discerning Christ at a sacrament, there is no remembrance of him;
and without faith, no discerning Christ there. But when the pre-
cious eye of faith hath spied Christ, under that vail, it presently
calls up the affections, saying, “ Come, see the Lord." These are
the wounds he received for me. This is he that loved me, and gave
bimself for me. This is his flesh, and that his blood. So his arms
were stretched out upon the cross to embrace me; so his blessed
head hung down to kiss me. Awake, my love; rouse up, niy hope;
Aame out, my desires; come forth, O all ye powers and affections
of my soul; come, see the Lord. No sooner doth Christ by his
Spirit call to the believer, but faith hears; and discerning the voice,
turns about, like Mary, saying, Rabboni, my Lord, my Master.

This remembrance of Christ includes suitable impressions made
upon the affections, by such a siglit and remembrance of bim; and
therein lies the nature of that precious thing which we call commu-
nion with God. Various representations of Christ are made at his
table. Sometimes the soul there calls to mind the infinite wisdom,

hat so contrived and laid the glorious plan and mysterious design
and project of redemption : the effect of this is wonder and admira-
tion. O the manifold wisdom of God! Eph. iii. 10. O the depths,
the heights, the length, and breadth of this wisdom! I can as easily
span the heavens, as take the just dimensions of it. Sometimes a
representation of the severity of God is made to the soul at that
ordinance. O how inflexible and severe is the justice of God!
What, no abatement! no sparing mercy! No, not to bis own Son!
This begets a deep impression on the heart.
It produces au humble adoration of the goodness and mercy

of
God, to exact satisfaction for our sins, by such bloody stripes, from
our surety. Lord, if this wrath had seized on me, as it did on
Christ, what bad been my condition then? If these things were
done in the green tree, what had been the case of the dry tree?

Sometimes representations (and not common ones) are made of the love of Christ, who assumed a body and soul, on purpose !! bear the wrath of God for our sins. And when that surpassing love breaks out in its glory upon the soul, how is the soul transported and ravished with it! crying out, Wlat maruer of love is this!

1

long

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here is a love large enough to go round the heavens, and the heaven of heavens! Who ever loved after this rate, to lay down his life for enemies! O love unutterable and inconceivable! How glorious is

iny love in his red garments! Sometimes the fruits of his death are there gloriously displayed; even his satisfaction for sin, and the purchase his blood made of the eternal inheritance: and this begets thankfulness and confidence in the soul, Christ is dead, and his death bath satisfied for iny sin. Christ is dead, therefore my soul shall never die. Who shall separate me from the love of God? These are the fruits, and this is the nature of that reinembrauce of Christ here spoken of.

Flavel.

[In some of the preceding pages we have attempted to point out the

progress of error in the first ages of the Christian hurch on the subject of infant baptism; and as soon as this became general, and the notion, that the sacraments were necessary to salvation, prevailed in the churches, the custom of administering this ordinance to infants was immediately adopted; and it is not a little remarkable, that this error originated precisely in the same way as that of infant baptism; namely, from a mistaken interpretation of those words of our Lord, Jobo vi. 53. " Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you :"-as may be seen by the following authors:

We see a practice that was very ancient, and that continued very long, which arose out of the exposition of those words, John vi, 53. by wbich infauts were made partakers of the eucharist.

Bishop Burnelt. Infant communicating was a catholic doctrine. Herein all the fathers agreed; who, inisunderstanding and misapplying Christ's words, John vi. 53. beld that the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was to be administered to infants and children, and that it was necessary for them to their salvation; accordingly they made them partakers of that ordinance.

Dr. John Edwards, The ancient church, for a long time, gave the sacred symbols of

the boly supper to infants; being led to it from a false interpretation of our Lord's words, John vi. 53. compared with another de claration of the same divine teacher, John iii. 5. Heideggerus.

It appears by many and undoubted testimonies, that this holy rite (the Lord's Supper) was looked upon as essential to salvation; and when this is duly considered, we shall be less disposed to censure, as erroneous, the opinion of those who have affirmed that the Lord's Supper was administered to infants during the third century.

Mosheim. St. Augustine, I am sure, held the communicating of infants as much an apostolic tradition as the baptizing of them. The eucharist's necessity for infants was taught by the consent of the eminent fathers of some ages, without any opposition from any of their cantemporaries; and was delivered by them, not as doctors, but as witnesses; not as their opinion, but as apostolic tradition.

Mr. Chillingworth. It is notorious from antiquity, that the eucharist was given to infants. This custom, anciently received, afterward prevailed to such a degree, especially in the time of Charles the Great, that the boly supper was given to infants, not only in the public assembly after baptism, or at other times when the church used to assemble for the holy communion; but some of the bread of the sacred supper was reserved, to be given to such infants as were sick, as well as to adults. Ansegisus, Abbot of Liege, wbo recites a canon of the same Charles, published on this account, gives us a strong testimony of it. For the words of the canon are these: “ Let a presbyter have the eucharist always ready, that when any person is sick, or an infant is afflicted, he may immediately give it bim, that he die not without the communion.

Suicerus. That which I conceive most probable on the wbole matter is, That in Cyprian's time, the people of the chureh of Carthage did oftentime bring their children younger than ordinary to the commuuion ; that in St. Austin's and Innocent's time it was in the western parts given to mere infants; and that this continued from that time for about six hundred years.

Dr. Wall.

Because the eucharist was given to adult catechumens when they were washed with holy baptism, without any space of time intervening, this also was done to infants, after Pædo-baptism was introduced.

Salmasius. In Booth, It is manifest that in the ancient church it was usual to give the eucharist to infants; which custom arose about the third century, and continued in the Western church to the beginning of the twelfth century, as Quenstedius shows. This custom seems to have prevailed first in the African church, and to have been propagated thence to other churches in the West. Certainly, we no where find it more frequently mentioned than in the writings of Cyprian, of Austin, and of Paulinus. The error seems to have arisen from a false opinion concerning the absolute necessity of the eucharist : and it has been observed by learned men, that this arose from the words of Christ, John vi. 53, not being well understood. Buddeus.

Infants, in the third century, were generally admitted to baptism and the Lord's Supper.

Venema. It is remarkable that in all Christian antiquity we always find that communion in the Lord's supper immediately followed baptism. And no such thing occurs, as that of any person having a right to one of these ordinances, and not to the other. There is no express mention made of infant baptism before this (in Cyprian) of infant communion; and no objection can be made to this custom, but what may with equal force be made to the custom of baptizing infants.

Dr. Priestley. This practice continued for about four hundred years; namely, from the latter end of the second century until the time of Gregory the Great, about the year 600; when, by the art and cunning of the priests, immersion was changed to sprinkling, and the eucharist to transubstantiation. “ For though it was confessed, the communion would do them benefit, yet it was denied to them when the doctrine of transubstantiation entered ; upon pretence lest, by puking up the holy symbols, the sacrament should be dishonoured."*]

GOOD WORKS,

(21st Link.)

We shall now presume“ Christian” to be a member of some christian church, that he has joined himself to the standard of the Lord and to his people; he must, therefore, now be careful to maintaia good works.

That ibis is an essential link of our chain, none I believe will leny; the only dispute is, to wbat part of the chain it belongs. 'Thousands of volumes have been written upon this subject, and many arguments advanced; but I cannot force it into

aby

other part of the chain than where I have placed it; I know that many put it before the 6th link, and make it the cause, and the 6th link the effect; yet I cannot make it fit there; but when I put it in this part of the christian history, it works well and smooth; and is, to the sight, the most beautiful link of the chain.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, wbich God liath before ordained that we should walk in them. Eph. ii. 10. Who gave

himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Tit. ii. 14.