Christian will go a step further, and acknow❤ ledge, that, instead of being of fervice, in that case, they are of hurt, and that being profaned by fuch undue ufe, they bring a curfe instead of a bleffing to the unworthy receiver; but this perhaps our reverend author will not agree to, left from the contrary reason, he be forced to acknowledge a contrary conclufion, with regard to those who receive them worthily. Again, 2do, He allows, however, that the pious and fuitable use of them is doubtless accompanied with the Divine benediction; here the infallible connection on the part of God between the pious ufe of the outward rites and the inward benediction, is evidently acknowledged, What this benediction is, however, he does not tell us; only, 3tio, He pofitively affirms, and ufes all the force of his rhetoric to prove that this benediction is by no means the grace of juftification, nor any grace whatever that can recommend the foul to God, p. 64.; and confequently, that the ufe of these rites is by no means neceffary to falvation. It is therefore precisely in this third point where I am to attack him, and fhall endeavour to prove, in the moft convincing manner, that, according to the inftitution of Jefus Chrift, the facramental rites are the infallible means, on the part of God, of bringing the grace of juftification, as well as that actual grace by which we are enabled to perfevere, to the foul of the worthy receiver; and that they are, upon this account, effentially neceffary to falvation.

I begin with the facrament of the Lord's fupper, for the efficacy of which the proofs are particularly conclufive and exprefs; but of which our author has wifely avoided making any men

tion. The outward rite or external form of which this facrament confifts, according to the univerfal belief of all Chriftians, is the action of receiving into our ftomach the confecrated elements, which are the fymbols or figns of the interiour grace thereby communicated to our fouls; for as bread and wine, when received into our ftomachs, feed and nourish our bodies, and preferve the natural life of the body, fo the grace, which is bestowed upon the worthy receiver by this facrament, feeds and nourif the foul, and preferves the fpiritual life of the foul. Thus the Church of England in her catechifm, putting this question, What are the benefits whereof we are partakers by the Lord's fupper? gives this anfwer: The ftrengthening and refreshing of our fouls by the body and blood of Chrift, as our bodies are by the bread and wine. Now, that the worthy receiving of this facrament does actually bring this grace to the foul is clear and manifeft from the exprefs words of holy fcripture: For, Imo, Our bleffed Saviour affures us, that he himself, who is the origin and fountain of all grace, by means of this holy facrament, comes to take up his abode in our fouls, and dwell there, He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him, John vi. 56. 2do, He affures us alfo, that, as he alone is the true fpiritual life of our fouls, by means of this facrament, he communicates this life to our fouls and makes us live by him, As the living Father hath fent me, and I live by the Father; fo he that eateth me, even he shall live by me, v. 57. 3tio, He again and again promifes eternal life to the action of worthily receiving the facrament, which furely can have no other fenfe but that this facra

ment brings an ample grace to the foul, which both justifies her more and more in the fight of God, and enables her to persevere in his service here; by both of which eternal life is the more fecured to her hereafter. I am the living bread, (fays he), which came down from heaven: If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever, John vi. 51. Whofo eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raife him up at the last day, ver. 54. This is that bread which came down from heaven; he that eateth of this bread fhall live for ever, ver. 58. 4to, And to show that this life of the foul, was by God's appointment absolutely connected with the due performance of the outward rite, viz. the receiving the confecrated fymbols into our bowels, and that all the difpofitions we can have are incapable of procuring this life without the use of the facrament: fee how ftrongly he expreffes himself, and that introduced with his ufual affeveration, Verily, verily, I fay unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you, ibid. ver. 53. Do not all these express declarations of Jefus Chrift prove, beyond reply, that that interiour grace which is the life of our fouls, and which he calls the communicating his own Divine felf to our fouls, is abfolutely annexed to the exterior rite of receiving the facred fymbols into our bowels? and that, in fuch a manner, that except the rite be used, the grace will not be beftowed? Can any thing more clearly prove the neceffity of this ordinance for falvation in all fuch as are capable of receiving it? All which is ftill further confirmed by St Paul, who affures us, that the unworthy receiver, who profanes this outward ordinance by ap

proaching to receive it unprepared, is guilty of a crime of the deepest dye; no less than that of being guilty of the body and blood of our Lord, and that upon this account he eats and drinks his own damnation, I Cor. xi. Does not this demonftrate to us beyond contradiction, the fanctity of this holy ordinance, the facred respect that is due to it, and how strong and powerful a means it is of recommending our fouls to God? With what face then can our author fay, that It is repugnant to the very genius of the gospel to lay any firefs on mere externals; and that every ceremonial performance is there reprefented as incapable of recommending the foul to God. Are not thefe affertions directly the reverfe of what the gospel declares in the plainest terms, with regard to the external rite of receiving the Lord's fupper? Is not this rite represented to us as fo holy and venerable, that the performing it is effentially accompanied either with the life or death of the receiver, according as he is difpofed when receiving it? And does this deferve no ftrefs to be laid upon it? or does he who fays fo believe the fcripture? But, let us go on now to confider the facrament of baptism, for the robbing of which of all its virtue our author employs his pen with fo much keennefs, thereby giving proof of his regard for the Christian religion; which has at all times held baptism in the highest esteem and veneration, and looked upon it as one of the most neceffary means of our falvation: upon this fubject then I fhall first fhow, That baptifin, where it can be had, is indifpenfibly neceffary for falvation. Secondly, That by it our fins are remitted, and the grace of juftification brought to our fouls: and, Thirdly, I fhall confider the argu

ments our reverend author brings to the con trary.

Now, that baptifm is neceffary for falvation, is evident; 1. from its being laid down as a condition of falvation by our Saviour himself at its inftitution; where, after giving his apoftles.commiffion to teach all nations the facred truths he had revealed to them, and to baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, he immediately adds, He that believeth and is baptized, fhall be faved, but he that believeth not fhall be damned, Mark xvi. In which words we muft obferve, That our Saviour here with the fame breath commanded the apostles to baptize as well as to teach; that, consequently, upon the part of the people, he requires of them to be baptized as well as to believe what the apoftles taught them: Laftly, That he promises falvation not to faith alone, but to faith and baptifm together; from which it is plain, that baptism is no less neceffary for falvation than faith, fince both, with the fame breath, are exprefsly propofed by Jefus Christ as conditions for that end: befides, nobody doubts, from thefe words of our Saviour, but that faith is abfolutely neceffary for falvation; Ì defire then, that a difference may be fhown, why, from our Saviour's words, the other is not neceffary alfo. It is true, in the damnatory claufe, he mentions only faith, He that believeth not shall be damned; but the evident reason why baptifm was not added here alfo, is, because in adults, of whom alone our Saviour fpeaks in all this paffage, actual faith, or belief of the truths taught by the apostles, is abfolutely pre-required as a difpofition for baptifm, so that those who refused to believe could not be baptized; the want of