words into my mouth, and commanding me to speak them. 1 would much rather have it so, than be left to form words of my own. I should feel it less painful to myself, and probably less annoying to others. And now that we are upon this subject; permit me, Sir, just to ask you, do you not think it would do much good, and correct what may perhaps be justly called the vulgar objections to the Marriage Service, if men would try to enter a little more into the spirit of the household stories, and family scenes of the Old Testament? The book of Ruth especially-can any one read it reverently, and not learn a great of the difference between True and False Delicacy? You will feel my meaning, Sir, at once.'

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deal

'Indeed," said I, "I do; and although I am not aware that I ever before heard it said in so many words, yet, I should imagine it must have been silently experienced by every right-minded reader. And if it should turn out, that the spirit of that Book is exactly the same with the spirit of our Marriage Service, who would desire a more complete vindication of it? But pray let us go back to your story, which I beg pardon for having interrupted. You were on the way to your sister, Mrs. Carey's; and I think you told me, that you found it very hard to make her so much as understand your objection to the marriage, or how any one could possibly imagine Baptists, as such, to be aliens to the Church."

"Yes! she was quite positive at first, that I must have some view of my own, some worldly purpose, in setting my head' against the match. As long as she had this fancy, she would not even listen to my arguments; and as it was, I believe she did but half hear them. I did not indeed trouble her with many: for I thought that two or three plain texts, with the interpretation confirmed by a little unquestionable history, might and ought to be sufficient."

"Let me just guess, what line you probably took with her. I suppose you first pointed out to her, that our SAVIOUR's promises are made to individuals, not simply as believing and repenting, but as joining themselves, by faith and repentance, to the Church which He was founding through his Apostles.

For

instance, you might perhaps put her in mind, that our SAVIOUR, in His prayer before His sufferings, in ch. xvii. of St. John, plainly had an eye to the command he purposed to give them, when he was going to be taken out of their sight: which command we read in the last three verses of St. Matthew. The prayer was 'not for the Apostles alone, but for all who should believe on Him THROUGH THEIR WORD: that they all might be one.' For whom was this prayer offered? Not for all who any how should believe in CHRIST, but for them who should believe on Him through the word of the Apostles' i. e. for the very same persons described in the other text: 'Go ye and teach (or, as it is in the margin, make Disciples, or Christians, of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the FATHER, the SoN, and the HOLY GHOST.' Those whom He had before prayed for, He here, in effect, orders to be taught, or made Disciples, by persons having Apostolical authority. But these very same Disciples are to be one and all baptized. For our LORD's words are quite express Make Christians of them by baptizing them;' so that if we are to go by these words, it is quite plain that persons unbaptized cannot properly be called Christians; and if we compare the same words with the other text, it seems very doubtful whether such persons are included in the meaning of our SAVIOUR's gracious intercession; which is surely a point to be deeply considered. Do you quite understand me, Richard ?"

"Yes, Sir, I believe I do. Those are some of the places in Scripture which I turned to, and begged my sister Lucy to consider. But of course, Sir, I could not reason on them so exactly as you have now done. There was another place, too, which I begged her to think a good deal of, which must needs, I think, sound very awful to those who are inclined to make light of Baptism: I mean what was said to Nicodemus, Except a man be born of WATER and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' It seems to me, Sir, that in speaking those words, our SAVIOUR, who knew what He would do, must have borne in mind His purpose of causing water to be what it is made in the Sacrament of Baptism,-the outward and visible sign of our new

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birth, and admission into His Church. the two places side by side in this way.

St. John iii. 5.

If you would enter into the kingdom of God, you must be born of water and of the Spirit.

I put the substance of

St. Matt. xxviii. 19.

If you would be a Disciple or Christian, you must be baptized by Apostolical authority, in the name of the Holy Trinity.

What made me stronger in this opinion, was observing the like argument in our Divine Master's language, when speaking of the other Holy Sacrament. As thus; for I wrote the four places down to make my meaning plain to the very eye.

St. John vi. 52.

If you would have life in you, you must eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood.

St. Matt. xxvi, 28.

If you would eat CHRIST's body and drink his blood, you must take and eat the bread, and drink of the cup, blessed by those who have authority to bless it in remembrance of Him.

"I hope, Sir, you will not think that I am using the Bible too freely; but I must own, to me it is very convincing, when I see ́ one part of our SAVIOUR's discourses thus pointing, as it were, to another, and both so thoroughly agreeing with the known customs of the early Church, as I have always understood these do.

"For it is now some few years, Sir, since I began to think on this subject, and what few doubts I had were very much settled by a book which you kindly spared me from your Lending Library. I think it was called 'A Conference of two men on the Subject of Infant Baptism.' And it shewed, to my thinking, most closely the opinion of the Church on that subject, in times when they must have known what the very Apostles used to do.

"These things, in my plain way, I tried to point out to my sister; and I was in hopes to have convinced her that wilfully to remain unbaptized is a more grievous sin that the generality of Dissenters (aye, and a great many Churchmen) imagine. I thought, when our LORD so distinctly affirmed, that one MUST be

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born of water and the Spirit before one could even enter into GOD's kingdom,' it was not too much to ask of a Christian man, that he should not marry such a person, considering what the HOLY SPIRIT has said by St. Paul to all Christians, that if they marry, they must marry in the LORD;' that is to say, must select such persons as make part of the body of CHRIST, Considering, too, what strict charges were given to the Israelites of old time, not to make marriages with the heathen and unbelievers. I thought to myself, and I put it strongly to my sister, how can I, with these convictions, with the Scriptures lying open before me, and, as I think, distinctly forbidding such things, how can I be helper to such a union? how can I come to God's altar, and present my relation there to Him, and beg His blessing on an act which, in my conscience, I believe to be sinful, and most provoking to Him? In short, I told them it was out of the question; and if they would put themselves in my place for a moment, they would see that it must be so."

"I should like to know what the young man thought as he stood by and heard all this."

"Oh, Sir, I could see that he was very uneasy. He made two or three endeavours to break in upon us with some remarks of his own; but I was steady in not permitting him till I had stated my own view, so as to give it a fair chance. When I had finished, and was going away, leaving my sister, as it seemed to me, more puzzled than convinced by what had been said, Philip came close up to me, and said, in a tone of a man more or less vexed, 'You mistake me quite, uncle, if you think I have any notion of leaving the Church, because I am proposing to marry one who is not yet a Churchwoman. I like the Church as well as ever. I was born and bred in it, and hope to die in it; nay, and by this very engagement of mine I expect to do good service to the Church; for I shall be very much disappointed indeed, if Letitia be not very soon prevailed on to be baptized, and conform, after she becomes my wife.'

"I told him, if such was indeed her mind, the matter might in no long time be settled to the satisfaction of us all. He had only to wait till that happy change, which he so confidently

looked for, had taken place, and I would most gladly attend him as he desired. At this he looked a little disconcerted, and it was plain enough that he had been mistaking what he only wished for what was likely to happen. So I just asked him one question, whether he thought himself wiser and steadier than Solomon? He very likely (said I), when he permitted himself first to form an attachment to a heathen, expected to bring her over to the faith and worship of the one true God; but it ended in his becoming himself an idolater. Indeed, God's warnings to his ancient people, not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, every where go upon the notion, that the corrupting side in such unions will be commonly too strong for that which was originally right. How can it be otherwise, while human nature is corrupt, and when the aid of Divine grace is forfeited by men's presumptuously running themselves into a state of continual temptation? And, I added, what I have more than once heard from those who have read modern history, that the same kind of result is there also visible enough, attending on the like profane marriages among those who call themselves Christians. I venture to mention one example, which had occurred to myself, in such little reading as I have had time for in that line—the example of one whom I deeply honour and reverence— -you will guess that I mean King Charles the Martyr. I do not know whether I am right, but it has always seemed to me, that the one great error of his Majesty's life was his being unequally yoked' with a person of another creed; a person with whom I suppose he could not well pray, although, as we happen to know for certain, he prayed constantly for her conversion. His own faith to be sure was unstained; but we know what evil ensued to his family and kingdom; and perhaps many of his own calamities might be traced to this cause. Now if that just and good king cannot be excused for such a marriage, what can be said for an ordinary Christian, should he run into the like danger? What is tempting GOD,' if this be not? Thus I ran on; but Philip evidently paid little attention to me. He seemed to be making up his mind that I was prejudiced, and that it was no use his listening at all. So I went away for the