ffice of the Son of God: his headship was felt
to involve the unity of all those who were united to him."[5] Similar
development of the idea of the one _ecclesia_ as including all members
of all local _ecclesiae_ does not lead St Paul to regard membership of
the universal church as invisible.

But the mere history of the word _ecclesia_ does not exhaust the
subject. We must take into account not only the idea of the visible
_actual_ church, but also the ideal pictured by St Paul in the metaphors
of the Body (Rom. xii. 5), the Temple (1 Cor. iii. 10-15) and the Bride
of Christ (2 Cor. xi. 2). The actual church is always falling short of
its profession; but its successive reformations witness to the strength
of its longing after the beauty of holiness.

Membership in the actual church is acquired through baptism "in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost" (Matt, xxviii. 19).
The references in the New Testament to baptism "in the name of Jesus"
(or the Lord Jesus) (Acts ii. 38, viii. 16. x. 48, xix. 5; Rom. vi. 3;
Gal. iii. 27), which are by some critics taken to refer to a primitive
Christological baptismal formula, seem to refer to the confession made
by the baptized, or to the new relationship into which they are brought
as "members of Christ."[6] Candidates for baptism were exhorted to
prepare for it by repentance and faith (Acts ii. 38). The laying on of
hands (Heb. vi. 2), in the rite called in later times confirmation,
followed baptism (Acts viii. 17). In the modern Greek Church it is
administered by priests with oil which has been consecrated by the
bishop, in the Roman Church by the bishop himself. Such use of the
chrism can be traced from the 2nd century. The Anglican Church retains
only the Biblical symbolism of "the blessing of the hand." Presbyterians
and other Protestant churches have abandoned the use, except the
Lutherans. We need not here trace the history of Christian worship, in
daily services (Acts ii. 46), or on the Lord's Day (Acts xx. 7), meeting
for the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. xi. 17-34), or for mutual edification in
prayer, praise and prophecy (1 Cor. xiv.). These things represent the
ideal of Christendom. In the words of an eminent Roman Catholic scholar,
Monsignor Duchesne, "Faith unites, theology often separates." It must be
our task to summarize the leading ideas of the church in which all
Christians are agreed.

(a) The first is certainly fellowship with Christ and with th