532 THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHEEPFOLDS

Invisible Church, or Body of Christ: and infallible in the main sense it must of course be by its definition. An Elect person must be saved, and therefore cannot eventually be deceived on essential points: so that Christ says of the deception of such, “If it were possible,”¹ implying it to be impossible. Therefore, as we said, if one could get rid of the variable opinions of the members of the Invisible Church, the constant opinions would assuredly be authoritative: but, for the three reasons above stated, we cannot get at their constant opinions: and as for the feelings and thoughts which they daily experience or express, the question of Infallibility-which is practical only in this bearing-is soon settled. Observe, St. Paul, and the rest of the Apostles, write nearly all their epistles to the Invisible Church:-those epistles are headed,-Romans, “To the beloved of God, called to be saints;” 1 Corinthians, “To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus;” 2 Corinthians, “To the saints in all Achaia;” Ephesians, “To the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus;” Philippians, “To all the saints which are at Philippi;” Colossians, “To the saints and faithful brethren which are at Colosse;” 1 and 2 Thessalonians, “To the Church of the Thessalonians, which is in God the Father, and the Lord Jesus;” 1 and 2 Timothy, “To his own son in the faith;” Titus, to the same; 1 Peter, “To the Strangers, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God;” 2 Peter, “To them that have obtained like precious faith with us;” 2 John, “To the Elect lady;” Jude, “To them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.”

10. There are thus fifteen epistles, expressly directed to the members of the Invisible Church. Philemon and Hebrews, and 1 and 3 John, are evidently also so written, though not so expressly inscribed. That of James, and

Pimlico, was one of the conspicuous Ritualists of the time. His practices were referred to in Lord John Russell’s Durham Letter. He resigned his incumbency at Bishop Tait’s request in 1850.]

¹ [Matthew xxiv. 24.]

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