DISCOURSE VII. "So were the Churches established in the faith."-Acrs xvi ; 5. THE Christian faith is exactly comprehensive of the Christian Church. The former is the true boundary of the latter. When this faith, true and sound, is received into the heart, producing a holy and living union with Christ, it constitutes a member of the true, Spiritual, or Invisible Church Catholic. And when this faith, in the main whole and uncorrupt, is carried out into profession, under the appropriate forms, it constitutes a member of the real Visible Church Catholic. And so, in both senses, the Christian faith is the only true comprehension of the Christian Church. This faith, or the substance of what Christ requires to be believed, is the grand, all-essential thing in this inquiry. A renunciation of this is, to all intents and purposes, a renunciation of the Church. Hence, near the close of my last discourse, in describing the Church in its external Catholicism, it was represented as comprehending the whole visible company on earth, of those who profess faith in Christ, maintain the preaching of His Gospel, are united by the common bond of His sacraments, and are infected with no heresy subversive of the true Christian faith. This last mark was added, because a heresy, which really subverts the true and whole Christian faith, may well be considered as effecting a severance from the Visible Christian Church. In the Apostles' days, as we learn from the passage, Acts xvi; 5, "the Churches were established in the faith." A subversion of the faith must, therefore, so far as it extends, be considered a subversion of the Church. To the same extent, a corruption of the faith, which amounts not to its subversion, is but a corruption of the Church. It amounts not to its subversion. Save the substance of the faith in its outward profession, and you save the substance of the Church in its visible Catholicism. I. This, as I have already remarked, is the view of the Visible Church Catholic, which is taken by our own Standards, and our best standard writers: a remark to the brief illustration of which I now invite attention. 1. In looking at our Standards, then, we may refer again to our XIXth Article. It defines "the Visible Church of Christ" to be, as to its essence, "a Congregation of faithful men ;" and then, as to its visibility, that congregation, that whole company, "in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the sacraments be duly administered according to Christ's ordinance, in all those things that, of necessity, are requisite to Wherever the great congregation of true believers come out into profession, under the preaching of the true Gospel, and a due administration of Christ's sacraments, in all things necessary thereto, there, according to this Article, the true Visible Church of Christ exists. What is, indeed, necessary to the due administration of these sacraments, the Article does not decide. Individual writers may be found, in sufficient numbers, who strenuously contend that, to the very essence of these sacraments, an Episcopal ministry is necessary; that, without this ministry, there is and can be no such thing as a Christian sacrament. But this decision our Church has not pronounced, and cannot be made authoritatively to declare. So far is she from this, that her highest authorities in England, following in this the voice of antiquity, have decided that even lay-baptism, however irregular, is nevertheless valid, and ought not to be repeated. Her Article, therefore, does, by no means, teach that the Visible Church of Christ is confined to the limits of Episcopally administered sacraments. It is one thing, to say that non-Episcopal bodies, as separate organizations, are, in the full sense, regular Churches; and quite another, to say that their members belong to the one Visible Catholic Church of Christ. The former, an Episcopalian needs not to assert; to the latter it behooves him very steadfastly to hold. 2. But, without dwelling longer on the Article, let us proceed to other testimony. In our Communion service is the prayer, entitled, "For the whole state of Christ's Church militant." This, I understand of the Visible Church on earth, of this Church, as militant, or warring against those deadly foes within itself, sin, error and superstition; as well as against those leagued enemies without, "the world, the flesh, and the Devil." Of whom, then, according to this solemn and authorized form, does the Visible, or, as it is here termed, "the Universal Church" of Christ, His whole, or Catholic Church, in its visibility, consist? Hear the witness. Of "all, who do confess His holy name." For all these, and none less, the prayer goes up, that they may, as is most desirable, be “inspired with the spirit of truth, unity, and concord;" or, that they "may agree in the truth of His holy Word, and live in unity and godly love:" and that "their Bishops, and other ministers, may, both by their life and doctrine, set forth His true and lively Word, and rightly and duly administer His holy sacraments." This testimony is very emphatic. "The Universal," or Catholic Church" of Christ, is expressly defined as made up of "all who do confess His holy name;" and its visibility is here, as in the article, considered as coming out, in this confession, under the appointed forms of the preaching of the "true and lively Word," and of the "right and due administration of the holy sacraments." It is true, that more is expressed here than in the Article. There is a distinct intimation that we have adopted, and hold fast to, an Episcopal ministry; though without any claim that this ministry is indispensably necessary to the being of the sacraments. We ask "grace," here, not merely for "all Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons," but, for "all Bishops and other ministers," ALL other ministers: in short, for all who minister to the "all who do confess Christ's holy name," and who thus make part of "the whole," or universal, "state of His Church militant." This prayer, and the ancient liturgies, in which it stands, were doubtless framed in times when there was none but an Episcopal ministry. But, it has been adopted, both in England and in this country, with the knowledge and the virtual acknowledgement of the fact, that there are now, in some true sense, ministers of Christ who have never been Episcopally ordained. 3. This freedom of our Prayer-Book language from all particularizing, its large generalness of expression, is somewhat remarkable. Another instance of it occurs in the last prayer, at "the Institution of Ministers." We there pray for “the Church," "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone;" "that, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, all Christians may be so joined together in unity of spirit and in the bond of peace, that they may be an holy temple, acceptable unto God." This language is broad as possible. It knows no "foundation" to the Church, narrower than "Christ ;" and no "temple" for the visible Zion smaller than that which contains " ALL Christians." In one sense, this is a prayer of sorrows. It looks sadly on this world-wide Church of Christ, and sees it agitated, divided, and, in many things, defiled. In another sense, however, it is a prayer of faith. It looks encouragingly on this Church universal, and, in the bending of strong, hopeful entreaty, sees the time, when the true "unity," that "of the Spirit," and the true "bond," that of "Peace," shall embrace and bind together in love "all Christians," all who profess the name and faith of Christ; and when, thus, the Church visible shall, as nearly as earth will allow, become identical with the Church spiritual. And, in this character, it is a prayer, into which every large-hearted disciple of Christ delights to put his whole soul of believing, trustful intercession. 4. In the "Prayer for all conditions of men," we have another instance of this large generalness of language. We there "pray for the holy Church universal ;" "that all who profess and call themselves Christians" "may," "by the guidance and governance of God's good Spirit," "be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life." This prayer, let it be remembered, was not in the ancient liturgies. It is of English, |