body broken on the cross, for us, and for all mankind.

Then giving the bread into the hands of the deacons, for them to distribute among the communicants, the minister may further say :

BELOVED BRETHREN: Take, eat, for this is a symbol of the body of Christ, given and broken for you: this do in remembrance of him, and feed upon him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.

After all have been served with the bread, the minister may pour the wine into the cup, and then offer another short thanksgiving and prayer, as follows:

HEAVENLY Father, the fruit of the vine, as well as all other products of the earth, are from thy care and bounty, O thou preserver of men, and giver of all good things. We would fervently bless thee for all thy benefits. But chiefly we are bound to thank and praise thee, O Lord, for the rich and plenteous provisions of thy grace in the holy gospel of thy Son, our Redeemer; which may fitly be called a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, well refined, and which truly maketh glad the heart of man. May these inestimable enjoyments be our most desirable portion, both here and for ever.

And now, O God our Father, the juice of the earthly vine, with which this cup of communion is supplied, we reverently set apart for a memorial of thine infinite love, in the gift of thy Son for our redemption and salvation, and as a symbolic representation of that precious blood, for the shedding of which he, our blessed Redeemer, freely yielded himself up a sacrifice on the cross, for a sinful world. May we reflect upon our sins, and our great unworthiness, with lowly penitence and self-abasement; and may we devoutly remember, with emotions of

ardent gratitude, that we have been redeemed, not with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish, and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last, gospel times for us; who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory, that our faith and hope might be in God. May we constantly bear in mind that we are not our own, that we are bought with a price; may we, therefore, glorify God in our body, and in our spirit, which are God's.

And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee. And although we are unworthy, by reason of our manifold sins and transgressions, to present unto thee any offering; yet we beseech thee to accept this our sincere and humble service; not weighing our merits, but pardoning our offences, and continuing to us the tokens of thy favour and goodness, through Jesus Christ our Lord: by whom, and through whom, in unity of holy affection and gratitude, all honour, praise and glory, be ascribed unto thee, O Father Almighty, world without end. AMEN.

The minister may then deliver the cup, to be presented to the communicants, severally, and addressing himself to them may say :

BELOVED FRIENDS AND FELLOW-CHRISTIANS: You will now receive the cup of blessing. This cup is (by representation) the New Testament in Christ's blood, which was shed for you, and for the many, for the remission of sins. Drink ye all of it; drink it in remembrance of Christ with a lively faith in his mediation, and in God's mercy and grace through him; and be ye thankful.

When all have partaken of the cup, another hymn, suited to the occasion, may be sung, all standing up. The devotions may then be concluded with the benediction, or the following short service may intervene, (selected from the communion service in the Episcopal Church.)

At the close of the hymn, the minister, addressing the communicants, may say :

Lift up your hearts.

Answer. We lift them up unto the Lord. Minister. Let us give thanks unto our Lord God. Answer. It is meet and right so to do.

Min- IT is very meet, right, and our bounden ister. duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting God:

THEREFORE [here all should repeat together] with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious name; evermore praising thee, and saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts; heaven and earth are full of thy glory: Glory be to thee, O Lord Most High. AMEN.

Benediction.

NOW the God of peace, that brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will; working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. AMEN.

10*

BAPTISM.

Remarks upon Baptism, with a Form for its Administration.

THAT baptism by water was practised as a religious rite or ceremony, both by John the Baptist, and by the disciples of Christ, is unquestionable. And that its observance was continued by the apostles after the resurrection of our Saviour, is equally certain. That in all cases it was considered necessary and obligatory, it may not be so easy to determine. With respect to the proper mode of administering baptism, and what description of persons are the fit subjects for it, there have been, and there still exist different opinions in the Christian community.

That baptism was not, even in the days of the apostles, regarded as an indispensable requisite of Christian faith and practice, it is thought may be plainly inferred from the language of St. Paul in reference to it. He was especially a planter of churches; a teacher of the first principles of the doctrine of Christ. As such it was clearly his province to inculcate every important doctrine and duty appertaining to the gospel system, and the Christian profession. Yet we hear this same apostle saying to the Corinthians, "I thank God that I baptized none of you but Crispus and Gaius, and the household of Stephanus, for Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel." He is here evidently speaking in reference to water baptism; and his language would seem to be utterly inconsistent with the idea that he viewed it as a necessary and component part of the gospel covenant, or Christian economy.

But if baptism was not strictly necessary and obligatory in the time of the apostles, it has not been so since, and is not so now; especially in a country

where the Christian faith is established, and is the common profession.

In the baptismal office in the Protestant Episcopal church, the public profession of the Christian faith is stated as the principal design of baptism. Thus in the address to adult persons after being baptized, the minister says, "And as for you who have now by baptism put on Christ, (professionally,) it is your part and duty, also, to walk answerably to your Christian calling, remembering always, that baptism representeth our profession; which is to follow the example of our Saviour Christ, and to be made like unto him; that as he died and rose again for us, so should we who are baptized, die from sin, and rise again unto righteousness," &c. If then the original design of baptism was the public avowal of the Christian faith, its necessity and use would seem to have nearly or quite ceased, where Christianity is the known and general profession of the religious community.

Still, it is believed this is a matter in which a minister of the gospel may safely, and with propriety, yield to the views and wishes of individuals who may desire the administration of baptism, either for themselves or their children: for in such cases, although, as the apostle says, it is "Not the putting away of the filth of the flesh," it may yet be "the answer of a good conscience toward God."

The writer, however, begs leave candidly and respectfully to state an objection (which to him appears to be a valid one) to the common mode of administering the ordinance. The objection relates to one particular part of the ceremony employed in the act of baptizing; and one which is considered especially important. It is the name in (or into) which the persons are baptized, viz., the Trinity, so called, or the Father, and the Son, and the Holy