Sacrifice.--A solemn offering made to God according to His ordinance,
for His honor and for the benefit of sinners, as in the Holy
Communion which is called "our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving,"
and in which the merits and death of Christ are pleaded for the
remission of our sins.
Sacristan.--An old word derived from the Latin _sacra_, meaning
sacred things, still retained to designate one who has charge of
the Sacristy with all its contents, viz., the vestments and sacred
vessels. The word has been corrupted into _sexton_ which is now used
for the man who takes care of the church building.
Sacristy.--The apartment in a church building {237} where the
vestments, books and sacred vessels are kept; sometimes called the
vestry.
Saint.--The New Testament name for all the Baptized, who are
declared to be "an holy nation," by reason of their incorporation
into Christ's mystical Body. Like the ancient people of God they may
not in their individual lives fully realize their high destiny, yet
are they partakers of an holy calling. The word has since come to be
used only of those of extraordinary virtue and who, perchance,
suffered for the Truth's sake.
Saints' Days.--It has always been characteristic of the devotional
system of the Christian Church to commemorate before God the grace
given to His faithful servants whereby they were enabled to live
righteously and to bear witness to His Truth, and to pray that we
may follow the good examples of these His servants and with them be
made partakers of Everlasting Life. (See DIPTYCHS.) The day
commemorated is generally that of the Saint's death, because like
his Master, he passed through death to the portals of Everlasting
Life. According to the Prayer-book the Saints commemorated in this
Church are the Twelve Apostles; St. John Baptist and St. Barnabas;
the Evangelists St. Mark and St. Luke; the Holy Innocents, St.
Stephen; Conversion of St. Paul; and in addition, St. Michael and
All Angels' Day, and All Saints' Day. The Saints commemorated in
our Calendar are all treated of elsewhere under their proper titles,
to which the reader is referred.
Sanctuary.--Meaning the "Holy Place"; the name given to that
portion of the Chancel within the rail {238} where the Altar stands;
from this fact the whole church building is frequently called the
Sanctuary of God.
Schism.--Derived from a Greek word, meaning _fissure_, or _rent_,
and may be defined as a rending of the Body of Christ, His Church
on earth, and making divisions in the one Body. The divisions
between the East and West, and between Rome and the Anglican
Communion may be described in St. Paul's words as "schism _in_ the
Body," rather than schism _from_ it, inasmuch as none of these three
bodies has lost any of the essentials of Church Unity--the Apostolic
Ministry, the Sacraments, the Creeds and the Holy Scriptures. But
the word also means separation from the Church and is applied to
those religious bodies which have abandoned the Historic Church.
Such wilful separation, whether within the Church or without, St.
Paul, in 1 Corinthians, calls a sin (1 Cor. 1:10; 3:3; 11:18), and
in Romans 16:18, we are directed to avoid those who cause divisions.
The Church regards her unity as of such vital importance to her own
life and to the life of each individual soul, she bids us pray in
the Litany, "From all false doctrine, heresy, and Schism, Good Lord,
deliver us." (See UNITY, CHURCH; and also UNDIVIDED CHURCH.)
Scriptures in the Prayer-book.--It has been pointed out, on the
authority of a careful and detailed calculation that of the whole
Prayer-book, three-fifths of it are taken from the Bible and that
two-fifths of all the Church's worship are carried on in the actual
words of Holy Scripture. Again, that one-half of this Divine Service
is Praise; one-fourth, Prayer; and {239} one-fourth, Reading of the
Bible. From these facts, the Episcopal Church has been rightly called
a "Bible Reading Church." We thus learn the great value of the
Prayer-book in setting forth "the things pertaining to the Kingdom
of God." (See LECTIONARY.)