his heavenly grace, to preserve us pure and undefiled in this naughty world, to strengthen our good purposes, and enable us to bring them to good effect, by living in obedience to God, to the end of our lives.

From what has been said, it will appear, that as baptism, according to Christ's institution, is the grand prerequisite to confirmation; so the qualifications are the same for confirmation with those for the baptism of such as are of riper years.

The benefits to be expected by those who come to confirmation with proper dispositions, are the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit in an increased degree, to renew and sanctify them in heart and spirit; to enable them to fulfil their christian duty, by living godly, righteously, and soberly in this present world.' In confirmation they also receive a public testimony of God's favour and goodness to them: For, by his minister, he declares his acceptance of their proficiency in christian faith and knowledge; advances them to the higher rank of the faithful; and gives them a right to approach his holy table, and partake with his children of the memorials of the body and blood of Christ his Son, broken and poured out for the salvation of sinners. It, therefore, becomes their duty to remember the holy profession they have made and ratified, and not to dishonour it by a wicked life, nor desert it by departing from the unity of the church; but to continue in communion with those ecclésiastical superiors, by whose ministry they have received so precious a gift : Not to grieve the Holy Spirit whereby they are sealed unto the day of redemption ;* but to shun the pollutions of the world, and be holy in all manner of conversation; as he who hath called, and sanctifieth them to be his children, is holy Remembering that their bodies are the temples of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in them† And that if they destroy the purity of this temper, God will destroy them. But, if they abide under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and obey his inspirations, they shall, through him, abound in fruits of goodness, Eph. iv. 30.

1 Cor. iii. 16, 17.

and righteousness, and truth, and grow up from one degree of holiness to another, till they come to the full measure of the stature of Christ; and are fitted for the inheritance of the sons of God, in the kingdom of their heavenly Father.

There seems to be an opinion prevailing with many, which, probably, prevents their compliance with the institutions of religion, more than any thing else; namely, That while they refrain, they may freely indulge themselves in many things, which would be inconsistent with the obligations which those institutions imply. But, in this opinion, several mistakes or false suppositions are contained. It supposes that a man may live innocently, and be good enough, though he live in constant disobedience to God. It supposes, also, that a compliance with the ordinances of religion lays new duties upon him, or makes that unlawful for him, which before was not so, and those practices sinful which before were innocent. But neither of these suppositions are true. He that lives in disobedience to God, lives in a state of sin: For, sin is neither more nor less than disobedience to God. And, with regard to the other supposition; Though it be acknowledged, that the ordinances of religion furnish new motives for doing our duty, and supply new strength to perform it; yet our compliance with them increases neither the number nor magnitude of our duties. What can be done consistently with a good conscience, may always be done; and what cannot be so done, ought never to be done, whether we comply with the ordinances of religion or not. For instance; it is a man's duty to renounce the devil and his works, the world and its wicked tempers, and the evil appetites and passions of his nature, whether he be baptised or not.

Another false supposition contained in the above opinion is, that the ordinances of religion are mere arbitrary institutions, of no value in themselves, but mereby to shew God's sovereign power over us. That they are arbitrary institutions, in this sense, (that they depend entirely on the will of God; and that, for any thing we know,

he might have omitted these, and have appointed others) is readily granted. It is also acknowledged, that had he not appointed them, there would have been no virtue nor goodness in them. But, it is denied, that they are instances of his sovereignty intended to increase the burden of our duty, or to render more strait the narrow way that leadeth unto life. They are intended to be privileges and blessings to us-to put us in the narrow way, and to keep us in it---to make it more plain and easy to us; and to strengthen and refresh us in our progress in it. He that refuseth them, refuseth his own good, and turns away from blessings which God holds out to him.

That it is a privilege to be admitted into God's family, and made one of his children, and an heir of the heavenly inheritance, no one, who has seriousness to think about it, can doubt. This privilege we obtain by baptism. The wilful rejection of baptism, therefore, put into plain language is, I will not be one of God's family, nor one of his children; I like this world and its enjoyments, which religion marks as extravagant, too well to give them up; and, I find too much gratification in my appetites and passions, to put them under restraint. And as to the works of the devil, they have a bad name it is true, but I see no great harm in them. In short, let them seek for a heavenly inheritance who choose it: This world, and the life it inspires, is enough for me; and I am determined to enjoy as much of it as I can.

With regard to confirmation, the wilful refusal of it comes much to the same thing: It amounts to a decla ́ration, that they want not God's assistance, and choose not to be under the government and protection of his Spirit. That their parents had them baptised in their infancy, but they care nothing about the matter, and do not choose to confirm that renunciation of the world, the flesh, and the devil, that was made in their name; but to be left to their own disposal, to seek their happiness in their own way, without regarding the directions of God, or availing themselves of those advantages which his mercy and goodness has provided for them.

These are matters worthy of serious reflection, and no man can acquit himself of folly, who does not seriously attend to them. To feel the service of God to be a burden, or his institution a restraint to which he is unwilling to submit, argues a depravity of heart that is a reproach to any one; and which few people, however they may deserve it, would quietly endure to have imputed to them. How foolish, then, is it to live in a state which can be accounted for, on no other principle, unless it be a worse one! 'He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.'

DISCOURSE VI.

OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST.

LUKE xxii. 19.

This do in remembrance of me.

THIS command of our blessed Redeemer is so positive, that it must be supposed to lay the strongest obligation on all who are concerned in it, to pay a punctual obedience to it. It is, therefore, our duty to inform ourselves, as exactly as may be, of its true meaning, that our obedience may be the obedience of reasonable men, and not the effect of ignorant superstition.

The text relates to the institution of the holy sacrament of the body and blood of Christ---the eucharistic sacrifice of the christian church---and must be interpreted agreeably to the nature and design of that holy ordinance. However plain the words may appear to people, who judge of them by the principles in which they have been educated, or which they have adopted upon after reflection; the various discordant and contradictory interpretations, which the different sects of christians have put on them, evidently prove that there are difficulties in the understanding of them. The Papist, the Lutheran, the Calvinist, the Socinian, all differ in their opinions on this subject.all appeal to holy scripture, and are all sure they are right, and that they who differ from them are wrong. This happens because they all, construe the words of in