was the Son of God made man; His divinity is that of one who came down from Heaven; He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary. His public ministry was full of miracles; after His death and burial He rose from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is now reigning in power and glory in the Kingdom of the Father.

The

It does not take so long to explain this answer, for it is very clear-cut and dogmatic,- so simple and brief that it can be taught to children. answer of natural religion is too involved, too hazy, too indefinite, too philosophical, to be taught to children; too grand to be taught to simple folk.

Now the question is, which of these two answers is taught by the Episcopal Church? On which side do we array ourselves: on the side of the Catholic religion, or on the side of the natural religion of the man in the street? For an answer to this question we must go to the Prayer Book; for the Prayer Book is the authoritative statement of our standards of doctrine and worship and practice. Very well then, let us turn to the Collect for Christmas Day. The opening words strike no uncertain note: 'Almighty God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin." Or let us turn to the Proper

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Preface for Christmas: "Because thou didst give Jesus Christ thine only Son, to be born as at this time for us; who, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, was made very man, of the substance of the Virgin Mary his mother; and that without spot of sin, to make us clean from all sin." This is the same faith which we profess in the Nicene Creed: "And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God; Begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of very God; Begotten, not made; Being of one substance with the Father; By whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, And was made man." If anyone wishes any further evidence that the Prayer Book teaches the Catholic Faith in the Incarnation of our Lord, let him read the second of the Thirtynine Articles.

What difference does it make which of these two views we take? It makes all the difference that there is between hope and despair, between light and darkness. Either God has visited and redeemed His people or He has not. We must choose one horn of the dilemma.

If the Catholic doctrine of the Incarnation be true, then indeed God has rent the veil. The

eternal Son has come into our world, taken our human nature, spoken through human lips, thought through a human mind, ministered with human hands, walked on human feet, and loved with a human heart. As we look upon the Cross, we realize that it makes a tremendous difference whether the figure hanging there is the incarnate Son of God or simply a good man; for upon that depends whether it was an atonement for the sins of the world or simply a martyr's death for a principle. If God has come into the world, as we believe and as the Prayer Book teaches, then as we contemplate the life of our Lord, we know that we have found a clear and distinct revelation of the Divine will as to the kind of life we should try to live. We need no longer walk in darkness, for the Light of the world has made clear the path that we should take.

If on the other hand God has not come into our world, and has not spoken clearly and distinctly, then there is no revelation of God of which we may be sure. For if Jesus was simply a man like the rest of us, then there is no reason why we should accept his example as our ideal any more than the example of Buddha or Mohammed or Confucius or Nietzsche. Confronted by all these different ideals of character, how are we to know which of them is the truest and the best? If we

simply choose the one that most appeals to us, how do we know that we are not deluded or mistaken?

At any rate there can be no doubt that the Prayer Book teaches that the Son of God has become incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and that because of that fact we may be born again and made the children of God by adoption and grace, and by the cross and passion of Christ we may be brought unto the glory of His

resurrection.

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IX

THE SACRAMENTAL SYSTEM

HE Christian religion is admirably summed up in the Collect for Christmas-day: Almighty God, who hast given us thy onlybegotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.”

The Incarnation is here set forth as the basis of the Christian Covenant. And then we ask that we may be regenerate and made God's children by adoption and grace; and that we may daily be renewed by the Holy Spirit. In other words, we are to be born again and made God's children by the sacrament of Holy Baptism; and to be given grace for all our daily needs, by means of the other sacraments. Of course we