to the Sacrament of Baptifm; an application which is, notwithstanding, univerfally allowed. It fhould likewife be remembered by thofe who urge this objection, that the inftitution of Baptism, however early in the course of our Lord's ministry it was described and explained, was not enjoined till after this of our Lord's Supper."

"So much for the objection by itself confidered; but I would make a further use of this discourse upon Baptifm, between which and that under confideration, there is more than an accidental resemblance."

"Our Saviour had told Nicodemus that he must be born again; Nicodemus replies to the impoffibility of the thing, in the obvious and literal fense of the words. Jefus in anfwer, with peculiar folemnity and claim to attention, points out the poffibility and the means of being born again, as well as the neceffity of fuch regeneration: "VERILY, VERILY, I fay unto you, "except a man be born of water and of "the fpirit, he cannot enter into the king"dom of God." To which, ftill remark

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ing on the want of apprehenfion of Nicodemus, he adds, "If I have told you "earthly things, and you believe not, how "fhall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things."

"In the fixth chapter Jefus had faid, * The bread that I will give is my flesh,

which I will give for the life of the "world." The Jews again anfwering, as Nicodemus had done before, to the impoffibility of the thing, in its literal fenfe, faid, "How can this man give us his flesh " to eat." To which our Lord returns an answer, correfponding to that given to Nicodemus, even to the very turn of the Sentence: "VERILY, VERILY, I fay unto you, "except ye eat the flesh of the Son of "Man, and drink his blood, ye have no "life in you." The purport of which words is repeated and confirmed in the three next verses, to which he adds, ftill remarking on their want of apprehenfion, "Doth this offend you? What, and if "fhall fee the Son of Man afcend up "where he was before?" A reply fo exactly parallel to that with which he had

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concluded his converfation with this Mafter in Ifrael, that the bare juxta-pofition of thefe fentences will render each the comment upon the other. From which analogy, I cannot but think, that whoever will obferve the ftyle, manner, and connection of these two difcourfes, will be of opinion, that St. John took pains induftriously to fhew, that the two inftitutions, which were to diftinguish this Religion, made part of our Saviour's plan long before they were actually enjoined. What confirms this notion is, that the only miracle which St. John relates after the other Evangelifts, is this, of the miraculous increase of bread, a circumstance in itself highly remarkable, as the reason of it is obvious, because it gave an easy opportunity of introducing and explaining the nature of this Sacrament, as the occurrence relating to Nicodemus had afforded an opportunity of explaining the other. To which I must add, that he is the only Evangelist who infifts upon the facramental importance of either inftitution; and that his attention, in this inftance, is perfectly

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confonant with the general defign of his hiftory, which was written in aid of the other Evangelifts, to supply such doctrines as he judged might be most usefully added, and at the fame time, to correct the mifreprefentations of fome already received."

The learned Bishop proceeds to answer other objections in a manner equally able. He concludes a most convincing discourse, with faying, "If we are juftified in interpreting the words of this chapter, "He "that eateth my flesh and drinketh my "blood dwelleth in me and I in him," directly of this Sacrament, this paffage will have an important influence on forming our opinion refpecting the peculiar benefits arifing from this inftitution, and we have only to inquire into the meaning of the words, " dwelleth in " me and I in him," to determine what thefe benefits precifely are.

"To dwell in Chrift, therefore, is to live according to his commandments; to have Chrift dwelling in us, is to enjoy the influence of his Holy Spirit.

"Thus

"Thus St. John: "Hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit that "he hath given us again, hereby know "we that we dwell in him, and he in us, "because he hath given us of his Spirit."

"If then we rightly interpret the text, the affiftances of the Spirit are directly annexed to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. But the fanctification of the Spirit fuppofes Redemption and Pardon; which, therefore, might elfe from this chapter be proved a benefit confe- . quent upon this ordinance. But as these truths may be more obviously and fimply deduced from the words of the inftitution, and from the nature of the rite itfelf, I fhall not infift at large upon the argument, but content myself with having fhewn, in oppofition to thofe who have interpreted the eating and drinking Chrift's body and blood to be no more than keeping his commandments, that it alluded to fomething more analogous to the literal fenfe of the words; in oppofition to those who interpret it only of the thing fignified in the Sacra

ment