# Q_ •^r .55 "S Ir: 3 4 0) JO ^.^ IE £S ** Q. ^w *£b & o s i» CL 1 ^ /0 2»7/ *.- BAPTISM, AND THE OFFICES OF THE CHURCH EXPLAINED. OBSERVATIONS DEVOTIONAL AND PRACTICAL. %, gtqutl to a ©rtattst on tlje isucijavtst. the rev. george Steward, CURATE OF ST. LAWRENCE AND ST. JOHNS, YORK. LONDON : SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, and CO., STATIONERS' HALL COBUT; GEORGE HOPE, YORK. and to be had of all booksellers. 1847. PREFACE Doubtless there are many who differ from the Church of England, and are ready to say of her offices, " What mean ye, by this service % " This question, if not readily answered, might induce the conclusion, that no very satisfactory ac- count can be given of their import. A manual, therefore, appears necessary, suffi- ciently comprehensive but brief, as most suitable to the purpose, and adapted for the mass of the laity, whose time and occupation prevent them from having re- course to such elaborate treatises upon the subject, as those by Wheatley, Doctor Comber, Le Strange, &a To this may be added, — that the expediency of such books begins much to be felt, and their value to be estimated, now that churches, as sacred edifices, have multiplied far beyond all preceding times, while the attendants upon divine worship have in like manner increased. If the members of the church were rightly grounded in her doc- trines and liturgical services, they would have no cause to be ashamed of standing- forward in defence of her various offices ; nor need they be fearful of meeting the objections of gainsay ers ; seeing that they contain a form of sound words, which are supported by numerous and sufficient por- tions of holy writ in both testaments. This has been abundantly shewn in two volumes lately published by the Christian Knowledge Society, entitled, "The Book of Common Prayer, with marginal references to texts in the Holy Scriptures ; " and "The Liturgy compared with the Bible." The Author fervently prays that God, who is the Giver of all grace, would deign to bless his humble efforts at a concise view, and a right use of the services of our Church, to the saving benefit of souls. His aim has been to shew, that they are both scriptural and evangelical in doctrine, full of comfort to the spiritually minded, and, when duly improved, tending to the maintenance of practical godliness. If he should so far succeed as to fix the adhe- rence of her wavering members, arouse the serious attention of those who have hitherto regarded them as a mere form, and meet the approval of the godly, his earnest desires will be amply satisfied. BAPTISM. THE OFFICES OF THE CHURCH. The nature of a sacrament has been denned, as the sign or symbol of a sacred thing, attended with saving benefit through faith in Christ, and the sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit, to the worthy recipient ; effecting holiness of heart, wherewith it is consecrated and united to God, being fruitful in every Christian grace ; and, finally, consummated in the purity and felicity of the eternal state in heaven. It is a memorial of the past, in the passion of Christ ; with a bright expectation of the future : for eye hath not seen, neither hath ear heard, neither hath the B 10 heart conceived of the things which God hath prepared for those that lore him. The sacraments, or divine ordinances, observed in God's ancient church, were — circumcision ; unleavened bread, with the paschal lamb ; also, the use of various purifications. Yet every religious ceremony is not a sacrament ; as the agapce, or feast of love ; washing the disciples' feet ; or the kiss of charity. Admitting that the observance of sacred rites has been abused, yet it may be ration- ally maintained, that such external aids are adapted to our bodily senses. Some who seem to have thought that it was not possible to go too far from the Church of Rome, have refused them altogether, — confining the exercise of devotion solely and entirely to the mind ; so that, in their assemblies, there is a great uncertainty as to any public act of religious worship taking place. But we must not make a Saviour of the sacraments, or trust in the mere opus operatum of their administration. This we fear, has proved an opiate to lull men in peril of perdition ; and never, surely, was there a time, when the 11 warning voice against such soul-destroying error had more need to be sounded distinctly and loudly, than at the present. In the sacraments, we have an impressive exhibition of the design of Christ's mission to destroy the works of the devil ; his suf- ferings and death, to absolve us from guilt ; and the descent of the Holy Ghost, as a sanctifier and comforter. Moreover, by them the church is known among its own members, and also distinguished from those without, — Infidels, Jews, and Turks. It is, likewise, a public avowal of our belief in the Christian religion ; while therein the faithful are cemented as with a holy bond, urging to bro- therly kindness, and acts of charity. "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness. and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." The word sacrament was ordinarily attach- ed to any rite of a sacred character. The Church of England speaks of two only, as generally necessary to salvation : which is, indeed, maintained by the various sects that have separated from her. The Church of Rome has made seven in number. They are 12 usually ascribed to Peter Lombard, the mas- ter of sentences, in the twelfth century, as their originator : Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Orders, and Matrimony. Pope Eugenius IV., in the fifteenth century, pronounced these to be sacraments. In the following century, the Council of Trent declared them to be sacra- ments, with an anathema. And they are distinctly set forth in the creed of Pius IV. In the homilies of the English Church it is said, the name of a sacrament may be attri- buted to anything whereby a holy thing is signified. It is deduced from the Latin word sacra?ido, and is applied to a thing set apart for a sacred use. Though it be not a scrip- ture term, yet it is very innocent and sig- nificant, and was early introduced into the church. It is a sign or symbol representing a thing, (signum, in Greek a^ziov,) which occurred in the ancient Jewish Church. The rainbow, was a sign to Noah ; the fleece, to Gideon ; the burning bush, to Moses ; the bra- zen serpent, to the Israelites ; the scarlet line, to Rahab ; and the anointing oil, with many other things used in the levitical services. 13 Sacraments are seals affixed to the cove- nant of grace, designed for the glory of God, and the building up of the church in her most holy faith, which is in Christ Jesus, — giving an humble but sure right to all spi- ritual privileges. They are not mere theore- tical signs, but are made manifest in the matter, forms and words, as Augustine saith : — "Accedat verbum ad element um etfiet saera- mentum" Our church declares it to be an outward and visible sign, of an inward and spiritual grace. The sacrament is not with- out the sign, nor virtually and savingly without the thing signified ; the promise is attached to these united in the recipient. The application of the element is not the sacrament without faith, repentance, and obedience. The first sacrament for our con- sideration is BAPTISM. This takes precedence of all other sacra- ments, by divine precept. It is initiatory, — that by which we are received into the 14 Christian Church, prior to the reception of other ordinances and means of grace. Divers washings and purifications prevailed in the ancient Jewish Church ; as of vessels intended for sacred uses, and persons conse- crated to the priesthood. Moreover, they were designed as a symbolical representation of the inward purity of the heart. " Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean ; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Our blessed Lord, when he washed the disciples' feet, set forth, not only an example of humil- ity, but the need of cleansing to the soul. " If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." Peter was sensible of this, when he replied, "Not my feet only, but also my hands, and my head." That the purifying of the soul is intended in this sacrament, is manifest from the words of Ananias to Saul of Tarsus : — " And why tarriest thou ? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." It has been disputed among the learned, whether baptism was in use before the time of our Saviour. Baptism was, indeed, one of the rites by which proselytes were initi- 15 ated into the Jewish faith ; but this does not appear to have taken its rise earlier than the middle of the second century, and was bor- rowed from the Christian dispensation. John's baptism was preparatory to the coming of Christ ; requiring confession of sins, true repentance, with a new life of obedience. But it is clear that the disciples of John were not baptized in the name of Christ ; and, in Acts xix., it may be seen, that they were re-baptized. John's baptism, and Christian baptism, are obviously not the same. St. Paul's question, " Unto what then were ye baptized'?" indicating its insuffici- ency, and unsuitableness. John baptized all ; not merely those who were proselytes to the Jewish faith, but the circumcised ; clearly intimating, that they were, as well as the Gentiles, defiled in nature through Adam's fall, and had need of washing to the purifying of the soul, which was signified by the cleansing of the body in pure water. It was, therefore, intro- ductory to the baptism by Christ, and was practised by the apostles in obedience to his commands. 1G John's baptism does not appear to have superceded the ancient rite of circumcision ; for it must have been in use until John, and continued afterwards. The Jews were most solemnly observant of it, even among those of their nation first converted to the Chris- tian faith ; and though not encouraged, it was not repudiated until the apostle Paul shewed unto them a more excellent way. John, as far as we can discover, baptized none but the circumcised : and it is very obvious that he baptized not in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, as the apostles did after our Lord's ascension to glory. While it is equally manifest, that some who had been baptized by John, received baptism afterwards ; for can we doubt that many of the three thousand pricked to the heart under Peter's sermon, had been previously baptized by John ; yet the apostle exhorts them all to be baptized, in the name of the Lord Jesus. It does not appear that any but adults were baptized by John ; while the apostles baptized house- holds, — infants as well as adults. It is, then, on many important considerations, fully con- 17 firmed, that John's baptism was distinct from Christian baptism. Baptism has been called, " The sacrament of faith ;" in which the whole faith of the Christian religion is professed. St. Augus- tine speaks of baptism, as the sacrament of faith ; for whosoever believeth, and is bap- tized, shall be saved. It is said to be, "The signet of faith." Tertullian saith, that wash- ing is the signet of faith ; — " Without faith, it is impossible to please God." But it is clearly and most expressly called, " The sacrament of repentance," and, "The baptism of repentance." The apostle saith, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, for the remission of sins, in the name of Jesus Christ." Yet repentance is not confined to this sacrament, which is not to be iterated ; for we must be baptized once only ; but repentance is the work of every day, to the end of life. The sacrament of baptism engages to a new life. Thus the apostle sets it forth : — " For as we are buried together by baptism into Christ's death ; so, as Christ rose from the dead by the glory of the Father, we b2 18 should also walk in newness of life." There must be a mortifying of the deeds of the body ; a crucifying of the flesh with its lusts ; a renouncing of a former course of ungodliness ; and, from thenceforth, the pur- suing a life of obedience to the divine com- mands. The ancient fathers supposed that St. Paul intended baptism, in those who have been once enlightened, in Heb. vi. 4. They called baptism pom^o*. The same expression, also occurs in Heb. x. 32 : — " But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of affliction." The persons of whom the apostle here speaks, had doubtless been admitted into the Church, by a public profession of the Christian reli- gion ; and had received the sacrament of baptism, upon their giving proof of a know- ledge of its principles. It has been thought, that baptism was attended with an extraor- dinary illumination. This opinion, however, is destitute of foundation ; the fact would appear to be, that this illumination preceded, rather than followed, the rite of baptism. St. Augustine calls it, " The sacrament of 19 Christian Society." This expression is coun- tenanced by the apostle Paul, in those words : — " We are all baptized by the Spirit, into one body;" being incorporated by it into the society and communion of the church, in which we may enjoy the fellowship of the saints. Some would have it to be under- stood of a Christian profession, distinguishing the Christian from the unbelievers and hypo- crites, as the rite of circumcision did the Jew from the Gentile. And, indeed, no adult person ought to be admitted to Chris- tian baptism, without an open declaration of belief in the faith of the gospel. Baptism is set forth, by the apostle Peter, as the washing away of sins, the laver of regeneration ; not in itself apart from what is requisite thereunto ; for, without these, none would have been received to this sacra- ment. In the Scriptures, no instance can be found, of doctrine or precept cited to the contrary. "If thou believest, thou mayest be baptized," includes repentance and obedi- ence. Baptism was not administered to adults, without certain prerequisites : pro- mises were to be made ; professions of faith 20 and repentance were to be publicly avowed ; stipulations of obedience to the precepts of God's holy word agreed to. In fact, the right, the gracious disposition, preceded and was necessary, in order to the receiving bap- tism savingly ; and not only the Protestant Churches, but even the Church of Rome, requires the same. Abram believed before he was circumcised. The sacrament was a seal, as circumcision is called. As the body is cleansed in water from pollution, so the soul of the penitent is purified in baptism. ►St. Paul calls it, the laver of regeneration, hxtergu wa^iykveo-ixs ; a bath, a vessel to wash in, a new birth. A new nature is here intended, as persons putting on Christ are made like unto him, — born again, born of water and of the Holy Ghost. Whether spiritual regeneration, or a new holy nature, is inseparable from the sacra- mental act of baptism, in the baptized infants or adults, so that this holy effect is invariably produced upon all, has been the subject of eager and lengthened controversy, of late years. And it must be allowed, that diffi- culties have attended the various schemes to 21 reconcile the opposing sentiments. In some sense, the Church of England, in her baptis- mal services, does verbally express regenera- tion, as attached and connected with the administration of this sacrament. Our Lord, in his conversation with Nicodemus, declares, " Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God ;" in which text, spiritual regeneration and baptism with water, are in close affinity. The apostle Peter, in his first epistle, alluding to the ark in which Noah was saved, says, "Baptism doth now save us." 80 that, ac- cording to the letter of the highest authority, both of Christ and his apostles, the church receives countenance and support, in the terms she has employed in the Collects, and the definition of this holy rite, which is set forth in the service. But surely no one can rightly assert, that the Holy Spirit does gra- ciously operate upon the mind of the repro- bate, such as Simon Magus, apostates and dissemblers in every age, and a very large proportion of the baptized, who grow up and live as such. St. Augustine, writing against the Donatists, saith, " But in case that covet- 22 ous persons have not the Spirit of God, and yet for all that have baptism; baptism may be without the Spirit. The saving grace was in Cornelius, the Philippian jailer, the Eu- nuch, and doubtless others, before they re- ceived baptism. Nay, faith and repentance were necessary, preparatory to the receiving it ; while many of the baptized give melan- choly but too sure proofs, that they were never under the influence of saving grace. Looking at the whole of the case, who can confidently assert, that the Holy Ghost never operates, but in connection with the sacra- ments V The inward and spiritual grace of this sacrament, is a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness. For, being by nature born in sin, and the children of wrath, we are hereby made, — that is, by the death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness, — the children of grace ; a new name is given, and an introduction into the Christian Church. Therefore, as incorporated into it, and admitted to communion with it, and a participation in its spiritual privileges, the baptized may, in the ordinary sense, say, 23 " Wherein I was made a member of Christ, a child of God, and an inheritor of the king- dom of heaven." For the baptized are so, nominally. Not that every individual is so really. The terms " Jew," and " the circum- cision," distinguished God's ancient people. Yet, saith St. Paul, " He is not a Jew, who is one outwardly ; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly ; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God." And in his epistles, he addresses those who composed the churches to which he respectively wrote, as saints, believers, and the chosen of God ; though there were among them certain that walked disorderly, and others who were deceivers ; yea, in their conduct, the enemies of the cross of Christ. We may cite, also, the apostle Peter, who saith, " Ye are a peculiar people, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood ; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." Therefore, in a general sense, the baptized may be said to be re- 24 generated, or placed in a spiritual condition. Our Reformers speak very expressly, that regeneration has taken place in the baptized. Immediately after the administration of the sacrament, the address to the congregation is ; — " Seeing, then, dearly beloved brethren, that this child is regenerated, and grafted into the body of Christ's Church, let us give thanks unto Almighty God for these benefits, and, with one accord, make our prayers unto him, that this child may lead the rest of his life according to this beginning." The minister, after the baptism, very fervently thanks God for having regenerated the infant by his Holy Spirit. And it is clear, from the whole of the service, that there is mixed up with it regeneration, in some sense, and remission of sins, as accompanying the sacrament. But then, the most strenuous maintainers of baptismal regeneration, admit the necessity of the continual operation of the Holy Spirit, in renovating the soul, in order to its salva- tion. A real change of heart is allowed, on all sides, to be necessary. The only question is, Does God always accompany the sign 25 with the thing signified 1 Now this can only be known by the fruits in after life. The church acts upon the hope, that when all things have been done fitting to this holy ordinance, the grace will attend it; and has said nothing stronger than what St. Paul affirms of the baptized in his time : " By one Spirit we are all baptized into one body? whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have all been made to drink into one spirit." It regards the church generally. In the 1 Cor. x. 2 — 5, speaking of the whole nation of Israel, infants included, he says ; — " They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud, and in the sea ; and did all eat the same spiritual meat ; and did all drink the same spiritual drink ; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ." But some of them were incorrigible sinners, and were overthrown by the divine judgment in the wilderness. Speaking too, generally, of professing Christians, he says ; — " As many of you as are baptized into Christ, have put on Christ." Could he mean, that each and every one of these was really changed in 26 heart? Certainly not. The apostle Peter, in his second epistle, i. 9, says of the bap- tized, who are unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord : " He hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." But it is plain, from his first epistle, hi. 21, that he did not mean it as a necessary consequence of the mere administration of this sacrament, that purification invariably took place. " The like figure whereunto, even baptism, doth also now save us, (not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." It is the initiatory ordi- nance into the Christian Church, by which the subject is brought into a state of salvation. If we keep the vows then made faithfully unto the end, we shall be saved ; otherwise, we shall perish. And the having partaken of sacraments, will rather aggravate our con- demnation, than avail to our salvation. THE INSTITUTION OF BAPTISM. John was the first administrator of bap- tism, to which he was divinely called. Our 27 Lord's disciples baptized also, before his death ; which they would not have done without his command and sanction. It must have had a prior institution by Christ before his ascension. Finally, he confirmed it after his resurrection, extending the administration of it to all nations, Jew and Gentile, yea to every human creature, in that memorable commission, " Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost/' This is express authority from the Lord himself ; which, as it was never abro- gated, is of perpetual obligation, and has been continued in the church through all ages, and doubtless will continue until the end of time. In John hi. 22, we read, "After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Juclea ; and there he tarried and baptized." In the following chapter, we learn that "Jesus baptized not, but his disci- ples." What they did, is considered as done by himself ; " Aliquis quod facit per alium, facit per se." The disciples are said to have baptized more persons than John ; and we 28 may reasonably suppose that they were bap- tized in the name of Jesus, to distinguish them from the disciples of John, " As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ." The Saviour himself was bap- tized, not as needing the cleansing efficacy of the rite, but as sanctifying the water for its purification, by the touch of his sacred body, in which the Holy Trinity was present. ITS REQUISITE PARTS. It follows, now, that we take into the consideration the parts of which baptism is composed ; the element used ; the adminis- trators of it ; the subjects of baptism, — what is required of them ; and the benefits that the faithful derive therefrom. A due atten- tion to each of these is incumbent upon us. THE ELEMENT. Water is the element in which persons are to be baptized. The meaning of this is 29 obvious ; it is the cleansing fluid by which bodies polluted may be purified. For this purpose, how valuable is it, and how signifi- cant as a symbol of purification to the soul ! Ananias said unto Paul, "Arise, and be bap- tized ; and wash away thy sins." Here, the sign is closely annexed to the thing signified. We must have regard to both. We must follow the straight line of command impli- citly. The Lord hath said it, and it must be adhered unto. God prescribed the waters of Jordan for the cure of Naaman's leprosy, and no others would have availed. He, indeed, would have made a different choice : "Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damas- cus, better than all the waters of Israel \ may I not wash in them and be clean \ " 2 Kings v. 12. If we are saved, it must be in God's appointed way. And let us gladly avail ourselves of it ; nothing doubting that he will be true and faithful unto his word of promise. Some parts of prophecy seem to refer to this ; particularly, Zech. xiii. 1, " In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusa- 30 lem, for sin, and for uncleanness." It may be, that the prophet Ezekiel had this in view, chap, xlvii. 2. " Then brought he me out of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward ; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side of the altar." And, as baptism is to be administered to all believers, so this element may easily be ob- tained everywhere. Our Lord, before his ascension into heaven, prescribed to his disciples a particular form of baptizing ; explicitly setting forth the trinity of Persons, in the unity of the God- head. "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations ; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ;" recognising the love of the Heavenly Father ; the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ ; and the communion of the Holy Ghost, in his regenerating, renovating, sanctifying, and comforting influences ; and avowing our faith in the undivided Trinity. The name indicates the Godhead ; the divine essence ; the titles and attributes of God ; who is the one and undivided Jehovah. "Hear, Israel, the 31 Lord our God is one Jehovah." But the per- sons, or subsistences, are three, — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. THE MODE IN BAPTISM. The mode of baptizing is next to be con- sidered. Three modes of baptism have obtained in the church. The immersion of the whole body in water, where it was prac- ticable, was doubtless that which prevailed in the early ages ; and it never has wholly ceased to the present time. It is still practised in the Greek Church, and by a numerous class of protestant Christians called Baptists ; and it may be demanded in the Church of England, as our ancient fonts obviously shew. Two other modes have been substituted, and generally adopted, — the pouring of water upon the body, or the sprinkling water upon it. But the whole three are commonly used, — immersion, pouring, and sprinkling. With- out doubt, baptism would be validly administer- ed in any of these modes ; and it is deeply to be regretted, that the mode of baptism 32 should have been made a matter of fierce controversy. Much has been written upon it, and unnecessarily ; because, while it. may readily be conceded, that, in all practicable cases, immersion would be followed, in many instances it would be physically impossible ; as in that of the three thousand who were pricked to the heart under Peter's sermon, and, being added unto the church, forthwith were baptized. In the case, also, of the Philippian jailer, it seems to be highly im- probable, who in the same hour of the night that he was convinced of the truth, and con- verted to the faith of the gospel, was baptized, and all his straightway. But we cannot reasonably imagine, with all the accommoda- tion of baths in Jerusalem, that so large a multitude as three thousand, — and that in one day, — could have been immersed. The sanctifying influences of the Holy Ghost, of which water in baptism is the sign or symbol, are frequently set forth by pouring or sprinkling : " I will pour out my Spirit unto you." Prov. i. 23. " I will pour water upon him that is thirsty." " Till the Spirit be poured out from on high." Herein 33 appears the symbol and figure of the saving- effects of baptism, in the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. We have the same, also, under the term of sprinkling. Admitting that the primitive word b^™, from which BavV^u is derived, signifies to dip, or plunge, yet the latter word is used for various ablutions, and includes in it the modes of sprinkling, or pouring, as is manifested from Heb. ix. 10, where " divers washings," as before meals, also of household furniture and vessels, are spoken of. The application of water, for the purpose of cleansing, in whatever way it might be used, is here clearly intended. John describes his baptism as very inferior to the baptism of Christ : " He, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose, shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." On him, at his baptism, the Spirit descended like a dove. In the Acts of the Apostles, we read, " Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence." Also in Acts ii. 15, the same form of expression occurs : " And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning." Nor should it be over- c 34 looked, that aspersion, or sprinkling, receives countenance from certain passages which refer to the spiritual import of baptism. In the prophecy of Isaiah we read, " So shall he sprinkle many nations." St. Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, confirms the same sentiment. : " For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprin- kling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh ; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your consciences from dead works, to serve the living God/' But especially does the prophet Ezekiel speak in these most appro- priate words : " Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean : from all your filthiness and from all your idols will cleanse you." Parallel with this passage, is that in St. Paul's epistle to the Hebrews : " Having your hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and your bodies washed with pure water." From which it is manifest, that baptism, whether administered by im- mersion, affusion, or aspersion, is undoubt- edly valid ; and has prevailed in the church, 35 through a long series of ages ; though, as to the mode in which it was administered, much polemical controversy has prevailed in these later times. THE SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. There has never been any doubt in the church as to the right of adults to this sacrament, on their manifesting proofs of genuine penitence, and faith unfeigned in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It only remains, therefore, that we should shew the validity of Infant Baptism. The opponents of Pedobaptism must allow, that it is of ancient usage ; and there is historic proof that it has prevailed from the earliest times of the Christian era, so that it is impossible to find a date for its rise, posterior to the apostolic age. If it was an innovation, it is not easy to conceive that it could have been introduced without consider- able and continued opposition, instead of its being received with the concurrent voice of the church. Beside, the early Fathers, who 36 have opposed every rising heresy with a firm denial, and not unfrequently with an ana- thema, have written nothing to invalidate its authority. Indeed, the onus lies with modern opponents to shew when the baptism of infants began, and the time and manner of its condemnation by the church. For we can- not allow, on the principles of reason and Scripture, that the whole visible church could have been imposed upon and deluded, in a matter of such importance. There is a circumstance of great consider- ation in this controversy ; — that wheresoever the gospel is first preached, adult baptism would be of frequent occurrence. But, upon a nation being converted to the faith of the gospel, the next generation, for the most part, would receive baptism in infancy ; and, consequently, there would be a paucity of adult subjects. This will account for the frequent mention of the baptism of adults, and for the silence respecting the baptism of infants, in the Acts of the Apostles and in their epistles. We are not, however, on this account, to infer, that infants were ex- cluded from the benefits of this sacrament. 37 The same result would occur in every newly formed missionary station among the heathen, — the converts being made up of adults. This would continue until the Christian reli- gion became established • then the infant would more commonly be presented for baptism. It is alleged, that there is no precept for infant baptism. Let the objector remember, however, that this is not the only matter of importance on which the New Testament is silent. There is no command requiring the admission of women to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper ; or the keeping of the first day of the week as a sabbath, instead of the seventh. We have no verbal express abrogation of the Jewish ritual. The extent of the commission given to the apostles, to teach and baptize all nations, must necessarily include the whole species, both believing parents and children. The mode of gathering into the church is here set forth by teaching and baptizing. The ministry of the word, and of the sacraments, includes the whole of the sacred work of an apostle. The work, and the subjects of it, are here exhibited to 38 view. Now, as the church, under the ancient dispensation, consisted of adults and infants admitted by the rite of circumcision, — the spiritual import of which is equivalent to that of baptism, — so, it is reasomable to conclude, that believers and their offspring comprise the church, under the Christian dispensation. Another objection is urged, on the ground that there is no explicit instance recorded, in the New Testament, of infants having been baptized. This is admitted. But we have strong presumptive evidence to the fact, that they were included in the households which were baptized. It is wholly incredible that, in the many Christian households, no infants should be found. Take the range of a street, and that of no great length ; and you will see its inmates made up, not only of a few, but of many infants. A household includes a whole family, — men, women, children, and infants. When we read of Lydia and her house, and of those of the Philippian jailer, Crispus the chief ruler of the synagogue, with others, we have good authority for believing, that infants were baptized. The seed of believers is declared, by St. Paul, to 39 be holy. God promised unto Abraham, " I will be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee." We are, moreover, assured, " The promise is to you, and to your children, and to as many as the Lord our God shall call." Infants need the Saviour, and are not ex- cluded from his mercy. We are strictly to regard the terms of the covenant of grace ; to them pertain the things signified in bap- tism, of which they, with adults, must par- take, to fit them for heaven ; even the saving benefits of this sacrament, — the pardon of sin, regeneration, and eternal life. The rite of circumcision was administered to infants under the ancient dispensation. Now circumcision is superseded by baptism in the Christian Church ; and we can never justly suppose, that its privileges are less under the new law, than they were under the old. The spiritual blessings intended in both rites, are the same, — the internal circumcision of the heart in the former, the grace of regeneration in the latter. This seems to afford most conclusive evidence in favour of Pedobaptism ; for if infants were recognised in the Jewish Church, as making a part of 40 the chosen seed of Jacob ; if their names were inserted among its members : if they were treated and trained as such, in the fear of the Lord ; — ought we, for a moment to doubt, that it is incumbent upon us to con- duct ourselves in like manner towards the children of Christian parents. This part of the subject claims the most serious attention, and should be closely studied, that we may discern how exactly parallel the rites of circumcision and baptism lie to each other ; and how the use of the former in the case of infants, confirms the legitimate authority, propriety, and use of the latter ; — furnishing an impregnable bar- rier against objections. Who, indeed, can reasonably suppose, that the infant offspring of the Jew, should have been admitted into the fold, and the children of the Christian, should be rejected. Nor can any who look minutely and extensively into this subject, doubt that baptism succeeded to the rite of circumcision, as appears in St. Paul's epistle to the Colossians, chap. ii. ver. 11, where he says, — " In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, 41 in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ ; buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye have risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." The uses and designs of the ancient rite of circumcision signified and sealed spiritual benefits. The same is conveyed in baptism. What that was to the Jewish Church, this is, though in a more excellent and perfect manner, to the Christian Church. The for- mer was a yoke of bondage : but the latter is an introduction into holy liberty, and a sense of the Divine favour. The former was administered to infants : and why should not the latter also \ They were deemed fit sub- jects for circumcision : and why not for baptism ? The mere rite, in itself and alone, in either case, would be unavailing ; it was the inward and spiritual grace. This, — the vital essential part, — is the thing to be sought for. It is, indeed, important for us to bear in mind, that the church has ever been but one, though under two different dispensations. c2 42 Christ came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfil. St. Paul has clearly shewn, in the eleventh chapter of his epistle to the Romans, that the Christian was grafted upon the Jewish Church. This is confirmed in the second chapter of his epistle to the Ephesians, and the fourteenth verse : "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us." The original church was constituted of Jews only. The Gentiles were admitted many ages afterwards. But it is the same church throughout ; and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper take the place of circumcision and the pass- over. We cannot, therefore, reasonably sup- pose, that there is any difference in the subjects who participate in the benefits of these sacraments. In the twenty-ninth chap- ter of Deuteronomy, we may learn who were the parties that entered into the engagements of the ancient covenant ; — all Israel, not only the men, but their little ones ; also their wives, and the stranger that was in their camp. But, surely, the Christian covenant, so much more perfect, must be equally as 43 comprehensive, — certain as we are, that its saving benefits are equally necessary for all. Our church has cited a passage from St. Mark's gospel, in support of infant baptism : " They brought young children to Christ that he should touch them." Upon which occa- sion, he pronounced those memorable words ; " Of such is the kingdom of heaven." The disciples rebuked those that brought them. " But when Jesus saw it, he was much dis- pleased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not ; for of such is the kingdom of God. And he took them up in his arms, put hin hands upon them, and blessed them." Who then can, without incurring the divine dis- pleasure, refuse them admission into the church ? But, in what way can infants be received into the church, except by the initiatory sacrament of baptism % They were brought, it is obvious, by those who believed in Christ ; and, in Luke's gospel, they are called fyitpn, that is, infants. That Christians ought to be of a child-like spirit, in humility, docility, and confidence in the goodness of their 44 Heavenly Father, is readily allowed ; but that this is the whole purport of our Lord's address, can never be justly conceded. In- deed, the argument requires no answer from the maintainers of infant baptism. The children of believers are pronounced holy by a holy covenant. Now if they have the thing signified, surely they are entitled to the sign, or form, in baptism. Even in the case of only one believing parent, the child was* to be dedicated to God, and set apart for his service. Lastly : infant baptism prevailed in the earliest ages of the church. Justin Martyr, born at the close of the first century, speak- ing of certain aged members of the church, says, that they were made disciples to Christ from their infancy. Origen, born at the latter end of the second century, says, that infants are baptized for the remission of sins. Cyprian, who was contemporary with Origen. says, at a council at Carthage, that no infant is to be prohibited from baptism, although just born. St. Augustine, in the fourth cen- tury, says, that the whole church practises infant baptism ; and that he did not remem- 45 ber ever to have read of any person, whether catholic or heretic, who maintained that bap- tism ought to be denied to infants. Infant baptism is practised throughout the whole extent of the Church of Rome, in all parts of the world. Also, in the Greek Church, and among all Protestant Churches, except one of very small extent, though highly respectable in learning and piety. With them the onus lies of proving when infant baptism had its rise, when it was opposed, and by whom. To mention them- selves, is of very much too late a elate to have authority ; for it never can, with just reason be admitted, that the church had slumbered quietly through fourteen centuries, upon a question of such vast importance, without entering its protest against so unwar- rantable a practice. It must be conceded, that there always have been some usages in the church, for which, (at least for the most part,) its own authority alone can be cited ; notwithstand- ing the manifest abuses to which it has been carried. Among other things already named, we would add, the canonicitv of certain 46 books of the New Testament. There the direction of our Lord is peculiarly appro- priate ; " Hear the church." What, indeed, is the anxions solicitude of all denominations of Christians in their controversies, but to obtain, if possible, the suffrage of the Latin and Greek Fathers? St. Augustine said, "I would not believe the Scriptures, if the church had not declared them to be true." And how forcibly will this apply to the cus- tom prevailing through all ages of the Chris- tian dispensation, of baptizing infants. ADMINISTRATORS. The administrators of this sacrament come next under our consideration. The Lord gave commandment to his apostles to teach all nations ; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. It is clear, then, that the apostles were the first who had the authority to bap- tize, and those whom they should appoint. This follows of necessity ; as they could not continue by reason of death. As order was 47 observed in the appointment of ministers, so to them it pertained to perform this rite, with other offices of the priesthood. Bishops and priests were accustomed to minister bap- tism ; also, the deacons, in the absence of the priests and bishops. The Church of Rome, maintaining the utter impossibility of salvation to the unbaptized, allow, in a case of necessity, any one, either man or woman, to baptize, — even Jews, Heretics, and Infidels, in extreme cases. None, however, but ecclesiastics were allowed to administer it with solemn rites. In the Church of England, the ministers are under obligation promptly to administer it, when life is in danger ; and cannot refuse, without laying themselves open to censure, and possibly suspension, from their bishops. ADMINISTRATION. The administration is made in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. This is the prescribed form of words : the 48 element is water. The Church of Rome has enjoined many other things, wholly without scripture warrant ; as salt, spittle, burning of candles. The Anglican Church has ordered a form of prayer, for consecrating the water to a sacred use : " Sanctify this water to the mystical washing away of sin." And such was the language of the primitive church. In nature and in substance the water is the same ; but as to its use for this sacred pur- pose, it is changed or consecrated. Not that it is to be regarded superstitiously. The Lord has ordained that all things should be done decently and in order. Exceptions have been taken to ceremonies in the Church of England, which, in themselves, are very inno- cent ; and, even in the rigid scrutiny of a candid dissenter, must appear venial. SPONSORS. Godfathers and godmothers are also called sponsors. The derivation of the former term, doubtless, is taken from St. John's epistle, 49 which speaks of Fathers in Christ ;" and seems to imply, that, in the primitive Church, they were selected from among experienced Christians. Or it may refer to their spiritual relationship to those for whom they stood engaged to train them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. How important its ancient use and intention was may be gathered from the fact, that, for the infant of heathen parents, one of which only was a Christian, the Church might reasonably and fitly de- mand personal sureties, of Christian character and profession, that the child should be brought up in the faith of Christ ; and put such questions to them, as would test their sincerity ; and which, indeed, was obligatory upon all of adult age, who should demand baptism. It is the almost entire ignorance on this subject, that so generally prevails? with the awful abuse of the thing itself, that has made it, among dissenters, a matter of scorn and odium. The rubric, in the common prayer-book of the Church of England, gives direction respecting godfathers and godmothers. Some- thing like this prevails among the modern 50 Jews. The matter is allowed in legal con- tracts, to the guardians of a child in secular concerns. And whatever objection may be alleged against persons who thoughtlessly take upon themselves these solemn engage- ments, as many doubtless do, to the deep regret of pious clergymen ; yet, it must be allowed, that the sincere and diligent dis- charge of the office, on the part of sponsors, would tend greatly to secure the godly train- ing of the children committed to their care. Besides, on what ground should the Church relinquish this requirement \ The abuse of the office can never be admitted as a sufficient plea ; for what is there, however sacred, which has not been abused \ It is more than can be expected, especially in thickly popu- lated parishes, that none should offer them- selves excepting those who are well-instructed as to the serious nature of the responsibilities which they undertake ; — especially, as neglect is chargeable, in part, upon those of the clergy who scarcely ever explain its re- sponsibilities from the pulpit. There can be no wonder that the people should regard it as a mere ceremony, or custom, in the 51 baptismal service, when the ministers them- selves appear indifferent about it, — requiring it merely in conformity with the canons of the Church. Thus it is that, to a great ex- tent, the parents and sponsors, after the performance of the service, think little more on the subject. How different would it be, were it made a matter of conscience ! Let us hope, that not a few view it in this light ; and that they have undertaken the office as a voluntary service for their Divine Master, reminding them of their own obligations to renounce the devil, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh ; that they should believe all the articles of the Christian faith, and obediently keep God's holy will and commandments, all the days of their life ; taking care that those for whom they stand as sponsors, should be so taught, as to have this always before them ; seeking, with vigilance and fidelity, to preserve them from the path of the de- stroyer, and to advance the spiritual interests of their immortal souls. 52 ADULT BAPTISM. At the baptism of persons of riper years, the qualifications required apply equally as to those who stand as sponsors for children, who cannot answer for themselves. When they come to age, however, they are bound to perform the duties included in them. We are thus presented with a comprehensive view of this part of the subject. There is required, — 1. A renunciation of the devil, the world, and the flesh ; accompanied with repentance. 2. Faith in the articles of Christian doctrine. 3. Obedience to God's holy will and commandments. With regard to adults, some delay is usually made, in order to ascertain their fitness. But those only should be admitted who desire baptism, as we see in the instan- ces recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, and who will undertake, by divine help, to lead a new life of holy obedience. There must be, as St. Peter has said, " the answer of a 53 good conscience f which implies that suitable questions should be put to persons desiring baptism. First, then, since satan, the enemy of God, in consequence of our corruption, finds us an easy prey to his temptations, we have need to watch against his seducing arts, by which he draws mankind into sin. These temptations are set forth, very clearly and at length, in the Holy Scriptures. We are not ignorant of his wiles : he is satan, the deceiver and murderer from the begin- ning, who beguiled Eve, and overcame Adam. Now, it is our duty, most solemnly, to re- nounce the devil, and to disown his service. Christ came into the world, to destroy the works of the devil. In this warfare we must engage, by opposing him strenuously : " Re- sist the devil, and he will flee from you ;" " For he that committeth sin is of the devil/' We are manfully to fight against the devil and all his works. We must entertain a deep conviction of the horrible nature of his rebel- lion ; a firm resolution to withstand all his allurements • to set our faces as a flint against all iniquity : and to put this resolution into 54 force, with all the powers of our souls, as- sisted by the grace of the Holy Spirit, — relying upon the divine promises, " When the enemy cometh in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him ;" " More is he that is for us, than all they that be against us." And, through the Lord's imparted help, we may hope to do valiantly. Candidates for baptism, are also required to renounce the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous and unholy desires. We are told by the beloved apostle, that " the whole world lieth in wickedness ;" and the world is commonly spoken of, by the sacred writers, in contrast or opposition to God : as those who are without ; unbelievers ; ungodly ; out of the pale of the fold ; given up to their own evil passions and desires ; carried away captive by satan at his will ; going with the multitude to do evil. So we read, the world goeth after the beast ; and if we look at the habits, customs, and spirit of the world, we shall find that they are in direct opposition to the command and spirit of Christ. The apostle urges Christians to this end : " Come out from among them, and 55 be ye separate ; and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you." " Be not conformed to this world." We are to act in spirit and conduct as not of the world ; using it, as not abusing it. So, also, St. John ex- horts : " Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world ; if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." " For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." The Lord has not for- bidden the moderate use of the necessaries, the conveniences, and the accommodations of this life, lawfully obtained ; if not coveted after, idolized, and gloried in ; if held loosely, and willingly resigned at his call, and attended with a proportionate distribution to the neces- sity of the saints, and for the advancement of his kingdom in the earth. They are, moreover, to renounce the car- nal desires of the flesh. The three great enemies to God and the soul's salvation, are, the world, the flesh, and the devil. But the greatest is that within, called "the flesh." The bodily senses are the instruments of the 56 gratification of the sinful desires of the flesh. Being born of a corrupt seed, children in- herit the evil propensities of their parents, which grow with their growth, and become stronger, and deeper rooted, with their ad- vancing years. These are to be perseveringly renounced and manfully resisted, in the be- ginning and the continuance of our course, even unto the end ; knowing that they will never cease their opposition, while we are in the flesh. We must renounce, deny, and resist, not only at baptism, but from hence- forth and always, these our spiritual ad- versaries, — the world, the flesh, and the devil. Repentance, faith, and obedience, are also required of those of riper age, who desire baptism, as well as of the sponsors for infants. Upon each of these subjects it may be profitable to speak more largely. Indeed, without them, we cannot be saved. They make up the substance of the ministry of the apostles, who testified of repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ ; in which obedience, as the fruit of saving faith, is included. 57 Repentance arises from a deep conviction of sin. Now the sacrament of baptism was not intended for the innocent, but for the guilty. This is clearly shewn in the scrip- tural exhortation, — "Arise, and wash away thy sins." It is required of the adult seek- ing baptism, and in sponsors for infants, that they should know themselves to be corrupt through the fall ; which is to be humbly confessed before Almighty God. Nothing- can be more reasonable or suitable than this. It forms a part of restitution for offences committed, and is repeatedly inculcated in holy writ. " He that covereth his sins shall not prosper ; but whoso confesseth and forsake th them, shall obtain mercy." And we have memorable examples of it in the divine word. The multitudes that were baptized of John, made confession of their sins ; the devout patriarch expresses himself thus : — " I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant." Under the law, the guilty were to confess : " And it shall be, when they shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath D 58 sinned in that thing." The law of the leper points out the same duty ; if convicted, he was put without the camp, and confessed with great bitterness of spirit, — " Unclean, unclean." In this we have a lively emblem of a penitent sinner ; and thus we are to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and especially before the receiving of the sacrament, as guilty of grievous and manifold provocations against the Divine Majesty, of secret as well as of open sins. Achan, though he had sinned in secret, was required to make confession openly. He had sinned, so as to bring calamity upon the whole congregation ; and, therefore, his con- fession must be open. It was so with David ; who, by his fall, had made the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. Many of the Psalms of David are made up of the confession of sins : " I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me." Job said, " Behold I am vile," which he spoke from an inward sense of the heinousness of guilt ; it affected his heart. Ezra made confession of his own sins, and the sins of the people : " Oh our God, we are ashamed, and blush 59 to lift up our faces before thee V Nehemiah pours forth the same language : " We have sinned against thee ; both I and my Father's house have sinned." Solomon speaks to the same effect, in the dedication of the Temple : " If any man sin against thee, for there is no man that sinneth not." The prophet Isaiah breaks forth in those memorable words : " Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips." Thus, we see, that confession abounded in the Jewish Church ; that it was made previously, and in order, to the obtaining pardon. Now the Christian Church was grafted on the Jewish ; and, therefore, it maintained the same essential truths. Christ came not to destroy the law and the pro- phets, but to fulfil. The same terms are required under the gospel. Look at the case of the publican, recorded in St. Luke's gospel, which is clearly that of confession to God : " God be merciful to me a sinner." We may suppose, however, that penitents related to the priests their trespasses, espe- 60 daily if they were of the grosser kind. The priests were the judges in deciding and awarding of restitution. And, in peculiar circumstances, where relief is sought for a burdened conscience, the penitent is to be encouraged to open his mind to a faithful and discreet clergyman, who may administer, on his deep contrition, suitable consolation. Such is the rule prescribed in the Church of England. Our Lord urges the offender to be reconciled to his brother ; and he com- manded the leper, miraculously cleansed, to shew himself unto the priest ; doubtless that he might disclose the whole to him. St, James thus exhorts : " confess your faults one to another." An ingenuous open acknow- ledgment of sin, accompanied with deep regret, and a firm purpose of amendment, is the disposition intended. There are many who readily join in general confession, who would shrink from privately abasing them- selves before their neighbour. Our church moves to a special confession, in certain cases. But the Church of Rome demands it of all her members, to confess all and single mortal sins, which any one remembers, and 61 even anathematizes all who deny the neces- sity of such a confession. But however desirable, and comforting to the mind of the penitent, confession to a godly priest may be, we find no prescribed rule for it in the New Testament. The Psalmist says, " Who can understand his errors \ " Who, upon the closest scrutiny, can distinguish between venial and mortal sins '{ Besides, the remission sought, resting upon the intention of the priest, of which no one can be positively assured, would induce con- tinual doubt. Without confession, however, or a disposition to make it, there can be no repentance ; and, without repentance, there can be no pardon ; and without pardon, no salvation. We are under obligation to con- fess sins of all kinds, secret and open, and at all times ; in thought, word, and action. Let us faithfully adhere to this rule in con- science ; so may we take to ourselves the benefits and consolations attendant on the observance of it. With the confession of sin, there must be sorrow on account of it. This makes an essential part of repentance. Not a feigned. 62 but a real sorrow ; not a worldly sorrow, over the pains and penalties attending the commission of sin ; for " the sorrow of the world worketh death." There are many who bewail the miseries that result from crime, that are in nowise affected by its guilt. Like Pharaoh, they are prompt in saying, " Take away this plague;" but their heart is as hard as ever. With Felix, they tremble ; but would delay the work of contrition, for what they deem, " a more convenient season." They cry out, " God be merciful to me a sinner," without feeling the guilt and con- demnation of sin. But every thing short of the description given by St. Paul of repent- ance, — " Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, that needeth not to be re- pented of," — would leave the sinner in an impenitent state. It must be heart work : " The sacrifices of God are a broken and a contrite spirit, a broken and a contrite spirit, God, thou wilt not despise." Amendment of life, is also among the requisites qualifying the adult candidate for baptism. We are sure that neither the eunuch, nor Lydia, nor the Philippian jailer, 63 would have been admitted to baptism, but upon this promise and intention. They that come to the font, must endeavour to have a clean heart, and clean hands. They must learn to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God : to be upright and honest in their transactions between man and man ; speaking always the truth ; hating fraud and covetousness ; doing to others as we would others should do unto us ; giving to each his just due ; owing no man any thing but love ; attending to the exhortation of the apostle, — "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report ; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."' As avowed Christians, we are bound to depart from all iniquity ; to eschew the things which are evil; and to follow after those things which are good ; to be doers as well as hearers of the word, having regard to all the precepts of the gospel. The candidates for baptism, and the spon- sors for infants, are required to believe in the 64 Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and in all the articles of the Christian faith. " Without faith it is impossible to please God." " He that cometh unto God, must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Philip saith to the eunuch, " If thou believest with all thine heart, thou may est." Faith must precede baptism in the adult subject, as of necessity. The infant offspring of believers must be dedicated to God in baptism, by an act of faith in the essential doctrines of the gospel ; accompanied with a firm belief that the Lord will graciously receive them, according to his promise ; and a solemn pledge, on the part of the sponsors, to train them up in his knowledge and fear. They are to be bap- tized in the faith of the Lord Jesus, the anointed of God the Father ; the Messiah, long expected, of whom the ancient prophets wrote, even the consolation of Israel ; the only begotten Son of God, who dwelt with him from everlasting ages ; one with the Father in the attributes of the Godhead ; miraculously incarnated in the virgin's womb, by the power of the Holy Ghost, — so becom- 65 ing true man, body and soul, that he might finish the work which the Father gave him to do, as our substitute and surety ; yielding a perfect unsinning obedience to the divine law ; suffering and dying upon the cross, in order to make atonement for our sins ; satis- fying the injured justice of God ; making reconciliation for iniquity ; and bringing in an everlasting righteousness, by which the believer is pardoned, accepted, and received into the favour of God. Trusting alone in him for salvation ; praying for the illumina- ting, renovating, sanctifying, and comforting influences of God the Holv Ghost, that all the saving benefits of redemption may be effectually applied to the soul ; looking for the perfect recovery of soul and body, in the last day, by a glorious resurrection from death to life and immortality, — being made like unto the Saviour, " according to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself." Let us now consider the grace of baptism, or the spiritual effects of this sacrament. That a saving benefit accompanies this ordi- nance, when duly administered, and rightly d2 66 received, cannot reasonably be denied. No- thing can be more stringent than the words of our Lord : " Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven." Baptism is not to be regarded as a mere rite, or ceremony ; it was instituted by Christ himself, for a spi- ritual purpose of the highest importance. And we are, therefore, under the strongest obligation to observe it with faith in its use and intention ; keeping in view, always, the words of our Divine Master, and those of his apostles, who included the laver of regenera- tion, with the renewing of the Holy Ghost, in our salvation. We are not, however, to suppose that salvation necessarily depends on baptism, so as to make it absolutely indispen- sable in every case ; — for we see, the penitent thief admitted to paradise without it ; while Simon Magus, though baptized, was placed among the reprobates. The church has, therefore, accurately expressed it of the two sacraments as generally necessary to salvation. The first grace, or saving effect of baptism, is, the remission of sins ; according to the declaration of the apostle Peter : " Repent G7 and be baptized . every one of you, for the remission of sins, in the name of Jesus Christ." St. Paul says of the converted Corinthians, " But ye are washed f which may refer to baptism. And it would seem, that the prophet Ezekiel in those words predicted of gospel times, — " I will pour clean water upon you, and ye shall be cleansed from all your iniquities." Nothing can be more explicit than these authorities. Whatever may be the difficulty arising from the fact, that many of the baptized grow up in a negligence of the duties of religion, and not unfrequently in profaneness and impiety ; yet it is inseparably connected with the atone- ment of Christ : for, although sin be pardoned, the root of evil in our fallen nature is not eradicated. This is manifest in the confes- sions and failings of the saints, as recorded in the sacred writings. St. Paul says, " I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwel- leth no good thing f and St. John, " If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Though many of the baptized pass through life and die in an ungodly state, yet it would be presump- 68 tion to separate, in our view, the grace of baptism from the sacrament, when duly received. Nor can we reconcile difficulties. If Samuel and John were sanctified from their childhood, have we not reason to hope, that when pious parents and sponsors present their children with a lively faith in God's mercy, through Christ Jesus, added to devout prayers, uniting with the minister in the sacred service, that they may be an- swered with saving benefit to the soul. The church points out the necessity of baptism, from the consideration that all men are conceived and born in sin. We scarcely need say, that this is a scriptural position. David confesses, — " Behold, I was shapen in iniquity ; and in sin did my mother conceive me/' Job, also, enquires, " How can he be clean, that is born of a woman % " Our Saviour saith, " That which is born of the flesh is flesh." St. Paul testifies, that " Death hath passed upon all men, for that all have sinned f even upon infants, " who had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's trans- gression." The same apostle, speaking of the believers at Ephesus, declares, " We 69 were by nature the children of wrath, even as others/' Man is born into the world with an evil and corrupt nature. The seeds of sin, then, are in infants ; which, as they advance in life, take deep root, spring up, and develope themselves in words and actions of iniquity. Of all the human family, our Lord alone was "holy, harmless, undefiled. and separate from sinners." The second position which our church lays down, is also strictly scriptural. Keeping in view the Lord's words, — " None can enter into the kingdom of God, except he be born of water and of the Spirit," she exhorts the parents and sponsors that they would pray to God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that he would grant to those about to be baptized that thing which by nature they cannot have. Believers are also taught con- fidently to expect, that whatsoever they ask in faith, nothing doubting, they shall have. This is confirmed by the Saviour's declaration to his disciples : " Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth, as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." 70 It is cheering to know, that in this act, we are doing exactly what Christ himself has bidden us. And nothing, surely, can be more acceptable to him, next to the earnest desire of our own salvation, than that we should be solicitous for the salvation of our children. Not that so blessed an effect follows upon the mere rite of baptism. Water may indeed cleanse the body, but it cannot purify the soul. When it becomes a sacrament, by divine institution and benediction, it sealeth unto us the remission of sins, a sense of pardon, and an interest in the atonement and righte- ousness of Christ. What, indeed, were the waters of Jordan, and the seven times dip- ping of Naaman % In themselves they were nothing. It was God's appointment and bidding alone which gave them efficacy. Other lepers might have bathed in the same river, and at the same time and place, with- out deriving any benefit from the act. But although in baptism, the guilt of sin is wholly taken away, so that it is not im- puted, nor does sin reign in the hearts of God's elect ; yet it is not eradicated, over- turned, or destroyed, as is manifest from the 1 teachings of scripture and the testimony of fact. Another effect of baptism, is, an admission into the church, and the privileges of the Christian covenant. They who, previously, were without, — aliens and foreigners, — are now admitted into the fold, and become fel- low-heirs of the promises, fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God. They become sharers in the manifold gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, and may draw near to partake, sacramentally, of the body and blood of Christ ; and thus be prepared manfully to fight against all spiritual adver- saries, the world, the flesh, and the devil. A third effect of baptism, is, union to Christ the head, the source of life, wisdom, knowledge, and all virtues ; the Mediator, Redeemer, and Intercessor of his people ; the chief Shepherd and Bishop of their souls. For as he is theirs, so they are his ; " even the fulness of him who filleth all in all."' Baptism distinguishes Christians from those who are without : while the internal sign is the sealing of the Holy Spirit, within the hearts of true believers, unto the day of redemption. 72 Baptism is not to be iterated or repeated. The apostle declares, that " There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. As Christ died for sin once, so he dieth no more. In like manner, we are quickened once in Christ, from a death of trespasses and sins, to die no more ; and are spiritually born again to an immortal life. The minister is directed, in the rubrick, to receive the baptized into the church, and to sign the forehead with the sign of a cross. This ceremony, though very innocent in itself, has been much cavilled at. It forms no essential part in this sacrament, and is merely a sign of the reception of the baptized into the church, and a visible mark of a Chris- tian soldier and servant of Christ. The rubrick further directs those who have the care of souls, that they admonish the people not to defer the baptism of their children, beyond the first or second Sunday after their birth, except some great and rea- sonable cause be assigned, and approved by the curate. Baptism in private houses is also forbidden, except in cases of extreme necessity. 73 When person of riper years are to be baptized, timely notice shall be given to the minister, a week before at least, by the parents or some other discreet person ; that the candidate may be duly examined in Christian principles, and be exhorted to prayer and fasting, for the receiving of this holy sacrament. Tims, all due care has been taken that candidates for the ordinance should be properly prepared for its reception. May what has been here adduced, lead to a deep conviction of the importance, and obli- gation of this holy sacrament. And, under the divine blessing, may devout feelings be created in the minds of parents and sponsors, and adult candidates ; that the act may be regarded as a solemn dedication of the soul to Almighty God, and not, as is too often the case, in the light of a mere ceremony for giving a name. THE OFFICES OF THE CHURCH. CONFIRMATION. The sacrament of baptism is allowed and practised by Christians of every denomina- tion, except one small sect, comparatively insignificant in numbers, and of very late origin ; while confirmation is rejected by all but Episcopalians. It therefore becomes necessary, that the authorities for this rite should be more carefully collected. If objec- tors would give the subject a calm considera- tion, they would find, that the strength of their argument lies not in the use, but the abuse, of this sacred rite. The facility with which many doubtful candidates obtain ad- mission to it ; and the ignorance of its design and uses, in large populations ; ren- ders it very difficult for conscientious and serious clergymen satisfactorily to ascertain 75 the fitness of persons offering themselves for confirmation. We hope, however, that, in this important matter, a most salutary re- form is taking place, which will shortly diminish the force of objections made against it. While the pious clergy have found such seasons to be the hope of the church, its profanation by those who enter upon it in a trifling spirit, using it as a matter of entertainment and mirth, must indeed be awful. In the first place, it will be profitable to consider, the nature, import, and authority of this ordinance. Its name is very signifi- cant. It is to confirm the worthy recipients of it in the faith of the gospel, and to for- tify them for the conflict with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Having arrived at years of discretion, they are called upon, in their own persons, to fulfil the vows made at their baptism, and to ratify, before the whole congregation, their purpose of so doing, — uniting in public prayer for the grace of the Holy Spirit to be imparted unto them. The Church of Rome pronounces this rite to be a sacrament, and has added an anathe- 76 ma upon all who deny it. There is no written proof, however, that it was instituted by Christ. The Church of England, with all other churches governed by bishops, allow it to be of apostolic usage, though not a sacrament. It has no material element of divine institution, nor any express words for the administration of it, as we see in bap- tism ■ nor do any profess that it is attended with those miraculous gifts, which, it would seem, invariably followed the imposition of hands by the apostles, and which were neces- sary in those days, for the building up of the infant church. It is pretty certain, however, that it has been observed in the church from the earliest periods, and that it had its rise in apostolic usage. Nor can we conceive what solid ob- jections can be urged against it, when some- thing similar to it prevails among all. The ancient Jews brought their children to the temple, at thirteen years of age, to be ex- amined as to their proficiency in the Mosaic law, which our blessed Lord countenanced by his own example. That it was the prac- tice of the primitive age of the church, is 77 supported by history. Within a century after St. John, Tertullian mentions it, as of universal usage : "After baptism, is laying on of hands ; by blessing and prayer inviting the Holy Spirit, who graciously descends from the Father, upon the bodies cleansed and blessed by baptism." In the second century, the bishop of Carthage says ; " This is our present practice, with regard to such persons as are baptized in the church, who are brought before her bishops ; and so receive the Holy Ghost by our prayer over them, and the imposition of our hands upon them ; and thus at length are perfected with the seal of the Lord."' It is generally admitted, that persons arrived at years of discretion, and being duly catechized in Christian principles, should be formally received into the church. This is practised by the Independents, and Bap- tists. The renowned Calvin admits it to have been the custom of the ancient Church, and seems to regret its disuse. The Presby- terian, the Bohemian, and Lutheran Churches, allow it ; and the Church of Geneva hath restored it. 78 A precedent for it can with confidence be cited from the eighth chapter of the Acts of the apostles, and the fourteenth verse. It appears from this text, that Philip, one of the seven deacons whom the apostles had ordained, went down to Samaria, and preach- ed Christ in that city, with great success ; baptizing both men and women. The apos- tles, having heard of this, sent two of their number, Peter and John, to lay hands upon them, and pray for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost. It is clear, then, from this, that the laying on of hands, with prayer for the blessing of the Holy Spirit upon young converts, in order to their estab- lishment in the faith, then existed. It also appears, that the apostles were alone quali- fied to administer this ordinance ; for, although Philip was the instrument, under God, of the spiritual good which had been effected, yet he could not fulfil this solemn service, being only a deacon. St. Paul, also, meeting with some baptized converts at Ephesus, laid his hands upon them, and confirmed them. The rite of laying on of hands is spoken of by the apostle, in connection with, and imme- 79 diately after mentioning, the sacrament of baptism, which, surely, is something more than presumptive proof of the order of con- firmation. But it has been argued, that this was a peculiar power possessed by the apos- tles, and to be laid aside when miraculous inspiration ceased to accompany it. To this it may be answered, that the enlightening and sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit are equally necessary now to salvation ; and that these ordinary spiritual blessings are now as really imparted as then. Why, therefore, should the visible sign cease, on the ground of this objection ; or preaching might be laid aside, seeing that the conversion of thousands is not to be expected under one sermon. This manner of conferring spiritual bles- sings is of ancient usage. Even as far back as the time of the patriarchs, we have instances of it. Thus, Jacob laid his hands upon Ephraim and Manasseh, and blessed them. Moses laid his hands upon Joshua ; and our Lord laid his hands upon the little children whom he blessed, and upon the sick whom he healed. The apostles, by appoint- ment of their Divine Master, did as he had 80 done. The bishops of the Church of Eng- land, as performing the higher functions of the Christian mistry, have uniformly, in suc- cession, administered this holy rite. One thing it is proper here to observe, that the bishop always prays to God, in laying hands upon the persons about to be confirmed. This shews that the blessing is not from himself ■ he is only the instrument through which it is conferred. If the apostle dis- dained to take any honour to himself in healing the lame man, declaring that it pro- ceeded not from any power or holiness in him ; much less may any that succeeded in after times, assume this to himself. It seems necessary thus far to obviate an objection, and to correct a notion which commonly prevails, that the wdiole of this service begins and ends with the bishop ; as if all the power and virtue centred in and flowed from him personally. Whereas, bishops have no power or claim to confer blessings arbitrarily, but have been appointed to this function, in due regard to order, as the chief officers in the church. He prays that the sign may not be viewed in a trifling 81 or indifferent manner, but as an intimation of God's good pleasure ; and persons who approach to be confirmed, being rightly dis- posed in heart, with a sincere desire that they may become true partakers of saving benefit through this means of grace, may confidently hope that a blessing will accom- pany it. It is a public ratification of what godfathers and godmothers have promised as sureties in baptism, — the parties engaging themselves, in their own persons, to fulfil the same, hav- ing arrived at an age to understand and appreciate the vows then entered into. If sponsors more fully understood their duty, and were themselves pious, they would be anxiously careful in seeing that those children for whom they stood should be trained in the nurture and admonition of the Lord ; and that they should prepare themselves, at the proper time, for the solemn rite of confirma- tion, which, indeed, is no small part of the obligation laid upon them. Moreover, it is a personal ratification of the covenant engagements of baptism. The infant is baptized as a part of the household E 82 of faith, and the family of adoption, in a passive state ; and is admitted on the faith of the parent. But in confirmation, indivi- dual responsibility is acknowledged. Obliga- tions are undertaken, and efforts are to be made, in maintaining the spiritual conflict against the adversary, for which special grace is needed and promised. Indeed, the church has a right to demand a profession of Chris- tian principles, and a purpose, by the help of divine grace, of adherence to them, in word and work, before she admits any one to full membership, and a participation in the sacrament of the Lord's supper. The state of mind expected in those who offer them- selves for confirmation, is parallel with that required in adult baptism ; for, unless the heart and intentions of the individual thus offering himself be right in the sight of God, it will not only be unavailing, but a perver- sion, an impious mockery ; and may bring down a curse, instead of a blessing. This Christian ordinance would indeed prove very profitable to youth, if undertaken in a serious and devout spirit, with a diligent enquiry into its nature. For, after all due attention 83 has been paid by the clergy, in the way of instruction and admonition, — to which they are bound as accountable to the chief Shep- herd and Bishop of souls, — it still rests with those who offer themselves, that they should labour to have their minds and affections so engaged upon this important matter, that they may not lose the benefit intended in it. It is not enough to have learned from memory the creed, the Lord's prayer, and the ten commandments. This an apostate or an infidel might do. It is necessary to under- stand the meaning and application of what is thus learnt ; and to be impressed with the conviction that salvation is involved in a right view, a cordial belief, and a practical regard of things spiritual, in conversation, temper, and conduct ; remembering, that it is for your life. And can any interest be equal to the salvation of the soul \ " What is a man profited, if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul 1 or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul V Matt, xvi. 2. It is enjoined upon the clergy, that they present none for confirmation but such as 84 they know to be fit. This knowledge is not always easily attained. Nay, generally, it is very difficult, if not impossible. The mere reciting from memory a form of sound words, may leave the heart wholly unimpressed. Yet, in the work of examination, close, searching questions applied to the conscience, setting forth self-denial and mortification, abstraction from the world, dedication of the soul to God, may, under the divine blessing, produce convictions ending in a meetness for this ordinance. It is clearly the duty of Christians, when arrived at years of discretion, to take upon themselves, in their own persons, the respon- sibility of their baptismal vows. A want of disposition so to do, does not exonerate from the duty. They are guilty in the omission ; but they would be still more awfully guilty in professing publicly to fulfil them, without the intention so to do. Faithfulness, on the part of the clergy, should be combined with tenderness and discrimination ; that we may be neither lax nor repulsive. Having regard to the lambs of the flock, we should be tremblingly appre- 85 hensive lest any sincere though diffident applicants, — slow to learn, yet willing, — back- ward in profession, but without guile, — should be sent away. The age of admission, in the English Church, is fourteen, as the minimum. The confirmants ought to be watched, and their spiritual interests attended to, afterwards, as well as before. It must be confessed, that there is a sad deficiency in our church, in reference to the classifying and assembling of her members, as distinct from those who give attendance to worship. Owing to this defect, we lose many, who pass away to various denominations of dis- sent. Besides which, there is a manifest want of the communion of saints, so much insisted on in Holy Writ. All other religious bodies seem to take special cognizance of their members, in that particular character. While we deplore the abuse and profana- tion of this holy rite, and the danger of its being engaged in merely as an ordinary cere- mony, — a doing as others have done or are about to do ; yet, how pleasing it is to see a youth seriously contemplating confirmation, 80 as one sincerely purposing to lead a new life, under a deep conviction of the excellency, the necessity, and importance of true religion. as " the pearl of great price." M the treasure hid in a field," the M one thing needful," for which he is content to sell all, that he may buv it. One whose heart is right in the sight of God ; who is anxious to flee from the wrath to come, and to lay hold on eternal life ; humbled under a sense of guilt, truly penitent, and embracing with gladness the doctrines of the gospel, — justification by faith alone in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus ; praying for the renovating and sanctifying influences of the Holy Ghost, to the converting and renewing of the soul. We would hope that not a few such there are, ready and willing to take Christ's yoke upon them ; to bind their hearts' affections to the horns of the altar : and to become the willing servants of the Lord, from henceforth and for ever. — seeking him as the guide of their youth, that they may be satisfied early with his loving- kindness. Much is to be done after confirmation, in cherishing the good that the confirmed may 87 have received; or there will be great peril of their going back, and returning into the world. There is, indeed, something truly awful in neglecting and forgetting such solemn engagements. It reminds us of the words of the Saviour, — " The last state of that man is worse than the first." Broken vows, to a fellow-creature, are very sinful. How great, then, must be the turpitude of the crime, when committed against Almighty God! From this state, recovery is extremely difficult, and, in many instances, hopeless. Such characters are obnoxious to much severer punishment. They " shall be beaten with many stripes." MATRIMONY, Is that law by which a woman is united to a man in holy wedlock, and becomes a legitimate mother. It was instituted by God in the beginning. Adam and Eve, the parents of all living, were the first married pair. Gen. i. 28 ; ii. 18 — 24. Nations the most barbar- ous, have the custom of marriage, with some 88 degree of solemn ceremony, which, doubtless, had been transmitted to them by sacred tradition ; so that woman has become the peculiar right and possession, as also her offspring, of the person to whom she has been united in marriage. Among God's ancient people the Jews, this custom has ever prevailed ; and a set office for it early obtained in the Christian Church. It is only in these latter days of libertinism, that it has been viewed as a mere politic contract, and divested of every sacred warrant. Much has been written in praise of a life of continency, and especially as of obligation upon all who are called to sacred offices. Indeed, it may at once be conceded, that those who have this gift, can yield themselves to the work of the Lord freer from embar- rassment than otherwise. Few, however, can bear this saying ; and it is, therefore, preposterous in the Chuch of Rome to require of all who minister at her altars to maintain celibacy, in opposition, we may confidently say, to the text of Holy Scripture ; laying a burden which Christ never enjoined, and which scarcely any have been able to sustain. 89 Let us remember that every man has his proper gift from God, one after this manner, and another after that. As marriage was divine in its original institution, so our blessed Lord honoured it with his presence, and the first miracle that he wrought, in Cana of Galilee. Indeed, it is clear that Peter, the chief of the apostles, was married ; and it may be reasonably inferred, that many others were living in this honourable state, who were occupied in the sacred service of ministering the word of life. Marriage was ordained as a holy estate, that man and woman might cohabit in chastity, and bring up their offspring in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. It is to be preserved as an inviolable contract, and is called conjugium, a joining, a being united to one man, of which the individuals should be admonished from time to time. The Almighty hath ordained it from the begin- ning. To this our blessed Lord referred, as the original institution and law of matrimony. The Lord Jehovah declared, " It is not good that man should be alone. I will make an e 2 90 help meet for him.'' Notwithstanding all the praises lavished on celibacy, monks, and nuns ; the state of matrimony, inviolably maintained in chastity, is quite innocent. The Church of Rome, however, hath so magnified the single state, and shrouded it with such glory of exalted piety, as to put matrimony into the shade, as though it were a less holy condition. She has, nevertheless, numbered it among her seven sacraments, and has represented it as conferring holy benefits. The woman is called " an help meet;"'' which, in its whole extent and in many parti- culars, signifies that she is to be a companion, — having care of the household, and bearing in part the attendant anxieties of the mar- ried state. God created all other animals in pairs. Not so man ; for Adam was first formed, and then Eve. In this respect, his difference is manifest, as being alone. She was to be one with him in kind ; joined to him in affection; the mother of his offspring; helpful in his duties ; and sympathizing in his sufferings and joys. She is bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh ; upon which fact 91 the apostle grounds the admonition : " Hus- bands love your wives, and be not bitter against them." He also declares that " men ought to love their wives, even as their own bodies : for what man ever yet hated his own flesh." The Lord brought the woman unto the man. She was God's gift. She was not sought by Adam ; it was a free bestowment, and, as far as we can learn, unexpected. But being given, she became his property. God made her ; built her out of man ; and brought her to him. So we are taught, "He that findeth a wife, findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord." The marriage rites were called nuptials ; a term of ancient use, in allusion to the modesty of virgins, who were hidden, and is a token of their subjection and obedience to their husbands. Among the ancient Jews, it was customary for the bride to walk, or to be conveyed under a canopy, to the house of the bridegroom. To this custom allusion is made in the Psalm : " The king's daughter is all glorious within, her clothing is of wrought gold." These espousals were of 92 some continuance, before the marriage was completed; but the contracts, conditions, and preliminaries, were arranged with mutual consent of parents, so that the person of the bride was kept sacred to him whom she had agreed to marry. The bond was mutual. And here it may be proper to administer a word of caution and admonition, to persons under like vows. Prudence should be exer- cised, and counsel should be taken from those competent to give it, before the choice is made. But when once the engagement is entered into, it should be regarded as a solemn compact, which never has been bro- ken without great guilt. And it may be affirmed, that it has rarely escaped with im- punity ; while nothing less than urgent cir- cumstances, and mutual consent, can justify the breaking off the connection. There are certain degrees of propinquity that are impediments to matrimony, which reason and the divine law manifestly declare. A table of them was formerly placed in our parish churches, and annexed to the bible ; in order that all persons, and especially those who design to engage in the holy estate of 93 matrimony, should shun entering into such contracts. It is, however, to be feared, that, in these lax days, not a few break the inclo- sure without remorse. The custom early obtained in the church, of publishing the intention of the parties to be united in marriage, by banns, or proclama- tion ; that all connected, or concerned there- with, might lawfully prevent it, if need required. The ceremony was to be perform- ed in open day, and in the church, at the altar, where the solemn vow was made to God, and in his special presence ; attended by the friends of the parties, to testify their consent, and to unite in the prayers for a blessing to descend upon the union about to be made. Xot less than two witnesses are required to sign their names, at the com- pletion of the marriage. Marriage is a contract by which the woman has a property in the person of her husband, and the husband in that of a wife, ceded to him by the parent ; and the married parties, whatever regret there may arise afterwards, cannot possibly change or invalidate it. It abides to the end of one of their lives. Our 04 church has explicitly declared the design of marriage, upon scripture authority, to which we refer. And although an apology may be offered for the expediency of the late change in the law of marriage, it has undoubtedly had the effect of diminishing its sanctity, reducing it, in the estimation of some, to a mere civil contract, an ordinary bar- gain or agreement, that man and woman should live together, heedless of the divine sanction and benediction, and obviously tending to loosen the conjugal tie. Whereas, had it been duly regarded as a religious rite, with its duties and obligations urged by the apostles Peter and Paul, it would have been much happier, and would have been under- taken with purer motives and better aims. Family interests, and mercenary motives, would not have had that predominant sway; but a wise affectionate regard, which would have been attended with a preferring one another, and a giving honor to the weaker vessel, would have been exhibited ; the love that covers a multitude of sins, which makes allowances for frailties inseparable from our fallen nature, would have been shewn in an 9o intimate continual intercourse. Left to them- selves, little, and it may be unavoidable, differences would have been easily settled. Marriage is the foundation of all relation- ship. The human race descended from the first pair. It is also the closest : " They two shall be one flesh." This they really are in their offspring. And, doubtless, the love they have towards their children, and which is so deeply implanted in the breast of parents by the benevolent Creator, strength- ens the love they bear to each other. The Ceremonial of Marriage, according to the Rubrick of the Church of England. All things duly arranged, the license, or the certificate of banns presented ; the par- ties about to be married, attended by their friends, are to stand before the altar ; the man on the right hand, and the woman on the left, a distinction setting forth the hus- band as the head of the wife. A solemn and very appropriate address introduces the ceremony, announcing it as about to take 96 place in the presence of Almighty God and witnesses ; referring to its primary institu- tion, and to the sanction which our blessed Lord gave to it by his presence, and the miracle which he wrought at Cana in Galilee. The apostle St. Paul says it is "honorable among all." Especial care should be taken, that it is entered upon discreetly, and with Christian seriousness. The lack of this, in part, occasioned the destruction of the old world. Esau's marriage with the heathen, was a grief of mind unto Isaac and Rebekah. The Israelites were warned to make no covenant with them, as they would prove seducers from the right way. So was Solomon's heart turned aside after other gods. St. Paul exhorts : " Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." It is scarcely possible adequately to set forth the perilous snares attendant upon godly persons uniting themselves with the ungodly and indifferent. How many have been drawn aside, have backslidden, and given up a re- ligious course, under the influence of so intimate a connection! It further points out its design, that the Lord might have a seed 97 to serve him, trained up in his fear ; and that the man and woman might live chaste and holy, in mutual love, and so be a sup- port to each other, administering comfort and counsel. All due precaution is taken, first, that the persons offering may be lawfully joined. To make this more emphatic, the priest charges it upon their conscience, that if they know any impediment, they do confess it; as they will have to answer before the Judge of all. No matrimony being lawful but such as God's word doth allow, the sin of such would be sure to find them out. The priest then asks the consent of both parties ; for although this is sufficiently mani- fest by their appearance, yet, they are re- quired openly, in the presence of the church, to declare it. The husband taking the woman to be his wife, to live together in the way that God hath appointed ; to love her as one with himself, in the dearest affection, under all the infirmities and afflictions to which she is liable ; to give her due honour, as the weaker vessel ; to nourish her with all necessary supplies ; and, above all, to be 98 faithful unto her, — for the expression is strong and abiding : " Keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live." "Let no man deal treacherously with the wife of his youth." The same enquiries are made of the woman; for the terms of the covenant are the same on both sides, and fidelity towards each other is to be mutual. The contract is equally binding on both. The only addition on the part of the woman is, the promise to obey and serve. The wife is, by the apostolic injunction, to be obedient and in subjection. Eph. v. 22, 24. Col. iii. 18. Tit. ii. 5. 1 Pet. iii. 1 — 5. The husband is the head of the wife ; but he is to rule by the law of love and tenderness. Before the answer is made, "I will;" the parties ought seriously to ponder the terms of the contract, in order to know whether the conjugal state, with its cares and duties, could be cheerfully borne ; and that they can love each other, and be faithful to their vow, under all the changing conditions and circum- stances in which they may be placed. Then may they, with a good and ready mind, say, hi I will." We see this illustrated in the case 99 of Rebekah : " And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man ? And she said, I will go/' Gen. xxiv. 58. Boaz promised to Ruth ; " I will do to thee all that thou requirest." Ruth iii. 11. iv. 13. Previous to the mutual stipulation, the minister says, " Who giveth this woman to be married to this man'?" Then the minister, receiving her at the hands of the father, or the person representing the father, shall cause the man, with his right hand, to take the woman by her right hand, and repeat after him the terms of the contract. The father's act is according to ancient custom, both among Romans and Christians. We read, " They were given in marriage." The maiden is supposed to be under the custody and care of a parent or guardian ; that, by this act, he yields up his power, and leaves her to her own choice in this important mat- ter. And, moreover, it is more suitable to the modesty of her sex, that she should be given to, rather than that she should seek, a husband. The joining of hands shews, for itself, the act of contracting, or making this 100 covenant. "Jehu said to Jehonadab, Give me thine hand." The former demand of the minister, to which consent is given, doubt- less are the espousals, which preceded the act of matrimony, following some weeks, or longer, after the church has put them both together, to prevent the breach of espousals. They now give their troth, that is, their solemn assurance of fidelity, as husband and wife ; to live together chastely, in that holy estate, as God hath required, until death doth sever them. For if the husband be dead, the woman is loosed from her husband. And equally does the dissolution of the tie happen, in the event of the woman dying before the husband. The words "I plight thee my troth," are equivalent to a solemn assurance. The man shall give unto the woman a ring. This was a token of trust, of honour, of friendship, and love ; and was anciently used among Jews and Gentiles in matrimony. It has been considered significant from its shape, and the value of the metal. But certainly the use of it, and particularly as distinguish- ing the married, is both proper and innocent ; 101 and the scruples . of the Puritans were frivo- lous and without foundation. If the Church of Rome uses it, that can be no valid objec- tion ; for if we must refuse every thing on this account, it is manifest that we should be liable to many acts of absurdity. Laying the ring on the book, may indicate that it is about to be put to a sacred purpose, and is not ordinarily to be regarded as any other ring, but rather with veneration. The words of the husband, " With this ring I thee wed/' are an expression setting forth the sign or pledge of the matrimonial covenant. And the woman having it always upon her hand, is to her a constant memorial of her changed condition, and of the cove- nant relationship in which she stands to her husband, and a token by which she is known to strangers, as being in the capacity of a wife. " With my body I thee worship." There is no part of the marriage ceremony which is so likely to be misunderstood and perverted as this. Reduced within the limits of its proper import, it is to be understood as a right given to the wife, whereby she is 102 admitted to a participation in the privileges and honours annexed to the person of her husband. The term " worship," in our age, being never commonly used and applied, except in reference to the adoration we pay to the Supreme Being, has made the sound of these words idolatrous and very reprehen- sible. A little consideration, however, will relieve it from this imputation. A proper degree of veneration is all that was intended, which could only be visibly rendered by the homage of the body, — a preference given to the weaker vessel. We find the term com- mon in addressing a magistrate, as, u Your Worship." We read also, of " the worshipful company of goldsmiths." The same form is used in addressing aldermen. Certainly, nothing can be more manifest, when duly explained, than that honour is all that is intended to be conveyed by this phrase. The old word " worship," derived from the Saxon, goes no further in its application to a creature. It is so in the conjugal state. The high distinction of a wife above a concu- bine, is hereby shewn. " And with all my worldly goods I thee 103 endow." The husband engages to maintain his wife, according to his condition and estate ; for she becomes entitled to all things in common with himself; to share alike. This is to be made with the most solemn ratification, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Every violation of this contract is deeply injurious, and a grievous offence. A prayer follows, offered up by the officia- ting minister, that God, whose years are throughout all generations, our Creator and Preserver, would bless them. We are mortal, and must pass away by reason of death ; but he has ordained, that instead of the fathers shall come up the children. Thus a succes- sion is maintained, to repair the losses con- tinually recurring ; so that, notwithstanding the many that are buried, there is no want of the living. It is proper to pray for a blessing upon the man and the woman in marriage. It may appear singular, that Isaac and Rebekah should alone be selected among the pious patriarchs as an example ; but a little consideration will shew its fitness, as these two persons lived faithfully together, 104 according to the original institution of one woman, in union with one man ; and that, though polygamy was winked at in the primitive ages, it was never intended to be continued, and ceased upon the introduction of the Christian dispensation. The benediction is then pronounced, after the joining of hands, declaring the parties married by mutual consent, on a solemn vow, in the presence of God and the congregation. They are joined together by divine authority ; and their marriage is sacred, inviolable, and indissoluble. A marriage thus undertaken in the fear God, and completed by his authority, doubtless is blessed. And the minister may, with unhesitating confidence, proceed, as the servant of the Most High, to declare them to be such, and pray that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, would bless, preserve, and keep them ; that he would mercifully with his favour look upon them ; and so fill them with all spiritual benediction and grace, that they may so live together in this life, that in the world to come they may have life everlasting. Thus is the marriage sealed ; and, formerly, the 105 whole service was called " the blessing of God." Then follow certain suitable Psalms and prayers, with an exhortation chiefly taken from St. Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, in which he draws a parallel between Christ and the church, the Lamb's wife, He calls it a great mystery, To ^vs^iov tS™ ^iy% hh s to which the Church of Rome has assigned the nature of a sacrament. But here there is no element, as a sign of grace ; for though th,e marriage state is holy, if chastely and faithfully kept, yet in itself it does not confer grace ; and is common to all, even the indifferent and profane. It is enjoined, that the newly married couple should at the time, or as soon after as may be, partake of the holy communion ; and in the purer state of the church it would be received unto the edification of their souls, as a solemn confirmation of their vows, a good and hallowed beginning of wedded life, to be pursued and maintained by divine help through the course of their time, until death should part them. Mutual congratulations, and innocent festivity, are proper and season- F 106 able on such occasions. But carnal enter- tainments and worldly mirth, conformity to vain and volatile amusements, which ordinarily prevail, ought never to be admit- ted, especially at the marriage of real Christians. They are not of the world, though in it ; and are commanded to come out and to be separate from it. They may sing with heart and tongue : — Let worldly minds the world pursue, It Lath no charms for me ; Once I admired its trifles too, But Christ hath set me free." Great, indeed, is the danger of pious families deteriorating, in the formation of matrimonial connections ; unless a watchful regard be had to the preventing the introduction of customs and practices, which, though gene- rally allowed in society, are not in accordance with the strictness of Christ's holy precepts. Let the day of marriage, and all days, be spent in the fear of God. The married in the Lord should begin as they mean to 107 THE VISITATION OF THE SICK. However strong may be the frame of the body, or sound the physical con- stitution, frailty and mortality are ap- pointed unto man. Should he escape the shocks and accidents which endanger or destroy life, how many are the agents ever present which may work to the diminishing or undermining a good state of health. The atmosphere in which we breathe ; the aliment of which we partake ; with many other causes, have this tendency. Not any thing- is more precarious than human life. A fit, a fever, a fall, may lay us prostrate in death. Instances under our own view, continually remind us of the sad fact ; while the current news abounds with them. In every popula- tion, the sick and languishing make no in- considerable portion among them. Perhaps it scarcely ever happens, that all are exempt, at one and the same time. And those who are in health, should duly prize it, with a grateful heart to Grod, for the mercy ; and ought so to live, as to be prepared for a change in sickness. 108 Before we proceed to comment on the office for the visitation of the sick, some preliminary remarks seem due to the brevity and frailty of this mortal life. Our breath is in our nostrils. We are clay, and not brass or iron. Our bodies are made up of many and complicated parts, some very attenuated, extremely minute ; and yet each part essen- tially connected with the vitality of the whole. An interruption to their course of action, continued even for a short time, would peril if not destroy life. How well has the sacred poet expressed it : " Strange that a harp of thousand strings Should keep in tune so long." Surely we are upheld by an almighty invisible Power. It would be untrue and undevout to ascribe it to the skill and inge- nuity of man. So saith the psalmist: "Thou keepest all my bones, that not one of them is broken/ 7 And the apostle Paul declares before his earthly judge, and in the presence of the assembly, " Having obtained help of God, I remain unto the present day." But 109 the decree has gone forth, that we must die and not live. The ordinary precursors of death are, sickness and disease ; for which we should earnestly pray that we may be prepared. The psalmist saith, "The days of our years are threescore years and ten ; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow, for it is soon cut off, and we fly away." It is appointed of God that we must die. The decree has gone forth, and it is irre- vocable. Death is making its approach by speedy though silent steps. All men living must see death. "What man is he that liveth and shall not see death." "No man hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit." "We must needs die, and be as water spilt on the ground which cannot be gathered up again." "Our fathers, where are they 1 The prophets, do they live for ever 1" The very materials of which we are composed are perishing. This is our earthly taberna- cle, which must be taken down. " We are crushed before the moth." The smallest accident may conduce to it. Death may enter by a thousand avenues ; and it comes 110 as the penalty due to sin. " The wages of sin is death." " In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." " Now the sting of death is sin." This sting can be taken away alone by an application of the blood of sprinkling to the guilty conscience, in the sacrifice and atonement of the Saviour, and the imputation of his spotless righteous- ness to the believer for justification. Let us attend to those significant emblems by which the brevity of human life is set forth. The pious patriarch Job, amidst his manifold afflictions, exclaims, " My days are vanity." Solomon confesses, "All things have I seen in the days of my vanity." Moses compares his days to a sleep, in which the hours pass away, and of which we seem to be unconscious. In the morning, when we awake, they appear but as a moment ; " We spend our years as a tale that is told ; " which, though it may affect us for the time, yet when ended, is soon forgotten. Life is also compared to a dream, or vision of the night ; which is an illusion, and is unsubstan- tial. Thus Job says, " He shall Uy away as a dream, and shall not be found; yea he shall Ill be chased away as a vision in the night." " Surely all flesh is as grass, and all the goodliness of man is as the flower of the field : the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of the Lord endureth for ever."' Some are nipped in the bud of childhood, others are cut down in the blossom of youth ; their sun goeth down while it is yet day, and and the dew of their youth is upon them. Others reach maturity ; and a few arrive at old age. But, eventually, all are levelled to the dust. The manner in which life is computed in the scriptures, teaches us that it is brief : " Man that is born of woman, is of few days." The protracted age of the antediluvians was soon reduced to threescore years and ten. Job reckons life by months : " The number of his months is with thee, which are full of changes until they disappear." It is summed up in days, and is compared to one day, even as the days of an hireling, who will not continue longer than his time : " Till he shall accomplish as an hireling his day." And St. Paul comforts the saints in shewing that, as compared with their future felicity, the 112 afflictions of this present time are " but for a moment." God has so constituted his church, that it may spiritually provide for every state and period of life. The infant is dedicated to the service of God by baptism, in the name of the Holy Trinity. In confirmation, the youth takes upon himself, in an especial man- ner, the vows made in his baptism, sealed by admonitions, prayers, and the benediction of the bishop. The contracts of the holy estate of matrimony are also ratified by the church. While she affords devotional in- struction, counsel, and comfort, for the solemnities of the dying hour. Changes are appointed unto man : he never continues in one stay. The scene is ever shifting ; and so it progresses, until we change in death, to change no more. Among all the changes that await us, the most solemn, the most interesting, is that which introduces us to a condition in which we shall irrevocably abide. Sickness, ordinarily precedes that change, and is a season which calls for special attention on the part of the pastors of the flock. The visitation of the sick is incumbent upon those who have the care of souls ; and let them see to it that this duty is not neglected, as they will have to render an account of their stewardship. They must give to every one his portion of meat in due season. A variety of cases will come under their notice, requiring different modes of treatment. The saint, who habitu- ally walked with God for a series of years ; the sinner, who has been openly profane ; the decent formalist ; the specious pretender to religion ; the backslider ; and the peni- tent ; should each be treated according to their respective states. As the physician directs his medical skill to ascertain the nature of the maladies under which his patients are suffering, that he may success- fully apply the healing art ; so must the soul, the immortal part, be dealt with. All need the remedy, — the common salvation. The one disease, the plague of the heart, is common to all. But it assumes different forms in different individuals, and to each attention must be given. To some, warning, and even rebuke, must be administered : to others, encouragement, and urgent exhorta- f2 114 tion. To others, strong consolation ; and to all, fidelity and earnestness must be exercised. Well may the apostle exclaim, in contem- plating the solemn responsibilities of the ministerial office, — " Who is sufficient for these things 1 " We are destined to an eternal state ; and it is only the breath in our nostrils which divides us from that state. Shortly we must enter into it. How deeply solemn the thought! How awakening the consideration ! It is the business of each day, of every day, to prepare for it. To live each day as though it were our very last, not knowing when, or how soon, it may arrive. Men, in their temporal concerns, do their utmost to guard against contingencies, that those whom they intend to be their heirs may have their rights secured ; but we have immortal souls, ac- countable to the heart-searching, and rein trying Jehovah, our Supreme Judge, with whom we have to do. It therefore becomes an enquiry of unequalled importance to us, Is my soul safe for eternity 1 I have in my- self a personal identity. If I experience pain and disease, I am conscious of it ; I 115 feel it for myself, and not another. Job comforted himself in this confidence of hope, that he should have a personal participation in beholding the beatific vision. " I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth : and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God ; whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another." Awfully unwise is he, therefore, who leaves the serious con- sideration of eternity to the moments of a morbid, languishing, dying condition. Be- sides, death may come without notice. A stroke, a fit, an accident, has laid many prostrate before the setting sun, who began the day in ordinary health and vigour. Yet in sickness, especially that which seems likely to have a fatal termination, the urgenc} r of preparation and meetness for death, becomes all-important. Much as has been said and written upon this subject, it falls infinitely below its magnitude. " What shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? " Oh eternity ! dread eternity ! heaven, hell ! the bliss of celestial glory ; the undying worm of con- 116 science ; the quenchless fire of hell ; how do they appear to the view of the spirit about to flit from the clay tenement into the more immediate presence of Almighty God ! There is something in the season of sick- ness which disposes the mind for meditation, and usually offers leisure for this purpose. The turmoils of business interfere not ; their withering influence is not felt. A more minute view is taken of the past life, in its moral bearings. The appetite for spiritual things is not now so blunted by worldly anxieties and cares. With greater force we may press the exhortation ; " Acquaint now thyself with Him and be at peace ; " make your reconciliation with God, through the merits of the adorable Redeemer. Affliction, in itself, is grievous ■ but there is much mercy in this sloping the passage to the grave. Scope is given for the exercise of a humble and contrite spirit. And to the penitent, the sense of guilt is relieved by a lively hope in the promises, a firm faith, and dependance on the atoning sacrifice, the justifying righteousness and prevalent inter- cession of the Lord Jesus, the Mediator of 117 the new covenant ; through whom we may assuredly obtain, pardon peace, and com- plete salvation. Daily we ought to hear the voice of the prophet ; — " Prepare to meet thy God." But in the sick chamber, the exhortations of the scriptures appear to be written in visible characters. Then they come home to the heart, and their import seems to be more clearly understood. The thought of death may frequently have occurred to the mind on former occasions ; it has been viewed in the distance as a solemn change. But now the awful event is about to be realized ; there is but a short intervening space to the grave, and what is to be done must be done quickly. The work admits of no delay : a moment we may want, when worlds want wealth to buy. Whether in sickness or in health, let us, as much as in us lies, make a due pre- paration for death, in the equitable disposal of our worldly goods ; that no perplexity may arise in the minds of our executors, in fulfilling their trust ; and that our friends and relatives may suffer no wrong from any neglect on our part. Thus we shall be less 118 encumbered in directing our supreme atten- tion to the care of the soul, the one thing needful, which will then demand all our concern. For who can adequately conceive of the worth of an immortal soul, and its ever- lasting imperishable nature. Let us so live, that the final summons may not find us in the wilful neglect of any known duty, or the commission of any direct act of disobedience. The apostle directs, — " Is any sick among you'? let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anoint- ing him with oil in the name of the Lord." Those called elders in the original Greek, are the vrp*^™? 01 * the presbyters, ordinarily called priests. The primary sense it that of one advanced in years. Such were the Sanhedrim, or council of the Jewish nation. In the sense of an ambassador, the term is applied to Christian ministers, who labour in word and doctrine. These were ordained in ever city whither the gospel came. And from the account given of them, in the gos- pels and the apostolic epistles, it appears, that it was their office to engage in the sacred services of public worship, to preach, 119 to administer the sacraments, and to visit the members of the church. Doubtless it is the duty of Christian pas- tors to seek out the sick and afflicted ; and to be prompt in attendance upon them. But the text expressly declares, that the sick person is to send for them. It is obvious that this is a reasonable requirement ; for it is impossible that they should know, at all times, those who are dangerously sick, especially in a large population. The ru- brick directs, " that when any person is sick, notice shall be given thereof to the minister of the parish, who is, or ought to be, qualified by his studies, for the discharge of this sacred duty ; who can instruct and administer con- solation in the trying hour, assisting the soul in its endeavours to obtain acceptance and peace with God. And as it is a time in which there are great struggles with the adversary of souls, Satan, the accuser of the brethren, takes advantage of the infirmity of the sick, tempting them either to pre- sumption or despair." The church has appointed a service for the visitation of the sick, which is very 120 appropriate to the real Christian. But a latitude is given to ministers to enlarge upon the prescribed exhortations discreetly, as circumstances may demand. For no set form of words could meet every case. It is, however, an excellent directory, well adapted for the most hopeful cases, especially the confirmed Christian. Let them, the elders, pray over him. Although it is the duty of the patient to pray for himself, yet the minister is divinely appointed to intercede with God on his behalf. If, with the apostle, we mag- nify our office, thus far, it should be mingled with deep humility, in the presence of Al- mighty God, at the remembrance of our solemn charge, its weighty responsibility, our weakness and frailties. But if we are sincere and devoutly earnest, we may expect that the Lord will hear our petitions to the saving of the soul ; and that he will bless our exhortations and endeavours to produce conviction of the guilt, the heinousness, and the misery of a sinful life ; and a calling to remembrance of omissions, negligences, and transgressions, with deep penitential sorrow. Certainly the Lord will bless his own word, 121 addressed to the. conscience, with the en- lightening, sanctifying influences of his Holy Spirit. Ordinarily, the conscience is tender in affliction; a readier access is afforded for the application of divine truth ; sympathetic pity, combined with faithfulness, is felt, and turns to good account. Many who passed through time trifling, and indifferent to their everlasting peace, are now awakened to view the matter in a different light. Lost opportunities occasion a deep and bitter sigh. But regrets are unavailing, for what has been lost is lost for ever ; we are not permitted to live life over again ; a thousand worlds could not purchase a moment. It is deeply to be regretted, that the momentous concerns of the soul, which demand our best and choicest thoughts and purposes, are too often left to the flurried painful season of disease and languishing. Oh ! how perilous, how uncertain is a death-bed repentance! The sinner struggling in the last moments for peace and reconciliation with God, with scarcely any opportunity of proving the genuineness of his repentance, and the sin- 122 cerity of his faith ! It is indeed a dark cloud, a night of perplexity and distress ; with here and there, it may be, a gleam of hope scarcely perceptible to relieve it, a hope amounting to little more than a peradven- ture. They who have witnessed such scenes, know something of the agony and despond- ings, the anguish, the bitterness, the remorse that attends procrastination to the last. Still, there may be hope. One penitent thief was saved in the eleventh hour. We read of only one. Let this ever check presumption, while it should prevent despair. We have reason to fear, that large num- bers of nominal Christians leave to a sick and dying bed, the serious consideration of their soul's salvation ; and that some have done this, even of deliberate purpose. They promise themselves that they shall, in the end, have spare time to bemoan their guilt, to sue for mercy, and obtain it. Can any- thing shew a mind more awfully infatuated, on a matter of eternal importance'? Men take due care, and more than due care, for the things which are temporal, even to the guarding against the contingencies of death ; 123 while they leave their souls in peril of per- dition ! The visitation of the sick opens up a great variety of character, to be dealt with faithfully, but tenderly. Some have wholly neglected religion. The Lord's day has been nothing to them, except as a day of amusement or leisure. They have lived a mere animal life, like the brutes, destitute of the very elements of christian knowledge. It requires wisdom from above to speak suitably to such. Others have attended, it may be occasionally, the public services of the sanctuary ; but with a manner so listless and indifferent as to produce no saving im- pressions on the mind. A third class have built their hopes upon false dependencies ; they trust in themselves, that they are righteous ; they justify themselves before God. They think that they have something whereof to boast ; not knowing that they are blind, and ignorant of the way of salvation; yea, insensible to the power of godliness, and therefore having no present part or lot in the matter of salvation. A fourth have been enlightened ; have made a profession of re- ligion, but have walked inconsistently with 124 it ; have turned the grace of God into licentiousness ; have abused the doctrines of the gospel, as though they were at liberty to sin because grace hath abounded. Men may take refuge in notions and opinions, while in the flow of health, and in the bus- tle of worldly occupation ; but these are put to a severe test in affliction, in the prospect of death and eternity, when about to appear before the Supreme Judge, who knoweth the secrets of all hearts, and before whom nothing can be hid. It matters not what men may think of us, or what we may think of ourselves. He with whom we have to do, cannot be deceived, and will give a right sentence. The time of affliction is the sea- son to urge upon the mind and conscience, the immense importance of ascertaining upon what foundation we are building ; seeing that the eternal interests of the immortal soul are at stake, and that no time is to be lost in renouncing error, and in seeking the truth. For it is for the precious life, the life immortal. Even the Christian on the bed of languish- ing, however firm his faith in the Lord 125 Jehovah, and in his covenant promises of grace and mercy to the saving of the soul ; though his habitual course has been con- scientious and in the fear of God ; though he may have been observant of the means of grace, the appointed Lord's days, the minis- try of the word, the sacraments, and the privileges of the gospel ; is not wholly with- out some misgivings and doubts. When he sees himself in the light of God's countenance, he concludes with an acknowledgment that he is an unprofitable servant: " I have seen an end of all perfection, but thy command- ment is exceeding broad." He feels the force of good Bishop Beveridge's words : " My prayers and alms deeds need washing in the Redeemer's blood." How much has been omitted ; what imperfections and in- firmities have mingled with all ; not to speak of transgressions against light and knowledge ; and constitutional besetments yielded to, which fill the mind with solemn consideration, and occasions tears of deep repentance, self- reproaches, and groanings of earnest suppli- cation unto the Lord for pardoning mercy, and a restoration unto his divine favour ; 126 deprecating the hidings of his face : " Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me." The saints, in ancient times, felt this : "I go mourning all the day long; I water my couch with my tears ;" and many similar expressions are found in the penitential Psalms, indicating distress of mind under a sense of the divine displeasure. And, without doubt, the spi- ritual adversary takes advantage of the weak and abased state of the believer, to throw in gloomy apprehensions, to harass the soul, and tempt to despondency. To such, great pity should be shewed, strong consolation administered, and devout earnest prayer offered unto the Lord, that relief may be afforded, and in due time it will be afforded : " Sorrow may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be conforted." " Light is sown for the righteous, and glad- ness for the upright in heart." It is our mercy that we have, in all our afflictions, a sympathizing High Priest, the chief shepherd and bishop of souls. " Him- 127 self took our infirmities, and bare our sick- nesses ;" and the under shepherds, the ministers of word, ordinarily will gain better acceptance, and prove more useful, who have themselves personally felt languishing and sickness. Such may address the patient with confidence : " Is it a matter of surprise that sorrow should light upon you \ You are associated with thousands, who know nights in succession, wearisome and painful, with, it may be, little intermission. In themselves, these are not joyous but griev- ous ; they are calamities affecting the ten- derest part of our nature, in comparison with which, loss of property is light and easily to be borne. But none must yield to repinings, much less those who profess to love and fear God. Rather should they gladly recur to, and embrace, all that is recorded in God's holy word, as a ground of relief." Affliction is our allotment in this world, from which none are exempt. Even the most robust and healthy, must expect a time of sickness. And it is well for us to endeavour, as much as in us lies, to enter into the feelings of those who know it by 128 actual experience. It is well to hear them say, " The Lord clealeth with me not accord- ing to my sin ; he rewardeth me not after my transgression. I bow submissively to his holy will ; he cannot err. He will make this, though bitter to nature, turn to my salvation. By affliction I am reminded that I am guilty, lost, and fallen through sin ; or I had not been a sufferer. Angels, who never sinned, do not suffer. I would join in enquiry with the prophet : ' Wherefore should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins \ ' " Besides, who can number up the advantages attendant on affliction 1 " Before I was afflicted, I went astray ; but now have I kept thy command- ments/' was the confession of the psalmist ; and thousands of God's dear children, since his day, have taken up the same language as descriptive of their case. Suffering is designed to produce " the peaceable fruits of righteousness, in them that are excised thereby." It often acts as a rein to bridle the unruly passions ; to bow the stubborn will ; to correct the understand- ing ; to guide the judgment, and control the 129 affections ; so as to bring them into subjection to the will of God. In this we may discern, that " whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son and daughter whom he receiveth." Happy is it for us when afflictions are sanctified. We cannot say that they are so in all cases. Some murmur, and harden themselves in sorrow. Their sorrow is allied to " worldly sorrow, which worketh death." They seem to say with Cain, " My punishment is greater than I can bear/' Oh ! let it be our vehement prayer, whatever be the extremity or severity of our affliction, that God, of his infinite mercy, would deliver us from such a rebellious spirit ! Rather let us resolve, with the devout patri- arch, " Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him f or, with the pious psalmist, " I was dumb and opened not my mouth, because thou didst it." There is, doubtless, a reason for the chas- tisements with which we are visited. " God speaketh once, yea, twice ; but man perceiveth it not." Sickness and pain have a voice from God, announcing a message of solemn import. It may be he hath spoken to us again and G 130 again, in the written word, and in the sacred ministry ; but we have not yielded that attention to his message which its importance required. God will be heard, if not in his house, on the bed of languishing ; when " chastened with pain, and the multitude of the bones with strong pain, so that the life abhorreth bread, and the soul dainty meat ; the flesh is consumed away that it cannot be seen, and his bones that were seen stick out ; yea his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life unto the destroyer." This is Job's statement, and as one having experi- enced affliction, he could speak. And it would be well for us to ask such, how it was with them. There must indeed be great searchings of heart, which the man of daily health and active occupation knows little of, even though, upon the whole, he may be a devout Christian. So wide is the difference in its effects, between the bustle of life, and the dreary moments of bodily languor. Various are the complaints producing sick- ness ; some acute, some chronic, some incura- ble ; others not without hope of recovery. But in most cases, appetite is gone, enjoy- 131 ment is at an end, an interest in things earthly has faded. Every object bears a sickly hue. There is an anxiety about the probability of reaching again a convalescent state, which if unduly felt, may prevent the desired object being attained. Without God's blessing, physicians are of no value. Depen- dence must not be placed upon them beyond that of human instruments. It is both wise and commendable to use the means, looking in faith and prayer to the God of the means. Some, however, regard the medical attendant, as though it were in his power to control and subdue the malady. This is " hewing out to ourselves broken cisterns, that can hold no water," and forsaking God "the Fountain of living waters." Affliction, however dark without and within, is nevertheless of God. Say not, "Why am I thus?" He has appointed it. His love to his sick ones is undi- minished, and can never fade. He has put more true substantial joy into the heart of the patient, than in the time when the corn, the wine, and the oil of the wicked increase. Can we sav of anv affliction, " I 132 have not deserved it ; I need it not ; how can it turn to my good V With sickness there may be health of soul, and spiritual prosperity. Leisure, it may be, has been afforded, to learn how little worldly business, with success and buoyant health, have left of the heart for God. Painfully bitter is the remembrance ; but happy in their issues are the sharpest remedies that bring back our minds to holy communion with our heavenly Father. There may be such a state of sickness and disease as to unfit for meditation. This is truly melancholy, and shews the immense importance of previous preparation while in a state of health. That which is the business of every day, yea, its first and chief business, should never be left to the last hours of mortal existence, attended with debility, and frequent interruptions of mental infirmity. It becomes us rather to make ourselves fami- liar with death ; to keep our dissolution continually in view, — waiting in a devout posture of watchfulness for the summons. It is not possible for us to do this in our own strength ; grace must be vouchsafed unto us 13; from above. And in order to obtain it. we must be very diligent in the use of the appointed means. Prayer in private, as well as in the public congregation of the saints ; the reading of the holy scriptures ; commu- nion with God, and a participation in the sacraments. In a little time we shall be gone. It is now or never ; no time is to be lost, Life is ebbing, and we are nearing the ocean of eternity. " The living know that they must die." The decree has gone forth. " Unto man it is appointed once to die." The last enemy to the Christian is death. It is well to observe, with due attention, how those who feared the Lord met death ; remembering that we are to be " followers of them, who, through faith and patience, are now inheriting the promises ;" and there are not a few instances of this kind recorded in the sacred volume, both in the Old and also in the New Testament. In our immediate familv connection, one and another has passed away ; many more in the town and neighbourhood in which we dwell ; and a still larger number that fall under our notice in the current news of the 134 day. This should remind us that we must shortly be added to the number, and that our names will soon be in the obituary list. Let us, therefore, wisely redeem the time, and devote ourselves earnestly to the service of God. Let us endeavour to separate our minds from things earthly, that they may be the more readily disposed to ascend to the things which are heavenly. We should endeavour to make the subject of our last change familiar, so as to be able to contem- plate it without trepidation, yea, with lively hope and joy ; to be in a state of readiness to put off the earthly tabernacle, that we may be clothed upon with our house which is from above ; free for ever from the burden of the flesh, frailty, disease, and death ; to check any rising thought of repining at the brevity of life, and the languishing, pain, and disease which precede death, — remem- bering that it is the last enemy. There is much in death that is terrific to our nature, physically considered, and in its moral consequences. It has been wisely ordered by the Lord of all, that life should be dear to us, notwithstanding its inconveni- 135 ences. " Skin for skin, all that a man hath, will he give for his life." " No man ever yet hated his own flesh." Intuitively he defends and preserves it, at every risk. Moreover, life is encompassed with many associations and relationships, which must ever be precious to us. The future state, though revealed, is yet untried. It is indeed a solemn thing to enter into the presence of our Judge, whom we have often and grievously offended. How dread is his majesty! How inflexible his justice. How immaculate his purity ! His sentence of approval or condemnation is irrevocable : it is eternal. Who is so holy, as not to be conscious of many things that have been vile in his conduct and thoughts % Who has not cause to utter the solemn deprecation of the psalmist ; " Enter not into judgment with thy servant, Lord, for in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified." What then must be the case of those who have lived in total disregard of eternal realities % Death ushering the soul into eternity ; and to think of the undying worm, the quenchless fire of hell, and an everlasting separation from the presence of the Lord, should fill the soul 136 with inexpressible awe. "If, Lord, thou shouldest be extreme to mark what is amiss in us, who shall stand % " Our sins rise up to heaven like mountains, they take hold on the deeps of hell, so that we cannot look up. Yet, even to the vilest, there is hope, if he become a true penitent, and a faithful obedi- ent follower of the Redeemer. But, with regard to the real Christian, whose faith has been firm ; whose hope in the Saviour has been lively ; whose love and zeal have been ardent toward him and his sacred cause ; who, amidst manifold infirmi- ties, has aimed to glorify God in his whole life ; however abashed and confounded in the view of himself, yet he has a hope worth more than ten thousand worlds ; a hope that nothing can quench. It may be damped ; it will be tried ; but it must live, in spite of all the powers of death and hell. And what is dying to the true believer ? It is not the mere sinking and languishing of nature ; far less is it the extinction of his being. It is the introduction of his spirit to the holy happy condition he has long aspired after. But, ah ! is there any doubt of his arriving 137 there \ any cloud resting upon his expecta- tion of future blessedness \ It was this that caused the psalmist to exclain : " Deep cal- leth unto deep, at the noise of thy water spouts ; all thy waves and thy billows have gone over me." Yet, if he rise above this, his hope becomes brighter than ever ; he rejoices with joy unspeakable and full of glory. If Christ smile upon him, he can smile upon death. Now, to the true Christian, this is the solace, the consolation, that ought to be administered. Yea, strong consolation. As, on the one hand, we dare not say, " Peace, peace," where there is no peace ; so, on the other, we ought not to withhold what God has designed for the comfort of his people. He who hath helped them all their journey through, will not leave them at last, but will carry them safely through the valley of the shadow of death. He is as graciously concerned in their death, as in their life. " This God is our God, for ever and ever ; he will be our guide, even unto death."' u Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." g2 138 The prospect of dying, physically, affects different minds in diverse ways. There is something of the influence of constitution in all, saint or sinner, as the pastors well know, who are called to visit them, for the purpose of instruction, edification, and spiritual com- fort. We sometimes see a desire manifested to depart, even in those who are the least prepared for so solemn an event. Impatience of suffering ; the hopelessness of cure ; re- morse of conscience ; distaste to every thing, — viewing all without interest or pleasure ; have produced in many patients " the sorrow of the world, which worketh death." This is often mistaken for resignation and sub- mission to the will of God. Life has become a burden, which the sinner longs to lay down, altogether unmindful of the dread peril of encountering the miseries of a future state, and of changing a transient for an abiding- sorrow. Ah ! sinner ; pause and think ! When you have once shot the gulph, all is eternal beyond the grave. Do not mistake apathy for resignation. We fear that the no wish to live, no relish for earthly things, no fear of death, sometimes expressed by per- 139 sons in dying circumstances, does not always proceed from feelings of piet} r . There may be a desire to die, where there exists no personal religion, no fitness for death. There have been many, doubtless, who have had no fear of death for themselves, while those who knew their case have had the greatest fear on their account. Sometimes these individuals rise above their complaint, revive, and return to health. And then all is for- gotten ; the world and its pursuits are as sweet as ever ; and religion, death, and eternity, are banished from their thoughts: But the saint, notwithstanding all the gloom that shrouds the pale monster, has oftentimes a desire to depart and to be with Christ. The wondrous deliverance from the burden of the flesh ; the glory, the purity, the happiness, that awaits the believer, upon his dissolution, invite him away ; and he is ready to welcome death, and to say, with holy Job : " I would not live always : " or, with the apostle, " To depart, and to be with Christ, is far better." "0 that I had the wings of a dove, then would I flee away and be at rest." He longs for death more than 140 they that watch for the morning light. Care should be taken, however, that this feeling- does not proceed from improper motives. We are not to desire death, merely as affording an exemption from the sorrows of this world. It is indeed allowed to the Christian, to contemplate with joy, an en- trance into that world where " the inhabitants shall no more say, I am sick ;" but this is only among the things which make the change desirable. This feeling should be attempered with patient waiting all the days of our ap- pointed time ; looking to a far more important deliverance from sin, and its consequences ; to see him whom we love, and to be like him, even as he is. The apostle was willing to live, though in a state of readiness for death. He left the choice to his Divine Master. Let us also say, Lord, the man- ner and the time be thine, if we may but get safely home at last. Heaven is worth waiting for. Toil will make the rest sweeter ; and the remembrance of the transient sorrow, will enhance the joy which endure th for evermore. It is impossible to depict the solemnity 141 and deep interest of the last scene, when the soul is about to quit the body for the eternal state. How extremely difficult is it, even for the most pious minds, in a robust state of health, to place themselves in the position and circumstances of those who are about to enter eternity. To be prepared for this solemn event, is the study and aim of the Christian. But we cannot fully under- stand its weighty import, until brought into the same state. We may, however, trust in the Lord, who has led us thus far on our journey, through many trials and difficulties. He will not leave us in the last struggle. He will give living grace in dying moments. If we live in his fear faithfully and continu- ously, we may safely leave to him the termination of our course. He will own his friends, before they quit the earthly taber- nacle. " Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace." There may, indeed, be exceptions, arising from some peculiar causes, or from the constitution and temperament of the mind ; but, for the most part, a holy life ends in a peaceful death. 142 " The chamber where the good man meets his fate, Is privileged beyond the common walk of virtuous life, Quite on the verge of heaven." Yes, every true Christian, in his measure, may say : " I know him in whom I have believed, and that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." " To depart, and to be with Christ, is far better " than the most desirable state here on earth. To " awake up in his likeness," is, indeed to be " satisfied." Nor is perfect bliss to be found in anything short of this. When faith is strong, hope lively, and love to Christ ardent, who but the faith- ful believer can tell how bright is the prospect of the blessedness and rest in heaven. The company of witnesses of this character is innumerable. The peace and joy in believ- ing, even a joy unspeakable and full of glory, yea, an assurance of future happiness is frequently possessed by the dying saint. Yet, even this blessed experience may be succeeded by a sense of gloom, perplexity, and doubt. The prayer of the believer, under such circumstances, should be, " 143 spare me, that I may recover my strength, before I go hence and be no more seen." Many Christians, however, have no wish to die. Life to them is sweet ; and, with Peter, they are ready to say, " Master, it is good for us to be here ; let us build three tabernacles ; one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias." They would always worship Christ, and be lively in his cause ; but they are not willing to be unclothed, and to lay down their bodies in death. They dread the circumstances attendant on death ; — the sickness, the disease, and emaciation of the mortal frame. The dissolving and taking- down of the earthly tabernacle is appalling in their contemplation, and has occasioned a tremor and a shrinking, even in those who have no reason to doubt of their final happi- ness. But there are fears of a spiritual nature, which are very harrassing to human nature. We believe in a full and free salva- tion. Christ has done all perfectly on our behalf. Ye are complete in him : he is all and in all. He is the only foundation on which we build ; the only refuge from divine wrath, to whom all the glory of our salvation 144 must be ascribed. But there is a work to be done in us, as well as for us. And who is there that is faithful to his own soul, that has not many fears 1 How do the remem- brances of past failures, infirmities, omissions, transgressions, and even sins against light and knowledge, draw a cloud upon the brightest hopes, and induce the sufferer to write bitter things against himself ! In pro- portion as the salvation of the soul is under- stood and valued, must be the keenness of the anguish arising from any degree of uncertainty as to its attainment. Under such considerations, the sincere but doubting- Christian requires the strongest consolations to be administered. Doubtless, the enemy is permitted to harass the souls of the saints, with gloomy and desponding suggestions, as to their state before God. Their immaculate Lord suffered in like manner, being tempted. " He, in the days of his flesh, offered up supplications and prayers, with strong crying and tears, unto him that was able to save him from death ; and was heard in that he feared.*' Heb. v. 7. The adversary takes advantage 145 of the weakness of their languishing bodies, acting upon the jaded mind, and the faded intellect ; for, indeed, " he worries whom he cannot devour, with a malicious joy." He would harass them, by representing their religion as a delusion, and bringing into doubt the sincerity of its acts. While this state prevails, who can tell the misery it occasions ! This fear of death, however, is no proof that their state is not perfectly safe. Xay, the fear itself, indicates a concern that is full of hope ; whilst the case of many who are without this fear is altogether hopeless : " They have no bands in their death ; neither are they plagued as others." These agonies, with which the dying Christian is sometimes harassed, should teach us how careful we ought to be, to shun every thing that might plant a thorn in our dying pillow. In that solemn moment, the conscience becomes unusually tender, and sins that have been passed over as comparatively trifling in their nature, rise up like mountains, huge and dark. Let us beware of errors in doctrine, of schisms, neglect of the means of grace, — especially of private prayer. Let us shun 146 all evil tempers, all conformity to the world, all excess in meats and drinks. Especially let us avoid backsliding from God. For, although salvation is freely bestowed, irre- spective of anything in us, as wholly of grace ; yet, according as we have lived harmless, and blameless, in close communion with the Lord, will be our spiritual peace and comfort in life, and in the hour of death. Of the truth of this, we have innumerable testimonies. The faithful pastor will do his utmost to comfort the mind of the penitent wanderer. He will remind him of the declaration of the beloved apostle ; " If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous ; and he is the propitiation for our sins." . " The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." The exhorta- tion of the prophet will also be appropriate : "Return thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you. For I am merciful, saith the Lord ; and I will not keep anger for ever/' So the prophet Hosea writes : " I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely : 147 for mine anger is turned away from him.'- There is, indeed, either an error in the treat- ment, or an almost total neglect of back- sliders. They have been overtaken in a fault ; have declined into sin and disgrace. The stain is indelible ; and brethren, instead of coming forth to restore such an one, have stood aloof, and left him to his heartaches and despondency. But surely there is a duty incumbent on Christians, and especially on ministers, to be faithful yet tender to such ; to warn, to persuade, to instruct, and to comfort the penitent, that he be not swallowed up with over much sorrow. Thus the apostle dealt with the incestuous person, and he was restored. May we not add, that this tenderness and fidelity led to a happy result. We are, indeed, to set our faces as a flint against all iniquity. But let us not look down, as from an eminence of self-esteem, with contempt upon a sincere but fallen and offending brother ; who, it may be, is over- whelmed with grief, under a sense of his guilt and wanderings from God. " Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one, in the spirit 148 of meekness ; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." Here, then, you see, hu- mility is to be exercised, with a consciousness of our frailty ; for pride goeth before a fall, and a supercilious air of superiority may be followed by some deadly triumph of the enemy, ending in the most abject remorse. It is, however, with very different views that the impenitent and hardened backslider is to be regarded. Such are to be rebuked sharply. Their awful state is to be faithfully unfolded, and the doom that awaits them explained ; for "he that knew his Lord's will and did it not, shall be beaten with many stripes." And " it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them." To the penitent, it may be said with con- fidence, — Your very fears and doubts, your earnest desires for salvation, are sure proofs that the good work has been begun in the heart, which the Lord will perform. Believe, with a firm faith, in the atonement. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. His spotless righteousness justifieth. His 149 intercession ever availeth. You cannot but know that you are sincere. You have at times much enjoyed the presence of the Lord ; his sabbaths have been a delight ; his service perfect freedom ; his word sweet unto your taste. Now these feelings are not of our own creating ; they come from above. " The Lord hath not appointed you unto wrath, but to obtain eternal life, through Jesus Christ. " Patiently wait and, persevere in prayer. "At eventide it shall be light." You shall yet " rejoice in hope of the glory of God." We should keep in view the dying testi- mony of the saints, as recorded in holy writ, and of those whom we have reason to believe were such, whose departure we have wit- nessed with spiritual benefit to our souls. It would be well for us seriously to meditate on the calm and devout feeling which pre- vailed in the mind of Jacob, of Joseph, of Joshua, of David, of the apostle Paul, and of others, in the immediate prospect of disso- lution. How impressive, and how profitable, are the last sayings of the dying Christian ! With what tenacity are they preserved in the 150 memory ! And it is right thus to treasure up their words. We hear one say, " I have waited for thy salvation." Another testifies, "J die, but God will surely visit you." Moses comforts the children of Israel ; "Yea he loved the people, all his saints are in thy hand, and they sat down at thy feet, every one shall receive of thy word." Joshua bears testimony to God's faithfulness and love to his chosen. David took comfort in that covenant of divine grace, everlasting in dura- tion, and " ordered in all things and sure." The apostle rejoiced that he had "fought a good fight," that he had " kept the faith," and that he had before him, in blissful antici- pation, "the crown of righteousness" and an unfading glory. Jesus, the great Shepherd, our adorable Redeemer, exclaimed, in tri- umph, " It is finished ! and gave up the ghost." Happy is it with the Christian who, before he departs, can bear a testimony to the truth and grace of God, in his own experience. And it is well for all to hear, both the saint and the sinner, that all may be convinced that the gospel of Christ is not " a cunningly devised fable," but the sure 151 mercies of David,, the everlasting and un- changing covenant of our God. All have not this confidence. Great allow- ances should be made for peculiar tempera- ments. Besides it not unfrequently happens, that the mind is so obscured and enfeebled by the sinkings of the bodily frame, as almost entirely to lose its consciousness. ^ Nothing can be so desirable, when passing out of life, as to have the full assurance of hope. Yet comparatively few attain unto it. There is a great variety here. We may lay too great stress upon the manner of dying. God deals with his children as a sovereign. Some pious persons, who have pursued a long even tenor of piety, with a conduct unblamable and unreprovable, have felt the hidings of God's face at the last ; their sun has set in a cloud. There Christian charity is to be exercised ; and the morbid moments of disease are not the season in which we are to expect to reap the triumphs of exulting joy. Nor to conclude, because they do not manifestly appear, that there the root of the ( matter is not, The great question is, What has been the character of the life % A life 152 of repentance, faith, and holy obedience, cannot but terminate safely. Yet should it be the aim, the study, the earnest prayer of the Christian, that, in dying, he may be enabled to speak with holy confidence of Christ as his Saviour and Redeemer, applied personally and individually to himself; and ..of his assured hope of going, in death, to be happy with him in glory. It is well to make this a particular peti- tion in daily prayer ; yea, in every prayer. Whatever we are doing, or engaged in, the dying hour should never be lost sight of ; and the earnest supplication should be poured forth, that grace more abundantly may be vouchsafed in the parting moment ; so that we may finish our course safely and with joy. DEATH-BED REPENTANCE. Nothing surely can be more distressing, than those cases which are but too frequently witnessed, that have been termed " death- bed repentance." And surely no greater act of folly can be committed, than for a 153 man to leave that to the last, which ought ever to be the first and chief consideration. No question can equal in interest that all- important one, — "Is my soul safe for eter- nity ¥' A never-ending existence in misery extreme, or in happiness unutterable, involves in it considerations in comparison with which every thing else is insignificant. No matter what interest may be secure, if the eternal well-being of the soul remains doubtful. " The redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever." " What shall a man give in exchange for his soul V' To see an individual laid upon the bed of languish- ing, who has carefully settled all his tem- poral affairs, who has all things in readiness for a final departure, but one, and that cer- tainly the most important, is indeed distress- ing to the faithful pastor. Oh ! the hurry, the struggle, the conflict of the moments that may yet remain ! What can be done to propitiate an offended God for years mispent and abused, are perhaps the last thoughts that occur to the mind. A minis- ter is sent for, and too frequently an undue dependence is placed upon his efforts, as H 154 though he were the Saviour himself; or as if by his personal prayers, and the administering of the sacrament of the Lord's supper, he could procure for the dying sin- ner a passport to heaven. Ministers are ordained of God to instruct, to edify, and to comfort the afflicted ; and divine influence attends their faithful minis- trations. But every soul must repent, believe, and obey for himself ; or all will be unavail- ing. "We cannot be saved, in this sense, by proxy. In order to enter into heaven, each one must be deeply convinced of the guilt of sin ; mourn over it with godly sorrow ; believe in the Lord Jesus, and obediently fulfil his will. Cases of death-bed repent- ance are not within the scope of our judg- ment. Though it is seriously to be feared, that they are, for the most part, spurious and deceptive. Some, doubtless, are genuine ; these are known only to the Lord. With trembling hope we must leave it. It is not for us to say what divine communings may pass in the mind concealed from us. Such cases are fraught with fear, and should urge us to seize the golden opportunity now, while 155 it is called to-day ; for "the night cometh in which no man can work." Many have become convalescent, who once seemed ready to sink into the grave. Their anxiety for salvation ; their apparent sorrow for sin ; their solemn vows of amendment ; would have led us charitably to hope, that had their sickness terminated in death, they would have been admitted into the heavenly kingdom. But restored to health, where are they ? Not in the house of God, not at the family altar, nor in private devotion. They have gone back to the world, and their last state is, every way, worse than the first. Their goodness has been " as the morning dew, and the early rain that passeth away.' Their repentance has not been on account of the evil of sin in itself, as an offence against a gracious and a holy God, but because of the misery it inflicts upon the offender. It is "the fear that hath torment," in the prospect of the undying worm and the quenchless fire of hell. Then the minister should wisely deal out the " portion of meat in due season," to them for whom it is intended ; but he ought 156 not to be in haste to say "Peace" where there is no peace. He must be tender and loving to the penitent sinner, lest he should be swallowed up with over much sorrow, and Satan should gain advantage over him. Nothing is impossible with the Lord. The grace that saved the penitent thief, is still mighty to save, and has saved many dying penitents since that day. But when we remember that Ahab humbled himself ; that Herod did many things • that Felix trembled ; and that Judas repented ; we cannot but stand in awe and doubt. The faithful pas- tor, will not check but encourage repentance, at any time, though it may have been delayed. It is deeply to be deplored, that so weighty a matter should be left to the last. Yet, if sincere, there may be hope. God will hear the cry of the returning pro- digal, even at the eleventh hour. For "He delighteth in mercy." See to it, that your repentance springs from an utter detestation of sin, a regard to the holy character of God, and a firm reli- ance alone upon the Saviour's sufferings and death. And let the genuineness of your 157 repentance appear in your conduct, as far as time and opportunity will allow. Like Mary, who loved much, having had much forgiven ; and who shewed her love by her acts of attention ; — she bathed the feet of Jesus with her tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Have in remembrance your past sins, with contrition of spirit. Pray for faith and personal holiness, " with- out which, no man shall see the Lord." It is proper to be resigned to the will of God, in the stroke of death ; nay it follows as the fruit of faith. The want of resignation is detestable, it is impious ; and has in it the spirit of atheism. But no one must dare to make a Saviour of it, nor must it be taken, in all cases, as a proof of safety. "Oh! he is quite resigned, — quite willing to die," is the answer frequently returned ; as though in this very thing the salvation of a sinnner were sealed. Be jealous of all your spiritual acts, that they proceed from right motives ; but never be doubtful of God's mercy in Christ Jesus. Your case teaches the import- ance of leading a holy life, while health is continued. This is the duty of every day. 158 THE CONVALESCENT. The Lord does not always bring down the patient to the grave. " Thou hast brought up my soul from the grave ; thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit." " The Lord hath chastened me sore, but hath not given me over unto death." "He had mercy on Epaphroditus who was sick, nigh unto death." When this is the case, gratitude should prompt to the enquiry of the psalmist : — " What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits V Health is a great blessing. No other blessing can be fully enjoyed without it. Oh ! how good is God in restoring it to us again ! And how frequently have we to lament that we have not rendered unto him according to his mercy ! How base the ingratitude of many who offer no acknowledgement of praise to the great Physician, and live as heathenish as ever ! The Christian should be duly affected with the sense of recovering mercy, and of the experience of his soul in sickness. He should recur to it, and enquire what 159 spiritual benefit has been derived from it. It would indeed be a misfortune to suffer in vain, and to allow the season of affliction to pass without promoting our advance heaven- wards. Affliction should have the effect of weaning the affections from things earthly ; of hum- bling the soul, and rendering the mind more grateful, leading us to estimate more highly the value of the Saviour, and the need of a meetness for the heavenly kingdom. True Christians are spiritually improved by afflic- tion, and to one and all it may be said, " Behold thou art made whole ; sin no more lest a worse thing come upon thee." To relapse into a course of sin, after recovery, would most awfully aggravate the final con- demnation, harden the heart, and sear the conscience, preparing the impenitent for "the vengeance of eternal fire." Let us each, therefore, endeavour to improve the day of our merciful visitation ; so shall we, at the last, escape the sentence of "ever- lasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power." Let the Christian convalescent shine brighter in holi- 160 ness ; abound more and more in every good word and work ; and guard, in the use of the means, against the peril of falling. THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD. The last sickness must come, and terminate in death. We bow to the decree of the Most High : " It is appointed unto men once to die." There is no discharge in this war- fare : this is the way of all the earth : "man goeth to his long home." The same fate awaits us all ; saint and sinner alike descend to "the house appointed for all living." " Our fathers, where are they \ and the prophets do they live for ever ¥.' As soon as death takes place, the ever-conscious im- material spirit returns to that God who gave it. The body, the grosser material part, returns to the dust from whence it was taken. The earthly house of our tabernacle is only kept from decomposition by the continuance of the vital principle. When that expires, dissolution of its component parts follows. 161 It then rapidly hastens to decay and corrup- tion. It is therefore a duty incumbent on survivors to provide for it a decent Christian sepulture. Even the ancient heathen had regard to the rites of the dead. The Athe- nians forbad any to be raised to offices of distinction, who had neglected to bury their parents. All nations have concurred in per- forming funeral rites. Burying the body in the earth has generally, and from an early period prevailed. Indeed reason and nature suggest, that the earth is the only suitable place in which to deposit the bod} r fast hastening to corruption. It should be re- turned to its mother earth, with which, in the ordinary process, it will soon be associated and commingled. In after ages, it became a custom in some places to burn the bodies of the dead ; imagining that their souls were carried to heaven, or under the dread that they might be mutilated. But God's ancient people, our guide in this matter, always used interment. Very affecting are the words of Abraham ; "And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and said, I am a stranger and a sojourner with you : give me a posses- h2 162 sion of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight ; " — even his beloved Sarah, on whom, doubtless, he ever looked with complacency. The death and burial of the patriarchs are recorded. Joseph gave commandment to the children of Israel concerning his bones. Some nations used burning, as the Hindoos do the funeral pile. Among the Jews a very few instances of this kind occur. It is said that the men of Jabesh Gilead took the dead bodies of Saul and his sons, and burnt them. The burnings spoken of with respect to Asa, and certain others, do not relate to their bodies, but to incense and odours in honour of them ; so that burn- ing was a rite of heathenism, and interment in the ground that of God's ancient church, and of the Christian, which has obtained wherever Christianity has been planted. Apart from superstition, a due solemnity ought to be felt and shewn at the funeral obsequies of a departed brother or sister. Christian decency, with plainness, should be adhered to ; but pomp and extravagance are most incongruous with the frailty and mor- tality of our nature. 163 " Hath death her fopperies Theu well may life."' Our church, as reformed from the errors of popery, aims, in her service for the burial of the dead, to instruct, edify, and comfort the souls of the living. Prayers and masses for the dead, have no authority in the Holy Scriptures. The last moment of probation is the dying moment. Then, "as the tree falls, so it will lie." They that are just, will be just still ; and they that are filthy, will be filthy still. Burial is allowed to all ; but Christian burial only to them who were baptized, and in communion with the church ; or, at least, were not excommunicated. Those who die unbaptized, or excommunicate, or have laid violent hands upon themselves, are not to have this office read over them. Its very letter and spirit shew that it was exclusively designed for the faithful, professed believers in the Christian faith ; to whose bodies a respect, not superstitious, should be shewed. They were consecrated to the service of God, and were the temples of the Holy Ghost ; 164 and will be awakened from the sleep of death, and be fashioned like unto the glori- ous body of Christ, The office is designed for the instruction, admonition, and comfort of the living. To the deceased it is unavail- ing. They are in the world of spirits, in a fixed and an irrevocable state. Many who attend funerals enter not into the import and meaning of this solemn service. They are listless, or view it as a mere ceremony ; scarcely ever laying it to heart, that they must lie in the same state, and that they have a need of a personal interest in the supplications then offered. Those only who are within the pale of the Christian Church, are admissible to this solemn rite. Even so the ancient heathen punished notorious malefactors, by excluding them from the rites of sepulture ; and especially they took cognizance of them who had laid violent hands upon themselves, so as to leave them without burial. Suicide is of all other crimes the greatest ; inasmuch, as it deprives the soul of all opportunity for repentance, faith, and obedience. And as this office would be very unsuitable for such 165 persons, so the refusing of it, may be the means of deterring others from so detestable an act. The church does not pass judgment, except it be a tacit one. It is obvious, that cases of insanity should be exempted. God doth not gather where he hath not strewn. When reason and mind are gone, accountability is gone also. But it is not our purpose to enlarge here. The excommunicate are not known now, since discipline has ceased : and with regard to the unbaptized, though the church very properly has not said anything as to their condition in the future state, yet, not having been admitted into the church, by the initiatory rite of baptism, this office is not used at their interment. Not having sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, we may suppose that they are included in a dispensation of divine grace, and that their souls are saved. Neither the canons, nor the rubrick, no nor the bishops, have forbidden the use of this office over persons baptized by dissenters ; and, therefore, the refusal of it gives occasion to a uselsss and painful altercation, dis- 166 paraging to the church, and tending to the furtherance of dissent. Anciently, the dead were buried without the walls of the city. Church-yards were not made in this country, until the middle of the eighth century. After churches were built, (generally over a martyr's grave,) places contiguous to them were appropriated for the burial of the dead, which were called Koiwlripiuy from the metaphor of sleep, by which, in scripture, death is described. It seems that, in the early ages, none but per- sons of great reputed sanctity were allowed to be buried in churches. The priests and clerks are to meet the corpse at the entrance of the church-yard ; then to go before it, and the mourners and friends to follow ; reminding one and all, that we must follow our deceased brother or sister to the house appointed for all living, at our own departure out of life. Some difference of opinion has arisen; whether the clergyman is to go direct to the grave, or to take the service into the church first. If the corpse be offensive, from some putrid disease perilous to the congregation, doubtless it 167 may be taken direct to the grave, and the remaining service performed in the church afterwards. Anciently the friends sung psalms from the house to the entrance of the church-yard, a practice which still prevails in some parts of this nation. The primitive Christians conveyed their dead with hymns of triumph, as conquerors who were about to enter upon their heavenly reward. The funeral service of the Church of England has been pronounced by all com- petent judges as most sublime, instructive, pious, and full of comfort. This, indeed, has been conceded to it even by dissenters. How animating are the words of our Lord when he proceeded to the grave of Lazarus ! " I am the resurrection and the life ; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live ; and he that liveth and believeth in me shall never die." The mind of Martha, the sister of Lazarus, was doubtless relieved by this declaration of the Saviour from that unbelief with which it had been harassed. Doubtless, unbelief is that bitter root which destroys our comfort. And even now we may hear the memorable interrogation ad- 168 dressed to us : " Believest thou this ] " We may hear with shame the just rebuke : " fools and slow of heart to believe." How truly consoling would be that declaration : " Thy brother shall rise again ! " Dark and distressing as is bereavement, or our own sinking into death, how is it illuminated by faith in the blessed Saviour ! To this may be added a quotation from the patriarch Job, who comforted himself under extreme suffer- ing from bodily and mental affliction, in the hope of a future state of happiness with God. " 1 know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth ; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another." What a comfort to the dying and the bereaved, to reflect that the dissolution of the body shall be succeeded by a resuscitation of life, vigour, and immortality. That it shall become pure and imperishable. That it shall have an identity and an enjoyment peculiar to itself. This individual conscious- ness will adhere to all, saint and sinner ; as 169 in this life, so also in the future state. This the inspired writer has forcibly expressed in these words : " Every heart knoweth its own bitterness, and the stranger intermed- dleth not with its joy." How strictly accordant with fact, is the portion of holy writ which follows. The richest, the mightiest, the most learned and skilful, must return to the earth, as he came from his mother's womb ; — man brings no friends with him, neither can he carry them away with him. This pomp, and every earthly advantage he had, must be left behind. All will avail nothing when the last stroke comes which separates us from things terrestial ; and patient submission to the divine will is our duty and only solace. The two psalms which follow are peculiarly solemn and appropriate. The former is a psalm of David, composed under great afflic- tion of mind ; it is supposed for the death of his son Absalom. He feared to speak his inward feelings, lest he should betray impatience. But at last he spake in a manner expressive of a sense of the brevity, vanity, and mortality of human life ; mingled 170 with prayers that he might jet be continued a little ; doubtless with a view to a closer preparation for death, in which thousands of Christians have joined. The latter is a psalm of Moses, written upon the occasion of the death of that vast multitude which perished in the wilderness, for their murmur- ing and unbelief. When God put forth his hand, the lustiest and the strongest of them were brought down to the earth ; affording a lesson at which we should stand in awe. " For if they escaped not, who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven." Let us bow with due submission to God's righteous decree of death, as the wages of sin ; and penitently, with faith, look to our Saviour, while we im- plore forgiveness and acceptance before God. The lesson is the memorable discourse of St. Paul upon the resurrection of the dead, written in his first epistle to the Corinthians. This selection, has always been admired. There is not any thing relating to this sub- ject so full and comprehensive, in the whole of the sacred volume, so far as a topic so 171 mysterious can be unfolded. It is explana- tory and philosophical ; and, in its circum- stances, a new revelation. The apostle has indeed reasoned upon it, according to the analogy of the Almighty's operations in nature ; while it tends to confirm our faith, enliven our hope, afford substantial consola- tion, and urge us to persevere in every good word and work. Nothing can be added unto it. It may be commented upon with advantage, analyzed and critically examined ; yet, in itself, it is conclusive. No further proof can be justly demanded. There is all that, in the nature of things, can be rendered in proof ; and with confidence, the Christian may say, — " I believe in the resur- rection of the dead." When at the grave, an address is made to the mourners, mingled with prayer in antici- pation of our own departure out of life ; pro- fessing that, in the midst of the misery, the brevity, and the uncertainty of life, ending in death, we look for succour to that God whom we have grievously offended ; that he would support us under the pains and afflictions which precede our temporal death. 172 How beautiful man appeareth while in health, in the bloom of manhood and onwards to maturity ! But some sudden chill comes over him, and he is laid prostrate in the grave. Some anxiety or solicitude presses upon the mind all the days of this mortal life : " For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief." Nor can we anticipate the incident of the next moment, or its issues. How many deaths happen from the slightest turn. Our untoward conduct and spirit may hasten the summons to call us away. Im- portunate, yea vehement are the prayers en- joined, and they are suitable to the Christian. Death is not viewed here as a matter of course, but rather as the fruit of sin, the service is for the living, not for the dead. And where we ask, is there to be found a petition for the dead, or any allusion to it, in the Scriptures \ The earth cast upon the body is both an innocent and a significant ceremony ; intimating, that the corpse deposited in the grave, is of the same material, earthy : — "Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust." Formerly this was done by 173 the priest, as it still is in the Greek Church. The whole of the service, it is manifest, is designed for the believer, the Christian, those within the fold of the Church, who in the mass are treated as holy. So the apostles Peter and Paul, designate it. Not that they intended that every individual member was personally and spiritually holy. The contrary is shewn in their rebukes. The deceased is therefore treated as a Christian. And how otherwise is he to be dealt with. The discerning of spirits has ceased. It would have been highly wrong to have made the minister a judge in this matter ; not only as no one except the apostles, would have been qualified to pass judgment, but scope hereby would have been given to our fallen nature to act arbitrarily and without charity. We consider this the best and most conclusive answer to objections made against this and other services of our church. The first objection is to the expression — " To take unto himself the soul," &c. If the objection is taken against it, as including the souls of the saved and the lost, it may 174 easily be met, by the sense of that passage in Eccles. xii. 7, which doubtless applies to all. All go to the Father of spirits, to receive their approval or condemnation. The person then is thus disposed of after death : — the spirit returns to God who gave it, and the body to the grave. We therefore, should do our utmost, having performed the last rites for the deceased, to apply to ourselves the lessons they teach, of seeking that preparation for our own departure which is incumbent upon all. Our brother or sister has only gone a little before us ; and we are to be monitors to others, as they have been to us. The objection which is most prominent amongst dissenters, is that against the ex- pression, " In sure and certain hope of the resurrection," &c. The body is consigned to the ground not as lost. It will indeed speedily dissolve, corrupt, and become com- minuted particles of dust. But there is in it a germ of immortality. " The sure and certain hope of eternal life," has a general application to the whole company of believers, and not to individuals, as may be seen more 175 explicitly in the service for the dead at sea. Even should we err in this thing, it is an error on the side of charity, and at the utmost venial. For in whom this faith was not denied, we may hope that it was che- rished. And who can tell that God may not operate a divine change upon the heart though not made visible to us. A verse from Rev. xiv. follows, which seems to have been selected to intimate that prayers for the dead are not required, — de- parted saints, entering, immediately upon their decease, into the mansions of the blessed. The versicles and paternoster need no comment, and are especially suitable on funeral occasions. With respect to the two collects that follow, they are really so pertinent, so devout, and indeed so animating with hope and comfort, as greatly to relieve the gloom of bereave- ment. They direct us whither our affections should tend, even to Christ our Saviour, and to the consummation of his holy kingdom. So concerning ail those who have departed in his faith and fear, we do well to thank Almighty God, that he hath delivered them 176 out of the miseries of this sinful world ; though we may grieve over the loss of their society, and the benefit of their example. However loth we may be to quit the earthly house of our tabernacle, there must be, in the Christian, a desire to arrive at the end of his spiritual warfare, and the dis- quietudes inseparable from this present state, and to join the company of holy angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect, to celebrate the triumphs of the Redeemer's kingdom of glory, and the full revelation of the equity of his government of providence and grace, when all will receive the just recompence of their deeds, and the saints will have their perfect consummation of bliss, both in body and in soul. Surely, then, we may, consistently with our vocation, pray that the Lord, of his gracious goodness, would shortly accomplish the number of his elect, and hasten his kingdom ; and add, even so Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen. The last collect is very suitable for the bereaved, who are bowed down with sorrow, and need consolation. The Lord hath never forbidden us to act in accordance with the 177 nature he hath given. It is human to grieve, to shed tears ; but he hath taught us to moderate our sorrow. Abraham mourned over his beloved Sarah ; Jesus wept at the grave of his friend Lazarus ; the primitive saints made great lamentation at the burial of Stephen. Yet we are not to sorrow, as those without hope, for them that sleep in Christ, like the heathen and infidels. In relation to them whom we have known as holy consistent believers, our hope rises to full assurance, so as to leave no doubt of the safety of their state. But with regard to not a few, it is a hope mingled with doubt, or rather the hope of desire and of charity ; as we might say of a friend on a perilous journey, — I hope he has arrived in safety. Of none can it be said with absolute certain- ty, who are allowed to have Christian burial, that they are lost. And as there are degrees of hope, even to the verge of despair ; so must be our expectation, according to the character of the deceased. Very different are the feelings with which a pious minister would fulfil his solemn duty. None but him- self knows with what pain of mind over some, I 178 and devout satisfaction and thankfulness over others. Yet our funeral service, upon the whole, is incomparable ; and he who is not edified therewith, or stumbles at it, seems to lack a spiritual taste, and it may be, is a scrupulous objector. THE CHURCHING OF WOMEN. No argument, it would seem, is required to shew the propriety of this service. For reason suggests the obligation of thankful acknowledgment to Almighty God for safe deliverance in child-birth, and recovery to wonted health. It is remarkable, that none suffer so much in parturition as women ; which difficulty the Bible alone solves, in the sentence denounced upon Eve after the fall : " I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception ; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children." It was enjoined upon the Jewish women, that, after an interval of days, they should bring an offering upon their purification, ex- pressive of gratitude to God ; and there can 179 be no doubt that this custom is followed in the Christian Church. Indeed this stands foremost and publicly, as a thanksgiving for life preserved and life given. No precise time is fixed for this service ; but as soon as a recovery to health and strength is attained, it should be attended to. This service is called "churching;" by which it is manifest, that it was to be fulfilled in a church, and not in a house, that the congregation may unite with the woman in her praises and thanksgivings. She is bound to pay her vows in the house of God. It is absurd, and opposite to its design, to perform it in the chamber. And certainly, no minis- ter who rightly understands his office, will ever yield to this, unless extreme circum- stances make it expedient; for a like urgency to that of baptizing a child in danger of passing away by death, can never occur, as it is only a convalescent state that calls for the acknowledgment, which is not required until the mercy is received. Formerly women went veiled to church, but the rubrick only requires that they shall come decently apparelled. The place ap- 180 pointed at which to kneel is the communion rail ; that she may humbly renew her vows of obedience to the divine will. The priest begins with an explanatory address, in few but very expressive words ; shewing the reasonableness of this duty, and the manner in which it should be performed. She must repeat those sentences out of the psalms which describe pathetically her suffer- ings, her deliverance, the required duty, and her willingness to comply with it. " I will receive the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord." The psalm following describes the happi- ness of being blessed with issue ; for so it was accounted among God's ancient people ; and the word of the Lord will apply in every generation ; " Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them." The modern senti- ment and taste may seem to reverse it, for how wonderfully hath divine providence pro- vided for the numerous family of the poor, while men of wealth and rank have often wanted an heir. The versicles, with the Lord's prayer and a collect, close the service. Upon which the 181 woman makes the accustomed offering, not as unto man, but as unto God. Formerly it was usual to receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper. And if true piety were generally to revive, this would be accounted a privilege. Now it is to be feared that some approach the table without a due sense of the gratitude to be felt for such a deliverance, observing it merely as a form ; while not a few omit it altogether. FINIS. G. IIOrE, BOOKSELI.KR, &C, TOR}