sacred Persons of the Holy Trinity: a communion which is thus described in the strong language of the Saviour: "If any man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him."

The Scriptures speak also of a communion with the inhabitants of heaven, those blessed spirits who have kept their first estate, and stand before the presence of their God. It is probable that the corruptions of doctrine which the church of Rome has introduced by her worship of angels, has tended much to awaken a spirit of doubt respecting the intercourse of these heavenly messengers of God with this lower world, and the interest which they take in the welfare of those who will shortly join their blessed company. But it is not perhaps too much to understand literally the words of the apostle Paul: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them which shall be heirs of salvation." Their ministrations may indeed be unseen, but they are not the less effectual for our welfare and protection. It is consistent with what we do know respecting these celestial beings, that they should not think it unworthy of their high and holy dignity, to be employed as the guardians and defenders of the faithful. In the earlier times they held sacred converse

with the favoured patriarch; they encamped around the dwelling of the chosen prophet; they gave confidence and safety to the servant of the Most High. They sang in rapturous strains, when their King veiled his Godhead in mortal flesh; they brought the glad tidings to the humble shepherds; they rejoiced that salvation was proclaimed to the children of the dust. The Saviour himself, in his bitter agony, was content to receive support and consolation from one of these his servants; and in the times of persecution and of danger, his apostles were delivered from the prison and the chain by means of their interference. Yet, if with these instances of their ministrations in this lower world, we might still imagine that we had no right to expect their aid, in the support or defence of individual Christians, we may at least be encouraged to repentance, when we are told that they rejoice in the presence of their God over one sinner that repenteth. This at least shows their generous anxiety for our eternal welfare; this at least must convince us of the value of our souls, and of the reality of that happiness which the holy angels desire to share with the ransomed of the Lord.

There is also a communion of the saints as members of the body of Christ.

In many things, as far at least as regards the outward ordinances of the church, the nominal

professor, or the specious hypocrite, may have some communion with the true Christian. It was not of the Jewish church alone that the apostle spake, "All are not Israel who are of Israel." Christ himself has said that many cry unto him, Lord, Lord! whom he refuses to acknowledge as his people. In the parable, the tares, as well as the wheat, sprung up within the field. In the church the hypocrite may have the washing of baptism, the same creed, the same instruction in the word of God, the same symbols of a Saviour's death; but he has not the same renovation of heart, the same faith which worketh by love, the same communication of grace and holiness which the humble and faithful Christian derives from these ordinances. These blessings are of a spiritual nature, and can only be received in a spiritual manner. They are objects discernible by the spiritual mind alone; they can only be received by that faith which is the appointed means of their conveyance to the heart. They are privileges which belong only to the members of a spiritual church, and they cannot be communicated by the mere outward form, but by the operation of the Holy Ghost. In this spiritual church, then, the saints of God have communion with each other. They are the children of one common Parent; they are redeemed by the same atonement; they are sanctified by the same Spirit; they derive all their

K

comfort, their strength, their wisdom, from the same unfailing source. They meet together at the same throne of grace; their petitions ascend up in the same prevailing name; their affections are fixed upon the unchanging love of their heavenly Father. They look forward with the same ardent hope to that future day of glory when they shall meet in the full and uninterrupted blessedness of that Father's house.

As, moreover, this communion of Christians with each other is solely of a spiritual nature; as the love of the members of Christ's mystical body is not confined by the accidents of time and place; so also is there the joyful participation of the same hopes, the prospect of the same happiness, the confidence in the same support, which were enjoyed by those "just men made perfect,” who have already entered upon their inheritance of the promises. Thus the communion of saints is not dissolved by death. Yea, rather, it shall be perfected above, in that blessed state, when faith shall be lost in vision, for we shall see face to face; when hope shall be swallowed up in the realities of our loftiest anticipations; and when love alone shall reign in every bosom, uniting each ransomed child of God, with him who is the source of all our blessings, the sum of all our joys.

From this rapid view of the doctrine contained in this article of the creed, we may readily con

clude that it is not destitute of important prac

tical deductions.

It strongly enforces holiness of life.

"When

we walk in the light, as God is in the light, then have we fellowship with him." "But if we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth." "What communion hath righteousness with unrighteousness? or what fellowship hath Christ with Belial?" The idea of communion with God presupposes a similitude of character. We must "be holy as he is holy;" we must be "sanctified by his Spirit in the inner man ;" or we can have no communion with him, no intercourse with his holy nature. And if we have not this sacred communion with God; if we are not "reconciled to him by the death of his Son," nor received as the children of his adoption by the Holy Spirit; we may in vain boast of our admission into the visible church of Christ; we may vain profess that we have had the privileges of his word and sacraments, or that we have cried unto him, Lord, Lord! with the heartless prayer of the hypocrite. Assuredly, if we have no communion with God here, as the source of light and holiness, we shall have no communion with him hereafter, as the fountain of happiness and peace.

in

This view of the subject ought also to impress. us with gratitude. If the Psalmist, on the con