there was any Holy Ghost," xix. 1, 2. whereas the baptism of Christ, which was with water and the Spirit, conferred the gifts of the Spirit from the very beginning.

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It is usually replied, that in the places where the baptism of John is said to be with water only, it is not intended to oppose the baptism of John to baptism with water and the Spirit, but to distinguish between the part which Christ acts in baptism, and that of the mere minister of the rite. however this were true, the same distinction would be made with respect to other ministers of baptism, the apostles for instance; which is not the case: on the contrary, it is abundantly evident that the apostles baptized both with water and the Holy Spirit.

Considering, therefore, that the baptism of John either did not confer the gifts of the Spirit at all, or not immediately, it would appear to have been rather a kind of initiatory measure, or purification preparatory to receiving the doctrine of the gospel, in conformity with the ancient Hebrew custom that all proselytes should be baptized, than an absolute sealing of the covenant ; for this latter is the province of the Spirit alone: 1 Cor. xii. 13.

Hence it appears that the baptism of Christ, although not indispensable, might without impropriety be superadded to the baptism of John. Acts xix. 5. "when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus;" those, namely, who had been already baptized by John, v. 3. I have said, not indispensable, inasmuch as the apostles and many others appear to have rested in the baptism of John; according to which analogy, I should be inclined to conclude, that those persons who have been baptized while yet infants, and perhaps in other repects irregularly, have no need of second baptism when arrived at maturity: indeed, I should be disposed to consider baptism itself as necessary for proselytes alone, and not for those born in the church, had not the apostle taught that baptism is not merely an initiatory rite, but a figurative representation of our death, burial and resurrection with Christ.

Previously to the promulgation of the Mosaic law, Noah's ark was the type of baptism: 1 Pet. iii. 20, 21. "while the ark was a preparing, &c. .... the like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us―. Under the law it was typified by

the cloud. 1 Cor. x. 2. "all our fathers were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea."

THE LORD'S SUPPER is a solemnity in which the death of Christ is commemorated by the breaking of bread and pouring out of wine, both of which elements are tasted by each individual communicant, and the benefits of his death thereby sealed to believers." Matt. xxvi. 26-29. as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body; and he took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it: for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins

I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day," &c. .... See also Mark xiv. 22-25. Luke xxii. 19, 20." he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them saying, This is my body which is given for you; this do in remembrance of me: likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you.' John vi. 33. "the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world." v. 35. “I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." v. 50, 51. "this is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die: I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever and the bread that I give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." v. 53-58. "he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him: as the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. v. 63. "it is the Spirit that quickeneth," the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you they are spirit, and they are life." It is true that this chapter of John does not relate exclusively to the Lord's Supper, but to the participation in general, through faith, of any of the benefits of Christ's incarnation for what is called so repeatedly, v. 50, &c. eating the flesh of Christ" and "drinking his blood," is described in v. 66 35. as coming to Christ" and "believing in him;" in the same manner as the phrase in chap. iv. 10, 14. "that living water, of which whosoever drinketh he shall never thirst," cannot be referred in a primary sense either to

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baptism, or to the Lord's Supper, but must be considered as an expression purely metaphorical. Nevertheless, the words of Christ to his disciples in this chapter throw a strong light, by anticipation, on the nature of the sacrament which was to be so shortly afterwards instituted (for "the passover was nigh," v. 4.) They teach us, by an obvious inference, that flesh, or the mere bodily food received, has no more spiritual efficacy in the sacrament than it had in the miracle of the loaves there recorded; and that the flesh which he verily and indeed gives is not that which can be eaten with the teeth, and by any one indiscriminately, but the food of faith alone; a heavenly and spiritual bread, which came down from heaven, not earthly, (as it must be, if we suppose that what he gave on that occasion was his literal flesh born of the Virgin) but heavenly in a higher sense than manna itself, and of which "he that eateth shall live for ever," v. 58. Were it, as the Papists hold, his literal flesh, and eaten by all in the Mass, the consequence would be that the very worst of the communicants (to say nothing of the mice and worms by which the eucharist is occasionally devoured) would through the virtue of this heavenly bread attain eternal life. That living bread therefore which Christ calls his flesh, and that blood which is drink indeed, can be nothing but the doctrine of Christ's having become man in order to shed his blood for us; a doctrine which whosoever receives by faith shall as surely attain eternal life, as the partaking of meats and drinks supports our brief term of bodily existence: nay, more surely; for thus, as above quoted, Christ dwells in us, and we in him; whereas the food which is received into the body does not dwell there, being carried off partly by natural transpiration," and partly in other ways, as soon as the process of digestion is completed.

This solemnity is called by St. Paul "the Lord's Supper," 1 Cor. xi. 20. and its original institution by Christ, together with an explanation of the rite, is given v. 23-30. "I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and

with keen dispatch

Of real hunger, and concoctive heat

To transubstantiate; what redounds, transpires
Through spirits with ease.

Paradise Lost, V. 436.

said, Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of me after the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood; this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me: for as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.” It is also incidentally explained x. 16, 17, 21. "the cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? 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; for we are all partakers of that one bread."

Under the law, the Lord's Supper was typified by the manna, and the water flowing from the rock. 1 Cor. x. 3, 4. our fathers did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ." If they under a carnal covenant partook spiritually of the body of Christ, surely we do not partake of it carnally under a spiritual covenant.

I have quoted the above passages at length, inasmuch as in them is comprised the whole Scripture doctrine relative to the Lord's Supper. Whosoever interprets these with true Christian simplicity of heart according to their plain and obvious meaning, will be at a loss to account for the numberless absurd speculations on this subject, by which the peace of the church has been destroyed, and which have well nigh converted the Supper of the Lord into a banquet of cannibals.

Consubstantiation, and above all the papistical doctrine of transubstantiation (or rather anthropophagy, for it deserves no better name) are irreconcileable, not only with reason and common sense, and the habits of mankind, but with the testimony of Scripture, with the nature and end of a sacrament, with the analogy of baptism, with the ordinary forms of language, with the human nature of Christ, and finally with the state of glory in which he is to remain till the day of judgement.

In speaking of sacraments, as of most other subjects between whose parts an analogy exists, a figure is frequently employed, by which whatever illustrates or signifies any particular thing 7 The Lutheran holds consubstantiation; an error indeed, but not mortal. Of true Religion, &c. Prose Works, II. 511.

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18 used to denote, not what it is in itself, but what it illustrates or signifies. In sacraments, on account of the peculiarly close relation between the sign and the thing signified, this kind of identification is not uncommon; an inattention to which peculiarity has been, and continues to be, a source of error to numbers. Thus circumcision is called "a covenant," Gen. xvii. 10. and "a token of the covenant, v. 11. Again, a lamb is called "the passover," Exod. xii. 11. which text is defended against the exceptions of objectors by the similar passages, Luke xxii. 7. "the passover must be killed." v. 8. 'prepare us the passover.' :." v. 11. “where I shall eat the passover." v. 13. "they made ready the passover.' A similar expression occurs 2 Sam. xxiii. 17. "is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives?" _Accordingly, the same form of speech is used in regard to baptism Eph. v. 26. "that he might cleanse it with the washing of water by the word;" Col. ii. 12. "buried with him in baptism;" and to the Lord's Supper: Matt. xxvi. 26, 27. "as they were eating, Jesus took bread, &c... take, eat, this is my body.' Compare also Mark xiv. 23. and Luke xxii. 20. "this cup is the new testament." See also 1 Cor. xi. 25. Again, 1 Cor. x. 4. "that rock was Christ." The object of the sacred writers, in thus expressing themselves, was probably to denote the close affinity between the sign and the thing signified, as well as, by a bold metaphor, to intimate the certainty with which the seal is thus set to spiritual blessings; the same form of speech being used in other instances, where the certainty of a thing is to be emphatically expressed; Gen. xli. 27. "the seven kine are seven years. Rev. i. 20. xvii. 9. "the seven heads are seven mountains," and v. 12. "the ten horns are ten kings.'

Lastly, since every sacrament is, by its very definition, a seal of the covenant of grace, it is evident that the Papists err, when they attribute to the outward sign the power of bestowing salvation or grace by virtue of the mere opus operatum; seeing that sacraments can neither impart salvation nor grace of themselves; but are given as a pledge or symbol

8 Conversione autem hac ne decipiamur fortè, neque enim fidissima est, cautiones quædam adhiberi solent; prima, ne termini sint figurati; ut, panis est corpus Christi.' Artis Logica plenior Institutio. Prose Works. Symmons' ed. VI. 302.