"I believe in the Holy Catholic Church, and the Communion of Saints."

INTRODUCTION.

Having in the three preceding discourses disposed of the first part of this Article of the Apostles' Creed, we are to treat this evening of the second part, viz.— "The Communion of Saints." These are words of large and important significancy. They point to

interests, in which we are all deeply concerned, interests of a spiritual order, and therefore so much the more precious to us than any interests of a temporal character, as the soul is more precious than the body, as heaven is above the earth, and as eternity outlasts our time in this world, and is to endure for ever and ever.

[Invite attention and invoke a blessing.]

BODY OF THE SUBJECT.

1. The Communion of Saints! What do these words mean? To understand them we must canvass each word apart. And first, the word "Saints." Who are they? They are all the members of the Church. of God. The term "Saints" applies even to sinners

within the Church, because they were sanctified in baptism, and they are bound to a life of sanctity, on which account, St. Paul, writing to the faithful of his day, gives them the title indiscriminately (Rom. i. 7 ; I Cor. i. 2); and St. Peter gives them the same title (1 Ep. ii. 9, 10), " You are a chosen generation," &c., &c.

But when we say the term "Saints" means all the members of the Church of God, we understand the Church in its most comprehensive sense, including first the Church triumphant, or the blessed spirits and saints in heaven; secondly, the Church suffering, consisting of the holy souls in purgatory; and thirdly, the Church militant, consisting of the faithful here on earth. (Explain the terms-Triumphant, Militant and Suffering, and why they are so applied.)

Thus understanding who are comprised in the term Saints," we can understand the other word "Communion." It means that all the blessed spirits and saints in heaven, all the holy souls in purgatory, and all the faithful here on earth, hold communion, that is, are united with each other in interests and advantages of a spiritual order, which are common to them all.

We can illustrate this to a certain degree by an example. There is a certain quantity of land belonging to a town. Belonging to the town it belongs to each inhabitant of the town, and all share, one way or other, in the profits arising from this common land, In the same way, let us suppose a fund of money belonging to a population. It belongs to all the individuals of that population, and each has an interest in the fund. So it is with regard to the

"Communion of Saints." The Church, in heaven, in purgatory, and on earth, possesses benefits and advantages of a spiritual kind. These form a common stock for all the members belonging to the three branches of the Church. Each has an interest in them, and all share in them in one way or other.

The human body will also help us to understand our subject; "For the body," as St. Paul observes (1 Cor. xii. 12), "is one, and hath many members; and all the members of the body, whereas they are many, yet are one body; so also is Christ," that is, the mystic body of Christ, or in other words the Church; and then going on to show how the several members of the body have a common and mutual interest in each other, the Apostle says, “And if one member suffer anything all the members suffer with it: or if one member glory,all the members rejoice with it," (Ibid.26) and then applying the figure, he concludes by saying, "Now you are the body of Christ, and members of member." What a beautiful idea! All the blessed spirits and saints in heaven, all the holy souls in purgatory, and all the faithful on earth forming one body, the mystic body of Christ, and sharing in each other's interests and advantages, as the members of the human body are in sympathy with each other, to suffer, or to benefit all together.

The article of the Communion of Saints may be further illustrated by the doctrine of association and co-operation. When a number of individuals, for instance, a society, co-operate with each other towards a common end or purpose, their interests as well as their liabilities become identified and common with respect to that end and purpose, so that the

liabilities and interests of each are the interests and liabilities of all; and the liabilities and interests of all are the liabilities and interests of each. .So is it with the Church of God. All its members are associated in one great alliance or company, and co-operate towards one universal end or purpose, which, in its ultimate aim, is to honour and glorify God, and each has his merit in this great work, not according to his individual part in it, but according to the entire work as done by all the members combined, so that the merit of the entire Church is the merit of each of the members composing it, and God receiving the honour and glory resulting from such association and cooperation grants His gifts and graces to the Church, for the full and entire benefit of each member of the Church as for all combined. This is the idea St. Paul would give us of the mystery of our redemption, in teaching us that our Divine Saviour died for each of us individually, as for us all universally. Thus he says of himself, as if separating himself from the rest of mankind, "Christ loved ME, and delivered Himself up for ME." How happy, therefore, is [the lot of a Christian, having in the communion of the saints a right of ownership and enjoyment in respect of the spiritual treasure of the Church of God.

2. But we have to inquire what is this spiritual treasure--this common stock of interests and advantages belonging to the Church in its three divisions, in heaven, purgatory, and on earth. We will begin with the blessed spirits and saints in heaven. Having triumphed over their temptations and the enemies of their salvation, they do not forget their brethren, who

are, some of them, fighting their battles here, and others suffering in purgatory.

Refer to 2 Mach. xv. 11, 12, 13, 14, and say: similar is the charitable solicitude of the blessed spirits and saints in heaven for their brethren elsewhere. Refer also to Apoc. viii. 4, and one or two other texts in the references at the end of the Bible, under the title "Saints," and conclude by saying how valuable the services, the blessed inhabitants in heaven render us, and the souls in purgatory, by their intercessions before the Throne of grace and mercy.

And whilst the blessed spirits and saints in heaven are so charitably interested for us here below, we are far from being indifferent in their regard. We join them in thanking, praising, and glorifying God for His mercies to them; we exult with them in their triumphs and glory; we venerate them with religious homage, and have recourse to their prayers, as also we look up to them as models and examples to follow. For these various purposes we celebrate feasts and erect churches in their honour; we put institutions, parishes, cities, and countries under their patronage, and we rejoice to bear their names. Thus it is, as St. Paul expresses it, we come to Mount Sion. (Heb. xii. 22, 23, 24). O! how holy this communion we on earth hold with the saints in heaven. (See "Challoner's Meditations," Nov. 1.)

And from looking up to heaven, let us for a moment look down to purgatory. The holy souls who are there suffering for a time are our brethren in Christ. We feel for them in the charity of Christ as our brethren; we consider their sufferings, the intensity and duration of these sufferings, from which they cannot be released until they will have paid the last farthing;