open his impression, feeling, and understanding of these ceremonies, I believe a great diversity of form and colouring would be found, whilst all are vitally and essentially agreed. And thus it does always happen, whenever any one submits to the public eye his own impression of divine truth, he may express himself as cautiously as he can, some fellow-christian will be shocked; he may speak as mildly and modestly as he can, some brethren in Christ will be offended; as moderately as he can, and yet some tender spirit will be wounded. Perhaps the reader or the hearer who feels any of these things, does not always know how deeply the preacher or the writer feels it too-how often the fear of man, or the love of man, would close the lips, or take away the pen, the spirit shrinking from the collision it anticipates. have no authority to say what a preacher of the gospel feels; but if I may guess one thing by another, had he no impulse to obey but that of nature, were not a necessity laid on him to preach the gospel of Christ, he would shrink from the wounds he has to give and to receive, as much as the coward dreads the field of battle.

I

If I proceed with the subject I have entered

upon,-if I state what I understand by the Sacraments ordained by Christ himself; what I expect when I approach his holy table; what I mean, when I make use of the prescribed words, and what I believe and feel when the rite has been performed; I know that I shall cross the persuasion of many—I do not mean of the world, who hold not like precious faith with ourselves, that we expect of course, and intend no otherwise, but of those who are joined together in holy communion of the body and blood of Christ. Some will think perhaps, I fall short of the truth in estimating the design of the Holy Sacraments, or misstate their real nature, or hold myself too free of human authority respecting them: Some I am sure will think I take too lax a view of the right of admission to them, while others may feel that I am too exclusive in the benefits received. Very possibly I may seem to exaggerate, and be the occasion of discouragement to some who have never found it what I may describe. None of this is intended, though it is all foreseen. I write nothing inconsiderately, or as it were at a venture: if any thing is mistaken, it is nevertheless the well-examined, well-established persuasion of my mind, not the mistake of haste or

carelessness; if anything is deficient, or anything in excess, my error is the communicant's, rather than the writer's: for mine are thoughts, not words: I put down nothing that I have not realized, as I believe, in the administration of the holy ordinance. I am induced to write, notwithstanding this anticipation, because I trust that for one who is wounded by the awkwardness of the administrator, many will be healed by the divine truths exhibited; the mistakes will be mine, and the truths will be God's; and I trust that he will bless the one, the other notwithstanding.

CHAPTER II.

ON THE SACRAMENTS.

By consent of all Protestant churches, the Sacraments are but two; and these so directly ordained and commanded by Christ himself in the New Testament, as to preclude any dispute against their authority, whatever differences may have arisen respecting the nature of them, or the mode of administration. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost." "This do in remembrance of me." These two sacraments, therefore, are of divine obligation, and are not left to the choice of any church communion, to adopt or otherwise, neither to the will of any man, to do or to neglect. Although the responsibility of such a neglect will be more fully noticed in a subsequent chapter, we would here observe how lightly this obligation is estimated, as being of God,

distinctively, and independently of any human sanctions. That much more deference is actually paid to the authority of man in them, than to that of God, is manifested in the stricter observance of the one sacrament, than of the other. Very few parents neglect to have their children baptized: the law of man requires it, and there are civil inconveniences attached to the neglect of it: but many never bring, or care to bring their families to the table of the Lord. Nay, they would not consider themselves Christians, if they had not been baptized; but no man's heart misgives him that he is not a Christian, because he does not, and will not, partake of the body and blood of Christ in the Lord's Supper. And yet the authority is no greater and no less for the one than for the other, nor the command more positive and unrestricted. Most earnestly we would press this reflection upon those, of whom we fear there are many, who take their Christianity for granted, yet never have attended, or desired to attend the communion; a communion equally unavailing indeed, with the sacrament of Baptism, to make us Christians: but as professed members of the Christian church, we have never perhaps considered why we attach so