rch which is a mixed company
of good and bad; and an inner and invisible Church which is known to
God alone, and which consists of the good only? A moment's
consideration of what has been pointed out in previous chapters to be
the teaching of Holy Scripture, about "The Kingdom of Heaven," will
show that the idea is untenable; because it is "The Kingdom of Heaven"
which is distinctly described as imperfect in its present state here
on earth; and we cannot conceive the idea of two universal Kingdoms of
Messiah. What then is the teaching of Holy Scripture respecting the
position of the "Saints," who really are, what they are called to be,
holy?

It is expressed in the words of the Creed, "I believe in the Communion
of Saints."

They who live as Christians, that is, as belonging to Christ, enjoy
"The Communion of Saints." All subjects of "The Kingdom of Heaven" may
enjoy this position of the Saints, if they will. If they are
unnatural children of their Heavenly Father, if they are disloyal
subjects of their King, if they resist, instead of being led by, the
Holy Spirit, they are hindering God's good-will concerning them, and
making of none effect the sufferings of their Saviour. But if they
look up to and love their Father, if they set themselves to serve
their King, if they strive to follow the guidance of the Spirit, they
are in the way of salvation, and have "The Communion of Saints."

But what is "The Communion of Saints"?

No little confusion has been brought into the consideration of these
words by the very prevalent idea that the Saints are, necessarily,
departed Saints who have finished their course in God's faith and
fear. But this is not the usual Bible sense of the word. For instance,
in the Psalms it is commonly used for the name of those who believe in
and worship God. "Sing to the Lord, O ye Saints" (Ps. xxx. 4). "O love
the Lord, all ye His Saints" (Ps. xxxi. 23). "The Lord forsaketh not
His Saints" (Ps. xxxvii. 28). And in the Book of the Acts of the
Apostles and the Epistles it is continually used in the same sense,
for the Lord's people in general. "Peter came down to the Saints
which dwelt at Lydda" (Acts ix. 32). And at Joppa, "He called the
Saints and widows" to him (Acts ix. 41). And S. Paul speaks of his
work as a persecutor in these words, "Many of the Saints did I shut up
in prison" (Acts xxvi. 10). And in most of his Epistles he addresses
those to whom he is writing as "called to be Saints" (R