a с the world against the Church. There will be found worldliness among the Bishops, a falling away among the very elect; in the world there will be a profession of godliness, but a denial of its power; Antichrist will persecute the Church with fearful malignity, he will take away the daily Eucharistic sacrifice, he will perform great wonders, and deny our Lord's divinity.f II. Dissenting communities will abound.g e III. The Gospel will be preached to all nations.h IV. The Jews will be converted. i V. The coming of two prophetic witnesses to the truth is foretold. J VI. Remarkable wars, earthquakes and signs in heaven will take place. * k VII. Finally the Cross will appear in heaven.1 m At the judgment a trumpet will sound, and all men shall rise" to give account of their thoughts," their words, P and their deeds. The saints shall assist at the judgment." The sentence on the good will be:-"Come ye blessed of My Father, a S. Matt. xxiv. 48-51. 2 Thess. ii. 3. 2 Tim, iii. 5. d Dan. viii. 11 -13; xi. 31; xi. 11. 2 Thess. ii. 9. f 1 S. John ii. 22. 8 S. Matt. xxiv. 5, 11, 24. h S. Matt. xxiv. 14; S. Luke xxi. 24; Rom. xi. 25; Rev. xiv. 6, 7. i Hos. iii. 5; Rom. xi. 23, &c. ; 2 Cor. iii. 16. i S. Matt. xvii. 11; Rev. xi. 3. KS. Matt. xxiv. 6, 21. S. Matt. xxiv. 30. 1 Cor. xv. 52. n Joel iii. 2, 14; Rev. xx. 12, 13. • 1 Cor. iv. 5; Heb. iv. 12. P'S. Matt. xii. 36. 9 S. Matt. xvi. 27; 2 Cor. v. 10. S. Matt. xix. 28; S. Luke xxii. 30; 1 Cor. vi. 3. inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." The sentence on the wicked will be:-Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." 8. E believe in the Holy Ghost. HE Holy Ghost is the third Person of the с the Father, of equal power, majesty, and eternity, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God. He created this world in union with the Father and the Son; He spake by the Prophets; He sanctifieth; He comforteth; He leadeth into all truth." The Holy Ghost has appeared unto men (1) as fire, 1 and (2) as a dove. i The Holy Ghost was promised by Christ to His Church; and was given (1) after His Resurrection, and (2) after His Ascension. His gifts are ordinary and extraordinary; the ordinary remain, the extraordinary are miraculous and pass away. k h 1 The Holy Ghost is still given in the Church. (1) In Baptism, to unite us to Christ, and to rege a S. Matt. xxv. 34, 41. b S. John xv. 26; Acts v. 3, 4; 1 S. John V. 7. e Gen. i. 2; Job xxxiii. 4. d Neh. ix. 30; Acts vii. 51; 2 S. Pet. i. 21. e 2 Thess. ii. 13; 1 S. Pet. i. 2. f S. John xiv. 16, 26. 8 S. John xiv. 17. h Acts ii. i S. Matt. iii. 16. S. Luke xii. 12; S. John xiv. 26. k S. John xx. 22. 1 Acts ii. nerate us. (2) In Confirmation, to strengthen us. (3) In Ordination, to enable the different orders of the ministry to perform their several offices with divine authority and power. " с 9. The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints. E believe, on the sure testimony of Scripture, that the Church is the kingdom of Christ; governed during His absence by Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, with authority from. Him. The Church is known by four marks; it is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. d By One, is meant that it is united to one Lord, Who is its King; that it has but one hope; that its faith is one and the same in all ages, and every place; and that the same sacraments unite its members to its Lord. Although the Church of Rome, the Eastern and the English Church are not in visible communion, yet are they nevertheless One; just as children of one father may quarrel with one another, and refuse a S. John iii. 5; Acts xi. 16; Tit. iii. 5. c S. John xx. 22, 23; Eph. iv. 4. i. 22, 23; iv. 5. e Rom viii. 15. 2 Tim. i. 6; 1 Tim iii. 15. b Acts viii, 16, 17; Acts xx. 28. d Eph. to acknowledge one another's kinship, yet by the law of nature they are nevertheless one family, one blood. So, although some of the Churches have quarreled and refuse to acknowledge one another, so long as they have the intrinsic marks of unity, they are by the law of grace essentially One. We may speak of a Church of England, a Church of France, and a Church of Russia, but these are only branches of the same trunk, just as the Ocean is one, though portions of it are called Northern Ocean, Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Mediter ranean sea. By Holy, we mean that in the Church, and in it alone, are the means of sanctifying or making holy; and the means of sanctifying are the sacraments, Therefore to leave the Church is to run the risk of losing eternal life, as that is schism, and a separating from Christ. © а Although the Church is holy, it does not follow that there are not unholy members in it, as is shewn by our Lord's parable of the tares among the wheat. By Catholic, we mean that the Church, and it alone, is universal, that is, will extend through all the world, and will last through all ages. Christ has solemnly promised that the Church shall never perish; that it shall be the witness of truth, and the means of salvation to the world till He comes e Bom, xvi. 17. S. Jude 19. S. John xv. 4, 6. S. Matt. xiii. 24. S. Matt. xvi. 18. in judgment.a All Christian sects must come to an end after running their course a few years; but the Church never can, for its life is heavenly; if it were to perish God would be found a liar, which is impossible. By Apostolic, we mean that the Church, and it alone, holds (1) the faith as taught by the Apostles; (2) that the Church, and it alone, has its orders in direct succession from the Apostles, who derived their authority from Christ; (3) and that the Church, and it alone, celebrates the sacraments, according to the institution of the Apostles, who were taught by Christ. b We believe in the communion of saints: that is, we believe that all the faithful living and dead form but one family. The communion of saints signifies that (1) as in a city all share in the same rights of citizenship, in the use of the same streets, and public gardens, and fountains, so in the Church, the blood or Christ, the gifts of grace, the Gospel promises, the sacred privileges are common to all; (2) that the merits and good works of all the just do not profit one only, but all. Thus no man liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself, no man prays, or fasts, or labours, or endures pain for himself alone, but for all; thus the abundance of one may be a d с * S. Matt. xxviii. 20; S. Luke xxi. 32, b2 Thess. ii. 15. © Rom, xiv. 7. d1 Cor. xii. 14-27. |