by a continual chain or succession of bishops duly ordained." (2) Because it still continues in and teaches the Apostles' doctrines. PART II. THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS. I. Meaning of Terms. 1. Saints. Saints are holy persons. The word Saints is applied in the New Testament to(1) All baptized Christians of a city or district-e.g.: St. Peter came down to the Saints which dwelt at Lydda. St. Paul writes to all the Saints in Achaia (2 Cor. i., 1); (2) Those baptized Christians who, knowing that God hath called them unto holiness (1 Thess. iv., 7), are endeavouring to live up to their high vocation, and to be holy even as He who called them is holy.-1 Peter i., 15. 2. Communion. Communion means common possession or participation, fellowship, or intercourse. One person is said to have communion with another when there is a fellowship between them; when they have the same tastes, pursuits, habits, opinions, &c. Communion of Saints is the common participation of all holy persons in divine relations and spiritual blessings. II. With whom Saints have Communion. 1. With God. (1) With God the Father-e.g.: "And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."-1 John i., 3. (2) With God the Son-e.g.: "Called unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."-1 Cor. i., 9; St. John xiv., 9; xv., 1, 4; 1 Cor. xii., 27; 2 John ix. (3) With God the Holy Ghost-e.g.: "Know ye not that ye are the temples of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"-1 Cor. iii., 16; St. John xiv., 26; 2 Cor. xiii., 14. 2. With the Angels-e.g.: "Are they not all ministering Spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"-Hcb. i., 14; xii., 22. 3. With other living Saints-e.g.: "We have fellowship one with another (1 John i., 7) in the exercise of mutual love and sympathy, and in the celebration of the same ordinances."-Acts ii., 41, 42, 44-46; 1 Cor. xii., 12, 13, 25, 26; Ephes. iv., 3, 7. 4. With the Spirits of just men made perfect. Departed spirits are still considered as belonging to the Church (e.g., Ephes. iii., 15). We have communion with the Father and the Son as they have, and look forward with hope when we and they shall "have our perfect consummation and bliss in God's eternal and everlasting glory."-Heb. xii., 23. III. In what Saints have Communion. 1. In redemption through Christ. 2. In the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 3. In prayers, the sacraments, and all means of grace. "Sin is the transgression of the law."-1 John iii., 4. Any thought, word, or act, contrary to God's law, or the omission of any duty, is sin-e.g.: "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts," &c.-St. Matthew XV., 19. "Every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."-St. Matt. xii., 36. "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."-St. James iv., 17. Through Adam's transgression, in the beginning, sin entered into the world. All children of Adam, in consequence of Adam's trangression, are born in sin. This sin is called original sin—e.g. : "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."—Ps. li., 5. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one." Job xiv., 4; xv., 14-16. But besides original sin, there has never been but One, who has not actually sinned, and come short of the glory of God.-Rom. iii., 23. This sin, that every man commits himself, is called Actual "There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not."-Eccles. vii., 20. "For that all have sinned."-Rom. v., 12; Gal. iii., 22. II.-The Consequences of Sin. Death-e.g.: "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die."-Gen. ii., 17. "The soul that sinneth it shall die."-Ezek. xviii., 4, 20. III.—The Forgiveness of Sins. 1. The Grounds of Forgiveness. Through no merits of our own, for at our best "We are unprofitable servants."-St. Luke xvii., 10. The forgiveness is a free gift of God's—e.g. : "The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."-Rom. vi., 23. Our hope of forgiveness rests entirely upon : (1) The mercy and love of God—e.g.: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."-St. John iii., 16; 1 John iv., 9. (2) The sacrifice of the death of Christ. Christ became "the propitiation for our sins." "His perfect obedience atoned for our disobedience "—e.g.: "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”— Rom. v., 19. "His meritorious death paid our penalty"-e.g.: "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed."-1 Peter ii., 24; 1 Tim. ii., ó ; Heb. ii., 9. "He, who knew no sin, became a sin-offering for us (2 Cor. v., 21), bore our sins in His own body on the tree (1 Peter ii., 24), and on the altar of His cross made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, not only for original guilt, but for all actual sins of men."-Maclear, page 64. 2. The Conditions of Forgiveness. (1) Repentance—e.g.: "Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out," &c.-Acts iii., 19. Repentance includes : (a) Contrition or godly sorrow for sin-e.g.: "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation."-2 Cor vii., 10. (b) Confession of sin—e.g.: "If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive u our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."-i Johr i., 9; Ps. xxxii., 5; St. Luke xv., 18. (c) Full purpose of amendment of life-e.g.: "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."-Prov. xxviii., 13; 2 Peter ii., 20-22. (2) Faith--e.g.: "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins."-Acts x., 43. 3. The Means of Obtaining Forgiveness. (1) By B ptism. "I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins."Nicene Creed. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved."-St. Mark xvi, 16. Acts ii., 38; xxii., 16. (2) By Prayer. Christ Himself has taught us in the Lord's Prayer to say "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us," thereby teaching us that as we, through the frailty of our nature, are always subject unto sin-so we should always exercise the acts of repentance, and for ever seek the favour of God." (3) By the Absolution of the Church. The Church of England has three forms of absolution— (a) In the daily Morning and Evening Service. (b) In the Communion Service. (c) In the Visitation of the Sick. The priest, in each case, on the authority of God Him. self (St. John xx., 23) pronounces absolution, or pardon of sins. This pardon, although pronounced by man, to whom He has given power and commandment so to do, is God's pardon, not the priest's, and to be effectual must be sought in true Repentance, and in Faith, with Charity. (4) By the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper-e.g. : "And he took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."St. Matt. xxvi., 27, 28. D 4. The Nature of the Forgiveness. (1) It does away with the sense of guilt-eg.: "I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee."-Isaiah xliv., 22. (2) It removes the condemnation-e.g.: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit," &c.-Rom. viii., 1. (3) It takes away the power of sin and its consequences— e.g., Rom. viii. CHAPTER XII. THE ELEVENTH ARTICLE. "THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY." I. Meaning of Resurrection. Resurrection of the body "means the rising again of the body from the grave.' II.-The Fact of a Resurrection. 1. It was foretold by the prophets-e.g.: (1) Job. "I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God."-Job xix., 25, 26. (2) Isaiah. "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise."-Isa. xxvi., 19. (3) Daniel. "Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to everlasting shame and contempt."-Dan. xii., 2. 2. It was believed in by the Jews, as a nation, although denied by one, sect, the Sadducees-eg.: Martha said— "I know that he (my brother) shall rise again in the resurrection, at the last day."-St. John xi., 24; St. Matt. xxii., 23. 3. It was expressly asserted by our Lord himself—e.g. : "The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."— St. John v., 25. "Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of Man, |