works," (Eph. ii. 10,) and " if any man be in Christ he is a new creature,” (2 Cor. v. 17,) " renewed in the spirit of his mind," and "created in righteousness and true holiness." (Eph. iv. 23, 24.)

But this spiritual life, consisting of pardon and reconciliation with God, and a renewal to a life of holiness, was obtained for us, Scripture tells us, by the offering of the flesh and blood of Christ upon the cross. For "we have redemption through his blood." (Eph. i. 7.) "When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God, by the death of his Son." (Rom. v. 10.) "He hath reconciled us in the body of his flesh, through death." (Col. i. 21, 22.) "He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Tit. ii. 14.) So that the flesh and blood of Christ, offered upon the cross, procured for men these blessings.

Hence we have at once a strong confirmatory argument that, seeing it is spiritual life, the life of the soul, for which Christ came and was offered, his flesh and blood can be food only in a spiritual manner, being food for the nourishment of the soul.

But let us further observe how Scripture itself tells us that we obtain these blessings, purchased by Christ's death. It is by faith in that sacrifice as the atonement for our sins. Jesus Christ "God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins, &c." (Rom. iii. 25.) And saith our Lord, "He that believeth on me, hath everlasting life." (John vi. 47.) Therefore the flesh and blood of Christ, offered upon the cross, become life to the soul, when we rest upon them by faith, as the foundation of our hopes before God.

Hence the flesh and blood of Christ become, by faith, a restorative to the soul, giving it spiritual life and health. And to the faithful, taking the bread and wine in a believing and thankful remembrance of Christ's death, the flesh and blood of Christ, represented by the bread and

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wine, are verily and indeed food to their souls; food truly received by them in a spiritual manner, and effectual to the nourishment of their souls. For "he that eateth me, even he shall live by me." (ver. 57.) indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." (ver. 55.) As our Church expresses it, "The body and blood of Christ are verily and indeed taken and received by the faithful in the Lord's supper;" (Catech.) and by "the faithful" only; for "the body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the supper only after an heavenly and spiritual manner; and the mean whereby the body of Christ is received and eaten in the supper, is faith." (Art. 28.) And he only who thus, i. e. by faith, eats the flesh, and drinks the blood of Christ, can possess spiritual life. For saith our Lord, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." (John vi. 53.)

And our Lord's observations in this chapter (John vi.) show us, as we have already observed, that there may be such an eating and drinking, by faith only, without the external symbols. And even Romanists themselves confess that when our Lord speaks in this chapter of eating his flesh and drinking his blood, he means "faith in his death."1

And this our Church teaches us, in her office for the communion of the sick, in these words;-"If a man, either by reason of extremity of sickness, or &c., or any other just impediment, do not receive the sacrament of Christ's body and blood, the curate shall instruct him that, if he do truly repent him of his sins, and stedfastly believe that Jesus Christ hath suffered death upon the cross for him, and shed his blood for his redemption, earnestly remembering the benefits he hath thereby, and giving him hearty thanks therefore, he doth eat and drink the body and blood of our Saviour Christ profitably to his soul's health, although he do not receive the sacrament with his mouth."

But, doubtless, the effectual operation of this spiritual

See Card, Caietan's Comment. on this passage.

food upon the soul may be more especially looked for in the celebration of that sacramental rite which is an ordinance of Christ's own appointment for the faithful and thankful commemoration of his death.

Now there is nothing in all this beyond the power of any man of good common understanding, who will make the Bible his study. And such is the clearness and fulness of the Divine volume, on all important points, that it is sometimes found (I appeal to the experience of those who have had opportunities of making the observation) that a poor unlearned cottager, who has been a diligent student of his Bible, may have a firmer hold of truth, and a better insight into the genius and doctrines of Christianity, than those who have been labouring for years in the field of theological study.

But the misfortune is, that men will not generally thus study their Bibles. And no doubt it must be added that there are some understandings that need guidance and instruction. Such, also, is the negligence and indifference of men in spiritual things, that they need to have the truth urgently set before them; to have even that information which is accessible to them, and placed within their reach, put, as it were, in their hands, with a call upon them to attend to it.

Here, then, comes in the office of the minister of Christ; and we are thus reminded of an objection sometimes made to the views we have been advocating, and the answer to it.

It is objected,

If the Scriptures are perspicuous enough to teach the faith, then the ministerial office, and all such helps, are useless; but the latter is inconsistent with the declarations of Scripture and experience, and therefore the former.

Here, though the premises are most true, the conclusion is altogether inconsequent and absurd. The clearness and fulness of the written word to those who can and will make use of it, are far from affecting the value and importance of the labours of the minister of Christ. For,

not to mention other duties of his office, such as the ministration of the sacraments, &c., there are, in the first place, children and illiterate persons, who cannot even read, and there are a large number,-must I say the majority?-who will not read, to be instructed by him. Further, there is a large number, whose secular engagements are allowed to stand in the way of an earnest and attentive perusal of Scripture, who therefore need to have things plain to the student of Scripture pointed out to them. Above all, he has to contend with the corruptions and prejudices of human nature, to induce it to receive the truths of Scripture as there delivered. The negligence, the indifference, the prejudices, the voluntary ignorance of men, require all, and more than all, his energies. It is his to be the diligent prayerful student of the word of God, and point out to men what he finds there. It is his to direct and quicken the researches of his flock into that sacred volume. It is his to point out what is, indeed, accessible to all, by a little attention and study; but which, through indifference and worldly-mindedness, needs to be enforced on their attention.

And in this matter, as far as concerns the articles of faith contained in the creed, even Thomas Aquinas will teach us better doctrine than our opponents. Speaking of the creed, he proposes this objection to be solved; "It appears that the articles of the faith are placed improperly in a creed. For Holy Scripture is the rule of faith, which it is not lawful to add to, or take away from. For it is said, Deut. 4. Ye shall not add to the word which I speak unto you; neither shall ye take away from it.' Therefore it was unlawful to constitute any creed a rule of faith, after the Holy Scripture was published." To this he replies as follows;-"To this it is to be answered, that the truth of the faith is contained in Holy Scripture diffusely, and in various ways, and in some obscurely; so that, to extract the truth of the faith from the Holy Scripture, there is required long study and exercise; to which all those to whom it is necessary to know the truth of the faith can

not attain, most of whom, being occupied with other business, have no time for study; and therefore it was necessary that, from the declarations of the Holy Scripture, something clear should be collected in the way of summary, which might be proposed to all for their belief; which is not, indeed, added to the Holy Scripture, but rather taken from the Holy Scripture."1

Here, then, no obscurity is supposed but what the study of the Scriptures is sufficient to remove; and the use of the Church in making the creed is, not to lay down articles of faith as from the Scriptures, which men studying the Scriptures could not themselves find there, but to abridge the time and consideration required for a comprehensive view of and search into the Scriptures, in aid of those who are occupied in worldly business.

And if we go beyond the prime articles of the faith, (which, however, be it observed, I do not limit to those in the Apostles' Creed,) who will deny that there are points, important points, revealed in Scripture, in which all may be much indebted to the labours of those who, at various periods of the Church, have, by extensive collation of Scripture with itself, by long and deep thought, study, and meditation, and doubtless, in many cases, by the guidance of the Spirit of God, elucidated the declarations of Scripture. It was well said by Gregory the Great, that there are in Scripture shallows which a lamb might ford, and depths in which an elephant might swim. There

1 Videtur quod inconvenienter articuli fidei in symbolo ponantur. Sacra enim Scriptura est regula fidei cui nec addere nec subtrahere licet. Dicitur enim Deut. 4. Non addetis ad verbum quod vobis loquor neque auferetis ab eo. Ergo illicitum fuit aliquod symbolum constituere quasi regulam fidei post sacram Scripturam editam . . . . . Ad primum ergo dicendum, quod veritas fidei in sacra Scriptura diffuse continetur et variis modis et in quibusdam obscure; ita quod ad eliciendum fidei veritatem ex sacra Scriptura requiritur longum studium et exercitium, ad quod non possunt pervenire omnes illi quibus necessarium est cognoscere fidei veritatem, quorum plerique aliis negotiis occupati studio vacare non possunt ; et ideo fuit necessarium ut ex sententiis sacræ Scripturæ aliquid manifestum summarie colligeretur, quod proponeretur omnibus ad credendum, quod quidem non est additum sacræ Scripturæ, sed potius ex sacra Scriptura sumptum. THOм. Aq. Summ. Theolog. Sec. sec. q. 1. art. 9. ed. Paris, 1631.