From Genesis to the Revelation of the Divine reaches the rainbow of
the Sacramental system--outward and visible signs of inward and
spiritual grace:-

The sacrament of purging, purifying labour, to balance and control
the knowledge of good and evil:-

The sacrament of life, divine life, with the outward body of
humiliation, bread and wine, fruit of the accursed ground, but
useless without man's labour; and St Paul, caught up into the third
heaven, and St John, with his wide-eyed vision of the Lamb, must
eat this bread and drink this cup if they would live:-

The sacrament of healing, the restoring of the Image of God in
fallen man.

The Church is one society, nay, the world is one society, for man
without his fellow-men is not; and into the society, both of the
Church and the world, are inextricably woven the most social
sacraments.

Herein is great purpose, we say, bending the knee; and with deep
consciousness of sins and shortcomings we stretch out longing
welcoming hands to our grey brethren with their inheritance of
faithfulness and steadfastness under persecution, and their many
gifts and graces; and we cry, in the words of the Song of Songs
which is Solomon's: "O my dove, that art in the clefts of the
rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy
countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy
countenance is comely." "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come