thee by His grace from the corruption of Satan." From the service for the third Sunday of the same festival.
§ 3. "All Thy worshippers, O Lord, flee for refuge to Thy Church, there to partake of Thy sacraments for the pardon of their sins." From the service for the first Friday of the same festival.
§ 4. "We were sanctified by water and the Spirit, and by Thy Body and Blood we attain life." From the service appointed in the Khudhra for the Epiphany.
See also several extracts cited under Chap. XXIII. where the sacraments are called "pledges," "pledges of the forgiveness of God's children," and "the sacraments of the Church's salvation."
See further, the definition of a sacrament as contained in Appendix B. Part IV. c. 1.
The above extracts are sufficient to prove that, according to the doctrine of the Nestorians, God doth work invisibly in us through the sacraments of His own appointment, and that through these, as through a channel. He doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm our faith in Him. Not, however, that the sacraments are to be regarded as a mere charm, the use of which being totally disjoined from any mental exercise, cannot be regarded as a reasonable service. "On the contrary, the doctrine of the efficacy of the sacraments, ex opere operantis, is most clearly declared throughout their standard writings. Thus Mar Abd Yeshua says: The sacraments in order to convey grace require "right intention and confirmed faith on the part of those who partake thereof, believing that the effect of the sacraments takes place by a heavenly power." And, again: "they impart to all who receive them in faith, and without doubting, the forgiveness of sins, purification, enlightenment, pardon, the great hope of the resurrection from the dead, the inheritance of heaven, and the new life." In this respect, therefore, the Nestorians coincide with the doctrine declared in the concluding paragraph of the article at the head of this chapter. The effect of the sacraments upon unworthy recipients will be given under Article XXIX.
