of  praise,  thanks 
giving,  and  petition. 

It  invokes  into  special  operation,  in  the  church  and  individuals,  the 
divine  life,  working  recoveries  and  removing  obstacles. 

By  it  souls  are  gathered  into  a  stream  of  transforming  influence  and 
are  lifted  up  into  correspondence  with  the  energies  of  the  divine  life. 


MAN'S    NATURE   PERFECTED    BY  WORSHIP 


ANALYSIS  OF  PART  FOUR  ON  WORSHIP 


MAN'S 

NATURE 
PERFECTED 
BY  WORSHIP. 


Revealed 
principles. 


Choral 
service. 


Consecrated 
places. 


The 
Liturgy. 


Feast 
days. 


Legal  orna 
ments  of  the 
Anglican  Church. 

The  Holy 
Eucharist : 
ceremonial. 


Worship  is  of  a  dual  character  by  word  and  act. 

It  is  liturgical  in  form,  choral  in  expression,  ceremonial  in 
character. 

The  Liturgy  of  the  Church  is  the  same  in  structure  every 
where. 
It  has  the  Church's  authorisation  and  is  marked  by  stability. 


/'Music,  as  a  gift  of  God,  is  to  be  employed  in  His  worship. 

I  The  Church's  Music.    Its  beauty,  holiness,  and  personal  use. 
Its  essential  qualities.    Liturgical.    Its  form  and  antiquity. 

v. Plain  Song.     The  singers:   Priest,  Choir,  and  People. 

/"Meeting  places  with  God.     Symbols  of  religion.     How  ar- 
\     ranged  in  early  times.    Present  form  and  construction. 

'The  Lord's  Prayer. 
The  Liturgy  of  the  Apostles. 
The  Drama  of  the  Anglican  Liturgy. 
Liturgical  Year  and  its  Seasons. 

The  Annunciation. 
The  Nativity. 
Circumcision. 

Presentation  in  the  Temple. 
The  Epiphany. 
Transfiguration . 
Palm  Sunday. 
Maundy  Thursday. 
Good  Friday. 
^Easter  and  Ascension. 

r  Feast  of  St.  Anne. 
Conception  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
Nativity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
Annunciation. 

The  Visitation  of  the  Virgin  Mary. 
Feast  of  the  Purification. 
The  Epochs  of  Her  Life. 
-The  Principal  Feasts  of  the  Saints  and  Angels. 

J  The  Interpretation  of  the  Ornaments  Rubric. 
[  Legal  Ornaments  and  Ceremonial. 

f  The  Eastward  Position  of  the  Celebrant. 
"{  The  Lawfulness  of  the  Reservation  of  the  Sacrament  for  the 
L     sick  in  England  and  America. 


The  principal 
days  and  feasts 
of  Christ. 


The  principal 
feasts  of 
the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary. 


WORSHIP 


ao5 


CHAPTER  I.    MAN'S  NATURE  PERFECTED  BY  WORSHIP 


ARTICLE  I.    ITS  DUAL  FORM  AND  REVEALED  PRINCIPLES 


WORSHIP. 


Its  dual  form 
ordained 
by  God. 


Its  revealed 

principles. 

Liturgical. 


God,  who  knoweth  well  man's  nature  and  its  needs,  and  also  what 
is  due  Himself,  hath  revealed  in  Holy  Scripture  and  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  His  own  Mind  and  Will,  as  to  the  mode  in  which  His 
creatures  should  approach  Him. 

From  the  beginning  God  made  manifest  His  will  that  He  should  be 
worshipped  after  the  archetype  of  His  own  being,  in  two  ways, 
by  word  and  act. 

Thus  in  Paradise  man  offers  the  tree  by  abstinence  therefrom, 
which  was  worship  by  act,  and  he  communed  with  God,  which 
was  by  word  or  mental  action. 

In  the  Jewish  dispensation  we  find  established  the  two  forms,  the 
worship  of  theSynagogue  and  the  sacrificial  worship  of  the  Temple. 

In  the  Christian  church  we  have  a  combination  of  the  Synagogue 
and  Temple  service,  in  the  recitation  of  the  divine  offices  and  in 
the  Eucharistic  Sacrifice. 

The  former  being  said  in  the  choir,  the  latter  being  offered  in  the 
sanctuary  at  the  altar. 


'As  man  is  a  social  being  and  owes  a  united  service  of  worship  to  God, 
the  service  to  be  a  common  offering  is  necessarily  liturgical. 

As  it  is  necessary,  if  a  body  of  worshippers  would  unite  in  praising 
God  by  singing  a  hymn,  that  they  should  have  a  hymn  book,  so 
it  is  necessary,  if  they  are  to  join  in  a  common  prayer  together,  a 
form  in  which  they  can  all  unite  must  be  provided. 

The  sectarians  who  have  no  book,  either  listen  to  their  minister 
while  he  prays,  in  which  case  they  are  only  listeners  and  do  not 
pray  at  all,  or  they  follow  him  and  make  his  words  their  own  and 
so  accept  his  form  of  prayer  which  is  imposed  upon  them. 

The  church  bringing  the  personal  gifts  and  liberty  of  the  spirit  in 
prayer  under  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit  actuating  the  whole  body, 
provides  forms  which  embody  the  wisdom  and  piety  of  the  saints, 
and  so  protects  the  worshippers  from  the  variable  dispositions  of 
the  minister. 

In  the  Old  Testament  we  find  forms  of  prayer  commanded  (Deu. 
xxi.  and  xxvi.),  forms  of  blessing  (Numbers  vi.),  the  use  of  exist 
ing  formulas  (2  Chron.  xxix.  30),  the  use  of  the  Psalter  in  the 
synagogue,  with  prayer,  blessings,  and  thanksgivings. 

The  Church's  service,  which  provides  special  prayers  for  individual 
needs,  and  thanksgivings,  expresses  the  common  desires  of  those 
united  in  common  prayer. 

The  example  of  Christ  in  taking  part  in  the  forms  of  prayer  in  the 
synagogue,  and  giving  a  form  of  prayer  to  His  Apostles,  saying 
"After  this  manner  pray  ye,"  is  the  Church's  warrant  for  her 
use  of  forms  in  the  divine  offices. 


ao6    MUSIC   A   REVEALED   PRINCIPLE    OF   WORSHIP 


ARTICLE  II.     WORSHIP  is  TO  BE  CHORAL  AND  CEREMONIAL 


MUSIC   A 

REVEALED 
PRINCIPLE 
OF  WORSHIP. 


'Music 

a  gift. 


Used  in 

divine 

service. 


Ordered 
in  the  Old 
Testament. 


Employed 
in  the 
New. 


'Nature  is  full  of  music,  earth  and  air  and  water  are  resonant  with 
song,  yet  as  waiting  for  its  redemption  and  travailing  in  pain,  it 
has  its  mournful  as  well  as  its  exulting  tones. 

The  gift  of  song  is  a  heavenly  gift  and  so  being  given  is  to  be  used 
in  heavenly  worship  though  man  vulgarises  it  and  abuses  it  to 
sensualities. 


'Not  alone  does  piety  praise  God  in  song,  but  in  united  service  the 
ordered  choirs  stand  in  the  temple  and  in  the  dignity  of  the 
ancient  music  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord. 

Instruments,  probably  brought  by  David  from  other  nations  and 
added  to  those  of  Jewish  origin,  found  employment  in  the  wor 
ship  of  God  and  received  the  divine  sanction. 

"And  the  Levites,  being  arrayed  in  white  linen,  having  cym 
bals  and  psalteries,  and  harps,  stood  at  the  east  end  of  the 
altar  and  with  them  an  hundred  and  twenty  priests,  sounding 
with  trumpets."  2  Chron.  v.  12. 


'"And  when  they  lifted  up  their  voices  with  the  trumpets,  and  cym 
bals,  and  instruments  of  music  and  praised  the  Lord,  saying, 
For  He  is  good,  for  His  mercy  endureth  forever,"  that  then  the 
house  was  filled  with  a  cloud,  "for  the  glory  of  the  Lord  had 
filled  the  house  of  God."  2  Chron.  v.  13,  14. 

At  the  rebuilding  of  the  temple  God  through  the  choral  service 
wrought  a  spiritual  revival  amongst  the  people. 

When  the  builders  laid  the  foundations  of  the  temple,  they  set  the 
priests  in  their  apparel  with  trumpets  and  the  Levites  with 
cymbals,  and  as  they  sang  together  by  course  "the  priests  and 
Levites  and  chief  of  the  fathers  wept  with  a  loud  voice,"  and 
"the  shout  of  joy  could  not  be  discerned  from  the  voice  of  the 
weeping  of  the  people."  Ezra  iii.  10-13. 


The  new  dispensation  is  ushered  in  by  the  choir  of  angels  singing 
the  gospel  from  off  the  great  rood  screen  of  the  skies.  The 
Blessed  Virgin  and  S.  Simeon  and  Zacharias,  under  divine  in 
spiration,  give  to  the  Church  her  three  great  Canticles.  Christ 
and  the  Apostles  entwine  the  chanting  of  the  psalter  about  the 
Eucharistic  Sacrifice. 

As  God  in  the  old  dispensation  showed  Moses  the  type  of  worship 
he  was  to  follow,  so  in  the  new  He  gave  to  S.  John  a  vision  of 
worship  which  was  to  guide  the  Christian  Church  on  earth.  In 
it  music,  instrumental  and  choral,  was  to  have  its  part. 

Music  is  the  art  of  self-expression  and  stirs  deeper  emotions  than 
words  convey.  It  is  the  language  universal  of  heaven.  All  know 
it,  all  feel  it,  all  participate  in  it. 

And  the  four  and  twenty  elders,  having  every  one  of  them  harps 
and  golden  vials  full  of  odours,  sung  a  new  song,  saying,  Thou 
wast  slain  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  Thy  Blood. 


ITS    REVEALED    PRINCIPLES 


207 


§3 
ITS 

REVEALED 
PRINCIPLES. 


The  same 
ness  of  the 
Liturgy. 


The  necessity 
of  its  Church 
authorisation. 


Its  stability 
.and  beauty. 


ARTICLE  III.    THE  LITURGY 

'In  the  primitive  sense  and  by  strictly  theological  usage  the  term 
"Liturgy"  is  applied  to  the  prayers  and  rites  for  the  adminis 
tration  of  the  Eucharist. 

It  is  sometimes  used  in  a  more  general  sense  for  the  whole  col 
lection  of  rites,  ceremonies,  and  prayers  established  for  the 
exercise  of  public  worship. 

By  its  worship  the  Church  declares  and  gives  sensible  evidence 
of  the  divine  mysteries,  its  faith,  the  means  of  salvation,  its 
precepts  and  its  adoration  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

Hence  its  general  structure,  and  the  character  of  its  worship  is 
the  same  throughout  Apostolic  Christendom.  There  is  every 
where  worship  by  recitation  of  the  divine  office  and  the  offer 
ing  of  the  same  Holy  Eucharistic  Sacrifice. 

As  the  Liturgy  is  set  forth  to  guard  the  faith,  it  is  necessary  it 
should  be  established  by  authority  of  the  Church. 

The  sects,  having  no  divine  authority  for  their  organisations, 
have  no  legitimate  authority  for  setting  forth  forms  by  which 
God  is  to  be  worshipped. 

Having  lost  priesthood  they  cannot  offer  the  Eucharistic  sacrifice. 
And  having  broken  with  the  Church  and  tradition  they  have 
largely  lost  the  liturgical  sense. 

Christ,  by  His  word  and  example,  commanded  forms  for 
common  prayer  and  instituted  the  Memorial  sacrifice  of  the 
new  Covenant. 

The  Lord  was  not  a  reformer,  He  did  not  come  to  reform  the 
Jewish  law  but  to  build  upon  it.  He  was  a  protestant  against 
spiritual  hypocrisy,  but  a  churchman  in  His  loyal  observance 
of  all  the  rites  and  ceremonial  of  the  Church. 

The  Christian  Church,  as  the  unfolding  of  the  old,  has  con 
structed  on  the  former  divine  foundation,  her  polity  and 
worship. 

The  difference  between  the  East  and  the  West,  between  Anglican 
and  Roman  liturgies,  does  not  destroy  the  essential  oneness  of 
their  worship. 

'The  subordination  of  each  portion  of  the  Catholic  Church  to 
the  whole,  secures  the  stability  of  the  character  of  its  liturgy. 

In  spite  of  the  interruption  of  intercommunion,  it  is  admitted 
by  all  that  no  portion  can  change  the  divine  character  of  the 
Church's  worship,  alter  aught  that  Christ  commanded,  or 
that  which  had  Apostolic  authority. 

In  matters  of  ceremonial  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  National 
church  has  a  right  to  forbid  the  use  of  so  scriptural  and  uni 
versally  adopted  a  ceremony  as  incense,  or  give  up  the 
anointing  of  the  sick. 

"  Lord,  bring  home  the  glorious  lesson 

To  their  hearts,  who  strangely  deem 
That  an  unmajestic  service 

Doth  Thy  Majesty  beseem. 
O  our  own  true  God  Incarnate, 

What  should  Christian  Ritual  be 
But  a  voice  to  utter  somewhat 

Of  our  pride  and  joy  in  Thee." 


208 


THE    CHURCH'S    MUSIC 


CHAPTER  II.    THE  Music  OF  THE  CHURCH 


ARTICLE  I.     ITS  BEAUTY,  HOLINESS,  AND  USE 


WE  ARE  BIDDEN  TO  WORSHIP  GOD,  NOT  ONLY  IN  HOLINESS,  BUT  IN  ITS  BEAUTY  ALSO 

As  the  Liturgy,  by  its  structure,  its  inspired  language,  its  devotional 
spirit,  lifting  man  up  and  uniting  him  with  God,  is  full  of  a  divine 
glory  and  beauty,  so  should  be  its  musical  setting. 

Church  music  is  therefore  necessarily  separated  in  character  from  the 
operatic,  where  human  passion  finds  expression,  or  the  secular, 
which  connects  man  with  earth. 

It  is  not  only  unworthy  of  the  dignity  of  the  God  we  worship,  but 
deteriorating  to  our  moral  nature,  to  employ  in  Divine  worship  the 
popular  songs  of  the  street. 

The  reason  why  such  music  has  been  accepted  and  even  demanded 
by  some  congregations  has  arisen  partly  from  a  loss  of  the  sense 
of  God's  presence  as  the  object  of  worship  and  a  tendency  to  meas 
ure  the  value  of  worship  chiefly  by  the  subjective  effect  upon  our 
selves. 

Another  reason  has  arisen  from  the  ambition  of  choir  masters  and 
choirs  to  produce  musical  compositions  beyond  the  powers  of  the 
singers  and  congregation. 

Another  quality  which  should  characterise  Church  music  is  the 
Spirit  of  Holiness. 

The  Divine  Offices  and  the  Liturgy  proper  are  full  of  a  purpose  of 
Holiness,  —  the  expression  of  holy  emotions,  the  enunciation  of 
holy  truths,  the  awakening  of  holy  desires. 

This  Spirit  of  Holiness,  the  antagonism  of  worldliness,  should  thus 
characterise  the  musical  setting  of  the  service. 

Music  is  not  sacred  merely  because  set  to  sacred  words;  it  can  only 
fairly  be  called  sacred  when  it  corresponds  with  their  spirit. 

Hence  the  holiness  of  sacred  music  depends  upon  its  faithful  reflec 
tion  of  the  spiritual  purpose  of  each  group  of  the  Liturgical  words. 

If,  save  on  special  occasions  when  the  leading  purpose  is  to  make  an 
offering  to  God  of  the  highest  productions  of  art,  the  Creed  is  so 
sung  as  to  prevent  the  act  of  faith  on  the  part  of  the  congregation, 
the  music,  no  longer  corresponding  with  the  spiritual  purpose  of 
the  text,  loses  the  quality  of  holiness. 

'  Music  can  be  used,  and  is  now  mostly  used,  in  the  service  of  world 
liness  and  sensuality. 

Those  who  have  the  gift  should  cultivate  it  as  a  gift  and  consecrate 
its  use  for  the  glory  of  God. 

In  more  devout  times  and  in  more  devout  persons  it  was  so.  S.  Jerome 
describes  the  ploughman  who  as  he  held  the  plough  would,  in 
stead  of  love-songs,  sing  his  Alleluias;  the  reaper,  heated  with  his 
toil,  and  the  vine-dresser,  with  his  curved  pruning-hook  in  his 
hand,  who  would  be  chanting  one  of  the  Psalms  of  David. 

In  the  Church,  as  Canon  Bright  pleaded,  it  should  take  its  pattern 
from  the  heavenly  worship. 

"  Surely  there  a  pattern  shone 
How  the  Church  should  do  her  worship 
When  she  came  before  the  Throne." 


rlis  beauty.    •< 

THE 

CHURCH'S  •< 
Music. 

Its  holiness.  " 

Its  per 
sonal  and. 

.Church  use. 

THE    CHURCH'S    MUSIC 


209 


ARTICLE  II.     THE  CHURCH'S  Music 

ITS   THREE    ESSENTIAL   QUALITIES   /  Liturgy. 

CONSIDERED  AS  TO  THE  \lts  Form  and  Antiquity. 


THE 
CHURCH'S  <> 
Music. 


Primarily 
liturgical. 


Its  form. 


Its 

.antiquity. 


The  office  of  music  is  to  aid  the  worshipper  to  enter  into  the  meaning 
of  the  divine  Offices  and  Liturgy,  to  interpret  and  make  them  ap 
plicative,  to  elevate  the  soul  by  their  devotional  vocal  expression. 

While  primarily  an  accompaniment  of  the  Liturgy,  the  Church  has 
by  canon  and  custom  not  excluded  a  larger  employment  of  the 
musical  art. 

Thus  hymns  may  be  freely  introduced  outside  the  strict  liturgical  form 
of  service  and  in  specified  places  within  them,  and  Anthems  in  scrip 
tural  or  liturgical  words  or  others  approved  by  the  Ordinary. 

Instrumental  music  may  be  used  either  as  an  accompaniment  of  what 
is  sung,  or  of  what  in  the  Liturgy  is  being  done,  or  in  processions. 

All  music,  vocal  or  instrumental,  should  not  only  accompany  the  words 
of  the  Liturgy,  but  partake  of  its  qualities,  for  in  proportion  as  it 
does  so,  it  is  excellent  or  the  reverse. 


'The  first  quality  to  be  observed  is  Form,  for  the  Liturgy  is  a  work  of 
art,  like  the  structure  of  a  drama,  and  as  such  possesses  Form. 

Good  ecclesiastical  music  is  controlled  by  this  Form,  whereby  it  pos 
sesses  the  character  of  truth  and  sincerity. 

Thus  large  portions  of  the  Liturgy  are  responsive  between  priests  and 
people,  as  representatives  of  Christ  in  the  Church,  and  so  the  music 
of  these  portions  should  be  antiphonal. 

Again,  the  music  should  in  no  wise  alter  the  arrangement  of  the  words, 
or  prolong  portions  of  the  text  out  of  due  proportion,  by  repeating 
them,  or  accompany  with  different  musical  motifs  portions  having 
the  same  liturgical  forms. 

Thus  the  Psalter  should  not  be  sung  by  a  choir  in  the  form  of  a  cantata, 
with  solos,  quartets,  etc.,  but  should  preserve  its  liturgical  form 
of  Psalmodic  antiphony. 


'That  vocal  music  was  used  from  earliest  times  is  witnessed  by  Pliny's 
letter  to  the  Emperor  Trajan,  that  the  Christians  "held  meetings 
before  daybreak  to  sing  to  Christ  as  God." 

Portions  of  Christian  hymns  liturgical  scholars  have  discovered  in 
the  New  Testament,  e.  g.,  "Awake  thou  that  sleepest,"  etc. 

In  the  fourth  century  the  chanting  of  the  psalms  antiphonally  became 
general. 

S.  Ambrose,  S.  Augustine,  and  S.  Gregory  all  expressed  their  delight 
in  Church  Music. 
14 


2IO 


THE    CHURCH'S    MUSIC 


f  Priest 

ARTICLE  HI.    THE  MATTER,  MANNER,  THE  SINGERS  <  Choir. 

{^People. 


'The  Church's  music  should  be  participated  in  by  the  whole  body  of  the 
Faithful,  for  a  deterioration  of  the  spiritual  life  follows  when  the  wor 
ship  is  left  to  the  choir. 

In  the  divine  Office  the  parts  to  be  sung  or  chanted  are  first  the  Canticles. 
These  are  the  Church's  divinely  inspired  hymns,  and  of  these  the  Mag 
nificat  has  the  preeminence. 


THE 

CHURCH'S 

Music. 


•What 
should 
be  sung. 


Plain 
song. 


Priest 

and 

people. 


As  connected  with  the  glorious  mystery  of  the  Incarnation,  the  Mag 
nificat  may  well  be  accompanied  with  all  the  stately  dignity  that  the 
Church's  ceremonial  allows  to  be  given  to  it. 

It  is  a  question  among  Liturgical  scholars,  where  the  Office  hymn  should 
be  introduced.  A  place  is  provided  after  the  third  Collect  where  it 
may  be  sung,  or  it  might  be  introduced  just  before  the  Magnificat. 

Next  to  the  importance  of  the  Evangelical  Canticles  comes  the  Psalter, 
which,  as  the  Church's  sacred  book  of  song,  is  very  rightly  to  be 
chanted. 


As  to  the  method  of  chanting,  none  has  ever  approached  in  the  three 
qualities  of  truth  to  the  Liturgy  —  as  to  Form,  Beauty,  and  Sanctity  — 
the  ancient  method,  known  indifferently  as  Plain  Song  or  Gregorian 
Chant. 

The  secrets  of  beauty  and  principles  of  application  of  this  Chant,  lost 
from  the  fifteenth  century  to  almost  the  present  time,  have  been 
happily  rediscovered  and  restored  by  the  researches  of  the  French 
Benedictines  of  Solesmes  and  by  a  number  of  Anglican  scholars. 

Besides  the  Psalms,  there  should  be  sung  at  Matins  and  Evensong  the 
Versicles  and  Responses,  "Oh  Lord  open  thou  our  lips,"  etc.,  those 
after  the  Creed,  and  the  three  Collects. 

The  introductory  sentences,  Confession,  Paternoster,  Creed,  should  be 
said  in  an  ordinary  tone,  as  should  the  Grace  and  the  concluding 
Prayers. 


At  Mass,  the  people  should  join,  as  far  as  possible,  in  the  Kyrie,  Creed, 
Sanctus,  Benedictus,  Agnus  Dei,  Gloria. 

Of  these  it  is  most  important  that  all  should  sing  the  Creed,  which  for 
that  reason  might  be  set  to  simple  music  of  small  range  and  without 
repetitions. 

It  is  most  desirable  that  the  ancient  chant  of  the  Creed  universally  sung 
alone  from  the  seventh  to  the  fifteenth  century,  should  be  widely 
restored. 

The  people  should  sing  all  the  responses  and  amens  after  the  Collect, 
Prayer  for  the  Church  Militant,  Consecration,  and  Blessing. 

The  Priest  sings  or  intones  the  Collect,  Gospel,  "I  believe  in  one  God," 
"our  only  Mediator  and  Advocate,"  "Sursum  Corda,"  Preface, 
"World  without  end,"  "Our  Father,"  "Glory  be  to  God  on  High," 
Blessing. 


CONSECRATED    PLACES 


211 


"As  meeting 
places 
with  God. 


CHAPTER  III 
ARTICLE  I.    THE  PROPRIETY  OF  CONSECRATED  PLACES  OP  WORSHIP 

Wherever  we  may  be,  God  is  there,  and  where  He  is,  there  we 
may  worship  Him. 

The  world  is  one  great  temple  wherein  He  manifests  Himself  and 
where,  immanent  in  it,  He  dwells  behind  the  veil. 

By  it  He  declares  His  wisdom  and  beauty,  and  draws  us  through 
it  into  a  union  with  Himself. 

But  it  has  been  His  will  in  love  to  us,  to  establish  certified  places 
where  He  covenants  to  meet  man. 

So  it  has  been  in  the  Old  and  New  Dispensations.  In  the  Old,  the 
Tabernacle  and  Temple  were  set  apart  by  solemn  consecration. 

There  God  promised  that,  "I  will  meet  with  thee,"  and  for  this 
reason  was  it  called  the  "House  of  God,"  and  Christ  called  it, 
"His  Father's  House." 

•At  the  consecration  of  the  first  temple,  God  showed  His  accept 
ance  of  it,  for  "the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  house  of  the  Lord." 

The  second  temple  was  also  accepted  and  made  especially  glorious 
by  our  Lord's  presentation  in  it. 

The  one  Jewish  temple  is  now  multiplied  and  extended  in  all  lands 
in  the  consecrated  Christian  temples,  which  are  rendered  most 
glorious  by  the  abiding  Presence  of  Christ  in  the  Eucharist. 

The  Tabernacle  and  Temple  were  not  only  as  majestical  and 
beautiful  as  the  art  of  man  could  make  them,  but  were  ordered 
by  God  to  be  declarative  of  His  presence,  and  symbolical  in 
their  teaching. 

The  three  divisions  of  the  Tabernacle  into  Court,  Holy  Place,  and 
Holy  of  Holies  set  forth  the  condition  of  man  under  the  Law  of 
Grace  and  of  Glory. 

Under  the  Law  man  had  to  bear  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day, 

§  1  symbolised  by  the  unsheltered  court.     He  could  only  offer  sacri- 

CONSECRATED    <  fices  which  could  not  purify  the  conscience. 

PLACES.  The  Holy  Place  symbolised  the  Christian  Dispensation.     None 

could  enter  it  save  the  priests,  after  washing  their  feet  in  the 
water  contained  in  the  brazen  laver,  telling  how  we,  as  Chris 
tians  by  Baptism,  enter  into  the  Church. 

There  in  the  Holy  Place  was  the  Golden  Table  with  the  bread, 
twelve  loaves,  symbolising  the  Church  of  Christ  made  one  bread 
by  union  with  Christ,  the  Living  Bread. 

The  Seven-branched  Candlestick  also  declared  Christ  as  the 
True  Light.  The  Golden  Altar  of  Incense,  on  which  was 
sprinkled  the  blood  of  the  sacrifice  and  whose  efficacy  was 
carried  by  the  incense  offered  toward  the  Holy  of  Holies,  also 
told  of  Christ  as  our  Mediator  and  Advocate. 

Within  the  Holy  of  Holies  was  the  Ark,  which  by  its  two  materials 
of  wood  and  gold  told  of  Christ's  two  Natures ;  while  within, 
the  Tables  of  the  Law  told  of  His  fulfilment  of  the  Law ;  and 
the  Mercy-seat  above,  of  His  Vicarious  Sacrifice. 

Not  less  significant  were  the  three  veils;  one  of  which  hung  at 
the  entrance  of  the  Outer  Court,  one  at  that  of  the  Holy  Place, 
the  last  being  the  Portal  to  the  Holy  of  Holies. 

The  Veil  signified  Christ  as  the  Door,  and  its  colours,  always  the 
same,  of  blue,  scarlet,  and  purple,  denoted  His  three  offices  of 
Prophet,  Priest,  and  King.  Blue  as  being  the  colour  of  the 
heavens  through  which  light  comes,  purple  denoting  His  King 
ship,  scarlet,  His  Priesthood  and  Sacrifice. 

On  the  Day  of  Atonement  the  High  Priest  sprinkled,  seven  times 
with  blood,  the  inner  side  of  the  Veil  before  the  Ark,  and  the 
rending  of  the  Veil  at  the  Crucifixion  betokened  the  opening 
of  a  new  Living  Way  through  Christ's  Humanity  into  the  Holy 
of  Holies. 


Symbols 
-of  religion. 


212 


THE    CHRISTIAN    BUILDINGS 


THE  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH  BUILDINGS 


§2 
THE 

CHRISTIAN 
BUILDINGS. 


'In  early 
times. 


As  now 
.arranged. 


"Solemn  duties  of  Public  Service  to  be  done  unto  God,"  says  Hooker, 
"must  have  their  places  prepared  in  such  sort  as  beseemeth  action 
of  that  regard." 

The  first  Christian  Temple  was  the  large  upper  room  which  our 
Lord  had  taken  by  His  divine  authority,  dedicated  by  the  celebra 
tion  of  the  Holy  Eucharist,  and  consecrated  by  the  sending  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  at  Pentecost. 

The  condition  of  the  Church  was  such  at  first  that  she  could  not  build 
temples,  but  had  for  a  time,  like  Israel  in  the  Wilderness,  to  wait  till 
the  ages  of  persecution  were  passed,  and  she  entered  into  her  prom 
ised  inheritance. 

Then  she  began  to  take,  as  symbolising  victory  over  the  world,  old 
temples  and  basilicas  and  adapted  them  to  her  worship. 

Here  was  first  the  outer  court,  the  ante-temple,  called  the  Narthex, 
where  the  catechumens  and  those  undergoing  penance  assembled. 

The  second  and  great  division  of  the  Church  was  the  Naos  or  Nave. 
Here  were  placed  in  its  lower  portion  the  advancing  orders  of  peni 
tents,  and  the  body  of  the  faithful  divided  as  to  sexes,  the  women 
at  one  side  and  the  men  at  the  other. 

The  third  division  of  the  Church,  somewhat  elevated  above  the  other, 
containing  the  Altar  and  the  Sanctuary,  was  called  the  Bema. 

Behind  the  Altar,  which  stood  apart  from  the  wall,  was  the  Bishop's 
throne,  and  on  either  side  the  seats  for  the  priests.  Here  were  placed 
the  Ambo  or  I^ectern,  and  here,  near  the  steps  of  the  Chancel,  stood 
the  Chorus  or  Choir. 

In  the  development  of  Christian  worship  the  East  and  the  West  de 
veloped  somewhat  different  styles  of  architecture. 

In  the  West,  Gothic  art  was  the  product  of  Catholic  faith.  While 
the  Grecian  temples  with  their  horizontal  and  perpendicular  lines 
clung  to  earth,  and  Roman  architecture  manifested  the  principle  of 
strength  in  its  arch  and  dome,  the  Gothic  arch  with  spire  and 
tower  pierced  towards  heaven.  Its  whole  arrangement  symbolises 
the  faith  of  the  Christian  Creed. 

The  Font,  standing  by  the  door,  tells  of  the  entrance  into  the  Body 
of  Christ  by  baptism. 

The  Nave,  from  navis,  a  ship,  tells  of  the  Church  as  the  Ark  of  Safety 
passing  through  the  waves  of  this  troublesome  world. 

The  elevated  Choir,  divided  by  its  Rood  Screen  from  the  Nave,  tells  of 
the  Church  Expectant.  And  so  very  properly  the  screen  has  upon 
itself  the  Cross  or  Rood,  not  unfrequently  with  the  text,  "When  we 
pass  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death  we  shall  fear  no  evil, 
for  Thy  rod  and  Thy  staff  comfort  us." 

The  Sanctuary,  or  Holy  of  Holies,  contains  the  Altar.  At  once  the 
Altar  for  offering  sacrifice,  and  a  holy  table  for  our  feeding  upon  it. 

While  in  the  English  Prayer  Book  the  word  Altar  is  not  used,  it  is  found 
in  the  coronation  service,  and  several  times  in  the  American  Prayer 
Book,  in  the  Institution  Office. 

As  the  Altar  is  the  throne  of  the  Great  King,  it  has  ever  been  a  reverent 
custom  to  make  some  act  of  reverence  before  it,  in  like  manner  as  is 
done  to  an  earthly  king's  throne,  or  by  an  American  in  his  saluta 
tion  to  the  country's  flag. 

While  the  holy  of  holies  of  the  Jewish  temple  was  in  the  West,  as  the 
whole  system  of  the  Jewish  sacrifices  pointed  to  the  death  of  Christ, 
the  Christian  temple  became  turned  to  the  East,  symbolical  of  its 
„  worship  as  connected  with  the  risen  Christ. 


THE    LORD'S    PRAYER 


2l3 


CHAPTER  IV 


ARTICLE  I.     THE  LORD'S  PRAYER 


'Its 

Name. 

In 

general. 

§  1 

THE 
LORD'S 
PRAYER. 

Its 

divisions. 

The  prayer  is  called  the  "Lord's  Prayer"  because,  possibly  in  part  com 
piled,  but  chiefly  composed  by  Himself. 

Whether  He  used  it  Himself  can  only  be  supposed  on  the  theory  that  He 
did  it  as  identifying  Himself  with  human  nature  and  its  needs. 

The  prayer  has  been  called  a  "Breviary  of  the  whole  Gospel."  S. 
Augustine,  "Symbolum  traditum,"  Saint  Cyril  calls  it  "the  divinely 
taught  prayer,"  and  Bishop  Andrews,  "a  compendium  of  the  Faith." 

The  question  as  to  the  origin  of  the  doxology  seems  to  be  settled  by  the 
discovery  of  "the  Teaching  of  the  Apostles,"  which  was  written  about 
A.  D.  80,  and  in  which  it  is  found. 

In  this  work  the  prayer  is  found  almost  word  for  word  as  it  is  in  the  re 
ceived  text  of  S.  Matthew's  Gospel. 

It  was  given  by  our  Lord  as  a  Rule  and  Model  of  prayer.  He  said,  "after 
this  manner  pray  ye,"  and  the  manner  was  that  of  a  prescribed  form. 

It  thus  sanctions  the  use  of  forms  of  prayer  in  public  or  common  service. 

It  does  not,  however,  confine  us  to  the  exclusive  use  of  these  words,  but 
commends  to  us  the  proper  subjects  of  prayer. 

It  being  a  gift  of  our  Lord,  it  appropriately  enters  into  every  service,  and 
is  given  the  place  of  honour  or  distinction  in  the  divine  office  and 
sacraments. 

It  is  a  prayer  of  special  efficacy,  for  He  who  commended  the  prayer  to 
be  made,  pledged  Himself  thereby  to  grant  its  answer.  It  has  in  con 
sequence  been  assigned  a  semi-sacramental  character  as  a  prayer  full 
of  promise. 

"It  contains  every  divine  promise,  every  human  sorrow,  and  every 
Christian  aspiration  for  the  good  of  others."  —  Lange. 

Here  in  the  depths  of  the  new  covenant  we  have  a  prayer  plain  and  simple 
enough  for  babes,  deep  and  inscrutable  for  the  wise. 

"Learn  to  make  it  thy  prayer  and  it  will  interpret  itself  daily  to  thee  with 
ever  deepening  impressiveness,  from  the  Father-name  which  it  places 
•     on  thy  lips  down  to  the  Amen  of  faith."  —  Stier. 

The  prayer  was  probably  given  by  our  Lord  on  two  occasions,  once  in 
public,  S.  Matt,  vi.,  and  once  in  private,  S.  Luke  xi.,  showing  its 
utility  in  both  public  and  private  devotions. 

It  consists  of  an  address  to  God  in  His  parental  relationship  to  us  as 
Father. 

As  there  are  two  tables  in  the  Decalogue,  so,  says  S.  Augustine,  there  are 
two  parts  to  the  Lord's  prayer. 

First,  three  acts  of  adoration,  with  petitions  for  the  increase  of  His  Glory, 
His  Kingdom,  and  Service. 

Next,  four  petitions  for  our  temporal  and  spiritual  benefit,  providential 
protection,  and  final  end. 

^Lastly,  an  ascription  of  praise  and  glory. 


•  i  i 


THE    LORD'S    PRAYER 


It  excels  all  others  in  dignity  and  signification,  as  given  and  enjoined 
by  God  Himself,  and  therefore  should  be  devoutly  studied  and 
reverently  used. 

It  is  most  deep  in  its  meanings.  In  the  first  part  we  have  set  forth 
the  sanctity  of  the  Creator,  the  Kingdom  of  the  Redeemer,  the 
outpouring  of  the  Sanctifier. 

In  the  second  part  the  Bounty  of  the  Father,  the  propitiatory  work 
of  the  Son,  the  controlling  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Mystics  have  also  arranged  the  prayer  in  correspondence  with  the 
Beatitudes,  the  Seven  Gifts  of  the  Spirit,  the  defence  against  the 
seven  deadly  sins. 

It  is  most  comprehensive  as  applicable  to  every  want,  temporal  and 
spiritual ;  and  as  containing  every  object  of  prayer,  praise,  thanks 
giving,  and  petition. 

It  excels  all  in  its  fullness.  It  asks  for  heavenly  good,  "Thy  King 
dom  come;"  —  for  spiritual  good,  "Thy  will  be  done;"  —  for 
temporal,  "Give  us  our  daily  bread." 

It  asks  for  the  removal  of  all  evil,  past,  present,  and  future.  Past, 
when  we  say,  "Forgive  us  our  trespasses ; "  future,  in  the  petition, 
"Lead  us  not  into  temptation; "  from  present  evil,  when  we  pray, 
"Deliver  us  from  evil." 

It  is  wonderful  in  its  adaptability.  When  any  special  benefit  for  the 
Church,  or  oneself,  or  others  is  sought,  the  prayer  may  be  said  for 
the  obtaining  of  it,  pausing  on  each  phrase  and  applying  it  to  that 
special  purpose. 

Our  Lord  forbade  the  use  of  many  words  without  heart  as  empty 
utterances,  but  not  serious  repetitions,  such  as  in  the  garden  He 
used  Himself. 

It  was  one  of  the  errors  of  the  Puritans  to  object  "to  its  frequent 
repetition  in  divine  service,"  for  each  repetition  has  a  new  pur 
pose  and  new  meaning. 

The  saying  of  the  Lord's  prayer  develops  fixedness  of  attention  and 
concentration  on  God  as  the  object  of  prayer,  by  leaving  the  mind 
unperplexed  in  pouring  out  its  wants. 

It  tends  to  produce  spiritual  calmness  as  freeing  us  from  the  dis 
turbances  which  come  from  our  not  knowing  whether  we  are 
asking  according  to  God's  will  or  not. 

It  enables  us  when  praying  for  some  particular  thing  to  view  it  in 
its  various  aspects,  having  reference  to  its  eternal  and  temporal 
interests.  It  thus  gives  breadth  of  vision  to  the  soul. 

The  prayer  excels  also  in  its  brevity,  for  which  seven  reasons  have 
been  given :  — 

1.  That  it  may  be  quickly  known. 

2.  That  it  may  be  better  remembered. 

3.  That  it  may  be  oftener  said. 

4.  That  there  may  be  no  weariness  in  saying  it. 

5.  That  there  may  be  no  excuse  for  being  ignorant  of  it. 

6.  That  it  may  be  shown  how  quickly  God  hears. 

7.  That  it  may  be  accompanied  with  more  heart  than  voice. 


§2 
THE 
LORD'S 
PRAYER 

(continued). 

Its 

excellence. 

THE    LORD'S    PRAYER 


2l5 


"From  early  times  it  was  used  in  the  Church  worship.  In  the  "Teach 
ing  of  the  Apostles"  it  was  said,  "as  the  Lord  commanded  in  His 
Gospel  this  prayer,  'Our  Father,'  three  times  a  day  pray  ye  thus." 

The  Catechumens,  as  S.  Augustine  states,  were  taught  to  pray  "Our 
Father"  when  made  children  in  Baptism.  "Receive,"  it  was  said, 
"the  precious  jewel  and  keep  it:  receive  the  prayer  which  God 
Himself  has  taught  us  to  bring  before  God." 

The  Puritans  rejecting  all  forms  of  prayer  neglected  the  use  of  this, 
although  given  by  Christ  and  certified  by  the  common  use  of  the 
Church. 

The  full  meaning  of  the  prayer  as  understood  by  the  Church  contains 
a  revelation  of  the  Gospel. 


THE 

LORD'S         •< 
PRAYER 
(continued). 


Its 

Christian 
character. 


The 
saluta 
tion. 


In  it  we  approach  God,  as  the  Eternal  Father,  and  honour  His  Name ; 
as  the  Son  Incarnate  and  our  Redeemer  we  pray  "Thy  Kingdom 
come;"  by  the  petition,  "Thy  will  be  done"  we  invoke  the  Holy 
Ghost  through  whose  agency  God's  will  comes  to  be  fufilled.  We 
ask  for  the  daily  bread,  not  merely  for  the  earthly  food,  but  for  that 
Supersubstantial  Bread  that  feeds  the  soul  to  life  eternal.  We 
plead  for  forgiveness  (ourselves  forgiving  others)  through  the  min 
istration  and  by  the  power  of  the  Precious  Blood.  We  ask  God 
not  to  allow  us  to  be  so  assaulted  by  temptation,  but  with  it  to  make 
a  way  of  escape  that  we  may  be  able  to  bear  it. 

We  beseech  the  divine  providence,  by  the  guardianship  of  the  holy 
angels,  to  preserve  us  from  all  bodily  and  spiritual  harm. 

We  ascribe  all  to  His  power  and  glory,  which  we  ask  for  in  the 
Kingdom. 

"Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven." 

As  the  Christian  life  has  for  its  basis  the  three  theological  virtues  of 
Faith,  Hope,  and  Charity,  so  the  great  prayer  begins  with  them. 

It  is  by  an  act  of  faith  we  say  "Our  Father."  We  are  not  Agnostics 
tossed  on  the  troubled  sea  of  doubt.  Nor  believers  in  a  pantheistic 
conception  that  the  All  is  God  and  God  is  the  All.  To  us  there  is 
one  living,  loving,  personal  Being. 

One  who  stands  to  us  in  a  double  relation  as  a  father.  A  father  be 
cause  He  has  made  us  and  so  we  are  His  offspring.  "The  Father's 
Name  is  sweet  to  every  child  of  man."  But  nearer,  closer,  dearer, 
because  we  are  His  by  a  new  birth,  and  He  has  sent  the  Spirit  of 
His  Son  into  our  hearts  whereby  we  cry,  "Abba  Father." 

We  make  an  act  of  hope  when  we  say,  "which  art  in  heaven."  For 
He  abideth  in  a  state  of  glory  and  bliss  which  is  ever  undisturbed. 
He  is  in  the  exercise  of  that  sovereignty  that  makes  all  things  sub 
ordinate  to  His  will.  He  is  in  those  heavenly  places  which  He  is 
preparing,  and  to  which  we  hope  to  attain. 

It  is  by  an  act  of  charity  we  say  "Our  Father."  God  deals  with  the 
race  and  redeems  it.  He  deals  with  the  Church  and  sanctifies  it. 
He  does  not  save  us  as  separated  individuals,  but  as  members  of 
a  body. 

In  praying  for  ourselves  we  pray  for  others  also. 

"The  name  Father  loses  its  significance  when  we  will  not  use  it  as 
members  of  a  family." 

The  prayer  is  thus  one  of  Fatherhood  and  Brotherhood.  Fatherhood 
of  God,  Brotherhood  of  men. 


2l6 


THE    LORD'S    PRAYER 


First 
petition. 


"Hallowed  be  Thy  Name." 

Having,  by  addressing  God,  entered  into  His  presence,  the  first  duty 
of  the  worshipper  is  to  prostrate  himself  in  an  act  of  adoration. 

The  practice  of  Adoration  is,  as  distinct  from  admiration,  a  mark  of 
the  Christian  character.  In  the  absolute  prostration  of  spirit  that 
it  implies  it  differs  from  thanksgiving,  praise,  and  supplicating 
prayer.  Pure  adoration  has  no  heart  for  self.  It  lies  before  the 
throne  conscious  of  its  own  nothingness  and  the  greatness  of  God. 

The  words,  "hallowed  be  Thy  Name,"  are  not  then  primarily  a  peti 
tion,  but  are  an  act  of  reverence  and  worship. 

The  name  of  God  being  in  the  Scriptures  expressive  of  God  Himself, 
we  cannot  pray  that  He  who  is  perfectly  holy  may  be  hallowed,  for 
His  sanctity  cannot  be  increased. 

But  as  we  ascribe  all  glory,  power,  and  majesty  to  Him,  so  we  wor- 
shipfully  ascribe  all  sanctity  in  hallowing. 

Our  act  of  adoration  is  made  in  spirit  along  with  all  those  associated 
with  us  in  our  prayers.  It  invokes  the  saints  and  angels.  It  calls 
upon  them  to  praise  and  bless  and  glorify  God. 

It  is  an  act  that  recognises  the  Communion  of  Saints,  and  the  oneness 
of  the  mystical  body. 

It  bids  them  worship  Him  for  all  the  manifestations  of  His  Name, 
in  creation,  providence,  and  Redemption. 

"Thy  Kingdom  come." 

Having  first  adored  God",  next  we  pray  "Thy  Kingdom  come." 

The  establishment  of  the  Kingdom  of  Righteousness  is  the  final  pur 
pose  of  creation  and  the  cause  dearest  to  God. 

God's  great  cause  should  be  our  great  cause.  Everything  else  should 
be  subordinate  to  it. 

The  prayer  involves  our  consecration  to  God's  service. 

The  Kingdom  prayed  for,  is  that  over  which  Christ  exercises  His 
mediatorial  reign,  and  which  will  be  completed  in  glory  when  God 
will  be  all  in  all. 

It  is  a  Kingdom  within  men,  but  which  has  an  outward  manifestation 
of  its  inner  life. 

The  indwelling  Trinity  has  a  governmental  representative  in  the  three 
orders  of  the  ministry.  The  faith  finds  expression  in  the  creeds  — 
Love  in  union  and  worship. 

This  Kingdom  is  in  antagonism  with  the  world,  but  its  victory  lies 
not  in  meeting  the  world  with  a  like  world  power  but  with  faith. 
It  was  before  the  spiritual  power  of  the  Church  that  the  Roman 
Empire  gave  way.  It  was  the  life  within  that  made  the  martyrs 
triumph  over  death. 

This  Kingdom  has  come,  but  as  it  is  not  yet  complete  we  pray  for  its 
coming. 

We  pray  for  the  extension  of  Christianity,  for  the  conversion  of  the 
Jews,  the  gathering  in  of  the  heathen,  the  recovery  of  the  un 
believing,  the  rousing  of  the  indifferent,  the  recalling  of  the  worldly, 
the  overthrow  of  Satan,  and  for  the  return  of  Christ  and  His  com 
ing  in  glory. 


§  4 
THE 
LORD'S 
PRAYER 
(continued). 


Second 
petition. 


THE    LORD'S    PRAYER 


217 


'"Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven." 

In  the  order  of  spiritual  growth  after  self-consecration  the  soul's  next 
effort  is  to  aim  after  perfection. 

Perfection  consists  in  the  union  of  the  human  will  with  God's  will. 

God's  will  may  be  regarded  in  two  aspects.  First,  God's  absolute  will, 
eternal,  unchangeable,  and  efficacious.  "My  counsel  shall  stand  and 
I  will  do  all  Thy  pleasure." 

In  the  security  of  this  eternal  decree  the  soul  remains  unterrified 
amidst  all  earthly  calamities  and  all  oppositions  of  unbelief. 

Secondly,  there  is  God's  permissive  will,  the  "will  of  His  good  pleas 
ure,"  which  orders  or  allows  all  that  relates  to  our  individual  lives. 

With  this  will  also  we  are  to  conform  our  wills.  The  soul  in  joyous 
ecstasy  loses  itself  in  the  will  of  God,  and  finds  its  joy  in  that  God 
has  His  will,  which,  because  it  is  His,  is  that  of  the  Christian. 

So  on  earth,  always,  everywhere,  in  all  things,  His  will  is  to  be  done 
as  readily,  constantly,  gladly,  lovingly  as  it  is  done  in  heaven. 

-In  this  way  the  soul  reaches  its  perfection. 


§  5 
THE 

LORD'S  -< 

PRAYER 
(continued). 


Third 
petition. 


Fourth 
petition. 


"Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread." 

There  has  been  much  philological  discussion  over  the  exact  terminol 
ogy  of  this  petition. 

A  reasonable  interpretation  is  that  God  is  asked  to  give  us  this  day 
the  Bread  needed  for  our  subsistence,  temporal  and  spiritual. 

The  petition  reveals  the  Christian's  attitude  to  God  and  creatures. 
He  looks  to  God  in  a  spirit  of  thanksgiving,  dependence,  trust. 

God  the  gracious  giver  orders  events,  and  gives  not  to  idlers,  but  gives 
to  men  the  health  and  mind  wherewith  to  work  and  obtain  their 
reward. 

So  He  gives  us  our  daily  bread.  He  does  not  promise  luxuries  to  our 
harm,  but  bread  to  our  needs. 

God  gives  to  all  faithful  toilers  even  more  than  for  their  absolute  needs, 
in  order  that  they  may  have  that  to  offer  back  in  grateful  sacrifice 
to  Him. 

Praying  for  all  others  we  acknowledge  thereby  our  duty  to  help  the 
poor  and  sick  and  disabled  to  obtain  their  daily  bread.  Grateful 
love  to  God  and  charity  to  man  hides  itself  in  this  petition. 

The  petition  moreover  asks  for  the  supersubstantial  Bread.  The 
Bread  from  heaven  —  the  Holy  Eucharist  —  God's  best  and  great 
est  gift  to  man. 

It  reveals  also  the  spiritual  law  of  living  day  by  day,  of  living  one  day 
-     at  a  time  in  our  walk  with  God. 


2l8 


THE    LORD'S    PRAYER 


"And  forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  also  forgive  our  debtors." 

The  revealed  order  of  the  spiritual  life  has  been,  Adoration,  Conse 
cration,  Perfection.  Then  the  sacramental  means  of  grace  follow. 

First  the  Eucharist,  the  Bread  by  which  we  are  made  one  with  Christ, 
and  this  involves  the  priesthood  to  consecrate  and  offer  it. 

Next  the  Sacraments  of  forgiveness;  Baptism  by  which  our  debts  are 
forgiven,  and  Absolution  by  which  our  original  cleansing  is  preserved. 

Accepted  in  Christ ;  yet  as  there  is  no  man  that  sinneth  not,  we  need 
"a  continual  application  of  the  precious  Blood." 

As  the  cross  reveals  to  us  the  nature  of  our  sins  as  acts  committed 
against  God,  so  it  reveals  to  us  the  means  of  reconciliation. 

As  God  for  Christ's  sake  freely  forgives  us,  so  we  being  forgiven,  for 
His  sake  forgive  others.  Christ's  love  conquers  us,  and  by  it  we 
conquer  ourselves. 


§6 

THE 
LORD'S 
PRAYER 
(continued) . 


Fifth 
petition. 


Sixth 
petition. 


'"And  lead  us  not  into  temptation." 

We  pray  that  God's  Providence  would  keep  us  from  occasions  dan 
gerous  to  us,  and  not  bring  us  into  temptation. 

We  recognise  the  fact  that  trials  and  temptations  are  necessary  for  the 
development  of  the  Christian  character. 

We  do  not  pray  God  not  to  let  temptations  come  to  us,  but  not  to  bring 
us  into  them  as  under  their  power. 

We  pray  God  not  to  suffer  us  to  be  tempted  above  that  we  are  able, 
but  with  the  temptation  make  a  way  of  escape  that  we  may  be  able 
to  bear  it. 

We  pray  for  grace  to  distrust  self,  fear  and  hate  sin,  trust  in  God,  for 
we  cannot  meet  temptations  in  our  own  strength.  The  Sacraments 
of  Confirmation  and  Matrimony  are  given  us  for  this  end. 

As  Christ  met  temptation  depending  on  God  and  His  Word,  so  are  we 
to  meet  it  in  Christ.  Tempted  to  unbelief  we  cling  to  Him.  "Lord 
to  whom  shall  we  go." 

Tempted  to  sensuality  in  youth,  to  worldliness  in  middle  life,  to  self 
love  throughout  life  and  in  old  age,  we  have  in  an  abiding  sorrow 
for  forgiven  sin,  in  humility  and  union  with  Christ,  our  protection. 

The  temptations  of  Satan  are  apt  to  come  after  the  reception  of  some 
grace. 

They  are  known  by  their  suddenness,  by  suggestions  of  doubt,  by 
despondencies.  But  God  never  despairs  of  us,  so  we  must  never 
despair  of  ourselves,  and  His  grace  is  more  powerful  to  heal  than 
sin  to  wound. 


THE    LORD'S    PRAYER 


219 


"Deliver  us  from  evil." 

Deliver  may  mean,  rescuing  us  from  some  calamity,  or  guarding  us 
from  it. 

If  some  evil  has  befallen  us,  like  Joseph  in  prison,  or  the  Israelites 
in  bondage,  or  Daniel  in  the  lion's  den,  or  Peter  in  his  chains,  or 
Paul  in  his  shipwrecks,  we  may  ask  God  to  deliver  us. 

If  sickness  comes  to  us  as  to  Hezekiah,  or  want  as  to  Sarepta's  widow, 
or  affliction  as  to  Martha  and  Mary,  or  to  the  widow  of  Nain,  we 
may  ask  His  divine  aid,  use  Unction  in  sickness,  and  pray  Him 
who  went  about  doing  good  to  help  us  and  not  let  the  evil  separate 
us  from  Him. 

If  the  Church  is  slack  in  its  duties,  or  is  being  tried  by  false  teachers, 
or  is  persecuted  by  the  world,  we  can  call  on  Him  who  is  in  the 
ship  to  still  the  storm,  and  give  us  again  success  in  His  service. 

If  we  are  assaulted  by  the  evil  one,  or  by  spiritual  trials,  or  by  our 
worst  enemy  "self,"  let  us  take  ourselves  to  His  succour. 

"Christ  and  His  cleansing  blood,  Christ  and  the  grace  of  His  Spirit, 
Christ  and  the  virtues  which  Christ  creates  in  man,  are  more  than 
a  match  for  evil."  —  Liddon. 


"For  Thine  is  the  Kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory  for  ever. 
Amen." 

The  doxology  forms  a  fitting  summary  and  conclusion  to  the  prayer. 
"Thine  is  the  Kingdom,"  embraces  the  first  table. 

"Thine  is  the  power,"  is  the  fulfilment  of  the  petitions  of  the  second. 
"Thine  the  glory,"  is  the  consummation  of  God's  creative  and  re 
demptive  work. 

• 

The  Kingdom  is  God's,  not  ours.  Thine  is  the  power.  Man 
quarrelling  with  his  fellow  makes  up  issues  which  he  asks  God  to 
settle.  "Be  on  our  side,  for  we  are  in  the  right." 

But  God  does  not  allow  men  to  make  up  issues  for  His  settlement. 
For  the  Kingdom  is  His,  and  He  is  working  out  plans  of  His  own, 
not  our  plans. 

"Thine  is  the  power."  Man  has  a  certain  power  over  nature,  but 
the  power  behind  it  is  God.  He  is  "Creation's  secret  force." 

And  as  in  nature,  "Thou  art  a  God  that  hidest  Thyself,"  so  it  is  in 
the  Sacraments  of  grace.  Love  must  make  itself  known,  but  true 
power  loves  hiddenness.  "He  is  in  the  clefts  of  the  rock." 

"Thine  is  the  glory."  Hiddenly,  the  world's  progress  lies  in  this 
prayer.  Men  begin  to  call  on  the  Name  of  God.  The  Kingdom 
comes.  Christ  the  perfectly  obedient  Will-doer  arrives.  The 
Bread  from  heaven  is  given.  The  Redemption  is  completed. 
The  forms  of  good  and  evil  clash,  the  deliverance  is  perfected. 
The  final  stage  is  reached.  Evil  is  forever  done  away. 

The  glory  of  God,  the  glory  of  Christ,  the  glory  of  the  Church  shall 
be  manifested  eternally,  and  each  amen  uttered  here  is  the  anticipa 
tion  of  the  great  universal  Amen  of  all  creation. 


Seventh 

petition. 

§7 

THE 

LORD'S 

PRAYER 

(concluded). 

The 

^.  doxology. 

22O 


THE    LITURGY    OF    THE    APOSTLES 


ARTICLE  I. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  LITURGY  OF  THE  APOSTLES 


THE 
LITURGY 
OF  THE 
APOSTLES. 


In  obedience 
to  Christ. 


The  order 
of  their 
Liturgy. 


Features 
of  it. 


Its 

Ceremonial. 


'In  obedience  to  the  Lord's  command  the  Apostles  celebrated  the  Holy 
Eucharist.  Only  by  virtue  of  such  a  command  would  they  have 
ventured  to  stand  in  our  Lord's  place  and  do  what  He  had  done. 

Was  it  by  the  same  one  or  by  all  in  turns  or  by  a  concelebration,  all 
humbly  and  charitably  acting  together? 

Concelebration  is  a  custom  in  the  Eastern  Church,  is  preserved  in  the 
Roman  at  the  Ordination  of  Priests,  and  the  Anglican  Rubric  which 
requires  the  priest  to  remain  in  the  same  place  where  hands  were 
laid  on  him  probably  is  a  remaining  witness  to  the  same  custom. 

The  Apostles  must  necessarily  have  adopted  and  followed  some 
order,  and  S.  Augustine  thinks  S.  Paul  was  referring  to  it  in  I  Tim. 
ii.  1.  "I  exhort,  therefore,  first  of  all  that  supplications,  prayers, 
intercessions,  thanksgiving  be  made  for  all  men." 

"Supplications,"  he  says,  are  those  which  in  the  Celebration  of  the 
Mysteries  are  addressed  to  God  before  we  begin  to  bless  that 
which  is  upon  the  Holy  Table. 

The  "Prayers"  said  are  those  when  one  blesses  or  sanctifies  what 
one  breaks. 

The  "Intercessions"  follow  when  the  Bishops  in  their  character 
as  advocates  present  their  clients  to  the  All  merciful  Goodness. 
When  all  is  finished  and  communion  made,  "Thanksgiving"  con 
cludes  the  whole. 

There  was  thus,  first,  the  preparatory  prayers  of  supplication.  Very 
likely  then  there  followed  Scriptural  lessons  such  as  the  reading 
of  the  Prophets,  then  from  the  Epistles,  for  we  know  S.  Paul  com 
manded  his  epistles  to  be  read  in  Church,  and  as  the  Eucharist 
was  the  only  Service,  it  would  be  read  then. 

The  Gospels  may  have  followed,  as  we  read  of  S.  Luke,  that  his 

praise  is  in  the  Gospel  throughout  all  the  Churches. 
fOther  features  of  the  Liturgy  found  in  Holy  Scripture  are  the  Saluta 
tion.  "The  Lord  be  with  you."  The  Pax  or  benediction  and 
the  ritual  act  or  kiss  of  peace  expressive  of  charity  are  mentioned. 
Also  the  liturgical  use  of  "amen"  by  the  laity  at  the  giving  of 
thanks.  A  collection  of  Alms,  a  sermon  according  to  the  direc 
tion  given  to  Timothy  and  Titus.  The  singing  of  hymns,  psalms, 
and  spiritual  songs,  the  solemn  consecration  of  the  Elements  with 
the  fraction  of  the  Bread.  The  Communion,  "For  the  bread 
which  we  break,  is  it  not  a  participation  of  the  Body  of  Christ  ?  " 

It  would  be  impossible  to  suppose,  after  Christ's  command,  that 
^     the  Lord's  Prayer  did  not  form  a  portion  of  the  Liturgy. 
'  Following  the  ceremonial  observed  by  Christ,  Who  celebrated  after 
rising  from  supper,  the  celebrant  would  stand. 

As  Christ  probably  stood  on  the  same  side  of  the  Holy  Table  as  the 
Apostles,  thus  identifying  them  with  Himself,  He  took  what  we 
now  call  the  Eastward  position. 

From  S.  Paul's  appeal  to  Christians  to  keep  the  Feast  with  the  un 
leavened  bread,  we  may  infer  probably  that  unleavened  bread 
was  used  at  the  Eucharist. 

There  must  have  been  lights  used  at  the  Last  Supper,  and  in  the 
description  of  the  Celebration  at  Troas  it  is  recorded  that  there 
were  "many  lights,"  which  would  have  been  an  unnecessary 
statement  if  it  had  not  had  some  ceremonial  significance. 

The  vestments  used  were  the  two  common  in  that  day,  and  worn 
by  our  Lord,  and  which  have  been  perpetuated  in  our  modern 
alb  and  chasuble. 

The  mixed  chalice  was  a  Passover  rite,  and  was  observed  by  our 
Lord,  and  continued  by  His  Apostles. 

Our  Lord's  action  being  unique,  incense  was  not  used  at  the  Last 
Supper,  for  while  incense  might  be  offered  by  the  Wise  Men  to 
Him,  He  could  not  connect  what  would  symbolise  the  prayers 
of  the  Saints  with  His  own  all  sufficient,  meritorious,  unique,  re 
demptive  work. 


WITNESSES    TO    THE    LITURGY 


221 


§  1 

WITNESSES 

TO  THE 

LITURGY. 


'S.  Ignatius 
A.  D.  107. 


S.  Justin, 
Martyr 
A.  D.  140. 


S.  Irenaeus 
A.  D.  177 
Bk.  IV.  §  3. 


Tertullian 
A.  D.  196. 


S.  Cyprian 
A.  D.  258- 


S.  Cyril  of 
Jerusalem 
A.  D.  350-386. 


S.  Athanasius 
A.  D.  373. 


ARTICLE  II.     WITNESSES  TO  THE  LITURGY 

"They  (the  Docetae)  abstain  from  Eucharist  and  prayer  because 
they  confess  not  that  the  Eucharist  is  the  Flesh  of  our  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ." 

Testifies  to  the  meeting  on  Sundays  and  the  offering  of  the  Sacri 
fice,  i.e.  the  bread  and  cup  of  the  Eucharist  and  the  sending 
of  the  Sacrament  to  the  absent. 

He  declared  that  the  food,  by  the  prayer  of  the  Word,  is  the  Flesh 
and  Blood  of  the  Incarnate  Jesus. 

Testifies  to  the  presence  as  caused  by  the  act  of  consecration. 
"When,  therefore,  the  mixed  chalice  and  the  creature  bread 
receive  the  Word  of  God,  the  Eucharist,  the  Body  and  Blood 
of  Christ,  is  made." 

So  they  (i.e.  the  elements),  by  the  Spirit  of  God  having  received 
the  Word  of  God,  become  the  Eucharist  which  is  the  Body  and 
Blood  of  Christ.  "The  bread  over  which  thanks  are  given  is 
the  Body  of  our  Lord  and  the  cup  is  the  cup  of  His  Blood." 

While  we  may  not  cite  Tertullian,  being  a  heretic,  for  doctrine, 
we  may  for  historical  facts.  He  makes  mention  of  the  chalices 
engraved  with  representations  of  the  Good  Shepherd;  of  the 
priest's  prayers  with  arms  extended;  of  the  Eucharist  as  cele 
brated  every  common  day ;  of  yearly  offerings  for  the  departed ; 
of  the  Lord  s  Prayer  as  following  the  Canon ;  and  as  connect 
ing  the  presence  with  the  communion,  He  calls  the  Sacrament 
the  "Sacrament  of  Benediction,"  and  refers  to  the  reserving 
of  it  for  private  communion. 

Bears  witness  to  the  mixed  chalice  and  its  meaning.  "We  see 
that  in  the  water  is  understood  the  people,  in  the  wine  is  showed 
forth  the  Blood  of  Christ.  By  the  water  mingled  in  the  cup 
with  wine  is  signified  that  the  people  are  made  one  with  Christ, 
and  indissolubly. 

He  quotes  the  Sursum  Corda.  The  priest  prepares  the  hearts  of 
the  brethren  by  saying,  "  Lift  up  your  hearts,"  and  they  respond, 
"We  lift  them  up  unto  the  Lord." 

He  believed  in  the  practice  of  Infant  Communion  as  is  the  present 
custom  in  the  East. 

He  prays  that  our  Bread,  that  is,  Christ,  may  be  given  to  us  daily. 

In  his  catechetical  lectures  we  have  references  to  the  Lavabo,  the 
Kiss  of  peace,  the  Sursum  Corda,  the  Ter-Sanctus,  the  great 
Intercession  for  the  quick  and  the  dead,  the  Our  Father. 

In  the  Invocation,  S.  Cyril  says,  "we  pray  God  to  send  the  Holy 
Ghost  that  the  bread  may  be  made  the  Body  of  Christ  and  the 
wine  the  Blood  of  Christ."  "Before  the  invocation  the  ele 
ments  were  simply  bread  and  wine,  but  the  invocation  being 
effected,  the  bread  becomes  the  Body  of  Jesus  and  the  wine 
His  Blood."  "  Be  persuaded  that  what  seems  bread  is  not  bread 
though  bread  by  taste  but  the  Body  of  Christ :  and  what  seems 
wine  is  not  wine  though  the,  taste  would  have  it  so,  but  the 
Blood  of  Christ." 

We  have  a  reference  to  the  ceremony  of  bringing  in  the  elements 
and  placing  them  on  the  altar.  "Thou  wilt  see  the  Levites 
(deacons)  bearing  bread  and  a  cup  of  wine  and  placing  them 
on  the  Table ;  so  long  as  the  prayers  have  not  taken  place  bare 
is  the  bread  and  cup,  but  when  the  great  and  wonderful  prayers 
have  been  completed  over  it,  then  the  bread  becometh  the 
Body;  the  cup,  the  Blood  of  Christ." 


222 


§2 
WITNESSES 

TO  THE 

LITURGY 
(concluded). 


S.  Jerome. 


S.  Chrysostom. 


Liturgical 
origins. 


Eastern  and 

Western 

forms. 


This  father  refers  to  the  Eucharistic  lights.  "Through  al! 
the  Churches  of  the  East,  at  the  reading  of  the  Gospel,  lamps 
are  lighted,  although  the  sun  is  then  shining."  He  gives  this 
as  a  symbol  of  joy  and  thanksgiving.  In  regard  to  the  Sacra 
ment  he  says,  "At  the  prayers  of  the  priest  the  Body  and 
_  Blood  is  (confiatur)  made." 

We  gain  from  him  many  details  of  the  service,  how  the  celebrant 
salutes  the  people  saying,  "Peace  be  unto  you,"  and  the 
"Lord  be  with  you,"  to  which  the  people  respond,  "And 
with  thy  spirit."  He  makes  mention  of  the  lessons  from 
the  Old  Testament,  the  Epistles  and  Gospel,  the  Gloria 
in  Excelsis,  the  rood  screen  or  Iconastasis  with  its  curtain 
or  veil. 

He  refers  to  prayers  for  the  dead,  "It  is  not  in  vain  that  we  offer 
for  the  dead,  it  is  not  without  reason  that  the  minister  cries, 
'Let  us  pray  for  those  also  asleep  in  Christ.'" 

Concerning  the  Sacrament  he  says,  "It  is  not  man  who  makes 
the  offered  gifts  become  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ,  but 
Christ  Himself  crucified  for  us;  the  priest  stands  uttering 
the  words,  'This  is  My  Body,'  the  power  and  grace  of 
which  are  from  God.  As  to  ourselves  it  is  no  more  upon  a 
cradle  that  we  behold  Him,  it  is  upon  an  altar;  it  is  no  more 
in  the  arms  of  a  woman,  it  is  in  the  hands  of  a  priest." 

"The  priest  invokes  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  accomplishes  this 
awful  sacrifice',  and  the  priest  holds  in  his  hands  the  Lord 
of  the  universe." 

ITS  VARIETIES 

'In   principle  the  Liturgy  consists  in  the  observation  of  the 

Gospel  rite  of  the  Eucharist  as  commanded  by  our  Lord. 
The  Holy  Spirit  revealed  to  S.  John  the  worship  of  heaven, 

and  how  the  worship  on  earth  was  to  be  identified  with  it. 
Under  the   Spirit's  guidance   the   Church's   worship   became 

liturgical,  ceremonial,  symbolical,  choral,  and  glorious. 
At  first  the  Liturgy  was  probably  in  large  part  memorised,  and 

the  form  used  at  Jerusalem  was  carried  into  other  countries. 

Thus  the  Liturgy  of  S.  James  as  it  is  called  became  the  basis 

of  the  subsequent  Eastern  rites  of  S.  Chrysostom  and  S.  Basil. 
These  are  still  in  use  in  Russia  and  Greece.    They  are  far  more 

symbolical  and  devotional  than  those  of  the  Western  Church. 

The  Eastern  Liturgies  are  divided  into  three  groups,  that  of 
S.  James,  S.  Basil,  and  S.  Chrysostom  belonging  to  the  Patri 
archate  of  Antioch.  The  Alexandrian  comprises  S.  Mark's 
Liturgy  and  its  derivatives  and  the  Eastern  Syrian  Liturgies. 

In  the  West  there  is  the  Roman,  the  Mozarabic,  the  Gallican, 
and  the  Ambrosian. 

The  original  Roman  Liturgy  was  probably  in  Greek.  It  is  im 
possible  to  trace  any  historical  connection  between  the  Roman 
found  now  in  use  and  the  primitive  Liturgy  of  Rome.  "It 
has  no  certain  history  prior  to  the  times  of  Popes  Gelasius, 
Leo,  and  Gregory."  It  was  not  of  universal  use  in  the  West. 
The  Gallican  Liturgy  was  in  use  in  Gaul,  the  Mozarabic  in 
Spain,  the  Ambrosian  at  Milan,  and  at  Ravenna  and  Aquileia 
there  were  variations  from  the  Roman  use. 

The  Celtic  and  British  Liturgy  shows  signs  of  Gallican  and 
Eastern  services.  Comper,  Liturgies,  Part  II,  169. 


SUMMARY    OF    THE    LITURGIES 


223 


ARTICLE  III.     SUMMARY  OF  THE  LITURGIES 


SUMMARY 
OF  THE 
LITURGIES. 


1.  Under  different  names  the  Liturgies,  East  and  West,  have  two  divisions. 
In  the  East  they  are  called  Anaphora  and  Pro-Anaphora. 

The  word  Anaphora,  meaning  sacrifice,  relates  to  the  part  beginning  with  the 
Sursum  Corda  and  contains  the  canon. 

In  the  West  the  distinction  is  marked  by  the  term,  "Missa  catechumenorum, 
and  Missa  Fidelium."  The  distinction  bears  witness  to  the  time  when  the 
penitents  and  catechumens  withdrew  before  the  offering  was  made. 

2.  In  the  West  the  Liturgy  begins  with  an  Introit.     In  the  East  there  are  three 

Antiphons  with  prayers. 

3.  The  Kyrie  Eleison  is  in  common  use,  and  the  Gloria  in  Excelsis  with  some 

verbal  differences. 

4.  In  the  older  forms  there  were  three  Scripture  readings.    The  Prophecy  from 

the  Old  Testament,  the  Epistle,  and  the  Gospel.    A  Psalm  or  text  might  be 
farced  between  by  way  of  gradual  or  tract. 

5.  The  use  of  incense  was  common  to  all  Liturgies.    The  Eastern  Church  never 

celebrates  without  it.  It  regards  the  non-use  of  it  as  an  irreverent  Roman 
custom. 

6.  There  were  always  two  oblations,  first  of  the  unconsecrated  elements  which 

are  solemnly  offered  to  the  Lord.  This  in  the  East  is  attended  with  much 
dignity. 

7.  The  Kiss  of  peace  was  in  all  Liturgies,  and  is  retained  in  all  save  the  Anglican 

rite. 

8.  The  Sursum  Corda,  the  Ter-Sanctus,  the  Benedictus  qui  venit  are  of  great 

antiquity. 

9.  The  Consecration  prayer  including  Christ's  words  of  Institution,  the  Solemn 

oblation,  the  invocation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  universal. 

10.  The  Great  Intercession  follows.    Remembrance  was  made  for  the  living  and  the 

dead.  In  the  Scotch  rite  the  prayer  for  Christ's  Church  Militant  comes  in 
this  place. 

11.  The  Our  Father.    The  dominical  prayer  always  has  the  place  of  dignity.    This 

rule  is  observed  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 

12.  The  Fraction  and  Commixture  are  in  all  Rites.    It  ihould  be  observed  by  all 

Anglican  priests.  The  priest  puts  a  very  small  piece  of  the  consecrated  host 
into  the  chalice  with  prayer. 

13.  After  consecrating;  the  priest,  after  the  example  of  the  ancients  who  waved  the 

offering  before  the  Lord,  elevates  the  Sacrament,  as  presenting  it  to  God. 
This  was  common  to  all  the  ancient  liturgies. 

14.  The  communion  of  the  priest  and  people,  thanksgiving,  the  Dismissal,  follow. 

From  "Missa,"  which  denotes  dismissal,  the  term  mass  has  been  derived. 
It  was  used  by  some  of  the  Fathers.  By  the  9th  Canon  of  Carthage  the  priest 
is  forbidden  "to  celebrate  Mass,"  save  in  Churches.1  The  Anglican  Church 
allows  it. 

1  Comper  on  Liturgies,  p.  182. 


THE    DRAMA    OF    THE    ANGLICAN    LITURGY 


THE 
DRAMA 

OF    THE 

ANGLICAN 
LITURGY. 


The 
first 
part. 


ARTICLE  IV.    THE  DRAMA  OF  THE  ANGLICAN  LITURGY 


It  is  an  aid  to  a  devout  Celebration  for  worshippers  to  have  in  mind  the 

Order  and  Structure  of  their  own  Liturgy. 
Unlike  the  services  of  Sectarians  which  are  but  a  collection  of  hymns, 

prayers,  and  Scripture  readings,  the  Church  Service,  and  especially  that 

of  the  Mass,  has  a  dignity  like  that  of  a  Drama. 
The  Liturgy  proper  is  divided  into  four  parts  or  acts. 
The  first  consisting  of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  Collect  for  Purity,  Recitation  of 

the  Decalogue  or  Summary,  and  the  Kyries. 
Beautiful  as  the  former  order  was,  beginning  with  the  Gloria  in  Excelsis, 

the  Church  by  the  recitation  of  the  Decalogue  brings  us  first  into  the 

presence  of  the  ever  Blessed  Trinity.    In  the  presence  of  that  Absolute 

perfection  we  can  but  deplore  our  own  sinfulness  and  make  an  ever 

needful  plea  for  mercy. 


The 

second 

part. 


The 

third 

part. 


The 

fourth 

part. 


The  second  part  extends  from  the  Collect  of  the  Day  to  the  prayer  for 
Christ's  Church  Militant. 

The  Eternal  God  has  become  Incarnate  and  the  prevailing  idea  of  this 
part  is  that  of  Christ  as  the  Prophet  or  Light  of  the  world. 

Here  we  have  the  Epistle,  the  word  uttered  by  His  servants,  then  the 
Gospel,  the  word  uttered  by  Himself,  and  finally  the  word  as  confessed 
and  proclaimed  by  all  the  Church  in  the  Creed,  swelling  by  each 
utterance  the  testimony  of  the  ages  to  the  inherited  Faith.  Then  the 
word  applied  by  the  sermon. 


The  third  division  begins  with  a  prayer  for  Christ's  Church  Militant  and 
extends  to  the  end  of  the  Canon. 

Here  Christ  is  brought  before  us  as  the  Priest  and  Victim.  The  prayer 
reminds  us  of  the  great  liturgical  one  which  Christ  made  in  the  Upper 
Chamber  when  He  pleaded  for  the  Church. 

Then  as  our  Lord  went  out  into  Gethsemane,  where  wrapping  around  Him 
self  our  sins,  He,  as  our  Representative,  made  an  act  of  penitence,  so 
there  follows  in  the  drama  of  the  Mass  the  Confession  and  Absolution. 

As  an  angel  was  seen  strengthening  Him  so  we  have  for  our  comfort  the 
"comfortable  words,"  and  in  correspondence  with  that  angelic  minis 
tration  in  His  time  of  woe  the  Sursum  Corda  opens  for  us  the  vision 
of  Heaven  and  we  are  one  in  our  worship  with  the  Angels  and  Saints. 

In  two  places  only  is  the  Celebrant  bidden  to  kneel,  once  when  repeating 
the  Confession  in  union  with  Christ  in  the  Garden,  and  once  in  the 
prayer  of  Humble  Access  in  union  with  His  fall  in  going  up  to  Calvary. 

Then  follows  the  Consecration  and  Solemn  pleading  of  the  Memorial  Sac 
rifice  with  the  Dominical  prayer. 

As  when  our  Lord's  Body  was  taken  down  from  the  cross  It  was  wrapt  in 
the  linen,  so  by  a  peculiarity  of  the  Anglican  rite,  the  Sacred  Elements 
are  here  covered  with  "a  fair  linen  cloth." 

The  last  portion  from  the  Communion  to  the  Blessing  brings  Christ  before 
us  as  our  risen  and  ascended  King.  Christ  is  no  longer  with  the  world 
but  with  His  own. 

The  Anglican  rite  symbolises  this  by  ordering  the  Reservation  of  the  Sacra 
ment  after  the  communion.  It,  again,  is  a  peculiarity  of  the  Anglican  rite. 
It  enforces  Reservation  for  other  purposes  than  communion  which  is 
connected  with  It. 

Not  unfittingly  is  the  Gloria  in  Excelsis  reserved  for  this  place.  Then 
like  the  Apostles  we  gather  beneath  the  Benediction  of  the  Uplifted 
Hands,  "and  a  cloud  receives  Him  out  of  our  sight." 


THE    LITURGICAL    YEAR 


225 


CHAPTER  VI 
ARTICLE  I.    THE  LITURGICAL  YEAR 

As  the  divisions  of  the  secular  year  are  made  by  the  Earth's  revolu 
tions  around  the  sun,  so  the  Church  marks  her  seasons  by  refer 
ence  to  Christ,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness. 

The  year  is  divided  into  two  portions,  the  first  extending  from 
Advent  to  Pentecost,  the  second  from  Pentecost  to  Advent. 

In  the  first  portion,  broadly  speaking,  Christ  in  His  saving  work  is 
presented,  in  the  second  part  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the 
Church  and  souls  of  men. 

The  first  season  in  the  first  part  is  Advent,  and  declares  the  various 
Comings  of  Christ  in  His  different  ways. 

Advent  Sunday's  Gospel  sets  forth  the  entrance  of  Christ  into  Jeru 
salem,  which  was  a  figure  of  His  progress  through  the  world.  He 
is  seated  on  an  ass,  type  of  human  nature,  surrounded  by  the  two 
Dispensations,  those  who  go  before  and  those  who  follow  after, 
Advent.  -^  and  's  met  by  the  saints  who  come  out  from  Jerusalem  with 
palms  of  victory  in  their  hands. 

The  Epistle  bids  the  Church,  looking  for  Christ's  Second  Coming, 
"Awake  out  of  sleep,  for  our  Salvation  is  nearer  than  when  we 
believed." 

The  second  Sunday  gives  the  signs  of  Christ's  Second  Coming :  the 
Great  Falling  Away,  foretold  by  failing  faith  in  Christ  and  His 
Church  and  the  sign  of  the  cross,  or  persecution,  in  the  heavens ; 
while  the  Church,  which  is  counted  unto  Him  as  a  generation  by 
its  one  baptismal  birth,  shall  remain  undestroyed. 

The  second  Sunday  tells  in  its  Epistle  of  Christ's  presence  in  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  The  Word  written. 

The  third,  and  fourth  tell  of  His  different  Messengers.  His  First 
Coming  was  declared  by  S.  John  the  Baptist;  His  Second  is 
proclaimed  by  the  Christian  Ministry. 

Christmas  declares  Who  has  come;  the  Word  was  God,  and  was 
made  Flesh  and  dwelt  among  us. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  Year  we  have  the  Feast  of  S.  An 
drew,  who  was  the  Apostle  first  called.  In  Advent  comes  S. 
Thomas'  witness  to  the  Resurrection,  because  the  supernatural 
exit  of  our  Lord  from  the  world  is  a  witness  to  His  supernatural 
entrance  into  it.  While  around  the  Feast  of  Christmas,  as  point 
ing  to  the  death  of  Christ,  are  the  Feasts  of  S.  Stephen,  S.  John, 
and  the  Innocents,  which  tell  in  will  and  in  deed  of  the  mar 
tyrdom  of  the  sinless  Jesus. 

Next  comes  the  Epiphany,  or  the  manifestation  of  Christ  according 
to  prophecies  to  the  Gentile  world. 

The  first  Sunday  reveals  the  manifestation  of  His  Wisdom  to  the 
Jewish  doctors,  and  the  supremacy  of  His  divine  Mission  to  His 
Mother  and  S.  Joseph. 

The  second  Sunday  declares,  by  His  presence  at  the  marriage  and 
the  change  of  the  water  into  wine,  the  change  of  the  Jewish  ordi 
nances  into  the  new  ones  of  the  Gospel,  and  the  marriage  of  the 
Epiphany.    ^       Incarnate  Lord  to  the  Church  as  typified  by  His  Blessed  Mother. 

The  third  Sunday  is  a  manifestation  of  His  power  over  disease, 
curing  the  Jewish  leper  and  the  Gentile  Centurion's  servant. 

While  the  fourth  is  a  manifestation  of  His  power  over  evil  spirits 
and  His  presence  in  the  ship  of  the  Church  throughout  all  time. 

It  is  during  this  season  that  the  festival  of  S.  Paul,  the  great  Apostle 
to  the  Gentiles,  is  observed,  and  here  logically  should  be  placed 
the  Feast  of  the  Transfiguration,  which  signifies  that  Christ  as  the 
Prophet  is  the  Light  of  the  world. 
15 


§  1 
THE 

LITURGICAL, 
YEAR. 


Christmas. 


226 


THE    LITURGICAL    YEAR 


'The  short  season  of  the  three  Sundays  that  follow  Epiphany  is  declara 
tive  of  the  condition  in  which  man  was  found. 

The  old  Scripture  lessons  began  very  properly  here  with  the  account  of 
man's  original  state  in  Eden. 

The  Gospels  for  these  three  Sundays  show  how  at  different  hours  of  the 
World's  day  men  were  called  into  God's  vineyard ;  and  how  the  divine 
seed  that  was  sown  was  blest  or  came  to  naught ;  and  how  Humanity, 
when  Christ  came,  was  like  the  blind  man  crying  out  for  help. 

Lent  is  divided  into  two  portions,  in  the  first  of  which  Christ  as  the 

second  Adam  is  seen  battling  with  our  threefold  enemies. 
The  Gospel  of  the  first  Sunday  gives  His  personal  threefold  temptation 

with  the  flesh,  the  world,  and  the  devil,  and  His  victory. 
The  second  reveals  the  contest  of  our  humanity  with  the  flesh ;  the  third, 

with  Satan  and  evil  spirits;  the  fourth,  with  the  world. 
The  fourth  presents  the  two  races  of  the  natural  and  spiritual  man  and 

the  separation  from  the  world  of  Christ's  people,  who  are  fed  in  the 

Wilderness  with  the  Heavenly  Food. 
The  second  part  of  Lent,  or  Passion-tide,  declares  Christ's  divinity  and 

the  offering  of  Himself  as  the  Mediator  of  the  New  Covenant. 
With  Palm  Sunday  we  enter  into  the  solemnities  of  Holy  Week,  and  on 

Easter  rejoice  in  His  triumph  and  resurrection. 

The  Sundays  after  Easter  are  declarative  of  Christ's  presence  in  His 
Church.'His  being  the  Good  Shepherd,  the  gathering  of  Jew  and  Gen 
tile  into  one  flock^'  Christ's  unseen  presence,  the  revelation  of  the  gift 
of  the  Comforter,'  the  power  of  prayer  in  His  name. 

The  Ascension  which  follows  is  our  Lord's  Coronation  day.  It  does  not 
separate  Him  from  the  Church,  but  makes  Him  the  centre  of  the  Spir 
itual  Organism,  composed  of  the  Church  Militant,  Expectant,  and 
Triumphant. 

iWith  Whit-Sunday  the  second  portion  of  the  liturgical  year  begins.    The 
Holy  Ghost  is  given,  not  to  take  the  place  of  an  absent  Lord,  but  to 
abide  in  the  Church  and  make  His  Presence  efficacious  sacramen tally. 
It  may  be  noticed  that  the  Feast  of  S.  Barnabas,  who  was  a  good  man  and 
"full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  comes  after  Pentecost. 

The  Trinity  season,  so  called,  may  be  variously  analysed. 

The  first  three  Sundays  may  be  taken  as  a  section  by  themselves. 

In  Trinity  Sunday  we  have  a  revelation  of  God  worshipped  in  glory,  and 
in  the  Gospel  the  teaching  of  Christ  concerning  baptism  which  reveals 
the  Blessed  Trinity,  the  basic  doctrine  of  the  Christian  religion. 

The  next  Sunday  reveals,  in  language  adapted  to  the  Jewish  comprehen 
sion,  the  middle  state  of  needful  purification  and  rest  in  which  both 
Lazarus  and  Dives  are  pictured. 

The  second  Sunday  sets  forth  the  Church  Militant  and  Christ's  invita 
tion  to  come  to  His  table. 

The  three  conditions  of  the  Church  are  thus  represented,  viz.,  in  glory, 
expectant,  and  militant. 


Septua- 
gesima. 

Lent. 

§2 
THE 
LITUR 
GICAL 
YEAR 
(cont'd). 

Easter.       -< 

V 

f 

The 
Church 
in  its 
three 
estates. 


The 

Christian 
and  his 
adver 
saries, 
and  his 
saving 
union 
with 
Christ. 


The  next  section,  which  begins  with  the  third  Sunday,  places  before  us 
our  adversary  the  devil  and  Christ  the  Seeker  of  the  lost.  The  fourth, 
the  world  and  the  Spirit.  The  world  with  its  persecutions  of  the  faith 
ful  and  its  blindness  as  a  guide. 

The  fifth,  under  the  figure  of  the  ship,  describes  the  Church  in  its  old 
Jewish  condition  and  under  the  Gospel.  In  the  first  taking  nothing, 
and  in  the  other  the  nets  are  full.  The  law  cannot  save. 

The  sixth  Sunday  declares  our  union  with  Christ's  death  and  resurrec 
tion  by  baptism,  and  the  seventh  shows  forth  the  miraculous  feeding 
by  the  loaves,  typical  of  the  Eucharist. 


THE    LITURGICAL    YEAR 


227 


The  next  portion  extends  from  the  eighth  Sunday  to  the  thirteenth.  It 
declares,  especially,  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  begins  with  the 
work  of  the  Spirit  and  a  warning  against  false  teachers. 

The  ninth  warns  against  the  abuse,  and  commands  a  spiritual  use,  of 
earthly  things.  The  tenth  concerns  spiritual  gifts  and  the  danger  of 
missing  the  time  of  their  visitation.  The  eleventh  concerns  disposi 
tions  with  which  God's  gifts  are  to  be  received,  and  treats  of  pride  and 
humility.  The  twelfth  speaks  of  the  glory  of  the  ministration  of  the 
Spirit  and  of  Christ's  power  in  making  "both  the  deaf  to  hear  and  the 
dumb  to  speak." 


§3 
THE 
LITUR 
GICAL 
YEAR 
(concVd). 


The 
work 
of  the 
Spirit. 


Christ 
and  His 
offices. 


The 
coming 
judgment, 
its  warn 
ing  and 
lessons. 


"The  fourth  section  commences  with  the  thirteenth  Sunday  and  extends 
to  the  eighteenth. 

The  thirteenth  begins  with  Christ  as  the  good  Samaritan,  who  comes  to 
our  wounded  humanity,  binds  up  its  wounds,  unites  it  to  Himself  (set 
ting  it  upon  His  own  beast),  bringing  it  to  the  Inn  of  the  Church. 

The  fourteenth  tells  of  Christ  as  the  true  priest,  healing  the  outcast  lepers 
and  restoring  them  to  the  kingdom,  while  the  Epistle  tells  of  the  new 
life  as  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit. 

The  fifteenth  declares  in  the  Epistle  the  believer's  glory  in  Christ  Cruci 
fied,  and  the  protection  guaranteed  by  Christ  to  His  followers  in 
temporal  things. 

The  sixteenth  declares  the  power  of  faith  grounded  in  love,  obtaining 
through  Him  abundantly  above  all  we  ask  or  think,  while  the  Gospel 
in  the  raising  of  the  widow's  son  by  Jesus  tells  of  His  resurrection 
power.  The  seventeenth  tells  of  good  works  and  the  humility  which 
should  characterise  Christians  in  the  one  body  of  the  Church. 

The  fifth  section  begins  with  the  eighteenth  and  goes  to  the  end.  The 
Epistle  for  the  eighteenth  Sunday  speaks  of  Christians  as  waiting  for 
the  coming  of  our  Lord,  that  we  may  be  blameless  in  the  day  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  while  in  the  Gospel  Jesus  is  represented  as  con 
victing  the  Pharisees. 

The  Epistle  for  the  nineteenth  warns  us  to  put  off  concerning  the  former 
conversation  the  old  man  which  is  corrupt,  to  grieve  not  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God,  while  in  the  Gospel  Jesus  is  represented  to  us  as  the  Son 
of  Man  having  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins. 

The  twentieth  Sunday  teaches  Christians  to  be  filled  with  the  Spirit, 
uniting  in  the  church  in  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  worship,  while 
the  Gospel  pictures  the  final  marriage  feast  where  the  rejector  of  the 
Church's  means  of  grace  is  represented  as  one  without  a  wedding  gar 
ment,  and  who  is  cast  out  into  outer  darkness. 

The  twenty-first  bids  Christians  to  put  on  the  whole  armour  of  God, 
while  the  Gospel  shows  the  power  of  faith  in  the  man  who  believed 
the  word  Jesus  had  spoken  unto  him. 

The  twenty-second,  praying  that  Christians  may  be  without  offence  till 
the  day  of  Christ,  states  in  the  Gospel  the  necessity  of  charity  and  the 
final  judgment  upon  that  wicked  servant  who  had  not  compassion  on 
his  fellows. 

The  twenty-third,  wherein  Christians  are  bidden  to  look  to  the  Saviour, 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  will  change  our  vile  bodies  like  unto  His 
glorious  Body,  declares  in  the  Gospel  Christ's  condemnation  of  hypo 
crites.  The  twenty-fourth,  by  its  miracles  manifests  Christ's  loving 
mercy  and  power  of  resurrection  over  the  dead,  while  the  Gospel  speaks 
of  our  being  made  meet  to  be  partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the  Saints 
in  light. 

If  the  sixth  Sunday  after  Epiphany  is  used  we  have  the  Gospel  referring 
to  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  while  the  Sunday  next  before  Advent 
bids  us  gather  up  the  fragments. 


228 


THE    FEASTS    OF    OUR    LORD 


§1 

THE 
FEASTS 
OF  OUR 
LORD. 


The 

Feast  of 
the  Annun 
ciation. 


ARTICLE  II.     THE  PRINCIPAL  FEASTS  OF  OUR  LORD 

The  Incarnation  came  in  fulfilment  of  ancient  prophecy.  "A  Virgi/i 
shall  conceive  and  bear  a  Son." 

The  Incarnation  took  place  at  Nazareth.  The  day  kept  in  commemo/a- 
tion  is  March  25th. 

The  Announcement  was  made  by  the  Angel  Gabriel.  The  holy  Virgin 
Mary,  whom  all  generations  have  called  "Blessed,"  was  the  volun 
tary  cooperative  human  instrument  of  the  Incarnation. 

God  hidden  in  nature  is  as  the  Word  hidden  in  Mary. 

Adoration  may  be  offered  to  Christ  shrined  in  Mary,  as  it  was  by  the 
unborn  infant,  S.  John  Baptist. 

Dispositions.  Grateful  love  to  God  for  uniting  humanity  to  Himself 
and  becoming  Head  of  a  new  creation. 

The  solemnity  of  Christ's  birth  is  observed  December  25th.  It  is  in  the 
fulfilment  of  prophecy,  "And  thou  Bethlehem,  out  of  thee  shall  come 
a  Governor."  All  creation  was  represented  at  His  Birth.  It  was 
marked  by  the  beginning  of  the  world's  rejection  and  its  persecu 
tion  of  Christ. 

Golden  thought.  What  God,  as  immanent,  is  to  the  material  universe, 
that  the  God-man  dwelling  in  it  is  to  the  Church  or  spiritual  one. 

Liturgical  observance.  It  is  an  old  custom  for  the  three  Eucharists  to 
be  celebrated  on  Christmas  Day.  One,  at  midnight,  commemorating 
His  being  begotten  eternally ;  at  dawn,  His  birth,  and  entrance  into 
the  world;  at  daytime,  His  birth  in  our  hearts. 

Liturgical  custom.  To  kneel  at  the  "Incarnatus  est"  in  the  Creed  in 
^  honour  of  our  Lord's  Nativity. 


The 

Nativity  of 
Our  Lord 
Jesus 
Christ. 


The 
Feast  of 
the  Cir 
cumcision. 


Epiphany. 


The  Feast  of  the  Circumcision  is  kept  on  January  1st,  eight  days 
from  the  Birth.  Its  significance  is  of  a  twofold  character.  First, 
the  obedience  of  Christ  to  the  Law,  as  coming  for  Man's  sake  under 
the  Law.  Second,  the  giving  of  the  Holy  Name  of  Jesus  as  Saviour 
or  Redeemer  from  the  Law. 

Golden  thought.  Man  incapable  of  delivering  himself  from  the  penalty 
of  broken  law  needs  a  deliverer.  The  feast  commemorates  the  first 
shedding  of  the  Precious  Blood  which  was  to  be  consummated  in  its 
completeness  on  Calvary. 

The  Circumcision  recognising  the  penalty  due  for  sin  —  Calvary  con 
summating  the  divine  purpose,  makes  deliverance  from  it. 

Dispositions.  Humiliation  of  self  before  God  for  our  inherent  sinful- 
ness,  acceptance  of  our  condemnation  and  sin's  penalty,  trust  in  the 
all-sufficient  work  of  Jesus  as  our  Saviour. 

Liturgical  observance.  It  is  prescribed  by  the  English  Canon,  "When 
in  time  of  Divine  Service  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  be  mentioned,  due 
and  holy  reverence  shall  be  done  by  all  persons  present  as  it  has  been 
accustomed." 

The  prophecy,  "The  Gentiles  shall  come  to  thy  Light."  The  feast  is 
kept  on  the  twelfth  day  after  Christmas ;  it  signifies  the  manifestation 
of  Christ. 

By  liturgical  custom  four  manifestations  are  grouped  together.  First, 
the  manifestation  of  His  Person  to  the  Gentiles,  represented  by  the 
Magi,  who  worshipped  Him.  Second,  His  wisdom  to  the  Doctors 
of  the  Jewish  Law,  who  were  astonished  at  it.  Third,  His  Messiah- 
ship  at  His  Baptism,  by  the  Heavens  that  were  opened.  Fourth,  His 
glory  to  the  disciples  at  the  first  miracle. 

Golden  thought.  The  significance  of  Christ's  actions,  primarily  hidden, 
was  subsequently  revealed  by  the  Spirit 

Liturgical  observance.  Giving  of  alms  and  other  offerings  and  adora- 
^  tion  of  Jesus  Christ  as  God. 


THE  FEASTS  OF  OUR  LORD 


229 


The  prophecy,  "The  Lord  whom  ye  seek  shall  suddenly  come  to  His 
Temple." 

The  Messiah  was  to  come  to  the  Temple.  As  the  Temple  has  been 
destroyed,  either  the  prophecy  was  not  a  true  one  or  Christ  fulfilling 
it  is  the  Messiah. 

The  second  Temple  was  made  more  glorious  than  the  first  by  the  Presence 
of  Christ.  The  world  could  not  discern  Him  as  hidden  in  the  Eucharist ; 
it  cannot  now. 

He  was  spiritually  discerned  by  the  Saints,  Simeon  and  Anna,  who  recog 
nised  Christ  as  the  faithful  recognise  Him  in  the  Sacrament. 

Liturgical  observances.  The  Feast  of  the  Presentation  is  often  called 
Candlemas,  and  the  coming  of  Christ  as  the  Light  of  the  world  is  sym 
bolised  by  the  procession  of  the  Faithful  bearing  lighted  candles  which 
have  been  blessed. 

Golden  thought.  Christ  in  the  Temple,  Light  of  the  world.  By  bap 
tism  we  are  made  children  of  light.  Let  us  walk  worthy  of  our  vocation. 


§  2 
THE 
FEASTS 
OF  OUR 
LOUD 
(confrf). 


Presen 
tation 
to  the 
Temple. 


The 

Transfig 
uration. 


First 
Sunday 
in  Lent. 


Palm 
Sunday. 


Our  Lord  is  our  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King,  and  His  public  life  is  divided 
into  three  portions,  each  of  which  ends  with  a  significant  action  on  a  hill. 

The  great  Forty  Days  ends  with  His  Ascension  on  Mount  Olivet.  His  suf 
fering  life  ends  on  Mount  Calvary,  His  prophetical  life  on  Mount  Tabor. 

The  Feast  of  the  Transfiguration  is  a  visible  manifestation  of  Christ  as 
the  great  Prophet  and  the  Light  of  the  world. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  it  is  not  kept  in  the  Epiphany  season,  and  with 
greater  solemnity  and  general  observance. 

Our  Lord  came  as  the  fulfilment  of  many  prophecies. 

At  the  Transfiguration  Moses  and  Elias,  the  law  and  the  prophets,  bear 
witness  to  Him. 

The  three  Apostles  near  Him  are  representative  of  the  two  dispensations ; 
the  disciples  and  the  multitude  below  are  representatives  of  the  world, 
waiting  in  their  impotency  for  the  coming  of  Christ. 

Liturgical  observance.  The  renewal  of  our  Baptismal  and  Confirmation 
vows  would  be  most  appropriate. 

Golden  thought;  Jesus  Christ  our  Light,  our  Teacher,  our  Prophet,  in 
whose  word  we  trust,  on  whom  alone  for  truth  we  rely. 

Christ's  redemptive  work  may  be  divided  into  two  portions.  His  con 
flict  with  our  enemies,  and  the  reconciliation  of  man  with  God.  His 
temptations  were  real  ones. 

The  first  Sunday  in  Lent  represents  Christ  in  His  conflict  with  the  flesh, 
the  world,  and  Satan.  Born  to  fight,  as  man  for  man  against  his  foes, 
He  may  not  call  upon  His  divine  nature  to  assist  Him  in  the  conflict. 

He  is  also  bound  to  win  the  victory  in  the  way  God  had  appointed  for 
Him,  and  that  way  was  the  way  of  the  cross. 

By  His  victories  merit  was  won,  and  graces  developed.  In  union  with 
those  graces  and  reliance  on  that  merit,  Christians  win  their  victories. 

As  it  was  prophesied  that  in  Adam  we  all  spiritually  died,  even  so  in  Christ 
by  union  with  His  nature  we  were  to  be  made  alive. 

Golden  thought ;  I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ  Who  strengtheneth  me. 

Devotional  practices.     Fasting,  withdrawal  from  the  world,  prayer. 

Triumphant  entry  of  Jesus  Christ  into  Jerusalem,  six  days  before  His 

Passion;  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy,  "Behold  thy  King  cometh  unto 

thee." 
Symbolical  meaning  as  regards  His  Passion,  the  leading  forth  and  the 

separation  of  the  Lamb  for  the  Sacrifice. 
The  final  cleansing  of  the  Temple. 
Liturgical  observances.     The  benediction  and  distribution  of  branches  of 

palm,  the  procession  an  emblem  of  the  Christian's  journey  toward  the 

heavenly  Jerusalem. 
Golden  thought.    "Blessed  is  He  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord." 


THE    FEASTS    OF    OUR    LORD 


In  Holy  Week,  together  with  Easter,  we  have  an  epitome  of  our 
Lord's  Life.  It  is  divided  into  three  parts.  Ip  the  first  He  is 
the  Prophet  teaching  in  the  Temple,  overthrowing  the  objections 
of  the  Pharisees,  Sadducees,  and  Herodians,  and  to  His  disciples 
declaring  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  His  Second  Coming. 


§  3 
THE 
FEASTS 
OF  OUR 
LORD 
(concluded). 


Holy 
Week. 


Liturgical 
observances. 


Golden 
thoughts. 


,  where 

the  formal  offering  of  Himself  as  priest  and  victim  takes  place, 
and  is  followed  by  Gethsemane  and  Calvary.  In  the  one  He 
makes  the  act  of  penitence  on  behalf  of  mankind,  with  whom  He 
has  identified  Himself  as  its  representative,  and  on  the  other 
submits  Himself  to  the  penalty  of  death,  and  by  submission  to 
it  makes  an  act  of  reparation  to  God,  reconciles  God  and  man, 
and  overcomes  death. 


The  second  part  reveals  His  descent  into  Hades  and  His  deliver 
ance  of  the  waiting  dead,  who  became  the  spirits  of  just  men 
made  perfect. 

The  third  part  ushers  in  His  glorious  triumph  at  Easter,  and  ends 
with  the  Coronation  day  at  the  Ascension. 


The  Anglican  Church  has  lost  many  of  the  observances  of  Holy 
Week,  to  the  decay  of  its  faith  and  devotion.  It  is  much  to  be 
desired  that,  under  the  "jus  liturgicum"  of  the  Bishops,  oppor 
tunities  of  devotion  <£hould  be  increased.  The  adoption  of  the 
Three  Hours  Good  Friday  service  is  a  movement  for  an  exten 
sion  beyond  the  letter  of  the  Prayer  Book. 

There  might  well  be  the  benediction  and  distribution  of  palms  and 
a  procession  on  Palm  Sunday.  The  suppression  of  the  Gloria, 
the  silence  of  the  organ,  bells,  the  office  of  tenebrse,  and  the 
chanting  of  the  lamentations  of  Jeremiah,  the  white  Mass  on 
Maundy  Thursday,  and  the  blessing  of  the  holy  oils  by  the 
Bishop.  The  presentation  of  the  cross  to  the  faithful  on  Good 
Friday,  during  Lent  the  Stations  of  the  Cross. 

It  would  not  be  unworthy  of  the  Anglican  Church  if  it  studied 
and  learnt  something  in  the  way  of  devotion  from  the  ancient 
Churches  of  the  East.  We  do  not  live  in  an  age  when  our 
danger  is  that  of  superstition,  but  are  in  face  of  the  condition 

..     of  how  to  recover  or  preserve  a  declining  faith. 


Love  ever  demands  a  return  in  kind. 
He  died  for  me  and  gave  Himself  for  me. 
What  can  I  do  but  give  myself  to  Him. 
>Jt  must  be  love  for  love  and  life  for  life. 


FESTIVALS    OF    THE    BLESSED    VIRGIN 


§  1 

FESTIVALS 
OF  THE 
BLESSED 
VIRGIN. 


ARTICLE  III.     PRINCIPAL  FEASTS  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  MARY 


'In  the  Calendar  of  the  English  Church  the  Blessed  Virgin  is  called  "Our 
Lady." 

Our  Lord  speaking  from  the  cross  gave  her  to  S.  John  as  his  mother,  and 
S.  John  to  her  to  take  as  a  son. 

As  our  Lord  was  uttering  the  seven  great  words  for  the  benefit  of  all  His 

followers,  they  must  have  an  application  to  us. 
The  Christian  fellowship  and  love  which  was  to  exist  between  all  His 

disciples  was  to  have  as  an  example  that  which  He  instituted  between 

S.  John  and  His  Blessed  Mother. 


'Mary 
our 
Lady. 


The 
festivals 
in  her 
honour. 


As  in  a  special  way  Jesus  must  have  loved  her,  following  His  example 

shall  we  not  love  her  too  ? 
The  fear  of  so  exalting  her  as  to  obscure  the  devotion  due  our  Lord  has 

led  Anglicans  into  a  neglect  of  Christ's  command. 
True  and  loyal  devotion  to  Mary,  wonderful  in  her  unique  office,  full  of 

grace,  heroic  in  her  virtues,  has  ever  been  a  protection  to  the  honour 
_     due  our  Lord  and  the  doctrine  of  the  Incarnation. 


'In  the  English  Calendar  the  26th  of  July  is  noted  as  the  Feast  of  S.  Anne, 
Mother  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  who  was  honoured  in  the  primitive 
Church  as  the  parent  of  the  holy  Virgin. 

On  the  8th  of  December  is  commemorated  the  "Conception  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary."  This  can  have  no  particular  reference  to  the 
Roman  dogma  of  the  "Immaculate  Conception,"  which  was  promul 
gated  lately,  but  it  bears  a  witness  to  Mary's  unique  gift  of  grace. 

On  the  8th  of  September  the  Church  commemorates  the  Nativity  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary.  "  Shall  nations  keep  the  birthdays  of  their  great, 
and  the  Church  not  keep  the  birthday  of  the  greatest  and  the  most 
honoured  of  her  saints  ?  "  Tradition  gives  Joachim  as  the  name  of 
her  father. 

On  the  25th  of  March  the  Church,  with  a  special  Collect,  Epistle,  and 
Gospel,  observes  the  day  as  "the  Annunciation  of  our  Lady."  How 
much  we  owe  her,  remembering  she  was  not  a  mere  physical,  but  a 
voluntary  and  cooperative,  instrument  in  the  work  of  the  Incarnation. 

Holy  in  her  original  character,  her  holiness  was  made  more  perfect  by 
that  most  intimate  union  with  God  in  her  womb.  "Not  Eve  in  Para 
dise  could  be  so  holy  as  the  Virgin  Mary  when  she  became  a  paradise 
herself." 

On  the  2d  of  July  there  is  noted  the  feast  of  the  "Visitation  of  the 
Virgin  Mary."  It  is  associated  with  her  inspired  canticle  of  the  Mag 
nificat,  which  has  become  a  part  of  the  Church's  office  as  the  great 
and  ever-to-be-honoured  hymn  of  the  Incarnation. 

On  the  2d  of  February  the  Church  keeps  the  "Feast  of  S.  Mary  the 
Virgin."  It  was  made  memorable  by  the  giving  to  the  Church  the 
Nunc  Dimittis,  which  proclaimed  the  glorious  Epiphany  of  Christ  to 
all  nations.  The  submission  of  the  Holy  Virgin  to  the  ceremony  was 
of  like  order  in  its  humility  to  Christ's  "suffer  it  to  be  so  now." 

The  honour  the  Anglican  Church  in  its  wisdom  does  her  in  its  Liturgy 
fails  in  practice  by  neglect,  as  the  Latins  err  by  excess.  The  Eastern 
Church  Liturgy  prays  for  the  increase  of  her  glory,  while  it  asks  of 
God  a  portion  in  her  prayers. 

"Making  mention  of  our  all  holy,  undefiled,  exceedingly  blessed  Lady, 
Theotokos  and  ever  virgin  Mary,  with  all  saints,  let  us  commend 
ourselves  and  one  another  to  Christ  our  God." 


THE    BLESSED    VIRGIN 


THE 

BLESSED 

VIRGIN. 


ARTICLE  IV.    THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN.    THE  EPOCHS  IN  HER  LIFE 

'The  Blessed  Virgin,  according  to  the  divine  predestination,  received  for 
her  great  office  special  gifts  of  grace  from  God. 

As  not  a  mere  physical  instrument,  but  as  a  voluntary  and  so  a  moral  one, 
she  cooperates  with  the  grace  given. 

Her  life  is  in  Holy  Scripture  hidden  from  us,  but  as  God  gave  grace  to 
S.  John  Baptist  before  his  birth,  we  may  believe  that  He  did  so  to  the 
Blessed  Virgin. 

Her  early  life,  surrounded  with  legend,  is  hidden  from  us,  but  from  the 
Angel's  salutation  she  must  have  advanced  early  in  sanctity  to  be  saluted 
as  she  was. 


Her 

early 
life. 


Her 
union 
with 
Christ. 


Her  response  to  the  Angel,  "How  can  this  be  seeing  that  I  know  not  a  man  ?  " 
has  been  thought  by  some  of  the  Fathers  to  reveal  her  dedication  to  a 
state  of  virginity.  Otherwise  her  reply  was  inconsistent  with  the  idea 
of  one  approaching  consummated  wedlock. 

In  her  great  humility  she  had  resigned  that  office  which  was  dear  to  Hebrew 
women,  and  the  possible  hope  of  being  the  mother  of  the  Messiah. 

The  vision  of  God,  being  the  all  in  all  to  the  soul,  had  thus  early  taken  pos 
session  of  her  young  heart.  Her  inspired  outburst  in  the  Magnificat 
reveals  her  knowledge  of  Holy  Scripture  in  her  paraphrase  of  Hannah's 
song. 

"Her  prompt  obedience  to  the  Angel's  message  reveals  a  wonderful  training 
in  self-abnegation  and  response  to  the  divine  will. 

For  thirty  years  she  dwells  with  the  Incarnate  Son  of  God;  every  word  is 
a  revelation,  every  kiss  a  sacrament.  She  is  filled  with  the  wisdom  of  the 
Law  as  it  reveals  Christ. 

She  is  purified  by  suffering,  by  the  hard  life,  the  journeyings,  the  rejections ; 
the  sorrows  of  the  Hebrew  mothers  ring  in  her  ears ;  the  desolation  of  the 
life  in  heathen  Egypt,  the  prophecy  of  the  sword  that  shall  pierce  her 
heart,  the  terrible  strain  at  the  loss  of  the  Child,  all  tell  upon  her. 

She  keeps  all  these  things  and  His  words  and  acts  in  her  heart.  She  lives 
on  in  poverty  until  the  day  she  gives  Him  up  to  His  tremendous  and  cross- 
ending  mission. 

She  is  with  Him  in  heart  during  His  public  life  while  keeping  herself  most 
unobtrusively  in  the  background.  Yet  as  a  true  worker  for  souls,  she 
is  seen  bringing  His  unbelieving  cousins  to  Christ. 

She  cooperates  with  Him  in  His  prophetical  life.  She  is  also  found  stand 
ing,  in  perfect  calmness  and  faith,  at  His  cross  uniting  her  will  to  His. 

Then  at  the  Resurrection  she  rests  in  hidden  places  and  waits  the  triumph 
of  His  Ascension  and  Pentecost,  when  assembled  with  the  Apostles  she 
abides  the  personal  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

From  S.  John  we  learn  of  her  final  beatification  and  her  crowning  with 
glory. 

It  is  our  privilege  to  look  upon  Mary  as  upon  our  spiritual  Mother,  to 
enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  feasts  dedicated  to  her,  to  rejoice  in  the  graces 
bestowed  upon  her,  to  thank  God  for  the  glory  to  which  He  raised  her, 
to  study  to  imitate  her  humility,  fortitude,  and  fidelity  to  grace,  to  ask 

.     God  for  a  portion  in  her  prayers. 


HOLY    DAYS    IN    THE    ANGLICAN    CALENDAR      233 


ARTICLE  V.    PRINCIPAL  FEASTS  OF  THE  SAINTS  AND  ANGELS  AND  HOLY  DAYS  IN  THE 

ANGLICAN  CALENDAR 


On  the  29th  of  September  is  kept  the  feast  of  "S.  Michael  and  All 
Angels."     S.  Gabriel  is  the  recognised  Angel  of  the  Incarna- 
"Holy  Angels.     -{       tion.     S.  Raphael  is  the  representative  of  the  guardian  Angels 
given  to  each  in  baptism.     Of  children,  Christ  said  "their 
Angels  do  always  behold  the  face  of  My  Father." 

Feast  on  the  1st  of  November.  The  saints  of  the  old  and  new 
dispensations  thus  commemorated  are  those  now  reigning  with 
Christ  in  glory.  They  are  those  who  have  heroically  corre- 
All  Saints.  -4  sponded  with  grace  and  become  purified  so  as  to  be  able  to 
attain  the  Beatific  vision.  The  Church  recognises  them  by 
the  miraculous  or  other  signs  God  gives,  but  there  are  very 
many  not  so  certified. 

S.  John  /The  Church  observes  his  nativity  on  the  24th  of  June  and  his 

Baptist.  \     beheading,  August  29. 

'The  feasts  of  the  Apostles  and  S.  John  Baptist  are  commemorated 
by  special  Collect,  Epistle,  and  Gospel,  and  so  are  two  of  the 
The  Apostles.    -^       Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  and  that  of  the  Holy  Angels  and  All 
Saints.     S.  John's  martyrdom  before  the  Latin  gate  is  kept  on 
May  6,  his  death  on  December  27. 

S.  Stephen,  first  Christian  Martyr;  the  Holy  Innocents,  put  to 
death  by  Herod;  S.  Lucian,  priest,  January  9;  S.  Fabian, 
Bishop  of  Rome ;  S.  Vincent,  deacon ;  Blasius,  an  Armenian 

The  Holy  Bishop ;  S.  Valentine,  Bishop ;  David,  Archbishop  of  Menevia ; 

Martyrs.  |  Boniface,  Bishop  of  Mentz;  S.  Alban,  first  British  Martyr; 

S.  Laurence,  Archdeacon;  S.  Lambert,  Bishop;  S.  Cyprian, 
Archbishop;  S.  Deny;  S.  Crispin;  S.  Clement;  S.  George; 
Edmund,  king. 

TS.  Prisca,  S.  Agnes,  S.  Agatha,  S.  Pepetua,  S.  Margaret  of  Antioch ; 
Holy  Virgins  S.  Faith,  S.  Cecilia,  S.  Catherine,  S.  Lucy,  other  saintly  women, 

and  Martyrs.  |  S.  Anne,  Mother  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  S.  Mary  Magdalene, 

[     Ethelred. 

{S.  Hilary,  Bishop;  David,  Archbishop  of  Menevia;  S.  Chad  of 
Litchfeld;  S.  Gregory  of  Rome;  S.  Martin;  S.  Giles,  Abbot; 
Eunurchus,  Bishop  of  Orleans. 

{S.  Benedict,  founded  the  Benedictines;  S.  Ambrose.  Bishop  of 
Milan;  S.  Alphege,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury;  S.  Dunstan; 
Venerable  Bede;  S.  Jerome;  Remigius,  Bishop  of  Rheims; 
Machutus,  Bishop ;  Hugh,  Bishop  of  Lincoln ;  Nicolas,  Bishop 
of  Myra ;  Silvester,  Bishop  of  Rome. 

{Holy  Cross  Day,  September  14;  Invention  of  the  Cross,  May  3; 
Lammas  day,  August  1 ;  Feast  of  King  Edward  the  Confessor, 
October  13.  In  the  American  Book  there  is  a  Thanksgiving 
day  for  fruits  of  the  earth.  The  Church  also  puts  forth  her 
table  of  Vigils,  Fasts,  and  Days  of  Abstinence. 

It  would  not  be  unfitting  the  dignity  of  the  Anglican  Church  if 
her  members  began  to  commemorate,  as  was  the  custom  of 
early  times,  those  whose  great  sanctity  in  past  reformation 
.Additional.  •<  times  has  endeared  their  memories  to  the  faithful.  She  has  had 
her  martyrs  in  King  Charles ;  in  Laud,  Hannington,  Patterson ; 
Bishops;  her  confessors  in  Keble,  Pusey,  Forbes;  her  saints, 
like  Carter;  her  noble  founders  of  religious  orders. 


FEASTS 

AND 

HOLY 
DAYS 

IN   THE 

ANGLICAN 
CALENDAR. 


THE    LAW 


§  1 

THE 
LAW. 


CHAPTER  VII 
ARTICLE  I.     LEGAL  ORNAMENTS  OF  THE  ANGLICAN  CHURCH.    ITS  LAW 


The  Ecclesia  Anglicana  existed  in  Britain  from  early  times,  Apostolic 
in  government,  Catholic  in  doctrine. 

The  religious  movement  in  the  sixteenth  century  did  not  deprive  her  of 
her  Catholic  character.  She  held  the  Faith,  guarded  by  the  Creeds 
and  Councils  and  expressed  in  the  universal  consent  of  Catholic 
Christendom.  She  relieved  herself  of  the  oppressive  burden  of  the 
mediaeval  Papacy,  but  remained,  so  far  as  organisation  was  concerned, 
the  same  Church  after  as  before  the  Reform.  This  is  the  declaration 
she  constantly  made  in  her  official  documents,  and  which  has  been 
witnessed  to  by  her  great  theologians,  statesmen,  and  historians. 


The 

fundamental 
construction 
of  it. 


The  Law 
as  finally 
established. 


The 

chancels 
to  remain 
as  in 
times  past. 


Bishops  like  Jewell  and  Laud,  statesmen  like  Gladstone,  jurists  like 
Selborne,  historians  like  Freeman,  are  in  this  matter  in  accord.  Noth 
ing,  says  the  latter,  was  further  from  the  mind  of  Henry  VIII.  or  Eliza 
beth  than  that  of  establishing  a  new  church. 

• 

It  follows  from  this  that  what  was  not  repealed  or  done  away  with  by 
express  legislation  remained  part  of  the  law  or  custom  of  the  Church. 
This  should  be  the  fundamental  principle  of  construction  applied  to 
her  Prayer  Book  and  Formularies. 

In  respect  of  Ceremonial,  the  Church  declared  it  was  far  from  her  purpose 
"to  forsake  and  reject  the  Churches  of  Italy,  France,  Spain,  Germany, 
in  all  things  which  they  held  in  practice,  and  it  doth  with  reverence 
retain  the  ceremonies  which  doth  neither  endanger  the  Church  nor 
offend  the  minds  of  sober  men." 

After  a  prolonged  struggle,  lasting  from  1530  to  1661,  with  Romanism 
and  Puritanism,  and  the  conflicting  elements  within  her,  the  Church 
at  the  latter  date,  at  the  time  of  the  Restoration,  after  grave  and  pro 
longed  consultation  and  in  opposition  to  the  expressed  wishes  of  the 
Sectarians,  pronounced  her  final  decision  in  the  matter  of  ceremonial, 
and  embodied  it  in  a  Rubric  which  became  law. 

"And  the  Chancels  shall  remain  as  they  had  done  in  times  past.  And  it 
is  here  to  be  noted  that  such  ornaments  of  the  Church  and  the  ministers 
thereof  at  all  times  of  their  ministration  shall  be  retained  and  be  in  use. 
as  were  in  this  Church  of  England  by  authority  of  Parliament  in  the 
second  year  of  the  reign  of  King  Edward  VI." 

'The  Chancels  were  to  remain,  not  as  they  had  been  in  the  time  of  the 
Puritan  Commonwealth,  but  as  they  were  previously,  provided  with  an 
altar  at  the  East  end,  a  Credence  table,  Sedilia  for  the  priests,  and 
altar  rails  which  had  been  introduced  by  Laud. 

In  reestablishing  the  use  of  the  Prayer  Book,  the  Restorers,  who  were 
high  Churchmen,  first  of  all  deemed  it  necessary  that  the  Chancel 
should  be  arranged  after  the  ancient  manner. 

The  Rubric  was  viciously  violated  when  in  the  Georgian  period  a  pulpit 
was  placed  sometimes  in  the  centre  of  the  Chancel  with  a  clerk's  desk 
beneath,  and  a  table  in  front  of  the  latter  surrounded  by  a  rail. 

It  is  a  happy  sign  for  future  peace  that  in  the  religious  revival  of  the 
nineteenth  century  all  schools  have  been  returning,  in  the  arrange 
ments  of  their  Chancels,  to  the  Rubric  of  the  prescribed  pattern. 


THE    LAW 


a35 


§  2 
THE 
LAW 
(concluded). 


The 
legal 
ornaments. 


The  Reformation  ended  with  the  Restoration,  and  in  1661  the  Prayer 
Book  received  the  final  revision  after  the  Savoy  Conference. 

It  gave  order  and  embodied  it  in  a  Rubric  respecting  the  ornaments 
of  the  Church  and  the  Ministers  thereof. 

The  technical,  legal  meaning  of  the  term  "ornaments"  is  not  the 
popular  one  of  decoration,  but  embraces  all  articles  used  in  the 
performance  of  the  Church's  Services. 

An  order  existed  previous  to  the  Revision  requiring  the  Minister  to 
use  such  ornaments  "at  the  time  of  Communion  and  at  all  other 
times  of  his  ministration  as  were  in  use  by  the  authority  of  Parlia 
ment  in  the  second  year  of  King  Edward  VI." 

The  Presbyterians  present,  led  by  Baxter,  objected  to  the  retention 
of  this  order,  as  it  would  bring  back  cope  and  alb  and  other  vest 
ments.  The  Church,  however,  not  only  retained  the  matter  of 
the  old  Rubric,  but  recast  it  by  making  an  addition. 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  it  thus  has  the  character  of  a  new  law,  which 
repeals  all  that  has  gone  before  it,  and  so  it  is  to  be  construed 
independently  by  itself.  It  is  obvious  from  its  construction  that 
the  intention,  as  was  especially  declared  to  the  objectors,  was  to 
bring  back  the  use  of  the  Ancient  Ornaments  as  established  by 
authority  at  a  specified  date. 

The  revisers  had  to  do  with  very  subtle  and  clever  men,  who  would, 
if  possible,  evade  the  Rubric.  Now  had  the  former  one  stood, 
which  only  required,  as  seen  above,  that  certain  vestments  were 
to  be  used,  it  could  have  been  evaded  by  saying  that  there  was 
no  obligation  for  providing  them.  They  could  not  be  used,  if  not 
in  existence. 

It  was  necessary  therefore  to  imply  that  in  some  way  the  orna 
ments  should  be  provided  for,  so  the  words  were  added  that  tfee 
ornaments  were  to  be  "retained."  The  new  Rubric  read,  "Such 
ornaments  shall  be  retained." 

The  term  "retained  "  implied  two  things.  It  imposed  a  duty  which 
enforced  the  provision  of  the  ornaments.  But  the  Revisers  pro 
vided  against  another  evasion. 

Lest  it  should  be  said  those  things  could  not  be  retained  which  were 
not  then  in  existence,  the  Rubric  did  not  say  "the  ornaments" 
were  to  be  retained,  but  "such  ornaments,"  viz.,  similar  to  those 
as  were  formerly  in  existence. 

Moreover,  they  were  to  be  such  ornaments  as  were  "in  "  the  Church 
at  the  time  specified;  not  such  as  had  merely  been  legalised, 
which  would  not  put  them  "in  "  the  Church,  but  would  only  give 
the  Church  a  right  to  them,  but  such  as  were  in  the  Church,  i.e., 
in  use  in  the  Church,  which  is  the  only  way  they  could  be  "in  "  it. 

Again,  by  the  word  "retained"  the  Church  asserted  her  continuity. 
What  she  had  once  possessed  was  always  hers,  however  she  might 
for  a  time  have  been  deprived  of  them. 


236 


The  second 

year  does 
not  mean 

King  Ed-     - 
ward's  first 

Prayer 
Book. 

§  3 

• 

THE 
LEGAL 
ORNAMENTS. 

Why  the 
second 

year  taken   •< 

as 

standard. 

What  the 

, 

Rubric 

covers. 

The  Rubric  authorised  the  use  of  such  Ornaments  as  were  by  author 
ity  of  Parliament  in  the  Church  in  the  second  year  of  King 
Edward  VI. 

The  second  year  of  King  Edward  began  January  28,  1548,  ending 
at  midnight  January  27,  1549. 

This  Rubric  does  not  refer,  as  has  sometimes  been  supposed,  to  the 
first  Prayer  Book  of  Edward  VI.,  for  though  the  bill  authorising 
this  Book  passed  Parliament  a  few  days  before  the  third  year 
of  King  Edward  began,  there  is  no  proof  that  the  bill  received 
the  Royal  assent,  by  commission  or  otherwise,  and  became  an  act 
or  law  until  the  third  year  of  King  Edward. 

While  ordinarily  acts  of  Parliament  go  into  operation  from  the  first 
day  of  the  session  in  which  they  are  passed,  it  is  otherwise  when 
some  other  date  is  explicitly  stated,  as  was  the  case  in  the  first 
Prayer  Book  of  Edward  VI.,  which  was  not  to  go  into  operation 
till  the  third  year. 

Moreover,  as  it  was  explicitly  stated  that  it  was  to  go  into  effect  in 
the  third  year,  until  it  had  thus  gone  into  use  (although  it  had 
been  legalised)  it  could  not  be  said  to  be  "in "  the  Church.  The 
Rubric  does  not  say  "such  ornaments  were  to  be  retained  and, 
etc.,"  which  were  legalised  in  the  second  year,  but  which  were  not 
only  legalised  but  "in "  the  Church  at  that  time.  They  were  not 
"in  "  the  Church  till  the  Church  was  by  use  in  possession  of  them. 

The  Rubric  therefore  does  not  apply  to  the  first  Prayer  Book  of 
King  Edward  VI. 

The  better  opinion  is  that  the  Rubric  refers  to  those  things  which 
by  act  of  Parliament,  viz.,  "twenty-fifth  Henry  VIII.,"  gave  sanc 
tion  to  all  the  old  Canons  dealing  with  Ceremonial  and  Orna 
ments.  This  was  the  law  and  use  in  the  second  year  of  King 
Edward. 

One  reason  why  the  Church  went  back  to  the  second  year  of  King 
Edward  for  its  standard  of  ceremonial  was  that  the  first  Prayer 
Book  of  King  Edward  never  came  into  general  use,  and  neither 
it  nor  the  second  Book  were  in  use  except  for  a  very  short  time. 

It  has  also  been  attributed  to  the  influence  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  who, 
unable  to  get,  as  she  wished,  the  first  Book  of  King  Edward  taken 
as  a  standard,  nevertheless  was  determined  to  continue  the  reli 
gion  "as  left  by  her  father,"  and  so  had  the  Rubric  inserted 
which  continued  the  ceremonial  as  it  was  in  his  time. 

According  to  archaeologists,  the  Ornaments  of  the  Church  in  the 
second  year  covered  high  and  minor  altars,  a  reredos  covered  with 
imagery  and  painting,  an  altar  shelf,  frontals,  side  curtains  or 
riddles,  altar  cloths,  altar  candlesticks  which  differed  in  number, 
chalice,  paten,  corporal,  pall  and  burse,  a  censer,  processional 
cross,  and  processional  torches.  There  was  usually  the  rood. 
Alcuin  Club  Tracts,  No.  I. 

The  Ornaments  for  the  Minister  for  the  Communion  consisted  of 
the  amice,  alb,  girdle,  stole,  the  maniple,  and  chasuble,  which  all 
together  were  called  the  vestment.  Dalmatic  and  Tunic  were 
used  by  the  Gospeller  and  Epistler,  and  silk  copes  were  worn  by 
the  clergy  in  procession  and. at  censing  the  altars. 

It  would  be  a  great  gain  for  the  cause  of  Christ  if  ceremonial  ceased 
to  be  a  matter  of  party  contention.  The  long  disuse  might  be 
urged  as  an  excuse  for  its  non-adoption  by  low  Churchmen, 
while  the  legality  might  be  allowed  to  priests  and  congregations 
desiring  the  same. 

In  America  the  Church,  by  the  omission  of  the  Ornaments  Rubric 
has  been  left  to  develop  its  ceremonial,  under  episcopal  super 
vision,  in  accordance  with  its  Catholic  heritage. 


THE    EASTWARD    POSITION 


287 


CHAPTER  VIII.     THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST 


ARTICLE  I.     THE  EASTWARD  POSITION 


§  1 
THE 

EASTWARD 
POSITION 
AS  DECLARED 

IN   THE 

PRAYER 
BOOK. 


'The  Rubric  in  the  Anglican  liturgy  reads  thus:  "When  the  priest,  standing 
before  the  Table,  hath  so  ordered  the  Bread  and  Wine,  that  he  may  with 
more  readiness  and  decency  break  the  Bread  before  the  People,  and  take 
the  Cup  into  his  hands,  he  shall  say  the  Prayer  of  Consecration." 

At  whatever  side  of  the  Table  the  clergyman  stands  he  is  the  representative  of 
Christ.  In  the  pulpit  he  represents  Him  as  the  prophet,  at  the  Table  or 
Altar  as  the  priest. 

The  position  should  not,  therefore,  be  regarded  as  a  party  question,  but  as 
belonging  to  things  held  in  common. 

A  loyal  churchman  will  simply  seek  to  know  what  the  Rubric  means  and 
loyally  conform  to  its  direction. 

In  construing  the  Rubric  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  object  and  purpose  of 
the  Rubric  is  to  determine  the  place  where,  at  this  point  of  the  service,  the 
priest  should  stand. 

The  Rubric  must  be  so  construed,  therefore,  as  not  to  leave  the  priest  to  a  choice, 
but  as  determining  the  one  position  which  he  should  take. 

During  the  Commonwealth  the  Table  had  been  moved  about,  and  there  was 
much  diversity  of  practice.  At  the  Restoration  this  Rubric  was  made  to 
settle  the  priest's  position  and  prevent  Puritan  evasion. 

First,  it  is  stated  that  the  priest  shall  be  found  "standing  before  the  Table." 
The  obvious  reason  why  no  point  of  the  compass  was  mentioned  was  because 
as  the  Table  might  be  moved  at  will  by  the  Puritan  faction,  no  one  particular 
place  could  be  designated  by  any  one  point  of  the  compass. 

What  would  be  north  or  south,  right  or  left,  would  be  changed  by  every  changed 
position  of  the  Table.  The  makers  of  the  Rubric  were,  therefore,  obliged 
to  mark  the  point  they  had  in  mind  by  some  other  terminology. 

WThat,  then,  does  the  term  "before"  in  reference  to  the  Table  signify?  It 
may  have,  taken  by  itself,  one  of  two  meanings.  It  may  mean  "in  the 
presence  of." 

But  it  cannot  have  that  meaning  here,  because  in  that  case,  at  whatever  side 
of  the  Table  the  priest  stood,  he  would  be  before  it.  The  Rubric,  if  so  con 
strued,  would  then  fail  of  its  purpose  of  designating  the  one  place  where  the 
priest  should  stand.  "Before"  cannot  then  mean  "in  the  presence  of,"  but 
must  mean  some  one  particular  place. 

To  learn  what  this  is,  we  must  have  regard  to  the  legal  rule  of  construction, 
that  like  words  in  any  law  must  be  construed  as  having  the  same  meaning. 

Now  the  word  "before"  is  used  designedly  in  the  Rubric  twice.  The  priest  is 
not  only  to  stand  "before  the  Table,"  but  to  break  the  bread  "before  the 
people." 

As  the  object  of  the  Rubric  is  to  determine  the  place  the  priest  is  to  take, 
"before  the  people"  cannot  mean  "in  the  presence  of  the  people,"  but 
must  be  construed  as  marking  some  one  locality  or  position. 

It  can  have,  therefore,  but  one  signification.  It  cannot  mean  behind  the  people, 
nor  can  it  mean  on  one  side  of  the  people.  It  can  only  mean  in  front  of  the 
people. 


238 


THE    EASTWARD    POSITION 


THE 

EASTWARD 
POSITIQN  AS 
DECLARED 

IN   THE 

PRAYER 

BOOK 

(concluded). 


THE  ONLY  AUTHORISED  AND  LEGAL  ONE 


Having  discovered  the  meaning  of  the  word  "before  "  in  the  Rubric,  we  must  legally 
apply  it  to  all  the  clauses  in  which  it  occurs. 

Since  the  word  "before  "  must  have  the  same  meaning  in  each  clause  of  the  Rubric, 
and  the  priest  is  directed  by  the  Rubric  not  to  stand  behind  the  people  or  on  either 
side  of  them,  but  they  being  behind  him,  he  is  placed  in  front  of  them ;  so  like 
wise  he  is  bidden  by  the  same  words  "before  the  Table"  not  to  stand  behind 
the  Table,  or  at  one  end  or  side  of  it,  but  in  front  of  it. 

The  term  "before  the  people"  means,  therefore,  somewhere  in  front  of  them,  and 
the  term  "before  the  Table"  somewhere  in  front  of  it.  The  rubrical  direction, 
so  far  as  examined,  places  the  priest  thus  somewhere  between  the  Table  and  the 
people.  That  he  should  be  next  to  the  Table  is  seen  by  reference  to  the  preced 
ing  Rubric,  which  bade  the  priest  to  kneel  down  at  the  Table,  and  then  he  was 
subsequently  bidden  to  stand  up. 

But  with  the  acumen  developed  by  contact  with  ingenious  Puritan  evasions  the 
revisers  added  two  further  directions  to  designate  the  priest's  position. 

Having  placed  the  priest  between  the  Table  and  the  people,  he  must  then  so  stand, 
not  next  to  the  people,  but  near  the  Table,  that  "he  may  order"  or  arrange  the 
Bread  and  Wine. 

Moreover,  lest  he  turn,  or  half  way  turn,  towards  the  people,  he  must  so  stand, 
not  move,  not  turning  round,  but  turned  to  the  Table  so  as  to  break  the  Bread 
and  "take  the  Cup  into  his  hands,"  i.e.,  both  hands.  This  places  him  next  to 
the  Altar  with  his  back  to  the  people. 

When  Bishop  Wren  was  tried  for  standing  eastwards  and  in  the  middle  of  the  altar, 
he  pleaded  that  he  was  obeying  the  Apostolic  injunction  "to  do  everything  in 
decency  and  order  ";  and  when  the  Bishops  came  to  formulate  the  new  Rubric, 
they  incorporated  into  it  his  plea,  saying  that  the  position  they  assigned  was  the 
one  in  which  the  priest  could  with  "more  readiness  and  decency  break  the  Bread 
before  the  people." 

There  is  nothing  in  Scripture,  antiquity,  church  custom,  or  common  sense  that  im 
plies  that  any  spiritual  benefit  accrues  to  the  people  from  seeing  the  fraction  of 
the  Bread  or  the  priest's  action,  or  any  reason  to  show  that  the  makers  of  the 
Rubric  had  this  idea  in  mind. 

It  may  satisfy  the  minds  of  some  to  observe  that  the  priest,  taking  the  eastward 
position,  identifies  himself  thus  with  the  people  by  taking  the  same  attitude 
towards  the  Table  they  do ;  while  if  he  goes  to  the  north  end  he  separates  him 
self  from  them. 

He  no  more  turns  his  back  on  the  people,  than  the  lay  priests  in  the  front  pews  turn 
their  backs  on  those  behind  them. 

As  the  wearing  of  the  surplice  has  ceased  to  be  a  matter  of  contention,  so  it  is  hoped 
in  the  cause  of  Christian  unity  this  contention  may  cease,  and  the  Rubric  accord 
ing  to  its  legal  construction  be  obeyed  by  all. 


RESERVATION    OF    THE    SACRAMENT 


'Not 

contrary 
to  the 

Anglican 
faith  or 

articles. 

§  1 

RESERVATION 

OF   THE 

BLESSED 
SACRAMENT 
LAWFUL. 

Nor 
otherwise 
provided 
for. 

Nor 

forbidden 

by  the 
Rubric's 

intention. 

CHAPTER  IX.     THE  RESERVATION  OF  THE  SACRAMENT 

( Not  Contrary  to  the  Articles. 
ARTICLE  I.  •<  Nor  otherwise  provided  for. 
\^Nor  forbidden  by  Rubric. 


The  reservation  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  for  the  sick  is  not  con 
trary  to  the  doctrine  of  the  Anglican  Church. 

In  those  primitive  times  to  which  this  church  appeals,  the  custom 
existed  as  testified  by  SS.  Justin  Martyr,  Chrysostom,  and  many 
others. 

From  the  third  century  the  Sacrament  was  reserved  for  ready  com 
munion  of  the  sick  and  dying. 

As  a  church  governing  itself  by  ancient  teaching,  reservation  there 
fore  cannot  be  held  contrary  to  its  own  standard  of  faith. 

The  Twenty-eighth  Article,  that  says  the  Sacrament  was  "not  by 
Christ's  ordinance  reserved,  carried  about,  lifted  up,"  etc.,  does 
not  condemn  the  Church's  own  use  of  reserving  the  Sacrament 
after  the  actual  communion  of  the  people,  and  singing  the  Gloria 
in  Excelsis  before  It.  The  Church  does  not  contradict  herself. 

Reservation  was  allowed  by  the  English  Reformers  in  King  Ed 
ward's  first  Prayer  Book,  and  the  Ornaments  Rubric  of  1661,  by 
covering  the  use  of  the  pyx,  allows  of  it.  It  is  not  against 
Reformation  principles. 

In  the  Church  of  Scotland,  which  retains  the  Thirty-nine  Articles, 
the  reservation  for  the  sick  is  expressly  provided  for  by  rubric, 
showing  that  the  two  are  not  incompatible. 

The  House  of  American  Bishops  declared  in  their  pastoral  of  1895 
"that  the  Ordinary  may  in  cases  of  extreme  necessity  authorise 
the  reserved  Sacrament  to  be  carried  to  the  sick." 

Reservation  cannot  therefore  be  held  to  contradict  the  Church's 
doctrine  or  be  condemned  by  the  Articles. 

'The  instruction  given  to  the  sick,  not  able  to  receive,  to  make  a 
spiritual  communion,  does  not  do  away  now  more  than  formerly 
with  the  bringing  of  the  Sacrament,  or  supply  its  place. 
For  the  priest,  according  to  the  Sarum  and  York  Missals,  was  to  say, 
"Brother,  in  this  case  true  faith  and  good  will  suffice  thee.  Only 
believe  and  thou  hast  eaten." 

Yet  the  Sacrament  was  in  those  days  reserved  and  carried  to  the 
..     sick. 

The  intention  of  the  Rubric  requiring  consummation  at  the  end  of 
the  service  must  be  gathered  from  the  Rubric  itself,  and,  as  its 
analysis  shows,  it  was  to  protect  the  Sacrament  from  profanation. 

It  begins  by  making  a  distinction  between  the  consecrated  and  un- 
consecrated  species,  which  would  be  irrelevant  if  the  intention  was 
simply  to  forbid  reservation. 

It  is  stated  that  the  curate  may  have  the  unconsecrated  to  his  own 
use,  but  the  consecrated  must  be  consumed. 

The  Revisers  did  not  merely  say  "it  must  be  consumed,"  for  they 
knew  that  the  crafty  Puritans  would  then  take  it  home  and  con 
sume  it  irreverently. 

To  guard  against  this  likely  profanation,  the  Rubric  begins  by  saying 
it  "shall  not  be  carried  out  of  church." 


2/io 


RESERVATION    OF    THE    SACRAMENT 


§2 

RESERVATION 
OF  THE 
BLESSED 
SACRAMENT 
LAWFUL 
(concluded). 


«  % 


ri»«lA*C 


A  TT     C  Reservation  not  contrary  to  the  Intention 

ARTICLE  II.  <  r  ,  .,     »  ,   • 

\^     or  Language  oj  me  Rubric. 

It  would  still  be  open  to  the  Puritan  evader  to  say  he  would  wait 
till  the  congregation  had  departed.     Therefore  the  Rubric  re 
quires  him  to  consume  "immediately  after  the  blessing." 
He  could  still  plead  that  the  amount  remaining,  which  he  had  pur- 
Not  posely  caused  to  be  considerable,  did  not  with  propriety  allow 

forbidden  of  it. 

by  the  Forestalling  this  subterfuge,  the  Rubric  bids  him  associate  with 

intention        |       himself  "such  other  communicants  as  he  shall  then  call." 
of  the  It  would  still  be  easy  to  express  one's  unbelief  by  standing  and 

Rubric.  -talking  about  the  Holy  Table.     Therefore  a  further  direction 

is  given  that  the  consecrated  elements  should  be  "reverently" 
consumed. 

It  is  thus  a  legal  demonstration  that  the  intention  was  not  to  for 
bid  reservation,  but  guard  against  irreverence. 

'Nor  does  a  strict  legal  interpretation  forbid  reservation,  for  the 
Rubric  must  be  interpreted  in  conformity  with  its  intention  and 
controlled  by  it. 

Being  in  the  nature  of  a  restraint  upon  the  exercise  of  the  priest's 
office,  it  must  be  construed  strictly  and  so  as  not,  if  possible,  to 
interfere  with  it. 

Reservation  was  enjoined  by  the  "Constitution"  of  Archbishop 
Peckham,  1279,  and  made  the  law  of  England  by  25  Hen.  VIII. 
cap.  19,  which  legalised  existing  constitutions  and  so  Reservation. 

The  Rubric  cannot  alter  this  law  unless  found  to  be  in  itself  in 
consistent  with  it;  or  incapable  of  receiving  some  other  than  a 
prohibitive  construction,  and  this  cannot  be  done. 

It  is  proved  to  be  not  inconsistent  with  Reservation  by  the  fact  that 
in  pre-reformation  times  there  were  like  rubrical  directions  to 
consume  what  remained,  along  with  the  custom  that  called 
for  reservation  for  the  sick. 

Again,  as  the  Rubric  must  be  construed  strictly,  and  according  to 
its  intention,  a  prohibitive  construction  is  not  necessarily  to  be 
applied  to  it,  if  open  to  any  other,  as  it  is. 
Nor  by  For  according  to  well-known  legal  principles  of  construction  the 

its  words      J      Rubric  is  patent  of  two  interpretations.     The  words  may  be 
legally  |      taken  in  either  a  mandatory  and  imperative,  or  a  declarative 

.construed.  and  directive  sense. 

The  words  may  mean  that  the  elements  "in  all  cases  must  be  con 
sumed,"  or,  when  consumed,  "this  is  the  way  or  manner  of  it." 

This  distinction  is  one  recognised  as  valid  and  applied  by  clergy  to 
other  Rubrics.  "Then,"  it  is  ordered,  "shall  follow  the  sermon." 

This  does  not  mean  there  shall  always  be  a  sermon,  but  when  there 
is  one  this  is  the  place  for  it.  So  "  here  shall  follow  a  hymn,"  J 
which  was  often  omitted. 

Again,  the  elements  are  to  be  consumed  by  the  priest  and  such 
other  communicants  "as  he  shall  then  call."  This  does  not 
oblige  him  to  call  any,  if  in  his  judgment  not  necessary. 

The  Rubric  says  the  elements  "shall  not  be  carried  out  of  the 
church,"  but  it  is  not  a  principle  of  statutory  construction  that 
negative  words  make  a  statute  mandatory  or  imperative. 

"This  principle"  (Endlich  on  Interpretation,  p.  610)  "cannot  be 
sustained."  The  Rubric  is  not  a  universal  negative. 

The  Rubric  relates  to  a  particular  sen-ice  and  forbids  the  carrying 
out  of  the  church  of  the  Sacrament    as    part  of  that  service. 
It  relates  to  the  manner  of  the  disposition  of  the  elements  re- 
w     quired  to  be  consumed. 

1  The  old  American  Rubric  after  the  Canon 


THE    AMERICAN    RUBRIC 


ARTICLE  III.     RESERVATION  OF  THE  BLESSED  SACRAMENT  IN  AMERICA 


§3 
THE 

AMERICAN 
RUBRIC 
FAVOURS 
RESERVATION. 


'It  having  been  demonstrated  that  J;wo  constructions  of  the  Rubric  are  possible, 
it  does  not  necessarily  forbid  Reservation,  but  allows  of  it. 

We  have  seen  that  a  legal  and  strict  construction  of  the  Rubric  in  the  English 
Book  allows  of  Reservation. 

In  the  American  Prayer  Book  the  argument  is  stronger,  for  the  Rubric  has  been 
changed,  and  the  change  brings  its  wording  in  accord  with  a  permissive  res 
ervation. 

The  English  Rubric  reads,  "If  any  remain  of  that  which  was  consecrated,  it 
shall  not  be  carried  out  of  the  church." 

The  American  Rubric  changes  this.  It  does  not  declare  that  any  of  the  conse 
crated  elements  remaining  shall  not  be  carried  out,  but  implies  that  some  so 
remaining  need  not  come  under  this  rule. 

For  the  American  Rubric  says,  not  that  the  consecrated  elements  remaining 
at  the  end  of  the  service  are  to  be  consumed,  as  the  English  Book  does,  but 
only  those  that  "remain  after  the  Communion." 

This  is  an  important  distinction.  The  English  Rubric  refers  to  the  service  as  a 
whole,  and  the  elements  that  remain  are  to  be  consumed  when  the  service  is 
finished.  The  American,  however,  takes  cognisance  of  the  Prayer  Book  dis 
tinction  between  the  " service  as  a  whole  "  and  the  "Communion  of  the  people." 

We  find  this  distinction  plainly  noted  in  the  Rubric  in  the  ordering  of  priests.  It 
says,  "The  Communion  being  done,"  then  certain  collects  shall  be  read;  the 
Communion  being  thus  recognised  as  "done"  before  the  whole  service  is 
ended.  The  two  are  distinct. 

Now  the  American  Rubric  orders  not  the  consumption  of  the  consecrated  ele 
ments  that  remain  at  the  end  of  the  service,  as  the  English  Book  does,  but  those 
that  remain  after  the  Communion  of  the  people.  This  is  very  different. 

This  change,  and  the  limitation  of  the  consumption  of  the  elements  to  those  that 
remain  from  the  amount  needed  for  the  Communion,  implies  that  there  may 
be  other  consecrated  elements  which  need  not  be  so  consumed. 

The  priest  may  therefore  lay  aside,  before  proceeding  to  give  the  Communion, 
sufficient  of  the  consecrated  elements  for  the  sick,  which,  not  being  connected 
with  the  "Communion,"  he  is  not  obliged  to  consume. 

Is  it  asked  how  and  why  this  change  in  the  American  Rubric  took  place  ?  The 
answer  is  that  the  American  canon  was  largely  influenced  by  the  Scotch 
Liturgy. 

The  Scotch  book  and  custom  provided  for  the  reservation  for  the  sick. 

The  Scotch  Rubric  reads  thus,  "According  to  the  universal  custom  of  the  Church 
of  Scotland,  the  Priest  may  reserve  as  much  of  the  Consecrated  Gifts  as  may 
be  required  for  the  Communion  of  the  sick  and  others  who  could  not  be 
present  at  the  Consecration  in  the  Church." 

In  connection  with  this,  in  the  prayer  of  Consecration  in  the  Scotch  Liturgy 
reference  is  made  to  some  receiving  other  than  those  present.  For  not  only 
for  themselves  who  were  present  are  prayers  made,  but  for  "Whosoever  shall 
be  partakers  of  this  Holy  Communion  may  worthily  receive  the  Most  Precious 
Body  and  Blood  of  Thy  Son  Jesus  Christ." 

16 


THE    AMERICAN    RUBRIC 


Now  the  American  Liturgy  adopted  this  petition  and  made  it  part  of  its  Canon. 
The  prayer  read  thus,  "Humbly  beseeching  Thee  that  we  and  all  others  who 
shall  be  partakers  of  this  Holy  Communion  may  be  made  one  body  with  Him, 
that  He  may  dwell  in  them  and  they  in  Him." 

t 

The  ending  "that  He  may  dwell  in  them,"  which  was  altered  at  the  last  revision 
for  alleged  grammatical  reasons,  was  a  confirmatory  proof  that  the  Canon 
implied  there  would  be  other  partakers  of  this  Sacrament  than  those  present 
for  whose  reception  reservation  would  be  necessary. 

The  expression  retained  that  "we  and  all  others  who  shall  be  partakers  of  this 
Holy  Communion,"  as  the  prayer  in  the  American  Book  reads,  implies  that 
there  are  others  than  those  present  who  may  do  so. 

Thus  in  the  adoption  of  this  petition  from  the  Scotch  Liturgy,  which  implies 
the  reception  by  others  not  present,  we  find  the  reason  why  the  English  form 
of  the  Rubric  concerning  the  consuming  of  the  elements  was  altered  in 
America,  and  in  a  way  to  allow  of  reservation. 


§4 
THE 

AMERICAN 
RUBRIC 
ALLOWS  OF  IT. 


It  did  this  by  changing  the  direction  to  consume  what  remained  of  that  which 
was  consecrated  to  what  remained  after  the  Communion. 

The  not  unusual  reservation  of  the  Sacrament  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  by  clergymen  of  different  schools,  is  an  evidence  of  the  correctness 
of  the  interpretation  by  way  of  contemporaneous  exposition ;  and  the  carrying 
of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  to  the  sick,  though  not  common,  was  recognised  as 
lawful  in  the  cases  of  epidemics  and  on  special  occasions. 

Bishops  and  Canonists  in  America,  in  the  last  century,  when  no  party  question 
was  involved,  have  admitted  the  lawfulness  or  allowableness  of  reservation 
for  the  sick. 

In  the  interests  of  priests  who  may  be  called  on  any  time  of  day  or  night,  and 
of  the  sick  who  desire  to  receive  sacramentally  and  who  cannot  bear  the 
strain  of  a  prolonged  service,  the  practice  of  a  reverent  reservation  is  to  be 
encouraged. 

It  would  be  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  the  Prayer  Book  so  to  prescribe  the 
manner  of  reservation  as  to  prevent  the  devotional  use  of  It  by  the  faithful. 

For  after  the  communions  of  priest  and  people  have  been  made,  and  so,  as  it 
is  argued,  the  intention  of  the  Institution  has  been  fulfilled,  the  Church,  not 
confining  herself  to  that  alone,  reserves  the  Blessed  Sacrament  and  devo- 
tionally  sings  her  Gloria  in  Excelsis,  which  She  has  transposed  to  this  place 
before  It. 

Our  Church  does  not,  like  the  sects,  pass  the  Sacrament  to  persons  sitting  in  their  pews,  but 
compels  them  to  go  up  to  the  Altar  and  kneel,  and  it  would  tend  to  drive  the  Holy  Spirit  away 
from  our  communion  if  any  hindrances  were  placed  in  the  way  of  devotion  to  our  Lord's 
sacramental  Presence. 


TO 


FATHER,    SON,   AND    HOLY   GHOST, 

AND    TO 

OUR  LORD  AND  SAVIOUR  JESUS  CHRIST, 

WHO    HAS    REDEEMED    US    BY    HIS    PRECIOUS    BLOOD    AND    SAVES    US 

IN    HIS    HOLY    CHURCH, 

THE    PILLAR    AND    GROUND    OF    THE    TRUTH, 

GIVING    DEVOUT   THANKS  FOR  PLACING   US  WITHIN  THE  ANGLICAN  COMMUNION^ 
IN    WHICH    WE    HAVE     LIVED     AND    MEAN    TO     DIE, 

LET    US    HOLD    FAST 

THE    PROFESSION    OF    OUR    FAITH    WITHOUT    WAVERING, 
LOOKING    FOR    THAT    BLESSED    HOPE    AND    GLORIOUS    APPEARING 

OF   THE 

GREAT  GOD  AND  OUR  SAVIOUR  JESUS  CHRIST, 

WHEN    THE    KINGDOM    SHALL    BE    GIVEN    TO    GOD    THE    FATHER,    AND    GOD 
SHALL    BE    ALL    IN    ALL,    AND   TIME    SHALL    CEASE 

AND    WE    BE    GATHERED    INTO 

THE    RESTFUL    ETERNITY    OF    THE    "  NOW  "    OF    GOD. 

EVEN    SO    COME,    LORD   JESUS. 

AMEN.