VISIBLE and destruction. But this holy church is so unknown to the world, that VISIBLE no man can discern it, but God alone, who only searcheth the hearts of all AND INmen, and knoweth his true children from other that be but bastards. CHURCH. This church is the pillar of truth,' because it resteth upon God's word, which is the true and sure foundation, and will not suffer it to err and fall. But as for the open known Church, and the outward face thereof, it is not the pillar of truth, otherwise than that it is, as it were, a register or treasury to keep the books of God's holy will and testament, and to rest only thereupon, as St. Augustine and Tertullian mean in the place by M. Smith alleged."* "I grant that the name of the Church is taken after three divers manners in the Scripture. "Sometime for the whole multitude of them which profess the name of Christ, of the which they are also named Christians. But as St. Paul saith of the Jew, 'Not every one is a Jew, that is a Jew outwardly, &c.' 'Neither yet all that be of Israel are counted the seed.' Even so, not every one which is a Christian outwardly, is a Christian indeed. For 'If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, the same is none of his.' Therefore that Church, which is his body, and of which Christ is the head, standeth only of living stones and true Christians, not only outwardly in name and title, but inwardly in heart and in truth. But forasmuch as this Church, which is the second taking of the Church, as touching the outward fellowship, is contained within that great house, and hath with the same outward society of the sacraments and ministry of the word; many things are spoken of that universal Church (which St. Augustine calleth the mingled Church) which cannot truly be understood, but only of that purer part of the Church. So that the rule of Tyconius concern. ing the mingled Church may here well take place; when there is attributed unto the whole Church that which cannot agree unto the same, but by reason of the one part thereof; that is, either for the multitude of good men, which is the Church indeed; or for the multitude of evil men, which is the malignant Church and synagogue of Satan. And [this] is also the third taking of the Church, of the which, although there be seldomer mention in the Scriptures in that signification, yet in the world, even in the most famous assemblies of Christendom, this Church hath borne the greatest swing. This distinction presupposed of the three sorts of Churches, it is an easy matter, by a figure called synecdoche, to give to the mingled and universal Church that which cannot truly be understood but only of the one part thereof."+ Hooper says: "I believe and confess one only Catholic and Universal Church, which is an holy congregation and assembly of all faithful believers, which are chosen and predestinate unto everlasting life, before the foundations of the Works, p. 125. P.S. * Works, p. 377, vol. i. P. S. Ridley. Hooper. CHAP. XII. world were laid: of whose number I count myself, and believe that I am through the only grace and mercy of the Father, and by the merits of my good Lord and Master Jesus Christ, and not by means of my work and merits, which indeed are none. ADDENDUM II. Coverdale. "THE 48TH ARTICLE. "I believe that this Church is invisible to the eye of man, and is only to God known; and that the same Church is not set, compassed, and limited within a certain place or bounds, but is scattered and spread abroad throughout all the world, but yet coupled together in heart, will and spirit by the bond of faith and charity, having and altogether knowledging one only God, one only Head and Mediator Jesus Christ, one faith, one law, one baptism, one spiritual table wherein one meat and one spiritual drink is ministered to them unto the end of the world. This Church containeth in it all the righteous and chosen people from the first righteous man unto the last that shall be found righteous in the end of the world; and therefore do I call it universal. For as touching the visible Church which is the congregation of the good and of the wicked, of the chosen and of the reprobate, and generally of all those which say they believe in Christ, I do not believe that to be the Church because that Church is seen to the eye, and the faith thereof is in visible things."* "But forasmuch as we say, I believe an holy universal Church, we do confess, that the same is not visible nor corporal. Notwithstanding in the Scripture there is named yet another Church, which is both visible and corporal, whereunto the keys of the kingdom of heaven are committed; which the Lord also meaneth when he saith, 'Tell it unto the Church.' In the which Church all they are comprehended, that are named Christian, good and evil; wherein also the tares groweth with the wheat until the time of the harvest."t SUMMARY. In a lower and external sense, all are regenerate by baptism, as the rite of incorporation into the Church. But the full blessings of baptism are conditional, and the baptismal service is, therefore, hypothetical. Laurence reasons against this view from the affirmation of regeneration, but his argument would prove too much, viz. that adults in baptism undergo an inward regeneration, the affirmation being as positive in the one instance as the other. The Church cannot hold that all undergo an inward change in baptism. 1. The 27th Article is directed against the doctrine of the opus operatum, or that grace is conferred by the mere act. This Article was the result of a long debated question. * Works, p. 40. P. S. t Works, p. 464. P. S. 2. The service is manifestly hypothetical. There are seven SUMMARY. things which the Church calls on her people, resting on the promise, not to doubt as to the infant, amongst which are the following, that he will give unto him "the blessing of eternal life," and that he will make him "partaker of his everlasting kingdom." All the other services are hypothetical. 3. The deduction may be fairly drawn from the 17th Article, that those who are truly renewed cannot, in the estimation of the Church, finally perish. But many of the baptized perish; and, therefore, in the view of the Church, all are not inwardly renewed in baptism. Bucer compiled the Cologne service, from which ours is mainly borrowed, but Bucer held that the truly renewed can never perish. He believed, also, that "the true members of the Church are alone regenerate." The chain of evidence is complete. Our service is borrowed from the Cologne. The Cologne service was composed by Bucer. Bucer did not hold that all the baptized are inwardly regenerate. 4. Confirmatory of this is the fact, that Bucer and Martyr did not censure the baptismal service for its statements as to regeneration. Bucer died before the issue of the second book, but Martyr stated that "all things are removed from it which could nourish superstition." 5. The Puritans, at the Hampton Court Conference, who objected to the sign of the cross in baptism, did not object to regeneration, as set forth in the baptismal services. 6. The Church leads her people to pray for regeneration of heart. CHAP. XIII. OCCASIONAL SERVICES. SECT. I-THE CATECHISM. THE CA- BEFORE the Reformation, although Primers had existed, yet TECHISM. falling into disuse, the masses were unacquainted with the first principles of the Christian religion. "Gross darkness covered the people," to the dispelling of which our Reformers at once applied themselves. Ponet's The Catechism first appeared in the confirmation service of the first book of King Edward, ending at the answer to the question, "What desirest thou of God in this prayer?" The remainder was added in 1604. Nicholls thus explains the meaning of the word Catechism : "Catechism is derived from a Greek word, which signifies to inculcate, to sound with vehemence, or by frequent repetition to beat it into the head of the person to be instructed.' The first rubric appended to this formula requires the curate upon Sundays and holydays, after the second lesson in Evening Prayer, to instruct the children as he shall think fit in some part of the Catechism. The second rubric requires parents and masters to cause the children and servants to come to the church for the above purpose. The Council of Trent, declaring it to be the best means of propagating their religion, commands all parish priests to teach children in the Catechism,* and in the preface to that Catechism alludes to the effects produced by the catechising of Protestant divines as follows: "Our age is sadly sensible what mischief they have done the Church, not only by their tongues, but especially by those writings which they are wont to call Catechisms."t In 1553, a Catechism, known as Ponet's, was sanctioned by Catechism. Convocation. In 1561 it was determined to improve upon it, and Dean Nowell was employed for the purpose. His work, commonly called "Nowell's Catechism," was approved by Convocation in 1562, but, says Procter, "not formally sanc"tioned, apparently because it was treated as part of a larger "design which was not realized,"-that design being to publish in one book the Articles, Nowell's Catechism, and Jewel's Apology, with public approval. The only authorized Catechism of the Church of England, is that contained in the Prayer Book. TECHISM. The composition of the latter part, relating to the sacra- THE CAments is attributed to Overall. It was, however, laid before and approved by the Bishops, who would take care that none The teachof Overall's peculiar views should appear in it. The addition ing of the was suggested by the Puritans, in the Hampton Court Con- Catechism. ference. The Church teaches that the Lord's supper is the rememThe brance of the sacrifice. The Romanizers teach that it is the max sacrifice of the cross continued. Further, the Catechism God's states: ove. 13:16. 66 Question. What is the inward part, or thing signified? "Answer. The Body and Blood of Christ, which are verily and indeed taken and received by the faithful in the Lord's supper." This is inconsistent with the notion of a bodily presence, for if Christ were bodily present all would partake of him, and not only the faithful. "Verily expres And yet this answer has been referred to as teaching a literal presence in the elements. The author of these words employs "verily and indeed" in common with Zuinglian and indivines. For example, Hooper was foremost amongst those deed," who advocated advanced Protestant principles. Hardwick, who Hooper's was of different sentiments, states that Hooper by his "friendly sion. intercourse" with Bullinger "had been brought into complete accordance with the Swiss theology."+ His views are undoubted, and yet, in speaking of the benefits derived from the Lord's supper, he uses the ipsissima verba here employed. We give a passage quoted in part before. 66 "I do not believe that the body of Christ can be contained, hid, or inclosed in the bread, under the bread, or with the bread; neither the blood in the wine, under the wine, or with the wine. But I believe and confess the very body of Christ to be in Heaven on the right hand of the Father (as before we have said); and that always and as often as we use this bread and wine according to the ordinance and institution of Christ, we do verily and indeed receive his body and blood."‡ As we have before shown,§ the Reformers by the real recep- * Catechism of the Office of the Holy Communion. Parker, Lond. 1864. § P. 448. |