2 Timothy 1:14

THE CHURCH AND ITS FAITH

‘That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost Which dwelleth in us.’

2 Timothy 1:14

There is no Church throughout the world that has a nobler or more sublime faith than the Church of England. What are we doing to preserve the sublimity of this faith? Are we trying to preserve its noble simplicity? Are we trying to do honour to our own Church, or are we content to be honoured by her in living on the glory of her past?

I. We ought to support such agencies as the Church uses to promote its efforts throughout the civilised world. Every Churchman ought to be a missionary in the best sense of the word. Every Churchman who believes that the Church represents the best symbol of God’s truth ought to subscribe to the utmost of his power to support the Church in all its agencies—both national and parochial.

II. We ought in our own circles to proclaim the Church’s faith.—We ought to present its claim to our friends; not to let ourselves be held back by that false liberalism which teaches that any form of faith is as good as another. We ought to feel that we have access to the Well of Living Water for which the whole world is athirst.

III. We ought to live our daily lives so as to set forth before men the moral and spiritual loveliness of the faith we have received. It is a shame to us that we see men and women outside the Church who are living holier, purer, and more devoted lives than we are. We ought to see that, little though our life may be, though we may be poor, men may be able to say that the faith in us has helped towards goodness and faithful service. Do not be Church people only in name. Do not let this faith seem to you merely a thing to argue about. Open your hearts to this faith which commends itself to your reason. Open your innermost spirit to this faith which alone can satisfy your soul. Let us live in it! Let us set it forth before men visibly in all that we think, in all that we do, in all that we are.

Illustration

‘It is the Church of England which represents the religious genius of the country. The Church of England has made the British race what it is. It is the Church of England that struggled for long centuries to secure the liberty and freedom which is our boast to-day; it is the Church of England that broke down the tyranny of kings; it is the Church of England that shattered paralysing ecclesiasticism; it is the Church of England that gave us the Word of God in our own tongue; it is the Church of England which has established the schools, colleges, and universities for the advancement of learning; it is the Church of England that alone until quite recent times provided for the education of the poor. This may seem to us a very boastful theme, but it is a theme that you may take to the highest Court of History and substantiate for yourselves.’