The spiritual blessings spoken of in the Creed and asked for in the
Lord's Prayer are brought to us through the Means of Grace.

WHAT THEY ARE. The Means of Grace are: 1. The Word of God, 2. The
Sacrament of Holy Baptism, 3. The Sacrament of the Altar. They are
called the means of grace, because they are the means or vehicles
through which God's grace comes to us. It is through the Word of God and
the Sacraments that the Holy Spirit does His work in us.

THE WORD OF GOD.

THE CHIEF MEANS OF GRACE is the Word of God. [I Pet. 1:23] For through
it the Holy Spirit "calls, enlightens, sanctifies, and preserves us in
the true faith." Even in the Sacraments, the principal thing is the Word
of God with its command and promise; and without the Word of God there
would be no sacrament.

ITS POWER. The Holy Spirit is always in the Word, and gives it saving
power. Through the Law and the Gospel which the Word contains, He brings
to repentance and faith all those persons who do not wilfully resist His
grace. [Heb. 4:12] Through it He not only tells us what to do, but gives
us the power to obey. [Eph 2:4, 5] Because He is in the Word, "it is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." [Rom 1:16]
(Compare what is said concerning the Bible in Chapter I., and concerning
the Work of the Holy Spirit in Chapter XX.)

THE SACRAMENTS.

WHAT A SACRAMENT IS. A sacrament is a holy ordinance, instituted by
Christ, in which invisible heavenly gifts are bestowed upon us through