fections of our services hinder their acceptance with thee. O grant us the benefit of that mediation thou hast provided.

"O most merciful God! we pray for all mankind; not only for those who have been made sensible of their helpless condition, but for all who are now living in sin, and ignorance and hardness of heart. We desire to depend entirely on thy mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ. We would unite with the publican, and say, ' God be merciful to us miserable sinners.' O, pour into our hearts more of the grace of supplication; and let a due sense of our unworthiness and helplessness preserve us in a lowly state at thy footstool.

"And now to God the Father," &c.

H2

CHAPTER XXXI.

1440

Q. How many Sacraments hath Christ ordained in his church?

A. Two only, as generally necessary to Salvation; that is to say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord. Q. What meanest thou by this word Sacrament? A. I mean an outward and visible Sign of an inward and spiritual Grace, given unto us, ordained by Christ himself, as a Means whereby we receive the same, and a Pledge to assure us thereof.

Q. How many Parts are there in a Sacrament? A. Two; the outward visible Sign, and the inward spiritual Grace.

Q. What is the outward visible Sign, or Form in Baptism?

A. Water; wherein the Person is Baptised, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Q. What is the inward and spiritual Grace?

A. A Death unto Sin, and a new Birth unto Righ teousness: for being by Nature born in Sin, and the Children of Wrath, we are hereby made the Children of Grace.

Q. What is required of Persons to be baptised?
A. Repentance, whereby they forsake Sin; and
Faith, whereby they steadfastly believe the Promises
of God made to them in that Sacrament.

Q. Why then are Infants baptised, when by Reason of their tender Age they cannot perform them?

A. Because they promise them both by their Sureties; which Promise, when they come to Age, themselves are bound to perform.

"WE are now drawing, my dear young people," said the lady of the manor, again addressing her young ladies,

"towards the end of our proposed course of instructions; and I have reason to hope, that you, as well as myself, will have cause to look back with pleasure on our frequent happy meetings in this place. I trust they have been as profitable to me as to you, for, in the course of our many conversations, I have been led to study, with more accuracy, and in some order, many subjects, which, before, I had considered only in a desultory manner. It is said, that he that watereth shall be watered; and I am fully convinced, that a peculiar and especial blessing is bestowed on those who, humbly trusting in the divine assistance, devote themselves to the instruction of others."

The young ladies expressed much regret at the speedy cessation of their happy meetings; and their kind instructress hoped that their meetings might be renewed, even after the cause which had first given them rise had ceased to operate.

The lady of the manor then said, "I have another little manuscript to read to you, my dear young people; but, before I commence, I must put some questions to you from the Church Catechism."

The following questions and answers were then repeated.

"Q. How many sacraments hath Christ ordained in his church?

"A. Two only as generally necessary to salvation; that is to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord.

"Q. What meanest thou by this word sacrament?

"A. I mean an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, given unto us, ordained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof.

"Q. How many parts are there in a sacrament?

"A. Two; the outward visible sign, and the inward spiritual grace.

"Q. What is the outward visible sign, or form in Baptism?

"A. Water; wherein the person is baptised, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

"Q. What is the inward and spiritual grace?

" A. A Death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteous

ness: for being by nature born in sin and the children of wrath, we are hereby made the children of grace."

When these questions and answers were concluded, the lady of the manor asked the young people whether there were any passages in the portion of the Catechism which had been repeated which did not appear clear to them.

"Of the word sacrament," said Miss Emmeline, “I certainly do not understand the etymology."

"The word sacrament," replied the lady of the manor, "is derived, as I have been informed, from the Latin, sacramentum, which signifies an oath. Hence we understand, that the individual who partakes of the sacraments ordained by Christ, binds himself in allegiance to Christ, and vows to be faithful to his Leader."

The lady then proceeded to point out the nature of the sacraments, by showing that they are emblems, or visible signs, of benefits, which, when received in faith, become the means of nourishing the soul, while, too often, the unbelief of those who partake of the outward and visible sign, hinders the benefit of the inward and spiritual grace.-She then asked her young people what was the outward and visible sign in the sacrament of Baptism.

They answered, "Water."

On which, she required them to tell her what was the general signification of springs, fountains, and brooks, mists, and dew, in the language of prophecy.

They replied, that these emblems signified the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, or the life from above. "The washing the body with water," replied the lady, "then, signifies the cleansing, purifying, and revivifying operations of the Holy Spirit, as applied to the soul; and when this inward and spiritual grace either accompanies, follows, or precedes the outward and visible sign, or form, in Baptism, the individual has then, and not till then, become a partaker of the thing signified, and is born again unto everlasting life."

The lady then repeated the following questions and

answers.

"Q. What is required of persons to be baptised?

"A. Repentance, whereby they forsake sin; and faith,

whereby they steadfastly believe the promises of God made to them in that sacrament.

"Q. Why then are infants baptised, when by reason of their tender age they cannot perform them?

"A. Because they promise them both by their sureties; which promise, when they come to age, themselves are bound to perform."

"I enlarged on the subject of the baptism of infants," said the lady, "in the early part of our acquaintance, my dear young people; and, because I have no doubt, should you ever become mothers, that you will be most anxious to devote your infants to the Lord, I think it the less necessary to enlarge on the subject in this place; especially as there is no question in our national Church as to the propriety and importance of infant baptism. With your permission, I will, therefore, add something respecting the necessity of an entire change of heart; or, as our Catechism expresses it, 'a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness.'

"I have spoken to you largely and repeatedly, my beloved young people, of the present depraved state of man; whereby he is subject to everlasting misery, and is justly termed a child of wrath. We are born children of wrath, and continue such till we are born again.

"Wrath has gone as wide as ever sin went,' said a valuable old writer! 'When angels sinned, God brake in upon them as a flood: God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell; and thereby it was demonstrated, that no natural excellency in the creature will shield it from the wrath of God, if it becomes a sinful creature.'

"What this wrath of God is, can only be proved by its effects. Who can fully describe it? and what created being could bear it, if let loose upon him in all its fury? -The terms, however, in which the wicked are spoken of in Scripture are sufficiently marked to denote the anger of the righteous God against them-The foolish shall' not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. (Psalm v. 5, 6.) God is angry with the wicked every day. (Psalm vii. 11.)

"The wicked, in Scripture, are compared to dogs, and