VII - THE CHURCH AND ITS MEMBERS

Summary

“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

—Eph. iv. 4, 5.

To-day, brethren, I propose to speak to you about the Church; something also about baptism, which is the entrance into the Church. This is a great subject in itself, belonging, when rightly understood, to the first and most necessary principles of Christian faith. At each of our services we repeat the Apostles' Creed, and there, after declaring our belief in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, and in the Holy Ghost, we go on to declare our belief in the Holy Catholic Church. So also in the Nicene Creed, which we repeat in the morning service after the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, we say, in the same place, “And I believe one Catholic and Apostolic Church, I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.” We are not then true Christian believers unless we believe in the Church, and we cannot do that unless we know what the Church means.

But I have a special reason for wishing to say a few words to you on this subject now. You have heard read out the Bishop's notice that in about two months from this time he proposes to confirm such young persons from this parish as shall be brought to him for that purpose. You have all heard about confirmations; you can nearly all remember other confirmations which took place three and six and more years ago.