determined sin. But in as far as it has not been frustrated, in as far as men have not resisted God's Spirit, in as far as the Church has been allowed to fulfil its high mission, and do its heavenly work among a world of sinners-in so far earth has been blessed. War has lost something of its horror, science has opened, like a flower, beneath the sunny influences of a free inquiring spirit, woman has been elevated, the poor are being instructed, slavery is being abolished, the varied ranks of society are being drawn more closely to each other. Things are much better, in many ways, than they were before the coming of our Lord into the world. very far from what they ought to be. generally too unquiet and tempestuous to carry to our ears the music which is heard in Heaven. sometimes at God's bidding there is a great calm. Sometimes the waves are hushed into a slumber and the air is still. Then our charmed ears may catch a few notes of the angelic melody, borne to us across the waters. Then echoes of a perfect unity come floating to us upon words which have been winged by peace.

Still they are

The waves are

But

This, then, is a great truth. There is one body. The Church of Christ is one. There is one universal Church in many lands. All the individuals composing that Church are many members, but all together are the one body of Christ. We are members one of another, and all of Christ. We are one with the saints departed who once belonged and still belong to Christ. We are one with all the members of the Church who are living now, having "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all." We are one with all who shall yet belong to Christ,

with generations yet unborn who shall hereafter be subjects of that kingdom which fills the earth. It is a great doctrine. The soul grows large, and widens into the vastness of a world-embracing sympathy, as it meditates upon the one body of the one Spirit, which can never perish, and which has been, and ever shall be, the leaven of the earth.

III. And now that I may bring the truth more closely home to your hearts and consciences let me say to you first of all: Believe in it. Believe in the unity of the Church. It is not easy to believe in it. When we look around and see the sad divisions of the Christian world it is hard to believe that our Lord intended Christians to be one body. The world in general does not believe in it at all. The world says: There is one Spirit; Christians must have one heart and one mind; but whether they belong to one society or not is of no importance; there is not one body.' This is what the world says. The world has invented a theory of the Church to agree with the

distracted state of Christendom, and has perverted the word Catholicity from that true meaning in which it represents the variety of members in a single body, till it is used to denote a number of discordant bodies which, having no common principles or organization, are by some strange process confounded into one. To be a Catholic in ancient times was to believe that old truth which had been held in all ages, and to belong to that old society which was built upon the Twelve Apostles by its Head and Founder, Christ. To be a Catholic in modern language is to hold no fixed opinions, and to be a member of any new and mushroom Church. Men now too often speak as though unity of spirit was contrary to outward and bodily

1

That is the

unity, and deny that there is any single body in which the world may yet be made one. popular theory in modern times. And when we see in newspapers, and hear in common talk, and read in a multitude of books, that the Church is many, and that it is quite a mistake and a piece of bigotry to understand the Bible literally and believe that the Church is one ;-I say, when we hear these things and read these things, and when, further, we remember how many good men there are who say— 'I belong to Luther,' and 'I belong to Wesley,' and I belong to Calvin,' and 'I am a Baptist,' and 'I am a Plymouth Brother,' and 'I am an Independent,' and the like, we are very apt to get confused, and to say, 'Perhaps, after all, I have been dreaming, the world must be right and the Bible must be wrong.' It really is hard to believe this truth. A man must say, "Let God be true and every man a liar," before he can bring himself to a conviction and a firm faith that, since God declares it, the Church is and must be one. Believe it then, my brethren. Believe that the body of Christ is one as God is one. Believe not the world's lie but God's truth. Believe not God's enemy when he tells you that there is not one body. Oh, I can fancy that I hear the laugh which rings throughout the courts of hell, as devils congratulate each other upon the cheat which they have palmed upon the sons of men. 'What fools,' they say, 'these Christians are. We have told them that Christ is many, and they believe our words. We have said to them-The more sects, the more life; schism is unity; war is peace; quarrels are love; discord is harmony. And they listen to us. We whisper in their ears-Split

among yourselves that you may conquer Satan. Destroy each other in civil warfare, and then you shall prevail against the gates of hell. Hate each other, for so shall ye bring in a bright millenium of love.' So we might hear the fallen spirits talking, amid maniac shouts of savage glee. And what do they say in Heaven while sounds like these are heard in hell? I hear no laughter there among those Angels and Archangels who rejoice when a sinner turns to God. But I see sadness on their faces. I watch the river of their tears. I hear them say in tones of plaintive melancholy, 'Oh, when will Christians know that unity is strength, and that the Church is the bond of unity, and that the victory which overcomes the world and hell is faith, the one faith.' Believe the Angels. That which they see is the truth.

They see the oneness of the Three who are One. They see the unity of the Church, which is an image of that oneness. And that which they behold with awe and admiration do ye with thankfulness believe.

2. Next I say, pray for unity. If we are bound to believe in unity we are bound to do what in us lies to bring it to pass. What, then, can we better do than pray? It is absent from us. It is slow in coming. It is a blessing withheld from the Church, by God, for a long season. And it is prayer alone which shall bring it back. Pray for unity. We are but a few persons, but if we all agree together to let no day pass in which we will not pray for unity to a God of peace and love, who knows how much we might accomplish through the mercy and grace of Him who answers prayer? Put emphasis into your public petitions as often as the words come round, "from

schism, Good Lord deliver us;" "give to all nations unity, peace, and concord;" "that all who call themselves Christians may hold the faith in unity of Spirit, and in the bond of peace;" "give unto Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give." And use daily, as part of your private prayers, the prayer for unity in the form of prayer for the Queen's Accession. We know not what a gracious God may do, in answer to such united intercession for a distracted Christendom, which does not now know "how good and joyful a thing it is to dwell together in unity."

3. Nor only pray, but labour. To labour is to pray. Labour for unity. Promote unity as far as you can. It is the saying of a great father in the Church, "He does not possess the love of God who does not love the unity of the Church." Desire the unity of the Church, and do what in you lies to bring it back again. There can be but little religious life when there is not unity. When St. Paul says to the Ephesians, "He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come, in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ," he plainly shows us that unity is not a mere ornament of Christianity, but part of its essence,—so that where unity is not, there is no approach to perfection, no "edifying," no advance in knowledge, no growth in grace and conformity to the image of Christ. His words have no meaning at all if they do not prove clearly that it is the very aim, and end,

: