The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 181

THE APOSTOLATE

141

John, in which, from the fulness of the apostolic sense, the holy apostle solemnly addresses ns.

He opens

his epistle

by declaring

that they, the apostles of the Lord, occupy an exceptional position

regarding the miracle of the incarnation of the Word.

The "Word became

and

He

says:

Word, Life was manifested and that that manifested Life was heard and seen and handled with hands." By whom? By everybody? No, by the apostles; for he adds emphatically " That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, and shew you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us." And what was the aim of this declaration? To save souls? "

flesh,

in that incarnate

;

:

Surely this also, but not this in the

first

apostolic declaration is to bring the connection

with the apostolate.

place.

members

For, clearly

The purpose of of the

this

Church into

and emphatically, he

This we declare unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us." And only after this link is closed, and the fellowship adds:

"

with the apostolate an accomplished

fact,

he says

:

"

And

truly our

with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." The apostle's reasoning is as transparent as glass. Life was

fellowship

is

way that it could be seen and handled. They who saw and handled it were the apostles; and they were also to declare this life unto the elect. By this declaration the required manifested in such a

fellowship between the

And

elect

and the apostolate

in consequence of this, there

is

is

established.

fellowship also for the elect

with the Father and the Son.

This

may

not be understood as referring only to the people then

living; and, regarding

weak

Rome, one's

position, Bible in hand, is ex-

he maintain that this higher significance of the apostolate had reference only to the then living, and not in the same measure to us. Indeed, we, upon whom the end of the ages has come, must maintain the vital fellowship with the holy apostolate of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rome errs by making its bishops ceedingly

if

the successors of the apostles, teaching that fellowship with the

upon fellowship with Rome an error which is obvious from the fact that St. John expressly and emphatically connects the fellowship of the apostolate with men who have seen apostolate depends

:

and heard and handled that which was manifested of the Word of Life something to which no Roman bishop can appeal in the present day. Moreover, St. John says distinctly that this fellowship with the apostolate must be the result of the declaration of the Word

—

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