rest, and the assurance of future glory. (Heb. iv. 3. Phil. i. 23.)

Q. Will not this doctrine of unbounded grace permit licentiousness?

A. The extreme reverse is the truth; for the grace of God, that bringeth salvation to all men, hath appeared, (the marginal reading,) teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. (Tit. ii. 11, 12.) This is the morality which the doctrine of the salvation of all men teacheth us. Now, passing by the negative of denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, and even the positive duties of living soberly and righteously, we fix our attention on the life of godliness; we ask ourselves what is it? and where shall we find it? And the answer which presents itself to our understanding is, that godly is godlike, or like the life of God; and where shall we find what the life of God is so well as in the life of Jesus, who was God manifest in the flesh, and yet laid down his life for those by whose hands he was slain, and in his expiring breath prayed, saying, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do! (Luke xxiii. 34.) What morality can exceed this? Yet this is the morality which the grace that bringeth salvation to all men teacheth us.

Q. And do the professors of your religion act thus ? A. We are constrained to confess that we are not apt scholars; but the question was not what we do, but what the principles of our religion teach us to do.

Q. What are the general principles of Christian morality?

A. Love to God, and love to man. (Mat. xxii. 36—

40.) And these principles are given to us at large, in the book of Exodus, in the 20th chapter, from the 1st to the 18th verse.

Q. What think you of the observance of the Christian Sabbath?

A. The Jews were commanded to appropriate the seventh day (or seventh part of time) as a Sabbath, or rest from labour; and Christians in all ages, have been accustomed to consider the first day of the week as a Christian Sabbath; inasmuch as on this day their Lord triumphed over death by his resurrection; made himself known to the women who attended at his tomb; (Mat. xxviii. 9;) also the disciples going to Emmaus, where he was made known to them in the breaking of bread; (Luke xxiv. 31;) and in the evening of the same day, to his disciples, Thomas being absent; (John xx. 19-24 ;) and on that day week, the Christian Sabbath sennight, seven nights intervening, or eight days, the first and last being reckoned, Jesus was with his disciples, and offered Thomas the proof that he desired, that he might put his finger into the prints of the nails, and his hand into his side.

This was the second Christian Sabbath.

The disciples came together to break bread, on the first day of the week. (Acts xx. 7.)

Q. What appears to be the reasonable observance of the Christian Sabbath?

A. An entire abstinence from labour, works of necessity and mercy excepted.

Q. What should occupy our attention on that day? A. The worship of God, in public and in private;

the improvement of the mind, in the knowledge of God, and of ourselves.

Q. You say that the disciples came together to break bread on the first day of the week. Why did they do this?

A. The Lord had commanded them to do this, in remembrance of him. And obedience on our part, is the observance of the Lord's supper.

Q. May we neglect this with impunity?

A. By no means; for as respects the natural body, we must eat bread or die; so, spiritually, we must partake of the body and blood of Christ, or there is no life in us. (John vi. 51.)

Q. Are all required to be partakers of the commu. nion?

A. Whoever call Jesus Lord and Master, we think, are consequently bound, as his servants, to obey this command of their Lord and Master.

Q. But do we not run the hazard of eating and drinking condemnation ?

A. Not so long as we act from a pure motive, and discern the Lord's body.

Q. What motive would render our observance im. pure ?

A. When our object would be any secular advantage, such as honour, profit, or to be seen of men.

Q. What is it to discern the Lord's body, in this observance?

A. When we consider the bread as an emblem of the body of Christ, the bread of life; (John vi. 33;) the many grains now being united in one, constituting one bread, or piece of bread; and the distinctions

which may have existed in the harvest field no longer discernible; the bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ? for we being many are one bread and one body. (1 Cor. x. 16, 17.) And the last process through which bread passes to make it fit nutriment, is that of fire. The bread hath passed through this, and calls to our remembrance the sufferings of our Lord for our salvation. If we are sometimes called to the endurance of fiery trials, (1 Pet. iv. 12,) what must have been the sufferings of our Lord? Again, when we consider the kingdom of hea. ven as likened to leaven, which was hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened, '(Mat. xiii. 33,) we think of Christ taking upon him our nature, body, soul, and spirit, and the divine influence thereof remaining till the least and last particle shall be fully saturated thereby.

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? (1 Cor. x. 16.) Here also we observe the many in one, and the distinctions which may have existed in the vineyard, no longer dis. cernible, but one cup and one quality; the wine an emblem of the blood of Christ; and when mixed with water, it calls to our remembrance that when the sol. dier's spear pierced the side of the Saviour, forth. with came thereout blood and water. By faith we see the fountain opened in the house of David, for sin and for uncleanness. (Zech. xiii. 1.)

Q. But may we not err through ignorance in this matter?

A. We may, and we fear many do. Thus, when any come to the table, considering their participation as

taking upon them, the most solemn oath of obedience to the law of God; what must the result be, but a conviction that they have vowed or sworn to the Lord and broken that oath or vow? The soul must then feel the sense of having committed perjury; and who that partakes under this mistaken sense of the matter, can for a day, or even an hour, say that he has not offended by deed, word, or thought? One evil thought entertained, makes him guilty in the eye of the law.

Q. Is it not better then to refrain altogether, seeing there is this danger?

A. No, for though it is our duty to seek the most perfect knowledge of what our duty is, yet still, the way of duty is the way of safety; and according to the measure of knowledge we have, we ought to obey. For it is the command of our Lord and Master, that we should eat and drink in remembrance of him. And it is worthy of our observation, that although the Corinthians erred so greatly, as to turn the observation of the supper into something like a bacchanalian feast, and for which some were weak and sickly, and many slept (1 Cor.xi. 30.) the sleep of death; the apostle immediately adds, that when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should no be condemned with the world.

Q. Have we a right to forbid any from coming to the table?

A. We have no right; the act itself is an acknowledgment of the Lord, who says, do this; and we know no reason why we should assume authority, and forbid obedience in this case, that would not apply to any and every other command of God. In the judgment of