THE IDENTIFICATION MARKS OF THE CHURCH.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 July 1920, Page 7

THE IDENTIFICATION MARKS OF THE CHURCH.

To the Editor. Sir, —Permit me to point out ft grave historical error in the sermon preached by Dean Ryle before the Lambeth Conference last Sunday, and summarised in a cable in to-day's Daily News. Th:? Dean suggested the addition of a word to the Nicene Creed, so, that it might once again read as it read in pre-refor-mation days; "I believe ... in One, Holy, Catholic Church." To make tiw creed as used by him identical»with the pre-ref6rmation Creed, he would have to add the other word Apostolic between the words Catholic and Church. Moreover, without this, the other marks: Unity, Sanctity, Catholicity, would be useless as identification marks of the True Church. The Christian teaching is that Christ established on the Apostles, as a united body, as an organic unity, one Church, which He wished to endure to the end of time; to which He wished all meii to belong; which, therefore, He wished to be known to all; and to which He Himself gave marks that would distinguish it from all counterfeits. These marks are found in the Nicene Creed, a approved in amplified form at the Council of Constantinople (381), and used in all times since, pre-Eeformation and post-Reformation, by the Catholic Church. These marks are contained in the formula: "I believe ... in One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic ChuTch." 1 lie most essential of these marks is Apostolicity—the one omitted by Dean Kyle. For this is the only attribute that by itself furnishes and constitutes a complete guarantee that the Church was instituted by Christ. All the other marks logically follow from this one, and are supported by it. Thus, since Christ established but one Church, and that the Apostolic, the Church's Oneness in space and time follows as a necessary conso- 1 quence. Here, too, we see the link that joins Unity with Catholicity. Unity without Catholicity would not be a sure identification test; because unity within a narrow sphere would not be so remarkable a phenomenon as a unity •stretching across many centuries, over the entire globe. Lastly, this Catholic and Apostolic Church must be Holy; because man's sanctification is the very end' and purpose of Christianity. The word Apostolic is, therefore, rightly found today in what we know as the Nicene Creed, as it was rightly found in the same Creed coming in the fourth century from the assembled Fathers at Constan. tinople.—l am, etc., P. J. POWER. Hawera, oth July.