The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-03-19

l1D6TGl6S.
Rev. DR.. Dalton's S ixth Lecture on the
Apostles Creed.
81 believe in the Holy Catholic
Church"
There is no better definition than that
given in the XIX Article OF the Prayer
Book, viz: "The visible Church of
Christ is congregation of faithful men,
in which the pure Word of God is
preached, and the sacraments be duly
ministered according to Christ's ordl-
nance, in all those things that OF neces-
sity are requisite to the same"
This is definition which in substance
was adopted by the reformed churches
both of England and of the Continent,
and remains to this day the best IN our
own or any other language. It IS orle1,
yet clear, consistent, and emlnently
scriptural. A visible Church is con-
gregation or assembly, visible body
having parts which cohere. Its mem
bers are faithful" lie s,sbelievin gmen-
believing in Christ as their Saviour and
the only Mediator with God. In such
congregation" the pure word of God is
preached,n and not the wisdom of men,
human philosophy. The gospel alone
is held to be the "power of God unto sal
vation," the great theme of the Bible
and of Christianity.
Also, the Sacraments are both duly
honored and celebrated as Christ's own
SYMBOLS and signs and channels of
grace, without which divine grace) re-
ligion is a barren abstraction. 1t is true
that there are some differences of opIn-
ion among Christians as to those things
that of necessity are requisite to the
samen. But all agree as to the lements
or matter of the same, water in baptism
apnlied in the name of the Father, Son
and Spirit, and bread and wine in the
Lords Supper, as visible signs OF
Christ's body and blood. Baptism is the
sign of our profession, the sacrament
nv which we consecrate ourselves to the
nernetual service of the Saviour, and
pledge ourselves to be His soldiers and
servants to the end of our lives The
|
Christ of the most exalted species, a
communion of His body and blood.
Hence the Apostle, 1.-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 commun-
ion of the body of Christi" This is,
indeed. the communion of saints, the
communion which Saints have with
their Saviour, the highest they can know
on earth, and pledge of a still more
perfect union with Him in heaven. 1t is
also and equally the symbol of their
union and communion with each other
as the mystical body of Christ, the
blessed company of all faithful people.
Such. then. are the essential notes" o
the Christian church. All Christian
congregations having these notes are
true churches, and the sum of them con-
stitute the Church Catholic i. g., the
Church universal on earth.
There are other lesser notes. Thus
the Church's undoubtedly the witness
and keeper of Holy Writ" For to the
Christian church, as much as to the
ancient Jewish church are now COM
! mitted the oracles of God" The church
hath also authority in matters of faith,
but cannot ordain any thing contrary to
| Gods word written, or enforce anything
as necessary to salvation besides the
| same. Nor can the church so expound
one place of Scripture that it is repug-
nant to another. Thus if the church
receives and requires her children to
receive the Apostles Greed it is because
it may be proved by most certain
warrant of Scripture" The cardinal
principle from which the Church itself
cannot depart in the least degree is that
"Holy Scripture containeth all things
necessary to salvation" so that whatso-
ever is not read therein nor may be
proved thereby is not to be required OF
any man that it should be believed as
an article of the faith or be thought
requisite or necessary to salvation"
Such are a few of the ancient land.
marks which no man should seek to re-
move, or be allowed to remove. They
were set up by the Fathers not only Of
the primitive Church but renewed by
the second and not inferior Fathers of
the Church, whom we honor by the
name of Reformers and whose work we
still call the great Reformation. Let
us hold fast to the form of sound wor
ship they and the Apostles before them
gave to the Church for all time. Then
will glorious things be spoken of the
city of our God.